MMA News

Cole Shelton - June 26, 2025

Renato Moicano believes the pressure is on him to not just beat Beneil Dariush but finish him at UFC 317. Moicano was supposed to face Dariush back in January. But, on weigh-in day, after Arman Tsarukyan pulled out, Moicano stepped up on a day’s notice to face Islam Makhachev for the belt. The Brazilian ended up losing by first-round submission and was rebooked to face Dariush at UFC 317 on Saturday.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 26, 2025

Kai Kara-France believes he has realistic expectations for his title fight against Alexandre Pantoja. Kara-France and Pantoja will collide in the UFC 317 co-headliner on Saturday. Pantoja’s UFC Flyweight Championship will be at stake. While Kara-France has competed for interim gold, this will be his first undisputed UFC title fight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 26, 2025

An ex-UFC titleholder doesn’t believe Saturday night ends well for Charles Oliveira. Oliveira will be facing Ilia Topuria for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship. The title fight will headline UFC 317 on Saturday in Las Vegas. Once the fight begins, Islam Makhachev will officially relinquish the 155-pound gold.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 26, 2025

One fighter scheduled for the UFC 317 card can’t help but feel disappointed after Islam Makhachev’s move to the welterweight division. Once Saturday’s main event between Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria begins, Makhachev will officially vacate the lightweight gold. Oliveira vs. Topuria is being contested to determine a new 155-pound titleholder. Makhachev will challenge UFC Welterweight Champion Jack Della Maddalena at a date to be announced.

BJ Penn Staff - June 26, 2025

Tom Aspinall waited a long time to be promoted to undisputed UFC heavyweight champion. With that settled, he’s hoping to make up for lost time. Aspinall claimed the interim heavyweight title with a quick knockout of Sergei Pavlovich in late 2023. He spent nearly all of the time since chasing a fight with Jon Jones, who held the division’s undisputed title. However, Jones had no interest in the matchup, and instead beat an aging Stipe Miocic last November, and after months of pulling Aspinall along, finally announced his retirement last weekend. That meant that Aspinall was finally became the true heavyweight king.

BJ Penn Staff - June 26, 2025

Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira are set to fight for UFC gold in just over 24 hours, but there is clearly nothing but respect between then. Topuria and Oliveira will meet in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 317 card in Las Vegas. They’ll be competing for the vacant lightweight title, which Islam Makhachev left behind with plans to move up to welterweight.

BJ Penn Staff - June 26, 2025

Derek Brunson and Jon Jones shared a brief friendship while they were both competing in the UFC, but it didn’t last. Brunson has now explained why. Brunson and Jones became friends around 2011. That was back when the former had just joined the UFC middleweight division, and the latter was beginning his legendary reign as promotion’s light heavyweight champion. During that time, Brunson would visit Jones’ hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to train at the famed Jackson Wink MMA gym.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 26, 2025

ONE Flyweight MMA World Champion Yuya Wakamatsu is scouting for viable contenders to his gold – both in and outside of ONE Championship. “Little Piranha” appeared at this week’s press conference in Tokyo for ONE 173, all but confirming him featuring at the event on Sunday, November 16, inside Tokyo, Japan’s Ariake Arena.

Cole Shelton - June 25, 2025

Alexandre Pantoja is committed to staying at flyweight. Pantoja is looking to defend his flyweight title for the fourth time. He’s set to take on Kai Kara-France in the co-main event of UFC 317. Given that Pantoja has already beaten a lot of the contenders, who he fights next is a big question.

Cole Shelton - June 25, 2025

Charles Oliveira believes he will be too much and will make Ilia Topuria fold at UFC 317. Oliveira is set to face Topuria in the main event of UFC 317 for the vacant lightweight title. It’s an intriguing matchup, and despite Oliveira being a sizeable underdog, he has plenty of confidence that he won’t just beat, but will finish Topuria to once again become the lightweight champion.

BJ Penn Staff - June 25, 2025

It is not yet known when Islam Makhachev will fight Jack Della Maddalena for the UFC welterweight title, but the pound-for-pound king knows when he wants it to happen. Russia’s Makhachev is widely considered the best fighter on earth right now. He enjoyed a long reign as the UFC lightweight champion, but recently vacated his throne to move up to welterweight. Given his status among the sport’s best fighters, he’s expected to walk right into a fight with welterweight champ Jack Della Maddalena of Australia.

BJ Penn Staff - June 25, 2025

If you thought Kevin Holland would be getting a ranked opponent after taking out Vicente Luque earlier this month, think again. Holland met Luque, a staple of the welterweight top-15, at UFC 316. He won the fight with a second-round anaconda choke—a finish so slick it earned him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 25, 2025

The head coach of Merab Dvalishvili doesn’t think Umar Nurmagomedov would fare much better against his fighter in a rematch. Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov first shared the Octagon back in January. “The Machine” put the UFC Bantamweight Championship at stake against the previously unbeaten Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili ended up winning the fight via unanimous decision to retain the 135-pound gold.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 25, 2025

A former opponent of Charles Oliveira believes he knows what “do Bronx” must do to defeat Ilia Topuria. Oliveira and Topuria are set to collide for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship on Saturday. The bout will headline UFC 317 to cap off “International Fight Week” in Las Vegas. Oliveira is the underdog going into this bout.

BJ Penn Staff - June 25, 2025

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg could end up competing under the UFC banner, according to Dana White. The UFC, an MMA promotion first and foremost, has recently been pushing into the grappling sport of BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu). It recently aired an Ultimate Fighter-inspired reality show intended to crown its first UFC BJJ champions. The finale goes down tonight in Las Vegas, and will be topped by a bantamweight title fight between coaches Mikey Musumeci and Rerisson Gabriel.

BJ Penn Staff - June 25, 2025

Brian Johnson, better known as the Liver King, is in custody after flying to Austin, Texas, to fight UFC commentator Joe Rogan. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. Johnson rose to fame a few years ago, when he began promoting a bizarre raw-meat diet, which he claimed was a driving force behind is undeniably hulk-ish physique. However, it was later discovered that he had been abusing a smorgasbord of performance-enhancing drugs—all while promoting an all-natural lifestyle. The ordeal was so scandalous that Netflix actually made a documentary about it.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 25, 2025

ONE Women’s Strawweight Kickboxing World Champion Jackie Buntan is gunning to become a two-sport queen when she returns to action later this year. The American striker takes on fierce challenger Stella Hemetsberger for the vacant ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title at ONE Fight Night 35 on Friday, September 5, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 25, 2025

ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon is eager to make a huge statement when he defends his crown later this year. The Thai superstar faces ONE Interim Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Masaaki Noiri at ONE 173 on Sunday, November 16, inside Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.