MMA News

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.

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

The PFL announced they have parted ways with bantamweight champion Patchy Mix. Mix won the Bellator bantamweight title in 2023 with a submission win over Sergio Pettis and has defended it once. Yet, after the PFL-Bellator merger, Mix only fought once and expressed his frustration with his lack of fights on social media.

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.

BJ Penn Staff - May 13, 2025

Dricus Du Plessis is finally set to defend the UFC middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev. The two fighters will meet in the main event of UFC 319, which is slated for August 16, according to the promotion’s CEO Dana White.

Cole Shelton - May 13, 2025

UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis believes Bo Nickal gave up and was broken mentally against Reinier de Ridder. Nickal suffered his first career loss to de Ridder by TKO, as he was hurt by knees to the body. Although de Ridder landed several heavy shots, Du Plessis believes Nickal should have been able to survive those, but instead just took the easy way out.

BJ Penn Staff - May 13, 2025

If Islam Makhachev moves up to the UFC welterweight division, he will find himself in the crosshairs of most of the weight class’s top fighters. That includes former champ Kamaru Usman. Makhachev is currently the No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC. He earned that lofty position as the promotion’s lightweight champion. He won the belt with a submission over the great Charles Oliveira in 2022, and has since defended the belt four times: twice against Alexander Volkanovski, and later against Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano.

Cole Shelton - May 13, 2025

Jack Della Maddalena doesn’t expect Islam Makhachev to be a welterweight for long. Della Maddalena became the UFC’s welterweight champion on Saturday with a hard-fought decision win over Belal Muhammad. After the fight, Makhachev confirmed he would be moving up to welterweight to try and get the second belt and become a champ-champ.

BJ Penn Staff - May 13, 2025

Islam Makhachev has ambitions to reign over two UFC weight classes at once. His long-time friend and training partner Daniel Cormier is urging him to be cautious as he pursues this goal. Makhachev is already the UFC lightweight champion. He won the division’s coveted belt with a submission win over Charles Oliveira in 2022, and has since defended it four times. His first two defenses came against featherweight legend Alexander Volkanovski. Since then, he has defended the belt with finishes of Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 13, 2025

Jon Jones has something to say to those who think he’s ducking Tom Aspinall. Many fans have grown tired of the delay in crowning an undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. Jones has held the gold since March 2023, while Aspinall has been the interim champion since Nov. 2023. Both Jones and Aspinall have successfully defended their titles once, yet a matchup between the two has yet to be made official.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 13, 2025

One longtime UFC veteran will keep his 15-year run intact. Not every fighter in MMA can remain competitive, regardless of their placement on the card. This is especially true in UFC, where a couple of bad performances, along with other factors, can lead to a release. In the case of one fan favorite, who won his most recent outing, his old contract expired and many wondered if this marked the end of the business relationship.

Harry Kettle - May 13, 2025

UFC legend Kamaru Usman has claimed that he feels indifferent towards Belal Muhammad’s title loss at UFC 315. One thing we know to be true about Kamaru Usman is that he was a great welterweight champion. He enjoyed some incredible wins throughout the course of his title reign and now, he’s attempting to climb back to the top of the mountain. While his primary focus right now is on his main event clash with Joaquin Buckley next month, the former champ was also keeping an eye on the main event at UFC 315 between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena.

Harry Kettle - May 13, 2025

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has revealed that he declined an offer to coach on the Russian equivalent of The Ultimate Fighter against Jon Jones. As we know, Daniel Cormier is one of the all-time greats within the world of mixed martial arts. He achieved some incredible things throughout the course of his career, including winning world titles in two different weight classes. However, when it comes to rivalries, perhaps his most notable foe was none other than Jon Jones – the man who many consider to be the GOAT.