MMA News
Ariel Helwani says UFC "feels uninspired": "I'm sorry if I care so much"
Dylan Bowker - December 1, 2025
Ariel Helwani is not terribly excited by the UFC product these days and recently offered up his thoughts on some of the marquee matches that have been teed up for next year by the company. It’s worth noting these are also sentiments echoed by not just Helwani but also fans and even former UFC champions alike. During a recent episode of The Ariel Helwani Show, in an excerpt of his show posted to the X account @jedigoodman, the titular figure was responding to some fans who have told him to ‘take a chill pill’ and to just enjoy the fights, Helwani said,
Alexandre Pantoja would have fought Sean O'Malley at 135 pounds "but with Merab it's different"
Dylan Bowker - December 1, 2025
Alexandre Pantoja would have been open to attempting a path to becoming a two-division UFC champion if Sean O’Malley held bantamweight gold, but the current titleholder at 135 pounds gives him some pause. That combatant in question is Merab Dvalishvili, who beat the aforementioned O’Malley twice. The Georgian will also defend his title the same night that Pantoja will. The Brazilian standout will look to retain his flyweight crown against the surging Joshua Van while Dvalishvili will defend his bantamweight belt against former UFC kingpin at 135 pounds, Petr Yan in a rematch set for UFC 323 on December 6th.
'Her shadow won!'...Cris Cyborg slams Ronda Rousey's rumored comeback against Katie Taylor
Curtis Calhoun - December 1, 2025
MMA legend and rising boxing star Cris Cyborg doesn’t think highly of Ronda Rousey’s chances in a fight against Katie Taylor. UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey could potentially be on her way back to combat sports in a boxing match against one of the pound-for-pound greats.
Belal Muhammad blames Ian Machado Garry's repeated eye pokes for UFC Qatar loss
Curtis Calhoun - December 1, 2025
Former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad didn’t hold back on Ian Machado Garry in his first in-depth remarks since UFC Qatar. UFC welterweight contenders Belal Muhammad and Ian Machado Garry clashed in a pivotal matchup in the division at UFC Qatar last month. Garry squeaked out a unanimous decision victory to hand Muhammad his second-straight defeat in the Octagon.
Jon Jones reverses course on criticizing Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement after 'wise' take
Curtis Calhoun - December 1, 2025
Jon Jones gave Khabib Nurmagomedov supreme credit for past comments about his abrupt retirement. UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov shook up MMA when he announced his retirement from the sport following a win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Months removed from the tragic death of his father, Nurmagomedov opted to hang up the gloves, despite being the pound-for-pound best and just scratching the surface of his potential long-term earnings.
Kayla Harrison admits she's 'not convinced' Amanda Nunes will make weight at UFC 324
Cole Shelton - December 1, 2025
Kayla Harrison isn’t sure her fight against Amanda Nunes at UFC 324 will even happen. Nunes is set to return to the UFC to take on Harrison in the co-main event of UFC 324 on January 24. Harrison is defending her bantamweight title for the first time and will be taking on the former champ.
Charles Oliveira cautions Justin Gaethje to fix one big flaw ahead of Paddy Pimblett title clash
Curtis Calhoun - December 1, 2025
Justin Gaethje’s former rival Charles Oliveira believes his former foe has to patch up one significant weakness before UFC 324. Less than a year after Ilia Topuria’s lightweight title win, the UFC will put an interim belt on the line next month at UFC 324. Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett, who both made strong cases to face Topuria, will fight for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 amidst Topuria’s indefinite absence due to personal reasons.
Former UFC star labels Tom Aspinall 'whiny' after labeling Ciryl Gane a cheater after UFC 321 controversy
Curtis Calhoun - December 1, 2025
UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall’s recent remarks about Ciryl Gane have received mixed reactions from the fighting community. UFC heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall’s first undisputed title defense ended disastrously after he was accidentally poked in both eyes by UFC 321 foe Ciryl Gane. Just minutes into their fight, Aspinall vs. Gane was ruled a no-contest after Aspinall was unable to continue competing due to vision issues.
Islam Makhachev vs. Kamaru Usman slammed by top UFC welterweight contender
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 1, 2025
The idea of Islam Makhachev vs. Kamaru Usman doesn’t sit well with a top UFC contender. Makhachev is the reigning welterweight titleholder after defeating Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 in New York City. After the fight, Makhachev admitted the top choice for his next opponent is Usman. Such a fight has drawn the ire of many within the MMA community given the amount of worthy contenders at 170 pounds.
UFC 324 rumor dismissed by Charles Oliveira: Max Holloway fight 'certainly won't be in January'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 1, 2025
Charles Oliveira will not be fighting Max Holloway on the UFC 324 card. Fans on social media started buzzing with claims that the UFC Brazil X page deleted a post announcing Holloway vs. Oliveira 2 for the UFC’s debut on Paramount+. Many were skeptical of the rumor, as all of the marquee bouts had seemingly been announced for the UFC 324 card.
UFC legend Ronda Rousey in talks for surprising fight against top boxer
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 1, 2025
UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey is reportedly in active negotiations to fight boxing’s top female star. Boxingscene.com reports that Rousey is in talks for a boxing match against Katie Taylor. It was noted that Las Vegas is being targeted as the location. Netflix is reportedly interested in streaming the event, which would be planned for summer 2026 if all goes well.
Tom Aspinall responds to UFC boss Dana White's post-UFC 321 criticism
Harry Kettle - December 1, 2025
UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has responded to Dana White’s criticism following UFC 321. At UFC 321, a double eye poke led to Tom Aspinall being unable to continue in his main event clash against Ciryl Gane. As you can imagine, many fans were pretty disappointed that a heavyweight title fight ended in this manner – and a lot of people even decided to throw shade in the direction of the champion for not continuing.
Din Thomas worries that Joshua Van's UFC 323 title shot is premature
Harry Kettle - December 1, 2025
Tom Aspinall explains why he believes Ciryl Gane is a cheat following UFC 321
Harry Kettle - December 1, 2025
UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has explained why he believes Ciryl Gane is a cheat in the wake of UFC 321. It’s safe to say that Tom Aspinall isn’t happy, and who can blame him? At UFC 321, he suffered a double eye poke at the hands of Ciryl Gane that rendered him unable to continue in the contest. From there, we haven’t heard a whole lot about his overall condition. Now, however, the man himself has produced an update, noting that he’s been going through some fairly significant testing, and that he has yet to be cleared to return to training.
Patricio Pitbull calls out top UFC featherweight stars in search for a third UFC bout
Harry Kettle - December 1, 2025
MMA veteran Patricio Pitbull has called out a couple of big names as he continues to go in search of a third UFC fight. Patricio Pitbull has been around in mixed martial arts for a long time and in the twilight of his career, he has opted to join the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has fought twice for the promotion thus far, losing to Yair Rodriguez before defeating Dan Ige to register his first triumph inside the Octagon.
UFC 323's Alexandre Pantoja shuts down Merab Dvalishvili super fight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 30, 2025
Don’t expect Alexandre Pantoja to share the Octagon with Merab Dvalishvili. Pantoja is one of UFC’s top pound-for-pound fighters currently. He has reigned as the flyweight titleholder since 2023. Pantoja and Dvalishvili will both be featured on the main card of UFC 323 on Dec. 5. Pantoja will put his gold at stake against Joshua Van, while Dvalishvili defends the bantamweight title against Petr Yan in a rematch.
UFC 324's Amanda Nunes gets help from former Kayla Harrison foe
Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 30, 2025
Amanda Nunes will be getting some assistance from a former rival of Kayla Harrison. Nunes will be coming out of retirement at UFC 324 on Jan. 24. The UFC Hall of Famer will challenge Harrison for the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It’ll be “The Lioness'” first fight since June 2023.
Kamaru Usman is not UFC welterweight GOAT, says former rival
Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 30, 2025
UFC CEO Dana White has called Kamaru Usman the greatest welterweight in MMA history, but one former foe strongly disagrees. Usman’s reign as the 170-pound king likely sealed a Hall of Fame induction in the future. “The Nigerian Nightmare” defeated Colby Covington twice, Gilbert Burns, and Jorge Masvidal twice during his run at the top of the 170-pound mountain. Usman even knocked “Gamebred” out cold, which was a rare feat.
Tom Aspinall shares vulgar message to trolls who criticized him over UFC 321 eye poke incident
Fernando Quiles Jr. - November 30, 2025
Tom Aspinall has quite the response to those who have been trolling him since the conclusion of UFC 321. Aspinall’s title defense against Ciryl Gane back in October ended on a whimper. Gane accidentally poked both of Aspinall’s eyes, and the UFC Heavyweight Champion could not continue. The bout was ruled a no contest as a result.