MMA News

Cole Shelton - March 18, 2025

UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis is annoyed Alex Pereira lost to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. Pereira was defending his light heavyweight title and Du Plessis felt like had the Brazilian won, he could have moved up in weight and had a superfight. However, Pereira lost a decision, and the South African says that ruined any chances of them fighting and also cost him the biggest payday of his career.

Josh Evanoff - March 18, 2025

Lightweight contender Renato Moicano is tired of seeing events at the UFC Apex. Over the weekend, UFC Vegas 104 went down at the Apex in Las Vegas. Headlined by a lackluster rematch between Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze, there was a major lack of buzz around the event. During the card, several media members raised concerns about the Apex and the lack of atmosphere at the events taking place there. In response on fight night, the UFC’s X account poked fun at fans who complained about the small venue.

Josh Evanoff - March 18, 2025

UFC welterweight contender Gunnar Nelson has offered an update on his relationship with teammate Conor McGregor. ‘Gunni’ is slowly, but surely rising up the UFC welterweight division. Gunnar Nelson was last seen in the cage in early 2023, for a clash with the ever-entertaining Bryan Barberena in London. There, the grappler submitted ‘Bam Bam’ inside of a round, his second victory in a row. Nelson is set to return to the octagon this Saturday in the U.K., where he will look to move his winning streak to three against Kevin Holland.

Josh Evanoff - March 18, 2025

Former UFC lightweight contender Jalin Turner has no intention of ever fighting again. ‘The Tarantula’ was once viewed as one of the UFC’s rising stars in the lightweight division. From 2020 to 2023, Jalin Turner rattled off a five-fight winning streak, winning all those bouts by way of finish. However, the wheels quickly came off. Turner’s winning streak was snapped by Mateusz Gamrot on short notice in early 2023 by way of a split decision. He then proceeded to lose two of his next three, suffering losses to Dan Hooker and Renato Moicano.

Cole Shelton - March 18, 2025

Gunnar Nelson will be ending a two-year-long layoff when he takes on Kevin Holland on the main card of UFC London on Saturday. Nelson hasn’t fought since UFC 286 in March of 2023 when he submitted Bryan Barberena in the first round. Despite getting a quick finish, Nelson has another long layoff as he says he was just focused on other things and not MMA, as he also says he was healthy.

BJ Penn Staff - March 18, 2025

Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria are two of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC right now, and there is only one man who has fought them both: Alexander Volkanovski. Australia’s Volkanovski has actually fought Makhachev twice, both times for the lightweight title. He lost their first fight with a razor-close decision, and their second by first-round KO. Of course it’s worth noting he took the second fight on short notice. He fought Topuria in his last fight, surrendering the title with a second-round knockout loss. He is perhaps the best win on Makhachev or Topuria’s resume.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 18, 2025

One legendary UFC name finds it insulting for Islam Makhachev to be asked to fight Ilia Topuria. Makhachev has made it clear that he’d rather fight an established contender at 155 pounds over another featherweight. Makhachev scored two wins over Alexander Volkanovski when “The Great” was the 145-pound champion. With Topuria moving up to lightweight, Makhachev would prefer if “El Matador” wins a No. 1 contender fight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 18, 2025

Ian Machado Garry believes he should’ve been called upon for a UFC welterweight title shot against Belal Muhammad. When Shavkat Rakhmonov couldn’t accept a championship bout with Muhammad due to an injury, Jack Della Maddalena stepped up. Maddalena will challenge Muhammad in the main event of UFC 315 on May 10.

Harry Kettle - March 18, 2025

Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira has issued a warning to Ilia Topuria ahead of the latter’s move up to 155 pounds. As we know, Ilia Topuria is planning on making the move up to the lightweight division following his incredible success at featherweight. While nobody knows for sure who he’ll fight next, there’s a good chance he could challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight championship in an immediate bid to win a second world title in the UFC.

Harry Kettle - March 18, 2025

UFC star Leon Edwards has stated that he doesn’t think the UFC welterweight championship looks right on his old rival Belal Muhammad. This weekend, Leon Edwards will kickstart his push to get back to the world title at 170 pounds. He will go head to head with Sean Brady in the main event of UFC London, which is expected to be a really tight, interesting clash between two men with very different styles.

Harry Kettle - March 18, 2025

UFC star Jean Silva has responded to claims made by Bryce Mitchell that he is being possessed by a legion of demons. As we know, Bryce Mitchell is a pretty complicated character. In addition to being a top-class mixed martial artist, he’s also quite an outspoken person. He’s said some chaotic things on social media throughout the course of his career, and that’s certainly true of the last few months. Most notably, he made some comments about Adolf Hitler that really caused a stir.

Harry Kettle - March 18, 2025

UFC middleweight Marvin Vettori has issued a potential retirement challenge to Brendan Allen for a future fight. Last weekend, Marvin Vettori fell short in his effort to defeat Roman Dolidze. His hope was to kickstart another run for the world title, but instead, he’s left on the outside looking in once again. Some have wondered what’s next for him, especially given how many other big names there are located towards the top of the division.

BJPENN.COM Staff - March 17, 2025

Second-ranked flyweight MMA star Yuya Wakamatsu has come a long way in ONE Championship. Arriving as a promising 22-year-old to a World Title challenger, he’s risen up the ranks to become a divisional stalwart, and he looks to make good on his second chance at gold.   The Japanese jouster meets #1-ranked flyweight MMA star Adriano Moraes in a rematch for the vacant ONE Flyweight MMA World Title at ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang this Sunday, March 23, at Japan’s Saitama Super Arena. 

Cole Shelton - March 17, 2025

The UFC was back at the Apex on Saturday, March 15 for UFC Vegas 104. The main event saw Roman Dolidze rematching Marvin Vettori. Dolidze was coming off a TKO victory over Kevin Holland which was his second-straight win. Vettori, meanwhile, hadn’t fought since June of 2023 when he dropped a decision to Jared Cannonier.

Cole Shelton - March 17, 2025

Bo Nickal says he asked the UFC to fight Reinier de Ridder next and they granted his request. Nickal will return to the Octagon in the co-main event of UFC Des Moines on May 3 in an intriguing matchup. According to Nickal, he thought de Ridder was the perfect next step up for him. It’s also a chance to prove he is a legit contender at middleweight.

Josh Evanoff - March 17, 2025

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker remains interested in a move to 205 pounds. ‘The Reaper’ hasn’t been seen in action since a clash against Khamzat Chimaev last October at UFC 308. Robert Whittaker entered the title eliminator riding a wave of momentum, fresh off a first-round knockout victory over Ikram Aliskerov in June. Sadly for the former middleweight champion, he was quickly taken down and submitted by ‘Borz’ in round one. Five years after losing the gold, Whittaker had suffered another setback.

Josh Evanoff - March 17, 2025

According to PFL founder Donn Davis, Francis Ngannou isn’t going anywhere. ‘The Predator’ hasn’t been seen in action since a pivotal clash against Renan Ferreira in October. Back in the cage for the first time since defeating Ciryl Gane in January 2022, Francis Ngannou handed the former PFL tournament winner a first-round knockout loss. After so much turmoil and tragedy since leaving the UFC, the victory was an emotional one for the heavyweight star. However, Ngannou is already working on a return.

Josh Evanoff - March 17, 2025

Former two-weight UFC champion Conor McGregor met with Donald Trump at The White House earlier today. It’s no secret that the 47th President of the United States is a longtime fan of MMA. A lifelong friend of Dana White, Donald Trump regularly began attending UFC events in 2022 to promote his Presidential campaign. His efforts paid off in November, winning the Presidency by defeating then-Vice President Kamala Harris to become the first man since Grover Cleveland to win a second non-consecutive term.