MMA News

Tom Taylor - October 9, 2020

Conor McGregor is the biggest star in UFC history, but the Irishman’s journey to the sport’s biggest promotion wasn’t particularly straightforward. Long before he was headlining record-shattering UFC pay-per-views, he was struggling to earn a spot on the crowded UFC featherweight roster. In fact, he was initially denied a spot with the promotion flat-out.

Harry Kettle - October 9, 2020

Germaine de Randamie has said that if she loses to Amanda Nunes for a third time, she will retire from mixed martial arts. “The Iron Lady” returned to winning ways this past weekend as she submitted Julianna Pena to earn a Performance of the Night bonus. It was her first time back in the Octagon since her rematch with Amanda Nunes at UFC 245 which, unfortunately for her, she lost via unanimous decision – giving “The Lioness” a 2-0 advantage in their series following a TKO triumph back in November 2013.

Harry Kettle - October 9, 2020

Marvin Vettori has joined Jon Jones in taking a shot at his former opponent Israel Adesanya on social media. Vettori, who fought and lost to Adesanya via split decision back in April 2018, hasn’t been shy in letting the world know that he wants to get back inside the Octagon sooner rather than later. On the flip side, Jon Jones seems to be focusing his attention on responding to the constant Twitter jabs being thrown at him by “The Last Stylebender”.

Chris Taylor - October 8, 2020

Former UFC light heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones has finally revealed why he was hiding underneath the cage at JacksonWink all those years ago. Back in 2016 it was reported that ‘Bones‘ had hidden underneath the Octagon at his training center of JacksonWink to avoid getting a drug test from USADA officials who randomly showed up at the gym.

Christopher Taylor - October 8, 2020

UFC heavyweight Ben Rothwell (38-12 MMA) claims he was “ripped to shreds” for throwing support behind the Black Lives Matter movement. Rothwell, a native of Kenosha, Wisconsin, where Jacob Blake was shot by police officers back in August, had previously shared the following comments on his personal Instagram page.

Christopher Taylor - October 8, 2020

The war of words between UFC stars Israel Adesanya (20-0 MMA) and Jon Jones (26-1 MMA) continued this evening on social media. ‘Bones’ and ‘Stylebender’ have had beef for a while now, but things have really started to heat up following Adesanya’s impressive TKO victory over Paulo Costa at UFC 253.

Adam Martin - October 8, 2020

UFC legend Jon Jones continued to troll UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, saying he’s just a “small dog barking behind a fence.” There is no love lost between Jones and Adesanya. The two have been rivals for a while now, but things have hit a boiling point ever since Adesanya knocked out Paulo Costa at UFC 253. The rivalry between the two has never been more heated, with both men power tweeting at each other seemingly every day, trashing each other, and taking shots at each other’s families. MMA fans have gotten used to grabbing a bucket of popcorn and tuning into the Jones and Adesanya show every night as they continue to burn each other.

Adam Martin - October 8, 2020

Bellator president Scott Coker says that Cheick Kongo will get a rematch against Ryan Bader with an impressive win over Tim Johnson. Kongo and Bader first met last September at Bellator 226, but the fight ended in controversial fashion when Kongo was unable to continue due to eye pokes. The bout was ruled a No Contest and Bader kept his belt, moving back down to 205lbs in an unsuccessful attempt to defend his light heavyweight title against Vadim Nemkov. As for Kongo, he has not fought since the Bader fight but returns to the Bellator cage this weekend when he takes on Johnson in a rematch in the main event of Bellator Paris.

Andrew Whitelaw - October 8, 2020

Ali Abdelaziz has made an offer to Tony Ferguson. The Dominance MMA CEO tweeted to El Cucuy, asking him if he wanted to step in to face Islam Makhachev at UFC 254. His client is currently without an opponent, after news dropped that Rafael Dos Anjos was forced to withdraw after testing positive for Covid-19.

Cole Shelton - October 8, 2020

Islam Makhachev is looking to remain on UFC 254 and is hoping Michael Chandler will step up. Makhachev was originally supposed to fight Rafael dos Anjos, yet the Brazilian announced he has tested positive for COVID-19 and is out of the fight. So, for Makhachev, he hopes Chandler, who is serving as the backup for UFC 254’s title fight will step up.

Cole Shelton - October 8, 2020

Rafael dos Anjos will not be returning to lightweight to take on Islam Makhachev after all. Dos Anjos has been competing at welterweight for the last couple of years but at UFC 254 he was expected to return to 155lbs. Yet, the former champion took to social media to announce he is out of the fight due to him testing positive for COVID-19.

Cole Shelton - October 8, 2020

It appears Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor will fight for a second time later this year. Over the last couple of weeks, McGregor and Poirier talked about an exhibition sparring match to raise funds for charity. Yet, UFC president, Dana White said he would offer them to make that fight happen and on social media, McGregor has revealed he has accepted the fight and called for it to happen at UFC 255 or 256.

Adam Martin - October 8, 2020

MMA pundit Chael Sonnen has suggested a retirement fight between legends Diego Sanchez and Donald Cerrone, where both fighters retire after. Sonnen took to Twitter this week to offer the suggestion about the final fight of both Sanchez and Cerrone’s MMA careers. Take a look at what Sonnen wrote below.

Alfredo Zullino - October 8, 2020

Who is Simon Biyong? A basketball player for an Italian team? A Bellator fighter? Or maybe he is a talented painter? What is sure, is that he hasn’t always been a mixed martial artist. Born in 1991 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, the Italian-based fighter recalls his early days as a sportsman.

Adam Martin - October 8, 2020

UFC welterweight Mike Perry says he wants to fight Conor McGregor after Robbie Lawler in a fight that “everyone will want to see.” Perry is set to take on Lawler at UFC 255 in November, a card that recently lost its main event when Cody Garbrandt pulled out of his flyweight title fight with Deiveson Figueiredo due to injury. Figueiredo remains on the card against Alex Perez, but reports have suggested the UFC is looking for a bigger-name main event. McGregor has been floated as a possibility to headline the card opposite Dustin Poirier. That means Perry and McGregor could very well both fight on the same card, which would be good timing for a future fight.

Cole Shelton - October 8, 2020

In the main event of UFC Fight Island 5, a key bantamweight bout headlines the card as Marlon Moraes battles Cory Sandhagen. Heading into the fight, Moraes is a +110 underdog while the American is a -140 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The pros believe Sandhagen’s footwork and reach will be the difference as he will get his hand raised.

Tom Taylor - October 8, 2020

In the animal kingdom, there are few creatures more dangerous than a protective mother. If ONE atomweight champion Angela Lee is any indication, that rule also applies in mixed martial arts. Lee, who has held the ONE atomweight belt in a vice grip since 2016, is expecting her first child in April. While her pregnancy will keep her out of competition for some time, she plans to return better than ever once her baby has arrived.

Tom Taylor - October 8, 2020

Corey Anderson is set for his Bellator debut. The former UFC light heavyweight standout will collide with Melvin Manhoef on November 5. Manhoef is a decorated kickboxing specialist and experienced mixed martial artist, but has had his best success competing in the 185-pound middleweight division, so his welcoming Anderson to the Bellator light heavyweight division came as a surprise to some fans. Anderson himself, however, seems fired up about the challenge.