MMA News

Curtis Calhoun - January 16, 2026

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson envisions a huge send-off for his final appearance in the Octagon. UFC fan favorite Stephen Thompson is likely on the last leg of his MMA career after losses in five of his last six fights. He hasn’t fought since a controversial split decision loss to Gabriel Bonfim last July, after back-to-back stoppage defeats to Shavkat Rakhmonov and Joaquin Buckley.

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 16, 2026

Johan Ghazali’s return hits a snag before the bell even rings. The teenage phenom won’t get his chance to build momentum. A foot injury forced Sean Climaco to withdraw from ONE Fight Night 39 on Friday, January 23, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium, removing the scheduled flyweight Muay Thai clash with the 19-year-old Malaysian-American sensation. Fans eager to see Ghazali extend his winning streak will have to wait for the matchup between two dynamic strikers.

Curtis Calhoun - January 16, 2026

Former UFC two-division champion Amanda Nunes shared her first message since Kayla Harrison’s shocking withdrawal from UFC 324. UFC 324 took a big hit as UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison was forced to withdraw from her scheduled fight with the returning Amanda Nunes due to an injury. Harrison, who won the UFC women’s bantamweight championship at UFC 316 last year, suffered a neck injury that will have her sidelined for at least six months.

Cole Shelton - January 16, 2026

Joe Pyfer expects to make a statement against Israel Adesanya at UFC Seattle. Pyfer is set to headline UFC Seattle on March 28 against Adesanya in a pivotal fight for the middleweight division. If Pyfer wins, he’ll be in the title picture, so he knows this is a massive fight for him.

BJ Penn Staff - January 16, 2026

Fight fans are not exactly thrilled about the lineup for UFC 325. Dana White doesn’t care at all. At least, that’s the impression he’s giving. UFC 325 goes down on Jan. 31 in Australia. The card will be topped by a featherweight title fight between champion Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Diego Lopes. It’s an interesting matchup. There’s just a few glaring problems with it. The first problem is that Volkanovski beat Lopes to claim the vacant featherweight belt less than a year ago, and hasn’t fought anybody since. Lopes, meanwhile, has fought just once, knocking out Jean Silva. The other problem is that there are two other contenders in the division who deserve the chance more than Lopes. Namely, Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy, both of whom are undefeated and riding big wins. Evloev even holds a win over Lopes.

Dylan Bowker - January 15, 2026

Dana White was unsurprisingly not a fan of the recent boxing bout between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul, which drew a lot of widespread attention on Netflix. While the contest drew massive viewership numbers worldwide, the bout played out in a largely farcical fashion, with the generally uneventful affair wrapping up with Joshua finishing Paul inside the distance in the latter’s first-ever stoppage loss. With White continuing to carve out more of a place in the boxing space with his Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford announcement, and now the looming launch of Zuffa Boxing, it makes a degree of sense the UFC figurehead would be asked to weigh in with his thoughts on that AJ-Paul clash. Also the public bad bloood between Paul and White adds something to the situational context. In an interview with Complex, with an excerpt posted to X account @acdmma_, White said,

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 15, 2026

Helena Crevar’s rematch carries weight beyond just another win. The 18-year-old phenom gets her chance to settle an old score. The Las Vegas native faces Hawaiian powerhouse Teshya Noelani Alo in a bantamweight submission grappling clash at ONE Fight Night 39 on Friday, January 23, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The 10-minute bout streams live on Prime Video, with Crevar looking to prove she’s become the youngest ADCC World Championship podium placer in history for good reason.

Curtis Calhoun - January 15, 2026

UFC superstar Conor McGregor has weighed in on Dana White’s viral remarks dismissing Michael Chandler as his comeback opponent. Almost five years removed from his most recent UFC Octagon appearance, Conor McGregor is targeting a return to the cage at the UFC’s upcoming event at the White House in June. McGregor, who hasn’t fought since a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, announced his comeback plans last year, not long after the news broke about the White House card.

Cole Shelton - January 15, 2026

Kayla Harrison was emotional during her statement confirming her having to pull out of UFC 324. Harrison was supposed to defend her bantamweight title against Amanda Nunes next Saturday, but a neck injury forced her out of the bout. Following the news, Harrison took to Instagram and shared an emotional video of her statement.

Curtis Calhoun - January 15, 2026

UFC CEO Dana White seemed to pivot on his earlier stance against granting Jon Jones a fight at the White House against Alex Pereira. Former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones remains optimistic about potentially changing UFC CEO Dana White’s mind and getting a spot on the upcoming White House card.

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 15, 2026

Legends create blueprints, and Chihiro Sawada followed one written by Japanese mixed martial arts pioneer Megumi Fujii. Sawada has emerged as one of the most feared fighters in the stacked women’s atomweight MMA division, and that reputation traces back to childhood training under Fujii. Sawada returns to action against undefeated American Natalie Salcedo at ONE Fight Night 39 on Friday, January 23, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium.

Dylan Bowker - January 15, 2026

A former opponent of Amanda Nunes has weighed in on the recent pullout that Kayla Harrison had to do from her planned Nunes clash at UFC 324. Harrison was set to defend her bantamweight crown against Nunes on January 24th until reported injury issues were said to have come up. As reported by The Eagle Tribune, Harrison has herniated discs in her neck that will have to be repaired with surgery. Cris Cyborg chimed in on the situation when the former UFC featherweight champion retweeted a Sherdog article covering the scrapped co-main event bout for UFC’s first numbered event of 2026. Cyborg lost her hold on the UFC’s 145-pound crown to the aforementioned Nunes when she was memorably finished with strikes in what remains as one of her two pro MMA losses to this day.

BJ Penn Staff - January 15, 2026

Dillon Danis could soon have the opportunity to settle his beef with a prominent member of Team Khabib. Danis, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt, has been feuding with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s squad for years. It started when he helped Conor McGregor prepare for his infamous 2018 fight with Nurmagomedov, but has escalated further in recent years. The most recent incident occurred when he got into a brawl with Team Khabib representative Magomed “Chanco” Zaynukov — also known affectionately as “John Pork” — at UFC 322.

Curtis Calhoun - January 14, 2026

A surprising name has entered the mix to fight Amanda Nunes: Jake Paul’s superstar teammate and longtime boxing champ Amanda Serrano. UFC 324 suffered a big blow just under two weeks before the event as UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison was forced to withdraw from her fight with Amanda Nunes due to injury.

Curtis Calhoun - January 14, 2026

UFC fans had mixed reactions to light heavyweight contender Khalil Rountree Jr.’s recent callout of Jiri Prochazka for a rematch. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka made a strong case for another title shot with a brutal knockout of Khalil Rountree Jr. at UFC 320 in October. In a back-and-forth battle for as long as the fight lasted, Prochazka rallied late to floor Rountree with one hook to win his second-straight bout.

BJPENN.COM Staff - January 14, 2026

Two former championship contenders need victories, but only one gets redemption. Thai knockout artist Sinsamut Klinmee meets British destroyer George Jarvis in lightweight Muay Thai at ONE Fight Night 41. This goes down on Friday, March 13, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. The showdown features two fighters seeking redemption after recent setbacks, making this encounter critical for their ONE World Title aspirations.

Curtis Calhoun - January 14, 2026

UFC legend Daniel Cormier has responded to Jon Jones’s harsh first comments about their time coaching together on ALF Reality 3. Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones’s legendary UFC tenures will forever be linked after their two epic showdowns in the Octagon during their careers. While Jones won both matchups against Cormier, the rivalry also featured plenty of heated moments, including a famous media day brawl on the floor of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Curtis Calhoun - January 14, 2026

A top contender wants to fill in for the injured UFC bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison against the returning legend Amanda Nunes. UFC 324 took a big hit on Wednesday as it was reported that Kayla Harrison, the UFC women’s bantamweight titleholder, was forced to withdraw from her scheduled showdown with Amanda Nunes due to a neck injury. Harrison will undergo surgery and is expected to be out for around six months before being cleared for a return to the cage.