UFC News

Jordy McElroy - March 25, 2020

Objects in the mirror may be closer than they appear, but it’s truly the offbeat, borderline eccentric madman riding shotgun that should be most concerning to UFC lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov. Top contender Tony Ferguson won’t make it rain green like Conor McGregor, but he could make it spew red by giving the champ a fight the likes of which the lightweight division has never seen. Money, hype, showmanship—any quantifiable description of a mere spectacle falls at the wayside when pitting the baddest 155-pounders on the planet against one another.

Natasha Hooper - March 25, 2020

Oddsmakers have released the most likely location for UFC 249. On April 18th, the eagerly anticipated matchup between Tony Ferguson vs Khabib Nurmagomedov is expected to headline the UFC 249 event. However, due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and the cancellation of multiple MMA events, the likelihood of the April show has remained up in the air.

Mike Pendleton - March 25, 2020

Although he was directly affected by the UFC having to postpone recent fight cards, MMA coach Din Thomas is praising UFC President Dana White for his efforts to push forward. Thomas was supposed to be in the corner for Tyron Woodley’s scheduled fight against Leon Edwards in London, but the UFC pulled the plug on that event even after they scrambled to move locations and possibly opponents for the main event. During an interview with On The Mic podcast, Thomas defended Dana White for his urgency and push to keep the UFC events continuing on.

Cole Shelton - March 25, 2020

Artem Lobov says he nearly signed with KSW before the COVID-19 pandemic halted negotiations. Lobov is currently a free agent and is looking to sign a non-exclusive contract so he can fight in MMA, boxing, and bare-knuckle fighting. While looking for that, “The Russian Hammer” says KSW was showing a ton of interest and they were getting ready to sign a bout agreement until the pandemic practically shut the world down.

Harry Kettle - March 25, 2020

UFC president Dana White believes the sport of boxing is in big trouble as the future of Zuffa Boxing remains unknown. It’s no secret that Dana White’s first love was boxing, but thankfully for mixed martial arts fans all around the world, he was able to land on his feet in the UFC, building a fantastic organization and product in the process alongside the Fertitta brothers, Lorenzo and Frank.

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2020

According to UFC President Dana White, the UFC 249 card we end up with could be very different than the one we initially expected. On Wednesday, White appeared on an Instagram Live session with ESPN/UFC reporter Brett Okamoto. White divulged that the UFC 249 card will likely include several matchups originally scheduled for the card — including the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson main event — in addition to a number of other matchups that were scheduled for the events that were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. One of those matchups is likely to be a rescheduled heavyweight fight between Francis Ngannou and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, which was originally expected to headline the UFC Columbus card.

Adam Martin - March 25, 2020

With little MMA going on at the moment due to the coronavirus outbreak, it’s time to get on our creative hats and ponder questions about the future of the sport. One of those questions is about who could be the next fighter to break through to the next stage of their career in the UFC. Someone always emerges from out of nowhere, but who exactly will that be? Below, I’ll list five fighters who are currently unranked and who could be UFC champions in 2021. The only rule is the fighter cannot currently be ranked in the top-15 of the UFC rankings. And without further ado, let’s take a look at the top five:

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2020

Francis Ngannou says he has been tested for the coronavirus — and that the test was facilitated by the UFC. Ngannou announced that he’s been tested for the virus on a recent episode of Submission Radio.

Adam Martin - March 25, 2020

Jose Aldo is training at home with his wife for his upcoming title fight against Henry Cejudo at UFC 250 due to his gym Nova Uniao being closed. Nova Uniao leader Andre Pederneiras was forced to close the gym due to the coronavirus pandemic. Aldo had been training at his long-time gym up until last week, but due to the severity of the coronavirus outbreak, Pederneiras had to shut the doors to the gym. That leaves Aldo without his training camp for his scheduled bantamweight title fight against Cejudo at UFC 250 in May. As of right now, the Sao Paulo card is still a go.

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2020

For many years, Mike Dolce served as the nutritionist for UFC welterweight champion Johny Hendricks. Speaking on a video posted on his YouTube channel on Wednesday morning, Dolce recounted one of the wilder moments of his work with Hendricks: nearly getting jumped by Nick Diaz and his entourage in a parking lot outside a UFC event. Dolce explained that this incident occurred around the weigh-ins for Hendricks’ first fight with Robbie Lawler. Hendricks initially missed weight for the fight by less than a pound, and was infamously taunted by Diaz while he was on the scale—but that’s apparently not where the trouble ended.

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2020

Yesterday afternoon, Conor McGregor sent an impassioned message to Ireland’s leaders, demanding a complete lockdown of the country to combat the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. “I know a good, tough fight when I see one, and we have one on our hands now,” McGregor stated in a video posted to Facebook. “I want to call upon my people: the great people of Ireland. This fight needs us all. We are all in the red corner together and awaiting the bell, so let’s gather together and ring the bell ourselves — including the people of the rest of the world.

Tom Taylor - March 25, 2020

Yesterday afternoon, former two-division UFC champ Conor McGregor made an impassioned address to Ireland’s leaders, demanding a full, mandatory lockdown of the country to combat the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. UFC President Dana White has now addressed that video. While McGregor is clearly taking the pandemic very seriously, White has caught quite a bit of criticism for his reaction to the situation. The UFC boss has fervently attempted to keep the UFC running as normal during the pandemic — despite the obvious risks of doing so — and has refused to share any information about COVID-19 testing for athletes.

Natasha Hooper - March 25, 2020

With the looming threat of Coronavirus causing everybody to isolate themselves, BJPENN.com has curated a list of the top MMA podcasts for you to listen to (in no particular order). Now, you can fill your brain with an unlimited stream of MMA information and keep boredom at bay.

Natasha Hooper - March 25, 2020

Leon Edwards’ trainer Jonathon Reynolds has devised a full-body MMA workout for you to do at home, with video instructions. The mastermind behind Velocity Training Club is responsible for top combat athletes, including Leon Edwards, Fabian Edwards, and boxer Callum Smith.

Harry Kettle - March 25, 2020

UFC president Dana White has refused to comment on whether or not UFC 249 fighters will be tested for the coronavirus prior to the event. There’s been a great deal of speculation surrounding the future of UFC 249, with fans around the world wondering whether or not they’ll finally get to see Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson square off for the UFC Lightweight Championship.

Adam Martin - March 24, 2020

UFC middleweight Darren Till slid into the direct messages of UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, sending the champ a fierce warning. Adesanya and Till are known to exchange DM’s with each other, and now Till has taken his DM game to the next level. On Tuesday, the champ shared on his Twitter a video message Till sent him in a DM, with “The Gorilla” making it clear he wants to step into the Octagon with “The Last Stylebender.”

Cole Shelton - March 24, 2020

Renato Moicano isn’t pleased with the way he handled himself following his win at UFC Brasilia. Moicano was moving up to lightweight after back-to-back losses and quickly submitted Damir Hazdovic in under a minute. Following the win, you could hear the Brazilain complaining on the broadcast as he wanted to fight longer given he was at home and wanted to really see how his body would do at lightweight.

Mike Pendleton - March 24, 2020

Francis Ngannou entered the UFC in 2015 just five fights into his professional career, and skyrocketed throughout the division due to his performances inside the Octagon. In just over two years upon entering the UFC, Ngannou would go on a six-fight winning streak which would lead him to get a title shot against Stipe Miocic. Although he would come up short in his attempt at UFC gold, Francis Ngannou showed he could still hang with the very best heavyweights in the world. Following his fight against Miocic, Ngannou would drop his second consecutive fight in a lackluster showing against Derrick Lewis, and then change followed shortly thereafter.