MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 7, 2025

Thai power puncher Samingdam NF Looksuan refuses to overthink his approach against Sonrak Fairtex. The 23-year-old striker plans to unleash immediate pressure and force a wild exchange from the opening bell. Samingdam faces Sonrak in the main event of ONE Friday Fights 119 on Friday, August 8, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The Thai striker rides a two-fight winning streak while hunting the $100,000 contract that comes with main roster promotion.

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 7, 2025

Thai megastar Stamp Fairtex enters unfamiliar territory after nearly two years away from competition. The former three-sport ONE World Champion approaches her return with remarkable vulnerability rather than her usual dominant confidence. Stamp faces Kana Morimoto in atomweight kickboxing action at ONE 173: Superbon vs. Noiri on Sunday, November 16, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The former ONE Women’s Atomweight MMA World Champion makes her kickboxing return after suffering a career-threatening knee injury that sidelined her during her prime years.

BJPENN.COM Staff - August 7, 2025

World titles across multiple combat sports never prepared Regian “The Immortal” Eersel for his latest honor. The Dutch-Surinamese champion received heartfelt recognition from his homeland’s president after defending his ONE Championship crown. Eersel demolished George Jarvis in 84 seconds at ONE Fight Night 34 on Friday, August 1, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The 32-year-old secured his third successful ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Title defense with a devastating right hand that ended matters at the 1:24 mark.

Cole Shelton - August 7, 2025

Charles Oliveira will be making a quick turnaround. Oliveira is set to headline UFC Rio on October 11 against Rafael Fiziev. Although Oliveira was knocked out by Ilia Topuria at the end of June for the lightweight belt, and is returning not even four months later. However, Oliveira says it was his request to fight so soon as he wanted to fight back in Brazil.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 7, 2025

Betting odds for the UFC 319 headliner have stunned another MMA legend. UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus du Plessis will look to put a halt to Khamzat Chimaev’s title hopes on Aug. 16 in Chicago. It’ll be Chimaev’s first crack at UFC gold. As for “Stilllknocks,” he’s in search of his third successful title defense.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 7, 2025

If you ask one UFC analyst, Alex Pereira shouldn’t have been booked in a rematch with Magomed Ankalaev. Pereira lost the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to Ankalaev back in March. Ankalaev forced Pereira to fight while moving backward, which was unfamiliar territory for “Poatan.” The constant pressure from Ankalaev paid dividends, as he was able to secure the unanimous decision victory to obtain UFC gold for the first time in his pro MMA career.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 7, 2025

Charles Oliveira won’t be waiting long for his next outing. The official X account of the UFC has announced that Oliveira has been booked to face Rafael Fiziev in the main event of UFC Rio on Oct. 11. It’s clear that “do Bronx” didn’t want to hold off on his return to the Octagon, as the date of his next fight would be just shy of four full months since his knockout loss to Ilia Topuria. It was a rough defeat for Oliveira, and some are already wondering if “do Bronx” is allowing himself to recover.

Harry Kettle - August 7, 2025

The always controversial Dillon Danis has admitted that he felt suicidal in the wake of his defeat to Logan Paul in October 2023. We all know that Dillon Danis loves to troll the masses. Instead of actually competing on a consistent basis, he prefers to wind people up – often on social media. Once upon a time, a few years back, that led him down the path of taking part in a boxing match against Logan Paul.

Harry Kettle - August 7, 2025

UFC commentator Michael Bisping doesn’t expect to see Khamzat Chimaev change his usual approach at UFC 319. At UFC 319, Khamzat Chimaev will challenge Dricus du Plessis for the UFC middleweight championship. This title shot has been a long time coming for ‘Borz’ and now that it’s finally arrived, you’d have to think he knows just how important this fight is. If he wins, he heads for superstardom. If he loses, major questions will be asked.

Harry Kettle - August 7, 2025

UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan believes that the reigning champion, Ilia Topuria, is currently ducking him. For the longest time now, Arman Tsarukyan has been calling for a shot at the UFC lightweight championship. After pulling out against Islam Makhachev at the last minute due to injury, some wondered when his next opportunity would arrive. It certainly doesn’t help his case that he hasn’t fought since then, whereas other lightweights have been a bit more active.

Harry Kettle - August 7, 2025

UFC star Khamzat Chimaev has given his thoughts on Dricus du Plessis’ fight style ahead of their UFC 319 main event. Later this month, Khamzat Chimaev will finally get the chance to claim UFC gold. He will challenge Dricus du Plessis for the UFC middleweight championship, with many believing this is his fight to lose. Of course, underestimating someone like DDP has proven to be a pretty big mistake for many in the past, and a lot of people have been pointing to his awkward style as a potential roadblock for ‘Borz’.

Cole Shelton - August 6, 2025

Miles Johns was hoping to return sooner than this, but he’s excited for his UFC Vegas 109 fight. Johns is coming off a decision loss to Felipe Lima back in December. However, with Johns only having one fight left on his deal, he wasn’t sure what the UFC was going to do with him.

Cole Shelton - August 6, 2025

Khamzat Chimaev has no plans to retire anytime soon. Chimaev is set to challenge Dricus Du Plessis for the middleweight title in the main event of UFC 319 next Saturday. It’s an intriguing fight, but in the lead-up, reports have indicated that Chimaev could retire after UFC 319.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 6, 2025

Did Conor McGregor lose his identity as a fighter years ago? McGregor hasn’t fought inside the Octagon since UFC 264, which took place on July 10, 2021. McGregor broke his leg in a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier. He had been scheduled to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in 2024, but the “Notorious” one pulled out of the fight due to an injury. The bout was never rebooked, but McGregor continues to tease a return to competition.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 6, 2025

Nassourdine Imavov is not impressed with Caio Borralho’s fighting style. Imavov and Borralho are set to clash in the main event of UFC Paris on Sept. 6. It’s a pivotal bout in the middleweight division. An impressive showing from either man can potentially lead to a UFC Middleweight Championship opportunity. The next middleweight title fight will take place at UFC 319 when Dricus du Plessis puts his gold at stake against Khamzat Chimaev on Aug. 16.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 6, 2025

Dricus du Plessis believes Khamzat Chimaev will have a difficult time at UFC 319. The title fight is scheduled to take place on Aug. 16. “Stillknocks” is looking for his third successful UFC middleweight title defense when he shares the Octagon with “Borz.” Ahead of the fight, many are wondering if Chimaev’s cardio will be up to the task if the fight goes into deep waters.

Harry Kettle - August 6, 2025

Artem Lobov has given his thoughts on what went wrong for his former friend Conor McGregor when he fought Khabib Nurmagomedov. Way back in October 2018, Conor McGregor challenged Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC lightweight championship. To this day, it’s the biggest fight in the history of mixed martial arts, and it’s one that was won by Khabib via submission. While that would usually be the end of the story, it’s safe to say that the two have continued to have a pretty notable rivalry over the years.

Harry Kettle - August 6, 2025

Belal Muhammad disagrees with Din Thomas for suggesting Khamzat Chimaev as UFC champion could be a ‘disaster’ due to his inactivity. Later this month, Khamzat Chimaev will challenge Dricus du Plessis for the UFC middleweight championship. While many believe he’s more than capable of getting the job done, others have questioned whether or not his cardio will hold up. In addition to that, some wonder whether Khamzat will be able to succeed as champion given his notable inactivity in recent years.