MMA News
George Jarvis vows to show "lifetime of work" versus Regian Eersel at ONE Fight Night 34
BJPENN.COM Staff - June 6, 2025
British lightweight Muay Thai fighter George Jarvis has proven himself as one of the division’s fastest rising stars since arriving in ONE Championship almost two years ago. Now he has the chance to become immortal. On Friday, August 1, “G-Unit” will challenge reigning ONE Lightweight Muay Thai World Champion Regian Eersel at ONE Fight Night 34. That matchup will headline the event inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.
Francis Ngannou coach opens door to UFC return: 'Enough time has passed'
BJ Penn Staff - June 6, 2025
Francis Ngannou could potentially end up fighting for the UFC again, according to his long-time coach. Ngannou is the former UFC heavyweight champion. He never actually lost the belt, instead vacating the title when he parted ways with the promotion in 2023. In other words, he’s still the lineal MMA heavyweight champion.
Ariane da Silva coach explains massive UFC 316 weight miss, opponent reacts
BJ Penn Staff - June 6, 2025
There was some major drama at the UFC 316 weigh-ins. Most of it surrounded a flyweight fight between Wang Cong and Ariane da Silva. UFC 316 goes down this Saturday inside the Prudential Centre in Newark, New Jersey. China’s Wang will take on Brazil’s da Silva on the event’s undercard. The pair were set to meet at flyweight, meaning they both needed to hit 126 pounds at Friday morning’s weigh-ins. However, da Silva came in way overweight, tipping the scales at 132 pounds, a substantial six pounds over the limit.
Donald Trump to attend Saturday's UFC 316 event despite Elon Musk feud
BJ Penn Staff - June 6, 2025
United States President Donald Trump has had a hectic couple of days, but will be making an appearance at Saturday’s UFC 316 card all the same. Trump has spent much of the last 48 hours trading trash talk with Elon Musk, who until recently was one of his key allies. The pair’s feud—which got ugly fast—has dominated the news cycle all over the world.
Amanda Nunes says Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison will be closer than you think
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 6, 2025
Amanda Nunes has made a prediction for the big women’s bantamweight title fight at UFC 316 this Saturday. Julianna Pena will look to silence the doubters once again, as she will put her gold at stake against Kayla Harrison. The challenger is a massive betting favorite going into the title bout. Pena has been in this spot before, as she submitted Nunes in a shocking upset in late 2021. While Pena lost the rematch against “The Lioness” in a one-sided affair, “The Venezuelan Vixen” has proven to be a live underdog.
UFC commentator doubts Jon Jones cares about being stripped of heavyweight title
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 6, 2025
One UFC commentator doesn’t believe Jon Jones cares if he gets stripped of the heavyweight title. Jones has been the UFC Heavyweight Champion since March 2023. He’s had just one title defense, and he hasn’t sounded gung-ho over the idea of fighting Tom Aspinall in a title unification bout. Aspinall has been the interim titleholder since Nov. 2023 and even has a successful title defense of his own.
UFC 316 weigh-in results: Merab Dvalishvili, Sean O’Malley hit targets, one fighter misses weight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 6, 2025
The UFC 316 weigh-ins have concluded, and fans are happy to know that the marquee matches remain intact. On Friday, all competitors scheduled for the UFC 316 card in Newark tipped the scales. That includes the UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili, who was actually one pound under the championship limit at 134 pounds. His rematch with Sean O’Malley is official, as the “Suga” show also made weight, clocking in at 135 pounds.
Merab Dvalishvili and Patchy Mix reveal they’re open to fighting each other
Harry Kettle - June 6, 2025
Merab Dvalishvili and Patchy Mix, who are training partners, have revealed they’d be open to the possibility of fighting each other. This weekend, Merab Dvalishvili will defend his UFC bantamweight championship against Sean O’Malley. In addition to that, former Bellator star Patchy Mix will finally make his UFC debut when he battles Mario Bautista on the same UFC 316 card. As you can imagine, given the star power of both men, there’s already been talk of them potentially colliding at some point in the future.
Kron Gracie is one of three UFC featherweights removed from roster
Harry Kettle - June 6, 2025
Kron Gracie is one of three UFC featherweights that have been removed from the roster during a recent round of cuts. As we know, it isn’t exactly uncommon for the Ultimate Fighting Championship to release fighters. It happens pretty frequently and although it isn’t the most enjoyable part of being a fan, sometimes, it’s warranted. Case in point: Kron Gracie is reportedly no longer part of the promotion.
Jon Jones implies that he may "give up" UFC heavyweight championship
Harry Kettle - June 6, 2025
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has implied that he may end up surrendering the belt in the near future. For the longest time now, Jon Jones has been toying with the world of mixed martial arts. While he may be the current heavyweight champion in the UFC, there’s also an interim champion – and his name is Tom Aspinall. The popular opinion is that the two should compete to determine the undisputed champ, but it really doesn’t seem like Jon is all too interested in making it happen.
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.
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.
MMA insider claims 'cheap' Sean O'Malley is cutting corners in UFC 316 training camp
BJ Penn Staff - June 5, 2025
If Henry Cejudo is to be believed, Sean O’Malley is cutting costs in his preparations for UFC 316. UFC 316 goes down this Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. O’Malley will challenge bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in the card’s main event. It will be his first fight since he lost the belt by decision to Dvalishvili last September.
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.
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.
Julianna Pena thinks you won't respect her regardless of UFC 316 outcome
Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 5, 2025
Julianna Pena believes she won’t be given respect if she defeats Kayla Harrison at UFC 316. Pena is set to put the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship at stake against Harrison on Saturday. The title fight will be held inside the Prudential Center in Newark. Pena is in her second reign as the 135-pound titleholder and she’s looking for her first successful title defense.