UFC News

Tom Taylor - February 7, 2020

The UFC will pay tribute to the late, great Kobe Bryant during Saturday’s UFC 247 broadcast. UFC President Dana White divulged the company’s plans to honor the basketball legend during an interview with TMZ.

Cole Shelton - February 7, 2020

For many in the combat sports world, the name Dan Ige was familiar even before the featherweight was in the UFC. He works under Ali Abdelaziz for Dominance MMA and helps Abdelaziz manage top clients like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Kamaru Usman, and Henry Cejudo. Although that has helped Ige establish a name in MMA, he wants to be known more than a manager. At UFC 247, he has that opportunity as he will take on Mirsad Bektic on the main card where a win should get him ranked.

Harry Kettle - February 7, 2020

Dana White claims that Daniel Cormier has been offered other fights by the UFC, but the former two-weight world champion has his heart set on the trilogy fight with Stipe Miocic. Cormier lost the UFC Heavyweight Championship to Miocic back at UFC 241 last year, taking the series to 1-1 between the two men. Now, with very few other contenders in the running, they’re expected to run it back at some point in 2020 — marking three straight years where they would’ve squared off.

Tom Taylor - February 7, 2020

Amid the rampant spread of the headline-dominating Coronavirus, Chinese UFC strawweight champion Weili Zhang has moved her training from her native China to Bangkok, Thailand. In Bangkok, Zhang crossed paths with an absolute legend in Saenchai, widely regarded as one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters of all time — and certainly one of the flashiest.

Cole Shelton - February 6, 2020

Jon Jones has a ton of respect for Stephen A. Smith but admits the reporter needs to learn more about his sport. At UFC 246, Stephen A. Smith made headlines for saying Donald Cerrone quit when he fought Conor McGregor. The Irishman and Joe Rogan said the ESPN personality was wrong and it led to Smith and Rogan having a back-and-forth.

Cole Shelton - February 6, 2020

Joe Rogan’s podcast appears to have made him quite a bit of money. The Joe Rogan Experience features guests from all walks of life, from fighters, to A-list celebrities and even politicians. He often runs it every day and gets hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube. Apple also announced “JRE” as the number one podcast in the world with over 190 million downloads a month.

Natasha Hooper - February 6, 2020

Dana White has given his take on the ongoing drama between MMA analyst Joe Rogan and ESPN analyst, Stephen A. Smith. At UFC 246 on Saturday 18th January 2020, Conor McGregor returned to the Octagon to face Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone. He utilized shoulder strikes, his signature left, and ground and pound to seal the victory in just 40 seconds of the very first round. The Irishman’s decisive win had some spectators questioning Cerrone’s fighting ability, including ESPN commentator Stephen A Smith.

Natasha Hooper - February 6, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t want to be associated with the dancing monkeys of the UFC as he brands the Conor McGregor vs Donald Cerrone matchmaking, a “well-organized circus.” The undefeated lightweight champion is well known for his embittered rivalry with Conor McGregor that culminated in their 2018 fight. “The Eagle” got his revenge on the Irishman in the UFC 229 main event as he submitted his opponent in the fourth round. However, his victory did little to dampen the ongoing feud. Both fighters have continued to fire shots, Nurmagomedov has specifically called our ‘The Notorious’ for his unruly behaviour and conduct.

Tom Taylor - February 6, 2020

Israel Adesanya believes Jon Jones needs him in order to stay relevant. Adesanya, the reigning UFC middleweight champ, took this shot at the UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones during a recent interview with ESPN.

Cole Shelton - February 6, 2020

Colby Covington believes Jorge Masvidal won’t do a thing when they cross paths at American Top Team. Following Covington’s TKO loss to Kamaru Usman at UFC 245 for the welterweight title, he spent time in Oregon and has yet to go back to train at ATT. With “Chaos” not being back in nearly two months since the fight, Jorge Masvidal said that the former interim champion left the gym for good.

Adam Martin - February 6, 2020

UFC president Dana White claims the promotion never considered matching up Conor McGregor against Jorge Masvidal or Kamaru Usman. Both Masvidal and Usman were in attendance at UFC 246 last month when McGregor knocked out Donald Cerrone in just 40 seconds. Immediately after McGregor got his hand raised, speculation began to pour in about either Masvidal or Usman being the man who gets to fight McGregor next. Fans and media were already buzzing about the prospect of either fight.

Mike Pendleton - February 6, 2020

As streaming services continue to take over the combat sports industry, there are more and more events being broadcast on platforms like ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass, DAZN, and YouTube. BJPENN.Com’s Streaming this Week series keeps fans up to date on the best combat sports action across the industry’s major streaming platforms.

Cole Shelton - February 6, 2020

In the co-main event of UFC 247, Valentina Shevchenko is looking to defend her flyweight title for a third time when she battles Katlyn Chookagian. Heading into the fight, Shevchenko is a -1200 favorite while the American challenger is a +700 underdog. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the scrap. To no surprise, the majority are leaning towards Shevchenko getting it done, but one is picking the upset. The pros also believe the champ is running out of challengers and think the Amanda Nunes trilogy should happen next.

Adam Martin - February 6, 2020

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski fired back at top contender “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung after his rival claimed the champ doesn’t finish fights. The Korean Zombie criticized Volkanovski for not finishing fights in an effort to egg him on and secure a potential fight against the champion. Volkanovski saw The Korean Zombie’s criticisms and didn’t take kindly to them. In response, Volkanovski posted a photo of The Korean Zombie getting knocked out cold by Yair Rodriguez.

Tom Taylor - February 6, 2020

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier share one of the most heated rivalries in MMA history. Over the course of their two bouts, the two decorated champions traded near endless trash talk, and even brawled at a press conference. According to Jones, who is gearing up for a UFC 247 title defense opposite Dominick Reyes, that beef with Cormier has now come to an end.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 6, 2020

Michael Bisping doesn’t believe Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal staged their altercation but he does wonder if the UFC had their meetup planned. Usman and Masvidal are on a collision course. The two have been trading barbs and it led to a confrontation on Radio Row in Miami. “The Nigerian Nightmare” and “Gamebred” exchanged heated words and had to be separated during Super Bowl LIV week. UFC president Dana White said the incident forced him to prematurely announce plans to book a welterweight title bout between champion Usman and Masvidal for International Fight Week in July.

Tom Taylor - February 6, 2020

Former WBO Boxing champion Chris Algieri recently took to Instagram to show off some nasty facial damage sustained in a fight. This post from Algieri prompted several other fighters, including UFC veterans Phil Baroni and Ross Pearson, to share some photos of their worst fight-related damage.

Harry Kettle - February 6, 2020

UFC 247 title challenger Dominick Reyes is aiming to exploit the boxing of UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones this Saturday in Houston, Texas. Reyes is set to face off against Jones this weekend in the main event of UFC’s second PPV card of the year. It’s set to be an explosive showdown between two of the best light heavyweight fighters in the world, even though many fans and pundits aren’t giving Reyes much of a chance.