MMA News

Curtis Calhoun - October 8, 2025

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier says Magomed Ankalaev was encouraged not to fight at UFC 320 after suffering a rib injury weeks before the event. Magomed Ankalaev’s UFC light heavyweight title reign came to a screeching halt at the hands of Alex Pereira last weekend at UFC 320. Pereira knocked out Ankalaev in their rematch to reclaim the light heavyweight throne, handing Ankalaev his first defeat since his promotional debut in 2018.

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.

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.

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.

Curtis Calhoun - October 8, 2025

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker isn’t playing games ahead of his UFC Qatar main event matchup with Arman Tsarukyan. Top UFC lightweight contenders Dan Hooker and Arman Tsarukyan will collide in the upcoming UFC Qatar main event in a pivotal matchup in the division. The UFC Qatar main event winner could potentially earn the next title shot against UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria.

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.

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.

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.

Harry Kettle - October 8, 2025

Henry Cejudo believes that out of the realistic options, Tom Aspinall vs Jon Jones is the best possible choice for the UFC White House main event. In a few short weeks, Tom Aspinall will defend his UFC heavyweight championship for the first time against Ciryl Gane. These two men have been circling one another for a few years now, and finally, we’ll get the chance to see a fight that, style wise, should be pretty interesting to watch.

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.

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.

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.

Dylan Bowker - October 7, 2025

Conor McGregor comes across as quite passionate about BKFC, but the partial owner of the bare-knuckle boxing outfit was seen curiously liking a social media post centred on Alberto Blas leaving the promotion. Blas left the company as their reigning bantamweight champion and the unbeaten bare-knuckle boxer, since crossed over to BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing, where he won his debut and kept his streak of first-round finishes going. In the wake of Blas announcing that he was signing to BKB, BKFC’s partial owner Conor McGregor had liked an Instagram post regarding Blas switching from one gloveless combat promotion to BKFC’s rival.

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.

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.

Curtis Calhoun - October 7, 2025

Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan revealed he fought Merab Dvalishvili significantly compromised ahead of a likely rematch. UFC bantamweight titleholder Merab Dvalishvili retained his title in largely dominant fashion against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320 last Saturday. Despite Sandhagen proving to be a tough test on the feet, Dvalishvili challenged Sandhagen with his vastly improved striking en route to a decision victory.

BJ Penn Staff - October 7, 2025

UFC staff have been cautioned not to drink alcohol during their upcoming visit to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The warning to staff was delivered in an internal memo, per MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz, following a wave of poisonings in the South American country.

BJ Penn Staff - October 7, 2025

Conor McGregor has been handed an 18-month suspension by Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD), the internal organization responsible for drug-testing in the UFC. McGregor, a former two-division UFC champion, received the suspension after failing to produce samples on repeated occasions. Specifically, he violated CSAD’s whereabouts policies.