UFC NEWS

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

The official White House petition to get Nick Diaz’s five year suspension lifted has blown up, but he still needs all the help he can get! Nearly one month ago, Nick Diaz was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for failing one of his post fight drug tests for marijuana. The commission wanted to make an example out of the fighter and unjustly suspended him for five years. When the result of the hearing was released, fighters took to social media to voice their disproval and it wasn’t long before the White House petition was created.

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

“DYNAMITE” could go down as one of the more historical nights in Bellator brief history. Even though the ratings did not reflect the hype leading into the card, fighters and fans from around the world gathered to watch an amazing one-night four man tournament and Tito Ortiz fight for gold once again. Ortiz was riding a two fight win streak going into his championship fight with Liam McGeary who possessed an undefeated record of 10-0. Ortiz did a fantastic job at implementing his ground and pound in the opening minutes of the fight, but McGeary eventually caught Ortiz in an inverted triangle that forced the referee to wave off the fight. Ortiz recently stated in an interview that he believes the fact that McGeary lotions himself up constantly helped him slip out of disadvantageous positions.

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

Based on information gathered from some of the greatest fighters of all time, stepping into the octagon can be one of the most nerve-wracking parts of the sport. Chael Sonnen said it best when he stated he felt a wave of “relief” wash over him after a fight concludes. The second toughest job on fight night? Calling the action. You have the responsibility of not only calling the action right down the middle, but you have to keep hundreds and thousands of viewers at home entertained! Making sure there isn’t too much dead air or constant talking about the something other than the fight can be a difficult task, but UFC on FOX analyst Kenny Florian is under fire for something different.

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

Every single time UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey steps into the octagon, it feels like the entire world stops to watch her fight. Whether its a famous actor like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or non-sports affiliated news networks like CNN, everybody always talks about her latest performance. In just over one month, “Rowdy” returns to the octagon to defend her championship and put her undefeated record on the line against elite striker Holly Holm. Holm will have the odds stacked against her, but if she is able to pull off a major upset at UFC 193 it would change her life.

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley was prepared to battle Johny Hendricks at on enemy soil in Houston, Texas for the right to fight for the UFC Welterweight Championship. It turns out he may be getting the title shot without even stepping foot in the octagon at UFC 192. Hendricks was forced out of his bout with Woodley after he struggled to make weight and fell ill during his weight-cutting process. Even though he mentioned something was wrong with his body, UFC President Dana White was having none of it and mentioned that as far as he is concerned, Hendricks is now a middleweight.

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

“UFC 192: Cormier vs. Gustafsson” is in the books and there are several fighters who walked out of the octagon banged up in Houston, Texas. Perhaps none more so than Alexander Gustafsson who left it all in the cage for the opportunity to call himself the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. Unfortunately for “The Mauler”, Daniel Cormier was at the top of his game and had a counter for everything Gus threw at him. It was one of the most entertaining fights of the year, but also one of the most physically demanding. Cormier admitted after the fight that it was the “worst” he has ever been beat.

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

“Thug” Rose Namajunas made her triumphant return to the octagon at “UFC 192” and dealt fellow strawweight Angela Hill another tough loss. Hill is now riding a two fight losing streak in the octagon and will have to rebound in a major way if she wants to remain in the UFC rankings. A bitter past caused major mixed martial arts brand Torque to throw some salt in the wounds of Hill through social media when they stated her loss was “karma”. Apparently, the two parties had potentially agreed on doing business together in the past but Hill allegedly bailed on Torque last minute for another sponsor.

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

Miesha Tate was expected to be next in line to face UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey after a dominant win over Jessica Eye, but Dana White had other plans in mind. “Rowdy” revealed that Holly Holm would be the next challenger while Tate is left hanging high and dry, looking for a fight. “Cupcake” wasn’t even informed by the powers that be that she was getting looked over; She may have to utilize her best “resting bitch face” next time she meets up with them.

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua has been forced to sit on the sidelines after undergoing shoulder injury earlier in the year. The former PRIDE and UFC champion is already planning his return to the octagon, though, and he has his sights set on Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. The callouts from “Rampage” and Shogun were not disrespectful by any means. Both men do not need to resort to trash talk to get themselves noticed; they are highly decorated veterans of the sport who want to meet in the octagon simply to find out who the better man is.

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

Fedor Emelianenko shocked the world when he announced his return to mixed martial arts earlier this year. Unfortunately for fans who wanted to see him in the octagon, “The Last Emperor” chose not to sign with an American based company like the UFC or Bellator. Instead, Emelianenko chose to ink a deal with an upstart promotion based out of Japan started by one of the men behind PRIDE in Nobuyuki Sakakibara. Sakakibara revealed the fight will take place on New Year’s Eve, but remained quiet on other details surrounding the fight such as a potential opponent or which weight class Emelianenko would be fighting in.

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

As soon as it was revealed that Nick Diaz would be getting suspended for five years for failing one of his UFC 183 post-fight drug tests, the mixed martial arts community came out in full support of the popular UFC fighter. Everybody from Ronda Rousey to Henry Cejudo spoke out against the Nevada State Athletic Commission on the unfit punishment, and it seems like the music world has Nick’s back as well! American singer and fashion icon Cher is the latest celebrity to tweet in support of Nick Diaz’s suspension being lifted! The music icon shared the following tweet with her three million followers:

Chris Taylor - October 5, 2015

https://youtu.be/wl83FarWu34 UFC 193 is set to go down Sunday November 15 (Saturday November 14 in North America) live from Etihad Stadium in Melbourne, Australia.

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

Even though the sport of mixed martial arts is as popular as it’s ever been, it is still extremely young and has a lot of growing to do. There is a laundry list of changes going on in the MMA rulebook every year and there will continue to be changes until the powers that be find the correct formula to help move this sport in the right direction. Everything from the way fighters approach their weight cut on fight week, all the way down to how UFC’s rankings are decided by emotional media members is in a constant state of evolution. Unfortunately, fighter Tyron Woodley and media member Justin Mayer saw a gross clash after UFC 192 was all said and done.

Chris Taylor - October 5, 2015

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones (21-1 MMA) was hanging out with friend and training partner Alistair Overeem following the UFC 192 fights this past Saturday night. “The Reem” posted the following photo on his instagram and wrote that he “Can’t wait till the champ is back in the mix and dominating as before!”

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

Alexander Gustafsson is not your average title challenger. Champions can plan to throw all strategy and gameplans out of the window when defending their titles against the Swedish fighter as he has a history of taking them to WAR.

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

Ryan “Darth” Bader stepped into the octagon at UFC 192 with the mindset of beating a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion in Rashad Evans so he could earn a shot at gold himself. While their co main-event fight in Houston, Texas left fans hungry for heavier hits, Bader is still more than satisfied with his performance which could be the biggest win of his career. “I felt like myself,” Bader said after his fight on Fox Sports. It’s all coming together. All the experience is paying off. I used to fight in a fog. I can think on the fly and everything is coming together.”

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

When Alexander Gustafsson was revealed as the first challenger to Daniel Cormier’s newly won UFC Light Heavyweight Championship, fans and fighters alike were left scratching their heads. Ryan “Darth” Bader was the next logical opponent for Cormier, but it turns out UFC President Dana White had a feeling Cormier and Gus’ chemistry would create an instant classic. Cormier and Gustafsson left it all in the octagon at “UFC 192” and the viewers at home were on the edge of their seats the entire fight. If it weren’t for Rory MacDonald’s clash with Robbie Lawler earlier in the year, the light heavyweight championship fight at “UFC 192” could have gone down as one of the best title fights of the year.

BJPENN.COM News - October 5, 2015

There’s a good reason why everybody from Anthony “Rumble” Johnson to Urijah Faber are singing their praises of UFC’s newest phenom Sage Northcutt. The nineteen year old has the potential to be the next big thing in the octagon and put his whole weight class on notice when he dominated and finished Francisco Trevino in less than a minute without so much of breaking a sweat. His chances of making it big don’t solely depend on his actions inside the octagon, however. It will surely help that he hit the lottery in terms of genetics. There is no doubt that Northcutt worked hard to achieve all he has in the combat sports world, but he was dealt an amazing hand in the looks department! Ladies, get your Northcutt fix here!