MMA News
Israel Adesanya responds to Tyron Woodley: “Oboy sit down before I lash your nyash well well”
Natasha Hooper - April 21, 2020
Israel Adesanya has issued a firm response to Tyron Woodley’s recent callout. The middleweight champion isn’t holding back as he threatened the former welterweight champion on social media.
Bookies have slashed odds for Conor McGregor to become the next President of Ireland
Harry Kettle - April 21, 2020
The betting odds for UFC star Conor McGregor to become the next President of Ireland have been slashed over the last few weeks. McGregor has spent the last few weeks gaining quite a few plaudits from around the world as a result of his response to the coronavirus pandemic. After putting forward €1 million of his own money to buy medical equipment for hospitals around Ireland, it also appears as if his own nation is coming around to the controversial former champion, too.
Chi Lewis-Parry open to giving Jon Jones life advice despite previous rivalry
Adam Martin - April 20, 2020
European light heavyweight prospect Chi Lewis-Parry says he is willing to give Jon Jones life advice despite their previous rivalry. Lewis-Parry is an experienced kickboxer for GLORY and one of the better free agent light heavyweight prospects not in a major organization. Last May, Lewis-Parry got into a shouting contest at an autograph signing by Jones in the UK before security removed him from the situation. He later explained that his beef with Jones dated back to when Lewis-Parry was a member of Daniel Cormier’s training camp before the Jones rematch.
Gilbert Burns roasts “dumbass” Ben Askren on social media
Cole Shelton - April 20, 2020
Gilbert Burns roasted former UFC welterweight Ben Askren on social media earlier today. During the quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Burns has been active on social media tweeting funny videos and memes. One meme he kept on using was a group of men carrying a coffin. Askren posted on social media wondering what it was about and Burns was quick to respond.
Who has the best chance to end Israel Adesanya's reign?
Cole Shelton - April 20, 2020
Israel Adesanya has yet to lose in MMA including being 8-0 inside the Octagon where he defended his middleweight belt for the first time at UFC 248. There, he edged out a decision win over Yoel Romero in a lackluster fight. Although “The Last Stylebender” has looked impressive he has some tough challenges ahead of him. When the UFC returns, Adesanya’s next title defense will come against undefeated Paulo Costa. If he gets past that, he could fight the likes of Jared Cannonier and Darren Till among others. Although some think Costa could earn a knockout win, it is another undefeated fighter in Edmen Shahbazyan who poses the biggest problems.
UFC cancels four events due to COVID-19 pandemic, May 9 still targeted as return date
Cole Shelton - April 20, 2020
The UFC has officially canceled four events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The promotion also confirmed that the events are canceled and not postponed as they had been saying earlier on. The four events canceled are UFC Nebraska on April 25, UFC Oklahoma City on May 2, UFC 250 on May 9 and UFC San Diego on May 16.
Lyman Good becomes first UFC fighter to test positive for coronavirus
Adam Martin - April 20, 2020
UFC welterweight Lyman Good has become the first fighter on the UFC roster to test positive for the coronavirus. Thankfully, he has recovered from it. Good was set to fight Belal Muhammad at UFC 249 before withdrawing from the bout due to injury. However, in a new interview with ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Good admitted that he told the UFC he was injured when, in fact, he had coronavirus.
Amanda Nunes pulls out of May 9 fight with Felicia Spencer, wants a full training camp
Mike Pendleton - April 20, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on combat sports and the UFC’s plans for when they return to action. Current bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes was reportedly set to be part of the UFC’s return card that is scheduled for May 9, where she was to defend her featherweight title against contender Felicia Spencer. As first reported by ESPN, Nunes was going to be a part of a planned supercard by the UFC which featured three title fights including Nunes’ featherweight title. However the plan has now changed for the champion as she told Brian Campbell of CBS Sports that she will not be fighting on May 9, because it’s too soon for her.
Manager open to potential title fight between clients Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje
Tom Taylor - April 20, 2020
MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz will not stand in the way of a lightweight title fight between his clients Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. As anybody who has been paying any attention to the UFC over the last few weeks knows, a fight between Nurmagomedov and Gaethje is very real possibility in the coming months.
Matt Brown suspects he had coronavirus: It was "the sickest I'd ever been in my life"
Tom Taylor - April 20, 2020
UFC welterweight veteran Matt Brown believes he had COVID-19. Brown was expected to take on Miguel Baeza at UFC on ESPN 8, which was scheduled for March 28 but was ultimately canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Before this card, he battled a bout of illness which he suspects could have been COVID-19.
PFL postpones 2020 season, fighters to be paid monthly stipend
Adam Martin - April 20, 2020
The PFL announced on Monday that is has officially postponed its entire 2020 schedule and is going to reschedule it to 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Professional Fighters League was set to begin its 2020 season in May, with events held monthly for the rest of the year until the finals on New Year’s Eve. Due to the coronavirus crisis, however, the promotion cannot run its third season as scheduled. Instead, it has shifted the entire schedule to 2021.
Demian Maia calls out Diego Sanchez, Sanchez responds with Fight Island suggestion
Tom Taylor - April 20, 2020
Demian Maia is hoping to close the book on his illustrious MMA career with a fight against Diego Sanchez. From the sounds of it, Sanchez is down.
Vitor Belfort: ONE debut was in the works before pandemic hit
Tom Taylor - April 20, 2020
Vitor Belfort says his ONE Championship debut was in the works before the coronavirus pandemic took hold. Belfort revealed that his debut was nearly finalized in an interview with MMA Junkie.
VIDEO | Sean O’Malley roasts Dominick Cruz vs. Henry Cejudo title fight
Harry Kettle - April 20, 2020
UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley has taken a shot at the booking of Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz for the UFC Bantamweight Championship. It’s no secret that O’Malley is one of the rising stars in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and he’s certainly one of the most exciting names in the bantamweight division. Alas, it’s probably going to be a while before we can even start to think about him challenging for the gold — especially after his recent two-year lay-off.
Tyron Woodley hopes to fight on May 9 in case subsequent cards fall through
Tom Taylor - April 20, 2020
Former UFC welterweight champ Tyron Woodley is hoping to compete on the UFC’s planned May 9 card, as he’s worried the powers that be could derail the UFC’s subsequent events. The May 9 event is intended to serve as the UFC’s big return after a brief coronavirus-related shut-down. UFC President Dana White has been adamant that, following this May 9 card, the promotion will produce events every weekend to make up for lost time.
Stephen Thompson turns heel, joins Ariel Helwani in online feud with Darren Till
Harry Kettle - April 20, 2020
In a twist similar to Randy “Macho Man” Savage turning on Hulk Hogan, Stephen Thompson has shocked the world and turned heel. It’s safe to say that the ongoing war of words between Ariel Helwani and Darren Till has sent shockwaves through the MMA universe, to the point where it seems obvious that they’re going to throw down in what will almost certainly be one of the most highly anticipated fights in the history of mixed martial arts.
Dominick Reyes says Jon Jones is bluffing about Jan Blachowicz bout, tells everyone to “slow down”
Natasha Hooper - April 20, 2020
Dominick Reyes has called out his last opponent Jon Jones for bluffing about an upcoming matchup against fellow light heavyweight Jan Blachowicz. In the main event of UFC 247, Reyes challenged the division’s champion, Jones, for the 205-pound crown. “Bones” defended his title and claimed the decision victory, but many spectators believed “The Devastator” should have won the five-round war. The 30-year old claimed he’s ready for the rematch but Jones will not sign the contract.
Videos | Top 5 Submissions: UFC 11 – UFC 20
Adam Martin - April 19, 2020
Check out videos of the top five submissions from UFC 11 to UFC 20, featuring the legendary UFC Hall of Famer Kazushi Sakuraba. In our latest series here at BJPenn.com “Top 5 Submissions” we take a look at the most lethal submissions from the second block of UFC events. These tapouts from 1997 to 1999, which feature numerous future UFC Hall of Famers, still hold up strong over 20 years later. Keep in mind there are many other submissions deserving of the list, but we had to choose just five. Take a look at our top-five list below.