MMA News

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.

Cole Shelton - May 5, 2025

Belal Muhammad is surprised Ian Machado Garry is serving as the backup fighter for UFC 315. Muhammad is set to defend his welterweight title for the first time against Jack Della Maddalena on Saturday in Montreal in the main event of UFC 315. After Garry beat Carlos Prates, he revealed he’d be the backup fighter, which caught the champ by surprise.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 5, 2025

Should Jon Jones ditch the Tom Aspinall fight and ride off into the sunset? UFC CEO Dana White has maintained optimism when it comes to booking a heavyweight title unification bout between Jones and Aspinall. Not everyone is convinced, as there still hasn’t been an announcement. Aspinall has been the interim champion since Nov. 2023 and he even successfully defended the gold against Curtis Blaydes.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 5, 2025

One well-known head coach has shared his opinion on Bo Nickal’s first pro MMA defeat. Nickal took on Reinier de Ridder in the UFC Des Moines co-headliner this past Saturday. While a win for Nickal would’ve put him in the top 15 UFC middleweight rankings, it wasn’t meant to be. It was the relentless pressure of de Ridder in the standup that overwhelmed the once unbeaten fighter. Nickal was ultimately stopped with a knee to the body in the second stanza.

Harry Kettle - May 5, 2025

UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has provided an update on his current training schedule. We’re all waiting for one thing in the heavyweight division: Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall. It’s a fight that has been talked about for literal years now but for whatever reason, it hasn’t yet come to fruition. The popular opinion is that Jones simply doesn’t want to fight Tom, which is something that the light heavyweight GOAT has openly admitted in the past.

Harry Kettle - May 5, 2025

UFC champion Belal Muhammad has spoken of his admiration for former welterweight king Georges St-Pierre ahead of UFC 315. This Saturday night, Belal Muhammad will defend his UFC welterweight championship against Jack Della Maddalena. He’ll do so in the main event of UFC 315 which is set to go down in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. While a lot of people believe that JDM has a chance at pulling off the upset, the popular opinion seems to be that Belal will successfully retain the belt that he won from Leon Edwards.

Harry Kettle - May 5, 2025

Reinier de Ridder has explained what he felt in the midst of his finishing sequence against Bo Nickal at UFC Des Moines. On Saturday night, Reinier de Ridder really announced himself to the mixed martial arts world. While he’d already picked up two wins in the Ultimate Fighting Championship prior to the Bo Nickal fight, this was the biggest name he’d faced by far. A lot of people were counting him out as a result of the hype surrounding Nickal but in the end, the Dutchman was able to get the job done in convincing fashion.

Harry Kettle - May 5, 2025

UFC contender Jack Della Maddalena has laid out his plan for this weekend’s UFC 315 welterweight championship main event. On Saturday night, Jack Della Maddalena will attempt to become the welterweight champion of the world. It’s a goal that he’s been working towards for years and now, it’s within touching distance. Alas, in order to take home the gold, he needs to get through Belal Muhammad, who has looked pretty unbeatable over the course of the last few years.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 5, 2025

The injury bug continues to loom large for Stamp Fairtex. ONE Championship has announced that the Thai megastar has relinquished the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title after suffering a further setback while rehabbing her surgically repaired knee.