MMA News

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.

Harry Kettle - April 30, 2025

UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens has revealed how his return to the promotion came to fruition ahead of Saturday night. After leaving the promotion four years ago, Jeremy Stephens is officially back in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He first left to explore a new venture with PFL but in addition to that, he also opted to test the waters in bare-knuckle boxing. It’s safe to say that his tenure in BKFC was successful, as he secured a 3-0 record with two finishes – including one over Eddie Alvarez.

Cole Shelton - April 30, 2025

Gillian Robertson is set for the biggest fight of her career as he’ll take on Marina Rodriguez at UFC Des Moines on Saturday. Roberton is riding a three-fight winning streak and is now ranked 12th at strawweight. Although she is getting a big fight agaisnt someone ranked above her, she is disappointed she isn’t fighitng a week later at UFC 315 in Montreal, Canada.

BJ Penn Staff - April 30, 2025

Tyrone Spong is a legend of the kickboxing ring. If things had gone a little differently, he might have made some waves in the UFC Octagon too. As a kickboxer, Spong won multiple notable titles. The knockout artist also had some commendable success as a boxer, notably winning the the WBC and WBO Latino heavyweight titles in 2018, and nearly fighting current unified champ Oleksandr Usyk the following year.

Cole Shelton - April 30, 2025

BKFC has walked back on its signing of former UFC flyweight Jeff Molina. Molina revealed he signed with BKFC after being granted his UFC release. The former UFC flyweight is currently suspended as he was involved in the gambling probe around James Krause. Molina was indefinitely suspended, and after the hearing, his suspension will be lifted in November.

BJ Penn Staff - April 30, 2025

Dustin Poirier is retiring from MMA at UFC 318 on July 19, and he’s going to leave a big hole in the lightweight division. Poirier, a former interim champ, will go down as one of the best lightweights in MMA history, having been a staple of the division’s top-10 for years. In his retirement fight, he’ll take on fellow legend Max Holloway — with the novelty “BMF” title on the line.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 30, 2025

One rising UFC middleweight contender has trained with both Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev, and he has an assessment of a potential fight between the two. Recently, du Plessis shut down rumors of an injury. That leaves the door open for the reigning UFC Middleweight Champion to face Chimaev this year. The general consensus is that Chimaev is the deserving No. 1 contender after he quickly submitted Robert Whittaker last year.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 30, 2025

Kamaru Usman once ruled the roost of the welterweight division, but many believe “The Nigerian Nightmare’s” relevancy has faded. Usman will be looking for his “y’all must’ve forgot” moment when he takes on Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Atlanta on June 14. The former UFC Welterweight Champion feels he has been disrespected by rising 170-pound contenders. Fans have seen the scenario play out dozens of times where the new guard takes out the once-dominant legend.

Cole Shelton - April 30, 2025

Jeff Molina is no longer under UFC contract. Molina signed with the UFC back in 2020 after winning on the Contender Series. He ended up going 3-0 in the UFC, including winning Fight of the Night in his debut at UFC 261. However, he hasn’t fought since June of 2022 when he earned a split decision win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov.

Harry Kettle - April 30, 2025

MMA analyst Din Thomas believes the UFC should retire the BMF title if Dustin Poirier wins the belt in his last fight. At UFC 318, Dustin Poirier will compete in his final fight in the sport of mixed martial arts. He will ride off into this sunset following a trilogy bout with Max Holloway, with the BMF title being on the line. It’s a title that ‘The Diamond’ has competed for once before, losing via knockout to Justin Gaethje, who subsequently lost the strap to Holloway.

Harry Kettle - April 30, 2025

UFC star Carlos Prates has been challenged to a striking showdown by a fellow welterweight sensation for his next fight. As we know, Carlos Prates fell short against Ian Machado Garry in the main event of UFC Kansas City last weekend. While he had an incredible surge in the final round of the fight, he wasn’t quite able to get the finish that he needed to get past the Irishman. With that being said, he’s still a top contender at welterweight, and there are still plenty of interesting fights out there for him.

Harry Kettle - April 30, 2025

UFC fighter Sedriques Dumas has reportedly been arrested on charges that include home invasion and battery. In terms of what he’s achieved in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Sedriques Dumas hasn’t really been able to stand out. He’s gone 3-3 in the promotion since he first signed and in his most recent outing earlier this month, he was stopped by Michał Oleksiejczuk. Alas, the big story doesn’t come from what he’s done inside the cage, but what he’s done outside of it.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 29, 2025

Dante Leon wants to be remembered — not just as an all-time great — but as the best to ever do it when it’s all said and done in many, many years to come. He takes the next step in solidifying that status when he challenges ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo in the co-main event at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II on Friday, May 2, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.