MMA News

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 12, 2025

Alexander Volkanovski remains out of the loop on his next UFC title fight, but that appears to be changing imminently. Volkanovski captured the UFC Featherweight Championship for the second time when he defeated Diego Lopes at UFC 314 in April. While the general consensus was that Movsar Evloev would be the No. 1 contender, he’s reportedly linked to a bout with Aaron Pico. Ali Abdelaziz, who manages both Evloev and Pico, told Submission Radio that he has yet to receive a contract for the bout.

BJ Penn Staff - June 12, 2025

Former UFC star Ben Askren is continue to battle through a frightening health crisis. Earlier this week, Askren’s wife Amy revealed that he has been hospitalized with pneumonia, and that he was effectively non-responsive. From there, several extremely worrying rumors began to surface.

BJ Penn Staff - June 12, 2025

Francis Ngannou probably won’t be returning to the UFC anytime soon. Ngannou is the former UFC heavyweight champion. He never actually lost his belt. Instead, he vacated the title when he parted ways with the promotion in 2023. In other words, he’s still the lineal MMA heavyweight champion.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 12, 2025

One old rival has weighed in on Jon Jones possibly retiring before fighting Tom Aspinall. Much has been made over Jones’ fighting future. “Bones” had long showed more interest in a showdown with Alex Pereira. This is despite the fact that “Poatan” is a light heavyweight. Jones is the UFC Heavyweight Champion, while Aspinall lays claim to the interim gold.

Harry Kettle - June 12, 2025

UFC legend Kamaru Usman has responded to those who have suggested his knees will cause him problems at UFC Atlanta. For the longest time, Kamaru Usman was the man to beat at 170 pounds. Unfortunately for him, a Leon Edwards head kick changed all of that. ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ has now lost three on the bounce and after a period of inactivity, many are wondering what the 38-year-old has left in the tank in the world of mixed martial arts.

Harry Kettle - June 12, 2025

Rising UFC middleweight Joe Pyfer has called the commentary of Joe Rogan into question following UFC 316 last weekend. For a few years now, Joe Pyfer has been seen as one to watch in the UFC’s middleweight division. From his size to his personality to his incredible power, it’s clear to see that he’s a problem at 185 pounds. While he did experience a setback against Jack Hermansson, he’s been able to rebound well, most notably this past weekend.

Harry Kettle - June 12, 2025

UFC veteran Ariane da Silva has reportedly been released by the promotion in the wake of her loss to Wang Cong. Back in early 2019, Ariane da Silva made her debut for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The Polish sensation came into the company with a great deal of hype but unfortunately, she was never quite able to live up to that. While she made a real name for herself with KSW, she was far too inconsistent inside the Octagon. Still, she had a lot of heart, and that led to her continually getting booked in interesting matchups.

Harry Kettle - June 12, 2025

BKFC star Mike Perry has issued a warning to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr regarding the surprising power of his former foe Jake Paul. As we know, Jake Paul is a pretty interesting character within the world of professional boxing. While many expected him to falter in a big way when transitoning over to the sport, he’s managed to carve out a niche career for himself in the influencer boxing space. Now, we’re at the point where ‘The Problem Child’ is perhaps one of the biggest names in the entire sport.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 11, 2025

Taiki Naito looked back to his best at ONE Fight Night 32 this past Friday, June 6. Now he believes he’s once again ready to take on the biggest names in the world. “Silent Sniper” unleashed a counter-striking clinic versus Johan Estupinan inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium, winning by majority decision. In doing so, he served the Colombian star the first loss of his career. He also gave himself a much needed confidence boost.

Cole Shelton - June 11, 2025

Kamaru Usman believes there is a path for him to fight for the middleweight belt, but it all starts by defeating Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta. Usman is set to fight for the first time since October of 2023, when he dropped a decision to Khamzat Chimaev. Ahead of his return against Buckley, Usman has his eyes set on reclaiming his welterweight title. But, he also has his eyes set on a superfight with Dricus Du Plessis.

BJ Penn Staff - June 11, 2025

Who would appear on the MMA version of Mount Rushmore? Every fight fan has their answers, and now UFC legend Jon Jones has shared his. Jones was asked for his MMA Mount Rushmore by a YouTube channel called Vic Blends. The question, which is very common in MMA, essentially boils down to this: Who are the four best—or perhaps most influential—fighters in MMA history?

BJ Penn Staff - June 11, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling are two of the best bantamweights in UFC history. Interestingly, they’re also close friends and training partners. Sterling held the UFC bantamweight belt first. He won it with a disqualification against Petr Yan in 2021, and then defended it three times, against Yan, TJ Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo. He ultimately lost the belt to Sean O’Malley, who went on to lose the belt to Dvalishvili.

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.