MMA News

Curtis Calhoun - May 20, 2026

Phumi Nkuta responded to referee Herb Dean’s defense of his controversial stoppage at Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano. An eventful night at the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano event ended with a 17-second finish by the UFC Hall of Famer Rousey. Just a few fights before the main event, a bout between former ONE champion Adriano Moraes and unbeaten prospect Phumi Nkuta made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Curtis Calhoun - May 20, 2026

Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis believes Khamzat Chimaev ‘lost his aura’ at UFC 328 after a bad weight cut. Khamzat Chimaev was on the losing end of one of the biggest upsets in UFC history earlier this month at UFC 328 against Sean Strickland. In his first UFC middleweight title defense, Chimaev was outpointed by a split decision as Strickland reclaimed the throne in a five-round war.

Cole Shelton - May 20, 2026

Dustin Poirier expects Paddy Pimblett to pull off the upset at UFC 329 in his co-main event fight against Benoit Saint-Denis. Pimblett is coming off a loss to Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title earlier this year and has a tough fight in Saint-Denis. Entering the bout, Pimblett is the betting underdog, but Poirier believes the Brit has the tools to get his hand raised, as he was impressed with his durability against Gaethje.

Curtis Calhoun - May 20, 2026

A former UFC heavyweight champion believes Robelis Despaigne would become the first fighter to knock out Francis Ngannou in the cage. It was a triumphant return to Mixed Martial Arts for former UFC heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou last Saturday at Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano, as Ngannou knocked out Philipe Lins in the first round of their heavyweight matchup. It was Ngannou’s first MMA fight since his lone Professional Fighters League appearance in October 2024.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 20, 2026

Conor McGregor is a sizable underdog going into his UFC 329 rematch with Max Holloway, but is there a chance for the “Notorious” one? McGregor has been out of the Octagon since suffering a broken leg in his trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier back in 2021. He was set for a comeback fight against Michael Chandler in 2024, but a toe injury put a dent in that plan.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 20, 2026

King Green is not a fan of how Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev handle business inside the Octagon. Green is known for his willingness to enter the fire in his UFC bouts, and it has earned him four “Fight of the Night” bonuses and three “Performance of the Night” bonuses, which becomes four if you include his lone “Submission of the Night.” At times, Green’s style has cost him with KO losses to the likes of Mauricio Ruffy and Jalin Turner, but he’s been able to bounce back from defeat several times.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 20, 2026

Dustin Poirier has an idea of what Justin Gaethje needs to do to ensure victory over Ilia Topuria. Gaethje and Topuria are scheduled to collide in a lightweight title unification bout in the UFC Freedom 250 headliner. “The Highlight” captured the interim 155-pound gold when he earned a unanimous decision win over Paddy Pimblett back in January. At the time, Topuria was on hiatus.

Dylan Bowker - May 20, 2026

Sean Strickland vs. Khamzat Chimaev had certain parallels to Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva which was addressed in a certain regard by ‘The All-American’ himself. Sean Strickland reclaimed the middleweight crown against Khamzat Chimaev in what many saw as an upset at UFC 328. Someone tied to upset UFC middleweight title wins is Chris Weidman who famously ended the lengthy championship winning streak of Anderson Silva to usurp his 185 pound throne. When asked for his thoughts on Strickland again capturing gold and in another context where a lot of people saw it as a massive upset victory, Weidman said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

Harry Kettle - May 20, 2026

Conor McGregor’s former rival Eddie Alvarez has given his thoughts on the Irishman’s return to the cage at UFC 329. As we know, Conor McGregor will make his return to the cage at UFC 329 when he squares off against Max Holloway for the second time. It comes over a decade after the two first met, and on that occasion, Conor was able to fight through an injury and pick up the win over a young and inexperienced Holloway.

Harry Kettle - May 20, 2026

UFC welterweight Carlos Prates has some pretty big plans for his future in the wake of his recent success in the division. Right now, there are few more interesting fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship than Carlos Prates. He has a great personality, the fans love him, and his fight style is very easy on the eye. Plus, he’s coming off the back of an absolutely masterful performance and win over Jack Della Maddalena.

Harry Kettle - May 20, 2026

Former UFC star Ben Askren has given his thoughts on Francis Ngannou’s main problem since leaving the promotion. Last weekend, Francis Ngannou made his return to active competition in mixed martial arts with an emphatic win over Philipe Lins. While some enjoyed seeing him pick up another knockout triumph, others were concerned that the level of opposition wasn’t quite where it should be for a man who has conquered the heavyweight division in two different promotions.

Curtis Calhoun - May 19, 2026

UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre fears Conor McGregor won’t be ‘close to what he was’ in his UFC 329 comeback fight. After almost five full years away from the Octagon, former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor will fight Max Holloway in a highly anticipated showdown at UFC 329 to cap off International Fight Week. McGregor hasn’t fought since injuring his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, and his most recent comeback attempt at UFC 303 was scratched due to a toe injury.

Curtis Calhoun - May 19, 2026

Bare Knuckle FC superstar Mike Perry sent a fiery message to those who are downplaying his dominant win over Nate Diaz. Mike Perry became the first fighter to finish Nate Diaz in nearly seven years in their Mixed Martial Arts fight last Saturday at Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano. In a fight that was expected to be electric for as long as it lasted, Perry vs. Diaz entertained the masses, although it was a one-sided beatdown.

Curtis Calhoun - May 19, 2026

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling believes referee Herb Dean shouldn’t officiate high-level MMA bouts anymore. Longtime Mixed Martial Arts referee Herb Dean was under the spotlight once again, for the wrong reasons, last Saturday at Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano.

Curtis Calhoun - May 19, 2026

Tensions are ramping up between former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and Jake Paul ahead of a potential boxing showdown. Just minutes after former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou’s triumphant return to Mixed Martial Arts, he and polarizing boxing star Jake Paul began to plant the seeds of a future fight.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 19, 2026

She has not competed in Muay Thai since losing the atomweight title to Allycia Hellen Rodrigues in August 2020. Nearly six years later, Stamp Fairtex steps back into the discipline where her career began. Stamp faces Mexican Muay Thai champion Cynthia Flores in a three-round atomweight Muay Thai bout at The Inner Circle, streaming live for members at live.onefc.com from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, June 26.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 19, 2026

Gina Carano has delivered a statement after being submitted by Ronda Rousey at MVP MMA 1. Carano entered the cage for the first time since 2009 this past Saturday. She shared the cage with Rousey, who is a fellow women’s MMA pioneer. “Rowdy” hadn’t competed in a pro MMA fight since late 2016. While some fans hoped Carano would give Rousey some issues with her takedown defense, they quickly realized that wouldn’t be the case.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 19, 2026

Dustin Poirier wasn’t impressed one bit by Nate Diaz’s efforts in his TKO loss to Mike Perry this past Saturday. Diaz stepped back inside the cage for the first time since 2022 to clash with Perry in the MVP MMA 1 co-main event. Perry had the Stockton native leaking blood before his corner stopped the fight after the second round. Despite the loss, Diaz doesn’t plan on hanging up his gloves.