MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 8, 2025

Two-weight ONE World Champion Anatoly Malykhin has heaped praise on rival and former two-division king Reinier de Ridder. But not before reminding everyone of his own prowess. De Ridder scored his third consecutive stoppage victory in the UFC this past Saturday, 3 May, putting an end to the surging Bo Nickal in the second round by TKO.

Harry Kettle - May 8, 2025

UFC contender Jack Della Maddalena claims he has left no stone unturned in preparing for his title shot at UFC 315. On Saturday night, Jack Della Maddalena will go head to head with Belal Muhammad in the main event of UFC 315. The UFC welterweight championship will be on the line and while Belal may be the favorite, counting out JDM would be a big mistake. He thrives off of being the underdog and you can bet he’s going in there with the belief that he can bring the belt home to Australia.

Harry Kettle - May 7, 2025

UFC star Ian Machado Garry believes he could pull off the biggest heist in UFC history at UFC 315 on Saturday night. As we know, Ian Machado Garry is one of the biggest names in the welterweight division. He has slowly but surely been making his way up through the ranks and now, nobody can argue against him being in the title picture. Following on from his short notice win over Carlos Prates last weekend, he’s now in a position where he is the backup fighter for the UFC 315 main event.

Harry Kettle - May 7, 2025

UFC champion Belal Muhammad has predicted a knockout triumph over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. As we know, Belal Muhammad will defend his welterweight gold in the main event of UFC 315. He’ll do so against Jack Della Maddalena in a contest that many fans and pundits alike are pretty interested to see. JDM would seemingly have the advantage on the feet, but the wrestling of Belal is what got him to the dance in the first place.

Cole Shelton - May 7, 2025

In the main event of UFC 315, the welterweight title is up for grabs as Belal Muhammad takes on Jack Della Maddalena. Heading into the fight, Muhammad is a -188 favorite while the challenger is a +146 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their predictions for the welterweight title fight. The pros are unanimous in thinking Muhammad’s pace and wrestling will be too much as he will defend his belt, most likely by decision.

Cole Shelton - May 7, 2025

Manon Fiorot not only plans to take Valentina Shevchenko’s belt, but she also plans to take her superfight. Fiorot is set to take on Shevchenko in the co-main event of UFC 315 for the women’s flyweight title. Despite being the challenger, Fiorot is the betting favorite, which is a surprise to some. Although she is the challenger, Fiorot isn’t surprised she is the favorite as he knows she’s been dominating opponents when Shevchenko hasn’t.

Cole Shelton - May 7, 2025

Jack Della Maddalena thinks UFC 315 could be the final time that Belal Muhammad fights in the UFC. Della Maddalena is set to challenge Muhammad for the welterweight title on Saturday in Montreal. It’s an intriguing matchup, and Della Maddalena has shown confidence that he won’t just win but will finish Muhammad. Not only does Della Maddalena believe he will finish Muhammad, but he thinks the champ may opt to retire after the loss, knowing he won’t get the belt back.

BJ Penn Staff - May 7, 2025

Alex Pereira claims his relationship with the UFC is actually in good place — contrary to a social media post that sent the MMA community into a frenzy this morning. On Tuesday morning, Pereira posted on X, lashing out at the UFC and threatening to retire after receiving some “disheartening” news.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 7, 2025

Belal Muhammad insists he has zero concern about Kamaru Usman. Muhammad and Usman haven’t been cordial with one another over the past year. Usman blames the dissension on Muhammad’s trash talk after winning the UFC Welterweight Championship from Leon Edwards in 2024. There is also the now infamous unaired “Pound 4 Pound” podcast episode featuring Muhammad, where things apparently got quite testy between the two.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 7, 2025

Jose Aldo was never known for being a trash talker, but he doesn’t shy away from throwing out a zinger or two. Aldo is already a UFC Hall of Famer, but he still competes inside the Octagon. While Aldo hasn’t tasted UFC gold in quite some time, he still believes in his ability to put on a show. While wins over Marlon “Chito” Vera, Pedro Munhoz, Rob Font, and Jonathan Martinez proved Aldo still has some juice left in the tank, losses against Merab Dvalishvili and Mario Bautista frustrated the UFC legend.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 7, 2025

A one-time UFC champion has come to the defense of Bo Nickal. Fans witnessed the first pro MMA loss in the young career of Nickal this past Saturday. Nickal took on the experienced de Ridder in the UFC Des Moines co-headliner. Things certainly didn’t go the way Nickal planned. The once unbeaten prospect couldn’t handle the pressure of the former two-division ONE Championship titleholder, and he crumpled after receiving a knee to the body in the second stanza.

BJ Penn Staff - May 7, 2025

UPDATE: Alex Pereira now claims he was “hacked,” and that his relationship with the UFC is “great.” Get caught up on this crazy ordeal HERE. If you thought Alex Pereira and the UFC were on good terms, think again.

BJ Penn Staff - May 7, 2025

UFC fans have been waiting to see Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev fight for months. From the sounds of it, the wait is almost over. South Africa’s Du Plessis is the reigning UFC middleweight champion. He won the belt with a close decision win over Sean Strickland last year, and has since defended it twice. First, he submitted former champ Israel Adesanya. Then, he defeated Strickland with a far more decisive decision win in a rematch.

Harry Kettle - May 7, 2025

UFC champion Julianna Pena has accused Kayla Harrison of using steroids as the countdown to their UFC 316 fight continues. As we know, Julianna Pena is a pretty controversial figure when it comes to MMA fans. While she’s a two-time bantamweight world champion in the UFC, she has a tendency to rattle people with some of the comments she makes. It’s often because she’s trying to get under the skin of her opponents, and that’s certainly the case with her upcoming UFC 316 clash with Kayla Harrison.

Harry Kettle - May 7, 2025

UFC contender Reinier de Ridder has not been moved further up the middleweight rankings despite his win over Bo Nickal. Last Saturday night, Reinier de Ridder really arrived in the UFC’s middleweight division. While he’d already picked up a couple of wins prior to his triumph over Bo Nickal, this was the time for him to really test himself against one of the most hyped fighters in the entire sport. He passed the test with flying colours, dominating Nickal from pillar to post before finishing him with a nasty knee to the stomach.

Harry Kettle - May 7, 2025

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre has weighed in on the amusing 100 men vs 1 gorilla debate that has been sweeping social media. When you’re talking about the greatest of all time, Georges St-Pierre needs to be in the conversation. His body of work in the sport of mixed martial arts speaks for itself, and he is constantly recognised as a fighter who best represents what it means to be a true martial artist. Of course, he’s no longer actively competing, but his impact on the sport is still felt across the globe.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 6, 2025

Reigning ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo took a clear stride forward versus Dante Leon at ONE Fight Night 31, dispatching the Canadian combatant across 10 dominant minutes. The 22-year-old held onto his gold by unanimous decision in the co-main event this past Friday, May 2, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium, settling the score in their trilogy at 2-1.

BJPENN.COM Staff - May 6, 2025

Former two-weight ONE MMA World Champion Reinier de Ridder rose to the top of ONE Championship, becoming a formidable force. He’s been terrorizing the world of MMA long before his UFC tenure began, and that only highlights the depth of ONE’s MMA realm. “The Dutch Knight” carved out his third consecutive stoppage win in the UFC this past Saturday, 3 May, dispatching surging UFC star Bo Nickal in round two.