MMA News
Merab Dvalishvili open to fighting flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja: "People will be interested in this fight"
Cole Shelton - June 9, 2025
Merab Dvalishvili believes that a fight against Alexandre Pantoja would be one that the people would be interested in. Dvalishvili defended his bantamweight title on Saturday in the main event of UFC 316 with a submission win over Sean O’Malley. It was a dominating performance, and after the win, his next title defense wasn’t clear. Cory Sandhagen appears to be next in line, but Petr Yan and Umar Nurmagomedov are both potential candidates.
UFC 316 winner Joshua Van booked for lightning quick turnaround against top contender
BJ Penn Staff - June 9, 2025
Joshua Van has the opportunity to completely upend the UFC flyweight rankings in a few weeks time. Myanmar’s Van is one of the division’s most promising young contenders. He took another big step up the ladder at UFC 316 this past weekend, when he stunned fans with a blistering knockout of Bruno Silva. That win him brought him to 14-2 overall, and 7-1 in the UFC.
Joe Pyfer apologizes for calling Mexico a 'sh*t hole', but will still 'never fight there again'
BJ Penn Staff - June 9, 2025
UFC middleweight contender Joe Pyfer is sorry for the things he said about Mexico. Pyfer, one of the division’s fastest rising contenders, was set to fight Kelvin Gastelum when the UFC touched down in Mexico City on March 29. Regrettably, the fight fell through at the very last minute. The cause? Pyfer came down with stomach troubles just hours out from the event, which he later blamed on his travel to Mexico in the least graceful terms possible.
Julianna Pena speaks out following UFC 316 loss to Kayla Harrison
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 9, 2025
Julianna Pena has issued a statement in the aftermath of UFC 316. Pena put the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship at stake against Kayla Harrison on Saturday. While “The Venezuelan Vixen” was in her second reign as a UFC titleholder, she was in search of her first successful defense. It didn’t come in Newark, as Harrison submitted Pena in the second round via kimura to lay claim to the bantamweight gold.
Sean O'Malley made huge mistake in Merab Dvalishvili rematch, says top UFC contender
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 9, 2025
Did Sean O’Malley make a crucial error before he was ultimately submitted by Merab Dvalishvili? O’Malley challenged Dvalishvili for the UFC Bantamweight Championship on Saturday. Dvalishvili had defeated “Suga” to capture the 135-pound gold back in Sept. 2024. While the first encounter ended via unanimous decision, Dvalishvili was able to secure his first finish since 2021. It was also “The Machine’s” first submission win since 2017.
Dana White agrees that Merab Dvalishvili should be in the bantamweight GOAT conversation after UFC 316
Harry Kettle - June 9, 2025
UFC president Dana White believes Merab Dvalishvili is in the greatest bantamweight of all time conversation after UFC 316. Last weekend, Merab Dvalishvili cemented himself as the best bantamweight on the planet. Many already knew that he held that title, as well as the actual championship belt, but he doubled down by once again defeating Sean O’Malley in their rematch at UFC 316. While ‘Suga’ certainly showed some improvements from the first fight, ‘The Machine’ was still able to implement his own game plan.
Ben Askren’s wife confirms he has been hospitalized with severe pneumonia
Harry Kettle - June 9, 2025
MMA and wrestling legend Ben Askren has been hospitalized due to a case of severe pneumonia, his wife has announced. Over the course of the last few days, there has been mounting speculation regarding the condition of the great Ben Askren. After fans were asked to pray for him by Ohio State wrestling coach Thomas Ryan, fans were concerned that something serious had happened to the former UFC star. It led to an outpouring of support from the community, many of whom know Ben on a personal level.
Kayla Harrison details the extreme regiment she needed to undergo in order to make 135lbs at UFC 316: “I’ve been through some stuff”
Harry Kettle - June 9, 2025
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Kayla Harrison has spoken about what she has to endure in order to make 135 pounds. Last Saturday night, Kayla Harrison made it to the top of the mountain. She defeated Julianna Pena via submission to become the new UFC women’s bantamweight champion. In doing so, she added the belt to her incredible list of achievements, which includes two Olympic gold medals and two PFL championships.
Henry Cejudo calls for retirement “tune up” fight with Sean O’Malley following UFC 316: “What do you say precious”
Harry Kettle - June 9, 2025
UFC legend Henry Cejudo has called for a fight against Sean O’Malley following the latter’s loss at UFC 316 last weekend. As we know, Sean O’Malley fell short in his attempt to regain the UFC bantamweight championship last Saturday night. He was attempting to win it back from Merab Dvalishvili, the same man who took it from him in the first place. Unfortunately, after a competitive start to proceedings, ‘Suga’ was simply overwhelmed by Merab who seems to be getting better and better as champion.
Kevin Holland calls out former title challenger following UFC 316 submission finish
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 8, 2025
Kevin Holland has named one brash UFC welterweight who he wouldn’t mind mixing it up with. Holland competed on the UFC 316 card in Newark. He went one-on-one with fellow veteran Vicente Luque. Holland earned a “Performance of the Night” bonus thanks to his second-round submission finish.
Patchy Mix speaks on unsuccessful UFC debut against Mario Bautista
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 8, 2025
Patchy Mix has issued a statement following his defeat to Mario Bautista in his UFC debut. Mix and Bautista shared the Octagon on the main card of UFC 316 in Newark. It was Mix’s first fight since being freed of his PFL contract after being shelved for a year. Mix was unable to get the better of Bautista, who took home a unanimous decision victory to extend his winning streak to eight.
Merab Dvalishvili reveals key name who helped him defeat Sean O'Malley again at UFC 316
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 8, 2025
Merab Dvalishvili says one key name played a huge role in his successful training camp for UFC 316. Dvalishvili put his bantamweight title at stake against Sean O’Malley in a rematch on Saturday. Dvalishvili captured the 135-pound gold from “Suga” in their first encounter. In the rematch, Dvalishvili secured a north-south choke in the third round to maintain his hold on the gold. It marks O’Malley’s first submission defeat in pro MMA competition.
Amanda Nunes shares true reason for initial UFC retirement
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 8, 2025
Amanda Nunes has revealed the true reason she initially decided to retire. Nunes walked away from pro MMA competition after defeating Irene Aldana to successfully retain the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship. That bout took place on June 10, 2023. It didn’t take long for Nunes to tease a return to the Octagon, which was music to the ears of UFC CEO Dana White.
Dana White responds to rumors of tension with Turki Alalshikh amid Canelo-Crawford promoter news
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 8, 2025
UFC CEO Dana White has dismissed speculation that his relationship with Turki Alalshikh has deteriorated. White was revealed to be the promoter of the mega boxing fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford. It wouldn’t take long before Alalshikh announced that Sela would be the new promoter for the bout. This led to rumors surrounding the business relationship between White and the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.
Kayla Harrison reacts to future UFC title fight with Amanda Nunes
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 8, 2025
Kayla Harrison wants the best version of Amanda Nunes when the two collide. Harrison captured the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship from Julianna Pena on Saturday. The two collided inside the Prudential Center in Newark. Harrison scored a submission finish via kimura to capture the 135-pound gold.
Dana White reacts to Patchy Mix’s disappointing Octagon debut at UFC 316
Harry Kettle - June 8, 2025
UFC president Dana White has given his thoughts on Patchy Mix’s disappointing debut at UFC 316 last night. As we know, Patchy Mix made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut yesterday. The expectation was that the Bellator star would come in and put on a clinic to really announce himself on the world stage – but that didn’t happen. Instead, he fell to a one-sided and pretty disappointing loss at the hands of Mario Bautista. In fact, he’s been getting a whole lot of slack for the performance in a general sense.
Aljamain Sterling calls for a rematch against Sean O’Malley after his UFC 316 defeat
Harry Kettle - June 8, 2025
Aljamain Sterling has called for a rematch against Sean O’Malley after the latter’s second straight loss to Merab Dvalishvili. Last night, Sean O’Malley fell to a second straight defeat at the hands of Merab Dvalishvili. This time, though, was perhaps even worse for ‘Suga’, as he was submitted by the man known as ‘The Machine’. It was a tense and tight affair through the first two rounds but once Dvalishvili got a controlling position, things seemed to be fairly one-sided until the finish.
Petr Yan scolds Sean O’Malley following his submission loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 316
Harry Kettle - June 8, 2025
UFC bantamweight Petr Yan has hit out at former rival Sean O’Malley following the latter’s loss at UFC 316 last night. As we know, Sean O’Malley challenged Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC bantamweight championship on Saturday evening. It served as the main event of UFC 316, and while ‘Suga’ certainly showed improvements in some areas, he ultimately wasn’t able to stand up to the overwhelming power and wrestling ability of Dvalishvili. In the end, ‘The Machine’ earned an impressive third round submission victory.