MMA News

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.

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.

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.

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.

Curtis Calhoun - October 7, 2025

Josh Thomson doesn’t have faith in UFC bantamweight Patchy Mix turning things around after a 0-2 start with the promotion. Former Bellator champion Patchy Mix was regarded as one of the biggest UFC signings earlier this year and a potential threat to Merab Dvalishvili. But after another disastrous outing at UFC 320 last Saturday, Mix’s roster spot might be in grave danger.

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.

Dylan Bowker - October 7, 2025

Ilia Topuria has tipped his cap to fellow Georgian fighter Merab Dvalishvili after the latter’s UFC 320 victory. Dvalishvili notched the third defense of his bantamweight title across a reign that now has many referring to him as MMA’s GOAT at 135 pounds. The 34-year-old bested Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event of the promotion’s October 4th pay-per-view offering. It was a historic outing for Dvalishvili who broke a UFC record related to takedowns that he already held going into the card at 97 takedowns overall. That record is one that the Georgian standout kept building on as Dvalishvili left the cage having recorded 117 takedowns as the dust settled on the clash with ‘Sandman’.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 7, 2025

A former UFC veteran thinks Alex Pereira might be walking into a bad matchup against Jon Jones. Pereira is fresh off a first-round TKO finish over Magomed Ankalaev in their UFC 320 rematch. With the win, “Poatan” is now a two-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion. During his post-fight speech, Pereira called for a moment of silence for Jones’ brother, Arthur, who passed away on Oct. 3. Pereira told reporters that his plan had been to call out “Bones” for a fight at the White House next year.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 7, 2025

The head coach of UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili has a scathing prediction for a potential Umar Nurmagomedov rematch. Back in January, Dvalishvili silenced any doubters he may have had left. He successfully defended the 135-pound gold against Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision. While Nurmagomedov was competitive, “The Machine” was a step ahead and outlasted the challenger.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 7, 2025

If one ex-UFC champion is correct, then Alex Pereira might be the one to hand Jon Jones his first non-disqualification loss. Pereira has dazzled fight fans throughout his combat sports career, and he secured another signature moment this past Saturday. “Poatan” challenged Magomed Ankalaev for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in a rematch. Pereira had lost the gold in their first encounter, but things were quite different at UFC 320.

Harry Kettle - October 7, 2025

UFC middleweight Joe Pyfer has admitted that he felt flat at UFC 320, despite his submission win over Abus Magomedov. For quite some time now, Joe Pyfer has been seen as a real contender in the UFC’s middleweight division. It’s been a gradual rise but every time he gets in there, his power alone serves as proof that he has the potential to do some really big things at 185 pounds.

Harry Kettle - October 7, 2025

UFC contender Sean O’Malley has given his thoughts on Merab Dvalishvili’s striking following his win at UFC 320. Last Saturday night, Merab Dvalishvili defeated Cory Sandhagen to retain his UFC bantamweight championship. It was the result many expected, but in addition to his incredible wrestling prowess, he also managed to drop Sandhagen – to the point where he almost got him out of there in the second round.

Harry Kettle - October 7, 2025

UFC light heavyweight contender Carlos Ulberg is contemplating his next move following last weekend’s UFC 320 event. Just a few weeks ago, Carlos Ulberg made a real statement at 205 pounds when he knocked out Dominick Reyes. It was the kind of statement win he needed and now, many consider him to be the rightful number one contender for the UFC light heavyweight championship. Of course, with Jiri Prochazka also in the mix, it’s hard to know what direction the UFC is going to go in.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 6, 2025

Body shots changed everything for Jonathan Di Bella. The moment Prajanchai’s expression shifted in round one, the Italian-Canadian knew his corner had called the perfect strategy. Di Bella unified the ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship with a unanimous decision victory over Prajanchai PK Saenchai at ONE Fight Night 36 on Friday, October 3, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The 29-year-old erased his only career defeat while earning a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

Cole Shelton - October 6, 2025

The UFC was in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday for a solid UFC 320 card. The main event saw Magomed Ankalaev defending his light heavyweight title against Alex Pereira. The co-main event saw Merab Dvalishvili defending his bantamweight belt against Cory Sandhagen. In the end, it was Pereira who reclaimed his belt with a first-round knockout win over Ankalaev. In the co-main event, Dvalishvili dominated Sandhagen en route to a clear-cut decision win to defend his belt. Following UFC 320, here is what I think should be next for the stars of the event.

Curtis Calhoun - October 6, 2025

Former UFC title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. spoke for the first time since his KO loss to Jiri Prochazka at UFC 320. Former UFC champion Jiri Prochazka scored one of the biggest highlights of UFC 320 when he knocked out Khalil Rountree Jr. with a left hook in their light heavyweight bout. In a back-and-forth war for as long as it lasted, Rountree was left in a pool of his own blood in a gruesome scene after an impressive showing in his last Octagon appearance.