MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 22, 2025

Mohammad Siasarani arrived at ONE Championship ready to bleed. Three years later, he learned when to make opponents bleed instead. The 23-year-old Iranian striker earned a $100,000 contract with ONE Championship after knocking out Jo Nattawut at ONE Friday Fights 137 on Friday, December 19, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. The second-round finish capped a journey that started with raw toughness and ended with calculated violence.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 22, 2025

Three years feels like forever when you’re chasing a dream. Yod-IQ Pimolsri finally caught his. The 23-year-old Thai striker earned a $100,000 contract with ONE Championship after knocking out Alexey Balyko at ONE Friday Fights 137 on December 19 inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. The first-round head kick didn’t just shut Balyko’s lights off. It erased the only loss on Yod-IQ’s ONE record and capped an 11-1 run through the promotion’s weekly series.

Curtis Calhoun - December 22, 2025

Ilia Topuria’s recent interviews drew the attention of former UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s team amidst his absence. UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria’s timeline for his first title defense remains uncertain, as he navigates personal issues outside the Octagon. UFC 324 is headlined by an interim lightweight title bout between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett next month, amidst Topuria’s ongoing hiatus.

Curtis Calhoun - December 22, 2025

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and top contender Arman Tsarukyan continue to go at it from afar. Ilia Topuria’s first lightweight title defense hit an indefinite delay as the champion deals with personal issues outside of the Octagon. Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett will fight for the interim lightweight title next month at UFC 324 for the right to welcome Topuria back to the cage.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 22, 2025

Jake Paul couldn’t beat the 10-count in the sixth round of his bout with Anthony Joshua, and one UFC legend is thankful. Paul and Joshua collided inside the Kaseya Center in Miami this past Friday. Joshua was a massive betting favorite going into the fight with many thinking he would dust Paul within the first two rounds. While that didn’t end up happening, Paul did suffer the fate many expected him to and he suffered a broken jaw by the end of the night.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 22, 2025

Robert Whittaker is mulling over a potential run in the boxing world once he wraps up his time with UFC. Whittaker is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and while most would argue he’s no longer in his prime, “The Reaper” continues to be a tough out for most 185-pounders. Still, at the age of 35, Whittaker is closer to the end of his pro MMA run than ever before.

Harry Kettle - December 22, 2025

Ilia Topuria has discussed his submission prowess and how he could use it in a possible showdown against Islam Makhachev. Right now, Ilia Topuria is the UFC lightweight champion. At UFC 324, he will be watching closely as Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett collide for the interim UFC lightweight championship, with the winner going on to face ‘El Matador’ for the undisputed belt at some point later in 2026.

Harry Kettle - December 22, 2025

Tony Ferguson has revealed a big injury problem he was dealing with in the midst of his losing streak in the UFC. This past weekend, Tony Ferguson moved to 2-0 since his transition into boxing with a nice win over Warren Spencer. Of course, while many of his loyal fans are happy to see him finding success in combat sports once again, it’s hard to forget the historic losing streak they also had to endure at the end of Tony’s run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 22, 2025

Isi Fitikefu knows what it’s like to watch an opportunity slip away. But the Australian-Tongan welterweight gets a second chance to prove his worth. The 33-year-old meets undefeated American newcomer Chase Mann at ONE Fight Night 39: Rambolek vs. Dayakaev on Friday, January 23, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium. The event broadcasts live in U.S. primetime on Amazon Prime Video.

BJPENN.COM Staff - December 21, 2025

Fabricio Andrey’s explosive grappling style has made him a fan favorite in just two appearances. The Brazilian submission hunter gets another showcase opportunity against elite competition. Andrey meets Joao Mendes in a featherweight submission grappling clash at ONE Fight Night 40 on Friday, February 13, 2026, inside Bangkok’s Lumpinee Stadium. The all-Brazilian showdown broadcasts live in U.S. primetime and features two grapplers hungry to prove supremacy on the global stage. The 25-year-old Manaus native arrived in ONE Championship with massive hype surrounding his highlight-reel style.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 21, 2025

One UFC Hall of Famer believes Jake Paul should get some credit for his efforts against Anthony Joshua. Paul and Joshua collided inside the boxing ring this past Saturday. Paul was initially going to face Gervonta “Tank” Davis, but he removed the far smaller fighter from the event due to accusations of domestic abuse. Joshua stepped up and he delivered a crushing sixth-round knockout victory, breaking Paul’s jaw in the process.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 21, 2025

Fresh off his TKO finish over Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva has no plans of leaving combat sports behind. The 50-year-old legend continued his boxing journey this past Saturday. Silva and Woodley, who is a former UFC Welterweight Champion, fought on the undercard of Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua inside the Kaseya Center in Miami. “The Spider” demonstrated his superior boxing skills, as well as his reach advantage to stop “The Chosen One” in the second stanza.

Dylan Bowker - December 23, 2025

Rinat Fakhretdinov has posted up an undefeated record in the Ultimate Fighting Championship but he will no longer be a UFC contracted athlete heading into 2026. The UFC has elected to not re-sign the 34-year-old and the beginning of this story kicking off with an initial report from Tom Feely. The Sherdog contributor utilized his X account @omgitsfeely to convey some recent omissions from the UFC roster page, as Feely said,

Curtis Calhoun - December 23, 2025

A former UFC champion believes Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua shared a gentleman’s agreement before their heavyweight boxing match. Former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua showed Jake Paul there are levels to the ‘sweet science’ of boxing, but his knockout win left one UFC star with more questions than answers.

Cole Shelton - December 23, 2025

David Dvorak is ready to bring a world title back to the Czech Republic. Dvorak is set to take on Zhalgas Zhumagulov on Sunday in the co-main event of OKTAGON 81 for the flyweight title. It’s an intriguing matchup, and one Dvorak is glad is happening as he admits he wanted this fight in the UFC.

Harry Kettle - December 23, 2025

Former UFC champion Luke Rockhold has questioned Paddy Pimblett’s recent push to a UFC interim lightweight title shot. At UFC 324 next month, Paddy Pimblett will go head to head with Justin Gaethje in the main event, with the UFC interim lightweight championship on the line. The winner is expected to face Ilia Topuria, the undisputed champion, later this year, once he has dealt with his ongoing personal issues.

Harry Kettle - December 23, 2025

Former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling wants some big fights in the featherweight division next year. As we know, once upon a time, Aljamain Sterling was the UFC bantamweight champion. However, after losing the belt to Sean O’Malley, he opted to make the move back up to 145 pounds. He’s gone 2-1 since then, but at the age of 36, it certainly feels like the clock is ticking if he’s serious about making a push to become a two-weight world champion.

Curtis Calhoun - December 22, 2025

Ilia Topuria’s recent interviews drew the attention of former UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s team amidst his absence. UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria’s timeline for his first title defense remains uncertain, as he navigates personal issues outside the Octagon. UFC 324 is headlined by an interim lightweight title bout between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett next month, amidst Topuria’s ongoing hiatus.

Curtis Calhoun - December 22, 2025

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and top contender Arman Tsarukyan continue to go at it from afar. Ilia Topuria’s first lightweight title defense hit an indefinite delay as the champion deals with personal issues outside of the Octagon. Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett will fight for the interim lightweight title next month at UFC 324 for the right to welcome Topuria back to the cage.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 22, 2025

Robert Whittaker is mulling over a potential run in the boxing world once he wraps up his time with UFC. Whittaker is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and while most would argue he’s no longer in his prime, “The Reaper” continues to be a tough out for most 185-pounders. Still, at the age of 35, Whittaker is closer to the end of his pro MMA run than ever before.

Harry Kettle - December 22, 2025

Tony Ferguson has revealed a big injury problem he was dealing with in the midst of his losing streak in the UFC. This past weekend, Tony Ferguson moved to 2-0 since his transition into boxing with a nice win over Warren Spencer. Of course, while many of his loyal fans are happy to see him finding success in combat sports once again, it’s hard to forget the historic losing streak they also had to endure at the end of Tony’s run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Harry Kettle - December 22, 2025

UFC flyweight contender Maycee Barber has called for a rematch against Alexa Grasso in February next year. For the longest time now, Maycee Barber has been viewed as someone who could legitimately become a future world champion in the UFC. That much goes without saying, but at the same time, she has also had her fair share of injury setbacks, leaving many to wonder whether she’ll ever be healthy enough to really go after the gold.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 21, 2025

Jorge Masvidal is coming to the defense of Kamaru Usman amid recent comments from Ian Machado Garry. Garry has been clamoring for a shot at the UFC Welterweight Championship, ripping Usman along the way. Current titleholder Islam Makhachev has admitted he’d rather put his gold at stake against Usman, but Garry believes “The Nigerian Nightmare” is irrelevant going into 2026.

Dylan Bowker - December 19, 2025

Mario Bautista recently weighed in on Petr Yan’s upset win that saw him regain 135-pound gold from Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323. Speaking with James Lynch of Inside Fighting, the surging bantamweight contender touched upon Yan’s incredibly dominant underdog win over the Georgian native that saw the Russian tie up their series at one win apiece. As the ranked UFC contender discussed the changing of the guard discussed the changing of the guard at the top of his division, Bautista said,