MMA News

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 5, 2025

Michael Bisping isn’t as down on Jamahal Hill as others are following a run-in with Alex Pereira. In late 2024, footage surfaced of Hill and Pereira getting into a confrontation inside the UFC Performance Institute. At one point, “Poatan” suggested that he and “Sweet Dreams” fight inside the cage on the spot. Hill declined to take Pereira up on the offer.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 5, 2025

Sean O’Malley has a preference for who he wants the UFC bantamweight champion to be when he’s ready to return. O’Malley lost the 135-pound gold to Merab Dvalishvili back in September. The “Suga” show was outworked by his opponent, who effectively utilized his grappling to get the better of the now former bantamweight ruler. O’Malley was defeated via unanimous decision inside The Sphere in Las Vegas.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 5, 2025

American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez has offered his take on why Islam Makhachev is ahead of Jon Jones on the UFC pound-for-pound list. The topic has been heavily debated ever since UFC CEO Dana White blasted those who have Makhachev at the top of the list. While you won’t see many argue that Jones has accomplished far more in his pro MMA career than Makhachev, being the pound-for-pound best fighter today has more to do with recent sustained success.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 5, 2025

Conor McGregor didn’t hold back on Irish fighters for singing the praises of Khabib Nurmagomedov. In a recent clip posted by the PFL MMA promotion, Nurmagomedov shut down the notion that Ireland has a bevy of great fighters in combat sports. The retired UFC Hall of Famer questioned who was at the top of the list for Irish MMA athletes besides two names.

Josh Evanoff - January 3, 2025

PFL founder Donn Davis has fired back at claims that Aaron Pico is now a free agent. The 28-year-old is riding a wave of momentum right now. Aaron Pico famously signed with Scott Coker’s Bellator a decade ago, with high hopes and a lot of potential. Sadly, the young featherweight hit a few bumps in the road, suffering three losses in his first seven appearances inside the cage. However, it didn’t take Pico long to get used to fighting.

Josh Evanoff - January 3, 2025

If Julianna Pena can’t fight, Norma Dumont wants to face Kayla Harrison for interim UFC gold. The UFC’s women’s bantamweight division is in a bit of a weird spot. Amanda Nunes famously vacated the gold in the summer of 2023, retiring following a decision win over Irene Aldana. A few months later, Raquel Pennington claimed the gold with a unanimous decision victory over Mayra Bueno Silva, in a dismal bout.

Josh Evanoff - January 3, 2025

PFL lightweight contender Paul Hughes has fired back at Khabib Nurmagomedov. ‘The Eagle’ made headlines earlier this week with his controversial comments about Irish MMA. While Khabib Nurmagomedov is retired as a fighter these days, he’s still an active coach for his cousin, Usman Nurmagomedov. The Bellator lightweight champion is slated to meet the rising Irish star Paul Hughes later this month in Dubai.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 3, 2025

Kayla Harrison’s first crack at a UFC title might be for interim gold. Harrison has positioned herself as a top contender in the women’s bantamweight division. She scored victories over former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira, not to mention her stellar run under the PFL banner. Most fans and experts believe the move to make is to book Harrison against the reigning 135-pound titleholder Julianna Pena.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 3, 2025

BKFC owner David Feldman has shared his reaction to Conor McGregor going off on the DAZN streaming service. McGregor purchased minority stake in BKFC and he hasn’t been shy in speaking his mind on certain things involving the promotion. He was quite vocal about BKFC’s top star Mike Perry and claims he even fired “Platinum.” More recently, the “Notorious” one took aim at DAZN after fighters weren’t given interviews after victories during an event.

Harry Kettle - January 3, 2025

Michael Bisping and Paul Felder have provided suggestions for Donald Cerrone’s UFC return opponent. As many of you know, Donald Cerrone is planning a remarkable mixed martial arts comeback. Ever since retiring, he’s focused his attention on several different ventures – but now, he’s hungry to get back in the cage.

Harry Kettle - January 3, 2025

UFC legend Michael Bisping has revealed how he was able to pass some of the promotion’s pre-fight medical exams. We all know that Michael Bisping is an absolute warrior – and that much is an understatement. ‘The Count’ achieved some incredible things in mixed martial arts, with the majority of his best highlights coming in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Harry Kettle - January 3, 2025

UFC legend Daniel Cormier has revealed the drastic measures he took during his iconic run with the promotion. Throughout the course of his mixed martial arts career, Daniel Cormier achieved some truly incredible things. That’s especially true when it comes to his time in the UFC, where he was able to become a two-weight world champion. He only lost to two men in his career, Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones, which says a lot about his legacy at the elite level.

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 2, 2025

January’s huge ONE 170 event has taken an early hit, but the promotion has adapted quickly to alter a high-stakes affair.   Second-ranked bantamweight Muay Thai contender Nico Carrillo was set to collide with reigning king Superlek Kiatmoo9 for the belt. But the Thai superstar was forced to withdraw due to injury.  

Cole Shelton - January 2, 2025

Umar Nurmagomedov believes he will finish Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311. Nuramgomedov is set to challenge Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title in a highly-anticipated matchup. It’s a fight many fans are looking forward to, and Nurmagomedov enters the bout with plenty of confidence, as he believes he won’t just win, but will finish Dvalshvili.

Josh Evanoff - January 2, 2025

UFC Mexico City has reportedly added a middleweight tilt between Kelvin Gastelum and Joe Pyfer. It’s been a rough few years for the 33-year-old former title challenger. He last competed at UFC Saudi Arabia in June, against Daniel Rodriguez. While the bout was initially set for welterweight, the fight was changed to a middleweight contest during fight week, after Kelvin Gastelum let the company know he couldn’t make 170 pounds.

Josh Evanoff - January 2, 2025

According to a recent report, the UFC is on board with booking Conor McGregor vs. Logan Paul. ‘The Notorious’ hasn’t been seen in action for almost four years now. The Irish superstar famously broke his leg in his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier in 2021 but promised a return to the cage by the end of 2022. Sadly, that return never came. Instead, Conor McGregor has found himself involved in controversy, after controversy, while he’s sat on the sidelines.

Cole Shelton - January 2, 2025

Eddie Alvarez is frustrated with how Michael Chandler’s UFC tenure has gone. Alvarez and Chander fought twice in Bellator with both fighters winning a fight. Alvarez went on to become a UFC champ, while Chandler was the Bellator champ, but since joining the UFC, ‘Iron’ has had his struggles.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 2, 2025

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s longtime manager believes there is only one fighter who can match “The Eagle’s” undefeated MMA run. Nurmagomedov ended his pro MMA career with a perfect record of 29-0. He also walked away from pro MMA competition as the reigning UFC lightweight champion. Retiring as an undefeated champion is no small task in the world of MMA, but is there a chance someone can match what Khabib was able to accomplish?