MMA News

Harry Kettle - May 15, 2025

UFC veteran Paul Craig believes that he’s fighting to stay in a job when he returns to battle it out with Rodolfo Bellato on Saturday. While he may not always pick up the win, Paul Craig is one of the more entertaining fighters on the UFC roster. From his fight style to his personality outside of the cage, you just never really know what you’re going to get. Alas, the Scottish sensation has been on a poor run of form lately, leading many to wonder whether or not he’s on the verge of getting cut.

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.

BJ Penn Staff - May 14, 2025

Gilbert Burns surprised a lot of people in his 2022 UFC loss to Khamzat Chimaev. Ahead of the fight, many people expected him to struggle with the undefeated Russian contender, but in the end, he pushed his opponent to the limit in a Fight of the Night-winning war. In a recent interview with Home of Fight, Burns reflected on his razor-close loss to Chimaev. He explained that, initially, his valiant performance actually benefitted him in a lot of ways, as his notoriety and finances improved.

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 former UFC champion believes that Islam Makhachev has taken the title of lightweight GOAT from Khabib Nurmagomedov. Makhachev is ready to move on from 155 pounds. UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that Makhachev will be vacating the UFC Lightweight Championship to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight gold. Makhachev ends his run at 155 pounds with the most successful UFC lightweight title defenses.

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.

Cole Shelton - May 14, 2025

Jack Hermansson will finally make his return to the Octagon at UFC 317 at the end of June. Hermansson last fought in February of 2024 when he beat Joe Pyfer by decision in a five-round main event. After that fight, Hermansson suffered some injuries that forced him to be on the sidelines and not be able to fight.

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.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 13, 2025

British Muay Thai icon Liam Harrison possesses encyclopedic knowledge of the art of eight limbs in the United Kingdom. The veteran striker believes the moment is right for ONE Championship to make its debut on British shores. Over the past five years, ONE Championship has recruited exceptional talent from across the UK. Athletes like ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty, Nico Carrillo, and George Jarvis have established themselves as elite competitors on the global stage.

Cole Shelton - May 13, 2025

UFC CEO Dana White has plenty of confidence that Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall will happen. White announced the UFC 317 and UFC 319 main events, and neither is Jones defending his heavyweight title. Many fans were hoping Jones vs Aspinall would headline the International Fight Week on June 29 in Las Vegas, but that won’t happen as White announced the main event would be Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira.

Cole Shelton - May 13, 2025

UFC CEO Dana White has officially announced Ilia Topuria will take on Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. International Fight Week is always one of the biggest events of the year, but the promotion had yet to announce the headliner. A key reason why was that Islam Makhachev, the lightweight champion, wanted to see how the main event played out, as if Jack Della Maddalena beat Belal Muhammad, he would be moving up to welterweight.