MMA News
Rodtang confronts emotional conflict facing mentor Nong-O for vacant title: "I might be happy or maybe not"
BJPENN.COM Staff - October 21, 2025
Former flyweight king Rodtang Jitmuangnon never imagined destiny would force this collision. The Thai superstar built his reign admiring the veteran who now stands between him and championship redemption, creating emotional complexity that transcends typical competition. Rodtang faces Nong-O Hama for the vacant ONE Flyweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE 173 on Sunday, November 16, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The 28-year-old former champion confronts his longtime role model after being stripped of his belt in November 2024 for missing weight, while 38-year-old Nong-O pursues rare two-division glory.
Mario Bautista believes it's 'going to take everything I have' to beat Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 321
Cole Shelton - October 21, 2025
Mario Bautista knows he will have his hands full when he takes on Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 321. Bautista is set to take on Nurmagomedov on the main card on Saturday in a pivotal fight at bantamweight. After his win over Patchy Mix, Bautista called for a big fight, so he wasn’t surprised he got Nurmagomedov in a No. 1 contender fight.
Jack Della Maddalena's coach explains why Islam Makhachev is 'a bit easier' than Belal Muhammad
Cole Shelton - October 21, 2025
Ben Vickers, the coach of Jack Della Maddalena, believes Islam Makhachev will be an easier fight than Belal Muhammad was. Della Maddalena is set to defend his welterweight title for the first time when he takes on Makhachev. Della Maddalena is coming off a decision win over Muhammad earlier this year to become the welterweight champion.
Sergio Pettis on Patchy Mix UFC 320 loss: "I feel for Patch"
Dylan Bowker - October 21, 2025
Sergio Pettis has a history with Patchy Mix and weighed in on the former Bellator MMA champion taking his second loss in the UFC at UFC 320. Patchy Mix actually finished Pettis to claim the Bellator strap, with Mix entering the UFC with the backing of some tremendous hype. Now he is 0-2 in the UFC, and while Mix fell short to Jakub Wikłacz by way of split decision, in some people’s eyes, that bout verdict was on the controversial side. When asked for his particular thoughts on that Mix fight at UFC 320 and if he was able to catch it, considering his return travel plans from his own emphatic win under the PFL umbrella vs. Magomed Magomedov, which was also on October 4th, Pettis said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
MMA has "become an aggressively right wing sport", per prominent analyst
Dylan Bowker - October 21, 2025
MMA has been quite overt about its political partisanship as of late, according to one of the most widely known analysts within mixed martial arts. This was discussed during a recent interview conducted by acclaimed MMA great Demetrious Johnson when he had Luke Thomas as a guest on his personal YouTube channel. On his channel Mighty, Luke Thomas got into which part of the political continuum the UFC is nestled in, Thomas said, “Dude, like let’s just be honest, it’s become an aggressively right-wing sport. I bring this up to say, some people will like that, some people will not like that. I’m not trying to tell anybody they don’t have to like that if they, in fact do. In fact, what I’m quite aware of is even if I did, they wouldn’t listen. It’s not really about that.”
Jon Jones vs. Alex Pereira is a 'tough fight' to predict, says UFC 321 heavyweight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 21, 2025
Alex Pereira is calling for a UFC White House clash with Jon Jones, and a top contender thinks the dream fight would be a close call. After starching Magomed Ankalaev in the first round of their rematch to reclaim the light heavyweight gold, Pereira started a moment of silence for Jones’ late brother Arthur. When speaking to reporters later on, Pereira admitted that his initial plan was to call out “Bones” for a clash at the White House.
UFC legend slams athletic commissions amid Dan Miragliotta debacle in Vancouver
Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 21, 2025
A former UFC slugger has some strong words for athletic commissions following Dan Miragliotta’s performance as an official in Vancouver. Miragliotta received heavy criticism for how he handled the Kyle Nelson vs. Matt Frevola fight at the end of the first round. While Nelson was raining down strikes, Miragliotta pulled him off of Frevola with three seconds remaining. Despite the fact that a horn never sounded, Miragliotta thought the round ended and the fight continued. Ultimately, Nelson earned a unanimous decision win.
UFC 321 fight between Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane will be one-sided, says popular analyst
Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 21, 2025
UFC 321 will be headlined by Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane, and one analyst thinks it’ll be a one-sided affair. Gane will challenge Aspinall for the UFC Heavyweight Championship on Saturday. Being a contender for UFC gold isn’t unusual territory for “Bon Gamin.” He is a former interim champion and has challenged Ngannou and Jon Jones. Those bout ended up being losing efforts for Gane, and an ex-UFC fighter thinks history will repeat itself.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 207 with Mario Bautista and Chris Barnett
Cole Shelton - October 21, 2025
The 207th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live to preview UFC 321. We’re first joined by eighth-ranked UFC bantamweight Mario Bautista (1:12). We close things out by chatting with UFC heavyweight Chris Barnett (14:18).
Justin Gaethje gets honest about UFC 254 defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov
Harry Kettle - October 21, 2025
Justin Gaethje has opened up on his submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 254. Right now, Justin Gaethje is waiting his opportunity to compete for the UFC lightweight championship once again. While it certainly seems like he’s the next man in line to face Ilia Topuria, it’s certainly not guaranteed – which is probably why we haven’t heard an official announcement from the UFC just yet.
Drew Dober reveals he lost his unborn child during UFC Vancouver camp
Harry Kettle - October 21, 2025
UFC veteran Drew Dober has revealed that he lost his unborn child during training camp for UFC Vancouver. It’s safe to say that Drew Dober has been through his fair share of adversity in the Octagon recently. Last Saturday night, though, Drew was able to get back in the win column when he defeated and finished Kyle Prepolec in a great battle at UFC Vancouver.
UFC star thinks Tom Aspinall represents the next stage of divisional dominance
Harry Kettle - October 21, 2025
UFC star Michael ‘Venom’ Page believes Tom Aspinall, like Jon Jones, can dominate his division as world champion. In the main event of UFC 321 this weekend, Tom Aspinall will defend his UFC heavyweight championship. He will do so against Ciryl Gane, and it’ll serve as the first time he defends the belt as the undisputed champ of the division.
Arman Tsarukyan is "the biggest challenge" for Ilia Topuria, per Kyle Nelson
Dylan Bowker - October 20, 2025
Arman Tsarukyan is someone who could present a stiff test for Ilia Topuria according to a recently victorious UFC lightweight. Kyle Nelson is the combatant in question who thinks this and the former UFC featherweight introduced himself to the lightweight scene in a big way at UFC Vancouver. ‘The Monster’ secured a win against Matt Frevola over the weekend with Frevola being a former opponent of Arman Tsarukyan, someone who was supposed to fight for the 155 pound title in January.
Stamp Fairtex "excited, and also nervous" about return to competition ahead of ONE 173
BJPENN.COM Staff - October 20, 2025
Thai superstar Stamp Fairtex spent two years wondering whether her body would cooperate again. The former three-sport queen traded heavy bags for rehab rooms, transforming daily striking sessions into careful stretches that tested patience more than technique. Stamp faces Kana Morimoto in atomweight kickboxing at ONE 173 on Sunday, November 16, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The 27-year-old captured the ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title at ONE Fight Night 14 in 2023 before a torn meniscus derailed her championship reign and forced complete lifestyle reconstruction.
UFC Vancouver's Melissa Croden on potential Canadian MMA boom: "We're all passive and nice until we're not"
Dylan Bowker - October 20, 2025
After her successful UFC debut, amid several big wins for Canadian combatants at UFC Vancouver, Melissa Croden foresees a galvanizing of the Canadian MMA scene taking place. There was a lot of stacked Canadian representation on the UFC Vancouver card, with names like Mike Malott, Aiemann Zahabi, Kyle Nelson, and Charles Jourdain all notching important wins. When asked if it feels like we’re like poised for something big in the Canadian MMA scene as far as getting into a new, peak era and boom period for the great fight north, Croden said [via MMA Canada],
Jean Silva slams Max Holloway in response to mockery of recent UFC callout
Curtis Calhoun - October 20, 2025
UFC featherweight contender Jean Silva hit back at Max Holloway after the BMF titleholder’s cold response to his recent callout. The UFC’s card at The White House is less than a year away, as UFC CEO Dana White plans to host a major event on the South Lawn of the U.S. President’s residence. Many top names have thrown their names into the conversation to feature on the card.
Mackenzie Dern admits she 'wouldn't be ready' to fight Zhang Weili at UFC 321 if ex-champ kept title
Curtis Calhoun - October 20, 2025
UFC strawweight star Mackenzie Dern saluted the former strawweight titleholder ahead of her vacant title fight at UFC 321. After Zhang Weili vacated the UFC strawweight title for a move to flyweight, top strawweight contenders Mackenzie Dern and Virna Jandiroba got the call from matchmakers that they’ll compete for the vacant title at UFC 321. It’ll be the first title shot for Dern and Jandiroba; after both contenders went through a long journey to reach the top of the division.
Max Holloway brutally shuts down fighting bare-knuckle after UFC retirement: "Stupidest thing"
Curtis Calhoun - October 20, 2025
BMF champion Max Holloway doesn’t have any plans of following up his legendary UFC tenure with a move to the bare-knuckle boxing ring. Several UFC legends have made the move from the Octagon to the ring in recent years, most notably Mike Perry and Darren Till. Perry has become the face of bare-knuckle fighting with his electric tenure in Bare Knuckle FC, while Till remains unbeaten in his boxing career after recently knocking out former UFC champ Luke Rockhold.