MMA News

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.

Harry Kettle - June 11, 2025

UFC star Sean O’Malley has given his in-depth thoughts on his recent UFC 316 defeat at the hands of Merab Dvalishvili. Last weekend, Sean O’Malley attempted to regain the UFC bantamweight championship in his rematch with Merab Dvalishvili. Unfortunately for him, he came up short, losing via submission in the third round. As a result of the defeat, many have been left to wonder what exactly is going to be next for him in the promotion.

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.

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

One soaring UFC welterweight contender believes he will get a crack at 170-pound gold before Islam Makhachev does. Makhachev is set to officially relinquish the UFC Lightweight Championship once the UFC 317 main event between Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria begins. The soon-to-be former 155-pound champion made the decision in an effort to secure the welterweight gold, which is held by Jack Della Maddalena. UFC CEO Dana White has confirmed that the plan is indeed Maddalena vs. Makhachev.

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.

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.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 10, 2025

Flyweight Muay Thai star Jaosuayai Mor Krungthepthonburi’s main roster debut could not have been much more prolific. The Thai striker annihilated #5-ranked flyweight Muay Thai contender Nakrob Fairtex at ONE Fight Night 32 this past Friday, June 6. He picked apart his compatriot in 52 seconds inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium to score a massive knockout victory.

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.

Harry Kettle - June 10, 2025

MMA personality Joey Diaz was 100% locked in during the co-main event at UFC 316 last weekend – and that’s an understatement. Over the course of the last decade or so, Joey Diaz has been one of the bigger personalities within the world of mixed martial arts. From cracking jokes with Joe Rogan to giving his own thoughts on the sport, he’s quite the character. He’s best known for his acting and comedy, of course, bit in the MMA realm, ‘Uncle Joey’ has provided us with a whole lot of joy.

Cole Shelton - June 10, 2025

The 197th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live to preview UFC Atlanta. We’re first joined by UFC welterweight Michael Chiesa (1:13). Next, Lights Out founder and former NFL star Shawne Merriman (15:55) returns to the show.

Cole Shelton - June 9, 2025

The UFC was in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday for a solid UFC 316 card. The main event saw Merab Dvalishvili rematching Sean O’Malley for the bantamweight belt. The co-main event saw Julianna Pena defending her bantamweight title against Kayla Harrison. Ultimately, it was Dvalishvili who beat O’Malley again, but this time he submitted ‘Suga’ to defend his bantamweight title. The co-main event saw Harrison submit Pena to win the women’s bantamweight title. Following UFC 316, here is what I think should be next for the stars of the event.

BJ Penn Staff - June 9, 2025

All signs now point to a UFC super fight between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes in the very near future. However, not everybody is on board with the matchup. Harrison claimed the bantamweight title with a submission win over Julianna Peña in the co-main event of last Saturday’s UFC 316 card in Newark. Leading into the fight, Nunes announced plans to end her retirement and return to the Octagon. Now that Harrison has the belt, it’s just a question of when they 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.

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.