MMA News

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 7, 2025

One ex-UFC titleholder believes that Jon Jones may have a bit of fear going into a potential mega fight with Tom Aspinall. Many fans and experts agree that the biggest fight that can be made in the UFC is a heavyweight title unification bout between Jones and Aspinall. “Bones” is the reigning champion with one successful title defense. Aspinall holds the interim gold and he also has a successful defense. Something has got to give at heavyweight, and UFC CEO Dana White has guaranteed that he will make Jones vs. Aspinall a reality this year.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 7, 2025

Bo Nickal believes that his wrestling is a cut above Khamzat Chimaev’s. Nickal’s name has been in the spotlight despite only having seven pro MMA fights. Some fans believe a showdown with Chimaev is inevitable, although others are skeptical following Nickal’s recent showing against Paul Craig at UFC 309 back in November. There is still time for Nickal to grow in the sport of MMA, but Chimaev is already on the cusp of championship gold.

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 7, 2025

Reigning ONE Atomweight MMA World Champion Stamp Fairtex was ready for a landmark year in 2024. That was up until injury struck and broke the Thai queen’s heart.   Stamp will watch as #2-ranked contender Denice Zamboanga and #4-ranked contender Alyona Rassohyna vie to become the interim champ at ONE Fight Night 27: Tang vs. Abdullaev this Friday, January 10, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.  

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 6, 2025

Two-weight ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin is out for revenge in 2025.   The Russian knockout artist suffered the first loss of his professional MMA career this past November at ONE 169. He lost his heavyweight crown by unanimous decision to “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane. 

Josh Evanoff - January 6, 2025

UFC CEO Dana White has joined Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta. It’s no secret that the 55-year-old promoter has been attempting to expand his business portfolio lately. After over two decades as the face of the UFC, Dana White founded the slap-fighting league ‘PowerSlap’ in early 2023. While that promotion has largely received negative reviews, he has no plans of shutting down the league.

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 6, 2025

ONE Featherweight MMA World Champion Tang Kai is a renowned finisher with five stoppages in eight promotional showings. But the Chinese terror wants to continue his exceptional handiwork at ONE Fight Night 27.  Tang meets #5-ranked featherweight MMA contender Akbar Abdullaev in the main event on Friday, January 10, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.  

Josh Evanoff - January 6, 2025

A bout between bantamweight contenders Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong is being targeted for UFC Seattle. ‘Triple C’ hasn’t been seen since his clash with Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298 last February. The bout was just Henry Cejudo’s second since ending his retirement the previous year to face Aljamain Sterling. Sadly for the former two-weight champion, ‘The Machine’ largely dominated down the stretch of their bantamweight contest to secure a decision win.

Josh Evanoff - January 6, 2025

Over eight years removed from UFC 205, Eddie Alvarez is still frustrated by his loss to Conor McGregor. ‘The Underground King’ was the b-side of one of the UFC’s biggest pay-per-views ever in November 2016. Months removed from a knockout win over Rafael dos Anjos to win lightweight gold, Eddie Alvarez met Conor McGregor. ‘The Notorious’ was in the midst of his sensational run, the reigning featherweight champion and fresh off a win over Nate Diaz.

Cole Shelton - January 6, 2025

Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans will soon be fighting one another again. Jackson and Evans fought back in May of 2010 at UFC 114 with Evans winning by decision. The two were linked to fighting each other years before it came to fruition. After the bout, many thought a rematch would happen, but it never happened.

Cole Shelton - January 6, 2025

Colby Covington believes he would retire Gilbert Burns if the two fight next. Covington called out Burns after the Brazilian leaked the phone number of his head coach Chael Sonnen. Covington wasn’t happy with the Brazilian and now he continues to pursue the fight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 6, 2025

UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping believes Jon Jones has played his cards right. It’s no secret that a heavyweight title unification clash between Jones and Tom Aspinall is the biggest fight the UFC can pull off in 2025. “Bones” has said that if he’s expected to collide with Aspinall then he will need a substantial payday. He’s also publicly shown more interest in fighting the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 6, 2025

Much has been made over who Alex Pereira’s next opponent will be, but Magomed Ankalaev’s manager says there is only one option. Pereira is the reigning UFC light heavyweight champion. It’s been clear to fans and experts that Ankalaev is the rightful contender, but there’s been some gamesmanship going on between the two. Ankalaev has insisted that “Poatan” is ducking him, while the 205-pound champion is saying that UFC officials think the top contender is too boring to headline a pay-per-view card.

Harry Kettle - January 6, 2025

UFC star Colby Covington has teased the idea of possibly making a move up to the middleweight division. As we know, Colby Covington is a pretty outspoken individual. However, despite some of his controversies, he’s been able to make things tick inside the Octagon throughout most of his UFC career. Unfortunately, losses to Leon Edwards and Joaquin Buckley have set him back in a big way.

Harry Kettle - January 6, 2025

UFC commentator Michael Bisping has revealed his top five fights from last year as fans reflect on another big twelve months. The Ultimate Fighting Championship had another big year in 2024. From title changes to iconic fights and beyond, there was a lot to get excited about. Of course, as we progress through entirely new chapters in mixed martial arts, we’re bound to see the quality of the sport increase as time goes on.

Harry Kettle - January 6, 2025

Eddie Alvarez believes that his home city of Philadelphia isn’t a big fan of Jeremy Stephens as KnuckleMania V draws closer. Throughout the course of his career, Eddie Alvarez has always been an absolute warrior. He goes out there and puts it all on the line, and while he doesn’t always pick up the win, he certainly knows how to put on a show for the fans. Beyond that, he’s also been able to capture gold in most of the organizations he’s competed for.

Harry Kettle - January 6, 2025

Former UFC stars Rampage Jackson and Michael Bisping have taken the time to reflect on a crazy previous sparring session they had. In their prime, Rampage Jackson and Michael Bisping were two of the most exciting fighters in mixed martial arts. They trained together and climbed the ranks together, with both eventually managing to become UFC champions. Of course, in order to get to that point, they had to put in a whole lot of hours at the gym.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 5, 2025

UFC color commentator Joe Rogan believes he knows what the holdup is with Alex Pereira’s next title fight. Fight fans who have been paying attention to the light heavyweight title picture can conclude that Magomed Ankalaev is a clear deserving number one contender. Ankalaev hasn’t been defeated since his UFC debut back in March 2018, and it remains the lone defeat of his pro MMA career. More recently, the Russian contender defeated Aleksandar Rakic via unanimous decision to improve his record to 19-1, 1 NC.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 5, 2025

One ex-UFC title challenger believes the ship has sailed on Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua. A matchup between Fury and Joshua has long alluded the boxing world for one reason or another. Many believe the typical boxing politics prevented the two from sharing the ring at the peak of their careers. Now that both men are without gold and have tasted defeat more than once, there is a belief that the fight could finally come to fruition.