MMA News

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

Ian Machado Garry isn’t convinced that Belal Muhammad wants to fight him. Muhammad recently lost the UFC Welterweight Championship to Jack Della Maddalena in a five-round clash back in May. “Remember The Name” will look to rebound, but the question remains, will he be able to compete in Chicago for UFC 319 on Aug. 16? It would be a homecoming for Muhammad.

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

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.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 6, 2025

Israel Adesanya believes Sean Strickland might be going through some things at the moment. Adesanya and Strickland are no strangers to one another inside the Octagon. The two collided back in Sept. 2023. Adesanya was the UFC Middleweight Champion going into the bout and he was a huge betting favorite. Strickland ended up getting the better of “Izzy” for five rounds to pull off the upset unanimous decision victory to become the 185-pound titleholder.

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

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.

BJ Penn Staff - July 4, 2025

US President Donald Trump is hoping to host a UFC event on the White House lawn, and a number of notable fighters—including Conor McGregor—are already eager to sign up. Trump announced plans for a UFC event at the White House in the lead-up to the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence—this date next year.

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.

Cole Shelton - July 3, 2025

Jack Della Maddalena is fully confident he will beat Islam Makhachev when they end up fighting. Makhachev is set to move up to welterweight in hopes of becoming a two-weight champion when he takes on Della Maddalena. Although the fight hasn’t officially been made, all signs point to it happening sometime later this year.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 3, 2025

Jean Silva isn’t mincing words ahead of his showdown with Diego Lopes. Silva and Lopes are set to collide in the main event of Noche UFC on Sept. 13 inside Frost Bank Center in San Antonio. Going into the fight, Silva has decided to rev up the trash talk. The Fighting Nerds standout has never been shy in hurling barbs at his opponent, which is what he did prior to his most recent fight against Bryce Mitchell.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 3, 2025

Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn has announced the signing of a retired UFC fighter. Many MMA stars have transitioned to the world of boxing, whether it’s for a quick payday or a long-term play. Some of those fighters have found success in the sweet science to varying degrees. You can add Molly McCann to the list of MMA athletes turned boxers.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 3, 2025

One UFC commentator continues to be amazed by the current run Ilia Topuria is on. After knocking out two all-time greats in Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway back-to-back, Topuria decided to relinquish the featherweight gold in an effort to move up to 155 pounds. While some considered it to be a bold move for Topuria, he ended up starching Charles Oliveira in the opening frame to lay claim to the UFC Lightweight Championship.

BJ Penn Staff - July 3, 2025

Joe Pyfer isn’t happy about not being included in the UFC rankings. Pyfer is one of the top prospects in the UFC middleweight division. Known for his fearsome knockout power, he holds a 5-1 record in the promotion. His lone loss in the Octagon came against long-time contender Jack Hermansson last year. Since then, he’s rebounded with a knockout of Marc-Andre Barriault, and more recently, a decision win over Kelvin Gastelum.

BJ Penn Staff - July 3, 2025

Dustin Poirier has some interesting plans for life after the UFC. Poirier is one of the best lightweights in MMA history, and could well be destined for a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame. Later this month, in the main event of UFC 318 in New Orleans, he’ll fight for a final time, with plans to hang up the gloves win, lose or draw. His opponent will be former featherweight champ Max Holloway.