MMA News

Chris Taylor - May 3, 2025

Tonight’s UFC Des Moines fight card was co-headlined by a highly anticipated middleweight bout between Bo Nickal and Reinier de Ridder. Nickal (7-1 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since this past November at UFC 309, where he outpointed veteran Paul Craig on route to a unanimous decision victory. The 29-year-old had previously gone a perfect 4-0 inside of the Octagon, earning stoppage wins in three of those four contests.

Chris Taylor - May 3, 2025

We have you covered for all of tonight’s UFC Des Moines results, including the middleweight co-main event between Reinier de Ridder and Bo Nickal. Nickal (7-1 MMA) was last seen in action this past November at UFC 309, where he outpointed veteran Paul Craig on route to a unanimous decision victory. The 29-year-old has gone a perfect 4-0 thus far inside of the Octagon, earning stoppage wins in three of those four contests.

Chris Taylor - May 3, 2025

We have you covered for all of tonight’s UFC Des Moines results, including the welterweight bout between Santiago Ponzinibbio and Daniel Rodriguez. Ponzinibbio (30-9 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since scoring a TKO victory over Carlston Harris this past January in Las Vegas. That win snapped a two-fight losing skid for the ‘Argentine Dagger’, who had previously suffered Octagon defeats to Muslim Salikhov and Kevin Holland respectively.

Chris Taylor - May 3, 2025

We have you covered for all of tonight’s UFC Des Moines results, including the lightweight bout between Jeremy Stephens and Mason Jones. Stephens (29-22 MMA) has spent the past few years competing under the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship banner, where he went a perfect 3-0 while scoring TKO victories over Eddie Alvarez and Jimmie Rivera.

Chris Taylor - May 3, 2025

The Octagon returns to Iowa for tonight’s UFC Des Moines event, a 12-bout fight card headlined by Cory Sandhagen vs. Deiveson Figueiredo. Sandhagen (17-5 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since suffering a decision loss at the hands of Umar Nurmagomedov last August in Abu Dhabi. Prior to that setback, ‘The Sandman’ had strung together a three-fight winning streak, which included a TKO victory over Song Yadong.

Harry Kettle - May 3, 2025

Cory Sandhagen has given his thoughts on what Sean O’Malley can do to defeat Merab Dvalishvili in their rematch. In the main event of UFC 316, Sean O’Malley will challenge Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC bantamweight championship. Dvalishvili was able to take the belt from ‘Suga’ last year in their first encounter, with many wondering whether or not the outcome would be different if they were to run it back. Well, next month, we’ll get the chance to find out.

Harry Kettle - May 3, 2025

Arman Tsarukyan heavily implied that he still wants to collide with Islam Makhachev after his win at Karate Combat last night. On Friday night, Arman Tsarukyan grappled against Makasharip Zaynukov at Karate Combat 54 in Dubai. It served as the first time that he’s been in active competition since withdrawing from his title fight against Islam Makhachev, which was scheduled to take place at the start of the year. Alas, Arman was able to rebound well here, defeating Zaynukov in a tight and tense affair.

Harry Kettle - May 3, 2025

UFC legend Daniel Cormier has revealed that he wishes he had gone out on top in his mixed martial arts career. When it comes to talking about the greatest of all time, a few names tend to pop up pretty frequently. This includes Jon Jones, Anderson Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Amanda Nunes, Demetrious Johnson and Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, there are also a few fringe names that are introduced into the conversation every now and then – with one of them being Daniel Cormier.

BJ Penn Staff - May 2, 2025

Former UFC middleweight Sam Alvey just knocked out Tyrone Spong. Yes, you read that sentence correctly.

BJ Penn Staff - May 2, 2025

Muhammad Mokaev may no longer be part of the UFC roster, but there is no questioning his talent. The Russian-born Englishman signed the UFC with a 5-0 record in 2022. It quickly became apparent he was a world class talent. Within a few years, he had beaten the likes of Tim Ellliott, Alex Perez and Manel Kape to improve his pro MMA record to 13-0. However, things then took a turn for the worst — and not because he lost a fight.

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.

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

Reinier de Ridder senses that many fans and fighters don’t like Bo Nickal, and he doesn’t understand why that is the case. De Ridder will share the Octagon with Nickal in the co-main event of UFC Des Moines on Saturday. While Nickal wasn’t the first choice of opponent for the No. 13-ranked middleweight, de Ridder likes the booking because he’s facing a rising name. There has been a ton of buzz surrounding Nickal ever since his UFC debut.

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 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

Former UFC star Alexander Gustafsson has reiterated his desire to fight for BKFC following GFL’s recent struggles. When it comes to ‘best fighters to never win a UFC title’, Alexander Gustafsson is up there with the best of them. He competed for the strap on multiple occasions, and he was involved in some classic light heavyweight title fights against the likes of Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier. Alas, the Swedish sensation was never quite able to get over the hump and take home the gold.