MMA News

Cole Shelton - July 28, 2025

The UFC was in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, on Saturday, July 26, for a solid UFC Abu Dhabi card. The main event saw former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker taking on Reinier de Ridder. Entering the fight, Whittaker was coming off a submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev, which snapped his two-fight winning streak. de Ridder, meanwhile, had an upset knockout win over Bo Nickal last time out.

Cole Shelton - July 28, 2025

Lerone Murphy knows he’s taking a big risk by facing Aaron Pico on short notice at UFC 319. Pico was supposed to take on Movsar Evloev at UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday, but Evloev was forced out of the bout. Now, Pico has been booked to make his UFC debut on August 16 against Murphy, who took the fight on three weeks’ notice.

Cole Shelton - July 28, 2025

Dan Hooker isn’t happy with the UFC. Hooker flew to Las Vegas to attend UFC 317 to watch his teammate Kai Kara-France challenge Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title. Yet, before the event, Hooker had his tickets pulled, which he wasn’t happy about. He says that it will impact when he returns to fight, as he won’t be fighting injured or trying to save cards now.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 28, 2025

A top UFC commentator isn’t putting his friend Jason Herzog on blast, but he does raise an important question. One fight on the UFC Abu Dhabi prelims sparked a debate within the MMA community. Steven Nguyen went one-on-one with Mohammad Yahya in a featherweight tilt. The bout drew controversy, as Yahya was dropped multiple times and his eye ballooned so bad that he made ESPN’s SportsCenter. The fight was stopped before the third round began, but many have criticized Herzog, who officiated the bout, for not stepping in sooner.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 28, 2025

One ex-UFC veteran isn’t sold on Justin Gaethje’s chances in a potential clash with Ilia Topuria. Gaethje has been adamant about receiving the next crack at lightweight gold. UFC CEO Dana White isn’t exactly thrilled that “The Highlight” is threatening to retire if he doesn’t receive the next title shot at 155 pounds. The UFC also isn’t short on potential challengers for “El Matador” with the likes of Arman Tsarukyan, Max Holloway, and Paddy Pimblett waiting in the wings.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 27, 2025

Youssef Assouik learned valuable lessons during his promotional debut and now plans to unleash a completely different version of himself. The Danish-Moroccan striker has spent months adjusting his approach after gaining crucial experience with ONE Championship’s unique 4-ounce gloves format. The 30-year-old former two-division ISKA World Champion faces Rungrawee Sitsongpeenong at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Friday, August 1, inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Assouik earned a hard-fought unanimous decision victory over former world title challenger Sinsamut Klinmee in his October 2024 debut, establishing himself as a legitimate lightweight Muay Thai contender.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 27, 2025

Shamil Gasanov has carried the sting of defeat for over a year, and now the Dagestani destroyer finally has his chance at redemption. The featherweight contender’s burning desire for vengeance against Garry Tonon has fueled every training session since their first encounter ended in heartbreak. The 29-year-old Gasanov faces Tonon at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Friday, August 1, inside Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Currently ranked third in the featherweight MMA division, Gasanov enters the co-main event riding a four-fight winning streak.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 27, 2025

Khabib Nurmagomedov has unveiled another factor that would prevent him from making a return to the Octagon. Nurmagomedov retired following a technical submission win over Justin Gaethje back in 2020. “The Eagle” walked away from MMA competition due to the wishes of his mother, who wanted him to retire following the passing of Abdulmanap, Nurmagomedov’s father. Nurmagomedov retired with a perfect pro MMA record of 29-0 and he became a UFC Hall of Famer.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 27, 2025

Umar Nurmagomedov has gotten an intriguing callout in the aftermath of UFC Abu Dhabi. The UFC was back on the road this past Saturday for a crucial “Fight Night” event. Reinier de Ridder outlasted former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker in a competitive five-round clash. Also featured on the card was Petr Yan, who avoided a letdown by defeating Marcus McGhee, and he may have punched his ticket to another title fight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 27, 2025

Ben Askren has a long road to recovery, but he is determined to push through. Askren had to undergo a double lung transplant to save his life. The former Bellator and ONE Championship titleholder said he was clinically dead four times, but he was able to hold on. Given the circumstances, many view Askren’s current state as a miracle.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 27, 2025

Petr Yan isn’t entertaining the idea of a showdown with Umar Nurmagomedov. Yan competed in the co-main event of UFC Abu Dhabi this past Saturday. He went one-on-one with Marcus McGhee in a bout that many considered to be a potential trap fight. The bout went the distance and Yan ultimately scored the unanimous decision victory. With the win, “No Mercy” is now hoping to secure another bantamweight title fight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 27, 2025

One top-ranked UFC lightweight believes Paddy Pimblett has no place on the official 155-pound rankings Pimblett currently holds the No. 9 spot, but some are wondering if he can leapfrog his way to a No. 1 contender fight or even a title bout. Ilia Topuria recently captured the UFC Lightweight Championship and had a staredown with “The Baddy” inside the Octagon.

Chris Taylor - July 26, 2025

Robert Whittaker has suffered back-to-back losses for the first time at middleweight, this after dropping a split decision to Reinier de Ridder. Robert Whittaker (26-9 MMA) and Reinier de Ridder (21-2 MMA) collided in the headliner of today’s UFC on ABC 9 event in Abu Dhabi.

Chris Taylor - July 26, 2025

Daniel Cormier has responded to a pair of deleted tweets made by his longtime rival and fellow former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones. During a segment of the UFC 318 weigh-in show, ‘DC’ was asked where he would prefer to fight his “enemy” if given the choice on location and venue. Cormier responded to the question by saying that he’d like to do it at his own house because “I kind of want the ability to kill him”.

Chris Taylor - July 26, 2025

Reinier de Ridder was admittedly surprised that one judge got it “completely wrong” when scoring his fight with Robert Whittaker at UFC Abu Dhabi. De Ridder (21-2 MMA) and Whittaker (26-9 MMA) squared off in a pivotal middleweight main event this afternoon at UFC on ABC 6.

Chris Taylor - July 26, 2025

Aaron Pico will be competing in the co-headliner of next month’s UFC 319 pay-per-view event in Chicago, Illinois. Pico (13-4 MMA) was originally slated to make his highly anticipated Octagon debut against undefeated featherweight contender Movsar Evloev (19-0 MMA) in this afternoon’s UFC Abu Dhabi co-main event. Unfortunately for fight fans, Evloev suffered an injury and was forced to withdraw from the contest.

Chris Taylor - July 26, 2025

The Octagon returned to Abu Dhabi for today’s UFC on ABC 9 event, and four fighters wound up taking home performance bonuses. The fight card was headlined by a key middleweight contest featuring Robert Whittaker taking on Reinier de Ridder. The bout proved to be a wild back and forth affair. Robert Whittaker got off to a strong start, using his speed and angles to get the better of his opponent in the opening five minutes. However, Reinier de Ridder was able to battle back in round two, this after landing a big knee and then a takedown. The third round was absolutely hectic; Whittaker dropped De Ridder with a right hand and almost finished him off with ground and pound. Yet, despite the onslaught, ‘RDR’ was able to whether the storm before ultimately taking top position in the late stages of the round. The final two rounds were closely contested, with De Ridder landing his big knee and some body shots, while Whittaker worked to keep the fight standing while dishing out some good combinations. After 25 minutes of action, ‘RDR’ was awarded the split decision win.

Chris Taylor - July 26, 2025

Today’s UFC Abu Dhabi event was headlined by a key middleweight contest featuring Robert Whittaker taking on Reinier de Ridder. Whittaker (26-9 MMA) had entered the contest looking to rebound, this after suffering a submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev in his most previous Octagon appearance at UFC 308 last October. Prior to that setback, ‘The Reaper’ was coming off back-to-back wins over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov respectively.