MMA News

Cole Shelton - April 16, 2026

Khamzat Chimaev has issued a harsh warning to Sean Strickland ahead of UFC 328. Chimaev is set to defend his middleweight title in the main event of UFC 328 on May 9 in Newark, New Jersey. Heading into the bout, Chimaev is a sizable betting favorite, and he not only expects to beat Strickland but also to dominate him. And,

Curtis Calhoun - April 16, 2026

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka plans to turn his attention from his newborn daughter to his critics after UFC 327. Jiri Prochazka’s quest to become the UFC’s latest two-time light heavyweight champion fell short of the mark against Carlos Ulberg at UFC 327 last weekend in Miami. Despite battering Ulberg’s leg just minutes into the fight, Prochazka’s activity stalled, as Ulberg went on to rally and earn a miraculous first-round knockout victory.

Curtis Calhoun - April 16, 2026

Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili will go to great lengths to get a picture with any of his fans. Merab Dvalishvili is inarguably one of the biggest fan favorites in the UFC. His exciting style inside the Octagon, combined with his colorful personality, has made Dvalishvili a household name when discussing the sport’s biggest stars.

Curtis Calhoun - April 16, 2026

UFC welterweight star Kevin Holland’s win over Randy Brown was extremely significant for him and his family in more ways than one. Kevin Holland snapped a two-fight skid with an impressive performance against Randy Brown at UFC 327 last Saturday in Miami. The welterweight fan favorite outpointed Brown en route to a unanimous decision victory to get back into the welterweight mix.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 16, 2026

Alex Pereira has given his assessment of Jiri Prochazka’s stunning loss to Carlos Ulberg. Prochazka seemed to have victory in hand during his vacant light heavyweight title fight against Ulberg at UFC 327. Early on, Ulberg injured his knee, which severely hindered his movement. Prochazka appeared hesitant when Ulberg showed difficulty with his movement.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 16, 2026

Colby Covington doesn’t like Justin Gaethe’s chances against Ilia Topuria going into UFC Freedom 250. Gaethje and Topuria are scheduled to collide on June 14 with the undisputed UFC Lightweight Championship at stake. Once Topuria went on hiatus, Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett to capture the interim gold. “El Matador” and “The Highlight” will clash for the undisputed distinction at the historic White House event.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 16, 2026

Mike Perry believes he can be credited for taking the Nate Diaz fight away from Conor McGregor. Diaz had been in talks with UFC for a return to the promotion before settling on a one-fight deal with Most Valuable Promotions. UFC CEO Dana White said that Diaz was given an offer that he felt he couldn’t refuse, and there are no hard feelings.

Dylan Bowker - April 15, 2026

Dana White maintains that UFC Freedom 250 is an apolitical event, but a former UFC lightweight stalwart has called him out on some facets of that characterization. The UFC figurehead was touching on the looming Summer event during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, with a clip provided by X account @ChampRDS, as White said, “We’re paying the entire bill on all of this, everything you’re saying. Not one dollar of tax payer money will go into this. This is the UFC’s gift to the 250th birthday of America. I think one of the myths that I would like to crush is, I don’t care if you’re far right, far left, right down the middle, wherever you sit politically, because everybody sits somewhere politically these days, this isn’t about politics.”

Dylan Bowker - April 15, 2026

Mandel Nallo is preparing to make his long-awaited main stage UFC debut this Saturday. Jai Herbert will stand on the other end of the cage from ‘Rat Garbage’ at UFC Winnipeg on April 18th. Herbert has a certain level of combative cache, having competed with some notable mixed martial artists in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Touching upon the notion that he is lined up against a quality opponent to serve having a breakout performance and getting his ideal outcome as a UFC debutant, Nallo said [via MMA Canada],

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 15, 2026

Hiroki Akimoto will return to action in front of his home fans when he meets 20-year-old Taimu Hisai in a bantamweight kickboxing clash at ONE SAMURAI 1 on Wednesday, April 29, broadcasting live from Ariake Arena in Tokyo. The addition completes the card for ONE’s inaugural monthly event in Japan.

Curtis Calhoun - April 15, 2026

Jorge Masvidal responded to Colby Covington’s $100k lawsuit which cited physical, emotional, and mental damage suffered in a 2022 attack. Despite being more than four years removed from their UFC 272 main event clash, UFC stars Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington remain at odds, with a potential resolution nowhere in sight.

Dylan Bowker - April 15, 2026

Julien Leblanc will make his octagon debut at UFC Winnipeg and does so against Robert Valentin on April 18th. When touching base on how the veteran of several Canadian regional MMA circuits feels preparing to make his first walk into the UFC cage on Saturday, Leblanc said [via MMA Canada], “Yeah, I’m on cloud nine. It’s the right words. Feeling super pumped, feeling amazing. Like I said, feeling also grateful. Thankful to the UFC that they gave me my shot at 34 years old, but I’m planning on showing them that they made the right decision on giving me my shot and signing me.”

Curtis Calhoun - April 15, 2026

Newly minted UFC light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg might need a new belt after apparently losing it just days after UFC 327. Carlos Ulberg pulled off one of the most miraculous come-from-behind wins in recent UFC history when he knocked out Jiri Prochazka at UFC 327 last weekend. After suffering a nasty leg injury just minutes into Round 1, Ulberg knocked out Prochazka with one punch to win the vacant UFC light heavyweight title.

Cole Shelton - April 15, 2026

Curtis Blaydes believes he did enough to get his hand raised at UFC 327. Blaydes suffered a decision loss to Josh Hokit in one of the best fights this year. Although Blaydes and Hokit put on a war, ‘Razor’ does think the judges got it wrong, and he should have gotten the win.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 15, 2026

Avazbek “Ninzya” Kholmirzaev has served notice to the ONE flyweight MMA division. The 25-year-old Uzbek challenger will meet reigning ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya “Little Piranha” Wakamatsu in one of four title bouts at ONE SAMURAI 1, broadcasting live from Ariake Arena in Tokyo on April 29. Kholmirzaev’s ascent through the flyweight ranks has been relentless. Since arriving in ONE, he has racked up nine victories inside the promotion — eight of them by stoppage — and enters this fight riding a six-fight winning streak.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 15, 2026

Aaron Pico did significant damage to the eye and nose of Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. Freire and Pico collided in a battle of Bellator alums on the featured preliminary bout of UFC 327. Pico turned in a high-level performance that earned him a unanimous decision. The showing was so impressive that UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier said the version of Pico that was present on Saturday could give reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski problems.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 15, 2026

There is some new beef brewing between Paddy Pimblett and Mateusz Gamrot. Pimblett recently posted his live reactions to the UFC 327 card, which took place this past Saturday. Gamrot fought Esteban Ribovics on the prelims, and he scored a second-round submission finish.

BJ Penn Staff - April 15, 2026

Former UFC champ Ronda Rousey is set to make an unlikely return to the cage on May 16. Her opponent will be fellow women’s MMA trailblazer Gina Carano. Given Rousey’s status as one of the best female fighters ever, and one of the most important figures in the sport’s history, her comeback a very big deal. It’s also headlining the first MMA card ever to air on Netflix, which is another feather in her cap.