MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 1, 2025

Rankings mean everything in combat sports, and Kongthoranee Sor Sommai refuses to surrender his hard-earned position. The Thai veteran recognizes the threat undefeated sensation Aslamjon Ortikov poses to everything he’s built. Kongthoranee faces Ortikov in flyweight Muay Thai at ONE Fight Night 36: Prajanchai vs. Di Bella II on Prime Video on Friday, October 3, in Bangkok, Thailand. The #4-ranked Thai contender defends his position against the 22-year-old Uzbek phenom riding an unblemished 22-0 professional record.

Curtis Calhoun - October 1, 2025

Former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad apparently didn’t get his desired opponent for his return to the Octagon. Just days away from UFC 320 in Las Vegas, UFC CEO Dana White broke some fight news surrounding the promotion’s inaugural event in Qatar on November 22nd. A lightweight main event between Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker was made official, and Belal Muhammad vs. Ian Machado Garry was slated for the co-main event of the card.

Curtis Calhoun - October 1, 2025

MMA legend Wanderlei Silva plans to get justice against Rafael Freitas after he was brutally assaulted following a disqualification loss in boxing. Wanderlei Silva’s return to combat sports via the boxing ring couldn’t’ve went much worse against Acelino Freitas last weekend in Brazil.

Curtis Calhoun - October 1, 2025

Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dan Hooker isn’t the only high-stakes fight announced for UFC Qatar on November 22nd by Dana White. UFC lightweights Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker will officially square off in the main event of UFC Qatar next month.

Curtis Calhoun - October 1, 2025

The often talked about fight between former UFC standouts Darren Till and Mike Perry is closer than ever to coming to fruition in the Bare Knuckle FC ring. Bare Knuckle FC superstar Mike Perry is days away from his long-awaited return to the ring against Jeremy Stephens in defense of his ‘king of violence’ title. Perry returns to BKFC for the first time since defeating Thiago Alves in April 2024, followed by a professional boxing defeat to Jake Paul.

Cole Shelton - October 1, 2025

Joe Pyfer wants to set the record straight ahead of UFC 320. Pyfer is set to take on Abus Magomedov on the main card in a pivotal fight at middleweight. The fight was made after Pyfer turned down Magomedov earlier this year. But after they both won their recent fights, Pyfer felt like the time was now for the bout to be made.

Cole Shelton - October 1, 2025

In the main event of UFC 320, the light heavyweight title is up for grabs as Magomed Ankalaev takes on Alex Pereira. Heading into the fight, Ankalaev is a -265 favorite while the Brazilian is a +200 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to pro fighters to get their predictions for the light heavyweight title fight. The pros believe Ankalaev will be able to edge out another decision win, as Pereira won’t be able to defend the clinch and wrestling.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 1, 2025

UFC CEO Dana White will be dropping some fight news on Wednesday. The UFC boss has been known to deliver significant announcements during his Instagram Live sessions. This go-around will be no different, as the official X account of the UFC has revealed that White will be dropping some info once again.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 1, 2025

Daniel Cormier isn’t the only American Kickboxing Academy member who gets roasted by Khabib Nurmagomedov. During his pro MMA career, head coach Javier Mendez served as an important mentor for “The Eagle.” Mendez helped turn Nurmagomedov into one of the best lightweights in UFC history. Nurmagomedov retired as the UFC Lightweight Champion with a perfect pro MMA record of 29-0.

Harry Kettle - October 1, 2025

Former UFC champion Henry Cejudo believes Merab Dvalishvili should head up to featherweight if he wins at UFC 320. On Saturday night, Merab Dvalishvili will attempt to successfully defend his UFC bantamweight championship for a third time. He’ll do so against Cory Sandhagen in a fight that looks pretty intriguing on paper. While Merab is an absolute monster when it comes to his wrestling and his cardio, Sandhagen presents a lot of potential problems for him in the striking department.

Harry Kettle - October 1, 2025

UFC legend Stephen Thompson believes Alex Pereira will get his revenge against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320. On Saturday night, Alex Pereira will challenge Magomed Ankalaev for the UFC light heavyweight championship. It’s the same clash we saw earlier this year and in their first meeting, it was Ankalaev who was able to snatch the title away from ‘Poatan’. This time around, of course, the Brazilian sensation will be hoping to make the necessary adjustments to win him back the crown.

Harry Kettle - October 1, 2025

Cory Sandhagen’s coach has explained the mentality they have heading into his UFC 320 title fight this weekend. On Saturday night, Cory Sandhagen will attempt to capture the UFC bantamweight championship for the very first time. In order to do so, however, he must first get through the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut that is Merab Dvalishvili. ‘The Machine’ has been on fire in the last few years, with his last few fights showcasing how special he really is in victories over Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley.

BJPENN.COM Staff - October 1, 2025

Height advantages mean nothing when fists carry knockout power. Just ask Thai destroyer Jaosuayai Mor Krungthepthonburi, who refuses to let a 4-inch deficit intimidate him against undefeated Azerbaijani sensation Akif Guluzada. Jaosuayai faces Guluzada in flyweight Muay Thai at ONE Fight Night 36: Prajanchai vs. Di Bella II on Prime Video on Friday, October 3, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The #5-ranked Thai contender battles the 20-year-old riding a perfect 4-0 promotional record after earning his six-figure contract by demolishing Puengluang Baanramba in January.

Dylan Bowker - September 30, 2025

Wanderlei Silva and Acelino Freitas were both hit with long suspensions, whereas the person who knocked out the ex-UFC vet in the post-fight brawl came out of the melee, sans suspension. This was decided upon by the Brazilian National Boxing Council, with several cornermen on both sides also facing suspensions after the controversy of Spaten Fight Night 2. After being disqualified for several headbutts, Silva would also be knocked out by Rafael Freitas, Acelino’s son, during a sizable post-fight brawl that saw the opposing teams throw down in the ring. MMA Fighting was informed about this decision from the regulatory body to suspend the combatants and seconds in question.

BJPENN.COM Staff - September 30, 2025

Legacy demands proper closure, and Myanmar icon Aung La N Sang refuses to exit quietly against former welterweight kingpin Zebaztian Kadestam. Their friendship makes this farewell meaningful, but sentiment won’t soften punches. He faces Kadestam in middleweight MMA at ONE Fight Night 36: Prajanchai vs. Di Bella II on Prime Video on Friday, October 3, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The 40-year-old “Burmese Python” closes two decades of competition against the 35-year-old Swede making his middleweight debut.

Dylan Bowker - September 30, 2025

Charles Jourdain prepares for a looming UFC Fight Night bout in the great fight north, and a fellow Canadian compatriot has weighed in on that fight. Jesse Ronson is the combatant in question, who also had several fights in the UFC octagon. ‘The Bodysnatcher’ is coming off a victory in his bare-knuckle boxing debut at BKB 46 after a pair of gloveless MMA wins under Jorge Masvidal’s Gamebred Bare Knuckle MMA banner. Jourdain and Ronson were actually supposed to fight at one point, in a champ vs. champ fight in TKO many moons ago in Montreal. When asked what his thoughts are on the Charles Jourdain-Davey Grant fight coming up on October 18th at the UFC Vancouver card, Ronson said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],

Cole Shelton - September 30, 2025

Youssef Zalal knows he can be closing in on a featherweight title shot at UFC 320. Zalal is set to open the main card against Josh Emmett in a pivotal fight at featherweight. After Zalal’s win over Calvin Kattar, he called out Emmett, but he said that was due to the fact that he was the highest-ranked fighter without a fight.

Curtis Calhoun - September 30, 2025

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili still has serious animosity towards one of his former rivals, whom he’d like to fight again after UFC 320. Merab Dvalishvili is days away from making his third bantamweight title defense of 2025 at UFC 320. Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen will square off in the UFC 320 co-main event in a highly anticipated stylistic matchup.