MMA News

Cole Shelton - June 4, 2025

In the main event of UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey, the bantamweight title is up for grabs as Merab Dvalishvili defends his belt against Sean O’Malley in a rematch of their fight last September. Heading into the fight, Dvalishvili is a -310 favorite while ‘Suga’ is a +230 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap at UFC 316, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the bantamweight title fight. The pros believe Dvalishvili will be too much for O’Malley again as he will be able to take ‘Suga’ down and get a decision win to defend his belt.

BJ Penn Staff - June 4, 2025

Bryce Mitchell is reportedly headed down to the UFC bantamweight division. Mitchell has spent the entirety of his UFC career so far competing at featherweight. At one point, he was one of the hottest young contenders in the division. He even managed to crack the division’s top-15. However, things have taken a pretty nasty turn for the man known as “Thug Nasty” in the last few years.

BJ Penn Staff - June 4, 2025

UFC CEO Dana White will see his eighties—and possibly even his nineties. That’s according to Gary Brecka, a self proclaimed “biohaker.” Long term UFC fans may remember Brecka’s name. Years ago, he linked up with White, and estimated the UFC boss had only 10 more years to live. That was obviously a grave concern for White, who then continued to work with Brecka in hopes of expanding his lifespan.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 4, 2025

Alex Pereira will not be retiring despite claims from his recent foe. Pereira last stepped inside the Octagon on March 8 for the main event of UFC 313. “Poatan” was hoping for a successful title defense against Magomed Ankalaev, but it wasn’t meant to be on that night. Ankalaev took the light heavyweight gold via unanimous decision.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 4, 2025

Ian Machado Garry thinks one former UFC titleholder should hang up his gloves. It isn’t often that fans and experts call for an ex-titleholder’s retirement after just two straight losses, but that’s exactly what’s happening with Leon Edwards. “Rocky” lost the UFC Welterweight Championship to Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision. He followed that up with a submission loss to Sean Brady.

Harry Kettle - June 4, 2025

BKFC veteran Mike Perry has questioned whether or not Robbie Lawler is afraid to fight him in the bare-knuckle promotion. As we know, Mike Perry is pretty much the king of bare-knuckle boxing – and it’s all thanks to his run with BKFC. He has pretty much been the face of the promotion ever since he first stepped foot in the ring, and he’s had some pretty interesting fights along the way too. Of course, he’s the kind of guy who is always looking ahead to the next thing, and it’s clear to see that he has some big plans for himself.

Harry Kettle - June 4, 2025

UFC star Maycee Barber has provided an update following her recent health scare at the UFC Apex last weekend. As we know, Maycee Barber was scheduled to face Erin Blanchfield last weekend in a really important flyweight encounter. There was a chance that the winner could go on to face Valentina Shevchenko for the championship, highlighting just how much was on the line for both women. Unfortunately, the fight never happened, as a result of Maycee suffering an undisclosed health issue just minutes before they were scheduled to walk out.

Harry Kettle - June 4, 2025

Former UFC champion Sean O’Malley has named the hardest-hitting opponent he’s faced in the promotion. This weekend, Sean O’Malley will attempt to do what a lot of ex-champions have struggled to do in the Ultimate Fighting Championship – win back their gold. He’ll try and do so against the man who took it from him last year, Merab Dvalishvili. While ‘The Machine’ is widely considered to be the favorite, everyone knows that ‘Suga’ possesses the kind of power and precision that can change a fight at any given moment.

Cole Shelton - June 3, 2025

Mario Bautista is glad to be the one to welcome former Bellator bantamweight champion Patchy Mix to the UFC. Bautista was supposed to fight Marlon Vera at UFC 316, but the former title challenger had an injury and was forced out of the bout. After ‘Chito’ was injured, Bautista made it known he would remain on the card and didn’t care who he would fight.

Cole Shelton - June 3, 2025

Paige VanZant will no longer be competing for the Power Slap title. VanZant was supposed to rematch Mikael Michelle Brown for the first-ever women’s title on June 27 during International Fight Week, but that will no longer happen.

BJ Penn Staff - June 3, 2025

Ever wonder how much money Sean Strickland has made during his time in the UFC? Well, he’ll be more than happy to tell you. Strickland recently spent some time with influencer Adin Ross, and gave fans plenty of the wild sound bites we’ve come to expect from him.

Cole Shelton - June 3, 2025

Derrick Lewis believes the UFC is scripted and will prove it to everyone at UFC Nashville. Lewis is set to return to the Octagon in the main event on July 12 against Tallison Teixeira. It’s Lewis’ first fight since May of last year when he knocked out Rodrigo Nascimento.

BJ Penn Staff - June 3, 2025

Derrick Lewis is coming clean. Apparently, “The Black Beast” intentionally broke the rules in one of his past UFC fights—and possibly others. Lewis is one of the most experienced fighters in the UFC heavyweight division, and holds the distinction of having the most knockout wins in UFC history. That includes a second-round TKO over South Africa’s Ruan Potts.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 3, 2025

If you don’t think Julianna Pena has a chance at UFC 316, one top commentator strongly disagrees. Pena will be putting the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship at stake against Kayla Harrison in the co-main event of UFC 316. The title fight will be held inside Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday. Pena is a sizable underdog going into the bout, which is a familiar spot for “The Venezuelan Vixen.” She was a massive underdog before scoring a submission finish over soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 3, 2025

Tom Aspinall believes Jon Jones is hanging up his gloves. The heavyweight division hasn’t seen movement in quite some time, but that appears to be changing in the near future. Jones is the reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion, while Aspinall holds interim gold. Both men have held their titles since 2023 and each have one successful defense.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 3, 2025

Merab Dvalisvhili has an idea of who his next title challenger will be should he defeat Sean O’Malley a second time. Dvalishvili is looking for his second successful defense of the UFC Bantamweight Championship. He scored a unanimous decision victory over O’Malley to capture the gold, and followed that up with a successful title defense over Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili is expecting a competitive fight against “Suga” in their rematch.

Harry Kettle - June 3, 2025

UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev has made an interesting statement about Alex Pereira’s future. For Alex Pereira, it certainly feels like he doesn’t have anything left to prove in mixed martial arts. He has entered the sport and gone straight to the top, winning belts in two different weight classes. However, in the wake of losing the light heavyweight strap to Ankalaev, some have wondered how much longer he’ll compete in the sport for. There are obviously still interesting fights out there for him to take, but that doesn’t mean he necessarily will.

Harry Kettle - June 3, 2025

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has given his thoughts on the current state of the division. For the longest time now, Merab Dvalishvili has been the man to beat at 135 pounds. He has ruled over the bantamweight division and even when he was just a top contender, it seemed like nobody wanted to fight him. So, he decided to tear through the rest of the competition, making it crystal clear that he is the one who should rightfully be sat at the top of the mountain.