MMA News

Tom Taylor - February 18, 2021

Gilbert Burns says his recent fight with UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman was “way different” than their previous sparring sessions. Burns and Usman trained together at Sanford MMA for many years, engaging in upward of 200 sparring rounds during that time. When it became clear that they may have to fight one another, however, Usman left the gym and relocated to Colorado to train with acclaimed coach Trevor Wittman.

Adam Martin - February 18, 2021

Former Ultimate Fighter winner and UFC middleweight contender Antonio Carlos Junior explained why he wasn’t a good fit on the UFC roster. Junior was among the fighters who were released cut by the promotion as part of the UFC’s 60 planned roster cuts. Despite being a former TUF Brazil winner and having a winning record in the Octagon, Junior was not able to stick around the organization as the matchmakers continue to make cuts. Of all of the fighters who have been recently released by the UFC, Junior has been the one who fans and media have pointed to as being a potential mistake. But according to the Brazilian, he’s okay with the way things played out.

Cole Shelton - February 18, 2021

In the main event of UFC Vegas 19, Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis will finally fight one another. Heading into the fight, Blaydes is a -450 favorite while “The Black Beast” is a +325 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe Blaydes uses his wrestling to get the job done.

Tom Taylor - February 18, 2021

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has laid out plans for a grudge match with Jorge Masvidal—in his rival’s native Miami. Usman and Masvidal have fought once before, at UFC 251 in July 2020. Usman had originally been expected to defend his title against Gilbert Burns on the card, but when Burns withdrew from the matchup, Masvidal stepped in to replace him on less than a week’s notice. Usman ended up beating Masvidal by unanimous decision, but given the short-notice circumstances of the fight, there’s been widespread interest in a rematch ever since—and not just among fans.

Harry Kettle - February 18, 2021

YouTuber turned professional boxer Jake Paul doesn’t seem to be all too concerned by the prospect of Tyron Woodley training Ben Askren for their upcoming boxing fight. Paul is set to step back into the ring once again when he locks horns with the aforementioned Askren in what could be one of the most anticipated exhibition bouts of the year.

Drake Riggs - February 17, 2021

UFC Vegas 20 will be the second of two pivotal heavyweight main events going back to back as Jairzinho Rozenstruik looks to put a stop to Ciryl Gane. To close out 2020, France’s Gane extended his undefeated record to 7-0 by earning his biggest win yet. Opening up the main card of UFC 256, Gane disposed of former UFC champion Junior Dos Santos by second-round TKO.

Drake Riggs - February 17, 2021

UFC 258 has come and gone. It was the second pay-per-view event of the year and in many ways, the smaller event compared to UFC 257. As the first big event of 2021, UFC 257 was headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. UFC 258 acted as a follow-up with the welterweight title showdown between reigning champ Kamaru Usman and former teammate Gilbert Burns taking center stage.

Christopher Taylor - February 17, 2021

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman has revealed his required stipulations for a potential move up to middleweight. Usman (18-1 MMA) successfully defended his welterweight title at last weekend’s UFC 258 event scoring a third round TKO victory over Gilbert Burns. The victory marked Kamaru’s seventeenth in a row and third consecutive title defense.

Adam Martin - February 17, 2021

UFC president Dana White admitted to being a “degenerate” gambler and recalled losing a $1-million bet on a boxing match nearly 15 years ago. White recently spoke to ESPN Sports Betting about the role that gambling plays in the modern sports world. In White’s view, the legalization of gambling across more states and in more countries is only a good thing for MMA, since betting on sports can generate more fan interest. The UFC bossman admitted in the interview that he keeps his eye on the betting lines for the UFC events himself and also said that he’s glad ESPN started showing live betting lines on the broadcast. For White, the more gambling on UFC fights, the better.

Cole Shelton - February 17, 2021

Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno 2 will happen later than expected. After Figueiredo and Moreno fought to a draw at UFC 256 in December, it was clear an immediate rematch was in order. However, the Brazilian was calling out Henry Cejudo and the Cody Garbrandt fight is still there. Yet, according to Wallid Ismail, who manages Figueiredo, the champ’s next fight will be against Moreno but they want it to be in June.

Cole Shelton - February 17, 2021

Curtis Blaydes knows he’s a bad matchup for anybody. Currently, “Razor” is ranked second at heavyweight and is on a four-fight winning streak. During his impressive run, Curtis has shown off his tremendous wrestling and ground and pound as well as his improvement on the feet. According to Blaydes, now that he is mixing all that together, he believes he is the most dangerous heavyweight in the UFC.

Cole Shelton - February 17, 2021

Chris Daukaus couldn’t have imagined he would be fighting the 10th-ranked guy in the world just six months after his UFC debut. Daukaus stepped up on short notice at UFC 252 in August and scored a first-round TKO win over Parker Porter. He followed that up with a 45-second TKO win over Rodrigo Nascimento in October and is now set to face Alexey Oleynik at UFC Vegas 19, which is an opponent he didn’t think he’d face in his third UFC appearance.

Cole Shelton - February 17, 2021

Drakkar Klose is frustrated with how the UFC is matchmaking fights. After Klose got knocked out by Beneil Dariush at UFC 248 in March of 2020, he did not get another fight for the rest of the year. It was a frustrating time for Klose who says he no longer cares about rankings and is just looking to make as much money as possible.

Adam Martin - February 17, 2021

Check out the complete betting odds for this Saturday’s UFC Vegas 19 card featuring Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis in the main event. The headliner features top-five ranked heavyweights Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis going against each other in an important fight in the UFC’s heaviest weight class. Blaydes comes into this fight on a four-fight win streak, but he has been criticized for his wrestling-heavy type of approach by UFC president Dana White and fans. We will see if that changes in this fight as Blaydes is likely very motivated to get a finish and move closer to the title shot. As for Lewis, he is coming off of three straight wins in his own right. One of the biggest punchers in the heavyweight division, Lewis is going to have to stop Blaydes’ takedown attempts and try to knock him out to win this fight as a big underdog.

Tom Taylor - February 17, 2021

Former UFC bantamweight contender Bryan Caraway has been charged with insurance fraud and accused of stealing an ATV from his ex-partner, former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate, per a report from the Tri-City Herald. According to the report, Caraway allegedly forged the title for a 2015 Polaris RZR ATV that belonged to Tate. Insurance investigators say Caraway bought an insurance policy for the vehicle, then reported it stolen just days later, claiming that the vehicle and its contents were worth $18,500. He’s also under investigation for grand larceny for allegedly stealing the ATV from Tate’s property on two occasions. These incidents occurred in 2018, after he and Tate split up in 2017.

Adam Martin - February 17, 2021

UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes says he won’t abandon his wrestling when he meets Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC Vegas 19. Blaydes is a powerhouse wrestler which has earned him some critics, including UFC president Dana White, who was not a fan of his last fight with Alexander Volkov. Despite winning a unanimous decision, Blaydes was not able to get the finish in that fight. Even though Blaydes has numerous TKO stoppages during his UFC run, he can’t seem to shake the label of a top-heavy wrestler. But he quite frankly doesn’t care what anyone thinks about his style. As long as he is winning fights, he won’t be changing the way he fights.

Tom Taylor - February 17, 2021

The official UFC rankings have been updated after last Saturday’s UFC 258 card in Las Vegas, and as expected, there have been some big changes. Most notably, UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman moved up the men’s pound-for-pound list after beating Gilbert Burns in the card’s main event. He’s now sitting at No. 4.

Tom Taylor - February 17, 2021

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle says Ronda Rousey picked up pro wrestling faster than anybody in the history of the sport. Rousey entered the combat sports limelight as a mixed martial artist, ultimately enjoying a lengthy reign as the UFC bantamweight champion. After two tough losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes, however, she transitioned to the WWE ring with much fanfare and excitement.