MMA News

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.

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.

Harry Kettle - July 24, 2025

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has warned Justin Gaethje about his title shot ultimatum and apparent feud with the promotion. As we know, Justin Gaethje isn’t particularly happy right now. He wants a shot at the UFC lightweight championship, and he seemingly isn’t going to stop until he gets it. Unfortunately, a parade of other contenders are currently waiting in line to try and claim their own opportunity to fight current champion Ilia Topuria.

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.

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.

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.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 23, 2025

Kirill Grishenko has nothing but respect for Ben Tynan, but that won’t stop him from destroying his record. The former title challenger believes his experience will prove decisive in Bangkok, Thailand. He meets the undefeated Canadian at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Prime Video on Friday, August 1, inside Lumpinee Stadium. The Belarusian enters on a two-bout winning streak, and victory would see him take another step toward a shot at the ONE Heavyweight MMA World Title.

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.

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.

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.

Harry Kettle - July 23, 2025

UFC icon Dustin Poirier has received an amazing championship belt from his daughter after losing to Max Holloway at UFC 318. We all know that Dustin Poirier is one of the most beloved fighters of all time. Now, after UFC 318, he’s able to ride off into the sunset and enjoy retirement. He’ll be doing so after an iconic career, which came to an end last Saturday night when he battled Max Holloway for the BMF title. Unfortunately, ‘The Diamond’ wasn’t able to claim the strap, but he put forward an admirable effort in his final Octagon appearance.

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.

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.

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.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 22, 2025

Anna Jaroonsak has discovered that sometimes the best way to rediscover your fighting passion is by helping others find theirs. The Thai sensation has traded Bangkok’s bustling streets for Phuket’s tropical paradise. She makes her return against Bulgarian striker Teodora Kirilova in an atomweight Muay Thai clash at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Prime Video in U.S. primetime on August 1. After a two-year hiatus from competition, the 21-year-old has found renewed purpose in building something bigger than herself.

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.

Cole Shelton - July 22, 2025

Ben Askren has shared a massive update regarding his ongoing health scare. Askren had been hospitalized for months and had been on a ventilator. He ended up getting a lung transplant, which was needed as he nearly died multiple times while in the hospital.

Cole Shelton - July 22, 2025

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Jack Della Maddalena will be the toughest test of Islam Makhachev’s career. Makhachev is set to move up to welterweight to challenge Della Maddalena for the welterweight title. Although the fight isn’t booked yet, all signs point to it happening later this year.