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Report | Anthony Smith agrees to fill in for Volkan Oezdemir against Shogun Rua
Earlier today, it was announced that Volkan Oezdemir would be backing out of his UFC Hamburg headliner with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Why did he back out? To take a higher profile bout with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 227 on August 4th in Los Angeles. Because of Oezdemir shuffling around in fights, it has left Shogun […]
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Top 5 Upcoming Fights for July 2018
To say that last month’s No. 1 spot lived up to the hype would be an understatement. Here’s to hoping July gives us those same amazing moments. Few months in recent memory have been as jam-packed with as many world-class competitors as July 2018 and it will be a complete shock if we aren’t treated […]
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Report | UFC to book UFC 229 Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson fight if McGregor negotiations fail
According to a report from MMA Team Dagestan, a Twitter account that has produced a number of high-profile scoops in recent weeks, the hunt for UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s next opponent is down to two men. The priority, of course, is former UFC lightweight and featherweight champion Conor McGregor. If negotiations with the Irish […]
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Report | Alexander Gustafsson and Volkan Oezdemir agree to fight at UFC 227
Alexander ‘The Mauler’ Gustafsson’s search for an opponent at UFC 227 on August 4th appears to have come to a surprising end. The perennial top-ranked UFC light heavyweight contender was initially expected to possibly be getting a fight with the former UFC and Strikeforce middleweight champion, Luke Rockhold at the Los Angeles event. But all […]
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Johnathan Ivey explains why he tapped out after near TKO defeat of Travis Fulton
Over the weekend, 100-fight MMA veteran Jonathan Ivey stepped into the cage with 300-fight veteran Travis Fulton — a man he considers a personal hero. In the midst of the first round, Ivey sent Fulton crashing to the mat with a punch, then followed to the canvas, where he unleashed a storm of ground-and-pound. But […]
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Fedor Emelianenko vs. Chael Sonnen fight targeted for October
Bellator’s exciting Heavyweight Grand Prix is expected to continue in October, when Fedor Emelianenko and Chael Sonnen, and Matt Mitrione and Ryan Bader are expected to meet in a pair of semifinal bouts. No official dates have been locked down for these fights just yet, but they will occur close together on the calendar. This […]
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Al Iaquinta explains why he was pulled from Justin Gaethje matchup
Initially, Al Iaquinta was expected to battle former World Series of Fighting champ Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC Lincoln on August 25. But then, Iaquinta was removed from the matchup without explanation, and replaced by James Vick. After Iaquinta was pulled from the fight, there was quite a bit of speculation as […]
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Junior dos Santos is still ‘scared’ of USADA
Last year, Junior dos Santos was notified of a potential violation by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). Ultimately, dos Santos was cleared of any wrong-doing, as it was deemed he’d ingested a tainted supplement — but only after a nightmarish few months of investigations into his case. In the wake of this debacle with […]
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BREAKING | Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz will fight for a third time
It’s happening. Former UFC light heavyweight champions and irrefutable MMA legends Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz are going to fight for a third time later this year, in the first offering from Oscar De La Hoya’s new Golden Boy MMA promotion. A date for the fight, which will air on pay-per-view, has not been set, […]
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Kelvin Gastelum feels Robert Whittaker is avoiding a fight with him
Riding high on impressive defeats of former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, Kelvin Gastelum feels he’s earned the next shot at reigning UFC middleweight champ Robert Whittaker. Unfortunately, he feels that Whittaker is attempting to steer clear of the matchup. “I know that he’s been offered the […]
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Slimmed-down Dan Hardy still eyeing Octagon return
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Dan Hardy, who has not fought since September of 2012, is still eyeing a return to the Octagon. And having slimmed down significantly in his time away, he feels he’d perform much better than the Dan Hardy of old. The fighter turned color commentator discussed his potential comeback on a […]
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Francis Ngannou discusses his advantages over Derrick Lewis
At UFC 226, hulking Cameroonian-French heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou will step into the cage with titan of a similar stature: American behemoth Derrick Lewis. This bout will mark Ngannou’s opportunity to rebound from a tough loss to UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic — an experience he assures he learned from. “I collected a lot of […]
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Robert Whittaker eyeing title defense against Chris Weidman
Over the last few weeks, middleweight contenders Kelvin Gastelum and Chris Weidman have been verbally sparring over who deserves the next middleweight title shot. Now, UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker’s team seems to have decided for them. According to Whittaker’s manager Titus Day, Whittaker is hoping to defend his title against the former champion Weidman […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Curtis Blaydes states his case for a title shot and sounds off on Greg Hardy and ‘fake fighter’ Brock Lesnar
Curtis Blaydes cemented himself as one of the top contenders in the UFC heavyweight division at UFC 225 with a dominant and brutal TKO win over Alistair Overeem. Post-win, Blaydes set the record straight. It’s title shot or bust for the No. 2 ranked fighter in the division. In an exclusive interview with BJPenn.com, Blaydes […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Eddie Gordon explains how Ray Sefo helped him decide to move to the PFL
On July 5, at PFL 3 in Washington, DC, UFC veteran Eddie Gordon will debut in the PFL cage against Shamil Gamzatov. The pair will be looking to advance in the PFL’s inaugural middleweight season, and take one step closer to each division’s million-dollar prize. When searching for a new home after his departure from the […]
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EXCLUSIVE | Mike Perry says he knew Yancy Medeiros would withdraw from fight
Mike Perry was originally expected to fight Yancy Medeiros at UFC 226, but unfortunately, this plan hit a snag when Medeiros sustained an injury in training. When Medeiros was forced out of the fight, he issued a heartfelt apology in an interview with ESPN, addressing Perry and their shared fans. “I apologize to all my […]
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Conor McGregor’s coach discusses Khabib Nurmagomedov and Georges St-Pierre’s ‘flaws’
When Conor McGregor returns to the cage — if Conor McGregor returns to the cage — two of his best options in terms of opponents are current UFC lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, and former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion Georges St-Pierre. Nurmagomedov and St-Pierre are two of the most dominant fighters in MMA history. St-Pierre has lost […]
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Daniel Cormier considers Stipe Miocic the best fighter he’s ever fought
Forget Jon Jones, forget Alexander Gustafsson, forget Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, forget Anderson Silva. Forget Dan Henderson and Josh Barnett and Frank Mir. Of all the world-class fighters UFC light heavyweight champ Daniel Cormier has met in the cage, he considers his UFC 226 opponent, UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic, to be the best of the […]
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Expect Francis Ngannou to employ a different strategy against Derrick Lewis at UFC 226
Back in January, in the main event of UFC 220, hulking French-Cameroonian heavyweight contender Francis Ngannou stepped into the cage with divisional champ Stipe Miocic, and promptly attempted to take his head off. Ngannou swung like he wanted to send Miocic’s head to settle amongst the mess of dead satellites in earth’s orbit, and when […]
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Max Holloway confirms that he will eventually move to lightweight
At present, UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway has his crosshairs locked on undefeated challenger Brian Ortega, who he will fight at UFC 226 on July 7. While this featherweight title fight is at the forefront of Holloway’s mind, however, the featherweight division is not his permanent home. Speaking on the UFC 226 media conference call, […]
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VIDEO | Fighter fakes heart attack, nearly wins by TKO, then gives up out of respect for opponent
Travis Fulton is perhaps the most unheralded legend in MMA. Although there are no major world titles on his mantle, he has fought upward of 315 times against all manner of weekend warriors, prospects, veterans, and legends. He has battled inside the enclosures of the UFC, WEC, Pancrase, and pretty much any Iowa promotion with […]
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Daniel Cormier wants to be mentioned among the greats with a win at UFC 226
Current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will be fighting for more than just the promotions heavyweight title when he squares off with Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 226 this July in Las Vegas. “DC” has the opportunity to join a group of fellow octagon legends in Randy Couture, BJ Penn, Conor […]
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VIDEO | UFC 226: Miocic vs. Cormier – How Do You Want To Be Remembered?
UFC 226: Miocic vs. Cormier – How Do You Want To Be Remembered? The octagon will once again take center stage at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 7 for the promotions UFC 226 fight card. The blockbuster event is headlined by a heavyweight title fight featuring current champion Stipe Miocic taking on reigning […]
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The BJPenn.com Half-Year MMA Awards 2018
We’re already halfway through 2018! And with that has come plenty of great moments inside the many MMA enclosures around the world. These are our BJPenn.com staff awards for the half-way point of 2018. Tom Taylor (@TomTayMMA) Submission: Alexey Oleynik’s first round Ezekiel choke on Junior Albini at UFC 224 If my friends in the […]
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Andre Pederneiras steps down as leader of Brazil’s renowned Nova Uniao team
Andre Pederneiras is no longer the leader of Brazil’s famed Nova Uniao team. Pederneiras announced that he was stepping down as the teams leader on social media earlier today, this following an initial report from Combate.com. “I’m still here at training, giving the same advices to my athletes,” Pederneiras told Combate. “But if, for instance, […]
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Daniel Cormier believes Jon Jones and Anderson Silva eliminated themsleves from GOAT conversation
Current UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier believes that former promotional title holders Jon Jones and Anderson Silva have already eliminated themselves from the “GOAT” conversation. Cormier, who is set to challenge current UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic at next weekend’s blockbuster UFC 226 event, explained his reasoning during the UFC 226 media conference call […]
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Recently retired former UFC champion Vitor Belfort is already hinting at a comeback!
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort (26-14 MMA) might not be done with fighting after all. The mixed martial arts legend, who retired from the sport following his brutal knockout loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 224, recently took to social media where he delivered the following message which hints at a possible comeback. […]
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VIDEO | Mike Perry and Max Griffin have a heated exchange on social media
UFC welterweight standout “Platinum” Mike Perry (11-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) suffered a unanimous decision loss to Max Griffin this past February in his hometown of Orlando. The loss served as Perry’s second in a row as he had previously been defeated by Santiago Ponzinibbio via decision at UFC on FOX 26 in Winnipeg. After coming […]