MMA News
Jack Hermansson details the reason for his 16-month layoff ahead return at UFC 317
Cole Shelton - May 14, 2025
Jack Hermansson will finally make his return to the Octagon at UFC 317 at the end of June. Hermansson last fought in February of 2024 when he beat Joe Pyfer by decision in a five-round main event. After that fight, Hermansson suffered some injuries that forced him to be on the sidelines and not be able to fight.
Prajanchai fires warning shot, Jonathan Di Bella responds: "He's making excuses"
BJPENN.COM Staff - May 13, 2025
Two-sport ONE World Champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai acknowledges Jonathan Di Bella‘s impressive victory over Sam-A Gaiyanghadao this past March at ONE 172. However, the Thai superstar points out what he perceives as a critical gap in the interim strawweight kickboxing champion’s arsenal. Prajanchai’s primary observation centers on Di Bella’s apparent lack of finishing ability. The Canadian-Italian competitor has earned recognition for his fast-paced contests and technical proficiency throughout his career, qualities that have established him as a formidable challenge for the Thai standout.
Adrian Lee open to lightweight MMA clash with submission grappling king Tye Ruotolo
BJPENN.COM Staff - May 13, 2025
Surging lightweight MMA prospect Adrian Lee was caught off guard when hearing his name mentioned by ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo. Upon reflection, however, the teenage phenom believes the grappling specialist may face more than anticipated when transitioning to mixed martial arts. “The Phenom” boasts a perfect 3-0 professional record, securing each victory within the ONE Championship Circle. His most recent triumph came this past March at ONE 172, where he finished Takeharu Ogawa in the opening round.
Liam Harrison calls for ONE Championship UK show: "The talent is all there"
BJPENN.COM Staff - May 13, 2025
British Muay Thai icon Liam Harrison possesses encyclopedic knowledge of the art of eight limbs in the United Kingdom. The veteran striker believes the moment is right for ONE Championship to make its debut on British shores. Over the past five years, ONE Championship has recruited exceptional talent from across the UK. Athletes like ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty, Nico Carrillo, and George Jarvis have established themselves as elite competitors on the global stage.
Dana White plans to announce Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall soon: "The heavyweight fight will happen"
Cole Shelton - May 13, 2025
UFC CEO Dana White has plenty of confidence that Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall will happen. White announced the UFC 317 and UFC 319 main events, and neither is Jones defending his heavyweight title. Many fans were hoping Jones vs Aspinall would headline the International Fight Week on June 29 in Las Vegas, but that won’t happen as White announced the main event would be Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira.
Dana White announces Ilia Topuria vs Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title, among two title fights set for UFC 317
Cole Shelton - May 13, 2025
UFC CEO Dana White has officially announced Ilia Topuria will take on Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. International Fight Week is always one of the biggest events of the year, but the promotion had yet to announce the headliner. A key reason why was that Islam Makhachev, the lightweight champion, wanted to see how the main event played out, as if Jack Della Maddalena beat Belal Muhammad, he would be moving up to welterweight.
Dricus Du Plessis vs. Khamzat Chimaev finally booked for middleweight title fight at UFC 319
BJ Penn Staff - May 13, 2025
Dricus Du Plessis is finally set to defend the UFC middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev. The two fighters will meet in the main event of UFC 319, which is slated for August 16, according to the promotion’s CEO Dana White.
Dricus Du Plessis claims Bo Nickal "gave up" in first career loss to Reinier de Ridder: "Was broken mentally"
Cole Shelton - May 13, 2025
UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis believes Bo Nickal gave up and was broken mentally against Reinier de Ridder. Nickal suffered his first career loss to de Ridder by TKO, as he was hurt by knees to the body. Although de Ridder landed several heavy shots, Du Plessis believes Nickal should have been able to survive those, but instead just took the easy way out.
UFC legend dreams of booking Jon Jones vs. Anthony Joshua fight in new hybrid sport
BJ Penn Staff - May 13, 2025
UFC legend Vitor Belfort has some big dreams for his life after fighting. Brazil’s Belfort debuted with the UFC way back in 1997. He enjoyed several prominent runs with the promotion. His final run came to an end after a knockout loss to Lyoto Machida in 2018. Highlights of his resume include a light heavyweight title win in 2004, multiple title challenges, and victories over stars like Luke Rockhold, Dan Henderson, and Michael Bisping.
Jack Della Maddalena expects Islam Makhachev to return to lightweight after he "takes him out"
Cole Shelton - May 13, 2025
Jack Della Maddalena doesn’t expect Islam Makhachev to be a welterweight for long. Della Maddalena became the UFC’s welterweight champion on Saturday with a hard-fought decision win over Belal Muhammad. After the fight, Makhachev confirmed he would be moving up to welterweight to try and get the second belt and become a champ-champ.
Daniel Cormier cautions Islam Makhachev about two-division UFC title reign
BJ Penn Staff - May 13, 2025
Islam Makhachev has ambitions to reign over two UFC weight classes at once. His long-time friend and training partner Daniel Cormier is urging him to be cautious as he pursues this goal. Makhachev is already the UFC lightweight champion. He won the division’s coveted belt with a submission win over Charles Oliveira in 2022, and has since defended it four times. His first two defenses came against featherweight legend Alexander Volkanovski. Since then, he has defended the belt with finishes of Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano.
Jon Jones has message for those who think he's ducking Tom Aspinall
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 13, 2025
Jon Jones has something to say to those who think he’s ducking Tom Aspinall. Many fans have grown tired of the delay in crowning an undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion. Jones has held the gold since March 2023, while Aspinall has been the interim champion since Nov. 2023. Both Jones and Aspinall have successfully defended their titles once, yet a matchup between the two has yet to be made official.
Islam Makhachev will show Jack Della Maddalena he's a 'different animal,' says renowned coach
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 13, 2025
Islam Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez thinks Islam Makhachev will prove that Jack Della Maddalena simply isn’t on his level. Makhachev is the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion, and he might get to try his hand at double-champ status. Jack Della Maddalena defeated Makhachev’s training partner Belal Muhammad to capture the UFC Welterweight Championship this past Saturday. This now leaves the door open for Maddalena vs. Makhachev.
Kamaru Usman claims he is ‘indifferent’ to Belal Muhammad’s UFC 315 defeat
Harry Kettle - May 13, 2025
UFC legend Kamaru Usman has claimed that he feels indifferent towards Belal Muhammad’s title loss at UFC 315. One thing we know to be true about Kamaru Usman is that he was a great welterweight champion. He enjoyed some incredible wins throughout the course of his title reign and now, he’s attempting to climb back to the top of the mountain. While his primary focus right now is on his main event clash with Joaquin Buckley next month, the former champ was also keeping an eye on the main event at UFC 315 between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena.
Daniel Cormier declined Russian ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ slot against Jon Jones
Harry Kettle - May 13, 2025
UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has revealed that he declined an offer to coach on the Russian equivalent of The Ultimate Fighter against Jon Jones. As we know, Daniel Cormier is one of the all-time greats within the world of mixed martial arts. He achieved some incredible things throughout the course of his career, including winning world titles in two different weight classes. However, when it comes to rivalries, perhaps his most notable foe was none other than Jon Jones – the man who many consider to be the GOAT.
Dana White jokes about regional promotion having better judging and refereeing than UFC
Harry Kettle - May 13, 2025
UFC president Dana White praised The Korean Zombie’s new regional promotion and even joked that they may have better referees. As we know, Dana White has never particularly trusted the judging or refereeing in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While they may be the world leader in mixed martial arts, many poor judges and referees have been part of the UFC family at one point or another. Of course, due to the commissions, the promotion doesn’t really have much of a say in who gets the nod at these big events.
Just Scrap Radio Ep. 195 with Jack Hermansson, Thiago Moises, and Julian Erosa
Cole Shelton - May 13, 2025
The 195th episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live to preview UFC Vegas 106. We’re first joined by UFC middleweight Jack Hermansson (1:00). UFC lightweight Thiago Moises (14:32) then joins the show. Julian Erosa (24:02) closes out the program.
What's next for the stars of UFC 315?
Cole Shelton - May 13, 2025
The UFC was in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on Saturday for a solid UFC 315 card. The main event saw Belal Muhammad defending his welterweight title against Jack Della Maddalena, while the co-main event saw Valentina Shevchenko defending her flyweight belt against Manon Fiorot. Ultimately, it was Della Maddalena who pulled off the upset as he beat Muhammad by decision to become the new welterweight champion. Shevchenko, meanwhile, edged out a decision win over Fiorot to defend her belt. Following UFC 315, here is what I think should be next for the stars of the event.