UFC News
UFC 253: ‘Costa vs Adesanya’ Fight Card and Rumors
Natasha Hooper - August 28, 2020
We’ve got you covered for the current fight card for UFC 253, as well as the bouts that are rumored for the card. UFC 253: Adesanya vs. Costa, is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 26 from the UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
Dana White's RNC speech gets scrutinized by fact-checkers
Tom Taylor - August 28, 2020
On Thursday night, UFC President Dana White endorsed Donald Trump at The Republican National Convention. His speech did not go over well with fact-checkers. During his appearance at the RNC, White spoke at length about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and praised Trump’s handling of the issue, which has now claimed upward of 181,000 lives in the United States.
Georges St-Pierre reflects on the most humiliating moment of his career
Natasha Hooper - August 28, 2020
Georges St-Pierre has opened up about the most humiliating experience of his career. The former welterweight champion formally retired from the sport in 2019, and accomplished a 26-2 record, with victories over the stars like Michael Bisping, Johny Hendricks, Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit, Jake Shields, Josh Koscheck, Dan Hardy, Thiago Alves, BJ Penn, Matt Serra, and Matt Hughes. However, of his two career losses, it was his upset defeat against Matt Serra that “GSP” acknowledges as the “most humiliating thing” that happened in his career.
Video | Dana White speaks at Republican National Convention, endorses Donald Trump for re-election
Adam Martin - August 27, 2020
UFC president Dana White spoke at the Republican National Convention on Thursday and endorsed U.S. President Donald Trump for re-election. President Trump posted the complete video of his long-time friend and supporter White speaking at the RNC on his Twitter. Watch it below.
Luke Rockhold calls for return fight against Darren Till in the O2 Arena, but would love to shut up Chris Weidman
Cole Shelton - August 27, 2020
Luke Rockhold is interested in fighting Darren Till in England at the O2 Arena. The former middleweight champ recently announced he would be making a comeback and sent a message to the division. Now, he is calling his shots as he wants to return against Till as he believes it is a fun fight and a winnable fight for him.
Zak Cummings expects to finish Alessio Di Chirico, get ranked opponent next time out
Cole Shelton - August 27, 2020
Zak Cummings was surprised when he found out he would be fighting Alessio Di Chirico. Cummings will be returning this Saturday at UFC Vegas 8 after dropping a decision to Omari Akhmedov last September at UFC 242. The hope for Cummings was to make a quick turnaround. Yet, he was turned down a couple of times and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit leaving Cummings not being able to fight in nearly a year.
Ray Borg announces retirement from MMA at age 27
Adam Martin - August 27, 2020
Former UFC flyweight title challenger Ray Borg has announced his retirement from mixed martial arts at the age of 27. Borg has been a member of the UFC roster since 2014, fighting in the flyweight and bantamweight divisions. On Thursday, he took to social media to announce that he is retiring from MMA, citing personal reasons. Check out what Borg wrote on Instagram.
Pro fighters make their picks for Anthony Smith vs. Aleksandar Rakic
Cole Shelton - August 27, 2020
In the main event of UFC Vegas 8, Anthony Smith is returning just three months after his loss to Glover Teixeira to take on Aleksandar Rakic. Heading into the fight, Smith is a +215 underdog while the Austrian is a -275 favorite. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their prediction for the scrap. The majority believe the underdog in Smith will get back into the win column.
Georges St-Pierre: chances of Khabib Nurmagomedov fight are "incredibly low"
Tom Taylor - August 27, 2020
Former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre says the chances of his returning to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov are “incredibly low.” St-Pierre and Nurmagomedov have both expressed interest in fighting one another in the past, but in 2020, when St-Pierre is almost 40 years old, and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create logistical challenges, it’s starting to look like a long shot.
Henry Cejudo rips Sean O’Malley for stealing his pose: “O’Malley should be sponsored by Viagra since all he does is go limp”
Tom Taylor - August 27, 2020
Former UFC bantamweight and flyweight champion Henry Cejudo has taken another shot at rising prospect “Sugar” Sean O’Malley. Cejudo, who retired from competition back in May, has had plenty of trash talk for O’Malley over the last few weeks. Even when O’Malley suffered a TKO loss to Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 252 earlier this month, the former champion did not dial back his verbal warfare.
Kamaru Usman blasts Colby Covington over LeBron James, NBA criticisms
Tom Taylor - August 27, 2020
UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman was quick to respond to his former foe Colby Covington’s criticism of NBA star LeBron James. After Jacob Blake, an unarmed black man, was killed by police officers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sunday, several NBA teams, including James’ LA Lakers, have voted to boycott their upcoming games in an act of protest.
Neil Magny sees pros and cons to short-notice Robbie Lawler fight
Adam Martin - August 27, 2020
UFC welterweight contender Neil Magny admits there are pros and cons to his fight against Robbie Lawler on Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 33. Magny was set to fight Geoff Neal in a high-profile welterweight bout, but Neal was forced to withdraw due to a medical issue and Lawler stepper in on short notice. Lawler, the former UFC welterweight champion, has not fought since last summer and has lost four of his last five fights. That’s why the oddsmakers have installed Magny as the betting favorite for the contest. Then again, Lawler has proven he has the power to stop anybody at 170.
Nick Diaz responds to Diego Sanchez's accusations of hate e-mails
Tom Taylor - August 27, 2020
Nick Diaz has responded to a recent accusation from Diego Sanchez, who claimed the former Strikeforce welterweight champ used to send him angry emails. Earlier this week, during an appearance on Mike Swick’s Real Quick podcast, Sanchez accused Diaz of bombarding him with hateful emails, some of which even targeted his mother and father.
Robbie Lawler issues classic response when asked how he’s dealing with pandemic
Tom Taylor - August 27, 2020
Former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler issued a classic response when he was asked how he’s coping with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Contrary to his reputation as one of the most violent fighters in MMA, Lawler has always been fairly reclusive and soft-spoken. During a virtual scrum ahead of his short-notice UFC Vegas 8 scrap with Neil Magny, the former welterweight titleholder was asked how he’s been fairing during the pandemic.
Stipe Miocic says Francis Ngannou rematch "isn't exciting," prefers a "new challenge"
Tom Taylor - August 27, 2020
UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic does not find the idea of a rematch with Francis Ngannou exciting, and would prefer a fresh challenge—perhaps even outside the sport. Miocic and Ngannou first met in early 2018. On that night, Miocic successfully defended his title with a lopsided decision victory over his highly regarded challenger.
Anthony Smith reacts to Jon Jones vacating the UFC light heavyweight title: “That’s a noble thing to do”
Harry Kettle - August 27, 2020
UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith has given his thoughts on Jon Jones vacating the Light Heavyweight Championship. Smith, 32, is hoping to get back to winning ways this Saturday when he squares off against rising star Aleksandar Rakic in a huge fight at 205 pounds. “Lionheart” was beaten by vetern Glover Teixeira in the fifth round of their main event in May, and ever since then he’s been itching to get back into the Octagon.
Alex Volkanovski scoffs at Patricio Freire’s challenge to Dana White, ‘Pitbull’ issues scathing response
Natasha Hooper - August 27, 2020
Alex Volkanovski shrugged off Patricio Freire’s fight challenge, leaving “Pitbull” to unload a scathing counterattack on the UFC featherweight champion. The Bellator two-division champion offered an astronomical bet to UFC president Dana White this week, that he could beat both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Alex Volkanovski.
Colby Covington blasts “soft” LeBron James following NBA postponement: “Take a massive pay cut and perform the toughest job in America”
Natasha Hooper - August 27, 2020
Colby Covington has come for the neck of LeBron James following his NBA game boycott, as he called him “soft” and challenged him to take a pay cut and try the hardest job in America: being a police officer. The upcoming NBA games on August 26 have been postponed as players protest the recent murder of Jacob Blake, a black man who was shot seven times in the back on Sunday by police in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.