MMA News

BJ Penn Staff - April 22, 2025

Israel Adesanya has officially informed UFC executives that he is ready to return to action. In fact, he even requested a specific opponent when he spoke to them. Adesanya is one of the greatest middleweights in MMA history — probably the second greatest behind Anderson Silva. However, the recent years of his career after bumpy. First, he lost the middleweight title to Alex Pereira. While he reclaimed the belt in their immediate rematch, he then lost it again in the first defense of his second reign, suffering a shocking decision loss to Sean Strickland.

BJ Penn Staff - April 22, 2025

Mateusz Gamrot will be back in the UFC Octagon soon. Poland’s Gamrot, a former champion in his home country’s popular KSW promotion, is the UFC’s No. 7-ranked lightweight. He was one of the top contenders for a crack at lightweight champion Islam Makhachev until an upset decision loss to Dan Hooker in his last fight. He has understandably been eager to get back on track ever since, and from the looks of it, he will soon have the opportunity.

BJ Penn Staff - April 22, 2025

Rising UFC welterweight contender Carlos Prates recently received some advice for his next fight from an interesting source: his own mother. Brazil’s Prates is one of the most hyped fighters in his division right now. This weekend, in the main event of the UFC’s return to Kansas City, Missouri, the Fighting Nerds product will take on Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry in a fight that will push the winner right up to title contention.

Cole Shelton - April 22, 2025

UFC analyst Chael Sonnen says Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall is a done deal and will be announced soon. Jones vs Aspinall is one of the biggest fights to make in the UFC, but there hasn’t been much talk on when or if it would happen. Some thought Jones would retire, and Aspinall would get promoted to undisputed champ. Yet, Sonnen claims the fight is agreed to and the date is locked in.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 22, 2025

A former UFC fan favorite wonders if Paddy Pimblett is making a mistake with his post-fight weight gains. Pimblett’s stock has never been higher following his third-round TKO finish over Michael Chandler at UFC 314. “The Baddy” figures to get a top five-ranked UFC lightweight in his next outing. Some even feel a potential No. 1 contender fight could be in Pimblett’s future.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 22, 2025

Ilia Topuria has a few fighters that he enjoys watching, but not all of them can get his seal of approval. The former UFC Featherweight Champion has big aspirations for his career. Topuria is moving up to the lightweight division in hopes of capturing another UFC title. While “La Leyenda” is known for being boastful, he does admit there are other elite fighters on the UFC roster who catch his attention with their fighting style.

Cole Shelton - April 22, 2025

The 194th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live to recap UFC 314 and preview OKTAGON 70. We’re first joined by 14th-ranked UFC featherweight Dan Ige (0:51). We close things out talking to OKATGON and former UFC middleweight Krzysztof Jotko (12:47).

Harry Kettle - April 22, 2025

UFC star Paddy Pimblett has spoken about his weight gain since his triumph over Michael Chandler at UFC 314. At UFC 314 earlier this month, Paddy Pimblett picked up the biggest win of his career. He defeated and dominated Michael Chandler in the co-main event of the evening, establishing himself as an elite contender in the lightweight division. In addition to that, ‘The Baddy’ also looked to be in incredible shape, and he towered above Chandler by the time fight night arrived.

Harry Kettle - April 22, 2025

UFC legend Conor McGregor has voiced his admiration for Merab Dvalishvili ahead of his return to action at UFC 316. Over the course of the last few years, Merab Dvalishvili has been impressing the masses in more ways than one. From his cardio to his grit and determination, he has earned the right to call himself the UFC bantamweight champion. Following on from wins over the likes of Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo, Merab finally claimed the gold by dethroning Sean O’Malley at Noche UFC last year.

Harry Kettle - April 22, 2025

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has revealed what he told Jon Jones’ publicist that left the UFC legend furious. If there’s one thing we know about Jon Jones, it’s that he’s a pretty controversial figure. Throughout the course of his career, he has said and done things that have rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. In equal measure, though, he’s also widely considered to be the greatest of all time in the world of mixed martial arts. So, as you can imagine, there are some mixed feelings about him within the community.

Cole Shelton - April 21, 2025

UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith understands that he has to fight a young up-and-comer in his retirement fight. Smith will retire at UFC Kansas City when he takes on Mingyang Zhang. Zhang is 2-0 in the UFC but has looked impressive in his two fights. For Smith’s retirement fight, it’s no layup fight or a big-name opponent, which ‘Lionheart’ understands. Smith knows the UFC is about getting the young guys over, which is what he thinks the UFC wants to happen here.

BJ Penn Staff - April 21, 2025

Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena is set to challenge Belal Muhammad for welterweight gold at UFC 315. If he successfully claims the title, he’s got his eyes on an even bigger challenge: Islam Makhachev. UFC 315 goes down on May 10 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Australia’s Della Maddalena is an underdog against the welterweight champion Muhammad, but is one of the better strikers in his division, and has the power to stop any welterweight he faces off with.

Cole Shelton - April 21, 2025

Dricus Du Plessis has fired back at Khamzat Chimaev. Du Plessis and Chimaev were linked to fighting one another at International Fight Week at the end of June. However, it was then rumored that Du Plessis was dealing with an injury that caused Chimaev to take aim at the champ.

BJ Penn Staff - April 21, 2025

UFC star Colby Covington has long had his eye on the WWE ring. If the reception he got at this weekend’s WrestleMania 41 event is any indication, he has already got the fans’ interest. In fact, they seem to hate him. Covington has been a staple of the UFC welterweight top-15 for years. He has fought three times for the division’s title. However, he came up short each time — twice against Kamaru Usman, and once against Leon Edwards. Despite his long-time relevance in the welterweight division, he has never made any secret of his hopes to perform in the WWE ring when his MMA career is over. After a decisive loss to Joaquin Buckley in his last fight, that time could be right around the corner.

BJ Penn Staff - April 21, 2025

Khamzat Chimaev has reacted to rumors of a UFC middleweight title eliminator with fellow contender Caio Borralho. Chimaev is undefeated at 14-0, and has long been considered one of the most imposing fighters in the UFC. He made his loudest statement yet in his most recent fight, choking out former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker inside a round.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 21, 2025

Islam Makhachev’s team hasn’t been too keen on a potential Ilia Topuria fight, and one highly ranked UFC lightweight thinks he knows why. Makhachev is the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion. Many have argued that he should already be on the move to the welterweight division, but Makhachev feels there’s still work to be done at lightweight. It appears he’d rather his next title defense be a rescheduling of the Arman Tsarukyan bout or Justin Gaethje rather than Topuria.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 21, 2025

A one-time UFC title challenger has cleared the air on rumors surrounding his situation with Michael Bisping. Bisping is a respected UFC Hall of Famer and color commentator. The former UFC Middleweight Champion also has his own successful YouTube channel and podcast. Anthony Smith became a regular co-host on the “Believe You Me” podcast, but he eventually left the show to align with Home of Fight for his own podcast.

Harry Kettle - April 21, 2025

Khalil Rountree Jr has given his thoughts on former foe Alex Pereira’s performance against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313 last month. As we know, Alex Pereira is one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts. He was able to reach that point as a result of his incredible tenure in the UFC up to this point, which has seen him win world titles in two different weight classes. However, while he managed to win those championships, he also lost them both. His most recent defeat came to Magomed Ankalaev, who beat him to claim the light heavyweight belt.