MMA News

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.

Josh Evanoff - March 28, 2025

Former two-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor is content with what he’s accomplished in the cage. ‘The Notorious’ hasn’t been seen in the octagon in nearly four years now. Conor McGregor last competed at UFC 264 in July 2021, in a heated trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier. That night saw the Irishman snap his leg in the final seconds of the first round, a devastating sight. Despite the brutal injury, McGregor vowed to embark on “The greatest comeback” in MMA history, and return to the cage by the end of 2022.

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.

Josh Evanoff - March 27, 2025

RIZIN: Otoko Matsuri will feature an eight-man heavyweight Grand Prix, and several other big fights in May. RIZIN is set to return to the beloved Tokyo Dome later this spring. Earlier this week, the promotion held a press conference in Japan, giving details about their planned event on May 4th. There, they revealed plans for a massive eight-man heavyweight tournament, a decade after their inaugural heavyweight Grand Prix. The finals of that 2015 tournament saw King Mo score a knockout win over future UFC champion Jiri Prochazka.

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

The chances of Conor McGregor returning to the UFC look slimmer by the day, but Michael Chandler isn’t letting his long-time rival off the hook. Chandler, 38, spent the last few years of his career in talks to fight McGregor. He coached The Ultimate Fighter opposite the Irishman, and their long-awaited fight was finally booked for UFC 303 last summer. However, it ultimately fell through when McGregor suffered a toe injury. When it wasn’t rebooked after several months, Chandler finally realized it was time to move on. At the point, he accepted a rematch with former lightweight champ Charles Oliveira.

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.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 27, 2025

Add another UFC fighter to the retirement list. As of late, there has been a small wave of MMA fighters hanging up their gloves. Jalin Turner revealed he’s walking away from pro MMA competition following a submission loss to Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC 313 on March 8. Just a few weeks later, Molly McCann left her gloves inside the Octagon following her first-round submission loss to Alexia Thainara at UFC London.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 27, 2025

UFC play-by-play ace Jon Anik thinks one fighter has become the “forgotten man.” Anik has covered his share of big fights, and he’s seen some of the best athletes share the Octagon while calling the action. One division that he’s intrigued by is featherweight. There is a vacant championship fight set for April 12 between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes. That title bout will headline UFC 314.

Cole Shelton - March 27, 2025

Steve Erceg wants to prove the doubters wrong that he is a top-ranked flyweight at UFC Mexico City. Erceg is coming off back-to-back losses to Kai Kara-France by KO and Alexandre Pantoja by decision. Despite losing two straight fights, he’s set to headline UFC Mexico City against Brandon Moreno on Saturday.

Harry Kettle - March 27, 2025

Alex Pereira has lashed out at Magomed Ankalaev’s coach over accusations that he tried to cheat during their UFC 313 main event. As we know, Alex Pereira came up short in his UFC 313 main event clash with Magomed Ankalaev. Many were hoping that ‘Poatan’ would be able to extend his incredible reign as UFC light heavyweight champion but instead, his run came to an end at the hands of Ankalaev. Ever since then, fans and pundits alike have been calling for the two to run it back sooner rather than later.

Harry Kettle - March 27, 2025

UFC fighter Kevin Holland has defended Jon Jones for reportedly wanting six months to prepare for a fight against Tom Aspinall. As we know, Jon Jones is the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. We also know that Tom Aspinall is the interim heavyweight champion. Of course, it makes sense for the two to fight and unify the belts, but there’s one problem – Jon is in no hurry whatsoever to make this fight happen.