MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 13, 2026

His coach drove him to the gym. They did 20 seconds of pad work. Then the coach drove him home. The next day, they went a little longer. That is where the road back began. Ben “The Problem” Woolliss faces former ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Petchtanong Petchfergus in a bantamweight kickboxing bout at ONE Fight Night 43: Tang vs. Gasanov on Prime Video, broadcasting live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, May 15.

Curtis Calhoun - May 13, 2026

UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van’s potential rematch with former titleholder Alexandre Pantoja might be indefinitely postponed. Joshua Van retained his UFC flyweight title against Tatsuro Taira in one of the greatest fights in the division’s history last weekend at UFC 328. But the reigning champion paid a steep price for his efforts in the Octagon after securing a late knockout win.

Curtis Calhoun - May 13, 2026

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will play a prominent role on the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano broadcast this weekend. Cain Velasquez is a free man after he was released from a California prison earlier this year, after spending almost a full year behind bars stemming from attempted murder and weapons charges. Velasquez was released from prison way earlier than expected, and envisions a return to Mixed Martial Arts in a non-fighting role.

Curtis Calhoun - May 13, 2026

Aiemann Zahabi responded to former titleholder Sean O’Malley’s recent ultimatum ahead of the White House card. The UFC’s historic event on the White House lawn is just weeks away, as the first major sporting event to take place at the U.S. Presidential residence. The card is headlined by a UFC lightweight title unification bout between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, with an interim heavyweight title co-headliner between two-time champ Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane.

Cole Shelton - May 13, 2026

Ronda Rousey is ready for her MMA return. Rousey is set to return to the Octagon on Saturday in the main event of MVP’s first MMA event on Netflix. The former UFC champion will take on Gina Carano, and heading into the bout, Rousey is a -590 favorite while Carano is a +390 underdog on FanDuel.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 13, 2026

Sean Strickland’s head coach vehemently denies that his fighter and Khamzat Chimaev manufactured their beef prior to UFC 328. Strickland and Chimaev shared some heated words in the buildup to this past Saturday’s middleweight title clash in Newark. It got to the point where the UFC brass put extra security between both men, and didn’t allow the two to face off during the ceremonial weigh-ins.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 13, 2026

Khamzat Chimaev’s loss at UFC 328 this past weekend took many by surprise, and that includes Khalil Rountree. Chimaev and Rountree are training partners and “The War Horse” fully expected “Borz” to handle business this past Saturday in Newark. Instead, Chimaev ran into some problems in the second stanza and was forced to engage in the standup throughout his bout against Sean Strickland. Ultimately, Strickland dethroned Chimaev via split decision to capture the UFC Middleweight Championship.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 13, 2026

Sean Strickland was injured prior to UFC 328, and he certainly didn’t walk out of his middleweight title win unscathed. Strickland stunned the MMA world once again by defeating Khamzat Chimaev via split decision this past Saturday in Newark. Despite separating his shoulder four days before fight night, Strickland gutted things out and forced “Borz” into a dogfight. The plan worked, as Strickland is now a two-time UFC Middleweight Champion.

Harry Kettle - May 13, 2026

Former MMA referee John McCarthy has given his thoughts on the scoring for Khamzat Chimaev vs Sean Strickland. Last weekend, in the main event of UFC 328, Khamzat Chimaev lost his first fight as a professional mixed martial artist. He fell to a split decision defeat at the hands of Sean Strickland, who was able to grind out a win and become a two-time UFC middleweight champion.

Harry Kettle - May 13, 2026

Former UFC star Darren Till has suggested that at his best, he could defeat new UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland. Back in the day, Darren Till was considered to be one of the most interesting welterweight prospects in all of mixed martial arts. He absolutely shot up through the ranks at 170 pounds until finally, he received a shot at UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley – which he proceeded to lose via submission.

Dylan Bowker - May 12, 2026

Georges St. Pierre is a former UFC middleweight champion in his own right, and his thoughts on the recent Khamzat Chimaev versus Sean Strickland title clash at UFC 328 were something that GSP recently touched on. The former two-division UFC titleholder spoke about this to Mike Bohn during an interview with MMA Junkie. Khamzat Chimaev dropped his middleweight crown to former champ Sean Strickland by way of a split decision at UFC 328 on May 9th. GSP mentioned being surprised by how the bout played out, quipping about how incredible and amazing it is to see the body of work Strickland has been putting together in these big upsets capturing UFC hardware.

Curtis Calhoun - May 12, 2026

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley wants to add stakes to his upcoming fight against Aiemann Zahabi at the White House. Former UFC champion Sean O’Malley has his eyes set on another potential bantamweight title shot with a win in his upcoming fight against Aiemann Zahabi. But that will be easier said than done, as Zahabi is one of the hottest bantamweights in the division with seven consecutive victories.

Curtis Calhoun - May 12, 2026

UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson thinks one of his former rivals can be the stiffest test to Joshua Van’s title reign. UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van retained his title in an instant classic against Tatsuro Taira last Saturday at UFC 328. In a back-and-forth war for as long as the fight lasted, Van knocked out Taira in Round 5 to retain his belt and kick off a new era in the UFC flyweight division.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 12, 2026

His first promotional loss went viral for all the wrong reasons. Five months later, Ramadan Ondash is back in Bangkok, and the left hand that made his name is still loaded. Ondash faces Thai veteran Suriyanlek Por Yenying in a flyweight Muay Thai bout at The Inner Circle, streaming live for members at live.onefc.com from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 29.

Curtis Calhoun - May 12, 2026

UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson believes Khamzat Chimaev’s poor showing at UFC 328 can be attributed to his training habits. Khamzat Chimaev suffered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history last weekend to Sean Strickland at UFC 328. Chimaev, previously unbeaten in his career, suffered a split decision loss to relinquish the UFC middleweight title.

Curtis Calhoun - May 12, 2026

Former UFC superstar Nate Diaz was offended by some of the promotion’s recent inductees into the UFC Hall of Fame. Nate Diaz will make his return to Mixed Martial Arts this weekend in Los Angeles on the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano undercard. Diaz hasn’t fought in MMA since his UFC finale against Tony Ferguson at UFC 279, in which he won by submission before parting ways with the promotion.

Cole Shelton - May 12, 2026

Nate Diaz didn’t want his trilogy with Conor McGregor to be the Irishman’s return fight. McGregor is likely to return this summer, but his opponent hasn’t been announced. Many fans wanted McGregor’s return fight to be against Diaz, as the two had a legendary rivalry for years, and they haven’t settled their trilogy yet.

Curtis Calhoun - May 12, 2026

Former UFC featherweight star Zabit Magomedsharipov blames the UFC, not personal health issues, for his abrupt retirement from MMA. Zabit Magomedsharipov walked away from Mixed Martial Arts as one of the best featherweights in the world, and appeared on the cusp of a title shot before retiring in June 2022. It was a shocking exit for Magomedsharipov, as he was just beginning to enter the physical prime of his career and was deemed by many as a potential future champ.