MMA News

WATCH | Sean O'Malley trains with Israel Adesanya ahead of UFC 316 title fight
BJ Penn Staff - April 15, 2025
Sean O’Malley has been training with one of the best fighters in MMA history ahead of his UFC 316 rematch with Merab Dvalishvili. UFC 316 goes down on June 7 in Newark, New Jersey. O’Malley will meet Dvalishvili in the main event.

MMA fans roast jiu jitsu scene in HBO hit The Last of Us
BJ Penn Staff - April 15, 2025
The first season of the HBO series The Last of Us was a massive success. Fans of the original video game loved it, and critics did too. After an extremely long wait, the second season debuted last weekend. The reception to the first episode was generally quite positive. However, there was one scene in the The Last of Us season two episode one that some fans seemingly didn’t quite buy. Specifically, MMA fans.

Joe Rogan welcomes UFC star Ilia Topuria to podcast
BJ Penn Staff - April 15, 2025
It’s been a little while since a UFC star appeared on an episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast. The wait is over, thanks to a recent visit from former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. Topuria is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the UFC right now, sporting a perfect 16-0 record. He has spent the bulk of his career competing in the featherweight division. In early 2024, he captured the division’s title with a knockout of featherweight legend Alexander Volkanovski. Later in the year, he defended the title with a knockout of another legend in Max Holloway. He was the first man to stop Holloway with strikes.

Marvin Vettori shares heartfelt message after tragic passing of younger brother: "I will love you until my last breath"
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2025
Marvin Vettori shared a heartfelt message after his younger brother Patrick Vettori died in a house fire at age 30. According to Italian news station TgCom24, the fire broke at Patrick’s apartment in Mezzocorona. He reportedly had put a pan on the stove but fell asleep on the couch, leading to the accident.

Amanda Nunes explains wanting to fight Kayla Harrison more than Julianna Pena
Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 15, 2025
Amanda Nunes appears to be heading for a return to the Octagon at some point, and she’d prefer to fight Kayla Harrison. Nunes retired from pro MMA competition after scoring a unanimous decision victory over Irene Aldana on June 10, 2023. Just 10 days later, the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship was vacated. The current titleholder is Nunes’ old foe Julianna Pena.

UFC icon wonders if Michael Chandler was worthy of his spot following UFC 314 loss to Paddy Pimblett
Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 15, 2025
One former UFC slugger wonders if Michael Chandler was ever truly UFC material. Chandler is coming off a beatdown at the hands of Paddy Pimblett in the co-main event of UFC 314. “The Baddy” battered Chandler to secure a third-round TKO finish. After the fight, UFC CEO Dana White compared Chandler to late boxing legend Arturo Gatti.

What's next for the stars of UFC 314?
Cole Shelton - April 15, 2025
The UFC was in Miami, Florida, for a stacked UFC 314 card on Saturday. The main event saw the vacant featherweight title up for grabs as Alexander Volkanovski took on Diego Lopes. UFC 314 also saw Paddy Pimblett taking on Michael Chandler in a five-round co-main event fight at lightweight.

Dustin Poirier gives his thoughts on Paddy Pimblett’s next opponent
Harry Kettle - April 15, 2025
UFC legend Dustin Poirier has given his thoughts on who Paddy Pimblett could face off against next inside the Octagon. On Saturday night, Paddy Pimblett really arrived in the UFC’s lightweight division. He’s been in the promotion for a good few years now but against Michael Chandler, he proved that he is elite. He was able to get the better of his opponent in pretty much every department, and in the third round, he was able to finish the job with a nasty knee followed by strikes on the ground. You may not like him, but you’ll have a hard time not respecting him after a performance like that.

Alexander Volkanovski’s coach reveals injury suffered early in UFC 314 fight
Harry Kettle - April 15, 2025
Alexander Volkanovski’s coach has revealed that his student suffered an injury early in his fight at UFC 314. In the main event of UFC 314, Alexander Volkanovski returned to his former glories. In what proved to be an incredibly entertaining fight, ‘The Great’ went to war with Diego Lopes for the UFC featherweight championship. While Lopes had his moments, it was the Australian who managed to get over the line and get his hand raised in victory. For his fans and the MMA community as a whole, it was quite the moment.

Michael Chandler breaks silence following defeat to Paddy Pimblett
Harry Kettle - April 15, 2025
Michael Chandler has broken his silence following his defeat at the hands of Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314. Last weekend, Michael Chandler fell short in his collision with Paddy Pimblett. In fact, it wound up being a pretty one-sided fight. The former Bellator champion was never really in the fight and in the third round, he was beaten and battered to the point where his rival eventually finished him. Now, the big question is this: what’s next?

Rafael Lovato Jr. secures ONE Championship debut against Giancarlo Bodoni
BJPENN.COM Staff - April 14, 2025
A submission grappling bout for the ages between two-time ADCC World Champion Giancarlo Bodoni and BJJ legend Rafael Lovato Jr. is set to go down when ONE Championship returns to the United States this summer at ONE 173: Denver. On Friday, August 1, the two elite grapplers will face off in a monumental middleweight submission grappling contest inside Denver, Colorado’s Ball Arena.

Sean Climaco vs. Akif Guluzada booked for ONE Fight Night 31
BJPENN.COM Staff - April 14, 2025
An exciting flyweight Muay Thai affair between teenage knockout artist Akif “King” Guluzada and Road to ONE: American winner Sean “The One” Climaco has been added to ONE Fight Night 31: Kongthoranee vs. Nong-O II, a bout anticipated to be a brawl for the ages. On Friday, May 2, the two striking specialists will face off inside Bangkok, Thailand’s Lumpinee Stadium.

Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes share classy exchange after UFC 314 fight
BJ Penn Staff - April 14, 2025
Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes beat the heck out of each other over the weekend, but there is clearly nothing but respect between them. Volkanovski and Lopes met in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 314 in Miami. The pair collided for the featherweight belt, which was vacated by Ilia Topuria earlier this year.

Patricio Pitbull lays out plans for next fight after failed UFC debut: 'I've got a few names in mind'
BJ Penn Staff - April 14, 2025
Patricio Pitbull came up short in his UFC debut, but he’s already looking to the future. Pitbull is considered one of the greatest fighters in Bellator history — perhaps the best outright. He is a former champion at both lightweight and featherweight. As such, his debut with the UFC was a source of much anticipation.

Jean Silva believes he deserves a title shot after his UFC 314 submission win
Cole Shelton - April 14, 2025
Jean Silva thinks he should get the next title shot against new champion Alexander Volkanovski. Silva scored a second-round submission win over Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314 in a dominant performance. The Brazilian put on a stellar performance from start to finish, and he will enter the rankings at 145lbs.

Conor McGregor reacts to losing $500,000 bet on Michael Chandler fight at UFC 314
BJ Penn Staff - April 14, 2025
UFC 314 was a bad night for Conor McGregor. The Irish MMA star wasn’t in action on the card, but he wagered a staggering $500,000 on one of the fights on the bill: a lightweight clash between Paddy Pimblett and Michael Chandler. Specifically, he bet on Chandler winning by KO.

Alexander Volkanovski reveals how Diego Lopes surprised him during UFC 314 title fight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 14, 2025
Alexander Volkanovski is now a two-time UFC Featherweight Champion, but his win over Diego Lopes wasn’t as easy as it looked at times. While Volkanovski was in control for most of the UFC 314 main event, Lopes was never out of the fight. He was popped by “The Great’s” jabs and calf kicks for five rounds, but he had his moments. Lopes even scored a knockdown on Volkanovski, but he couldn’t overcome the experience level of his opponent.

Michael Chandler's old rival wonders if beaten UFC 314 fighter has had too many wars
Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 14, 2025
An old rival of Michael Chandler is wondering if a slew of MMA wars has finally caught up to “Iron.” Chandler shared the Octagon with Paddy Pimblett in the UFC 314 co-headliner this past Saturday. Pimblett was as sharp as he’s ever been, bloodying Chandler en route to a third-round TKO finish. It was an ending that left no doubt, and some are questioning if it’s time for Chandler to hang up his gloves.