MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 24, 2025

Flyweight Muay Thai striker Sean Climaco wants to teach rising star Akif Guluzada a harsh lesson when they meet at ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II. The brawlers lock horns on Friday, May 2, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium in flyweight Muay Thai action that promises to be memorable for as long as it lasts.

BJPENN.COM Staff - April 24, 2025

ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo is out to prove he’s not the same man that Dante Leon battled all those years ago. The American defends his crown against Leon. This happens in their third meeting in the co-main event of ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II. The action takes place on Friday, May 2, inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

Cole Shelton - April 24, 2025

Carlos Prates is oozing with confidence ahead of his UFC Kansas City main event against Ian Machado Garry. Prates is set for his second main event and another step-up in competition to take on Garry. It’s an intriguing welterweight matchup, and if the Brazilian wins, he will be closing in on a title shot. However, Prates is the betting underdog, but he doesn’t care as he’s confident he won’t just win, but will KO Garry.

BJ Penn Staff - April 24, 2025

Israel Adesanya waited a long time to beat Alex Pereira. As it turns out, his training camp for his long-awaited UFC win over the Brazilian included an interesting detail: psychedelic mushrooms. Adesanya finally beat Pereira at UFC 287 in 2023. It was his fourth fight with the fearsome Brazilian, and he had lost each previous encounter. Their first two fights were contested under kickboxing rules, and their third was in the UFC. Pereira won the first by decision, and the second and third with brutal knockouts.

BJ Penn Staff - April 24, 2025

Irish welterweight contender Ian Garry has his hands full with Carlos Prates this Saturday, but is catching flack from another top UFC welterweight as he prepares for the fight. Garry will meet Prates in the main event of Saturday’s card, which goes down in Kansas City, Missouri. It will be Garry’s first fight since he suffered lost a decision to Shavkat Rakhmonov last December.

Cole Shelton - April 24, 2025

UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis has shut down any concerns of him being injured. Du Plessis was rumored to be fighting Khamzat Chimaev at the end of June at International Fight Week. Yet, it was then reported he was dealing with an injury, so the fight wouldn’t happen then. But, taking to his Instagram, Du Plessis has opened up on the reported injury, which he says is false.

BJ Penn Staff - April 24, 2025

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have one of the most legendary rivalries in combat sports history. Former UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman believes that rivalry needs to continue. Adesanya and Pereira began their rivalry in the kickboxing ring. They first met under the Glory of Heroes banner in Shenzhen, China in 2016. Brazil’s Pereira won that first encounter, defeating the Nigerian-born Kiwi Adesanya by unanimous decision.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 24, 2025

Sean Brady has made a bold statement on where he stands in the UFC welterweight division. Brady is coming off the biggest win of his pro MMA career thus far. His elite grappling led him to a submission finish over former UFC Welterweight Champion Leon Edwards. What made the dominant win even more impressive is the fact that Brady pulled it off in enemy territory.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 24, 2025

Daniel Cormier has a tip for one rising UFC middleweight contender. The 185-pound division has a slew of rising contenders such as Caio Borralho, but there’s one name who appears to be overlooked. That fighter is Nassourdine Imavov, who is the No. 1-ranked UFC middleweight. Despite a finish over Israel Adesanya, many often glance over Imavov as a potential name who deserves to fight for the 185-pound gold.

Harry Kettle - April 24, 2025

UFC veteran Anthony Smith has said that he’s accepted his impending retirement ahead of his clash with Zhang Mingyang. On Saturday night, Anthony Smith will make the walk to the Octagon for the final time in his career. He has been through some real ups and downs in his mixed martial arts career, but he will have one more opportunity to prove himself to the world before he rides off into the sunset. It’s been a tough few years for ‘Lionheart’ after the death of his friend and coach Scott Morton, but he seems to be in a better place now.

Harry Kettle - April 24, 2025

UFC star Ian Machado Garry has promised that he’ll be able to get a finish against Carlos Prates at UFC Kansas City. For the longest time now, Ian Machado Garry has been seen as a top contender in the welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In his last outing against Shavkat Rakhmonov, he took his opponent to the limit. While he ultimately came up short and suffered a defeat, he proved to the masses that he is ready for the big time.

Harry Kettle - April 24, 2025

UFC commentator Joe Rogan believes featherweight contender Jean Silva could be a world champion in the future. In his last outing, Jean Silva impressed in a big way when he collided with Bryce Mitchell. It was an absolutely blockbuster grudge match, and it was one of the most highly anticipated fights on the entire UFC 314 card. In the end, the Fighting Nerds star managed to pick up the win, submitting Mitchell in what proved to be a really solid display.

Cole Shelton - April 22, 2025

Dan Ige knew he had to go out and perform against Sean Woodson at UFC 314, and that’s what he did. Ige was coming off back-to-back losses, and in the lead-up to the fight, he tuned out all the noise and just focused on his camp. The Hawaiian said he was going to let his fighting do all the talking as he knew this fight was crucial for his career.

Cole Shelton - April 9, 2025

Jim Miller is eager to share the Octagon with Chase Hooper. Miller wasn’t sure what would be next after his last win over Damon Jackson. But, after Hooper mentioned Miller as a possible opponent and he got the offer from the UFC which he jumped at.

Cole Shelton - April 9, 2025

In the co-main event of UFC 314, a pivotal five-round lightweight bout takes place as Michael Chandler takes on Paddy Pimblett. Heading into the fight, Chandler is a +124 underdog, while the Brit is a -160 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their predictions for the lightweight bout. The pros slightly lean towards Pimblett getting the biggest win of his career, but many are expecting it to be a very close fight.

Cole Shelton - April 8, 2025

In the main event of UFC 314 on Saturday in Miami, the vacant featherweight title is up for grabs as Alexander Volkanovski takes on Diego Lopes. Heading into the fight, Volkanovski is a -125 favorite, while the Brazilian is a -105 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their predictions for the featherweight title fight. The pros lean toward Volkanovski getting the win and reclaiming his featherweight title.

Cole Shelton - March 27, 2025

Vince Morales believes he could be fighting for his job at UFC Mexico City. Morales made it back to the UFC last September at UFC Paris but dropped a decision to Taylor Lapilus. He then dropped a decision to Elijah Smith on February 15 in a very close fight.

Cole Shelton - March 27, 2025

Steve Erceg wants to prove the doubters wrong that he is a top-ranked flyweight at UFC Mexico City. Erceg is coming off back-to-back losses to Kai Kara-France by KO and Alexandre Pantoja by decision. Despite losing two straight fights, he’s set to headline UFC Mexico City against Brandon Moreno on Saturday.

Cole Shelton - March 19, 2025

In the main event of UFC London, former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards will take on Sean Brady. Heading into the fight, Edwards is a +130 underdog while the American is a -166 favorite on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their predictions for the welterweight main event. The pros are torn but the majority believe Brady will silence the crowd and beat the former champ.

Cole Shelton - March 14, 2025

Kurt Holobaugh is eager to fight Alexander Hernandez at UFC Vegas 104 on Saturday. After getting back into the win column last time out, Holobaugh wasn’t sure what would be next for him. But, he was excited when he got the offer to face Hernandez.

Cole Shelton - March 5, 2025

In the main event of UFC 313, the light heavyweight title is up for grabs as Alex Pereira defends his strap against Magomed Ankalaev. Heading into the fight, Pereira is a -120 favorite while the challenger is a -106 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their predictions for the light heavyweight fight. The pros are unanimous in thinking Alex Pereira will be able to get the win and defend his belt against Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, and likely doing so by knockout.

Cole Shelton - February 28, 2025

Austen Lane wasn’t sure if he was going to get another fight in the UFC. Lane picked up his first UFC win as he beat Robelis Despaigne by decision back in October. It was a massive win for him as it was the final fight on his deal, but he admitted he wasn’t sure if the UFC would re-sign him.

Cole Shelton - February 25, 2025

John Castaneda expects to be the aggressor in his UFC Vegas 103 fight against Douglas Silva de Andrade. Castaneda is set to fight for the first time since June, in a much longer layoff than he wanted. However, the bantamweight contender says he used the time to get better in the gym.

Cole Shelton - February 21, 2025

Modestas Bukauskas is set to make his return to the Octagon at UFC Seattle on Saturday. Bukasukas is coming off a submission win over Marcin Prachnio and will now face Raffael Cerqueira. The light heavyweight contender hasn’t fought since July which was frustrating, but he’s eager to get to fight in front of fans in America.