MMA News

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

Former UFC star Corey Anderson has praised his friend Ben Askren as he continues to go through his health scare. As we know, Ben Askren has been dealing with some pretty serious health problems as of late. Between a nasty staph infection and pneumonia, Ben was forced to undergo a double lung transplant. While that has now taken place, there’s still a long road ahead for him as he attempts to recover from this setback.

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.

Harry Kettle - July 7, 2025

UFC star Islam Makhachev has spoken out about the possibility of him retiring from mixed martial arts in the near future. As we know, Islam Makhachev is one of the best fighters in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Right now, though, he’s not a champion after giving up his lightweight crown to pursue a second title at welterweight. The expectation is that he’ll battle Jack Della Maddalena at some point in the near future.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 6, 2025

Two years of soul-searching have brought Jhanlo Mark Sangiao to this moment. Now he’s ready to make a statement. The Filipino bantamweight MMA fighter faces Mongolian striker Shinechagtga Zoltsetseg at ONE Fight Night 33 on Friday, July 11, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. For Sangiao, the bout represents more than just another fight.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 6, 2025

Seven years ago, Johanna Persson had never thrown a punch or kicked a pad. Now she’s fighting for world championship gold. The Swedish striker challenges reigning ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Champion Allycia Hellen Rodrigues at ONE Fight Night 33 on Friday, July 11, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. For Persson, the title shot represents the culmination of an unlikely journey.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 6, 2025

Jon Jones’ legacy has been called into question for his outside antics, but one UFC legend says it shouldn’t matter. Jones put forth one of the most memorable runs in UFC history when he competed in the light heavyweight division. His lone defeat was a disqualification against Matt Hamill. “Bones” ran through some of the biggest stars at 205 pounds such as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans, and Daniel Cormier to name a few. He moved up to heavyweight and submitted Ciryl Gane to win gold in a second weight class.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 6, 2025

Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley has received some support from an unlikely name. O’Malley recently competed in a rematch against Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC Bantamweight Championship. The “Suga” show lost the fight in the third round via submission. It was the first submission loss of O’Malley’s pro MMA career.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 6, 2025

Khamzat Chimaev has been given some advice from one former UFC champion ahead of his showdown against Dricus du Plessis. Chimaev is set to challenge du Plessis for the UFC Middleweight Championship on Aug. 16. The title fight will headline UFC 319 inside United Center in Chicago. Chimaev will enter the bout with an undefeated record, while du Plessis hasn’t suffered a loss since 2018.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 6, 2025

Paddy Pimblett has detailed how his issues with Ilia Topuria began. Pimblett and Topuria have been at odds since 2021. The two had a physical altercation at a fighter hotel, which saw “The Baddy” throw a hand sanitizer bottle at “El Matador.” The two also nearly came to blows during a press conference in 2022.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 6, 2025

An ex-UFC fighter had a chance to transition to the booth post-fighting, but the opportunity was wasted. It certainly isn’t unusual to see former UFC fighters become desk analysts or even color commentators. Some fighters who are a part of the UFC’s broadcast team are still active competitors, although more of them have retired in recent years. One man who nearly defeated MMA legend Demetrious Johnson could’ve been a permanent fixture on UFC programming long after his fighting career wrapped up.

Chris Taylor - July 4, 2025

Former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones could be ending his retirement just weeks after announcing his departure from the sport. It was only 13 days ago when UFC CEO Dana White announced that Jones (28-1 MMA) had decided to hang up his gloves for good, thus promoting Tom Aspinall to undisputed heavyweight champion status.

BJ Penn Staff - July 4, 2025

UFC 318 just lost one of its biggest fights. It’s the latest blow to a fight card MMA fans were already criticizing for its low quality. UFC 318 goes down on July 19 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The card will be topped by a lightweight clash between Louisiana’s own Dustin Poirier, and Hawaii’s Max Holloway. It will mark the final fight of Poirier’s illustrious career — hence the setting in his home state.

BJ Penn Staff - July 4, 2025

Jake Paul was back in action last Saturday, taking on Mexican boxing veteran Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a cruiserweight clash. Ahead of time, much was made of the fact that the boxing match was going head-to-head with the stacked UFC 317 MMA card in Las Vegas. Most fight fans reasonably assumed that UFC 317, headlined by a lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira, would be the bigger card. However, Paul’s promotion company, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), is now claiming otherwise.

BJ Penn Staff - July 4, 2025

Daniel Cormier believes Jon Jones could have beaten Tom Aspinall if their UFC super fight came together — with one condition. Jones and Aspinall spent several years as the UFC’s undisputed and interim heavyweight champions respectively. Unfortunately, a fight between them never came together, as Jones ultimately decided to retire.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 3, 2025

Vladimir Kuzmin knows exactly what type of fight fans can expect when he steps into the ring next week. The only question is who will be left standing. The Russian striker faces Stefan Korodi in bantamweight Muay Thai action at ONE Fight Night 33 on Friday, July 11, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. For Kuzmin, the bout represents a chance to bounce back from his recent setback.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 3, 2025

Chihiro Sawada isn’t interested in leaving anything to chance in her next outing. The Japanese grappler has already decided how she wants her night to end. The #5-ranked atomweight MMA contender faces Argentine striker Macarena Aragon at ONE Fight Night 33 on Friday, July 11, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. For Sawada, the bout represents an opportunity to get back on track after her recent setback.