MMA News

BJ Penn Staff - April 29, 2025

The quickly approaching UFC Atlanta card is coming together. Late last week, the promotion announced that the June 14 card will be headlined by a welterweight scrap between former champ Kamaru Usman and rising contender Joaquin Buckley. A flyweight co-headliner between Miranda Maverick and Rose Namajunas was also announced. However, not much was known about the rest of the card.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 29, 2025

Charles Oliveira’s manager is calling for Islam Makhachev to vacate the UFC Lightweight Championship if he moves up in weight. Makhachev hasn’t been shy in expressing his desire to challenge for the UFC welterweight title. A big holdup is that his training partner Belal Muhammad is the reigning 170-pound champion. If Muhammad loses the championship, then Makhachev figures to put the wheels in motion to join the welterweight division.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 29, 2025

Sean Brady has put Ian Machado Garry on blast following UFC Kansas City. Garry shared the Octagon with Carlos Prates inside the T-Mobile Center this past Saturday. It was smooth sailing for Garry until the fourth round. “The Future” appeared to be on the verge of being stopped in the fifth round, but he survived and won the fight via unanimous decision.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 29, 2025

The UFC recently held a retirement fight in Kansas City for Anthony Smith, and he was stopped via bloody first-round TKO. Smith mentioned in his post-fight interview that it was simply time to walk away from pro MMA competition. He admitted that he was getting older and wasn’t moving the way he used to inside the Octagon. “Lionheart” now looks forward to putting in more time as an analyst, along with other projects.

Harry Kettle - April 29, 2025

UFC star Joaquin Buckley has continued to ramp up the intensity of his feud with fellow welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry. In case you’ve missed it, Joaquin Buckley is now a top contender in the welterweight division. He’s picked up a string of big wins over the course of his last few fights including triumphs over Vicente Luque, Stephen Thompson and Colby Covington. Now, his ‘veteran’ tour will take him to the main event of UFC Atlanta, where he will meet former undisputed champion Kamaru Usman.

Cole Shelton - April 29, 2025

The UFC was in Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday, April 26, for UFC Kansas City. The main event saw welterweight contenders Ian Machado Garry throw down with Carlos Prates. Garry was coming off a decision loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov in a No. 1 contender fight he took on short notice, which was his first-career loss. Prates, meanwhile, was coming off a KO win over Neil Magny and was 4-0 in the UFC entering this fight.

Harry Kettle - April 29, 2025

UFC president Dana White has explained how he played a role in the release of Ksenia Karelina, a Russian-American who was imprisoned in February 2024. For those who don’t know, Ksenia Karelina was serving a 12-year maximum security sentence in Russia after donating $50 to a pro-Ukraine charity. She was arrested last year when visiting her family, and there have been several attempts to orchestrate her release from jail ever since then.

Harry Kettle - April 29, 2025

UFC star Bo Nickal has responded to an insane idea that has been pitched by famous yet controversial YouTuber MrBeast. We’re all aware of the fact that Bo Nickal is an incredibly dangerous fighter. Within the context of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, many believe he has what it takes to become a title contender one day. Of course, he’s taking his time in building up his name value right now, but the goal is still a simple one: win the gold and establish yourself as one of the very best in all of mixed martial arts.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 28, 2025

ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo has lit up ONE Championship with his dynamic, unorthodox approach to grappling. With that, he believes it will lead him to victory at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II. He defends his welterweight gold versus fierce rival Dante Leon in the co-main event this Friday, May 2, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

Cole Shelton - April 28, 2025

Anthony Smith opened up on why he flipped off the fan after his UFC Kansas City loss. Smith was set for his retirement fight against Mingyang Zhang. ‘Lionheart’ entered the bout as a sizeable underdog, and he suffered a first-round TKO loss. After the loss, while the doctors were attending to him in the Octagon, he was flipping someone off and he revealed it was a fan.

BJ Penn Staff - April 28, 2025

Dustin Poirier will compete in the final fight of is incredible UFC career this July, and he hopes rapper Lil Wayne will be a part of it. Poirier’s retirement fight will headline UFC 318 on July 19 in New Orleans, in his home state of Louisiana. His opponent will be Max Holloway, one of the chief rivals of his career.

Cole Shelton - April 28, 2025

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is open to training Patrice Evra ahead of his MMA debut. Evra is a former captain for both Manchester United and the France men’s national team in his career. He’s widely considered to be one of the greatest full-backs of his generation, and at age 43, he will be making his MMA debut at PFL Paris on May 23 at the Accor Arena.

BJ Penn Staff - April 28, 2025

If disaster strikes the UFC 315 main event, Ian Machado Garry will be ready, according to Dana White. UFC 315 goes down on May 10 in Montreal, Canada. The main event will see welterweight champ Belal Muhammad attempt the first title defense of his reign against Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena.

BJ Penn Staff - April 28, 2025

Dustin Poirier is one of the most experienced fighters in the UFC, with 30-9 record contested at both lightweight and featherweight. Yet apparently, that’s just scratching the surface. During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Poirier revealed that he’s had a number of pro fights that aren’t listed on his record. In fact, he says there are nine wins and one loss that don’t appear on his official resume.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 28, 2025

Dustin Poirier much prefers the anxiety of leaving the Octagon for the final time, as opposed to how he walked out following his last outing. Poirier is scheduled to have his final pro MMA fight against Max Holloway for the BMF Championship on July 19. The bout will headline UFC 318 inside Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. “The Diamond” will look to go 3-0 against “Blessed” to end his pro MMA career.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 28, 2025

Ian Machado Garry has fired back at Joaquin Buckley, but he also made a stunning prediction for his foe’s clash with Kamaru Usman. Garry stepped up on short notice to take a main event slot against Carlos Prates this past Saturday at UFC Kansas City. While Prates was preparing for Geoff Neal, “The Future” entered the fray when Neal suffered an injury. Garry looked sharp for most of the fight, but he had to overcome a late scare to take the unanimous decision victory.

Harry Kettle - April 28, 2025

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre has given his thoughts on the possibility of a return to active competition. When you’re talking about the very best fighters in the history of mixed martial arts, Georges St-Pierre has to be located towards the top of that list. He achieved some truly incredible things throughout the course of his time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and he went out in style after defeating Michael Bisping to become a two-weight world champion.

Harry Kettle - April 28, 2025

UFC legend Matt Brown has given his thoughts on the fact that WWE superstar CM Punk competed for the promotion. These days, CM Punk is enjoying his second run with WWE. After ten years away from the company, he finally made his way back into the mix – and he hasn’t looked back since. He’s been on a great run of form with great match after great match, and many believe he’ll eventually be back in world title contention before too long.