MMA News
Jack Hermansson says Darren Till was supposed to be a "tune-up fight" only interested in fighting Whittaker or Costa next
Cole Shelton - December 1, 2020
Jack Hermansson will still be fighting on Saturday night in the main event of UFC Vegas 16. Originally, Hermansson was expected to fight fan-favorite, Darren Till. However, the Englishman was forced out with an injury and was replaced by Kevin Holland. Yet, Holland got COVID-19 and now Hermansson is set to fight Marvin Vettori.
Stephen Thompson vs. Geoff Neal will now serve as UFC Vegas 17 headliner
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.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Leon Edwards fight scrapped due to COVID-19
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.
Francisco Figueiredo calls it a "dream come true" to join "warrior" brother Deiveson Figueiredo in 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.
Jake Paul says his team has contacted Conor McGregor about fight
Tom Taylor - December 1, 2020
YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul says his team has reached out to Conor McGregor’s management about a potential fight. Paul’s star is shining brighter than ever at the moment, after he produced a blistering knockout victory over former NBA player Nate Robinson in the co-main event of last weekend’s Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. event.
Fabricio Werdum explains the secret to fighting into his 40s
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.
UFC rankings update: Anthony Smith gains ground at light heavyweight
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.
Daniel Cormier makes suggestion for Jon Jones' first heavyweight opponent
Tom Taylor - December 1, 2020
Former two-division UFC champ Daniel Cormier believes a heavyweight fight between Jon Jones and Curtis Blaydes makes “all the sense in the world.” Jones, the most dominant light heavyweight fighter in MMA history, recently vacated the UFC light heavyweight title with plans to move up to the heavyweight division. While it’s still not clear who he’ll fight in his first fight in this new weight class, Cormier believes Blaydes should get the call.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 21 with Jack Hermansson, Diego Ferreira, Montana De La Rosa and Cody Durden
Cole Shelton - December 1, 2020
The 21st episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC Vegas 16. We’re first joined by fourth-ranked middleweight contender, Jack Hermansson (3:01). Next, ninth-ranked lightweight, Diego Ferreira (17:36) joins the show. Then, the 15th-ranked flyweight, Montana De La Rosa (31:34) comes on. Closing out the show is flyweight contender, Cody Durden (41:31).
Garry Tonon confident someone is getting finished in Koyomi Matsushima bout
Tom Taylor - December 1, 2020
American grappling star turned mixed martial artist Garry Tonon will return to action this Friday night in what he considers his toughest bout so far. The multiple-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion will look to climb the featherweight ranks with a victory over his next foe, in hopes of landing a shot at the belt in the very near future.
Veteran referee Marc Goddard reacts to “sickening” inter-gender fight featuring 529-pound man
Tom Taylor - December 1, 2020
Veteran MMA referee Marc Goddard was not impressed by a recent fight involving a 529-pound man and a 139-pound woman. The bout in question occured in Moscow, Russia last week, under the Nashe Delo Fights banner. In the early going, it looked like the male fighter, Grigory Chistyakov, might come out on top. In the end, however, Darina Madzyuk turned the tables on her male foe, winning with a volley of strikes.
Odds released for a potential MMA bout between Colby Covington and LeBron James
Harry Kettle - December 1, 2020
The odds have been released for a potential mixed martial arts fight between UFC welterweight Colby Covington and NBA star LeBron James. In the wake of Jake Paul knocking out Nate Robinson this past weekend, it seems as if there is a revived interest in the world of celebrity boxing – and potentially even celebrity MMA. From basketball to baseball and beyond, plenty of stars are starting to throw their name into the hat for a potential bout somewhere down the road.
Daniel Cormier responds after Dillon Danis suggests he will shut his "fat mouth"
Christopher Taylor - November 30, 2020
Dillon Danis was not happy with Daniel Cormier for suggesting that he would get “beat up” by Jake Paul in a boxing match. Earlier today on ESPN‘s “DC & Helwani show”, the former UFC champ-champ turned heads when he suggested that Jake Paul would defeat Dillon Danis in a boxing match.
Ronaldo Souza says Jack Hermansson turned down rematch at UFC Vegas 16
Adam Martin - November 30, 2020
UFC middleweight veteran Ronaldo Souza says that he offered to fight Jack Hermansson at UFC Vegas 16 but “The Joker” turned him down. Hermansson was set to fight Darren Till in the main event of UFC Vegas 16 on December 5, but Till unfortunately pulled out of the fight with an injury. Kevin Holland then filled in on short notice, but he was forced to pull out of the fight due to a positive COVID-19 test. Hermansson was finally booked to fight Marvin Vettori, who was originally slated to fight Souza at UFC 256 next weekend. Souza, in turn, was booked to fight Holland, who will look to make a speedy recovery from COVID-19.
Diego Sanchez says he is looking for an opponent for his retirement fight
Cole Shelton - November 30, 2020
Diego Sanchez appears close to hanging up the gloves. Following Sanchez’s UFC 253 loss to Jake Matthews, many wondered what would be next for him. Some thought he should retire but he made it clear he would look to continue fighting.
Claressa Shields signs with PFL
Adam Martin - November 30, 2020
Claressa Shields, a former Olympic gold medalist in boxing, is making the move to mixed martial arts and surprisingly has signed with PFL. Shields has been teasing a move to MMA for the last few years. In fact, she was a guest of UFC president Dana White at UFC 245 last December in Las Vegas. Many thought that after Amanda Nunes defended the UFC women’s bantamweight title against Germaine de Randamie that night that Shields could potentially be a future opponent. But that fight won’t be happening anytime soon with Shields now in PFL.
Conor McGregor celebrates the anniversary of Nate Diaz’s win over Gray Maynard: “Happy womp womp day brother!”
Cole Shelton - November 30, 2020
Conor McGregor congratulated Nate Diaz on the anniversary of his TKO win over Gray Maynard. On November 30, 2013, Diaz and Maynard had their unofficial trilogy bout. They first met on The Ultimate Fighter with Diaz winning by submission. They then fought in 2010 with Maynard winning by split decision but in 2013, Diaz put the rivalry to bed with a TKO win.
Daniel Cormier believes Jake Paul would "beat up" Dillon Danis
Adam Martin - November 30, 2020
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier believes that Jake Paul would “beat up” Dillon Danis if the two ever end up fighting in a boxing match. In the wake of Paul’s knockout win over Nate Robinson at the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. event, there have been numerous athletes taking to social media to call Paul out. We’ve seen NHL players including Ryan Reaves and Evander Kane call Paul out, not to mention numerous other MMA fighters and boxers. One of those fighters is Danis, the outspoken Bellator fighter who has made it known he is interested in stepping into the ring with Paul. And Paul seems like he’s interested in the fight, too.