MMA News
Miles Johns believes "things are going to get scary" in the later rounds for Kevin Natividad
Cole Shelton - October 27, 2020
Miles Johns is looking to get back into the win column. Entering the UFC, Johns had a lot of hype behind him given he was the LFA bantamweight champion and picked up a big win on the Contender Series. He then followed that up with a decision win over Cole Smith in his debut.
Alexander Hernandez shares bold prediction for fight with Chris Gruetzemacher
Cole Shelton - October 27, 2020
Alexander Hernandez believes fans will see version 2.0 of him on Halloween night against Chris Gruetzemacher. Hernandez is coming off a TKO loss to Drew Dober in May and following the loss changed camps and found a new home at Factory X under Marc Montoya. For Hernandez, he believes the change in camp will make him a new and better fighter.
Jon Jones calls new UFC pound-for-pound rankings "number one bullsh*t"
Adam Martin - October 27, 2020
UFC legend Jon Jones reacted to the new UFC rankings, calling them “number one bullsh*t” after falling below Khabib Nurmagomedov at P4P. Jones was the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter for a long time before Nurmagomedov finally took over the spot following his second-round submission over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Jones has now fallen to second in the P4P rankings, and he’s not happy about the movement, as he believes he’s done more than enough to earn his spot at the top.
UFC 254 medical suspensions: Jared Cannonier facing six-month sit
Tom Taylor - October 27, 2020
The medical suspensions for UFC 254 have been released, and as expected, a handful of fighters are facing long sits on the sidelines. Most notably, middleweight contender Jared Cannonier could be out for six months following his decision loss to the division’s former champion Robert Whittaker. Nathaniel Wood and Liana Jojua are also facing six-month suspensions following losses to Casey Kenny and Miranda Maverick.
Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to earning No. 1 pound-for-pound ranking
Tom Taylor - October 27, 2020
Khabib Nurmagomedov has reacted to the news that he’s now the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the official UFC rankings. Nurmagomedov returned to the cage in the main event of UFC 254 last weekend, where he defeated Justin Gaethje, a man widely considered his toughest foe to date, by second-round submission. After the fight, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from MMA, and shared his hope that he’d leave the sport as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
UFC rankings update: Khabib Nurmagomedov steals top P4P spot
Tom Taylor - October 27, 2020
The official UFC rankings have been updated in the wake of UFC 254, and as widely expected, Khabib Nurmagomedov has gotten what he wanted. After Nurmagomedov defeated Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 254, and announced his retirement from MMA immediately immediately thereafter, he shared his hopes that he’d steal the top spot in the updated UFC’s men pound-for-pound rankings.
Anderson Silva explains how "UFC changed" when it was sold
Tom Taylor - October 27, 2020
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva says the “UFC changed” when it was sold by Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta. The Fertitta brothers sold their majority stakes in the company to WME-IMG in 2016 for a massive $4 billion.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 16 with Alexander Hernandez, Maurice Greene, James Krause & Brad Katona
Cole Shelton - October 27, 2020
The 16th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC Vegas 12. We’re first joined by UFC lightweight, Alexander Hernandez (2:19). Next, UFC light heavyweight, Maurice Greene (19:55) joins the program. UFC welterweight, James Krause (36:00) comes on. Closing out the program is EMC bantamweight and former UFC fighter and TUF winner, Brad Katona (48:38).
Khabib Nurmagomedov shares X-ray of broken foot sustained before UFC 254
Tom Taylor - October 27, 2020
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov didn’t just beat Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, he did so with a broken foot. Nurmagomedov defeated Gaethje by second-round submission, putting his challenger to sleep with a triangle choke. As if that feat wasn’t impressive enough on it’s own, he pulled it off with a broken foot.
Brian Ortega addresses questions about massive cup in "Korean Zombie" fight
Tom Taylor - October 27, 2020
Brian Ortega gave fans a lot to talk about during his UFC Fight Island 6 scrap with fan favorite featherweight contender “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. While many fans were impressed by the improvements he made in the striking department, others couldn’t help but notice that he seemed to be wearing a truly gargantuan protective cup.
Edson Barboza calls for top-six featherweight opponent in final fight of UFC deal
Adam Martin - October 27, 2020
Top featherweight contender Edson Barboza said he wants a top-six opponent in what will be the final fight of his current deal with the UFC. One of the most exciting fighters in MMA, Barboza has been in the UFC for a decade now, with his promotional debut coming back in November 2010 when he defeated Mike Lullo via leg kick TKO at UFC 123. For the past 10 years, Barboza has been a staple of the UFC roster, becoming a top contender at lightweight for many years before moving down to featherweight in 2020 and becoming a top-15 fighter in a second weight class this year.
Video | Conor McGregor drills southpaw boxing defense ahead of rumoured Dustin Poirier fight
Tom Taylor - October 27, 2020
The rumoured rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier is not yet official, but the Irishman seems to be preparing for the challenge as if it is. McGregor and Poirier first fought in the featherweight division in 2014, with the former winning by first-round knockout. Over the last few weeks, they’ve been linked to a rematch.
Michael Chandler sets his sights on Justin Gaethje following UFC 254
Harry Kettle - October 27, 2020
UFC newcomer Michael Chandler has his sights set on a potential showdown with fellow lightweight contender Justin Gaethje. “The Highlight” failed in his attempt to capture the UFC Lightweight Championship on Saturday night as he was beaten by Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 254. Chandler, on the other hand, simply sat back and watched the action unfold after serving as the back-up fighter for the title bout.
Charles Oliveira calls for UFC lightweight title shot: "I am ready"
Adam Martin - October 26, 2020
UFC lightweight contender Charles Oliveira is calling for a title shot in the wake of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement, saying he is “ready.” Oliveira is currently the No. 6 ranked lightweight in the UFC and is one of the hottest fighters in the division at the moment as he currently rides a seven-fight win streak with all seven wins by stoppage. A member of the UFC roster since 2010, Oliveira has a 29-8, 1 NC record in MMA including a 17-8, 1 NC record in the UFC alone. Despite that impressive record, Oliveira is rarely considered as a title contender at 155lbs.
Robert Whittaker calls rematch with Israel Adesanya "a hard fight"
Adam Martin - October 26, 2020
Top contender Robert Whittaker called a potential rematch against UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya “a hard fight.” After defeating Jared Cannonier in the co-main event of UFC 254, UFC president Dana White said that Whittaker would likely be the next opponent for Adesanya. Of course, these two previously met at UFC 243 in October 2019. Whittaker was the champion heading into that fight but he lost his belt to Adesanya by knockout. Since then, Whittaker has won two straight fights against Cannonier and Darren Till to jump back into title contention, while Adesanya defended his belt against Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa.
Javier Mendez shocked Khabib Nurmagomedov retired, confirms the champ "is done"
Cole Shelton - October 26, 2020
Javier Mendez didn’t know Khabib Nurmagomedov was going to retire after he defeated Justin Gaethje. All the talk for Nurmagomedov has been he will retire at 30-0. Yet, after he defeated Gaethje to improve to 29-0 he announced his retirement from MMA. He said he could not continue without his father and for Mendez, he said you have to respect the champ’s decision to do that.
Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou 2 targeted for March, says Dana White
Adam Martin - October 26, 2020
UFC president Dana White says the UFC is targeting the rematch between heavyweights Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou to take place in March. Miocic defended the UFC heavyweight championship in August at UFC 252 when he won a unanimous decision over rival Daniel Cormier in the pair’s trilogy bout. White confirmed that Ngannou — who has won four straight fights by knockout — would be next in line to fight Miocic for the belt. But after Jon Jones made the announcement he would be pursuing a title shot at heavyweight as well, some thought Jones might skip by Ngannou.
Khabib Nurmagomedov had amazing reason for finishing Justin Gaethje with triangle choke instead of armbar
Adam Martin - October 26, 2020
UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has a reason why he switched from an armbar to a triangle choke on Justin Gaethje in the UFC 254 main event. Nurmagomeov had a stunning performance as he tapped Gaethje out cold with a second-round submission that sent his opponent to sleep. Nurmagomedov improved to 29-0 with the win including a 13-0 mark in the Octagon alone. But of course, what everyone was talking about the day after the fight was Nurmagomedov’s shocking retirement, with his incredible win over Gaethje being pushed to the side in favor of the GOAT discussion.