MMA News

Cole Shelton - September 23, 2025

Mateusz Gamrot was thrilled when he found out he would be headlining UFC Rio against Charles Oliveira. It was announced that Rafael Fiziev was forced out of the main event spot against Oliveira due to an injury. Gamrot was one of many lightweights who put their hat in the ring to face the Brazilian. Yet, it was Gamrot who got the shot, and his coach shared a video of the Polish contender finding out he was getting the main event spot.

Curtis Calhoun - September 23, 2025

Conor McGregor recently declared his planned UFC return against Michael Chandler next year, and one legendary former fighter isn’t having it. Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor made headlines just days ago when he confirmed his intentions to fight Michael Chandler on the UFC’s White House card next year. McGregor and Chandler were supposed to square off at UFC 303 last year, before McGregor withdrew from the bout due to a toe injury.

Curtis Calhoun - September 23, 2025

Former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira has a new opponent for the promotion’s upcoming return to Rio de Janeiro. Charles Oliveira will make a relatively quick turnaround to fight at UFC Rio next month. Oliveira’s return to the cage comes just months after a brutal knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 317.

Cole Shelton - September 23, 2025

Dominick Reyes is hoping to earn a rematch with Jiri Prochazka in the near future. Reyes is set to headline UFC Perth on Saturday against Carlos Ulberg in an intriguing light heavyweight bout. The winner of the fight will be in the title conversation, and Reyes has an idea of how he wants the division to play out.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 23, 2025

Darren Till isn’t one to slander the UFC, but he admits he didn’t agree with a business decision the promotion made a decade ago. Prior to 2015, UFC fighters were accustomed to signing their own sponsorship deals. Oftentimes, the fighter shorts and banners would be filled with branding. In late 2014, UFC announced a deal with Reebok that marked the end of its athletes being able to wear outside branding on their gear. While the UFC introduced compliance payouts, many argued that the freedom to secure independent sponsorships was more lucrative.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 23, 2025

Ciryl Gane wasn’t exactly up in arms during the drama involving Jon Jones’ UFC heavyweight title reign. Jones actually defeated Gane to capture the heavyweight gold back in 2023. “Bones” was scheduled to defend the championship later that year against Stipe Miocic, but he suffered an injury. Meanwhile, Tom Aspinall captured the interim title and called for a unification bout against Jones. Instead, UFC went through with Jones vs. Miocic in late 2024, which “Bones” won via TKO. After mulling things over for several more months, Jones decided to retire from pro MMA competition.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 23, 2025

A boxing legend, who is a top promoter in the sport today, is taking Dana White and TKO to task. White has helped the UFC soar to new heights for over two decades and he was recently called upon to promote the super fight between Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez in Las Vegas. White was questioned about the efforts of TKO to amend the Muhammad Ali Act throughout the buildup. Many believe the attempt is being made in order for TKO to enter the boxing space on its own terms at the expense of fighters.

Harry Kettle - September 23, 2025

UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili believes he will hit the 100-takedown milestone against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320. Right now, Merab Dvalishvili is easily one of the best fighters in all of mixed martial arts. He is the UFC bantamweight champion and if he beats Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320, he will have successfully defended the strap for the third time.

Harry Kettle - September 23, 2025

UFC champion Alexandre Pantoja believes Charles Oliveira should consider a move up to the welterweight division. As we know, Charles Oliveira is an absolutely huge fan favorite within the world of mixed martial arts. He has achieved some incredible things during his time in the sport and for his next outing, he was originally scheduled to battle Rafael Fiziev in the main event of UFC Rio. Unfortunately, that’ll no longer be taking place.

Harry Kettle - September 23, 2025

UFC star Reinier de Ridder has expressed disappointment at Anthony Hernandez being forced out of their fight. Right now, Reinier de Ridder is one of the most fascinating contenders in all the UFC. He is enjoying life in the middleweight division and after defeating Robert Whittaker, he was given a number one contender fight (of sorts) against Anthony Hernandez. However, now that ‘Fluffy’ has pulled out, Brendan Allen has stepped up to try and make a statement of his own against RDR.

Harry Kettle - September 23, 2025

MMA analyst Dan Hardy has questioned Alex Pereira’s strategy in his first fight against Magomed Ankalaev. In the main event of UFC 320, Alex Pereira will challenge Magomed Ankalaev for the UFC light heavyweight championship. It comes in the wake of their first meeting, in which Ankaalev was able to take the belt away from ‘Poatan’ in a performance that didn’t show the best that the Brazilian had to offer.

Cole Shelton - September 23, 2025

The 204th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live to preview UFC Perth. We’re first joined by UFC light heavyweight contender Jimmy Crute (1:13). We close things out by chatting with UFC bantamweight Colby Thicknesse (9:39).

Dylan Bowker - September 22, 2025

Jiri Prochazka will take on Khalil Rountree in the coming weeks, and someone who has previously trained with the former has broken down that bout. Martin Buday discussed this on Bowks Talking Bouts and referenced getting in work with Jiri Prochazka around this time last September at New Park Gym. When asked for his thoughts on the consequential contest in the light heavyweight hierarchy between Jiri Prochazka and Khalil Rountree at UFC 320, Buday said,

Dylan Bowker - September 22, 2025

Robert Whittaker is eyeing a return to the cage next year and looks to put himself in the position of partisan favorite against a fellow former UFC middleweight champion. The man known as Bobby Knuckles has recently referenced that he feels iced out of the UFC middleweight title scene after back-to-back losses to current champ Khamzat Chimaev and surging contender Reinier de Ridder. That being said, Sean Strickland is a relevant fighter in the division without a dance partner and is someone who is also interwoven into the UFC’s 185-pound titleholder history. Appearing on the MMArcade Podcast and indicating what he wants next for an in-cage competitive assignment, Whittaker said [via Sportskeeda],

BJPENN.COM Staff - September 22, 2025

Prajanchai PK Saenchai refuses to leave his rematch with Jonathan Di Bella in the judges’ hands. The Thai wants to erase all doubt with explosive finishing power when he faces the interim titleholder again. He faces Di Bella for the undisputed ONE Strawweight Kickboxing World Championship at ONE Fight Night 36 on Friday, October 3, live from Bangkok, Thailand. The 30-year-old two-sport ONE World Champion carries the memory of their closely contested first encounter, where he captured vacant gold through unanimous decision at ONE Friday Fights 68.

Curtis Calhoun - September 22, 2025

Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis’ first pre-fight faceoff left many boxing fans perplexed by their ridiculous size difference. WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis and the polarizing Jake Paul are less than two months away from squaring off in one of the biggest fights of the year in the ring. This will mark Paul’s second fight since defeating Mike Tyson last year, and comes after dismantling Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. earlier in 2025.

Cole Shelton - September 22, 2025

Tom Aspinall claims he never wanted to wait for Jon Jones. Aspinall was the interim heavyweight champion for over a year as he was waiting to face Jones, and even had to defend his belt once. Yet, the Jones fight never happened as ‘Bones’ retired and Aspinall was promoted to the undisputed champion.

Curtis Calhoun - September 22, 2025

Dan Hardy believes a potential fight between PFL superstar Dakota Ditcheva and UFC flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko would have a decisive victor. 2024 PFL flyweight champion Dakota Ditcheva is arguably the face of the league after a torrid start to her MMA career. Following Kayla Harrison’s PFL departure last year, Ditcheva has become one of the league’s biggest stars and is one of the most talked-about athletes in women’s MMA.