MMA News
Fabricio Andrade defends Bantamweight World Title against Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu at ONE Fight Night 38
BJPENN.COM Staff - October 8, 2025
Championship gold gets tested when ONE Championship closes 2025 with back-to-back title fights. Fabricio Andrade risks everything against a submission specialist who has tormented every opponent standing between him and glory. Andrade defends his ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title against Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu at ONE Fight Night 38 on Friday, December 5, in Bangkok, Thailand in U.S. primetime. The 30-year-old Brazilian puts his crown on the line against the surging #4-ranked Mongolian contender in the main event.
UFC Vancouver's Aiemann Zahabi "would love to take [Marlon Vera's] place"
Dylan Bowker - October 8, 2025
Aiemann Zahabi is having the biggest run of his career and hopes to vault toward title shot proximity by beating a former title challenger. The Tristar product has the chance to do just that when he battles Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC Vancouver on October 18th. A lot is falling into place for Zahabi, who spoke with MMA Canada and touched on how he called for this Vera bout after his massive Jose Aldo win in May at UFC 315. When addressing how important it was to him to get that desired next fight locked in, considering the expressed callout of Vera, Zahabi said [via MMA Canada],
Charles Oliveira wants Conor McGregor White House fight: "We’re talking about a lot of money"
Dylan Bowker - October 8, 2025
Charles Oliveira is joining the droves of fighters campaigning for a fight card spot that corresponds with Donald Trump’s birthday and is eyeing a true golden goose in combat sports. The former UFC lightweight champion was referring to a desired Conor McGregor fight at the UFC White House card, even though Oliveira is heading into this next assignment this weekend. ‘do Bronx’ will clash with Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Rio, with Oliveira shifting his focus from a previously scheduled opponent. Oliveira was supposed to fight Rafael Fiziev, but his withdrawal forced a reshifting of his focus on Gamrot.
Jake Paul shares emotional tribute to Arturo Gatti Jr. after promising boxer's tragic death
Curtis Calhoun - October 8, 2025
Jake Paul and many boxing stars are mourning the tragic death of Arturo Gatti Jr. The boxing world is collectively mourning after the news broke that Arturo Gatti Jr., the 17-year-old son of the legendary boxing legend, passed away on Wednesday. The WBA confirmed the news of Gatti’s passing in a recent statement.
Former UFC fighter Suman Mokhtarian shot dead in Sydney in targeted attack
Cole Shelton - October 8, 2025
Former UFC fighter Suman Mokhtarian has been shot dead in an alleged targeted attack in Sydney, Australia. According to ESPN, Mokhtarian was killed in Riverstone at around 6 pm on Wednesday. Emergency services were called to the scene and found Mokhtarian with gunshot wounds. He unfortnately died at the scene after paramedics’ attempts at reviving him.
Paul Hughes issues first remarks on what went wrong in Usman Nurmagomedov rematch
Curtis Calhoun - October 8, 2025
PFL superstar Paul Hughes opened up on his second decision loss of the year to Usman Nurmagomedov. PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov handed Paul Hughes another loss in their highly anticipated rematch last weekend in Dubai. In another instant classic, Nurmagomedov outpointed Hughes to bring their rivalry to a seemingly swift close.
Carlos Ulberg shares surprising take on Alex Pereira's potential heavyweight move ahead of likely title shot
Curtis Calhoun - October 8, 2025
UFC light heavyweight contender Carlos Ulberg seemed to give Alex Pereira the go-ahead to pursue heavyweight over a potential title defense against him. Alex Pereira got his desired revenge in the UFC 320 main event last Saturday in Las Vegas. Just months after losing the UFC light heavyweight title to Magomed Ankalaev, Pereira got the better of Ankalaev in their rematch, finishing Ankalaev in under two minutes.
Charles Oliveira shoots down retirement talk ahead of UFC Rio: 'I'm not thinking about it'
Cole Shelton - October 8, 2025
Charles Oliveira shoots down any talk of retirement ahead of his UFC Rio main event. Oliveira is set to headline UFC Rio on Saturday against Mateusz Gamrot in a pivotal fight at lightweight. Oliveira is coming off a knockout loss to Ilia Topuria for the lightweight title back in June. Although he’s making a quick turnaround, there have been talks that Oliveira could retire after the bout.
TJ Dillashaw claims UFC 320 fighter battled illness in loss
Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 8, 2025
In the aftermath of UFC 320, TJ Dillashaw claims a key fighter on that card was dealing with an ailment. UFC 320 had some memorable moments. Alex Pereira dismantled Magomed Ankalaev to reclaim the light heavyweight gold. Jiri Prochazka pulled off a comeback knockout win over Khalil Rountree. Patchy Mix’s split decision loss to Jakub Wikłacz might be memorable for the wrong reason.
UFC legend predicts massive surprise in Charles Oliveira vs. Mateusz Gamrot fight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 8, 2025
One retired UFC icon thinks fans will be surprised during UFC Rio. Charles Oliveira is set to headline the UFC’s next “Fight Night” event on Saturday. He was initially set to meet Rafael Fiziev, who suffered an injury. Mateusz Gamrot has stepped up as a replacement opponent. It’ll be Oliveira’s first fight in Brazil since 2020, and the first time there with a live crowd since 2019.
Cory Sandhagen thinks Merab Dvalsihvili is 'winnable fight' following UFC 320 loss
Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 8, 2025
Cory Sandhagen doesn’t believe he met an unstoppable force at UFC 320. Sandhagen challenged Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC Bantamweight Championship this past Saturday in Las Vegas. The opening round looked promising for Sandhagen, but he had his bell rung in the second stanza. This led to a dominant round for “The Machine,” but the challenger was never truly out of the fight.
Bas Rutten opens up on his experience working on The Smashing Machine
Harry Kettle - October 8, 2025
MMA legend Bas Rutten has opened up about his experience working on The Smashing Machine movie with Dwayne Johnson. As we know, Bas Rutten is an icon in the world of mixed martial arts. He accomplished some incredible things throughout the course of his career and to this day, he is a big fan favorite within the sport. He was also, once upon a time, a coach for Mark Kerr, who was recently played by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in The Smashing Machine – a film based on the documentary of the same name.
UFC White House doesn't need Conor McGregor or Jon Jones, says MMA legend
Harry Kettle - October 8, 2025
Demetrious Johnson doesn’t believe that the UFC White House card needs Conor McGregor or Jon Jones to succeed. As we know, there’s been a whole lot of talk recently about the upcoming UFC event at the White House, currently scheduled for next summer. While Dana White insists that no fights will even be discussed until February, that hasn’t stopped the masses from fantasy booking – and in a lot of instances, Jon Jones and Conor McGregor are mentioned as potential fighters on the card.
Edmen Shahbazyan stays humble despite three-fight UFC win streak
Harry Kettle - October 8, 2025
UFC prospect Edmen Shahbazyan is keeping his feet on the ground despite extending his win streak to three at UFC 320. For many years now, Edmen Shahbazyan has been considered a really interesting rising contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While he started off like a house on fire, a loss to Derek Brunson a few years back really seemed to knock his confidence. However, after a few more hiccups including a submission defeat to Gerald Meerschaert, he has bounced back in a big way in 2025.
Rambong reveals winning factor against Stephen Irvine at ONE Friday Fights 128: "Whoever is mentally tougher"
BJPENN.COM Staff - October 8, 2025
Knockout defeats create two types of fighters — those who shrink from pressure and those who weaponize pain into something dangerous. Rambong Sor Therapat belongs firmly in the second category. Rambong faces Stephen Irvine in the 130-pound Muay Thai main event at ONE Friday Fights 128 on Friday, October 10, inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The 28-year-old Thai striker seeks redemption three months after Suriyanlek Por Yenying’s second-round knockout ended his seven-fight winning streak at ONE Friday Fights 115.
Yuya Wakamatsu embraces do-or-die mentality: "I'll fight as if it's my last"
BJPENN.COM Staff - October 7, 2025
For Yuya Wakamatsu, defending his ONE Flyweight MMA World Title carries stakes that transcend sport — failure simply isn’t survivable in his mind. Wakamatsu defends his strap against Joshua Pacio at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on Sunday, November 16, inside Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The 30-year-old Japanese fighter makes his first title defense against the reigning strawweight king in a rare champion-versus-champion clash.
Arman Tsarukyan believes Ilia Topuria is avoiding him: 'I'm the only one that can beat Ilia'
Cole Shelton - October 7, 2025
Arman Tsarukyan believes Ilia Topuria is avoiding him, as he knows he’s a difficult matchup. Tsarukyan is coming off a split decision win over Charles Oliveira back in April of 2024 to become the No. 1 contender. However, injuries have kept him on the sidelines as he will now headline UFC Qatar against Dan Hooker.
Deiveson Figueiredo "at 220%", eyes "fight for the belt" post-UFC Rio
Dylan Bowker - October 7, 2025
Deiveson Figueiredo sees himself in prime position to vault towards a title shot with a strong showing at UFC Rio. While some might see the former UFC flyweight champion in a bit of a compromised spot coming off of consecutive defeats, Figueiredo has an interesting line of logic as to why he could get a title crack. The Brazilian mixed martial artist is preparing to clash with Montel Jackson in Rio de Janeiro with Figueiredo facing his first unranked opponent since his 2017 promotional debut.