UFC News

Cole Shelton - July 11, 2019

UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber is set to return to the Octagon this Saturday when he takes on Ricky Simon at UFC Sacramento. This bout will be Faber’s first since he retired in 2016. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions. Although the 26-year-old in Simon is a -340 favorite, compared to Faber who is a +260 underdog, many are leaning towards the Hall of Famer getting it done.

Tom Taylor - July 11, 2019

Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov crossed paths at UFC 239, and in a twist that should surprise absolutely nobody, the two long-time rivals promptly had to be separated. UFC President Dana White revealed at the card’s post-fight press conference that the pair had been “talking s**t to each other,” at which point security intervened.

Mike Heck - July 11, 2019

Tyron Woodley had a lot to think about on Saturday night following Jorge Masvidal’s vicious knockout of Ben Askren at UFC 239. For starters, Askren is a teammate and close friend of the former UFC welterweight champion. In addition, Masvidal is a surging contender looking to cut ahead of Woodley in the 170-pound title conversation.

Tom Taylor - July 11, 2019

Michael Chiesa picked up a big win at UFC 239, defeating The Ultimate Fighter season one winner Diego Sanchez by unanimous decision. Yet he didn’t escape the Octagon unscathed. Speaking on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show on Monday, Chiesa divulged that Sanchez gave him what fight fans often refer to as an “oil check.”

Adam Martin - July 10, 2019

Thiago Santos had the biggest fight of his MMA carer this past Saturday against Jon Jones in the main event of UFC 239. Thought he officially lost a split decision, he gained the respect of the entire MMA community for not only giving Jones a tough fight, but for fighting 25 minutes with two severely-damaged knees. Although Santos will be out until mid-2020 after having knee surgery, he told Combate that he isn’t giving up hope of eventually fighting Jones for a second time.

Fernando Quiles - July 10, 2019

Daniel Cormier is riding high going into UFC 241 and he now has one more thing to celebrate. Cormier is set to put his heavyweight gold on the line against Stipe Miocic in a rematch. In their first encounter back in July 2018, Cormier knocked out Miocic in the first round to capture the UFC heavyweight title. They’ll run it back inside the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on Aug. 17.

Cole Shelton - July 10, 2019

Forbes has released their 2019 highest-paid celebrity list (money earned from 2018) and there is only one MMA fighter on the list and that is Conor McGregor. The Irishman came in at 65 out of the 100 and earned an estimated $47 million. Forbes lists how he got that money which includes a $30 million payout from his UFC 229 fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, after his base salary and pay-per-view bonuses. He also collected $5 million from Reebok and his whiskey company, Proper Twelve sold over 200,000 cases. He was also the 21st highest paid athlete for the year according to Forbes, even after fighting just once, and it is the fourth-straight year he is on that athlete-centric list.

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2019

Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker don’t even know where their UFC 243 middleweight title fight will occur yet, but Adesanya is already letting the trash talk fly. Speaking at the UFC Hall of Fame ceremony over the weekend, the interim champion Adesanya shared his thoughts on his first staredown with the undisputed champ Whittaker.

Cole Shelton - July 10, 2019

Jorge Masvidal is now a UFC record holder. At UFC 239, “Gamebred” took on Ben Askren. To start the fight, he ran across the cage and landed a perfectly placed flying knee that knocked his foe out cold. The official time of the knockout was five seconds, which is still the record. But, as Joe Rogan pointed on the broadcast, had the ref gotten in position faster, it could have very well been two or three seconds.

Adam Martin - July 10, 2019

Former UFC featherweight title contender Chad Mendes has officially announced his retirement from mixed martial arts at age 34. Although previously reported to be retired, Mendes did not confirm that he was officially done with the sport until Tuesday. Mendes told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto he has notified the UFC of his retirement, and he has been removed from the USADA testing pool.

Fernando Quiles - July 10, 2019

Robert Whittaker has no plans to be goaded into a verbal spat with Israel Adesanya. Whittaker and Adesanya are set to collide in a middleweight title unification bout on Oct. 5. The championship tilt will serve as UFC 243’s main event. While the headliner and event have been announced, a location has not. While many had anticipated Melbourne, UFC president Dana White revealed during the summer press conference 2019 that nothing is a lock yet.

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2019

At UFC 239, Holly Holm sought to usurp the UFC bantamweight throne by unseating reigning champion Amanda Nunes. Regrettably for Holm and her dedicated fanbase, this mission did not go as planned, as she was stopped by a first-round head kick and volley of followup punches. Speaking in a video on her Instagram story on Tuesday, Holm addressed this tough setback, assuring her fans that she will keep moving forward, as the Bee Gees’ Stayin’ Alive played in the background.

Natasha Hooper - July 10, 2019

Alexander Gustafsson is reconsidering his retirement. The Swedish fighter announced his retirement in Stockholm last month, after receiving a submission loss from Anthony Smith.

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2019

Ahead of his light heavyweight debut opposite Jan Blachowicz, former UFC middleweight champion Luke Rockhold had a lot to say about a handful of the division’s top stars — namely the champion Jon Jones and top-ranked contender Anthony Smith. In the end, of course, Rockhold’s debut in the division did not go the way he envisioned, as he was knocked out by Blachowicz in the second round.

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2019

UFC bantamweight and featherweight champion Amanda Nunes is the latest fighter to strip down for ESPN’s Body Issue. The two-division champion joins other MMA stars like Ronda Rousey, Jon Jones, and Conor McGregor who have also posed for this longstanding series. Nunes’ Body Issue spread is expected to drop in September. In the meantime, you can go behind the scenes of her photo shoot in the video below, courtesy of ESPN MMA.

Tom Taylor - July 10, 2019

UFC light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith is the only man to have fought both Jon Jones and Thiago Santos. As such, he has some unique insight into the pair’s UFC 239 fight, which Jones won via narrow split decision — easily one of his least impressive performances of late. Smith gave his thoughts on Jones’ UFC 239 performance during an appearance on MMA on Sirius XM.

Christopher Taylor - July 9, 2019

Newly retired UFC standouts Alexander Gustafsson and Chad Mendes never came close to competing in the same weight class, but their respective careers are remarkably similar. Former UFC featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes (18-5 MMA) confirmed his previously announced retirement plans earlier this evening. Meanwhile, former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Alexander Gustafsson (18-6 MMA) decided to hang up his gloves last month, this following a submission loss to Anthony Smith.

Cole Shelton - July 9, 2019

Cub Swanson will look to snap his four-fight losing streak when he takes on jiu-jitsu ace, Kron Gracie on October 12. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. Swanson last fought back at UFC Ottawa where he dropped a split-decision to Shane Burgos. Before that, the longtime veteran of the Octagon was submitted by Renato Moicano, dropped a decision to Frankie Edgar and tapped out to Brian Ortega. The 35-year-old is currently 25-11 as a pro.