MMA News

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 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

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.

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.

Cole Shelton - May 1, 2025

Deiveson Figueiredo isn’t worried about his weight ahead of his UFC Des Moines main event against Cory Sandhagen. Figueiredo enters the bout as a sizeable +350 underdog on FanDuel, as he’s coming off a decision loss to Petr Yan back in November. Since the fight, photos went viral of Figueiredo looking out of shape, which he says were months ago, as he says there are no issues with his weight ahead of the bout.

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

Canadian MMA veteran Kultar Gill has pleaded guilty to the criminal charge of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily harm after allegedly driving his car into a police station, according to a report from the Langley Advance Times.  The incident in question occurred in Langley, British Columbia in 2023, when Gill is said to have run his vehicle into the front of a local RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) station, dragging a female passenger from an open door. He had reportedly been involved in a crash with an other vehicle just before that. Following the second crash, the female passenger escaped the car. The driver fled the scene on foot. He was located by officers soon after.

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.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 1, 2025

One UFC veteran believes Colby Covington squandered his chances during the peak of his fighting career. Covington has been known for his brash personality, but the wins haven’t been there for him as of late. In his most recent outing, Covington suffered a TKO loss to Joaquin Buckley via doctor’s stoppage. While “Chaos” insisted he could’ve continued, many felt the fight was all Buckley up to that point.

Harry Kettle - May 1, 2025

UFC commentator Paul Felder has urged Bo Nickal to be more aggressive when he battles Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines. Up to this point in his career, Bo Nickal has faced a lot of interesting challenges. However, in mixed martial arts, you could certainly argue he hasn’t gone against anyone quite like Reinier de Ridder. The former ONE Championship star poses all kinds of interesting challenges for him to try and overcome and given how much he’s spoken about becoming a champion, this is a test that Bo needs to pass.

Harry Kettle - May 1, 2025

UFC legend Michael Bisping believes Kamaru Usman needs to consider retirement if he loses to Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta. For the longest time, Kamaru Usman was the best welterweight on the planet – and, at times, the #1 fighter in all of mixed martial arts. With that being said, the last few years haven’t exactly been great for ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’. In addition to consecutive losses at the hands of Leon Edwards, he also tasted defeat in a short notice bout with Khamzat Chimaev – although it was certainly competitive.