MMA News

Curtis Calhoun - April 23, 2026

UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev didn’t hold back in response to Ronda Rousey’s recent harsh criticism of the promotion. UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey is weeks away from her highly anticipated return to Mixed Martial Arts after a 10-year absence. Rousey and fellow women’s MMA pioneer Gina Carano headline a stacked card on Netflix next month, featuring the returns of Nate Diaz, Mike Perry, and former UFC heavyweight titleholder Francis Ngannou.

Curtis Calhoun - April 23, 2026

A UFC legend believes former heavyweight champ Brock Lesnar would get the upper hand on Jon Jones if they met in an RAF wrestling match. Former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones remains at odds with the promotional brass over his exclusion from the upcoming White House card. After last-minute negotiations between Jones and the matchmakers fizzled, Jones publicly asked for his release and has traded barbs with UFC CEO Dana White.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 23, 2026

Most people had Pet Suanluangrodyok as a heavy underdog in his last fight. He won anyway, by unanimous decision, against a veteran who had just gone to war with a World Champion. Now he wants to make an even louder statement. Pet headlines the atomweight Muay Thai main event against French-Algerian teenager “Petsam” Nahyan Mohammed at The Inner Circle, streaming live for members at live.onefc.com from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, April 24. The 19-year-old Thai carries a 5-2 promotional record and a four-stoppage finishing rate into the fight, and he is not looking to add a fifth decision to his resume.

Curtis Calhoun - April 23, 2026

Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira is looking frightening ahead of his highly anticipated heavyweight debut at UFC Freedom 250. UFC superstar Alex Pereira’s long-awaited heavyweight debut is just weeks away as he prepares to fight Ciryl Gane in the UFC Freedom 250 co-main event. Pereira vs. Gane is an interim heavyweight title bout amidst Tom Aspinall’s ongoing hiatus, with the winner set to face the undisputed champion at a later date.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 23, 2026

Former Lethwei Champion Vero “The Kayan Leopard” and former K-1 Champion Kana “Krusher Queen” Morimoto will collide in an atomweight kickboxing showdown. It happens at The Inner Circle on Friday, May 22, live from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok. The winner could leave the Thai capital as the leading contender for Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom’s ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Title. Vero, 29, arrives riding a three-fight winning streak built against world-class opposition. She dropped a razor-close split decision in her promotional debut in February 2025. Then the Myanmar sensation bounced back with a knockout of Junior Fairtex, a split decision over Li Mingrui, and a hard-fought victory over Shir Cohen in February. She now makes her kickboxing debut in ONE on the back of that momentum. She looks to add a former title challenger to a resume that has already announced her as one of the division’s most dangerous fighters.

Dylan Bowker - April 23, 2026

Dustin Poirier getting the urge to return from retirement has been bouncing around the rumor mill lately and some of his American Top Team compatriots have weighed in. When speaking to former Bellator MMA champ and PFL standout Johnny Eblen, the elite middleweight touched on the rumors centred on reports out there regarding Poirier previously pitching a Nate Diaz Zuffa Boxing fight to some of the TKO brass. In terms of if he thinks ‘The Diamond’ may don the bigger gloves and step into the boxing ring after retiring from mixed martial arts last Summer in a trilogy bout with Max Holloway at UFC 318, Eblen said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 23, 2026

Arman Tsarukyan has dared Ilia Topuria to fight him before moving up to the welterweight division. Topuria has had his sights set on a potential clash with UFC Welterweight Champion Islam Makhachev. First, “El Matador” will need to focus on his lightweight title unification bout with Justin Gaethje, which is scheduled to headline UFC Freedom 250 on June 14.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 23, 2026

Youssef Zalal wants to catapult himself to the top of the UFC featherweight division, and he thinks beating Aljamain Sterling would give him a big resume boost. Zalal and Sterling are scheduled to clash in the UFC Vegas 116 main event on Saturday. It’s by far the biggest bout in Zalal’s pro MMA career. For Sterling, it’s an opportunity to set a young contender back while making a case for a title shot. “Funk Master” believes he can face reigning 145-pound champion Alexander Volkanovski next with an impressive outing.

Cole Shelton - April 22, 2026

Francis Ngannou admits Jon Jones is still the fight he really wants. Ngannou vs. Jones is one of the biggest fights to make in MMA, but it seems like a bout that will never happen. Jones has retired from MMA, while Ngannou is set to fight for MVP Promotions, and a return to the UFC seems unlikely. However, Ngannou said that the fight is the one he really wants and hopes it can happen.

Curtis Calhoun - April 22, 2026

UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan had malicious intent behind his viral mid-match fall with Urijah Faber at RAF 08. Arman Tsarukyan continues to keep busy outside of the Octagon as he continues to wait for a UFC lightweight title shot. The top UFC lightweight contender recently squared off with UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber in the Real American Freestyle 08 main event, earning a dominant 13-1 victory.

Curtis Calhoun - April 22, 2026

Interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has an open invite from boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. to help him prepare for Ilia Topuria. One of the most intriguing UFC fights of the year is just weeks away as Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje headlines the promotion’s upcoming White House card. UFC Freedom 250 also features the return of Alex Pereira against former interim UFC heavyweight champ Ciryl Gane, along with the returns of Michael Chandler, Bo Nickal, and Diego Lopes.

Curtis Calhoun - April 22, 2026

UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo was one of the first people to reach out to Conor McGregor after his former rival’s revealing comments. Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor and UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo shared one of the wildest rivalries in Mixed Martial Arts history in the prime of their careers. After Aldo reigned supremely over the UFC featherweight division for years, McGregor pulled off a one-punch knockout to dethrone Aldo at UFC 194.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 22, 2026

Takeru “Natural Born Krusher” Segawa is stepping into the ring one final time with the weight of a nation behind him. The 34-year-old Japanese kickboxing icon faces Rodtang “The Iron Man” Jitmuangnon for the ONE Interim Flyweight Kickboxing World Championship in the main event of ONE SAMURAI 1 on Wednesday, April 29, live from Ariake Arena in Tokyo. For Takeru, the occasion carries meaning that stretches far beyond a rematch or a title. As the headliner of the inaugural edition of ONE Championship’s new monthly Japanese series, he understands that his performance sets the tone for everything that follows. The former three-division K-1 Champion signed with ONE with one opponent in mind, and their first meeting at ONE 172 last March ended in 80 seconds — a left hook, a knockdown, a finish he has been working to answer ever since.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 22, 2026

A shoulder injury cost Jonathan Haggerty his shot at Tokyo last November. On April 29, “The General” gets what he came for, and he is not leaving without a statement. Haggerty makes the second defense of his ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title against former K-1 Champion Yuki Yoza at ONE SAMURAI 1, broadcasting live via pay-per-view from Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on Wednesday, April 29. The 29-year-old Londoner had a fight locked in with Nabil Anane at the same venue at ONE 173 last November. However, a torn rotator cuff forced him out just weeks before the bout. Five months later, the shoulder is right and the camp has been everything the last one could not be.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 22, 2026

Luke Rockhold doesn’t think much of Sean Strickland as a person, and he hopes Khamzat Chimaev steamrolls him. Chimaev is scheduled to put his UFC Middleweight Championship at stake against Strickland on May 9. The two will clash inside the Prudential Center in Newark for the UFC 328 headliner. There is some bad blood going into this one, with both men even threatening a potential street fight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 22, 2026

Francis Ngannou’s coach admits he might be a bit too optimistic, but he’s not giving up on the idea of a UFC return. Ngannou had a tumultuous exit from the top MMA promotion in early 2023. While “The Predator” was the reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion, he ultimately couldn’t come to terms on a new deal. Ngannou moved on to PFL MMA and had lucrative boxing matches with Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. Now, Ngannou is no longer on the PFL roster.

BJ Penn Staff - April 22, 2026

Shem Rock may have been a little overconfident about his future in the UFC. Rock, who trains alongside Paddy Pimblett at Next Generation MMA Liverpool, joined the UFC lightweight roster in 2025. At the time, he sported an impressive 11-1-1 pro record. That obviously gave him a lot of confidence about his chances of success in the promotion, but things ultimately didn’t go well for him. First, he lost a decision to Nurullo Aliev in his debut. Then, things went from bad to worse, as he lost another decision to Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady in sophomore Octagon appearance. With that, he was released from the UFC. News of his departure from the promotion was announced by the X account UFC Roster Watch this week.

BJ Penn Staff - April 22, 2026

Aiemann Zahabi still hasn’t signed a contract for his fight at UFC Freedom 250. Zahabi, from Canada, is one of the top contenders in the UFC bantamweight division at the moment. At UFC Freedom 250, which goes down on June 14 on the White House lawn, he is set to take a big step up against former champ Sean O’Malley.