MMA News

Tom Taylor - November 19, 2019

When Isaac Vallie-Flagg walloped his fellow UFC veteran — and former roommate — Melvin Guillard to a stoppage win at BKFC 7 in August, he improved to 3-0 as a bare knuckle fighter. To long-time fans of MMA or boxing, that record might not seem like much, but in a sport as new as North American bare knuckle fighting, it’s about as impressive as it gets. In the brief period that bare knuckle fighting has been legal on this side of the world, very few people have had as much success as Vallie-Flagg.

Fernando Quiles - November 19, 2019

Chael Sonnen admits that Ben Askren’s decision to hang up his gloves for good surprised him. Askren went into the UFC with a ton of hype. “Funky” had captured Bellator and ONE Championship gold. While Askren initially retired, he ended up signing with the UFC via a trade with ONE for Demetrious Johnson. Askren went 1-2 under the UFC banner. He submitted Robbie Lawler and was stopped by Jorge Masvidal and Demian Maia. During a recent appearance on ESPN’s Ariel Helwani MMA Show, Askren said he’s done for good now.

Cole Shelton - November 19, 2019

Jorge Masvidal is now the owner of the UFC’s BMF title, and he could very well be fighting for the welterweight title in his next fight. Yet Dan Lambert, the owner of American Top Team, is hoping for something else for “Gamebred” next. Lambert and the team at ATT know Masvidal wants the biggest payday so they are hoping a Conor McGregor fight can come to fruition. If that fight doesn’t materialize, Lambert believes Nick Diaz makes the most sense for Masvidal.

Adam Martin - November 19, 2019

UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa blasted UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya on social media, calling the champ a “p***y African.” Costa is the No. 1 contender in the UFC middleweight division and earned a title shot following his unanimous decision win over Yoel Romero at UFC 241. Unfortunately for Costa, he injured his biceps and had to have surgery on his arm, which is expected to keep him out of commission until mid-2020.

Tom Taylor - November 19, 2019

From the moment Ben Askren announced his retirement from MMA, you knew it was only a matter of time before Dillon Danis — one of Askren’s chief naysayers — chimed in. It’s finally happened.

Tom Taylor - November 19, 2019

The UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of Saturday’s UFC Sao Paulo card, and as expected, there have been some interesting changes. Most notably, former UFC lightweight heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has been 86’d from the light heavyweight rankings after battling Paul Craig to a draw in the UFC Sao Paulo co-main event.

Tom Taylor - November 19, 2019

Ben Askren announced his retirement on Monday afternoon, and he’s been receiving love from the MMA community ever since. He even got a nice tribute from ONE Championship, the organization that famously traded him to the UFC for Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in 2018. See how ONE Championship sent Ben Askren off into retirement below:

Adam Martin - November 19, 2019

UFC superstar Conor McGregor’s manager Audie Attar says contract discussions are going well for McGregor’s return fight against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. It has been weeks now since McGregor and Cerrone were first linked to a fight, with both men saying that is was likely going to be booked soon. And yet, for whatever reason, the UFC hasn’t been able to get the deal signed on the dotted line.

Harry Kettle - November 19, 2019

Nick Diaz’s former coach Cesar Gracie believes that the former Strikeforce star would “crush” guys like Jorge Masvidal when he’s at his best. Diaz hasn’t fought inside the Octagon since back in January 2015, almost five years ago, in his main event showdown with Anderson Silva which was overturned to a no contest. Ever since then he’s largely stayed away from the MMA bubble, with his younger brother Nate taking advantage of that by becoming one of the biggest stars in the sport.

BJPENN.COM Staff - November 19, 2019

For Amir Khan, staying active and constantly preparing for ONE Championship action seemed like the right idea at the time. However, the 25-year-old Khan quickly realized that he was putting himself into the wrong situations, and the end result was three consecutive defeats.

Cole Shelton - November 19, 2019

Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington will finally share the Octagon in the main event of UFC 245. The two have been rumored to fight each other ever since Usman won the title at UFC 235. Yet, until now, the two sides could never agree to a contract.

Harry Kettle - November 19, 2019

UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya has spoken out about who he believes to be the biggest threat within his division. Adesanya finally completed his ascent to the top at middleweight back at UFC 243, as he defeated Robert Whittaker to claim the title. Ever since then we’ve heard a million and one different stories regarding what could be next for “The Last Stylebender”, with Yoel Romero emerging as the primary contender after Paulo Costa was put on the shelf through injury.

Cole Shelton - November 18, 2019

Darren Till entered the elite of the middleweight rankings when he edged out a win over Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 244. Shortly after the bout, The Liverpool native made it known he didn’t want to fight Yoel Romero next. Yet, to much surprise, Till later called out Romero on social media. He would later walk back on that challenge, claiming he called the Cuban out for fun and did so while he was very drunk.

Adam Martin - November 18, 2019

UFC heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou said he had a productive meeting with UFC president Dana White and teased a big fight announcement. Ngannou has taken to social media in recent weeks to share his intense frustration for not having had a fight booked since his TKO win over Junior dos Santos back in June. He criticized the promotion for not giving him the Alexander Volkov matchup at UFC Moscow, an opportunity that Greg Hardy got instead. Ngannou then accused the UFC of using him as a gatekeeper and not viewing him as a true title challenger despite his three-fight win streak over JDS, Cain Velasquez and Curtis Blaydes.

Cole Shelton - November 18, 2019

Jason Knight picked up his first win in bare-knuckle boxing and now he is looking to strap on the gloves and fight Paulie Malignaggi. Knight is coming off of a fifth-round TKO win over Artem Lobov at Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 9 on Saturday. Malignaggi, meanwhile, also had a fight in BKFC where he lost by decision to Lobov. He then made it clear he was done with the sport. Yet, “Hick Diaz” is hoping the two can enter the boxing ring for a bout.

Tom Taylor - November 18, 2019

Ben Askren is done fighting. The former ONE Championship and Bellator welterweight king announced the end of his fighting career on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, adding that he now plans to undergo a hip replacement. Askren ends his fighting career on a two-fight skid, having come up short against Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal, by knockout and submission, in his last two fights. While these losses expedited his decision to retire, he explained that he likely would have retired soon even if he’d been winning.

Fernando Quiles - November 18, 2019

UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping can see Tyson Fury making a smooth transition to MMA. Fury has expressed interest in sharing the Octagon with top UFC heavyweights in the future. The lineal boxing heavyweight champion is set to meet Deontay Wilder a second time in early 2020. First, Wilder must take care of business in a rematch with Luis Ortiz this Saturday night (Nov. 23).

Adam Martin - November 18, 2019

UFC featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov wants a featherweight title shot next, but he’s also open to a fight with Yair Rodriguez. Magomedsharipov recently defeated Calvin Kattar in the main event of UFC Moscow to improve his UFC record to a perfect 6-0. The victory improved his UFC record to 18-1 and he is currently riding a 14-fight win streak since his lone career defeat in 2013.