UFC News
ESPN issues statement after playing instrumental role in shutting down UFC 249
Harry Kettle - April 10, 2020
ESPN has issued a brief statement after it was confirmed that they played an important role in shutting down the controversial UFC 249 event. It was confirmed last night that UFC 249 will not be going ahead on April 18 as we previously thought. UFC president Dana White did just about everything in his power to get the job done, but in the end, the higher ups at Disney and ESPN put a stop to proceedings.
Cris Cyborg happy to be working with Bellator after witnessing the UFC’s treatment of Tony Ferguson
Christopher Taylor - April 9, 2020
Current Bellator women’s featherweight champion and mixed martial arts legend Cris Cyborg is not impressed with how the UFC handled Tony Ferguson. The former UFC featherweight champion, Cyborg, had jumped ship over to Bellator earlier this year and quickly took home the promotions 145lbs title.
Tony Ferguson reacts to UFC 249 being canceled: "Oh well, I’m still gonna train"
Cole Shelton - April 9, 2020
Tony Ferguson wasn’t too fazed about UFC 249 being canceled. Ferguson was expected to headline the card against Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. It was a fascinating bout that was slated to go down on Tribal Land in California.
Henry Cejudo coaching staff frustrated UFC told them to keep training during coronavirus pandemic
Adam Martin - April 9, 2020
Eric Albarracin, the coach for UFC bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo, expressed his frustration that Cejudo kept training during the coronavirus pandemic. Cejudo was set to take on Jose Aldo in the main event of UFC 250, which was set for May 9 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The event had to be relocated to Tachi Palace due to the coronavirus pandemic and Cejudo was set to fight Dominick Cruz on short notice, but on Thursday the UFC announced it was postponing all upcoming events including UFC 250. That leaves Cejudo without a fight, and his coach Albarracin is frustrated.
Pro fighters name the women's bantamweight GOAT
Cole Shelton - April 9, 2020
One of the biggest questions in all of MMA is who is the GOAT? Is it someone who had the biggest impact on the sport or the person who won the most? It’s an interesting debate for fighters and fans alike to have at any time. So, with far less MMA on the calendar than normal, BJPENN.com reached out to several women’s fighters to ask who the bantamweight GOAT is. To no surprise, the majority believe it is Amanda Nunes but Ronda Rousey’s name still came up.
Mike Winkeljohn believes "it’s time for Jon Jones to take the big fights" and go up to heavyweight
Cole Shelton - April 9, 2020
Mike Winkeljohn believes the time is now for Jon Jones to go up to heavyweight. For years now, the talk around “Bones” has been when will he go up to heavyweight? He’s cleaned out the entire light heavyweight division twice, but has been reluctant to move up in weight.
Mike Tyson believes MMA fighters will always earn less than boxers
Natasha Hooper - April 9, 2020
Boxing legend Mike Tyson believes MMA fighters will never earn as much as boxers. The extensive history of boxing has provided a lucrative career path for veterans of the sport including Mike Tyson. The retired athlete earned a whopping $400 million in the ring and had a total net worth of $685 million (according to Forbes).
Fighters react after Dana White announces UFC 249 cancellation
Chris Taylor - April 9, 2020
Earlier this afternoon Dana White broke the unfortunate news that the promotion has decided to cancel UFC 249 which was set for April 18. The pay-per-view event was originally slated to take place in Brooklyn and feature a lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Breaking! UFC 249 cancelled, all events postponed indefinitely
Chris Taylor - April 9, 2020
More bad news for fight fans as UFC President Dana White has officially announced the cancellation of UFC 249 which was set to take place on April 18. UFC 249 was originally slated to take place in Brooklyn and feature a highly anticipated lightweight title fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Daniel Cormier willing to commentate upcoming UFC events under certain conditions
Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020
Former two-division UFC champ Daniel Cormier is willing to undertake commentary duty for upcoming UFC events — provided certain conditions are met. The UFC schedule has been massively affected by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. While most sports organizations have closed up shop, however, UFC president Dana White has taken a show-must-go-on approach, moving multiple events to the Tachi Palace Casino in California, and even suggesting some events could occur on a “private island.”
Alistair Overeem vs. Walt Harris rescheduled for UFC Fight Island event
Adam Martin - April 9, 2020
A heavyweight bout between Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris has been rescheduled to take place at the UFC Fight Island event on May 16. Overeem and Harris were supposed to meet at UFC Washington, D.C. in December 2019 but Harris was forced to withdraw after the murder of his daughter Aniah Blanchard. Overeem ended up fighting Jairzinho Rozenstruik and was knocked out in the fifth round of the fight. The UFC re-booked Overeem to fight Harris at UFC Portland but the card was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rose Namajunas withdrew from UFC 249 due to COVID-19 deaths in family
Tom Taylor - April 9, 2020
On Wednesday night, news surfaced that former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas has been forced out of her planned UFC 249 rematch with Jessica Andrade. Now we know why.