MMA News
Henry Cejudo takes a shot at TJ Dillashaw on two-year anniversary of knockout
Adam Martin - January 19, 2021
Henry Cejudo took a shot at rival TJ Dillashaw on the two-year anniversary of the night he knocked him out at UFC on ESPN+ 1. It was at UFC on ESPN+ 1 on January 19, 2019, when Dillashaw dropped down to 125lbs in order to win a second UFC title. At the time, he was the UFC bantamweight champion and Cejudo was the UFC flyweight champion, fresh off of an upset win over Demetrious Johnson. That night, Cejudo didn’t even need a minute to finish Dillashaw, stopping him in just 32 seconds via TKO.
Conor McGregor excited to show the world "something special" at UFC 257
Cole Shelton - January 19, 2021
Conor McGregor is promising to do something special at UFC 257. In the main event of the pay-per-view card this Saturday, McGregor is set to return to the Octagon against Dustin Poirier in a rematch over six years in the making. It is a very intriguing bout and a scrap many believe will be closer than the first fight.
Roxanne Modafferi is glad she isn't having another rematch, expects to submit Viviane Araujo
Cole Shelton - January 19, 2021
Roxanne Modafferi is happy she gets to fight someone new. Over her last several fights, she has rematched the likes of Andrea Lee, Sijara Eubanks, and Jennifer Maia. Now, at UFC Fight Island 8, she will fight Viviane Araujo for the first time, which Modafferi is very excited about.
Conor McGregor explains why he would like to fight Al Iaquinta in the future
Cole Shelton - January 19, 2021
Conor McGregor has made it clear he wants to fight all the top-ranked lightweights and revealed Al Iaquinta is on that list. McGregor is set to return to the lightweight division at UFC 257 against Dustin Poirier and the Irishman has said it will be the start of a lengthy run at the division. If he goes out and beats Poirier, McGregor will likely fight a top-five opponent next time out. However, he says he would be open to fighting Al Iaquinta.
Video | Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov miss each other by seconds in Fight Island hotel
Tom Taylor - January 19, 2021
Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, two of the fiercest rivals in MMA history, nearly crossed paths on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. See the pair’s near encounter, as captured by Dan Hardy’s Full Reptile, below:
Conor McGregor hit with multimillion-dollar personal injury lawsuit
Tom Taylor - January 19, 2021
Former two division UFC champion Conor McGregor has been hit with a multimillion-dollar personal injury lawsuit. According to a report from ESPN, a woman filed the lawsuit on Monday in the High Court in Dublin, Ireland. The woman’s mother has also reportedly filed a smaller suit against McGregor. According to a separate report The Independent, an unknown associate of McGregor is listed as a co-defendant.
Ralph Gracie sentenced to six months in prison for assaulting Flavio Almeida
Adam Martin - January 19, 2021
Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend and former PRIDE fighter Ralph Gracie was sentenced to six months in prison for assaulting Flavio Almeida. Globo first reported that a United States court sentenced Gracie to six months in prison for the assault, along with three years of probation. According to Almeida’s lawyers, Gracie was also fined $50,000, will have to attend anger-management classes, and is prohibited from leaving the United States.
Michael Chiesa expecting a "tough fight" against Neil Magny, views this as his "chance at redemption"
Cole Shelton - January 19, 2021
Michael Chiesa is eager to finally step back into the Octagon. In the main event of UFC Fight Island 8, Chiesa is set to battle Neil Magny in his first fight in nearly a year. Since Chiesa beat Rafael dos Anjos last January, he had a ton of momentum but injuries and the pandemic kept him out of the Octagon.
Khamzat Chimaev takes shot at "chicken" Conor McGregor
Tom Taylor - January 19, 2021
Welterweight prospect Khamzat Chimaev has taken a shot at Conor McGregor ahead of the Irishman’s anticipated return to the Octagon. McGregor is slated to step back into the cage in the main event of UFC 257 this Saturday in Abu Dhabi, where he’ll battle No. 2-ranked lightweight contender Dustin Poirier.
Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Max Holloway's mid-fight chatter, showboating: "I love this"
Tom Taylor - January 19, 2021
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was in attendance for Max Holloway’s recent fight with Calvin Kattar, and he liked what he saw. After the fight, Nurmagomedov hailed Holloway as one of the best fighters in the world, and also tipped his hat to the Hawaiian for his mid-fight trash talk and showboating.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 25 with Dan Hooker, Michael Chiesa, Matt Frevola, and Roxanne Modafferi
Cole Shelton - January 19, 2021
The 25th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC Fight Island 8 and UFC 257 var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_22657962", "obj": {"id":"22947","width":"100%","height":"","video":"704810"} });
Conor McGregor declares Fight Island "my island"
Tom Taylor - January 19, 2021
UFC superstar Conor McGregor has arrived on Fight Island—Yas Island in Abu Dhabi—and he’s already claiming ownership of it. McGregor is slated to take on Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 257 this Saturday on the Island. While most fighters on the card flew to Abu Dhabi directly, or through Las Vegas, McGregor first made a pitstop in Dubai, before eventually moving on to the scene of the action.
Coach believes Dustin Poirier needs to expose Conor McGregor’s “weakness” at UFC 257
Harry Kettle - January 19, 2021
American Top Team’s Mike Brown wants to see Dustin Poirier exploit Conor McGregor’s conditioning “weakness” at UFC 257 this weekend. Brown, who is Poirier’s head coach at ATT, will be hoping to guide “The Diamond” to victory more than six years after he was brutally defeated by McGregor at UFC 178 in Las Vegas.
UFC Fight Island 8 Weigh-In Results: Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny both make weight
Harry Kettle - January 19, 2021
Main event stars Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny have both made weight for their UFC Fight Island 8 showdown on Wednesday night. Both men are currently riding three-fight win streaks in the welterweight division with the belief being that a win here for either could take them to within one or two more victories of a shot at the Welterweight Championship.
Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Max Holloway has the chance to become "the best fighter of all time"
Christopher Taylor - January 18, 2021
Khabib Nurmagomedov has showered Max Holloway with praise following the Hawaiian’s record setting victory over Calvin Kattar. Holloway and Kattar collided in the headliner of Saturday’s UFC Fight Island 7 event in a bout which proved to be a very one sided contest.
Meng Bo: 'I can definitely defeat Weili Zhang again'
Drake Riggs - January 18, 2021
Weili Zhang only has one loss on her MMA record. And that belongs to the UFC champ’s fellow Chinese standout, ONE Championship’s Meng Bo. On Nov. 9, 2013, Bo and Zhang met on the Chinese regional scene for each of their first clashes in MMA. However, despite their professional records both reading that bout as their first career contests, Bo has since revealed that the fight was actually an amateur fight with only two rounds — as can be seen below.
Coach: Joanna Jedrzejczyk will need 'something significant to get her off the couch'
Drake Riggs - January 18, 2021
Joanna Jedrzejczyk has fought in the highest profiled contests that she possibly could have in her career. Now, that could be about all that’s left for her. In March 2020, Jedrzejczyk acted as half of one of the greatest fights of all-time. It was her 10th career UFC title bout and the third she’d lost in just as many attempts. 2-4 in her last six overall, it’s left Jedrzejczyk with seemingly limited options — not only by popular belief but her own accord as well.
Jerome Rivera plans to take Francisco Figueiredo's "soul" and put the champ on notice
Cole Shelton - January 18, 2021
Jerome Rivera knows he can send a direct message to Deiveson Figueiredo on Wednesday. At UFC Fight Island 8, Rivera is set to welcome Deiveson Figueiredo’s brother in Francisco to the Octagon. It is a very intriguing matchup and when Rivera got the fight offer, it was an immediate yes.