UFC News
EXCLUSIVE | Khalil Rountree believes fight with Eryk Anders will be 'fight of the night'
Cole Shelton - April 12, 2019
At UFC 236, Khalil Rountree will take on Eryk Anders who is moving back up to light heavyweight. In the eyes of many observers, this fight looks like surefire entertainment. Rountree is no different. He believes this fight could very well be the Fight of the Night.
Statement released following allegations against BJ Penn
Chris Taylor - April 11, 2019
The Team of former two-division UFC champion BJ Penn has released a statement following allegations from his former partner. “BJ is in a highly-contested child custody case involving his two young daughters. The order of protection has made serious allegations against BJ. The allegations are so, misleading, hurtful and false that any further comment by BJ or about BJ would cause more damage to the well-being of his children and potentially further inflame the pending custody proceedings. BJ and his family ask that you respect their privacy at this very difficult time.”
More reasons to watch UFC 236
Mike Straus - April 11, 2019
UFC 236 will make history as the first pay-per-view event to have two interim title fights decided on the same night. After a two week hiatus, the world leader in MMA is back with a fun night of fights. The State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia will play host to the action this weekend.
Max Holloway wants Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov to help fight climate change
Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019
Like so many of us, Max Holloway is tired of the ongoing Twitter beef between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and former lightweight and featherweight champ Conor McGregor. In fact, he believes the two UFC stars could achieve a tremendous amount of good if they combined forces. They might even be able to combat climate change (h/t MMA Mania). Holloway first discussed notion in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
Uriah Hall worries there is 'mafia s**t' going on in the UFC
Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019
UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa has been the subject of several doping rumors of late, thanks in large part to the recent comments of his would-be opponent Yoel Romero. While it now sounds like stomach medication could be the reason for Costa’s recent brushes with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), however, his recent opponent Uriah Hall feels there could actually be more at play here. https://youtu.be/kx8ITw1dBEI “I was supposed to fight that dude a while back,” Hall said on Bloody Elbow’s Pull No Punches podcast (transcript via MMA Mania). “He pulled a bicep muscle and I was like ‘What?’ Listen, s**t is going on under the radar here. I don’t know why, I have a feeling, but we’re not stupid.
Herb Dean defends Ben Askren vs. Robbie Lawler stoppage
Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019
One of the most anticipated features of the UFC 235 bill was a welterweight showdown between former UFC champ Robbie Lawler and former ONE and Bellator champ Ben Askren. Regrettably, this bout ended in controversy. Mid-way through the first round, Askren locked up a bulldog choke that appeared to lull Lawler to sleep. After referee Herb Dean stopped the action, however, Lawler protested, and the replay revealed that he might not have actually gone out.
UFC 236 | Kelvin Gastelum opens up on mental hurdles ahead of Israel Adesanya fight
Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019
Kelvin Gastelum was supposed to battle Robert Whittaker for the undisputed UFC middleweight championship at UFC 234 in February. Regrettably, Whittaker was forced out of the bout with a last-minute injury, leaving Gastelum without his long-awaited title shot. As Whittaker recovers, Kelvin Gastelum is now scheduled to battle Israel Adesanya for the interim middleweight title in the co-main event of UFC 236 this Saturday.
Joe Rogan comments on TJ Dillashaw drug test failure
Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019
This week’s news that former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw had tested positive for EPO, an “injectable only” performance-enhancing substance, sent a shockwave through the MMA community. UFC color commentator Joe Rogan is just as disappointed by this news as the rest of us. https://youtu.be/_TiGMStO5G4 “To me, it’s a shame because I’m a TJ fan,” Rogan told his guest Herb Dean on Wednesday’s edition of the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show (transcript via MMAjunkie) “I think he’s a phenomenal fighter and I’m a big fan of watching him perform. But it just taints his legacy. It just does. There’s no way around it. When you get caught cheating – this stuff, there’s no way it’s not cheating. This is just cheating. This isn’t any accident. It taints your legacy, and the guy had an amazing legacy: two-time bantamweight champion, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters.”
Manager Ali Abdelaziz claims he knows "at least five people" using EPO
Tom Taylor - April 11, 2019
This week, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) handed former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw a two-year suspension for his use of EPO, a powerful performance enhancer that can only be taken by injection. This news was particularly pertinent to former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt, who has lost to TJ Dillashaw twice in the last two years. Garbrandt himself, and other members of the MMA community, have wondered publicly if Dillashaw might have had an extra advantage in their two recent bouts.
Four fights added to UFC Minneapolis including Benavidez vs. Formiga 2
James Lynch - April 11, 2019
Joseph Benavidez didn’t get to face Henry Cejudo next but will get to face familiar foe instead. UFC officials confirmed Wednesday that former title challenger Benavidez will face Jussier Formiga at UFC Minneapolis on June 29. These two first fought at UFC Fight Night 28 in Sept. 2013, with Benavidez earning a first-round TKO finish. Benavidez (27-5) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Dustin Ortiz at UFC Brooklyn in January which gave him back-to-back wins for the first time since Dec. 2016. Prior to that, the Xtreme Couture product earned his first stoppage victory since Apr. 2014 when he finished Alex Perez in the first round via TKO. The two-time UFC title challenger has gone 8-1 in his last nine fights, including a split decision nod over current flyweight kingpin Henry Cejudo. Benavidez made his UFC debut in Mar. 2011 and holds wins over John Moraga, Tim Elliott and the aforementioned champ Cejudo.
EXCLUSIVE | Pro fighters make their picks for Israel Adesanya vs Kelvin Gastelum
Cole Shelton - April 11, 2019
In the co-main event of UFC 236 this Saturday, Israel Adesanya is set to take on Kelvin Gastelum for the UFC’s interim middleweight title. Ahead of the fight, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the fight. Although many think Adesanya will win, some just can’t count out Gastelum.
Conor McGregor Says He Fought Khabib Nurmagomedov with Broken Foot
Nolan King - April 10, 2019
Conor McGregor’s recent surge of tweets continued Wednesday evening, as the former UFC Champ Champ replied to dozens of comments on Twitter. One Twitter user asked McGregor why his footwork appeared to be so flatfooted in his last fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov.