MMA News

BJ Penn Staff - May 15, 2025

Marlon “Chito” Vera will not be fighting Mario Bautista at UFC 316. Instead, Bautista be fighting former Bellator champion Patchy Mix at the June 7 card in Newark, New Jersey. That’s according to X user @MagicM_MMABets, who has a good track record for breaking fight news.

Cole Shelton - May 15, 2025

Thiago Moises has plenty of confidence in his skills ahead of his UFC Vegas 106 fight against Jared Gordon. After Moises beat Trey Ogden in January, he wanted to fight again as he and his wife are expecting a girl at the beginning of June. So, Moises is thankful the UFC granted his wish as he will return on Saturday night at UFC Vegas 106.

Harry Kettle - May 15, 2025

Gilbert Burns agrees with Islam Makhachev’s decision to vacate the UFC lightweight title in order to move up to welterweight. As we know, Islam Makhachev is vacating the UFC lightweight championship. He’s doing so as a result of his decision to pursue the welterweight belt, which is currently held by Jack Della Maddalena. If Belal Muhammad had been able to defeat JDM in their UFC 315 title fight, Islam likely would’ve remained at 155 pounds to defend the strap against Ilia Topuria.

Harry Kettle - May 15, 2025

UFC legend Daniel Cormier doesn’t agree with Jon Jones’ thoughts on what would’ve happened if they fought each other at heavyweight. As we know, Daniel Cormier is one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. He accomplished some great things throughout the course of his career, especially in the UFC. However, there was one man he couldn’t overcome: Jon Jones. These two warriors battled it out twice in two of the most bitterly contested bouts in the history of the promotion. On both occasions, Jones got the win, with the second of those victories later being ruled a no contest.

Harry Kettle - May 15, 2025

MMA legend Cris Cyborg believes that UFC contender Kayla Harrison ran away from a potential superfight against her. As we know, Cris Cyborg is easily one of the greatest female fighters of this or any other generation. Her impact on mixed martial arts has been incredible and even at this advanced stage in her career, it still feels like she’s got a lot left in the tank. Alas, while we were able to see Cris get the opportunity to face Amanda Nunes, we haven’t seen her take on other dream opponents such as Ronda Rousey and Kayla Harrison.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 14, 2025

Flyweight Muay Thai fighter Johan Ghazali has evolved into one of the division’s must-watch talents. And he wants to stay there for as long as possible. In order to do that, he switched teams and now sits under the learning tree of ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon. “Jojo” looks to return to winning ways against Diego Paez in a flyweight Muay Thai tussle at ONE Fight Night 32 on Friday, June 6, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 14, 2025

Two-sport ONE World Champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai is one of the most experienced and accomplished fighters in Muay Thai history. So it’s only natural he’s become a hub of encouragement for his younger counterparts. At 30 years old, he has almost 400 professional fights to his name. Staggeringly, he’s won 344 of those outings. That wealth of experience has allowed him to soar to the mountaintop of ONE Championship’s strawweight Muay Thai and kickboxing realms.

Cole Shelton - May 14, 2025

Dricus Du Plessis had an interesting reaction after Nassourdine Imavov was announced as the backup fighter at UFC 319. Du Plessis is set to defend his middleweight title in the main event of UFC 319 against Khamzat Chimaev. It’s a highly anticipated bout and one that has been rumored for a long time. However, ahead of the fight on August 16 in Chicago, Imavov announced he’s the backup fighter, and Du Plessis jokingly claimed he’d now be facing the Frenchman.

BJ Penn Staff - May 14, 2025

Former UFC champ Holly Holm is headed back to the boxing ring, with a little help from Jake Paul. Holm is one of the most accomplished female fighters in UFC history, having famously knocked out Ronda Rousey in a stunning upset in 2015. However, she was shockingly released by the promotion earlier this year.

BJ Penn Staff - May 14, 2025

Yesterday, the UFC finally announced a middleweight title fight between champion Dricus Du Plessis and challenger Khamzat Chimaev. It’s one of the biggest fights on the calendar right now, and it will be a real shame if either man is injured, but the promotion has a plan in place just in case that happens. The Du Plessis vs. Chimaev fight is slated for UFC 319 on August 16. According to French publication RMC Sport Combat, the promotion has called upon top middleweight contender Nassourdine Imavov to serve as the backup to the fight. That means the Frenchman will fly to Chicago and weigh in for the card, so he is able to swoop in and fight one of the two men should the other be ruled out.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 14, 2025

Gilbert Burns never considered turning down a fight with Michael Morales. Burns is a well-respected veteran in MMA, and he’s competed against elite competition under the UFC banner. While “Durinho” is on a three-fight skid, his losses have been against current UFC Welterweight Champion Jack Della Maddalena, former titleholder Belal Muhammad, and the No. 1-ranked Sean Brady.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 14, 2025

A UFC Hall of Famer and color commentator doesn’t believe Islam Makhachev rooted for Belal Muhammad to lose at UFC 315. Muhammad put the UFC Welterweight Championship at stake against Jack Della Maddalena in Montreal this past Saturday. Going into the fight, UFC CEO Dana White said that the outcome would have major implications on Makhachev’s next fight. Maddalena ended up defeating Muhammad to capture the 170-pound gold.

Harry Kettle - May 14, 2025

UFC star Charles Oliveira has promised a big performance when he goes head to head with Ilia Topuria at UFC 317. As announced earlier this week, Charles Oliveira will challenge for the UFC lightweight championship once again. He will do so in the main event of UFC 317 against Ilia Topuria, who has officially made the move up to the lightweight division. While everyone knows that ‘Do Bronx’ has a chance, Topuria is widely considered to be the favorite to walk away with the belt in this encounter.

Harry Kettle - May 14, 2025

UFC star Ilia Topuria has issued an apology ahead of his recently announced UFC 317 main event against Charles Oliveira. As we know, Ilia Topuria is making the move up to lightweight in pursuit of a second world title. Now, we also know that he’s going to be challenging for the championship straight away. He’ll lock horns with Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317, and many believe he has a great chance at winning the title. Of course, getting through someone like ‘Do Bronx’ is going to be no easy task, and Ilia knows that.

Harry Kettle - May 14, 2025

Alexander Volkanovski is the latest fighter to question the judges after Jose Aldo’s controversial defeat at UFC 315. Last weekend, Jose Aldo competed for what was likely the final time in mixed martial arts. He squared off against Aiemann Zahabi in a brutal encounter and in the end, he lost via decision. While some thought it was a fair call from the judges, a lot of fans and pundits alike heavily questioned it, suggesting that Jose was the clear winner of the contest.

Harry Kettle - May 14, 2025

Islam Makhachev’s manager has praised him as he prepares to make the move from lightweight to welterweight. As we know, Islam Makhachev has decided to vacate the UFC lightweight championship and move to the welterweight division. He will challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the undisputed 170-pound title, with the decision being made after JDM was able to win the belt from Belal Muhammad at UFC 315.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 13, 2025

Two-sport ONE World Champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai acknowledges Jonathan Di Bella‘s impressive victory over Sam-A Gaiyanghadao this past March at ONE 172. However, the Thai superstar points out what he perceives as a critical gap in the interim strawweight kickboxing champion’s arsenal. Prajanchai’s primary observation centers on Di Bella’s apparent lack of finishing ability. The Canadian-Italian competitor has earned recognition for his fast-paced contests and technical proficiency throughout his career, qualities that have established him as a formidable challenge for the Thai standout.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 13, 2025

Surging lightweight MMA prospect Adrian Lee was caught off guard when hearing his name mentioned by ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo. Upon reflection, however, the teenage phenom believes the grappling specialist may face more than anticipated when transitioning to mixed martial arts. “The Phenom” boasts a perfect 3-0 professional record, securing each victory within the ONE Championship Circle. His most recent triumph came this past March at ONE 172, where he finished Takeharu Ogawa in the opening round.