MMA News

Tom Taylor - November 27, 2020

On Saturday night, the UFC will return to our screens with the under-the-radar UFC Vegas 15 card out of the APEX facility. The card was originally expected to be headlined by a Octagon-rattling heavyweight collision between the division’s No. 2 and 4-ranked contenders, Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis. Regrettably, that fight was canceled at the 11th hour when Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19.

Tom Taylor - November 27, 2020

Undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has announced a special press conference in Moscow, Russia, on December 2. Khabib’s team announced this press conference on Instagram on Friday.

Tom Taylor - November 27, 2020

Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. have both passed the drug tests administered by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA). Tyson, 54, and Jones, 51, will fight for a maximum of eight two-minute rounds in a special exhibition fight this Saturday in Los Angeles, California. Ahead of the bout, both men underwent VADA drug tests, and according to ESPN reporter Marc Raimondi, both passed.

Tom Taylor - November 27, 2020

ONE Championship has announced the launch of third-party martial arts content on the ONE Super App, which will also stream live events from top regional martial arts promotions around the world. The first of these co-branded events will take place on November 28, when Russian martial arts promotion, Russian Cagefighting Championship (RCC), and Fair Fight Promotion (FFP) host a Road to ONE tournament, with athletes competing for a contract in ONE Championship. Fair Fight XIII, Featuring Road to ONE will be streamed live on the ONE Super App.

Tom Taylor - November 27, 2020

Rizin Fighting Federation boss Nobuyuki Sakakibara is interested in signing former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva to his promotion. Silva last fought on Halloween night, when he was stopped by Uriah Hall. Shortly after this setback, he was released from the UFC roster, but he emphasized that he intends to continue fighting nonetheless.

Harry Kettle - November 27, 2020

YouTuber Jake Paul has explained why he believes a boxing fight with MMA star Conor McGregor is in his future. Paul is arguably one of the most polarizing figures on the YouTube platform, but after his successful boxing debut against AnEsonGib back in January, he’s made it crystal clear that he isn’t going anywhere. The younger Paul brother will now step into the ring once again to fight former NBA favorite Nate Robinson on this weekend’s Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. undercard.

Adam Martin - November 26, 2020

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen believes that former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, his long-time archrival, will never fight again. Sonnen and Silva were part of a memorable rivalry in the early 2010s. The two met at UFC 117 and, after Sonnen dominated the first four rounds of the fight, Silva came back to win in the fifth round by submission. They then fought in a rematch at UFC 148, with Silva winning via second-round TKO. The rivalry between the two was heated at the time but in recent years both men have become much more cordial with one another, and are basically friends now.

Adam Martin - November 26, 2020

PFL lightweight champion Kayla Harrison says she is open to fights against Cris Cyborg and Amanda Nunes in the near future. Harrison is one of the most dominant female fighters in the sport right now, so it’s only natural to think about her fighting the other elite women fighters in the sport. Harrison is coming off of a featherweight win in Invicta FC but plans on moving back to PFL in 2021 to compete in another tournament. After that, Harrison could find herself fighting for some of the other top promotions in the sport including the UFC or Bellator. It’s in those promotions that she can fight the other top talent.

Adam Martin - November 26, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker suggested that promotional welterweight champion Douglas Lima could take on Neiman Gracie in his next fight. Lima recently moved up to middleweight in a failed effort to become a two-division champion in Bellator when he lost a unanimous decision to Gegard Mousasi. Lima is expected to move back to 170lbs for his next fight, and fighters such as Michael Page and Lorenz Larkin have been teased as potential opponents. But it looks like Bellator has another fight in mind for Lima following his recent loss to Mousasi.

Cole Shelton - November 26, 2020

Anthony Smith is looking to go on another title run starting Saturday night. When Smith made the move to light heavyweight, he immediately had success. He knocked out Rashad Evans and Shogun Rua and submitted Volkan Oezdemir to earn a title shot against Jon Jones. However, he was dominated by “Bones” and has since gone 1-2 since then but is coming off two brutal losses to Glover Teixeira and Aleksandar Rakic.

Tom Taylor - November 26, 2020

UFC commentator Joe Rogan has offered a rebuttal to naysayers of the upcoming boxing exhibition match between Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. Tyson, 54, and Jones, 51, will collide in a special rules boxing match this Saturday night in Los Angeles. Ahead of this spectacle, many members of the combat sports community have expressed their concerns about the health risks of the two boxing legends fighting in their 50s.

Adam Martin - November 26, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker says that his featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull would KO the UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski. Coker has said that he believes Pitbull is the best featherweight in MMA right now, and there’s certainly an argument to be made that he is. The Brazilian is riding a six-fight win streak that includes wins over the likes of Michael Chandler, Juan Archuleta, Daniel Weichel, and in his last fight, Pedro Carvalho. Since Pitbull is in Bellator and not in the UFC, most fans and media would likely say that Volkanovski is still the top dog at 145lbs right now. But Pitbull is absolutely right there in the conversation.

Tom Taylor - November 26, 2020

Dustin Poirier believes Michael Chandler should get a tough test in his UFC debut—somebody like recent lightweight title challenger Justin Gaethje. Chandler, the former Bellator lightweight champion, signed with the UFC earlier this year, but has yet to take his first steps into the Octagon. That being said, it sounds like he will do so in the very near future.

Tom Taylor - November 26, 2020

Former Bellator and ONE welterweight champ Ben Askren has responded to a challenge from YouTube star turned boxer, Jake Paul. Paul is slated to box former NBA player Nate Robinson on the main card of this Saturday’s Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. card. Ahead of the fight, the YouTuber set his sights on future fights with Askren, Jorge Masvidal, and Conor McGregor.

Tom Taylor - November 26, 2020

James Krause says he’s requested a matchup with surging UFC middleweight prospect Joaquin Buckley on two separate occasions. After consecutive highlight reel knockouts of Impa Kasanganay and Jordan Wright, Buckley is one of the hottest prospects in MMA at present. Krause, however, isn’t impressed by the middleweight, and has made no secret of that fact, repeatedly sharing criticisms on social media and in interviews.

Adam Martin - November 26, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker called Cris Cyborg the female Mike Tyson and said he wants to book a cross-promotion bout with Amanda Nunes. Coker has promoted Cyborg for years in Strikeforce and now in Bellator and he has always called her the greatest women’s fighter of all time. For many years it was hard to argue that, but when Cyborg was KOed by Nunes at UFC 232, most believe that Nunes took the title of female GOAT. Coker, however, has remained steadfast that Cyborg is still the best in the world. But the only way we would find that out is if she fought Nunes again and beat her, and that won’t happen with Nunes still in the UFC.

Tom Taylor - November 26, 2020

Anthony Smith has made a few changes heading into his UFC Vegas 15 co-headlining battle with fellow light heavyweight contender Devin Clark. Smith, who was previously ranked among the top-5 in the UFC light heavyweight division, has recently fallen on hard times, losing back-to-back fights. The first of those two losses occurred in May, when he was thrashed to a fifth-round TKO loss by Glover Teixeira. The second occured in August, when he was thumped to a decision loss by Aleksandar Rakic.

Cole Shelton - November 26, 2020

In the main event of UFC Vegas 15, a pivotal heavyweight bout headlines the card as Curtis Blaydes takes on Derrick Lewis. Heading into the fight, Blaydes is a -400 favorite while “The Black Beast” is a +300 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority of pros believe it will be Blaydes using his wrestling to get his hand raised.