MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 7, 2025

Shadow Singha Mawynn isn’t fazed by facing a bigger opponent this weekend. The Thai striker believes his technical skills will overcome any size disadvantage. The #3-ranked featherweight Muay Thai contender faces Mohamed Younes Rabah at ONE Fight Night 33 on Friday, July 11, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. For Shadow, the bout represents another step toward a potential title shot.

Cole Shelton - July 7, 2025

Justin Gaethje is hoping he will face Ilia Topuria at Madison Square Garden later this year. Topuria became the UFC’s lightweight champion with a first-round KO win over Charles Oliveira. After his win, it wasn’t clear who Topuria’s first title defense would be against, as Gaethje, Arman Tsarukyan, and Paddy Pimblett could all get the next title shot.

BJ Penn Staff - July 7, 2025

Daniel Cormier doesn’t want Jon Jones to end up like Conor McGregor in his post UFC life. Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, retired last month. His retirement came after months of speculation as to whether he could be convinced to fight England’s Tom Aspinall. In the end, it never happened.

BJ Penn Staff - July 7, 2025

Tony Ferguson is headed back to the cage. Scratch that. The former UFC star is headed to the boxing ring in just over a months’ time. Ferguson, best known for a stunning 12-fight win streak in the stacked UFC lightweight division, announced his upcoming fight in a conversation with Red Corner MMA.

Cole Shelton - July 7, 2025

Robert Whittaker is closing in on the end of his UFC career. Whittaker is set to headline UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26 against Reinier de Ridder in an intriguing bout. ‘The Reaper’ is looking to get back into the win column after a submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev. Ahead of his return, Whittaker says he has four fights left in his career, which includes ending his career on top.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 7, 2025

Tom Aspinall will not tolerate having his personal space invaded, especially when it involves his children. Aspinall has developed a reputation for being a friendly fighter who flips a switch when it’s time to compete. Aspinall has also been quite cordial with fans in person, but the UFC Heavyweight Champion has limits. He admits he doesn’t like being interrupted with a selfie request in the middle of training.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 7, 2025

Joshua Van has a message for those who don’t believe he can win UFC gold. Van is fresh off a top contender for “Fight of the Year” against Brandon Royval. “The Fearless” went three rounds with Royval and even scored a late knockdown to further cement that he was deserving of the decision victory. After having his hand raised, Van had a staredown with current flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 7, 2025

Sean Strickland has denied claims from one UFC icon on his departure from Team Quest. Strickland had been a member of the gym under the guidance of Dan Henderson. He eventually made the move to Xtreme Couture and a UFC champion. Strickland has been known for being ruffling some feathers with his unfiltered rants, and Henderson claims it’s what led to the middleweight’s departure from Team Quest.

Harry Kettle - July 7, 2025

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has made an interesting revelation regarding a possible move up to welterweight. As we know, Ilia Topuria is the biggest active star in mixed martial arts today – or at the very least, one of them. He has already achieved some incredible things in his career and it would appear as if he has a lot more planned before he calls it a day. He has won belts in two weight classes and if he has his way, he’ll go in pursuit of a third at 170 pounds at some point in the future.

Harry Kettle - July 7, 2025

Islam Makhachev is of the belief that former rival Dustin Poirier will defeat Max Holloway in their UFC 318 main event. Next weekend, Dustin Poirier will come face to face with Max Holloway for the third time in his career. It will also mark the final time that we see ‘The Diamond’ compete in mixed martial arts. He’s made it clear that this is his retirement bout and while there’s always a chance he could change his mind, the fact that it’s in his home state of Louisiana would imply that he’s not going to go back on his word.

Harry Kettle - July 7, 2025

UFC veteran Kelvin Gastelum has given his thoughts on how he can rebound from his recent slump in the promotion. For the longest time now, Kelvin Gastelum has been a permanent fixture at welterweight and middleweight in the UFC. While he’s had some incredible moments along the way, he hasn’t always been the most consistent in terms of his results.

Harry Kettle - July 7, 2025

UFC star Islam Makhachev has spoken out about the possibility of him retiring from mixed martial arts in the near future. As we know, Islam Makhachev is one of the best fighters in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Right now, though, he’s not a champion after giving up his lightweight crown to pursue a second title at welterweight. The expectation is that he’ll battle Jack Della Maddalena at some point in the near future.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 6, 2025

Seven years ago, Johanna Persson had never thrown a punch or kicked a pad. Now she’s fighting for world championship gold. The Swedish striker challenges reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues at ONE Fight Night 33 on Friday, July 11, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. For Persson, the title shot represents the culmination of an unlikely journey.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 6, 2025

Jon Jones’ legacy has been called into question for his outside antics, but one UFC legend says it shouldn’t matter. Jones put forth one of the most memorable runs in UFC history when he competed in the light heavyweight division. His lone defeat was a disqualification against Matt Hamill. “Bones” ran through some of the biggest stars at 205 pounds such as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, and Daniel Cormier to name a few. He moved up to heavyweight and submitted Ciryl Gane to win gold in a second weight class.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 6, 2025

Ian Machado Garry isn’t convinced that Belal Muhammad wants to fight him. Muhammad recently lost the UFC Welterweight Championship to Jack Della Maddalena in a five-round clash back in May. “Remember The Name” will look to rebound, but the question remains, will he be able to compete in Chicago for UFC 319 on Aug. 16? It would be a homecoming for Muhammad.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 6, 2025

Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley has received some support from an unlikely name. O’Malley recently competed in a rematch against Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC Bantamweight Championship. The “Suga” show lost the fight in the third round via submission. It was the first submission loss of O’Malley’s pro MMA career.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 6, 2025

Paddy Pimblett has detailed how his issues with Ilia Topuria began. Pimblett and Topuria have been at odds since 2021. The two had a physical altercation at a fighter hotel, which saw “The Baddy” throw a hand sanitizer bottle at “El Matador.” The two also nearly came to blows during a press conference in 2022.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 6, 2025

An ex-UFC fighter had a chance to transition to the booth post-fighting, but the opportunity was wasted. It certainly isn’t unusual to see former UFC fighters become desk analysts or even color commentators. Some fighters who are a part of the UFC’s broadcast team are still active competitors, although more of them have retired in recent years. One man who nearly defeated MMA legend Demetrious Johnson could’ve been a permanent fixture on UFC programming long after his fighting career wrapped up.