MMA News

Adam Martin - August 19, 2020

UFC president Dana White confirmed that Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz will compete for the vacant UFC light heavyweight title. Reyes vs. Blachowicz was announced on Monday and later in the day Jon Jones announced that he has vacated his belt on Twitter. Speaking to reporters following Tuesday’s edition of the Contender Series, White confirmed that Jones has vacated the title, and the fight between Reyes and Blachowicz at UFC 253 will crown a new champion at 205lbs.

Tom Taylor - August 19, 2020

Tim Welch, one of the coaches behind Sean O’Malley, has responded to some recent comments from former Bellator and ONE Champ Ben Askren. O’Malley last fought in the co-main event of UFC 252 last weekend, succumbing to a volley of punches from Marlon Vera after seemingly injuring his leg. After the fight was stopped, he was stretchered out of the Octagon.

Harry Kettle - August 19, 2020

UFC star Israel Adesanya has spoken about the story behind his upcoming UFC 253 main event against contender Paulo Costa. Adesanya is set to defend his Middleweight Championship against the Brazilian next month, with both men putting their undefeated record on the line in the name of determining who is the very best at 185 pounds.

Natasha Hooper - August 19, 2020

Anderson Silva will return to the Octagon on October 31 for a middleweight clash against Uriah Hall in the main event. The middleweight legend has endured a peppered record of wins and losses in recent years. He is currently riding a record of two consecutive losses after losing to Jared Cannonier by TKO in the first round of their UFC 237 clash. Prior to that, he lost by unanimous decision to the current middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya in 2017. His last victory took place in 2017 when he faced Derek Brunson. The pair went three rounds, and Brunson was convinced he “outclassed” Silva, but the judges ultimately sided with the middleweight legend and served him the victory.

Harry Kettle - August 19, 2020

UFC veteran and fan favorite Diego Sanchez is set to return to action at UFC 253 to take on Jake Matthews. Sanchez, who made his official debut for the promotion back in 2005, will make his 32nd walk to the Octagon as the eccentric New Mexico native tries to make it four wins in his last five fights.

Natasha Hooper - August 19, 2020

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has weighed in on Jon Jones’ plan to move up to the heavyweight division. Jon Jones has stepped away from his light heavyweight crown after a dispute with the UFC regarding a possible Francis Ngannou super fight. He accused UFC president Dana White of lying about contract negotiations and not paying him what he deserves.

Adam Martin - August 18, 2020

Blue-chip prospect Kay Hansen will next square off against rising women’s strawweight Cory McKenna at a UFC event later this fall. The UFC announced the Hansen vs. McKenna bout during Tuesday night’s Dana White’s Contender Series 29. Check the new fights announcements below via Zach Candito.

Cole Shelton - August 18, 2020

Derrick Lewis is looking to become the number one contender at heavyweight and he will get one step closer to that goal on November 28. For quite some time now, Curtis Blaydes has been calling out Derrick Lewis for a fight. He has even accused “The Black Beast” and the UFC of avoiding the matchup. Yet, that all changes now as according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Lewis and Blaydes will headline a November 28 event.

Cole Shelton - August 18, 2020

Frankie Edgar is excited to finally make his bantamweight debut against Pedro Munhoz. The former UFC lightweight champion was expected to make his bantamweight debut against Cory Sandhagen in January. Yet, Edgar took a short notice fight against Korean Zombie which did not go his way in December. He then was set to face Pedro Munhoz at UFC 251, UFC Fight Island 1, UFC 252 and now finally, UFC Vegas 7. For Edgar, he admits this camp has been a long one and he is excited to finally be able to fight.

Adam Martin - August 18, 2020

The opening odds have been released for the upcoming vacant UFC light heavyweight title bout between Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz. On Monday, news broke that the UFC is planning a fight between Reyes and Blachowicz for UFC 253, which takes place on September 26 at a yet-to-be-determined location. Not long after the news of Reyes vs. Blachowicz being in the works broke, UFC superstar Jon Jones took to Twitter to officially announce that he is vacating the light heavyweight title. Jones says he is working on a move up to heavyweight, and the 205lbs title is now vacant.

Tom Taylor - August 18, 2020

Junior dos Santos admits that, after three consecutive stoppage losses, he’s going through a “weird moment” in his mixed martial arts career. Dos Santos, the former UFC heavyweight champion, sought to rebound from back-to-back knockout losses to Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes when he took on Jairzinho Rozenstruik on the main card of UFC 252 last weekend. Regrettably for the Brazilian and his team, things didn’t go as planned, as he succumbed to his foe’s punches in round two.

Tom Taylor - August 18, 2020

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones believes he’ll defeat Dominick Reyes in more decisive fashion if they ever meet in a rematch. Jones, who vacated the UFC light heavyweight title on Monday, fought Reyes in February, earning a competitive and controversial decision victory. While he’s now focused on a move up to the heavyweight division, he believes that if he ever fights Reyes again, he’d author a much more convincing win.

Cole Shelton - August 18, 2020

The seventh episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com is here ahead of UFC Vegas 7 and Bellator 244. Host Cole Shelton is first joined by former UFC lightweight champion, Frankie Edgar (1:27). Next, perennial light heavyweight contender, Ovince Saint Preux comes on (17:40). Then, UFC light heavyweight Alonzo Menifield (31:03) joins the program. Finally, the final guest of the show is Bellator middleweight, John Salter (45:59).

Tom Taylor - August 18, 2020

Marlon Vera has received a congratulatory message from Ecuadorian President Lenín Moreno after his TKO win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 252 last weekend. Vera entered the cage with O’Malley, who had never been beaten as a pro mixed martial artist, as a significant betting underdog. Despite being given little credit by the bookmakers, he capitalized on an apparent O’Malley leg injury to finish his foe with a torrent of first-round ground-and-pound.

Adam Martin - August 18, 2020

A rematch between light heavyweights Shogun Rua and Paul Craig has been booked to take place at this November’s UFC 255 event. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani was the first to report the news the UFC is targeting the rematch between Shogun and Craig for UFC 255, which takes place on November 21 at a location that is still to be determined. The card is expected to be headlined by UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt, with a co-main event between UFC women’s’ flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko and Jennifer Maia.

Tom Taylor - August 18, 2020

Former UFC star Paige VanZant and her manager Malki Kawa have opened up on her new deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). Speaking to MMA Fighting, Kawa, the man behind First Round Management, divulged that the deal has a multi-million dollar price tag.

Tom Taylor - August 18, 2020

The medical suspensions for last Saturday’s UFC 252 card are in, and as expected from a card so jam-packed with violence, some fighters will be out for awhile. Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier, who battled for five hard rounds in the UFC 252 main event, will both be out until September 30 at minimum due to potential eye damage sustained in their fight. Cormier could be out much longer if he’s not cleared by an ophthalmologist.

Andrew Whitelaw - August 18, 2020

CamSoda are making their second foray into the world of MMA. The adult streaming platform will be teaming up with Full Metal Dojo in Thailand for FMD 19: ‘FIGHT CIRCUS’. The event will be live on CamSoda.com on August 22.