MMA News

Tom Taylor - September 15, 2020

Artem Lobov has some fond memories from his time competing under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner. Lobov, who has a 14-15-1 overall record, competed in the UFC from 2015 to 2018. In that time, he amassed a 2-5 promotional record, defeating Teruto Ishihara and Chris Avila, and coming up short to top talents in Ryan Hall, Alex White, Cub Swanson, Andre Fili, and lastly, Michael Johnson.

Cole Shelton - September 15, 2020

The tenth episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC Vegas 11. We’re first joined by 11th-ranked light heavyweight, Johnny Walker (1:47). Next, UFC bantamweight, Randy Costa (13:56) comes on. Finally, UFC bantamweight, Andre Ewell (30:58) closes out the show.

Tom Taylor - September 15, 2020

Several of the coaches behind Colby Covington recently explained how the fighter has evolved since leaving American Top Team. After spending almost the entirety of his career training at ATT in Coconut Creek, Florida, Covington parted ways with the gym earlier this year. He now trains at MMA Masters in Miami.

Tom Taylor - September 15, 2020

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor has issued a statement on the recent allegations against him and on the ensuing concerns about his mental health. Last weekend McGregor was detained in Corsica, an island territory of France, after allegedly exposing himself to a woman. After being interviewed by local authorities, he was released from custody without being charged. However, the case is ongoing.

Tom Taylor - September 15, 2020

Daniel Cormier says he had COVID-19 before his UFC 252 heavyweight title fight with the division’s reigning champion, Stipe Miocic. During a recent interview with Yahoo! Sports, Cormier sang the praises of a product called the Oura Ring, which tracks health data and can help alert the wearer to potential health problems. The former two-division champion revealed that wearing the ring helped him realize he had COVID-19 and allowed him to get this health issue under control before his fight with Miocic.

Tom Taylor - September 15, 2020

Former two-division UFC champ Henry Cejudo recently admitted that he actually has some respect for rising bantamweight prospect Sean O’Malley. Cejudo has had plenty in the way of trash talk for O’Malley lately, particularly after the prospect sustained the first loss of his career at the hands of Marlon Vera. On a recent episode of Real Quick with Mike Swick, however, Cejudo offered some rare praise for the up-and-comer—although he also questioned O’Malley’s toughness and heart.

Adam Martin - September 15, 2020

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker is open to fighting Tony Ferguson after Dustin Poirier had contract talks fail with the promotion. UFC president Dana White recently said that an intriguing lightweight bout between Ferguson and Poirier was “probably” ticketed for UFC 254. Ferguson has already agreed to the fight but the promotion apparently cannot come to terms on a contract with Poirier and it’s not looking increasingly likely the UFC will move on from the matchup.

Tom Taylor - September 15, 2020

Red-hot UFC prospect Khamzat Chimaev showed his charitable side ahead of his fight with Gerald Meerschaert this Saturday in Las Vegas. In the lead-up to his fight with Meerschaert, Chimaev encountered a homeless man on the streets of Vegas, and ended up buying him a meal from McDonalds. See it below (via MMA Nytt):

Harry Kettle - September 15, 2020

UFC middleweight contender Marvin Vettori continues to call out Chris Weidman in the hope of securing a fight against the former champion. Vettori was able to take his current winning streak in the UFC to three fights in June as the Italian continues to try and climb up through the ranks of the 185-pound division. Weidman, on the other hand, finally got back on the winning trail with a unanimous decision victory over Omari Akhmedov at the start of August.

Harry Kettle - September 15, 2020

UFC president Dana White has praised Kevin Croom after his short-notice win in his UFC debut at UFC Vegas 10 this past weekend. Croom was a late addition to the card after previously being signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, only to be released without fighting for the promotion. This time around he was thrown in at the deep end, being given an incredibly tough test in the form of Roosevelt Roberts.

Natasha Hooper - September 15, 2020

Donald Trump has said he wants Joe Rogan to moderate an upcoming debate against Joe Biden. Rogan has become a loud voice in the political space, and has sat down with Bernie Sanders and Candace Owens to discuss a number of hot button issues.

Adam Martin - September 14, 2020

UFC light heavyweight Mike Rodriguez is telling fans to lay off of veteran Ed Herman after their fight at UFC Vegas 10 ended in controversy. The recent bout between Rodriguez and Herman was one of the most controversial fights we have seen in the UFC in years. In the second round, Rodriguez appeared to land a brutal knee to the body that sent Herman crumpling to the mat, but referee Chris Tognoni deemed it a low blow and gave Herman the full five minutes to recover. The replays in the arena showed it was a liver shot, but it was too late to change the call.

Cole Shelton - September 14, 2020

In the main event of UFC Vegas 10, Michelle Waterson and Angela Hill were looking to snap their losing streaks and get back into contention at strawweight. The two were originally slated to be the co-headliner. Yet, just a week out from the event, they were promoted to the headliner status and agreed to the bout being five rounds as well. The fight was a competitive one and when it went to the scorecards, many were torn on who won. Just like fans on Twitter, the judges were split as Waterson got her hand raised by split decision.

Harry Kettle - September 14, 2020

UFC president Dana White has confirmed that he has held talks with popular free agent Michael Chandler. Fans and media members alike have been speculating over the future of Chandler after it was confirmed he’d be moving into free agency following his last Bellator fight.

Tom Taylor - September 14, 2020

Tyron Woodley envisions a violent end to his fight with Colby Covington, which headlines the UFC Vegas 11 card in this Saturday night. Woodley, the former UFC welterweight champion, has had a heated rivalry with Covington since the start of his title reign. More than a year after he surrendered the belt to Kamaru Usman, that rivalry with Covington is still festering, and the pair will finally settle it this Saturday.

Tom Taylor - September 14, 2020

UFC President Dana White recently attended a Donald Trump campaign rally, along with UFC stars Colby Covington, Henry Cejudo and Justin Gaethje. During his speech, Trump sang the praises of White, who he has long considered a friend, and also gave some shoutouts to Covington, Cejudo and Gaethje.

Tom Taylor - September 14, 2020

Former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz is seemingly in incredible shape ahead of his planned return to the UFC’s Octagon in 2021. The elder Diaz brother recently laid out plans for his first fight in close to five years, even undertaking a test fight camp and weight cut in anticipation of that return. While some members of the MMA community doubt that he’ll follow through on this plan, he certainly seems to be in top shape.

Tom Taylor - September 14, 2020

After a brief stint as a bare-knuckle fighter, Artem Lobov has been booked for a return to mixed martial arts competition. Lobov, 34, spent his last three fights in the BKFC ring, picking up a pair of close decision wins over Jason Knight and Paulie Malignaggi before succumbing to strikes in a rematch with Knight in his third and final BKFC bout.