MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 3, 2025

Shamil Gasanov finally settled the score with the only man to defeat him professionally. The Dagestani’s revenge mission against Garry Tonon required three grueling rounds and overcoming a late-fight injury to achieve closure. Gasanov defeated Tonon by unanimous decision at ONE Fight Night 34 on Prime Video on Friday, August 1, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The #3-ranked featherweight contender avenged his lone career setback while proving his evolution as a complete mixed martial artist.

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 3, 2025

Regian Eersel made his most emphatic statement yet about his Muay Thai credentials. The Dutch-Surinamese champion silenced doubters with a devastating first-round knockout that left no questions about his place atop the lightweight division. Eersel defended his ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title against George Jarvis at ONE Fight Night 34 on Prime Video on Friday, August 1, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The 32-year-old champion needed just 84 seconds to crush his British challenger, extending his reign with authority.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 3, 2025

Max Holloway may be shelved until 2026. Holloway is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Dustin Poirier in “The Diamond’s” retirement fight. “Blessed” outstruck his opponent throughout the bout and it earned him a bounce back win after suffering his first knockout defeat to Ilia Topuria.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 3, 2025

Neil Magny has a goal in mind after scoring a second-round TKO finish over Elizeu Zaleski. Magny and Zaleski shared the Octagon this past Saturday at UFC Vegas 108. It was a crucial bout for Magny, who was looking to avoid a third straight loss. He was coming off knockout losses to Michael Morales and Carlos Prates.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 3, 2025

Renato Moicano’s comments on the UFC antitrust lawsuit settlement have garnered heavy criticism from one former slugger. Moicano turned plenty of heads within the MMA community when he revealed on social media that he is refusing to take the money owed to him from the settlement. Moicano argued that he had already agreed to the terms of his previous contract, and he doesn’t feel the need to accept the settlement pay.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 3, 2025

Michael Bisping thinks a rising UFC flyweight needs one more fight before competing for gold. This past Saturday, Tatsuro Taira took on Hyun Sung Park in the main event of UFC Vegas 108. Taira secured a second-round submission finish via neck crank. Taira made it clear after the fight that he feels ready to meet reigning UFC Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 3, 2025

A 155-pound slugger won’t deny that other fighters are avoiding Arman Tsarukyan, but he feels the reasoning is valid. Tsarukyan is currently the No. 2-ranked UFC lightweight. He was expected to challenge Islam Makhachev for UFC gold, but he was forced off the card just hours prior to the weigh-ins. Tsarukyan hasn’t exactly found himself in the UFC’s good graces, and his refusal to face Mateusz Gamrot in a rematch certainly didn’t help.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 3, 2025

Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t want Conor McGregor to continue on the path he is on. McGregor has had his share of legal issues and other run-ins outside of competition. Many within the MMA community believe it has been a significant fall from grace for the man who was once considered to be a special talent inside the Octagon. Some are also disappointed that McGregor didn’t use his popularity for positivity, as he often finds his name in the headlines for an incident.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 1, 2025

The UFC Vegas 108 weigh-ins are over, and it didn’t end without a couple of snafus. The good news is that the planned main event between Tatsuro Taira and Hyun Sung Park is official. Both men tipped the scales at 126 pounds for their flyweight clash. It’s an impressive feat for Park, as he accepted the bout on late notice.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 1, 2025

Daniel Cormier believes there is some hypocrisy when it comes to another UFC Hall of Famer’s critique of Ilia Topuria. “El Matador” is the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion. He has emerged as one of the best fighters on the UFC roster, knocking out the likes of Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira. Topuria has won UFC gold in two weight classes, and he is undefeated.

Harry Kettle - August 1, 2025

MMA analyst Josh Thomson has voiced his concern over the potential UFC return of his former rival Nate Diaz. As we know, Nate Diaz is pretty unpredictable at the best of times. He likes to keep the masses on their toes and given his stature in the world of combat sports, we’d say he’s earned the right to do so. In the present day, though, it certainly feels as if we’re edging closer to seeing him back in mixed martial arts in one form or another.

Harry Kettle - August 1, 2025

UFC legend Dustin Poirier has spoken about his next big priority following his retirement from mixed martial arts. Following his loss to Max Holloway last month, Dustin Poirier officially retired from mixed martial arts. He walked away as one of the most beloved fighters in the history of the sport, and as one of the most exciting lightweights to ever compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Regardless of what happens from here, his body of work speaks for itself, and it’s a testament to the man himself that there were so many emotions flying around in Louisiana when he finally hung up the gloves.

Harry Kettle - August 1, 2025

Aljamain Sterling has explained why his former rival Petr Yan is such a special fighter after his win over Marcus McGhee. Following his recent win over Marcus McGhee, Petr Yan has now won three on the bounce in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While we all know that the bantamweight division is absolutely stacked, there’s every chance that he could earn himself another crack at the title in the not-so-distant future.

Cole Shelton - July 31, 2025

Neil Magny knows he has his hands full with his UFC Vegas 108 fight against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. Magny is coming off back-to-back losses to Carlos Prates and Michael Morales and is looking to get back into the win column. Although he’s now fighting a veteran, Magny knows this fight won’t be easy, as he says the Brazilian is dangerous.

Cole Shelton - July 31, 2025

Luke Rockhold won’t be fighting in bare-knuckle ever again. Rockhold fought Mike Perry at BFKC 41 in April of 2023 in his bare-knuckle debut. The former UFC middleweight champion ended up losing by second-round TKO due to retirement. Looking back on the fight, Rockhold doesn’t believe bare-knuckle is a sport.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 31, 2025

Paulo Costa will not be fighting a particular top-ranked UFC middleweight anytime soon. Costa was paying attention to the UFC Abu Dhabi main event between Reinier de Ridder and Robert Whittaker. The bout went the distance and de Ridder was awarded the split decision victory. “RDR” is now a top five UFC middleweight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 31, 2025

A current UFC champion believes Ilia Topuria will become a Hall of Famer once his career wraps up. Topuria has already captured gold in two weight classes. He relinquished the featherweight title in a bid to challenge for the 155-pound gold. “El Matador” scored a first-round knockout over Charles Oliveira to lay claim to his second UFC title.

Harry Kettle - July 31, 2025

MMA analyst John McCarthy has given his thoughts on the possibility of Nate Diaz squaring off with Max Holloway for the BMF title. As we know, Nate Diaz is one of the most popular fighters in mixed martial arts history. He’s always been a bit of an enigma, but it was his two-fight series against Conor McGregor that really helped take him to the next level. He was able to prove to the masses that he belongs on the big stage and while his UFC run was inconsistent from that point on, he still managed to pick up a few nice wins here and there.