MMA News

BJ Penn Staff - May 26, 2025

Nate Diaz claims he was the first choice to play the villain in the recent Roadhouse reboot — not his fellow UFC star Conor McGregor. Diaz and McGregor are two of the fiercest rivals in MMA history. They went 1-1 in a pair of unforgettable scraps in 2016. Diaz won their first encounter by submission, while McGregor evened the score with a decision victory in a thrilling five-round rematch.

BJ Penn Staff - May 26, 2025

Chael Sonnen believes Conor McGregor is aging unnaturally quickly thanks to excessive substance abuse. In fact, he believes McGregor now looks 10 years older than UFC CEO Dana White — which would make him 65 years old. “They did a side-by-side, it was Conor and Dana,” Sonnen said on Instagram (via MMA Mania). “I swear to goodness, Conor looked 10 years older than Dana White, and you could see it in the eyes. You could see the booze in the eyelids and the cocaine in the eyeballs, saying ‘I wanna fight.’ And then you’ve got a promoter who’s the only one with the legal right on the face of the earth to make it so that you can fight, and that promoter is standing there saying, ‘We’re not even close, I’m not even taking his calls right now.’”

Harry Kettle - May 26, 2025

UFC star Cory Sandhagen has given his thoughts on Sean O’Malley’s career, as well as a possible fight between them in the future. As we know, Sean O’Malley is easily one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts. That’s certainly the case for the UFC’s bantamweight division, where he is a former champion. At Noche UFC last year, however, he lost the belt to Merab Dvalishvili. At UFC 316 next month, he’ll have the chance to earn it back in an immediate rematch.

Harry Kettle - May 26, 2025

UFC light heavyweight Khalil Rountree Jr has reflected on his loss to Alex Pereira ahead of his return to the cage. As we know, Khalil Rountree Jr is set to return to action next month to battle Jamahal Hill. While it’s not necessarily a number one contender fight, a big win for either man could vault them right back into contention at 205 pounds. Hill has already held the gold in the past, whereas Khalil fought valiantly in his own title shot when he went toe to toe with the great Alex Pereira at UFC 307.

Harry Kettle - May 26, 2025

UFC champion Jack Della Maddalena may enlist the help of Alexander Volkanovski ahead of a possible Islam Makhachev showdown. At UFC 315, Jack Della Maddalena shocked a lot of people when he was able to defeat Belal Muhammad. In doing so, he became the new UFC welterweight champion, giving Australia two champs in the promotion. The other, of course, is the great Alexander Volkanovski, who was able to reclaim his featherweight gold against Diego Lopes earlier this year.

Harry Kettle - May 26, 2025

UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad claims he went against the game plan in his UFC 315 defeat to Jack Della Maddalena. In the main event of UFC 315, Belal Muhammad attempted to successfully defend the UFC welterweight championship against Jack Della Maddalena. In what proved to be a far more entertaining fight than anyone had anticipated, it was the Australian who was able to get the upper hand. In the end, he was the one to also get his hand raised in victory, leaving Montreal with the belt.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 25, 2025

Paddy Pimblett is well aware of one massive title fight that has yet to be booked, but he’s made a prediction for the bout that might surprise you. Fans have been clamoring for the UFC heavyweight division to move forward. Jon Jones has been the titleholder since March 2023, while Tom Aspinall has held interim gold since Nov. 2023. They each have one successful title defense, but the UFC has yet to make an undisputed title fight official despite Dana White’s optimism.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 25, 2025

You can count another prominent UFC analyst who is unsure what to make of Ilia Topuria’s decision to split from his longtime coaches. The news came as a surprise to many within the MMA industry. Jorge and Agustin Climent had been in Topuria’s corner since his days as an amateur. They helped prepare him for his eventual UFC Featherweight Championship victory. A little over a month before his UFC Lightweight Championship fight against Charles Oliveira, word broke that “El Matador” had split from the Climent brothers.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 25, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili has some big plans for the rest of 2025 if he can defeat Sean O’Malley a second time. Dvalishvili and O’Malley will collide again in the UFC 316 headliner in Newark on June 7. “The Machine” is hoping for his second successful UFC bantamweight title defense. He’s already beaten “Sugar” via unanimous decision to capture the gold, but Dvalishvili is expecting a sharper and more healthy version of O’Malley this go-around.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 25, 2025

As Tom Aspinall continues to wait for his next fight, one former UFC fan favorite is advising him to dodge a pitfall. Aspinall has yet to receive a title unification bout despite the fact that he’s been the interim UFC Heavyweight Champion since Nov. 2023. He’s even successfully defended the gold. While Dana White has insisted that reigning titleholder Jon Jones and Aspinall will fight, there appears to be no signs of any movement towards making the bout happen.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 25, 2025

One former UFC flyweight thinks he knows who has what it takes to dethrone Alexandre Pantoja. Pantoja has been the reigning UFC titleholder at 125 pounds since July 2023 when he defeated Brandon Moreno via split decision. He has had three successful title defenses. The Brazilian bruiser will look to thwart the challenge of Kai Kara-France at UFC 317 on June 28.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 25, 2025

One highly ranked UFC heavyweight has expressed frustration over the Jon Jones dilemma. Top fighters in the heavyweight division continue to wait for what’s next in the title picture. While UFC CEO Dana White remains confident that current champion Jones and interim titleholder Tom Aspinall will fight, the wait continues. Jones captured the gold back in March 2023, yet has as many title defenses as the interim champion, which is one apiece.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 23, 2025

One emerging UFC featherweight isn’t too thrilled about rumblings of Yair Rodriguez potentially getting another title shot. Alexander Volkanovski became a two-time 145-pound titleholder when he defeated Diego Lopes for the vacant gold at UFC 314. Rodriguez also fought on that card, defeating former two-division Bellator champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. While some felt Rodriguez could be booked in a grudge match with Lopes at UFC 320 in Guadalajara, there are some who think “El Pantera” could be getting a rematch with Volkanovski.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 23, 2025

One renowned MMA coach believes the UFC missed out on a more exciting vacant lightweight title fight. Islam Makhachev will no longer be the UFC Lightweight Champion once the UFC 317 main event between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira begins. Many fans and experts are looking forward to seeing Topuria and Oliveira share the Octagon. Still, there are some who feel a better option than “do Bronx” was on the table.

BJ Penn Staff - May 23, 2025

We’ve got some new information about an infamous podcast brawl between former UFC champions Belal Muhammad and Kamaru Usman. That’s thanks to former two-division champ Henry Cejudo. Cejudo, who previously held the UFC bantamweight and flyweight belts, hosts the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Usman. He was in the room when things got physical between Usman and Muhammad, and during a recent appearance on the JAXXON podcast, shed some light on what went down.

Cole Shelton - May 23, 2025

Former bare-knuckle boxer Uly Diaz is looking to put on his gloves and box influencer Tristan Hamm in Misfits. Diaz fought for the BKFC title and interim title throughout his lengthy bare-knuckle career. However, he announced his retirement from bare-knuckle boxing back in August. Although he retired from bare-knuckle, he did fight at the first Dirty Boxing event and now wants to get into boxing and get on a Misfits card.

Harry Kettle - May 23, 2025

UFC contender Mateusz Gamrot has explained why he isn’t the biggest fan of fellow lightweight Paddy Pimblett. While he’s had some big wins since arriving in the promotion, Mateusz Gamrot has also had his fair share of setbacks. After falling to a defeat against Dan Hooker, he’s been forced to go back to the drawing board. The Polish sensation still believes that he is capable of reaching the very top of the lightweight division, but of course, he needs to get some wins under his belt.

Harry Kettle - May 23, 2025

UFC veteran Holly Holm has explained her decision to make a return to professional boxing after her exit from the promotion. After a long stint in the world of mixed martial arts, Holly Holm left the UFC at the start of this year. After some suggestions that she’d be signing with GFL, things quickly quietened down after the promotion’s first few events were canceled. Now, it’s been confirmed that Holly will be heading back to her roots, as she prepares to climb back into the boxing ring as part of a card for Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions.