MMA News

Dylan Bowker - December 25, 2025

Nakisa Bidarian drew an interesting comparison between Zuffa Boxing and Power Slap when discussing some of the upcoming endeavors from Bidarian’s old business associate, Dana White. During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, the Most Valuable Promotions figurehead touched on several subjects in the wake of MVP’s latest Netflix broadcast, which saw Anthony Joshua stop Jake Paul inside the distance. The debut of Zuffa Boxing is set to go down, reportedly before UFC 324, and is around a month away, with little to no announcements in terms of bouts. When asked what the MVP promoter makes of the state of Zuffa Boxing at this juncture, with a clip from the overall interview posted by X user @jedigoodman, Bidarian said,

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 25, 2025

Nabil Anane’s 2025 didn’t just meet expectations. It shattered them completely. The 21-year-old ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion went undefeated across two striking disciplines throughout the year. He unified bantamweight Muay Thai gold, avenged his only promotional loss against Superlek Kiatmoo9, and proved his skills translate seamlessly into kickboxing against elite competition.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 24, 2025

Rinat Fakhretdinov’s UFC exit has left many MMA fans puzzled, and he has addressed his current situation. Fakhretdinov was 6-0-1 under the UFC banner and he scored a 54-second TKO finish over Andreas Gustafsson in his last outing. While some thought Fakhretdinov put himself in prime position for a bigger name, his UFC deal ultimately wasn’t renewed.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 24, 2025

Jake Paul suffered a knockout loss to Anthony Joshua and a broken jaw for good measure, but one UFC icon is left unsatisfied. Netflix announced that 33 million global viewers tuned in for the boxing match between Paul and Joshua. “El Gallo” moved out of danger early and often, but it was only a matter of time before he began to slow down. Joshua then broke Paul down with punches before landing a massive right hand that ended the fight.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 23, 2025

Sam-A Gaiyanghadao knows what the calendar says. At 42 years old, the Thai legend doesn’t have unlimited chances left. The former two-sport, two-division ONE World Champion beat Jaosuayai Mor Krungthepthonburi by unanimous decision at ONE Friday Fights 137 on December 19 inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. The victory kept his championship dreams alive against a 24-year-old knockout artist making his strawweight debut.

Curtis Calhoun - December 23, 2025

Former GLORY heavyweight kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven allegedly turned down a high-profile fight at UFC 324 next month. GLORY heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven made headlines just weeks ago when he announced he was parting ways with the kickboxing promotion to become a free agent. In recent weeks, he’s been linked to potential fights across MMA and boxing, including one high-profile showdown with former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

Dylan Bowker - December 23, 2025

Rinat Fakhretdinov has posted up an undefeated record in the Ultimate Fighting Championship but he will no longer be a UFC contracted athlete heading into 2026. The UFC has elected to not re-sign the 34-year-old and the beginning of this story kicking off with an initial report from Tom Feely. The Sherdog contributor utilized his X account @omgitsfeely to convey some recent omissions from the UFC roster page, as Feely said,

Curtis Calhoun - December 23, 2025

A former UFC champion believes Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua shared a gentleman’s agreement before their heavyweight boxing match. Former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua showed Jake Paul there are levels to the ‘sweet science’ of boxing, but his knockout win left one UFC star with more questions than answers.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 23, 2025

Jake Paul’s business partner Nakisa Bidarian caused quite a stir with his comments in the aftermath of “El Gallo’s” defeat to Anthony Joshua. Paul accepted a heavyweight bout scheduled for eight rounds against Joshua in Miami this past Friday. Paul lasted until the sixth round when he was blasted by a punch that broke his jaw. He didn’t get off the canvas before the count of 10, and Joshua was awarded the knockout win.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 23, 2025

Jake Paul will not be getting any flowers from an ex-interim UFC champion after his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua. Paul and Joshua went one-on-one inside the Kaseya Center this past Friday. Paul was on the move from the start of the fight, making it difficult for Joshua to find his target. “El Gallo” wasn’t landing anything significant in return, allowing Joshua to stalk him before breaking his jaw for the sixth-round knockout.

Cole Shelton - December 23, 2025

David Dvorak is ready to bring a world title back to the Czech Republic. Dvorak is set to take on Zhalgas Zhumagulov on Sunday in the co-main event of OKTAGON 81 for the flyweight title. It’s an intriguing matchup, and one Dvorak is glad is happening as he admits he wanted this fight in the UFC.

Harry Kettle - December 23, 2025

Former UFC champion Luke Rockhold has questioned Paddy Pimblett’s recent push to a UFC interim lightweight title shot. At UFC 324 next month, Paddy Pimblett will go head to head with Justin Gaethje in the main event, with the UFC interim lightweight championship on the line. The winner is expected to face Ilia Topuria, the undisputed champion, later this year, once he has dealt with his ongoing personal issues.

Harry Kettle - December 23, 2025

Former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling wants some big fights in the featherweight division next year. As we know, once upon a time, Aljamain Sterling was the UFC bantamweight champion. However, after losing the belt to Sean O’Malley, he opted to make the move back up to 145 pounds. He’s gone 2-1 since then, but at the age of 36, it certainly feels like the clock is ticking if he’s serious about making a push to become a two-weight world champion.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 22, 2025

Mohammad Siasarani arrived at ONE Championship ready to bleed. Three years later, he learned when to make opponents bleed instead. The 23-year-old Iranian striker earned a $100,000 contract with ONE Championship after knocking out Jo Nattawut at ONE Friday Fights 137 on Friday, December 19, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. The second-round finish capped a journey that started with raw toughness and ended with calculated violence.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 22, 2025

Three years feels like forever when you’re chasing a dream. Yod-IQ Pimolsri finally caught his. The 23-year-old Thai striker earned a $100,000 contract with ONE Championship after knocking out Alexey Balyko at ONE Friday Fights 137 on December 19 inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. The first-round head kick didn’t just shut Balyko’s lights off. It erased the only loss on Yod-IQ’s ONE record and capped an 11-1 run through the promotion’s weekly series.

Curtis Calhoun - December 22, 2025

Ilia Topuria’s recent interviews drew the attention of former UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s team amidst his absence. UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria’s timeline for his first title defense remains uncertain, as he navigates personal issues outside the Octagon. UFC 324 is headlined by an interim lightweight title bout between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett next month, amidst Topuria’s ongoing hiatus.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 22, 2025

Yoel Romero is urging Anderson Silva to share the boxing ring with him. Both Romero and Silva are former UFC middleweights. Romero is regarded as one of the best UFC fighters to never hold gold in the promotion, while Silva is recognized as one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time. Both men have had success post-UFC.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 22, 2025

Jake Paul couldn’t beat the 10-count in the sixth round of his bout with Anthony Joshua, and one UFC legend is thankful. Paul and Joshua collided inside the Kaseya Center in Miami this past Friday. Joshua was a massive betting favorite going into the fight with many thinking he would dust Paul within the first two rounds. While that didn’t end up happening, Paul did suffer the fate many expected him to and he suffered a broken jaw by the end of the night.