MMA News
Sinsamut faces Trujillo at ONE 170 for “very big” showdown
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 15, 2025
Lightweight Muay Thai star Sinsamut Klinmee is ready to get back to business, and he’s looking to kick the year off in style at ONE 170. “Aquaman” meets divisional dark horse Nauzet Trujillo on Friday, January 24, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Impact Arena.
UFC 311 | Pro fighters make their picks for Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan 2 title fight
Cole Shelton - January 15, 2025
In the main event of UFC 311, the lightweight title is on the line as Islam Makhachev takes on Arman Tsarukyan. Heading into the fight, Makhachev is a sizeable -400 favorite while the challenger is a +285 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their predictions for the fight. The pros believe Makhachev will beat Tsarukyan again to remain the UFC’s lightweight champ after UFC 311. However, all the pros believe it should be a very competitive fight as they feel like these are the two best lightweights.
John Lineker preparing for "test of fire" versus Kulabdam at ONE Fight Night 27
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 15, 2025
Former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion John Lineker has done it all in the sport. But fresh challenges continue to await him in the art of Muay Thai. “Hands of Stone” meets revered knockout artist Kulabdam in a bantamweight Muay Thai banger at ONE Fight Night 27: Tang vs. Abdullaev, this Friday, January 10, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.
UFC 311 | Pro fighters make their picks for Merab Dvalishvili vs Umar Nurmagomedov title fight
Cole Shelton - January 15, 2025
In the co-main event of UFC 311, the bantamweight title is up for grabs as current champion Merab Dvalishvili takes on Umar Nurmagomedov. Heading into the fight, the champ is a +240 underdog while the challenger is a -330 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the bantamweight title fight at UFC 311. The pros believe Merab Dvalishvili will be able to pull off the upset and hand Nurmagomedov his first career loss at UFC 311.
Holly Holm confirms plans to continue fighting after shocking UFC release: "In a perfect world I'd do both sports"
Josh Evanoff - January 15, 2025
Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm is excited for the future. ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since a clash with promotional newcomer Kayla Harrison in April. The bout was a big one for the 43-year-old, and she hoped to earn a title shot with a win. Instead, Holly Holm was taken down repeatedly in the UFC 300 prelim bout, ultimately suffering a second-round submission loss.
Jamahal Hill expects rematch with Alex Pereira with potential UFC 311 win: "I'm not going backwards"
Josh Evanoff - January 15, 2025
Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill believes a rematch with Alex Pereira is on the horizon. ‘Sweet Dreams’ hasn’t been seen in the octagon since his grudge match with ‘Poatan’ last April. In the main event of the historic UFC 300 event, Jamahal Hill was handed a brutal knockout loss by Alex Pereira. However, the former champion later appealed the loss, stating that referee Herb Dean played a massive role in the stoppage.
Patricio Pitbull reveals who he wants next ahead of possible UFC signing: "I want that belt!"
Josh Evanoff - January 15, 2025
Former Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull knows who he wants in his UFC debut. The Brazilian was last seen in the Bellator cage last March in Belfast. There, Patricio Pitbull earned the first title defense of his third stint with featherweight gold, scoring a knockout win over Jeremy Kennedy. Following the victory, the 37-year-old called for a clash with the hard-hitting Aaron Pico. Despite rumors of a late 2024 bout between the two, it never came to fruition.
Dana White shoots down rumors of Conor McGregor boxing Logan Paul or KSI
Cole Shelton - January 15, 2025
UFC CEO Dana White says Conor McGregor won’t be boxing Logan Paul or KSI as rumored. McGregor was linked to a boxing match in India against Paul. But, he said he was focused on WWE and the attention then turned to KSI. However, White says neither of these fights will happen as McGregor’s next fight will be in the UFC.
Dana White's hilarious reaction to Khabib Nurmagomedov's flight incident prior to UFC 311: 'He's flying on that piece of sh*t airline'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 15, 2025
Dana White has responded to the Khabib Nurmagomedov flight incident exactly how you’d expect him to. Nurmagomedov found himself in an unwanted situation when he argued with a Frontier Airlines flight attendant over giving up his seat near the emergency exit. The UFC Hall of Famer ended up leaving the plane and he boarded another flight in order to make it to California for two title fights involving Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov this Saturday at UFC 311.
UFC 311: Arman Tsarukyan has developed a "new technique" for Islam Makhachev fight
BJ Penn Staff - January 15, 2025
Arman Tsarukyan has something special prepared for Islam Makhachev at UFC 311. The card goes down this Saturday in Los Angeles, and Tsarukyan will challenge Makhachev for the coveted lightweight title in the main event. Makhachev is considered the top pound-for-pound fighter in MMA at present, so Tsarukyan faces an uphill battle, but he says he has developed a new technique he believes will help him win the fight.
Dana White confirms status of UFC 311 amid Los Angeles wildfires
Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 15, 2025
UFC 311 is scheduled to take place in Los Angeles this weekend, and Dana White says everything is going according to plan. There has been much speculation over whether or not the event will moved due to the devastating wildfires in California. Recently, the NFL moved a wildcard playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings from Inglewood to Arizona.
Chael Sonnen criticizes Mackenzie Dern for not calling for title shot
Harry Kettle - January 15, 2025
MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has criticized Mackenzie Dern for not calling for a title shot after defeating Amanda Ribas. Last weekend, Mackenzie Dern avenged her 2019 loss to Amanda Ribas with a really nice submission win in their main event clash. Following the bout, she suggested that she wasn’t interested in calling for a title shot right now. Instead, she wants to focus on improving.
Joe Rogan explains why he loved watching Diego Sanchez fight
Harry Kettle - January 15, 2025
UFC commentator Joe Rogan has explained what he loved about Diego Sanchez during his prime as a fighter. Over the years, Diego Sanchez has been involved in some absolutely crazy fights. As a mixed martial artist, he went out there and put it all on the line every single time. Of course, he had more than a few setbacks along the way, but in his prime he was near enough unstoppable.
Nico Carrillo promises to make ONE World Championship "vision" a reality at ONE 170
BJPENN.COM Staff - January 15, 2025
Second-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Nico “King of the North” Carrillo is on the brink of realizing his dream of holding gold in ONE Championship. “King of the North” battles #5-ranked Nabil Anane for the ONE Interim Bantamweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE 170 on Friday, January 24, at Bangkok, Thailand’s Impact Arena.
Diego Ferreira expecting a "scrap" against Grant Dawson at UFC 311: "Look for the finish"
Cole Shelton - January 14, 2025
Diego Ferreira is looking to remind the lightweight division that he’s still a legit contender. Ferreira is coming off a comeback win over Mateusz Rebecki in May. After the victory, the hope for Ferreira was to fight again before the year was up, but that didn’t happen after the UFC couldn’t find him a fight.
Eric Nicksick blasts ref Mark Smith after UFC Vegas 101: "I think he’s an egomaniac"
Cole Shelton - January 14, 2025
Eric Nicksick, the head coach of Chris Curtis, wasn’t a fan of referee Mark Smith and his stoppage at UFC Vegas 101. Curtis suffered a third-round knockout loss to Roman Kopylov on the main card. The fight was stopped with one second left after Kopylov landed a head kick that dropped Curtis, but Kopylov walked away and didn’t land any punches. Many thought it was an early stoppage, especially with one second left.
Islam Makhachev vows to shut up Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311: "Arman talk too much"
Cole Shelton - January 14, 2025
Islam Makhachev plans to make sure Arman Tsarukayn never talks about him again after UFC 311. Makhachev is set to rematch Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC 311 on Saturday night. It’s a highly-anticipated fight as it serves as a rematch of their 2019 bout which Makhachev won by decision. Tsarukyan had taken that fight on short notice in his UFC debut, but was still able to put forth a Fight of the Night performance.
Donn Davis announces official end of Bellator MMA brand: "All fight events and content will be PFL"
Josh Evanoff - January 14, 2025
According to PFL founder Donn Davis, the Bellator MMA brand is officially no more. Bellator has had a rocky road since being founded by Bjorn Rebney in 2008. After a few years of running a tournament format producing talents such as Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler, Viacom bought the company. In 2014, Rebney parted ways with the company, leading to the signing of former Strikeforce boss, Scott Coker.