MMA News

BJ Penn Staff - March 29, 2025

CM Punk is an iconic professional wrestler, but his MMA career did not go very well. In fact, it’s fair to say it went horribly. Punk announced plans to try his hand in MMA back in late 2015. Surprisingly, despite having no martial arts background to speak of, he was invited to make his debut in the UFC, the sport’s biggest promotion.

BJ Penn Staff - March 29, 2025

There will be a multi-fight contract waiting for former UFC champion Cain Velasquez when he gets out of prison—if he decides he wants to compete again. Velasquez is currently behind bars after catching an attempted murder charge several years ago. The incident in question occurred in 2022, when he fired his gun at a man he claimed molested his young son, and accidentally injured the man’s stepfather in the process. Velasquez received a ton of support from the MMA community after the incident. UFC CEO Dana White even wrote the judge a letter on the former champ’s behalf. However, he was ultimately sentenced to five years earlier this week.

Chris Taylor - March 29, 2025

The Octagon returns to Arena CDMX for tonight’s UFC Mexico City, a 13-bout fight card headlined by Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg. Moreno (22-8-2 MMA), the promotion’s former flyweight champion, will be competing for the first time since scoring a unanimous decision win over Amir Albazi this past November at UFC Edmonton. Prior to that victory, ‘The Assassin Baby’ had suffered back-to-back losses to Brandon Royval and Alexandre Pantoja respectively.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 28, 2025

We’re only three months into 2025 and ONE Championship has already hosted a number of monumental bouts. And ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong is keeping them coming. At ONE 172‘s post-fight press conference, the promotion’s boss revealed that former ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Champion Rodtang Jitmuangnon will meet reigning bantamweight kickboxing king Jonathan Haggerty in a trilogy bout later this year.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 28, 2025

Former ONE bantamweight Muay Thai contender Nico Carrillo is embracing his new lease of life in the featherweight division. The Scottish ace makes his debut in the weight bracket against #4-ranked contender Sitthichai Sitsongpeenong. This happens at ONE Fight Night 30: Kryklia vs. Knowles this Friday, April 4, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 28, 2025

Newly crowned ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Masaaki Noiri felt like it was him against the world when he stepped in the ring at ONE 172. The Japanese star battled back to score a stunning third-round knockout over reigning ONE featherweight Muay Thai king Tawanchai PK Saenchai last Sunday, March 23, at Japan’s Saitama Super Arena.

Josh Evanoff - March 28, 2025

Longtime heavyweight contender Walt Harris is no longer a member of the UFC. ‘The Big Ticket’ hasn’t been seen in the cage in almost four years now. Walt Harris last appeared in action at UFC Vegas 28 in June 2021, in a clash against Marcin Tybura. The hard-hitting heavyweight entered the cage riding a two-fight losing streak, badly needing a victory. Sadly for Harris, ‘Tybur’ handed him a first-round knockout loss that night in Las Vegas. As it turns out, that will likely be Harris’s final bout in the promotion.

Josh Evanoff - March 28, 2025

Boxing champion Terence Crawford and ex-UFC champion Kamaru Usman recently debated fighter pay. Ever since the UFC began growing in popularity, there have been discussions about fighter pay. While some have attempted to form a union, every effort has ended in failure. Save for a few stars such as Conor McGregor or Jon Jones, most fighters struggle to get big paydays. Some, including Kamaru Usman, have argued that the sport pays better on average than boxing. However, boxers obviously get paid more at the top level.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 28, 2025

Jorge Masvidal has given his take on Leon Edwards’ recent defeat to Sean Brady. Brady scored a massive win over Edwards in the main event of UFC London on March 22. “Rocky” simply didn’t have an answer for Brady’s grappling and was submitted in the fourth round. It’s the second loss in a row for Edwards, but many considered this defeat to be a blowout.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 28, 2025

The UFC Mexico City weigh-ins have wrapped up. Former multi-time UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno tipped the scales at the championship weight of 125 pounds. His opponent, Steve Erceg, also clocked in at that same weight. Their pivotal flyweight headliner is now official.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 28, 2025

Bo Nickal thinks one fighter has a slight edge in a potential clash between Dricus du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev. The wide belief within the MMA community is that Chimaev should be next in line for a shot at du Plessis’ UFC middleweight title. “Borz” is undefeated with a record of 14-0. He scored an emphatic first-round submission finish over former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 308.

Cole Shelton - March 27, 2025

Vince Morales believes he could be fighting for his job at UFC Mexico City. Morales made it back to the UFC last September at UFC Paris but dropped a decision to Taylor Lapilus. He then dropped a decision to Elijah Smith on February 15 in a very close fight.

Cole Shelton - March 27, 2025

Joe Pyfer plans to make a statement against Kelvin Gastelum at UFC Mexico City on Saturday. Pyfer is set to take on Gastelum at middleweight in an intriguing matchup. It’s a crucial fight for the division, and Pyfer believes he can make a statement by being the first person to knock out Gastelum.

Josh Evanoff - March 27, 2025

Former UFC flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev is now a member of Karate Combat. ‘The Punisher’ was once viewed as the UFC’s brightest young prospects. Signing with the organization in 2022 with an undefeated record, Muhammad Mokaev quickly found success. He scored a first-round submission win over Cody Durden in his promotional debut, and he never looked back. Over the next two years, the Brit scored lopsided victories over names such as Tim Elliott, Alex Perez, and Charles Johnson.

Josh Evanoff - March 27, 2025

Former UFC heavyweight contender Brendan Schaub wants $5 million to step into the cage again. ‘The Hybrid’ hasn’t appeared in the cage in over a decade now. Brendan Schaub last competed on the UFC 181 main card in December 2014, in a heated grudge match with Travis Browne. That night saw ‘Hapa’ hurt and quickly finish Schaub in the first round. While the fighter-turned-podcaster teased a move down to light-heavyweight, he instead retired the following year. Schaub quickly pursued stand-up comedy and a career outside the cage.

Josh Evanoff - March 27, 2025

Former Bellator heavyweight champion Ryan Bader is now a free agent after parting ways with the PFL. There are few fighters who benefited from leaving the UFC more than ‘Darth’. After eight years under Dana White, Ryan Bader left in favor of Scott Coker and Bellator in 2016. Quickly, the light-heavyweight wrestler found success. Bader won gold in his first night in the promotion, scoring a split-decision win over Phil Davis. He would follow that up with a title defense against Linton Vassell, before heading up to heavyweight.

BJ Penn Staff - March 27, 2025

Scottish UFC fighter Paul Craig has had some disappointing performances in the Octagon lately, but he claims that’s partly because of some health issues he’s been facing outside it. Craig started his UFC career as a light heavyweight. He had some decent wins in the division—notably defeating reigning champ Magomed Ankalaev and former champ Jamahal Hill before they got to the belt—but after some tough losses, he ultimately decided to move down to middleweight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 27, 2025

Reinier De Ridder thinks he knows the direction his fight with Bo Nickal could go. De Ridder and Nickal are scheduled to collide at UFC Des Moines on May 3. It’s a big opportunity for both men. For De Ridder, it’s a chance to end the hype train of a rising 185-pounder. On the flipside, Nickal gets the opportunity to make his debut on the official UFC middleweight rankings.