MMA News

Tom Taylor - January 15, 2021

UFC President Dana White says Khabib Nurmagomedov will need to vacate the UFC lightweight title if he wants to fight Georges St-Pierre. Nurmagomedov retired after his last fight, a submission win over Justin Gaethje, but White has been adamant that he’ll attempt to bring the undefeated Russian back for one more fight before all is said and done.

Adam Martin - January 15, 2021

Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt named the three fighters on his hit list, including the man who took his belt, TJ Dillashaw. Garbrandt is set to make his return to the Octagon in the next couple of months after missing the last six months of action due to injuries, not to mention a rough case of COVID-19. We last saw “No Love” at UFC 250, where he knocked out Raphael Assuncao. That win earned him a title shot at 125lbs, but he wasn’t able to make it to the fight, and the flyweight division looks very different now. That’s why Garbrandt has said that he plans on returning as a bantamweight in his comeback.

Tom Taylor - January 15, 2021

UFC President Dana White and undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov finally sat down for a long-awaited meeting on Friday. See the pair sitting down for their talk below:

Tom Taylor - January 15, 2021

Former UFC lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos wants a rematch with Nate Diaz, and he’s willing to offer his rival a handicap to make the fight happen. Generally speaking, fighters don’t angle for rematches with opponents they’ve already beaten, but that’s the case this time around.

Harry Kettle - January 15, 2021

UFC legend Jon Jones has explained why he isn’t particularly concerned about cardio playing a negative role when he moves up to heavyweight. The former light heavyweight king has vacated his throne at 205 pounds, and now, he’ll be attempting to achieve something that very few other fighters have achieved—he will try and win a world title at two separate weight classes.

Harry Kettle - January 15, 2021

UFC star Conor McGregor knows how to make a statement – and he’s certainly done just that with his new watch. Over the course of the last few years McGregor hasn’t been afraid to splash the cash, and it’s not exactly hard to understand why after the insane wealth he has been able to accumulate courtesy of his ventures and achievements both in and outside of the Octagon.

Tom Taylor - January 15, 2021

On Saturday, the UFC will return to our screens for the first time this year with the stacked UFC Fight Island 7 card in Abu Dhabi. The card will be headlined by a compelling featherweight clash between the division’s former champion Max Holloway and No. 6-ranked contender Calvin Kattar. The bout will be Holloway’s opportunity to rebound from back-to-back losses to reigning featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, while Kattar will look to burst into title contention with the biggest win of his career.

Drake Riggs - January 14, 2021

When being paired to shoot a commercial together, TJ Dillashaw and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson had to be on their best office behavior. In July 2018, men’s clothing company Van Heusen released a commercial displaying their new Flex Collection. Showing off the new wares were none other than UFC superstars Stephen Thompson and, at the time the UFC bantamweight champion, TJ Dillashaw.

Drake Riggs - January 14, 2021

“The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung was on the cusp of a title shot heading into his highly anticipated clash with Brian Ortega. Now he’s back to square one. Jung’s first and only crack at UFC gold came in 2014 when he took on Jose Aldo at UFC 163. Unfortunately for one of Korea’s finest, a dislocated shoulder spelled his demise in round four. After that, Jung did his service in the Korean army before returning to MMA in 2017.

Adam Martin - January 14, 2021

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre admitted in a new interview that a matchup against Khabib Nurmagomedov “freaking excites me.” Nurmagomedov will meet with UFC president Dana White this week in Abu Dhabi to talk about his fighting future. It’s expected that White will try and convince him to return to the Octagon fight Conor McGregor in a rematch should he beats Dustin Poirier at UFC 257. However, Nurmagomedov has said in the past that his one dream fight in MMA is a superfight with the legend GSP. White has also admitted that he likes that fight, though it ultimately comes down to both men signing the contract.

Cole Shelton - January 14, 2021

Jon Jones has sent a warning to fighters ahead of his heavyweight debut. Jones vacated the light heavyweight title in the summer as “Bones” made it clear he wanted to move up to heavyweight. He has since been posting photos of him bulking up and waiting for the fight but now he has sent a message to future opponents.

Cole Shelton - January 14, 2021

Michael Chandler had a hard time getting someone to fight him in his UFC debut. In the co-main event of UFC 257, Chandler will finally make the walk to the Octagon for the first time against Dan Hooker. It is a top-10 opponent for the former Bellator lightweight champion, but not a top-five guy he wanted.

Cole Shelton - January 14, 2021

Conor McGregor wanted to rematch Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2020, however, the Irishman claims the lightweight champ didn’t want the fight. Entering 2020, McGregor had a plan of a three-fight season that started with Donald Cerrone and ended with the rematch with Nurmagomedov. However, due to a variety of reasons, it did not come to fruition. Now, it appears the rematch may never happen and McGregor says that is on Nurmagomedov.

Cole Shelton - January 14, 2021

Ryan Hall is back. Multiple sources have confirmed to BJPENN.com that Ryan Hall and Dan Ige is agreed to for March 13 with contracts having already been sent out. The event currently does not have a location.

Tom Taylor - January 14, 2021

Former two-division UFC Conor McGregor says he’s matured since he began his mixed martial arts journey back in 2007. McGregor is currently gearing up for a lightweight showdown with No. 2-ranked contender Dustin Poirier, which will headline the UFC 257 card on January 23.

Adam Martin - January 14, 2021

The betting odds for the new booking between welterweights Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev features Chimaev opening as the favorite this time. Edwards and Chimaev were previously set to fight at UFC Vegas 17 in Las Vegas and then on January 20 in Fight Island. The first time the betting odds opened up, Edwards opened as the favorite with Chimaev as the underdog, but bettors quickly scooped up the plus-money on Chimaev and the line flipped the other way. With Edwards and Chimaev now re-booked to fight again on March 13, the oddsmakers were quick to re-open the line. Only this time, Chimaev opened up as the favorite.

Tom Taylor - January 14, 2021

The UFC and its official anti-doping partner, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), have made a long overdue to change to their positions on marijuana use among professional fighters. On Thursday, the promotion and the agency announced that, going forward, fighters will not be penalized if carboxy-THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, appears on their drug tests.

Tom Taylor - January 14, 2021

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor believes he’ll meet Manny Pacquiao in the boxing ring before the year is over. McGregor is currently gearing up for a fight with the UFC’s No. 2-ranked lightweight contender, Dustin Poirier, which will headline the UFC 257 card on January 23.