MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 26, 2025

Ibragim Dauev owes his ONE Championship career to Anatoly Malykhin‘s generosity and guidance. The Russian featherweight credits his compatriot with providing the connection and mentorship that transformed his fighting career. Dauev faces undefeated Akbar Abdullaev in featherweight MMA action at ONE Fight Night 35: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger on Prime Video on Friday, September 5, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The 24-year-old seeks to extend his perfect promotional record to 4-0 against dangerous opposition.

Dylan Bowker - August 26, 2025

Tracy Cortez has a big sequel clash in her future and will reportedly returning to the octagon at UFC 322 to take part in that. Over six years since their initial meeting under the Invicta FC banner, Cortez will be running things back with Erin Blanchfield but this time in the UFC’s octagon on a targeted November 15th card. This news was first reported on by MMA Junkie. While the promotion has not officially announced this card, the expectation is that it will transpire on this date and from the world’s most famous arena. Madison Square Garden will play host to this consequential contest at flyweight with Cortez and Blanchfield occupying the number eight and number four rankings spots at 125 pounds, as of this writing.

Cole Shelton - August 26, 2025

Sean Strickland doesn’t believe Raja Jackson should go to jail over his alleged assault during a wrestling event. Jackson, the son of Rampage Jackson, was involved in a wrestling incident that was streamed on Kick. Jackson entered the ring and slammed Skyo Stu to the mat and landed over 20 shots, which put Stu out. As Stu was knocked out, Jackson continued to land punches before being pulled off him.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 26, 2025

A current PFL champion received a pleasant surprise from Joe Rogan during the UFC 319 broadcast. It isn’t often that someone from PFL gets a mention on a UFC show, but that’s exactly what happened during the ESPN portion of the UFC 319 prelims. During a strawweight clash between Loopy Godinez and Jessica Andrade, Rogan mentioned Liz Carmouche’s 2025 PFL Women’s Flyweight Tournament win.

Harry Kettle - August 26, 2025

UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has named the biggest welterweight threats facing Islam Makhachev in his new division. As we know, Islam Makhachev is set to make the move up to welterweight in the next few months. He’ll challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the UFC title, and if he wins, he will join an exclusive group of fighters who have been able to win world titles in two different weight classes.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 26, 2025

A former UFC bruiser has weighed in on the horrific incident involving Raja Jackson during an independent wrestling show. Raja, who is the son of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, was a guest for KnokX Pro Wrestling this past weekend. Raja was filmed backstage when he had an incident with wrestler Skyo Stu. Raja was mistaken for an in-ring talent, and Stu used what appeared to be a gimmicked beer can to hit him in the head.

Harry Kettle - August 26, 2025

PFL star Paul Hughes believes that he will break Usman Nurmagomedov in their planned rematch later this year. Back at the start of the year, Paul Hughes challenged Usman Nurmagomedov for the Bellator/PFL lightweight championship. While many felt as if the Irishman would be able to put forward a solid effort, few could’ve imagined that he would push Usman all the way in the manner that he did.

Harry Kettle - August 26, 2025

UFC star Islam Makhachev has given his thoughts on the decline of American champions in the promotion in recent years. As we know, Islam Makhachev is the former UFC lightweight champion. Now, he’s pursuing a second world title up at welterweight, as he prepares to go head to head with Jack Della Maddalena for the strap.

Dylan Bowker - August 25, 2025

Charles Jourdain and Kyle Prepolec are both embarking on their Octagon returns in the Fall, with the Canadian combatants getting a chance to compete on home soil. The two fighters have been announced for the looming UFC Vancouver card, with both positioned to receive a hero’s welcome from the partisan crowd on October 18th. Jourdain is set to test skills against Davey Grant, with Prepolec set to do battle against lightweight stalwart Drew Dober.

Dylan Bowker - August 25, 2025

A combatant who has recorded more wins at 170 pounds than anyone in UFC history will be making his octagon return at UFC Fight Night 260. Neil Magny will throw down with Jake Matthews at the looming UFC Perth card. This bout can be seen by North American audiences on September 27th, September 28th in Australia, inside RAC Arena, Magny will attempt to secure his twenty-fourth win as a contracted UFC welterweight fighter. This will be Magny’s sophomore UFC outing of the calendar year as he previously finished Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in the second stanza of their contest from earlier this month. In addition to being the welterweight all time wins leader, Magny also has accolades like most fights, total fight time, and most significant strikes in the promotion’s history of 170 pound fighters.

Dylan Bowker - August 25, 2025

Shavkat Rakhmonov and Sean Brady throwing down in the octagon in a few months was going around the rumor mill recently until a representative of the former came out to clarify some things. A report from Sportilinet.Kz intimated that this battle of ranked welterweights would happen in the final quarter of 2025. The report from the Kazakhstan-based media source intimated that Brady versus Rakhmonov was in the works for the looming UFC Qatar card.

Dylan Bowker - August 25, 2025

Bryan Battle did not have to wait even two weeks to find out what his next combat sports assignment would be in the wake of being released from the UFC. After weight misses happening in back to back bookings under the UFC banner, Battle received his walking papers. This came after missing the mark at welterweight and in his most recent attempt, missing the contracted middleweight limit. The next time the combat sports world will see Battle compete will be next week as part of the Jon Jones and Mike Perry helmed promotion Dirty Boxing Championship. DBX will be holding another card on August 29th from The Hangar in Miami, Florida with the recently released octagon warrior prepared to step into the DBX ring as announced on the promotion’s official social media.

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 25, 2025

Ritu Phogat continues her journey back to title contention against dangerous opposition. The wrestling specialist faces Japanese judoka Itsuki Hirata in a grappling showcase that could determine future championship opportunities. Phogat battles Hirata in atomweight MMA action at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on Sunday, November 16, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The bout features two elite grapplers seeking to establish themselves among the division’s top contenders.

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 25, 2025

Adrian “The Phenom” Lee balances content creation with championship ambitions as he documents his rising career. The 19-year-old fighter uses social media to connect with fans while maintaining focus on his primary goal of MMA success. Lee faces Tye Ruotolo in lightweight MMA action at ONE Fight Night 35: Buntan vs. Hemetsberger on Prime Video on Friday, September 5, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The undefeated Hawaii native enters riding three consecutive first-round finishes that earned $50,000 performance bonuses.

Cole Shelton - August 25, 2025

The UFC was in Shanghai, China, on Saturday for a solid UFC Shanghai Fight Night card. The main event saw light heavyweight contenders throw down as Johnny Walker took on Zhang Mingyang. Entering the fight, Walker was on a two-fight losing streak after back-to-back KO losses to Volkan Oezdemir and Magomed Ankalaev. Mingyang, meanwhile, was a perfect 3-0 in the UFC and was coming off a first-round stoppage win over Anthony Smith.

Cole Shelton - August 25, 2025

Paulo Costa has his eyes set on former middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis as his next opponent. Costa is coming off an upset win over Roman Kopylov to prove he’s still a contender at middleweight. Following the win, the Brazilian wanted to face Khamzat Chimaev, but he knows he will likely need another fight, so he wants to face Du Plessis instead of rematching the likes of Israel Adesanya or Sean Strickland.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 25, 2025

Tony Ferguson has a clear message for those who want him to stop fighting. Ferguson is 41 years old and lost eight fights in a row before his time with the UFC came to an end. “El Cucuy” also hasn’t secured a win since 2019. Still, Ferguson snaps at anyone who suggests he should step away from the fight game.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 25, 2025

A renowned ex-referee has an important question for Brian Ortega. Ortega was in action this past Saturday in the co-main event of UFC Shanghai. It was a big spot for “T-City,” as he was facing a former UFC champion in Aljamain Sterling. It was also an opportunity for Ortega to rebound after losing his UFC 306 clash with Diego Lopes.