MMA News

Cole Shelton - September 3, 2025

Patricio Pitbull is set to welcome Losene Keita to the UFC on the main card of UFC Paris. Pitbull is coming off a decision win over Dan Ige to pick up his first win in the UFC. Despite being ranked 11th, Pitbull is set to take on a newcomer, which is a bit of a surprise, but the Brazilian is fine with it.

Dylan Bowker - September 3, 2025

Alexander Volkanovski stands high atop the UFC’s 145-pound hierarchy, and a former opponent of his does not see anyone dislodging Volk from that peak. Jeremy Kennedy is the combatant in question, as the former UFC combatant prepares for a battle with Jeremy Henry at BFL 84 for the interim BFL lightweight title on September 4th. ‘JBC’ previously fought Volk in the UFC, and Kennedy also beat Aaron Pico in Bellator MMA, with Pico recently having an impactful loss to the potential next UFC featherweight title challenger in Lerone Murphy at UFC 319. During an interview with MMA Canada when asked if he foresees the Volkanovski vs. Murphy bout idea being booked as the next UFC featherweight title fight, Kennedy said,

Curtis Calhoun - September 3, 2025

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira admits his critical tweets about the UFC earlier this year were legit. Alex Pereira raised eyebrows earlier this year when he went on an unexpected social media rant expressing frustration about his standing in the UFC light heavyweight title picture. While Pereira ultimately got his desired rematch against Magomed Ankalaev, one of his former rivals was briefly rumored to be an option to be Ankalaev’s first title defense.

Dylan Bowker - September 3, 2025

A UFC flyweight will not be competing in the octagon until at least 2026 after failed tests from earlier in the Summer materialized with the Combat Sports Anti-Doping. Maryna Moroz has received the suspension in question for a violation of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy after meldonium was found in her system. A late June sample and a mid-July failure were both tied to her situation, with this being a substance that is prohibited on a year-round basis for UFC contracted athletes.

Curtis Calhoun - September 3, 2025

One of Jon Jones’s biggest rivals, Chael Sonnen, agrees with the UFC’s hesitance to have him headline the White House card. Former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones remains adamant in a 2026 return to the Octagon to fight on the lawn of The White House. Despite UFC CEO Dana White defending Jones numerous times during his polarizing career, White is non-committal in rewarding the retired Jones with a spot on the unprecedented card.

Cole Shelton - September 3, 2025

Caio Borralho knows he has his hands full against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Paris on Saturday. Borralho is set to go into enemy territory to take on Imavov in a pivotal fight at middleweight. The winner could get a title shot, so the stakes are high. However, Borralho also knows that Imavov is a tough out as he believes this will be the hardest fight of his career so far.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 3, 2025

Nassourdine Imavov believes there will be a clear No. 1 contender at middleweight following UFC Paris. Imavov has a chance to leave no doubt when he headlines UFC Paris on Saturday against Caio Borralho. UFC CEO Dana White has said the winners of Imavov vs. Borralho and Reinier de Ridder vs. Anthony Hernandez will be in consideration for a title shot against Khamazat Chimaev. The de Ridder vs. Hernandez fight will take place on Oct. 18.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 3, 2025

Salt Papi is not happy about the referee stoppage during his boxing match with Tony Ferguson. Papi and Ferguson collided for the MFB interim middleweight title. The bout served as the co-main event of Misfits Boxing 22 inside Manchester Arena. “El Cucuy” scored a third-round TKO finish, which is his first combat sports victory since 2019.

Harry Kettle - September 3, 2025

Islam Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez has revealed Islam’s big advantage heading into his UFC 322 title fight. At UFC 322 later this year, Islam Makhachev will challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the UFC welterweight championship. If he’s able to pick up the win, he will join an exclusive group of fighters who have been able to win world titles in two weight classes in the promotion.

Harry Kettle - September 3, 2025

UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski has revealed that he’s interested in a possible superfight against Conor McGregor. One thing we know to be true is that Alexander Volkanovski is a massive fan favorite in the world of mixed martial arts. Throughout the course of his time in the sport, and especially in the UFC, he was won the hearts of the masses, and he’s done so through a string of incredible performances.

Harry Kettle - September 3, 2025

PFL champion Usman Nurmagomedov doesn’t agree with Ilia Topuria being seen as the best lightweight in MMA. As we know, Usman Nurmagomedov is one of the most exciting lightweight fighters in the world. He’s also the PFL champion, which is a belt he’ll defend later this year when he goes up against Paul Hughes for the second time. Over in the UFC, meanwhile, the current king at 155 pounds is none other than Ilia Topuria.

Harry Kettle - September 3, 2025

UFC star Mackenzie Dern found out about her UFC 321 title shot against Virna Jandiroba on Instagram. At UFC 321, Mackenzie Dern will get the opportunity of a lifetime. She will compete against Virna Jandiroba and if she wins, she will become the new UFC strawweight champion. Zhang Weili relinquished the belt in order to pursue a second world title against Valentina Shevchenko, swinging the door wide open for Mackenzie and Virna to get this shot.

BJPENN.COM Staff - September 2, 2025

Shadow Singha Mawynn expects fireworks when he faces Bampara Kouyate in their potential ONE World Title eliminator. The Thai striker believes his elbow work and finishing ability will prove decisive against the tall French-Malian contender. Shadow faces Kouyate in featherweight Muay Thai action at ONE Fight Night 35 on Friday, September 5, inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The #3-ranked contender seeks his first title shot while the #2-ranked challenger aims to secure his own championship opportunity.

Curtis Calhoun - September 2, 2025

Cory Sandhagen might take a page out of Demetrious Johnson’s playbook as he prepares to fight Merab Dvalishvili. UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili makes a strong case for the toughest puzzle to solve in Mixed Martial Arts today. As evidenced in recent wins over Sean O’Malley and Umar Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili has a complete game with a gas tank seldom seen inside the Octagon.

Dylan Bowker - September 2, 2025

An enticing lightweight matchup fell out from UFC Paris when Fares Ziam had to withdraw, but Kaue Fernandes has received a compelling replacement opponent for this weekend. Ziam withdrew from the bout after receiving the news that his grandmother had passed away, with subsequent reports indicating that the Cage Warriors featherweight champion would be called up to fill that bout vacancy for Saturday. The CW 145-pound titleholder Harry Hardwick will be moving up to 155 pounds for this Fernandes fight on September 6th, and Hardwick has not tasted defeat across his last nine contests. In a post that was put up on his Instagram story regarding this late replacement scenario, Hardwick said [via Bloody Elbow],

Cole Shelton - September 2, 2025

Former UFC interim welterweight champion Colby Covington is very interested to see how the welterweight title fight plays out. Jack Della Maddalena is looking to defend his welterweight title for the first time when he takes on Islam Makhachev. The former lightweight champ is moving up to welterweight in a highly anticipated bout. Heading into the bout, Della Maddalena is a +196 underdog while the challenger is a -260 favorite on FanDuel.

Dylan Bowker - September 2, 2025

A former UFC middleweight champion seems unsure about his path back to gold after his recent setback at UFC Abu Dhabi, but does still have competition-based motivations going forward. Robert Whittaker was the former champion in question, with the previous 185-pound titleholder expressing this thought during a recent interview with Submission Radio. The 34-year-old recently dropped a close split decision to former two-division ONE Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder in July. At a time when the middleweight hierarchy is stacked like it hasn’t been in years, with looming high-stakes title eliminator-style bouts set up with RDR clashing with Anthony Hernandez at UFC Vancouver, as well as this weekend’s UFC Paris headliner with Nassourdine Imavov against Caio Borralho, it can become difficult to stand out as a prospective title challenger.

Curtis Calhoun - September 2, 2025

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski showed no mercy on one of his most devoted fans. Alexander Volkanovski returned to the UFC featherweight throne when he defeated Diego Lopes for the vacant belt earlier this year. As he prepares for the first title defense of his second reign, he’s having a lot of fun in and out of the gym.