MMA News

Chris Taylor - June 14, 2019

A catchweight bout (175-pounds) between Dillon Danis and Max Humphrey took place on the main card of tonight’s Bellator 222 event in New York City. Danis returned to the cage for the first time since Bellator 198, where he scored a first round victory over Kyle Walker in his mixed martial arts debut.

Chris Taylor - June 14, 2019

A highly anticipated rematch between Darrion Caldwell and Kyoji Horiguchi took place at tonight’s Bellator 222 event in New York City. Horiguchi (27-2 MMA) submitted Caldwell (12-2 MMA) in the third round of their New Years Eve bout in Japan. The victory crowned Horiguchi the first Rizin FF super bantamweight champion.

Cole Shelton - June 14, 2019

Aaron Pico was returning to the cage at Bellator 222 to take on an undefeated opponent in Adam Borics. There, the 22-year-old was looking to get back into the win column after being knocked out to Henry Corrales back in January. Aaron Pico was also fighting under Greg Jackson for the first time, and ahead of the fight, he said he is a brand new fighter and couldn’t wait to showcase his talents. He said he planned on using his wrestling which he did and knew how important a win was.

Chris Taylor - June 14, 2019

Bellator standout Aaron Pico suffered another brutal knockout loss at tonight’s Bellator 222 event in New York. Pico squared off with Adam Borics on tonight’s preliminary card.

Thomas Taylor - June 14, 2019

On Saturday night, two of the UFC’s top welterweight contenders will step onto the mats for a charity grappling match as Jorge Masvidal takes on Anthony Pettis. Speaking on soon-to-be-released episode of BJPenn.com Radio, Masvidal broke down this grappling showdown with Pettis. He says accepting a grappling match for a good cause was simply a no brainer. He grapplers in the gym most days anyway.

Tom Taylor - June 14, 2019

At UFC 242 on September 7, UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier will attempt to do what 27 other fighters have failed to do and defeat undisputed UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. If he is successful on this mission, he believes he’ll cement himself as the best lightweight to ever compete in the UFC.

Tom Taylor - June 14, 2019

On Saturday, in the co-main event of ONE: Legendary Quest in Shanghai, China, Agilan Thani will look to spoil the ONE Championship debut of K-1 and UFC veteran Yoshihiro Akiyama — more widely known as “Sexyama.” This massive fight was first offered to Thani in April, at the ONE Elite Retreat, on the sun-soaked beaches of Thailand. At first, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but of course he could not turn the opportunity down.

Tom Taylor - June 14, 2019

This weekend, heavyweight boxing star Tyson Fury will return to the ring to take on Germany’s Tom Schwarz. The Brit will do so with the full confidence of two of the UFC’s biggest stars: Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. Conor McGregor praised Tyson Fury first, calling him the No. 1 heavyweight boxer in a recent Twitter post.

Tom Taylor - June 14, 2019

Yoshihiro Akiyama is feeling the pressure. After almost four years of inactivity, the 44-year-old Japanese-Korean star is just hours away from the first fight of his comeback, and as the clock runs down, the tension is mounting.

Tom Taylor - June 14, 2019

Earlier this year, news broke that UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw had tested positive for the injectable-only banned substance EPO. Dillashaw was stripped of his title, and suspended for two years by the United States Anti-Doping Agency for this crime. Though he quickly admitted to his mistakes on social media, Dillashaw has been quite quiet since this unfortunate news surfaced. Speaking on Chael Sonnen’s You’re Welcome podcast, however, the former bantamweight champion opened up on the ordeal in a way that he has not done yet.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 14, 2019

Two of the youngest athletes on the ONE roster will clash at ONE: LEGENDARY QUEST on 15 June in Shanghai. 21-year-old Stamp Fairtex is set to defend her ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title against the 18-year-old Alma Juniku, a WBC and IPCC Muay Thai World Champion. The match will be Juniku’s ONE debut and Stamp’s second bout of the year.

Tom Taylor - June 14, 2019

Last weekend, Tony Ferguson and Donald Cerrone collided in a thrilling war, reminding the world why they’re regarded as two of the lightweight division’s top fighters. Reigning lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, however, wasn’t all that impressed with what he saw. Speaking to  ESPN recently, Nurmagomedov broke down the skills of the two fighters, starting with “Cowboy” Cerrone.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 14, 2019

The influx of talent to the ONE Championship roster is undeniable. The Singapore-based martial arts organization has consistently signed athletes to join its ranks, and each month, the level of talent seems to increase. Upon signing with the organization, athletes likely envision themselves as champions of the promotion down the line. When compiling this list, there is focus on athletes who had not yet become ONE world champions. However, the following six competitors are destined to one day reach that level with the organization.

Cole Shelton - June 13, 2019

Heavyweight boxing is the best it’s been in years. At the top, there are the likes of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua, and now Andy Ruiz Jr. who is coming off of a shocking knockout win over Joshua. Although they all haven’t all fought each other, many rank them as the top-four. And, UFC president, Dana White agrees. In an interview with BT Sport, he decided to rank the four of them. There, he says Tyson Fury is the best heavyweight boxer right now.

Cole Shelton - June 13, 2019

In the co-main event of Bellator 222, Chael Sonnen will take on Lyoto Machida at light heavyweight. There, it is expected the winner of that fight will take on Ryan Bader for the promotions light heavyweight title. With that said, this could be the last time that Chael Sonnen finds himself within reach of a title shot. The 42-year-old made a promise to his father before he passed away that he would win a title in a major MMA promotion. After three attempts in the UFC and one in the WEC, he has yet to accomplish it. Sonnen still plans on keeping that promise, for if he doesn’t, he consider himself a failure.

Thomas Taylor - June 13, 2019

UFC San Antonio finally has a main event, according to a report from Kevin Iole. The July 20 card will now be topped by a five-round welterweight fight between former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos and streaking Brit Leon Edwards. Main event for UFC on ESPN 4 in San Antonio finalized: It will be Rafael dos Anjos vs Leon Edwards, five rounds. UFC wanted Blachowicz-Rockhold to move there, but Rockhold is filming a Ralph Lauren Polo commercial that day which couldn’t be moved.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2019

With two title fights and a host of other marquee matchups, UFC 239 is absolutely stacked. From the sounds of things, however, the July 6 card soon become a little less stacked. According to a report from Kevin Iole, the UFC is considering moving a light heavyweight bout between Luke Rockhold and Jan Blachowicz from UFC 239 to UFC San Antonio on July 20, two weeks later. The UFC is trying to move Jan Blachowicz versus Luke Rockhhold off of UFC 239 on July 6 and put it on UFC on ESPN 4 on July 20 in San Antonio. Not done, but in the works. UFC not looking at a Shevchenko-Carmouche bout for that date at this time.

Tom Taylor - June 13, 2019

Under the leadership of Scott Coker, Bellator MMA has co-promoted with a number of other promotions, most notably Japan’s RIZIN Fighting Federation, but also with England’s BAMMA and Italy’s Oktagon. In fact, RIZIN bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi will take to the Bellator cage to battle Bellator bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 222 on Friday Night in New York City — the latest evidence of Coker’s willingness to work with other organizations.