MMA News

Harry Kettle - August 19, 2025

PFL champion Francis Ngannou has explained why he was absent from the recent PFL Africa event. As we know, PFL Africa was something that Francis Ngannou was pretty excited to be a part of. He’s been eager to help grow mixed martial arts in that part of the world and so, when he didn’t appear at the first few events under that banner, some eyebrows were raised.

Harry Kettle - August 19, 2025

UFC legend Frankie Edgar is reportedly set to come out of retirement in order to compete for BKFC. As we know, Frankie Edgar is an absolute icon in the world of mixed martial arts. The former UFC champion was known for being one of the toughest, most exciting guys to watch on the roster, and that was true throughout most of his career with the promotion. When he retired a few years ago, though, many believed it was the right decision in the wake of five nasty KO/TKO losses in his last eight fights.

Harry Kettle - August 19, 2025

Khamzat Chimaev is a popular man in the wake of his UFC middleweight championship triumph at UFC 319 last weekend. As you can imagine, Khamzat Chimaev’s name has been on plenty of people’s lips since UFC 319. He finally reached the top of the mountain and claimed UFC gold on Saturday night, defeating Dricus du Plessis. He didn’t just win, though – he dominated the South African sensation and, for the most part, made it look easy.

Dylan Bowker - August 18, 2025

Khalil Rountree Jr. has a massive fight coming up with a former UFC light heavyweight champion and a combatant who previously beat him has weighed in on this fight. Andrew Sanchez touched upon this fight ahead of his own clash against former PFL champ Impa Kasanganay inside the PFL smart cage on August 21st. One of the bigger wins that Sanchez notched in his UFC tenure came against Rountree Jr. victory that saw the former become the TUF 23 champion. When offering up his thoughts on the Jiri Prochazka versus Rountree Jr. fight coming up at UFC 320 on October 4th, Sanchez said,

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 18, 2025

Nabil Anane steps outside his comfort zone when he makes his kickboxing debut against a former ONE World Champion. The undisputed bantamweight Muay Thai king faces his biggest test yet as he chases two-sport glory against proven elite competition. Anane battles Ilias Ennahachi in bantamweight kickboxing action at ONE Friday Fights 126 on September 26 inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The 21-year-old Thai-Algerian champion attempts to prove his striking skills translate across disciplines against the former ONE Flyweight Kickboxing World Champion.

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 18, 2025

“Reug Reug” Oumar Kane reached heights few athletes ever achieve in their homeland. The ONE Heavyweight MMA World Champion discovered that Senegal’s secondary schools now teach his story as part of their educational curriculum. Kane defends his belt against Anatoly Malykhin at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on Sunday, November 16, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The 33-year-old Senegalese fighter enters the rematch as the first African-born champion in ONE Championship history.

Cole Shelton - August 18, 2025

Reinier de Ridder is hopeful to get the next middleweight title shot. de Ridder was in attendance at UFC 319 for the middleweight title fight that saw Khamzat Chimaev become the new champ with a dominant performance against Dricus Du Plessis. Following his win, Chimaev said he wants to turn around quickly and fight in Abu Dhabi in October, which de Ridder is more than ready for.

Cole Shelton - August 18, 2025

The UFC was in Chicago, Illinois, on Saturday, August 16, for a solid UFC 319 card. The main event saw middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis defending his belt against Khamzat Chimaev. The co-main event saw Lerone Murphy taking on newly signed Aaron Pico. Ultimately, it was Chimaev who dominated Du Plessis in all five rounds as he controlled him on the ground for a lopsided win to become the new champ. In the co-main event, Murphy scored a stunning first-round highlight-reel KO win. Following UFC 319, here is what I think should be next for the stars of the event.

Cole Shelton - August 18, 2025

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was surprised by how the UFC 319 main event played out. In the main event of the pay-per-view card on Saturday, Dricus Du Plessis was looking to defend his middleweight title for the third time when he took on Khamzat Chimaev. However, Chimaev dominated Du Plessis in all five rounds, as he got the champ down early and was able to control him and dominate him on the ground for a lopsided decision win.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 18, 2025

Dana White has some thoughts on Dricus du Plessis’ performance at UFC 319. “DDP” attempted to nab a third successful UFC middleweight title defense when he met Khamzat Chimaev this past Saturday. Instead, he was taken down and controlled throughout the five-round title fight in Chicago. Ultimately, du Plessis dropped a unanimous decision with scores of 50-44 across the board.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 18, 2025

One MMA legend is baffled by the reaction to Khamzat Chimaev’s dominant UFC 319 showing. Chimaev controlled Dricus du Plessis for nearly 22 of the 25 minutes they shared the Octagon this past Saturday. It was a grappling clinic in favor of “Borz.” Chimaev searched for chokes, but he settled for ground control on his way to a unanimous decision victory and his first UFC title win, capturing the middleweight championship.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 18, 2025

Alexander Volkanovski wants to give Lerone Murphy a crack at UFC gold before 2025 is out. Volkanovski was paying close attention to the UFC 319 co-main event. On the card, Murphy took on Aaron Pico, who was making his UFC debut. Murphy shut the lights off Pico with a spinning back elbow. It was a statement-making win, and one that Murphy feels should secure him a UFC Featherweight Championship opportunity. Volkanovski, who is the current titleholder, agrees.

Harry Kettle - August 18, 2025

UFC star Sean O’Malley believes that Khamzat Chimaev could make the move up to light heavyweight following his middleweight title triumph. Last Saturday night, Khamzat Chimaev finally reached the top of the mountain. He defeated Dricus du Plessis via unanimous decision to win the UFC middleweight championship. He did so in the main event of UFC 319 and, in all honesty, he made it look pretty easy with a dominant display from start to finish.

Harry Kettle - August 18, 2025

UFC newcomer Aaron Pico has released a statement in the wake of his nasty knockout loss to Lerone Murphy. As we know, there was a great deal of hype surrounding Aaron Pico ahead of his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship this past weekend. The overwhelming expectation was that if he could defeat Lerone Murphy, he would set himself up for a world title fight against Alexander Volkanovski. Alas, that isn’t quite how things panned out.

Harry Kettle - August 18, 2025

UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes has said that he will not compete inside the Octagon for the remainder of the year. Curtis Blaydes is an interesting case study in the UFC’s heavyweight division. For many years now, he’s seemed like the kind of fighter who is capable of making a push to challenge for the world title. However, whenever he’s gotten even remotely close to doing so, he’s lost his next big fight. Alas, even with that being the case, many of his fans still hold out hope that he can overcome these setbacks and challenge for the gold one day.

Harry Kettle - August 18, 2025

UFC star Carlos Prates has called for a potential showdown with former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards. Last weekend, Carlos Prates got back to winning ways in style. He was able to defeat Geoff Neal at UFC 319, and he did so via spinning elbow knockout. As you can imagine, that was more than enough to restore a lot of the hype that had previously been surrounding the welterweight prospect prior to his Ian Machado Garry defeat.

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 17, 2025

Redemption roads rarely offer easy entry points. But Tawanchai PK Saenchai chose the scenic route back to two-sport supremacy. The ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion’s kickboxing resurrection begins against a dangerous young striker who represents everything standing between him and reclamation. Tawanchai battles Liu Mengyang in featherweight kickboxing action next. This happens at ONE Friday Fights 126 on September 26 inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. He seeks his 135th career victory while attempting to erase painful memories from his last kickboxing appearance.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 17, 2025

Michael Page wouldn’t mind throwing leather with another UFC 319 winner. Page competed on the main card of UFC 319 this past Saturday. He went one-on-one with Jared Cannonier in a battle of seasoned veterans. While Cannonier had the edge in terms of middleweight experience, Page was elusive for the majority of the fight. Cannonier had success late, but he ultimately dropped a unanimous decision.