MMA News

BJ Penn Staff - May 2, 2025

Francis Ngannou has broken his silence after he was involved in a fatal vehicle accident in his home country of Cameroon. Ngannou is the former UFC heavyweight champion. Given that he vacated that title to leave the promotion, he remains the lineal heavyweight king in MMA. Unfortunately, he is dealing with yet another unspeakable tragedy in his life outside the cage. Just years after the passing of his infant son, Ngannou was involved in a fatal motorcycle crash in Cameroon. The incident left a 17-year-old girl dead.

BJ Penn Staff - May 2, 2025

Ilia Topuria has confirmed the date for his next UFC fight. Spain’s Topuria is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in MMA at the moment. He has been particularly impressive in his last two fights.

BJ Penn Staff - May 2, 2025

ONE Championship will not be returning to the United States this summer as planned. The Singapore-based martial arts promotion, which offers MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing and submission grappling bouts, was slated to return to the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on August 1. Regrettably, that plan has been scrapped. The promotion now intends to return to city in June 26 of 2026 — more than a year from now.

Cole Shelton - May 2, 2025

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones is hinting at his return to the Octagon. Jones hasn’t fought since November when he beat Stipe Miocic by TKO to defend his heavyweight title. Since then, there has been limited talk about his next fight, but many are hoping he will face Tom Aspinall next.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 2, 2025

One UFC veteran doesn’t think Jack Della Maddalena should be counted out against Belal Muhammad. Maddalena will be challenging Muhammad for the UFC Welterweight Championship on May 10. The title fight will headline UFC 315 in Montreal. Muhammad is the favorite to retain his gold, but are people sleeping on Maddalena?

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 2, 2025

The UFC Des Moines weigh-ins are in the books, and fans will be pleased to know that there is no pre-fight drama. Headliners Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo tipped the scales on Friday morning and hit their target weights. Sandhagen clocked in at 135.5 pounds, while Figueiredo hit the 135-pound mark.

Harry Kettle - May 2, 2025

UFC legend Robbie Lawler has provided an update on his future after speculation that he was still in the drug testing pool. When you talk about some of the toughest guys to have ever fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Robbie Lawler has to be up there. The man known as ‘Ruthless’ has been involved in some of the most iconic fights in the promotion’s history, including against Rory MacDonald and Carlos Condit. In the present day, though, he is happily retired from mixed martial arts after his fairytale knockout win against Niko Price.

Harry Kettle - May 2, 2025

UFC bantamweight Cory Sandhagen has revealed that a fight between him and Dominick Cruz almost came to fruition. While he may now be retired, the impact of Dominick Cruz in the world of mixed martial arts cannot be understated. He is one of the most iconic bantamweight fighters of all time, and someone who was a pioneer in the sport – especially in the lower men’s weight classes. Yes, his career was derailed pretty significantly as a result of his many injuries, but that doesn’t take away from what he was able to accomplish.

Harry Kettle - May 2, 2025

UFC star Charles Oliveira’s coach Diego Lima has admitted that he prefers the Ilia Topuria fight ahead of an Islam Makhachev rematch. As we know, Charles Oliveira is easily one of the most popular fighters on the roster – and in all of mixed martial arts. The man known as ‘Do Bronx’ is a former champion, he’s an all-time lightweight great, and he’s still a handful for just about any other fighter at 155 pounds. In terms of what’s next, there are plenty of rumors out there – with one of the big ones being that he will battle Ilia Topuria in the latter’s debut at lightweight.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 1, 2025

The sun hasn’t been shining on Saemapetch Fairtex as of late. But, at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to return to brighter days. The Thai veteran meets surging Russian striker Abdulla Dayakaev in bantamweight Muay Thai this Friday, May 2, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 1, 2025

Rising Brazilian MMA star Lucas Gabriel has impressed fans throughout his ONE Championship tenure. Now that he’s reached the mainstage, he’s ready to test his skills against Zhang Lipeng. The 25-year-old will have the chance to do just that when he meets the battle-tested Lipeng. This happens under lightweight MMA rules at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II. Fans can catch the action this Friday, May 2, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 1, 2025

British Muay Thai icon Liam Harrison has joined opinionated fans around the world. In fact, he had his say on who’ll emerge victorious in this weekend’s pivotal flyweight Muay Thai rematch between two Thai stars. There, former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama battles #3-ranked flyweight contender Kongthoranee Sor Sommai.

Cole Shelton - May 1, 2025

Jeremy Stephens has plenty of confidence going into his UFC Des Moines fight against Mason Jones. Stephens is returning to the UFC for a one-fight deal to fight in his hometown. It will be a special fight for Stephens, but he enters the bout as a massive underdog.

BJ Penn Staff - May 1, 2025

Tom Aspinall is still waiting to fight Jon Jones for the UFC heavyweight title. The long wait hasn’t stopped him from making UFC history. Jones is currently the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. He claimed the vacant belt in 2023, soon after Francis Ngannou vacated the title, with a quick submission of Ciryl Gane. Unfortunately, Jones has been incredibly choosy with his fights since then. He has fought just once since winning the title, battering a shopworn Stipe Miocic to a third-round TKO win last fall.

BJ Penn Staff - May 1, 2025

Belal Muhammad will make the first defense of his welterweight title in the main event of UFC 315. It’s safe to say he’s feeling confident. UFC 315 goes down on May 10 in Montreal, Canada. Muhammad will be back in action in the main event, when he takes on Australia knockout artist. Just over a week out from the fight, Muhammad took to social media to proclaim that he will “break” his challenger in their fight. In fact, he believes he will do so before the championship rounds even get under way.

BJ Penn Staff - May 1, 2025

Keanu Reeves is in hot water with one of the most accomplished MMA coaches in UFC history. The coach in question Firas Zahabi, who runs things at Tristar in Montreal. Zahabi’s main claim to fame is coaching former two-division UFC champion and bona fide MMA legend Georges St-Pierre throughout his Hall of Fame career. That, and inventing a technique Keanu Reeves used in one of the films in the Jon Wick series, apparently.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 1, 2025

Dan Hooker is enduring a setback in his recovery from an injury. Hooker was scheduled to share the Octagon with Justin Gaethje on the UFC 313 card back in March. “The Hangman” was forced to pull out of the fight, as he required surgery on his hand. Hooker was soon presented with an opportunity to take a backup role for the planned BMF Championship fight between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 in New Orleans.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 1, 2025

Joaquin Buckley has major aspirations for his UFC career, and it goes beyond winning a title. Buckley has never been closer to the top of the heap at 170 pounds. His last outing took place at the end of 2024, and he pulled off a TKO victory over Colby Covington via doctor’s stoppage. He is scheduled to take on former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman at UFC Atlanta on June 14.