MMA News

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.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 27, 2025

Reinier de Ridder has fired back at Paulo Costa following post-fight remarks. On Saturday, de Ridder faced former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker. The UFC Abu Dhabi main event went the distance and was highly competitive throughout. Once the score totals were read, it was revealed that “RDR” emerged victorious via split decision.

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

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

Paulo Costa shared some choice words for fellow middleweight Reinier de Ridder following today’s UFC on ABC 9 event in Abu Dhabi. De Ridder (21-2 MMA) squared off with former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker (26-9 MMA) in the headliner of this afternoon’s fight card in Abu Dhabi.

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

We have you covered for all of today’s UFC Abu Dhabi’s results, including the main event between Robert Whittaker and Reinier de Ridder. Whittaker (26-9 MMA) will enter the contest looking to rebound, this after suffering a submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev in his most recent Octagon appearance at UFC 308 last October. Prior to that setback, ‘The Reaper’ had scored back-to-back wins over Paulo Costa and Ikram Aliskerov respectively.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 25, 2025

One beloved MMA head coach believes Dustin Poirier hung up his gloves exactly when he should have. Poirier stepped inside the Octagon for the final time as a competitor in the main event of UFC 318. “The Diamond” threw leather with Max Holloway, another fan favorite who he had two victories over. The third time ended up being the charm for Holloway, as he defeated Poirier via unanimous decision in enemy territory.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 25, 2025

The UFC Abu Dhabi weigh-ins have concluded, and fans will be pleased to know that the main event remains intact. Former UFC Middleweight Champion Robert Whittaker will do battle with Reinier de Ridder on Saturday. It’s a key matchup in the 185-pound division, as Whittaker will fight to remain in the title picture. It’ll be a huge opportunity for de Ridder, who is the No. 13-ranked UFC middleweight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 25, 2025

Dana White has given his reaction to the passing of Hulk Hogan. TMZ reported that Hogan passed away on Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest. There had been conflicting reports about the health status of Hogan prior to his death. While Eric Bischoff and Jimmy Hart both denied Bubba the Love Sponge’s claim that Hogan was in a dire situation, the WWE Hall of Famer ultimately died in Clearwater.

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.

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.

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

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 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.