MMA News

Cole Shelton - November 5, 2020

Bellator remains in Uncasville, Connecticut for Bellator 251 that sees Melvin Manhoef welcome Corey Anderson to the promotion in the main event. Melvin Manhoef (32-14-1) has been a pro since 1995 and at 44-years-old is still going strong. The former Bellator middleweight title challenger is on a two-fight winning streak but has not fought since October of 2019 when he beat Yannick Bahati by TKO at Bellator 230. In his career, Manhoef has fought the likes of Gegard Mousasi, Robbie Lawler, Tim Kennedy, and Mark Hunt.

Cole Shelton - November 5, 2020

Ramiz Brahimaj didn’t know if he would fight again. Back in June of 2019, Brahimaj was supposed to fight on the Contender Series against Miguel Baeza. However, during the medical screening, the UFC noticed Brahimaj had an eye tumor that pulled him from the fight and left him uncertain of his future in MMA.

Cole Shelton - November 5, 2020

Dustin Jacoby knows the win over Justin Ledet was big for his future. Jacoby, who had a two-fight stint in the UFC in 2011 and 2012 went 0-2 and was released. He then went to Bellator and where he went 0-2 there and decided to pursue kickboxing.

Adam Martin - November 5, 2020

UFC light heavyweight Thiago Santos believes he can steal back the next title shot from Israel Adesanya with a finish over Glover Teixeira. Santos takes on Teixeira in a five-round main event of this weekend’s UFC on ESPN+ 40 event. Santos is the No. 1 ranked contender at 205lbs and Teixeira is ranked No. 3, so the general consensus among fans and media is that this is a title eliminator. However, that looks like it’s not the case anymore after UFC president Dana White recently said that Adesanya is getting the next title shot at the 205lbs belt that Blachowicz wears.

Tom Taylor - November 5, 2020

Former UFC welterweight contender Dan Hardy has responded to a recent callout from The Ultimate Fight season one winner, Diego Sanchez. On Wednesday night, Sanchez took to Twitter where he called out UFC stars like Demian Maia, Conor McGregor, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, and Hardy.

Tom Taylor - November 5, 2020

Long-time UFC color commentator Joe Rogan has weighed in on the Greatest of All Time debate in mixed martial arts. Rogan discussed this topic on the latest episode of the JRE MMA Show with guest Luke Thomas. From the sounds of it, he still considers former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones the greatest fighter ever.

Adam Martin - November 5, 2020

The UFC has signed a contract extension with EA Sports to continue producing video games for its popular video game franchise, EA Sports UFC. On Wednesday, EA Sports announced it has signed a multi-year deal with the UFC to continue producing the next generation of fighting and hockey video games. EA made the official announcement in a press release (via Business Wire).

Tom Taylor - November 5, 2020

UFC President Dana White has shared a quick, initial reaction to Tito Ortiz winning a city council seat in his hometown of Huntington Beach, California. Ortiz, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, had been in the running for this position for several months, and ultimately achieved his political goal this by winning 34,901 votes—14.26 percent of the votes cast overall.

Cole Shelton - November 5, 2020

In the main event of UFC Vegas 13, a pivotal light heavyweight bout headlines the card as Thiago Santos takes on Glover Teixeira. Heading into the fight, Santos is a -250 favorite while the 41-year-old is a +195 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros are rather split on this one as they believe it is a coin-flip fight but the majority are leaning towards Santos landing the knockout punch.

Tom Taylor - November 5, 2020

UFC commentator Joe Rogan seemed pretty excited when Donald Trump won Texas in this year’s United States presidential election. Rogan spent many years living in Los Angeles, but recently relocated to Texas, citing several gripes with LA living.

Tom Taylor - November 5, 2020

UFC boss Dana White has shared his thoughts on Joe Biden potentially winning the US presidency, and what that might mean for the UFC. White is a long-time friend and vocal supporter of current US President Donald Trump. The UFC boss has invited Trump and his family to several UFC events, brought fighters to the White House and to Trump rallies, and even spoke in Trump’s favor at the 2016 and 2020 Republican National Conventions.

Harry Kettle - November 5, 2020

UFC veteran Diego Sanchez has called out a handful of names as he goes in search of a “legends fight” for his next bout. Sanchez, who has won three of his last five fights, was beaten in his most recent outing as he fell to a unanimous decision defeat against Jake Matthews at UFC 253. Sanchez is known for being one of the more eccentric fighters on the UFC roster, and yet despite his longevity, many have wondered whether or not it’s time for him to consider hanging up the gloves.

Adam Martin - November 4, 2020

UFC president Dana White says the UFC is working to “loosen up” archaic marijuana rules, but warned “you can’t have guys showing up high.” On Wednesday, several UFC fighters including welterweight Niko Price and lightweight Kevin Croom were suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. They tested positive for marijuana in their system during recent bouts in Las Vegas. Price tested positive following a draw against Donald Cerrone, while Croom tested positive in a pre-fight test. His submission win over Roosevelt Roberts was overturned to a No Contest.

Adam Martin - November 4, 2020

Welterweight prospect Ignacio Bahamondes landed an incredible front kick knockout on Wednesday’s edition of Dana White’s Contender Series. The 23-year-old Bahamondes took on Edson Gomez on the latest edition of the Contender Series in an action-packed welterweight fight. The first round saw both men land some big shots on each other, but in the second round, the youngster Bahamondes took it to Gomez and really made an impression for UFC president Dana White.

Adam Martin - November 4, 2020

Lightweight contender Beneil Dariush is hoping that the UFC matchmakers can match him up with fellow submission ace Charles Oliveira again. Dariush was supposed to fight Oliveira at the UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Aldana event in early October, but Oliveira had to be removed from the fight and Dariush ended up not fighting either. With both men still currently not booked for a fight and with both looking to get back into the Octagon in the next few months, this still seems like a matchup the UFC could re-book. And if you ask Dariush, that’s exactly what he wants.

Adam Martin - November 4, 2020

Former UFC middleweight Mark Munoz says that he is “happy” in retirement, but also admits that he sometimes gets the itch to fight again. Munoz fought in the UFC from 2009 to 2015, racking up a 9-6 overall record in the Octagon. After losing three straight fights by stoppage to Lyoto Machida, Gegard Mousasi, and Roan Carneiro, Munoz defeated Luke Barnatt by unanimous decision in the final fight of his career in May 2015. The fight took place in Munoz’s native Philippines, and it was the perfect opportunity to retire in front of his family coming off of a win.

Cole Shelton - November 4, 2020

Adrian Yanez couldn’t have scripted a better UFC debut. Yanez earned a UFC deal earlier this summer on the Contender Series and at UFC Vegas 12, scored a first-round head kick KO in 2:46. The 26-year-old also got a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts.

Cole Shelton - November 4, 2020

Max Griffin is very confident he will get his hand raised on Saturday night when he faces UFC newcomer, Ramiz Brahimaj. Griffin is on a two-fight losing streak and coming off a split decision loss to Alex Oliveira. For Griffin, although he lost the fight, and another close decision, he took a lot away from that and enters his UFC Vegas 13 fight with a new mindset.