MMA News
Freddie Haggerty responds to "delusional" Johan Ghazali as intense rivalry heats up
BJPENN.COM Staff - June 5, 2025
Freddie Haggerty and Johan Ghazali have been on a collision course for well over a year now. And while their paths have yet to cross in ONE Championship, a showdown feels inevitable. Ghazali has his hands full this Friday, 6 June. He meets Diego Paez in flyweight Muay Thai at ONE Fight Night 32 at Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. But Haggerty senses a showdown between him and the 18-year-old can’t be too far away.
Chatri Sityodtong, Tim Ferriss break down what makes ONE Championship "spectacularly good"
BJPENN.COM Staff - June 5, 2025
ONE Championship Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong has never wanted to own just another combat sports company. He’s wanted it to stand out from the rest. That’s part of what has made ONE Championship the global giant it is today. Earlier this week, Sityodtong was a guest on The Tim Ferriss Show – the leading business podcast in the world. He broke down why he believed ONE Championship differs from the rest. And part of that is the company’s ability to identify the best martial artists across multiple disciplines.
Vicente Luque says Kevin Holland will prove if he's "ready or not for war" at UFC 316: "I'm excited"
Cole Shelton - June 5, 2025
Vicente Luque is looking to prove he still can get into wars. Luque is set to return to the Octagon in the main card opener of UFC 316 against Kevin Holland. It’s an intriguing fight, and in the lead-up, Holland has claimed Luque can’t take damage like he used to.
UFC 316 | Pro fighters make their picks for Julianna Pena vs Kayla Harrison title fight
Cole Shelton - June 5, 2025
In the co-main event of UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, the women’s bantamweight title is up for grabs as Julianna Pena defends her belt against Kayla Harrison. Heading into the fight, Pena is a massive +450 underdog while the challenger is a -720 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap at UFC 316, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the women’s bantamweight title fight. The pros expect Harrison to become the new champ, but many fighters think it will be a much closer fight than the odds suggest.
Kevin Holland expecting a "barn burner" against Vicente Luque at UFC 316
Cole Shelton - June 5, 2025
Kevin Holland is excited to fight Vicente Luque at UFC 316 as he’s expecting a very fan-friendly fight. Holland is set to fight for the third time in 2025 when he takes on Luque in an intriguing welterweight fight. Holland is coming off a decision win over Gunnar Nelson to get back in the win column. Heading into this fight against Luque, Holland is expecting a striking battle and one that has a good chance to win Fight of the Night.
Former UFC champ Robert Whittaker responds to trash talk from ‘emotional’ Yair Rodriguez
BJ Penn Staff - June 5, 2025
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has responded to a bit of trash talk from a fairly surprising source: featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez. Mexico’s Rodriguez is one of the top contenders in the UFC featherweight division at the moment. However, he was decisively beaten by Australian champion Alexander Volkanovski just a few years ago, and is widely seen as less deserving of a title shot than Russia’s Movsar Evloev, who has never lost a fight.
Kamaru Usman, Joaquin Buckley will both have a 'tough night' at UFC Atlanta
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 5, 2025
One longtime UFC welterweight believes Kamaru Usman vs. Joaquin Buckley will be no cakewalk for either fighter. Buckley and Usman will headline UFC Atlanta on June 14. It’s a pivotal clash in the welterweight division. Usman is the No. 5-ranked UFC welterweight, while Buckley holds the No. 7 spot.
Ilia Topuria doesn't care who's next if he wins lightweight title at UFC 317
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 5, 2025
Ilia Topuria believes all lightweight contenders are in for a rude awakening following UFC 317. Topuria is scheduled to collide with Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317. The bout will be contested for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship. Current titleholder Islam Makhachev will officially relinquish the gold as soon as Topuria vs. Oliveira begins.
Vasiliy Lomachenko announces retirement from boxing
BJ Penn Staff - June 5, 2025
Vasiliy Lomachenko is done with professional boxing. The 37-year-old Ukrainian announced his decision to retire on social media this week.
UFC analyst reveals what Anderson Silva told him about secret Jon Jones sparring session
BJ Penn Staff - June 5, 2025
Jon Jones and Anderson Silva are without a doubt two of the greatest fighters in UFC history. Jones is the current UFC heavyweight champion, but spent most of his career reigning over the light heavyweight division. Silva, meanwhile, was the long-time champion one division down at middleweight. Unfortunately, the two greats never ended up fighting each other, as Silva’s prime occurred a bit before Jones reached the pinnacle.
Henry Cejudo questions the quality of Sean O'Malley's UFC 316 training camp
Harry Kettle - June 5, 2025
Former two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo has questioned the quality of Sean O’Malley’s UFC 316 training camp. As we know, Sean O’Malley will challenge Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC bantamweight championship on Saturday night. It’ll take place in Newark, in the main event of UFC 316. It comes in the wake of Dvalishvili being the one to take the strap off of ‘Suga’, with many wondering whether or not Sean has what it takes to change his game plan enough to earn the gold back.
Julianna Peña believes Belal Muhammad ‘got robbed’ in title loss at UFC 315
Harry Kettle - June 5, 2025
UFC champion Julianna Pena believes Belal Muhammad was robbed by the judges in his UFC 315 main event against Jack Della Maddalena. Last month, in the main event of UFC 315, Belal Muhammad failed to successfully defend his UFC welterweight championship. He put up a solid effort against Jack Della Maddalena and even had some success on the feet, but ultimately, he just wasn’t able to keep up with the exciting Australian star.
Former UFC fighter Greg Hardy arrested for allegedly assaulting family member
Harry Kettle - June 5, 2025
Former UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy has reportedly been arrested as a result of an assault on one of his family members. Throughout the course of his career, Greg Hardy has attracted controversy. While he started out as a promising player in the National Football League (NFL), he soon went from hero to zero. This came as a result of him found guilty of assaulting a former girlfriend. While the case was dismissed due to the victim failing to appear in court, it’s a charge that has followed him around ever since.
Anatoly Malykhin entertains idea of potential transition to wrestling after MMA career
BJPENN.COM Staff - June 4, 2025
Two-weight ONE MMA World Champion Anatoly Malykhin has had an undeniable rise to the top of ONE Championship. Through his knockout power and verbal skills on the microphone, he’s proven to have both the gift of the gab and the gift of the jab. So he believes he could succeed in a future transition to pro wrestling. His punching power has led him to victory 14 times in his career. Seven of those have come in ONE where he became the first-ever three-weight king in the promotion’s history. He stormed through former ONE World Title challenger Kirill Grishenko and former heavyweight king Arjan Bhullar at ONE Friday Fights 22 in June 2023.
Johan Ghazali eager to showcase new skills developed under kickboxing legend Superbon at ONE Fight Night 32
BJPENN.COM Staff - June 4, 2025
Teenage Muay Thai phenom Johan Ghazali’s raw talent has made him a star in ONE Championship. But in order to reach the next level, he’s recently been resculpted by ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon. “Jojo” is eager to show those improvements against American slugger Diego Paez at ONE Fight Night 32. They meet in flyweight Muay Thai this Friday, 6 June, at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Roberto Soldic revisits lessons learned from early setbacks in ONE Championship
BJPENN.COM Staff - June 4, 2025
Croatian knockout artist Roberto Soldic arrived in ONE Championship as the hottest free agent in mixed martial arts. Fans worldwide expected a bombardment of destructive knockouts to quickly develop. But he didn’t have a fairytale start. “Robocop” built a terrifying rep across his European MMA stint. He’d scored 17 knockouts in 20 wins, becoming a two-weight KSW Champion.
Sean O'Malley pleased Conor McGregor squashed beef ahead of UFC 316: "I’ll forever be a huge Conor fan"
Cole Shelton - June 4, 2025
Sean O’Malley and Conor McGregor appear to no longer have a beef with one another. When O’Malley broke onto the scene in the UFC, McGregor was backing him, as many thought ‘Suga’ was similar to the Irishman. However, recently, the two stopped seeing eye-to-eye, and they even took shots at one another on social media and in interviews.
Tristan Hamm fires back at Uly Diaz as talks for boxing match intensify: "He did not beat me up in sparring"
Cole Shelton - June 4, 2025
Tristan Hamm is looking to bring Uly Diaz into the influencer boxing scene. Diaz recently spoke to BJPENN.com and called out Hamm for a boxing match in Misfits in Miami. They used to spar together, and Diaz wants to prove how much better he is than Hamm. However, the Canadian disagreed and fired back at what Diaz had to say.