MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 28, 2025

Bantamweight Muay Thai brawler Abdulla Dayakaev won’t rest until he solidifies himself as the greatest striker in the division. Fresh off a fiery stint in ONE Friday Fights, the 23-year-old makes his main roster debut versus Saemapetch Fairtex in bantamweight Muay Thai. This happens at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II on Friday, May 2, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

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.

BJ Penn Staff - April 28, 2025

Vinc Pichel, a 12-fight veteran of the UFC Octagon, is hanging up his gloves. While most fighters tend to announce their retirements immediately after their fights, Pichel quietly announced his decision on social media, almost one month removed from his last fight.

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

Michael Bisping has given his reaction to Anthony Smith’s swan song. Smith entered the Octagon for the final time in the co-main event of UFC Kansas City. Zhang Mingyang was his dance partner, and the fight didn’t make it out of the opening frame. Mingyang delivered some sharp elbows that split the top of Smith’s head. He then rained down strikes on the ground before referee Jason Herzog stopped the fight.

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.

Harry Kettle - April 28, 2025

UFC star Jiri Prochazka has been called out by Zhang Mingyang, who picked up a nice win at UFC Kansas City last weekend. When you talk about warriors in the world of mixed martial arts, Jiri Prochazka defines that term better than most. He believes in the pure art that comes with being part of this sport, and it’s a testament to how he’s been able to grow throughout the course of his career. Now, following on from a TKO win over Jamahal Hill, many have been left to wonder what’s next for the Czech sensation.

Harry Kettle - April 28, 2025

UFC president Dana White has provided an update on the possibility of a fight between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. For the longest time now, fans have been demanding answers when it comes to Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall. Both men hold gold in the heavyweight division, and we’ve all been waiting to see whether or not the promotion would actually be able to get this fight made. Ever since this saga began, it’s been clear to see that if there has been one hold-up in this process, it’s been Jon.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 27, 2025

Reigning two-weight ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin is coming back to the heavyweight division as an even bigger problem. “Sladkiy” was in action at ONE 169 last November, where he suffered a narrow defeat to “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane for the heavyweight MMA gold inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 27, 2025

Former ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion Nong-O Hama is out to prove that his flyweight Muay Thai loss to Kongthoranee Sor Sommai earlier this year was nothing more than a fluke. The Thai legend meets the #3-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender in the main event of ONE Fight Night 31 this Friday, May 2, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 27, 2025

Ian Machado Garry believes there’s a path to facing the No. 1 pound-for-pound UFC fighter Islam Makhachev. At the moment, Garry is the No. 7-ranked welterweight, while Makhachev holds the UFC Lightweight Championship. Makhachev has made it clear that his ultimate goal is to win the UFC welterweight gold to become a two-division champion. One holdup is that his teammate Belal Muhammad is the reigning 170-pound titleholder.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 27, 2025

One former UFC veteran remains surprised that a WWE superstar was allowed to compete inside the Octagon. MMA and pro wrestling have been linked throughout the years. Many of the UFC’s top stars have taken inspiration from WWE with special walkouts. We’ve even see a former WWE champion in Brock Lesnar become a UFC heavyweight titleholder. While Lesnar had the amateur wrestling credentials to earn his spot on the UFC roster, one fellow WWE superstar did not.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 27, 2025

Ian Machado Garry shared what was going through his mind when Carlos Prates attempted to rally in their UFC Kansas City headliner. Garry’s distance management and fight IQ were on full display for his bout with Prates this past Saturday. In the first three rounds, many were wondering when Prates would put his foot on the gas. Garry wasn’t allowing the Brazilian bruiser to close the distance. In the fourth round, Prates began to find more success tagging his opponent.