MMA News

Harry Kettle - May 7, 2025

UFC contender Reinier de Ridder has not been moved further up the middleweight rankings despite his win over Bo Nickal. Last Saturday night, Reinier de Ridder really arrived in the UFC’s middleweight division. While he’d already picked up a couple of wins prior to his triumph over Bo Nickal, this was the time for him to really test himself against one of the most hyped fighters in the entire sport. He passed the test with flying colours, dominating Nickal from pillar to post before finishing him with a nasty knee to the stomach.

Harry Kettle - May 7, 2025

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre has weighed in on the amusing 100 men vs 1 gorilla debate that has been sweeping social media. When you’re talking about the greatest of all time, Georges St-Pierre needs to be in the conversation. His body of work in the sport of mixed martial arts speaks for itself, and he is constantly recognised as a fighter who best represents what it means to be a true martial artist. Of course, he’s no longer actively competing, but his impact on the sport is still felt across the globe.

Harry Kettle - May 7, 2025

UFC champion Dricus du Plessis has responded to some recent trash talk and threats from contender Khamzat Chimaev. As we know, Dricus du Plessis is the king of the middleweight division. The 31-year-old won the belt by defeating Sean Strickland and since then, he’s successfully defended it against both Strickland and Israel Adesanya. Now, the expectation is that he will take on Khamzat Chimaev in his next outing, although there’s been no confirmation as to when this fight is going to happen.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 6, 2025

Reigning ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo took a clear stride forward versus Dante Leon at ONE Fight Night 31, dispatching the Canadian combatant across 10 dominant minutes. The 22-year-old held onto his gold by unanimous decision in the co-main event this past Friday, May 2, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium, settling the score in their trilogy at 2-1.

Cole Shelton - May 6, 2025

Modestas Bukauskas is expecting a wild and explosive fight against Ion Cutelaba at UFC 315. After Bukauskas and Cutelaba both won at UFC Seattle, he called for the fight as he thought it would be exciting and would make sense. The UFC agreed and made the fight quickly as the two will fight not even three months later.

Cole Shelton - May 6, 2025

Reinier de Ridder is confident he would be able to hand Khamzat Chimaev his first career loss after handing Bo Nickal his first defeat. De Ridder pulled off an upset win on Saturday as he scored a TKO win over Nickal at UFC Des Moines. It was a stunning result that should get the de Ridder a top-10, if not a top-five, opponent next.

BJ Penn Staff - May 6, 2025

Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the greatest fighters in MMA history. The same can be said of his close friend and training partner Islam Makhachev. According to long-time UFC commentator Joe Rogan, there’s a reason for that. Rogan got to talking about Khabib and Islam during a recent episode of his popular podcast.

Cole Shelton - May 6, 2025

Belal Muhammad believes his pace and pressure will be too much for Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. Muhammad is looking to defend his welterweight title for the first time when he takes on Della Maddalena on Saturday in Montreal. Entering the fight, Muhammad is a sizeable favorite, and he has confidence he will be able to not only beat Della Maddalena, but will finish the Aussie.

BJ Penn Staff - May 6, 2025

The UFC is set to return to Montreal, Quebec, Canada this Saturday. The card may not be the home run the promotion hoped for. UFC 315 features two title fights, and appearances from a handful of decorated veterans and promising prospects. Given how rarely the promotion visits Canada, you might assume tickets are flying off the shelves.

Cole Shelton - May 6, 2025

Jack Della Maddalena plans to come out aggressively against Belal Muhammad at UFC 315. Della Maddalena is challenging Muhammad for the welterweight title in the main event of the pay-per-view card in Montreal. Entering the fight, Della Maddalena is a betting underdog, but he has full confidence in his skill that he won’t just win, but will finish Muhammad.

BJ Penn Staff - May 6, 2025

UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal got his first taste of defeat in MMA last Saturday, suffering a devastating TKO loss to Reinier De Ridder. He is not shying away from the experience. Nickal met De Ridder in the co-main event of the UFC’s debut in Des Moines, Iowa. It was the wrestling standout’s chance to improve to 8-0 as a pro and vault into the middleweight rankings, but it was not meant to be. Instead, Nickal was dominated by De Ridder in round one, and finished by a knee to the body in round two.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 6, 2025

Kamaru Usman and Belal Muhammad aren’t even close to squashing their beef. Usman and Muhammad have been at odds since “Remember the Name” captured the UFC Welterweight Championship in 2024. The two agreed to air out their grievances on an unreleased episode of the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast, but things boiled over between the two.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 6, 2025

Daniel Cormier has some concerns after a once-unbeaten UFC star suffered his first loss. UFC Des Moines featured a flyweight main event between Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo, but the co-headliner showcased a top prospect going one-on-one with a former two-division ONE Championship titleholder. Bo Nickal tried his hand against Reinier de Ridder, and it proved to be too much too soon. Nickal was stopped via second-round TKO.

Harry Kettle - May 6, 2025

MMA analyst Josh Thomson has a pretty interesting point of view regarding UFC’s potential stance on Bo Nickal. Last weekend, Bo Nickal suffered his first defeat in professional mixed martial arts. He went head to head with Reinier de Ridder and, in more ways than one, he simply couldn’t keep up with the Dutchman. RDR was all over him from beginning to end, finishing off the American wrestling star with a nasty knee to the body.

Harry Kettle - May 6, 2025

Mateusz Gamrot has slammed Benoit Saint-Denis for reportedly turning him down as a new opponent for UFC 315. While he may have had a few setbacks, Mateusz Gamrot is still one of the most intriguing lightweight contenders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The Polish sensation is capable of mixing it up with anyone in the top 15, and although he isn’t seen by many as a legitimate title threat, he certainly has the potential to get to that level based on the evidence presented thus far.

Harry Kettle - May 6, 2025

Karate Combat champion Sam Alvey has called for a showdown with Eddie Hall following his recent win over Tyrone Spong. Since leaving the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Sam Alvey has enjoyed the kind of resurgence that very few people would’ve seen coming. He’s always had a great personality, and you could make the argument that it’s one of the reasons why the UFC kept him around for so long. Now, though, he’s starting to put in the work necessary to raise his profile in the pit.

Harry Kettle - May 6, 2025

UFC fans have questioned the new opponent that Benoit Saint-Denis has been given on short notice heading into UFC 315. For the longest time, it seemed as if Benoit Saint-Denis was the next big thing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Unfortunately, that reputation has taken a bit of a knock as of late. In his two fights in 2024, the Frenchman was finished in brutal fashion by both Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano. Now, he’s aiming to prove to the masses that he still has what it takes to be a top contender.

Cole Shelton - May 5, 2025

Cory Sandhagen believes he deserves the next title shot, but is open to taking another fight. Sandhagen scored a second-round stoppage win over Deiveson Figueiredo on Saturday at UFC Des Moines. It got him back in the win column, and after the victory, he called for a title shot.