UFC NEWS

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos won his title nearly four months ago and has yet to defend it a single time. No fault of his own, of course, as the new champion actually suffered a torn MCL in the weeks leading up to the fight. The fact that Dos Anjos defeated one of the best fighters in the world in Anthony Pettis at UFC 185 for the title with a torn MCL is a feat of its own! Dos Anjos’ first challenge is getting ready to meet him in the octagon, though, and it won’t be easy. Donald Cerrone has finally earned his shot at UFC gold and will be stepping into the cage to face the Brazilian for the second time in his career. The two will meet at UFC on Fox 17 on December 19, 2015.

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

John “Doomsday” Howard’s time in the UFC has been a roller-coaster ride, to say the least. Back in 2010, Howard was viewed by many as the next big thing in the welterweight division when he racked up four wins in a row over lower-tier talent. When he stepped up in competition, however, “Doomsday” suffered three losses in a row before getting cut. Howard made his return to the company when he stepped in to face Uriah Hall at “UFC Fight Night: Sonnen vs Shogun” where he racked up an upset victory. He has gone 2-3 since that loss, but is coming off a much needed win over Cathal Pendred.

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

The stage was set at “UFC 189” for Conor McGregor to finally square off with Jose Aldo in their highly anticipated title fight. Plans crumbled, however, when Aldo suffered a rib injury and Dana White was forced to go on the hunt for a last-minute replacement. Former UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar expected opportunity to come knocking on his door, but call never came. Instead, UFC gave Chad Mendes the nod to step in the main event to fight McGregor for the interim featherweight championship. Edgar admitted he was upset about the decision, but understood he would get his shot eventually.

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

The mixed martial arts community came together when the NSAC announced that Nick Diaz would be suspended five years for failing one of his UFC 183 drug tests for marijuana. Though he is a repeated offender, the punishment does not fit the crime and certain personalities in the MMA world believe they just wanted to make an example out of Diaz for being difficult to deal with. Everybody from Ronda Rousey to Demetrious Johnson have voiced their disproval and signed the petition, but very few people have actively stated they would not be fighting in Nevada until the issue was fixed. Henry Cejudo was one of the first names to claim that he would be avoiding fighting in Nevada to show support of Nick Diaz.

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

Nevada State Athletic Commission’s suspension of Nick Diaz is not going unnoticed as everybody from Ronda Rousey to Katt Williams have spoken out against the punishment. Diaz tested positive for marijuana in one of his three drug tests at UFC 183 and is being forced to sit on the sidelines for five years. The fans have spoken and started a petition to lift the ban and with only fifty-thousand signatures remaining, the powers that be at the White House might just have to address the situation. Another major name has come to the aid of Nick Diaz, though it’s one that most might not recognize. Senator Tick Segerblom (of Senate District 3) was approached by TMZ Sports about the NAC/Diaz debacle and he has the back of 209’s best. “I think what they did was totally inappropriate,” Tick stated. “[Marijuana] is a recognized medicine in the Nevada constitution so how can you punish someone for taking medicine, particularly since it doesn’t enhance your ability to fight?”

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

After the Ultimate Fighting Championship absorbed the likes of Strikeforce and World Extreme Cagefighting, diehard fans of mixed martial arts got to see a lot of their dream fights come to life. With Eddie Alvarez dominating the scene in Bellator at the time, though, fans still pondered who the best in the world truly was. There was a moment when Anthony Pettis and Alvarez were the champions of their respective companies and fans wanted nothing more than to see them throw down. That dream fight is about to become a reality.

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light heavyweight division has never seen an athlete at the level of Jon Jones. “Bones” walked into every fight looking for a way to finish or dominate his opponent and with the exception of Alexander Gustafsson, he achieved that. It seemed as if the only person who could knock Jones off his throne was himself… and that’s exactly what happened. Jones was stripped of the title and indefinitely suspended from the octagon after his hit-and-run incident in April 2015. He was expected to defend his championship against Anthony “Rumble” Johnson at UFC 187, but was removed from the event. With the main event in jeopardy, Daniel Cormier came to the save and duked it out with “Rumble” for the vacated championship.

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson will be stepping into the octagon to challenge Daniel Cormier for his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship on October 3 at UFC 192. While Gustafsson is excited for another opportunity to grab gold in the octagon, if he was given the choice between fighting for Cormier’s title or a rematch with Jon Jones, his answer may surprise some people. “I’d probably fight Jon Jones again. That’s the fight everybody wants to see,” Gus told MMA Junkie. “That’s the fight I want to have again. I would do it for myself, but I would mainly do it for my fans.”

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

Ultimate Fighting Championship is lucky they have a fighting champion in Joanna Jedrzejczyk because her division is starting to look stacked! Claudia Gadelha is knocking on the door of a title opportunity after “Joanna Champion” defends against Valerie Letourneau. Paige VanZant, Michelle Waterson, Jessica Penne and Joanne Calderwood are all knocking on the door of contendership, but this undefeated KSW signee may put a stop to those ladies’ momentum.

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

No matter what their rank is, every woman in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division wants an opportunity to dethrone Ronda Rousey of her throne. While they will gain the championship, their stock will rise tenfold just for beating the most popular fighter the octagon has to offer now. While women like Holly Holm are undoubtedly deserving of the opportunity, one woman was told by her boss she was next in line. Miesha Tate dominated Jessica Eye in July at “UFC on FOX 17” in front of a national audience to secure her fourth victory in a row. She showed evolution in her game and a newfound aggression that seemed to be missing in her past two fights with Ronda Rousey. During the post fight press conference, UFC President Dana White mentioned that Tate was next in line for Rousey.

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

Bantamweight queen Ronda Rousey sits atop a division stacked with women clamoring for a shot at the gold. “Rowdy” has defeated each and every opponent the UFC officials put in front of her and she has her sights set on Holly Holm next at UFC 193. If Holm fails to dethrone the champion, Miesha Tate could be next in line for a shot at the title. Bethe Correia wants another quick path to the title, however, and she has her sights set on perennial contender Tate as well. “I want to fight a girl well ranked so I can show my evolution, but the girl I want to fight the most is Miesha Tate,” Correia told MMA Fighting.

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones ran into some issues with the law again earlier this year in April when he fled the scene of a hit-and-run which was allegedly caused by him. Jones returned to the crash where a pregnant woman was injured in the wreck supposedly caused by him, only to grab cash from his car and run again. Jones was missing for nearly twenty-four hours before he turned himself in to the Albuquerque police department. Jones was then arrested for on a felony hit and run charge.

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

Josh Barnett is set to make his triumphant return to Japan this weekend as UFC comes back to Japan! “The War Master” and “Big Country” Roy Nelson will clash in the main-event of the card which is set to take place in the Saitama Super Arena. Barnett has not fought in the octagon since his loss to Travis Browne in 2013 and will be looking to prove he is still one of the best fighters in the world today. Nelson is looking to turn around a two fight losing streak in the heavyweight fight by sending Barnett to the mat with his big right hand.

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

Johny Hendricks was cage-side to witness one of the best championship fights in Ultimate Fighting Championship history at UFC 189. Robbie Lawler proved to be a champion when he successfully defended his belt against Rory MacDonald on July 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada. MacDonald was a worthy opponent and took Lawler to the limit in a fight that saw both men walk out of the octagon with battle scars. Lawler would ultimately get the best of MacDonald in the final round, though. Check out Johny Hendricks’ reactions to the biggest moments of the fight in the video below!

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

As soon as it was revealed that Nick Diaz would be suspended for five years due to failing one of his drug tests at UFC 183, the mixed martial arts community came out in full support of the former Strikeforce champion. Everybody from Ronda Rousey to Gina Carano spoke out against the Nevada State Athletic Commission and unjust punishment. Now, it seems the world of Hollywood is getting the back of one of 209’s finest as Katt Williams has spoken out about the matter. He believes that it is an extreme punishment for a drug that isn’t even truly a performance enhancer. Check out exactly what Williams said in the video below!

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is one of the most experienced fighters in the octagon today and lives up to his nickname. The PRIDE, Bellator, and UFC veteran has brought an unmatched level of ferocity with him everywhere he went and has supplied highlight reel knockouts for almost fourteen years. While “Rampage” was knocking fighters out for years, he wasn’t really famous for his unique knockouts until he sent Ricardo Arona crashing to the canvas with a high-impact slam. Arona thought he had Jackson locked away in a triangle, but “Rampage” used his brute strength to pick him up and proceeded to slam him on the canvas. In typical Jackson fashion, he followed up with a couple shots for good measure.

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino has started her path down to bantamweight and Ronda Rousey! It was recently announced that “Cyborg” would be dropping down to 140 in November for a future Invicta FC card. While her opponent and the date of her fight has yet to be announced, it should be a good warm up fight for “Cyborg’s” debut in the octagon. Fans and fighters alike have been clamoring for “Cyborg” to eventually make her way to the octagon. “UFC 190” saw Rousey easily defeat Correia in less than a minute and fans expected the Brazilian to challenge Rousey shortly thereafter. Instead, it will be Holly Holm who gets the next crack at defeating the queen of the bantamweight division.

BJPENN.COM News - September 21, 2015

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 20 alumni and current UFC strawweight fighter Felice Herrig has decided to take some time away from the octagon following a tough loss to up and comer Paige VanZant. Herrig is, no doubt, one of the toughest women in the division and will make a triumphant return to the cage but until then, she is enjoying training and soaking up the sun! Herrig threw a pool party over the weekend with some of her friends and they decided to dance it up poolside. Check out some footage of them “dancing like white girl dorks”!