MMA News

Josh Evanoff - January 16, 2025

Longtime UFC light-heavyweight contender Anthony Smith isn’t retiring quite yet. ‘Lionheart’ returned to the octagon on the UFC 310 main card last month in Las Vegas. Back for the first time since suffering a short-notice loss to Roman Dolidze in June, Anthony Smith faced Dominick Reyes. For his part, ‘The Devastator’ headed into the bout fresh off a knockout win over Dustin Jacoby in the summer.

Cole Shelton - January 16, 2025

The GFL has continued to add to its roster as the promotion has signed seven more veterans. The GFL announced in a press release that the promotion signed Shogun Rua, Yoel Romero, Chad Mendes, Renan Barao, Douglas Lima, Ovince Saint Preux, and Todd Duffee. All seven fighters will be draft-eligible next week.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 16, 2025

Joe Rogan has shared his reaction to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s recent flight fiasco. Nurmagomedov was ready to board a flight through Frontier Airlines going from Las Vegas to San Francisco. “The Eagle” was attempting to travel out to corner Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov for their UFC 311 title fights. The UFC Hall of Famer ended up arguing with a flight attendant over his sear near the emergency exit.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 16, 2025

Charles Oliveira will be waiting for the winner of the UFC 311 main event. This Saturday night, Islam Makhachev will put the UFC Lightweight Championship at stake when he shares the Octagon with Arman Tsarukyan. Both men have grown significantly in the fight game since their first meeting back in 2019. Fans will soon get to see how things will play out in the rematch.

Harry Kettle - January 16, 2025

A woman is suing UFC star Conor McGregor over an alleged sexual assault at an NBA Finals game in 2023. Back in 2023, Conor McGregor attended an NBA Finals game between the Miami Heat and Denver Nuggets. It was a notable evening for a couple of reasons, with one of the first being that the Irishman legitimately hurt the Heat mascot during a skit at half-time.

Harry Kettle - January 16, 2025

UFC legend Clay Guida has reportedly been released from the promotion after almost two decades with the company. When you talk about legendary figures in the world of mixed martial arts, Clay Guida has to be part of the conversation. We’re talking about a man who has been there and done it all, with his UFC debut coming all the way back in October 2006. His actual MMA debut, meanwhile, happened in July 2003. He has had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows but through it all, the 43-year-old veteran has always managed to entertain us.

Harry Kettle - January 16, 2025

A UFC legend has suggested that another fighter, not Khabib Nurmagomedov, could have a claim to being the lightweight GOAT. As we know, Khabib Nurmagomedov is recognized as one of the greatest mixed martial arts fighters of all time. He retired with an incredible 29-0 unbeaten record, he tore through some of the best in the world, and he rarely ever lost a round. He had a glittering career, and many consider him to be the best lightweight that has ever lived.

Harry Kettle - January 16, 2025

UFC fans have reacted to Dana White teasing a fight that “nobody will see coming” later this year. As we know, Dana White enjoys teasing big things being on the horizon in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Throughout the course of his entire run as president, he has constantly been putting on fights that fans want to see. Of course, in mixed martial arts, you always need to adapt and evolve.

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.

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.   

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.

Cole Shelton - January 15, 2025

Kevin Holland believes Reinier de Ridder quits when the going gets tough and he plans to prove that at UFC 311. Holland remains in the middleweight division to face de Ridder on the main card of UFC 311. It’s an intriguing bout, but Holland is confident he will get his hand raised and likely finish the former ONE Championship champ.

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.

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.

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.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 15, 2025

Ahead of UFC 311, Michael Bisping has a major concern for Arman Tsarukyan. It’ll be Tsarukyan who will challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC Lightweight Championship this Saturday night. It’s a chance for “Ahalkalakets” to not only capture UFC gold for the first time, but get revenge on Makhachev for their 2019 bout.

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.

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.