MMA News
Ben Tynan fires shots at heavyweight MMA elite: "I'm beating everyone"
BJPENN.COM Staff - July 24, 2025
Ben Tynan carries himself with the swagger of a champion who has never tasted defeat. The Canadian powerhouse believes his perfect record speaks volumes about where he stands among heavyweight fighters. He clashes with former title challenger Kirill Grishenko at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Prime Video on Friday, August 1, inside Lumpinee Stadium at Bangkok, Thailand. The 31-year-old enters riding a flawless 5-0 professional streak, having finished every opponent.
Davey Grant excited for 'great challenge' against Da'Mon Blackshear at UFC Abu Dhabi: 'It should be a fantastic fight'
Cole Shelton - July 24, 2025
Davey Grant knows he will have his hands full at UFC Abu Dhabi. Grant is set to take on Da’Mon Blackshear in a fight that was booked on short notice. Grant was supposed to fight back in April, but Daniel Santos pulled out due to a weigh-in issue, and after that, Grant said he wanted to return on this card.
Petr Yan open to having 'fire fight' with Marcus McGhee to earn next title shot: 'Cement my place'
Cole Shelton - July 24, 2025
Petr Yan is hoping to secure the next bantamweight title shot at UFC Abu Dhabi. Yan is set to take on McGhee in an intriguing fight, as the American is taking a massive step-up in competition. Although Yan could have gotten a title shot, he took this fight to cement himself as the next title contender.
Robert Whittaker claims Reinier de Ridder 'hasn't fought anyone like me' ahead of UFC Abu Dhabi
Cole Shelton - July 24, 2025
Robert Whittaker believes Reinier de Ridder hasn’t fought anyone like him or with his skills. Whittaker is set to headline UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday against de Ridder in a pivotal middleweight bout. Whittaker is coming off a stoppage loss to Khamzat Chimaev and is looking to get back into the win column in a big way on Saturday.
Daniel Cormier issues warning to Justin Gaethje regarding UFC stalemate
Harry Kettle - July 24, 2025
Dustin Poirier's boxing coach reflects on UFC 318 defeat against Max Holloway
Harry Kettle - July 24, 2025
Dustin Poirier’s boxing coach has given his thoughts on what went wrong against Max Holloway in the UFC 318 main event. Last Saturday night, Dustin Poirier retired from mixed martial arts. He did so off the back of a defeat to Max Holloway in what proved to be an intense, competitive BMF title fight between the two icons. Alas, ‘The Diamond’ didn’t quite do enough to get his hand raised, and he dropped to 2-1 in his series with Holloway in the process.
Reinier de Ridder is ready to try and get Robert Whittaker tired at UFC Abu Dhabi
Harry Kettle - July 24, 2025
UFC star Reinier de Ridder will attempt to get Robert Whittaker tired when the pair battle in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi. Since entering the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Reinier de Ridder has been on a sensational run of form. He’s unbeaten, he’s got several finishes under his belt, and he is set to face Robert Whittaker on Saturday night in arguably the biggest fight of his career. At this point, it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see him fight for the belt next if he’s able to get past Whittaker.
Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan continue to clash over potential title shot
Harry Kettle - July 24, 2025
UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria continues to clash with Arman Tsarukyan over him possibly receiving a title shot. As we know, Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan aren’t big fans of one another. Arman is attempting to make a push for a championship opportunity, whereas Ilia has several different guys waiting to see whether or not they’ll get the call to face him for the belt. This includes Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway and Paddy Pimblett, but as of this writing, it’s not quite clear as to who will be the lucky one.
Yod-IQ outlines urgent path to victory against Alessio Malatesta: "I need to win"
BJPENN.COM Staff - July 23, 2025
Yod-IQ Or Pimolsri knows that Friday night could change everything for him. The rising Muay Thai star has won seven straight at ONE Friday Fights, but what awaits could be a life-changing contract. He faces Italian powerhouse Alessio Malatesta in the bantamweight Muay Thai main event at ONE Friday Fights 117 on Friday, July 25, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. The 23-year-old Thai understands he needs something special to secure a spot on ONE Championship’s roster with the $100,000 contract.
Petr Yan thinks UFC Abu Dhabi win could lead to another title fight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 23, 2025
Petr Yan is viewing his next fight as an audition for another UFC title opportunity. Yan, a former UFC Bantamweight Champion, will go one-on-one with Marcus McGhee at UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday. While some are wondering if this could be a trap fight for Yan, “No Mercy” is motivated by what he believes will be a high-stakes matchup.
Ilia Topuria scoffs at Max Holloway and Arman Tsarukyan: 'You ran away'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 23, 2025
Ilia Topuria has had enough of two top lightweight contenders. Topuria is the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion after delivering a first-round knockout victory over Charles Oliveira to close out “International Fight Week.” It’s another accolade in the young career of “El Matador.” He vacated the UFC Featherweight Championship after handing Max Holloway his first knockout defeat.
Tom Aspinall shares lofty goal for UFC 321 main event against Ciryl Gane
Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 23, 2025
Tom Aspinall wants to make quite the statement for his UFC 321 headliner. UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that Aspinall will put his undisputed heavyweight gold at stake against Ciryl Gane on Oct. 25 in Abu Dhabi. This will be Aspinall’s first fight as the undisputed champion. Fans have long expected Aspinall and Gane to eventually cross paths and barring unforeseen circumstances, that day will finally come.
Pro fighters make their picks for Robert Whittaker vs Reinier de Ridder
Cole Shelton - July 23, 2025
In the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi, a middleweight bout goes down on Saturday as former champion Robert Whittaker takes on Reinier de Ridder. Heading into the bout, Whittaker is a -160 favorite, while the Dutch fighter is a +124 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap at UFC Abu Dhabi, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the intriguing middleweight bout. The majority of pros believe Whittaker will be able to keep the fight standing and get a win, and possibly even finish de Ridder at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Khabib Nurmagomedov's view on Islam Makhachev's welterweight future
Harry Kettle - July 23, 2025
UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has given his thoughts on Islam Makhachev’s welterweight future if he’s able to win the belt. Later this year, Islam Makhachev is expected to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the UFC welterweight championship. He will be aiming to become the latest fighter to win world titles in two weight classes in the promotion, and he’ll be doing so in what many people consider to be the toughest fight of his career – including Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Alan Jouban declares Dustin Poirier the "uncrowned" BMF champion
Harry Kettle - July 23, 2025
MMA analyst Alan Jouban believes that Dustin Poirier is the uncrowned BMF champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Last Saturday night, Dustin Poirier fell short in his attempt to win the BMF title. He went to war with Max Holloway in a blockbuster UFC 318 main event, but unfortunately for ‘The Diamond’, he simply wasn’t able to keep up with ‘Blessed’. After the fight, Dustin stuck to his word and officially retired from mixed martial arts.
Justin Gaethje won't be happy with fighting Paddy Pimblett instead of Ilia Topuria
Harry Kettle - July 23, 2025
UFC star Justin Gaethje has admitted he wouldn’t be happy if he were given Paddy Pimblett instead of a UFC lightweight title shot. As we know, Justin Gaethje isn’t particularly happy right now. In the wake of his recent win over Rafael Fiziev, ‘The Highlight’ has made it crystal clear that he wants to be given a UFC lightweight championship opportunity. Unfortunately, he appears to be at something of a stalemate with the promotion.
Jeremy Pacatiw becomes new father days before pivotal fight: "Starting my own little family"
BJPENN.COM Staff - July 22, 2025
Jeremy Pacatiw has discovered that fatherhood brings an entirely different kind of excitement than competition. The Filipino striker finds himself balancing athletic preparation and supporting his wife as they care for their newborn son. He faces undefeated Elbek Alyshov in a bantamweight MMA clash at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Friday, August 1, inside Lumpinee Stadium at Bangkok, Thailand. The timing couldn’t be more significant for the 29-year-old. He’s preparing for victory while adjusting to life as a new father.
Marcus McGhee ecstatic to fight Petr Yan at UFC Abu Dhabi: "My game is to finish guys"
Cole Shelton - July 22, 2025
Marcus McGhee was surprised he got the call to fight Petr Yan at UFC Abu Dhabi. McGhee is ranked 13th at bantamweight and thought he’d get a top-10 opponent next. Yet, he got the call to fight former champion and third-ranked bantamweight Petr Yan at UFC bantamweight, which was a surprise to him.
Dana White announces UFC 320, UFC 321 main events
Cole Shelton - July 22, 2025
UFC CEO Dana White has announced the main events for UFC 320 and UFC 321, as well as other fights. White took to Instagram Live on July 22 and announced that the main event of UFC 320 will see Magomed Anakalaev defending his light heavyweight title in a rematch against Alex Pereira. The event will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on October 4.