MMA News

Cole Shelton - June 11, 2025

In the main event of UFC Atlanta, a welterweight bout goes down as former champion Kamaru Usman returns to the Octagon to take on Joaquin Buckley. Heading into the fight, Usman is a +210 underdog while ‘New Mansa’ is a -280 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap at UFC Atlanta, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the intriguing welterweight bout. The pros believe Buckley will get his hand raised as they think Usman’s layoff and age will hurt him too much while Buckley is rolling.

Cole Shelton - June 11, 2025

Kamaru Usman doesn’t see a need or have an interest in fighting Belal Muhammad. Usman is set to return to the Octagon in the main event of UFC Atlanta against Joaquin Buckley. It’s an intriguing matchup, and should he win, Usman will be in the title picture.

Cole Shelton - June 11, 2025

Cody Garbrandt is still interested in fighting Sean O’Malley as he believes it would be a massive fight. Garbrandt and O’Malley are both former bantamweight champions who have feuded in the past. As Garbrandt was dropping down to flyweight, he and O’Malley got into with ‘Suga’ at the UFC 269 press conference, as the two even had a faceoff.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 11, 2025

One streaking UFC middleweight contender believes Joaquin Buckley is no match for Sean Brady. Buckley is preparing for the biggest fight of his pro MMA career. He will collide with former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. The pivotal 170-pound clash will headline UFC Atlanta on Saturday.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 11, 2025

Patchy Mix had a rough go in his UFC debut, and a former standup warrior thinks a harsh lesson was learned. Mix shared the Octagon with Mario Bautista on the main card of UFC 316 in Newark. The former Bellator Bantamweight Champion entered the bout with some buzz. Bautista was the No. 10-ranked 135-pounder going into the bout. Mix was outgunned throughout the fight and ultimately lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Harry Kettle - June 11, 2025

UFC star Kamaru Usman has given an honest assessment of his health heading into his comeback fight this weekend. As we know, former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is one of the best to ever do it at 170 pounds. He had a legendary run with the title, and he picked up wins over a lot of big names along the way. With that being said, he’s currently riding a three-fight losing streak, and he’s desperate to get himself back in the win column.

Harry Kettle - June 11, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili’s coach believes he has pinpointed the moment when Sean O’Malley began to break at UFC 316. Last weekend, Merab Dvalishvili successfully defended his UFC bantamweight championship. He did so with yet another phenomenal performance which ended with him submitting Sean O’Malley in the third round. While many felt as if him winning was likely, a lot of people thought it would come via decision. Instead, he stepped things up and managed to get the finish.

Harry Kettle - June 11, 2025

UFC welterweight Joaquin Buckley doesn’t believe Islam Makhachev would be interested in fighting him. As we know, Joaquin Buckley has been surging up through the welterweight division. He’s been picking up a parade of big wins as of late and now, he’s gearing up for his biggest challenge to date. On Saturday night, he will lock horns with Kamaru Usman – one of the best welterweight champions of all time.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 11, 2025

Unbeaten Canadian star Ben Tynan has defeated every fighter ONE Championship has put in front of him. But his next opponent is no pushover. “Vanilla Thunder” takes on former ONE World Title challenger Kirill Grishenko at ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis. The heavyweight MMA collision goes down on Friday, August 1, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 11, 2025

It’s been two years since #3-ranked featherweight MMA contender Shamil Gasanov lost to former ONE World Title challenger Garry Tonon. Since then, the Russian has been dying for the chance to run it back. Fortunately, he now gets his shot. At ONE Fight Night 34: Eersel vs. Jarvis on Friday, August 1, the two standouts meet in a featherweight MMA sequel inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

Cole Shelton - June 10, 2025

Michael Chiesa is glad to fight a veteran like Court McGee at UFC Atlanta. Chiesa was rumored to be fighting in Seattle earlier this year, but it didn’t come to fruition. Although he was disappointed not to fight at home, he says this timeline is better for him.

Cole Shelton - June 10, 2025

Kamaru Usman would like the chance to fight Islam Makhachev before his career is up. Makhachev is set to move up to the welterweight division after vacating his lightweight belt. The former lightweight champ wants to win a second belt, and although he’s no longer the champ, Usman has his eyes set on him.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 10, 2025

Could Merab Dvalishvili be in for a letdown in his next title defense? Dvalishvili has looked the part of an elite fighter every time he steps inside the Octagon. He further added to his aura by submitting Sean O’Malley in their UFC 316 rematch on Saturday. “The Machine” has lived up to his nickname, riding a 13-fight winning streak. He now has two successful UFC Bantamweight Championship defenses. He hasn’t lost a pro MMA fight since 2018.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 10, 2025

One UFC Hall of Famer shared his take on Patchy Mix’s failed UFC debut. Mix entered UFC 316 with some buzz. The former Bellator Bantamweight Champion was regarded by many as the best 135-pounder who wasn’t a part of the UFC roster. When the time arrived for Mix to share the Octagon with Mario Bautista, the former Bellator star didn’t look like a world-beater by any means. He ultimately dropped a unanimous decision, which is his first loss since 2020.

Harry Kettle - June 10, 2025

UFC star Ian Machado Garry has previewed what a fight between him and Belal Muhammad could look like. As we know, Ian Machado Garry is a top contender in the welterweight division. We also know that Belal Muhammad is the former champion of the division after losing his crown to Jack Della Maddalena. As we look ahead to the future, it certainly seems as if there’s a chance that the two could collide sooner rather than later.

Harry Kettle - June 10, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili’s coach John Wood has given his thoughts on a possible title fight against Cory Sandhagen. Last weekend in the main event of UFC 316, Merab Dvalishvili submitted and defeated Sean O’Malley. It served as the final chapter in their rivalry (at least for the time being), with the champion now set to move on to even bigger things. The expectation is that his next challenger will be Cory Sandhagen, who has been on a pretty solid run of form in recent years.

Harry Kettle - June 10, 2025

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has given his assessment of Sean O’Malley after his defeat at UFC 316. Last Saturday night, Sean O’Malley failed in his attempt to reclaim the UFC bantamweight championship. He was submitted by Merab Dvalishvili, the same man who took the belt from him in the first place. Now, ‘Suga’ will head back to the drawing board and contemplate what’s next for him in his career – which could include a shift up to the featherweight division.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 10, 2025

When flyweight Muay Thai star Diego Paez found out he would fight teenage phenom Johan Ghazali next, he sensed many would overlook him. That includes his Malaysian-American opponent. Paez faced off with Ghazali at ONE Fight Night 32 this past Friday, June 6, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. He outstruck the 18-year-old across three entertaining rounds to take home a split-decision victory.