MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 25, 2025

ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty turned over a new leaf at ONE 171: Qatar.   “The General” out-struck #1-ranked contender Wei Rui at Lusail Sports Arena, earning the unanimous decision on Thursday, February 20, to put his dark days behind him.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 25, 2025

Welterweight MMA juggernaut Roberto Soldic rocked the world last week at ONE 171, going as far as capturing the attention of UFC Middleweight World Champion Dricus du Plessis.    “Robocop” made a stunning return to the win column at Qatar’s Lusail Sports Arena. There, he faced fellow perennial finisher Dagi Arslanaliev, scoring a monumental first-round stoppage in the process last Thursday, February 20. 

Josh Evanoff - February 24, 2025

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler wouldn’t bet on Conor McGregor fighting again. ‘Iron’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since a rematch with Charles Oliveira in November. Ending a two-year layoff, Michael Chandler was handed a second loss by ‘Do Bronx’, this time by unanimous decision. The defeat was a brutal one for the former Bellator star, who famously sat on the sidelines for years trying to secure a fight with Conor McGregor.

Josh Evanoff - February 24, 2025

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier is continuing to work for his retirement fight. ‘The Diamond’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since a title fight with Islam Makhachev last summer. In the main event of UFC 302, Dustin Poirier faced the Russian in his third crack at undisputed lightweight gold. Despite entering the cage a massive betting underdog, the 36-year-old brought the fight to the champion.

Josh Evanoff - February 24, 2025

UFC CEO Dana White has interest in signing former Bellator star Aaron Pico. The 28-year-old striker was a member of Bellator for over a decade. Once considered one of the greatest prospects in the sport, Aaron Pico has quickly become one of the most exciting fighters on the planet. The hard-hitting featherweight has won nine of his last ten bouts, last scoring a knockout win over Henry Corrales last February.

Cole Shelton - February 24, 2025

Jamahal Hill wishes the ref let him go out on his shield against Jiri Prochazka. Hill fought Prochazka in a pivotal light heavyweight bout at UFC 311 and it was Prochazka who won by third-round TKO. Hill got dropped twice and the ref stopped it after Prochazka landed some ground and pound.

Cole Shelton - February 24, 2025

Michael Chandler is looking to put Paddy Pimblett to the test at UFC 314. Chandler is set to take on Pimblett in a highly-anticipated five-round fight in the co-main event of UFC 314. It’s an intriguing matchup as Chandler faces an up-and-comer while Pimblett has a chance to prove himself as a legit title contender if he can get past the former Bellator champ.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 24, 2025

Austin Vanderford may think that Nikolay Veretennikov should get a pink slip, but there’s no beef. Vanderford made his UFC debut this past Saturday inside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. He went one-on-one with Veretennikov in a short-notice fight. Vanderford scored the second-round TKO finish. Veretennikov immediately protested the stoppage and shoved Vanderford from behind. The man formerly known as “The Gentleman” shoved Veretennikov back and flipped a double bird.

BJ Penn Staff - February 24, 2025

Joe Rogan has been a staple of UFC broadcasts for decades. During his time with the MMA promotion, he’s been part of some of the most legendary post-fight interviews in the sport’s history. Speaking with fellow comedian Felipe Esparza on a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, the UFC commentator opened up on his favorite post-fight interview experience.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 24, 2025

Diego Lopes and Aljamain Sterling have gone back and forth on social media following a big UFC 314 announcement. Dana White recently revealed that Alexander Volkanovski and Lopes will collide for the vacant UFC Featherweight Championship on April 12 in Miami. Ilia Topuria has decided to vacate the 145-pound gold to move up to the lightweight division. While Volkanovski vs. Lopes sounds like a fun fight on paper, not everyone is on board with it.

Harry Kettle - February 24, 2025

Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong have seemingly agreed to a rematch after what went down at UFC Seattle last weekend. In the main event of UFC Seattle, Song Yadong defeated Henry Cejudo via technical decision. It came after Henry was ruled unable to continue as a result of a nasty eye poke, which eventually led to the officials stepping in and putting a stop to proceedings.

Harry Kettle - February 24, 2025

Georges St-Pierre had an interesting way of managing his rivalry with Matt Serra – by carrying around a brick with his name on it. As we know, Georges St-Pierre is one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. In the eyes of many, he is the de-facto GOAT – with only Jon Jones being a contender in that particular debate.

Harry Kettle - February 24, 2025

MMA legend Demetrious Johnson has given his reaction to Henry Cejudo suffering his third straight defeat at UFC Seattle. In the main event of UFC Seattle, Henry Cejudo suffered some bad luck. In addition to a few other fouls, he was subjected to a nasty eye poke that eventually rendered him unable to continue in the contest.

Harry Kettle - February 24, 2025

UFC commentator Michael Bisping doesn’t appear to be the biggest fan of YouTuber turned professional boxer Jake Paul. As we know, Michael Bisping is considered to be a legend in the world of mixed martial arts. He’s achieved some incredible things throughout the course of his career, which includes capturing UFC gold. On the flip side, the aforementioned Jake Paul is also a big name in the combat sports sphere, largely due to some of his more high profile boxing wins.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 23, 2025

Almost everything that could go wrong for Anthony Hernandez did before UFC Seattle. When Hernandez entered his rematch against Brendan Allen this past Saturday night inside Climate Pledge Arena, he was far from 100 hundred percent. He admitted as much to Michael Bisping after scoring a unanimous decision victory over Allen. “Fluffy” apologized for his performance despite the win, revealing he just finished his antibiotics one day before the fight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 23, 2025

Michael Bisping believes Ilia Topuria’s decision to vacate the featherweight title has benefitted Alexander Volkanovski. Many fans wondered what would be next for the 145-pound title picture before Dana White announced that Volkanovski and Diego Lopes will be fighting for the vacant gold at UFC 314 on April 12. Topuria was the reigning champion, but he has decided to move up to the lightweight division.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 23, 2025

Dana White is brushing off those who believe one UFC fighter should be punished for his post-fight actions. On the preliminary portion of the UFC Seattle card, Austin Vanderford went one-on-one with Nikolay Veretennikov in a 175-pound catchweight bout. Vanderford scored the second-round TKO finish. As “The Gentleman” was celebrating his victory, Veretennikov shoved him from behind. Vanderford retaliated with a shove of his own before flipping the double bird.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 23, 2025

Song Yadong has a big name in mind if his next fight isn’t a rematch with Henry Cejudo. Yadong went one-on-one with Cejudo in the main event of UFC Seattle this past Saturday night. The bout was competitive on the feet, but Yadong turned things up in round three before accidentally poking “Triple C” in the left eye. While Cejudo made it through the round after taking five minutes to recover, he couldn’t start round four and Yadong was awarded the win via technical decision.