MMA News

BJ Penn Staff - July 8, 2025

Max Holloway has some issues with the official UFC rankings. Hawaii’s Holloway is set to return to Octagon in the main event of the widely criticized UFC 318 card on July 19. It will go down in New Orleans, and his opponent will be Louisiana’s own Dustin Poirier, who is set to retire, win, lose, or draw.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 8, 2025

Did Islam Makhachev bite off more than he can chew? Makhachev relinquished the UFC Lightweight Champion in an effort to compete for gold in a second weight class. Makhachev has long discussed the importance of winning the welterweight title, and he’ll have a chance to do so against Jack Della Maddalena. At this time, a date hasn’t been set for the fight, although UFC CEO Dana White admitted that a November date in Madison Square Garden is appealing.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 8, 2025

Daniel Cormier has long been at odds with Jon Jones, but he would end up cheering for “Bones” under a special circumstance. POTUS Donald Trump had many within the MMA community buzzing when he discussed possibly holding a UFC event in the White House during Independence Day weekend in 2026. Such an event has not been confirmed, and many have questioned the logistics of such a show.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 8, 2025

Diego Lopes is putting the blame on Yair Rodriguez for the lack of movement as far as a grudge match is concerned. Despite having bad blood with “El Pantera,” Lopes will be fighting Jean Silva in the main event of Noche UFC on Sept. 13. Lopes vs. Silva figures to be an explosive fight with major implications in the featherweight division. Still, many are wondering why Rodriguez wasn’t booked to face Lopes unless he’s receiving the next 145-pound title opportunity.

Harry Kettle - July 8, 2025

UFC legend Amanda Nunes has said that she wasn’t particularly impressed by Kayla Harrison’s win over Julianna Pena. As you may or may not know, Amanda Nunes is back. Just a few years after her retirement from mixed martial arts, the GOAT will be returning to the sport in order to challenge Kayla Harrison for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship. It’s set to be one of the biggest fights in the history of women’s MMA and, for many, it’s really hard to know which way it’s going to go.

Harry Kettle - July 8, 2025

MMA analyst Din Thomas is of the belief that Ilia Topuria has what it takes to defeat Islam Makhachev if they fought. As we know, Ilia Topuria is one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts today. He has already achieved some incredible things in the sport, which includes becoming a two-weight UFC champion. As we look ahead to the future, it certainly seems as if he’s ready to push for even more sensational accomplishments.

Harry Kettle - July 8, 2025

UFC veteran Renato Moicano has called for a showdown with Michael Chandler after his UFC 317 defeat. As we know, Renato Moicano is one of the more outspoken – and entertaining – lightweights on the UFC roster. A lot of that comes from what he does outside of the cage, but he’s also a pretty enjoyable guy to watch in action. Unfortunately for him and his fans, the Brazilian fell short in his most recent ouitng as he was defeated by fellow veteran Beneil Dariush.

Cole Shelton - July 8, 2025

The 199th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live to preview UFC Nashville. We’re first joined by UFC featherweight Steve Garcia (1:37). Next, UFC welterweight Max Griffin (19:18) joins the show. Closing out the program is UFC heavyweight Austen Lane (33:23).

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 7, 2025

Shadow Singha Mawynn isn’t fazed by facing a bigger opponent this weekend. The Thai striker believes his technical skills will overcome any size disadvantage. The #3-ranked featherweight Muay Thai contender faces Mohamed Younes Rabah at ONE Fight Night 33 on Friday, July 11, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. For Shadow, the bout represents another step toward a potential title shot.

Cole Shelton - July 7, 2025

Justin Gaethje is hoping he will face Ilia Topuria at Madison Square Garden later this year. Topuria became the UFC’s lightweight champion with a first-round KO win over Charles Oliveira. After his win, it wasn’t clear who Topuria’s first title defense would be against, as Gaethje, Arman Tsarukyan, and Paddy Pimblett could all get the next title shot.

BJ Penn Staff - July 7, 2025

Daniel Cormier doesn’t want Jon Jones to end up like Conor McGregor in his post UFC life. Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion, retired last month. His retirement came after months of speculation as to whether he could be convinced to fight England’s Tom Aspinall. In the end, it never happened.

BJ Penn Staff - July 7, 2025

Tony Ferguson is headed back to the cage. Scratch that. The former UFC star is headed to the boxing ring in just over a months’ time. Ferguson, best known for a stunning 12-fight win streak in the stacked UFC lightweight division, announced his upcoming fight in a conversation with Red Corner MMA.

Cole Shelton - July 7, 2025

Robert Whittaker is closing in on the end of his UFC career. Whittaker is set to headline UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26 against Reinier de Ridder in an intriguing bout. ‘The Reaper’ is looking to get back into the win column after a submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev. Ahead of his return, Whittaker says he has four fights left in his career, which includes ending his career on top.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 7, 2025

Tom Aspinall will not tolerate having his personal space invaded, especially when it involves his children. Aspinall has developed a reputation for being a friendly fighter who flips a switch when it’s time to compete. Aspinall has also been quite cordial with fans in person, but the UFC Heavyweight Champion has limits. He admits he doesn’t like being interrupted with a selfie request in the middle of training.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 7, 2025

Joshua Van has a message for those who don’t believe he can win UFC gold. Van is fresh off a top contender for “Fight of the Year” against Brandon Royval. “The Fearless” went three rounds with Royval and even scored a late knockdown to further cement that he was deserving of the decision victory. After having his hand raised, Van had a staredown with current flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 7, 2025

Sean Strickland has denied claims from one UFC icon on his departure from Team Quest. Strickland had been a member of the gym under the guidance of Dan Henderson. He eventually made the move to Xtreme Couture and a UFC champion. Strickland has been known for being ruffling some feathers with his unfiltered rants, and Henderson claims it’s what led to the middleweight’s departure from Team Quest.

Harry Kettle - July 7, 2025

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has made an interesting revelation regarding a possible move up to welterweight. As we know, Ilia Topuria is the biggest active star in mixed martial arts today – or at the very least, one of them. He has already achieved some incredible things in his career and it would appear as if he has a lot more planned before he calls it a day. He has won belts in two weight classes and if he has his way, he’ll go in pursuit of a third at 170 pounds at some point in the future.

Harry Kettle - July 7, 2025

Islam Makhachev is of the belief that former rival Dustin Poirier will defeat Max Holloway in their UFC 318 main event. Next weekend, Dustin Poirier will come face to face with Max Holloway for the third time in his career. It will also mark the final time that we see ‘The Diamond’ compete in mixed martial arts. He’s made it clear that this is his retirement bout and while there’s always a chance he could change his mind, the fact that it’s in his home state of Louisiana would imply that he’s not going to go back on his word.