MMA News

Tom Taylor - December 2, 2020

No. 3-ranked UFC welterweight contender Leon Edwards has issued a public statement after he was forced out of his upcoming fight. Edwards was scheduled to take on red-hot prospect Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of stacked UFC Fight Night card on December 19. Regrettably, the Birmingham, UK native was forced to withdraw from the bout after testing positive for COVID-19.

Tom Taylor - December 2, 2020

Niko Price has been suspended and fined by the Nevada Athletic Commission after testing positive for marijuana. His September draw with Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone has also been converted to a draw. This unfortunate news was first reported by Marc Raimondi of ESPN.

Tom Taylor - December 2, 2020

Former UFC strawweight champ Rose Namajunas has opened up on the traumatizing experience of being on the bus Conor McGregor infamously attacked back in 2018. The incident occurred at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn, NY when McGregor, in a frenzied search for his nemesis Khabib Nurmagomedov, hurled a dolly through the window of a bus carrying a number of UFC fighters—Namajunas included.

Tom Taylor - December 2, 2020

ONE Championship flyweight star Demetrious Johnson has responded to some recent praise from UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Adesanya was recently asked who he considers the greatest fighter in MMA history, and promptly identified Johnson as his pick.

Tom Taylor - December 2, 2020

MMA superstar Conor McGregor was busy on Twitter on Wednesday morning, but the intention of his latest posts is not immediately evident. The Irishman published a trio of Tweets that seemed to be targeting somebody specifically, but it’s not clear who.

Harry Kettle - December 2, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Charles Oliveira believes that he will make it eight finishes in a row when he fights Tony Ferguson at UFC 256. After much speculation over who both men would fight next, the two have been paired together in what many consider to be the most anticipated bout left in 2020 for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Harry Kettle - December 2, 2020

Former two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo has issued a somewhat light-hearted response to PFL star Kayla Harrison’s open challenge. Harrison, who is 8-0 since beginning her professional mixed martial arts career, is searching for more competition as she awaits the return of the new PFL season. Cejudo, on the other hand, has been “retired” for months now after walking away from the sport earlier this year.

Tom Taylor - December 2, 2020

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has made 2020 a very tough year for MMA, but 2021 looks like it could much better—particularly for the women’s side of the sport. As the 2021 calendar starts to fill up, a number of female fighters look poised for huge things, from the UFC’s Octagon, to the ONE Championship Circle, to the PFL and Bellator MMA cages.

Adam Martin - December 1, 2020

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis explained why he’s fighting Alex Morono at UFC Vegas 17 in what was a surprising booking. On Tuesday, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that Pettis vs. Morono will take place at UFC Vegas 17, which is set for December 19 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card was originally set to be headlined by welterweights Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev, but the fight was called off after Edwards tested positive for COVID-19. The new main event will see Stephen Thompson take on Geoff Neal for five rounds or less.

Cole Shelton - December 1, 2020

Joseph Benavidez is looking to return to the win column on March 6 at UFC 259. According to Russian outlet TASS, Benavidez is set to take on rising contender, Askar Askarov. Currently, the event does not have a location or venue.

Adam Martin - December 1, 2020

30 years after one of the biggest upsets in sports history, Buster Douglas now wants a rematch against heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson. On February 11, 1990, Douglas took on Tyson in a fight where he was a 42-to-1 underdog. At the time, Tyson was 37-0 with 33 knockouts, while Douglas was just 29-4-1, 1 NC. Tyson was just 24 at the time, while Douglas was 30. In one of the most stunning upsets ever seen in sports, Douglas took it to Tyson and brutally knocked him out in the 10th round to become the new world heavyweight boxing champion. Douglas immediately lost the belt to Evander Holyfield in his very next fight.

Cole Shelton - December 1, 2020

The UFC will begin 2021 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Multiple sources have informed BJPENN.com that the January 16 fight night card and UFC 257 on January 23 have been confirmed to take place on Fight Island. Contracts have been issued out with Fight Island as the location. Currently, it is unknown if the January 30 fight night card will also take place in Abu Dhabi.

Cole Shelton - December 1, 2020

The UFC’s final event of 2020 will still be headlined by a welterweight fight. Originally, UFC Vegas 17 was supposed to see Leon Edwards take on Khamzat Chimaev in the main event. However, on Tuesday it was revealed the Englishman was out of the fight due to testing positive for COVID-19. Now, multiple sources have told BJPENN.com that Stephen Thompson vs. Geoff Neal will be the main event and will be five rounds. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Ariel Helwani.

Tom Taylor - December 1, 2020

An anticipated welterweight scrap between No. 3-ranked contender Leon Edwards and rising prospect Khamzat Chimaev has unfortunately been canceled after Edwards tested positive for COVID-19. News of the bout’s cancelation comes from Ariel Helwani of ESPN, the official broadcast partner of the UFC.

Adam Martin - December 1, 2020

Francisco Figueiredo, the brother of UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, called it a “dream come true” to join his big bro in the UFC. Manager Wallid Ismail recently announced that the UFC signed Francisco to a contract and he’s expected to compete in the flyweight division, where he will fight alongside his brother Deiveson. Francisco has been a professional MMA fighter for over a decade before finally getting the call. Speaking to AG Fight, the younger Figueiredo brother said it’s a “dream come true” to finally realize his goal of making it to the big show.

Adam Martin - December 1, 2020

UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith says he’s uninterested in fighting Jimi Manuwa and suggested that Dustin Jacoby “do him dirty” instead. Smith is coming off of a great win over Devin Clark at UFC Vegas 15, as he submitted his opponent with a triangle choke in the first round to snap a two-fight losing skid. Smith is No 6. in the UFC light heavyweight rankings so plenty of light heavyweights have been calling him out, including Paul Craig and Jimmy Crute. One other fighter calling Smith out is Jimi Manuwa, who is currently retired. Manuwa has hinted at a comeback and he suggested a fight against Smith would be a good return fight.

Adam Martin - December 1, 2020

Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum explained the secret to fighting into his 40s and still performing at a high level in MMA. Werdum is now 43 years old but he is still winning fights against elite opposition who are younger than him. In his last outing on Fight Island back in July, Werdum picked up a huge upset win when he submitted Alexander Gustafsson. After being left for dead following a decision loss to Aleksei Oleinik at UFC 249 this past May, Werdum showed that he still has plenty of gas left in the tank when he beat Gustafsson.

Tom Taylor - December 1, 2020

The official UFC rankings have been updated after last Saturday’s UFC Vegas 15 card, and there have been a handful of interesting changes. While the card lost its originally scheduled Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis fight at the last minute, it still featured one ranked fighter as top-15 light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith submitted Devin Clark in the short-notice main event.