MMA News

Josh Evanoff - February 19, 2025

Undefeated flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev is still focused on a return to the UFC. ‘The Punisher’ became one of the UFC’s most-hyped prospects at 125 pounds starting in 2022. Holding an undefeated 6-0 record, Muhammad Mokaev quickly notched wins over the likes of Charles Johnson, Tim Elliott, and Alex Perez. His winning streak earned him a crack at fellow contender Manel Kape last summer at UFC 304 in Manchester.

Cole Shelton - February 19, 2025

UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis doesn’t think Khamzat Chimaev is the boogeyman people think he is. After Du Plessis defended his middleweight title with a decision win over Sean Strickland, the expectation was he would face Chimaev next. It’s an intriguing matchup as many view Chimaev as the boogeyman,  but he doesn’t think that is the case.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 19, 2025

Caio Borralho has weighed in on the Sean Strickland situation with his coach Eric Nicksick. Many fans were surprised by how critical Nicksick was of Strickland during a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. The Xtreme Couture head coach clearly felt Strickland’s effort in his rematch against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 312 was uninspired. Nicksick went as far as to say he trains world champions and Strickland needs to decide what he wants to do going forward.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 19, 2025

When it comes to fighting under bare knuckle rules, you can count one UFC veteran out. The bare-knuckle boxing scene has exploded in recent times. BKFC President David Feldman can take a bulk of the credit thanks to how he’s promoted the sport and his company. Recently, BKFC KnuckleMania V drew 17,762 fans inside the Wells Fargo Center. This set a record for the most attended combat sports event in Philadelphia.

Harry Kettle - February 19, 2025

UFC flyweight contender Steve Erceg has explained why he’s so excited to battle it out with Brandon Moreno in his next fight. Since arriving in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Steve Erceg has been on quite the rollercoaster ride. Following a 3-0 start, he managed to vault himself into a title fight against Alexandre Pantoja. The two battled it out at UFC 301, and unfortunately for Steve, he came up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision defeat.

Harry Kettle - February 19, 2025

Former UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso is set to make her return to the Octagon later this year at UFC 315. Over the course of the last few years, Alexa Grasso’s career has been focused on one person – Valentina Shevchenko. She defeated her for the belt back at UFC 285, then retained the belt as a result of a draw six months later. Then, at UFC 306 in September, Shevchenko was finally able to reclaim the strap at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

Harry Kettle - February 19, 2025

Paige VanZant has reacted to her husband Austin Vanderford taking a short notice fight against Nikolay Veretennikov at UFC Seattle. For many years, Austin Vanderford has enjoyed a solid mixed martial arts career outside of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He even managed to work his way up to a Bellator title shot against Gegard Mousasi, although he was unable to capture the gold. Still, he’s had a great run in his own right, with a lot of people recognizing him for his own abilities as opposed to him just being married to Paige VanZant.

Harry Kettle - February 19, 2025

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has defended Jon Jones after the latter was involved in a strange Instagram video recently. We all know that Jon Jones is the definition of a wild card. He constantly says and does things that confuse the masses, with the majority of fans often questioning whether or not all of his actions over the years have severely tainted his legacy. Either way, though, he’s still considered by many to be one of the greatest of all time.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 18, 2025

Martial arts doesn’t end at ONE 171: Qatar for former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion Bibiano Fernandes.    He competes in the all-encompassing sport for the final time this Thursday, February 20, inside Lusail Sports Arena in Doha, Qatar, against longtime rival and former divisional king Kevin Belingon.   

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 18, 2025

Chinese megastar Wei Rui can see gold on the horizon at ONE 171: Qatar.   “Demon Blade” meets ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Champion Jonathan Haggerty in the co-main event this Thursday, February 20, inside Doha’s Lusail Sports Arena.  

Cole Shelton - February 18, 2025

Stephen Thompson is looking to welcome back Donald Cerrone to the UFC. Cerrone recently came out and said he’s looking to return after re-joining the testing pool. With ‘Cowboy’ planning a comeback, Thompson thinks he is a logical opponent for the fan-favorite.

Josh Evanoff - February 18, 2025

Former Bellator middleweight title challenger Austin Vanderford is now a member of the UFC. ‘The Gentleman’ has found a way to make a name for himself outside of MMA’s leading promotion. Debuting in 2017, the former collegiate wrestler quickly found success. In the summer of 2018, Austin Vanderford found himself on the Dana White Contender Series. Despite scoring a decision win over Angelo Trevino, he wasn’t signed by the UFC.

Josh Evanoff - February 18, 2025

UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis isn’t worried about Belal Muhammad. ‘Stillknocks’ is fresh off his return to the cage at UFC 312 earlier this month. Back for the first time since submitting Israel Adesanya last fall, Dricus du Plessis again met Sean Strickland. While their bout last January was a barnburner that ended in a split-decision, the second outing couldn’t be more different. Du Plessis dominated ‘Tarzan’ across five rounds, ultimately earning a lopsided decision win.

Josh Evanoff - February 18, 2025

UFC middleweight contender Jared Cannonier wants a rematch with Israel Adesanya. The ‘Killa Gorilla’ is fresh off his return to the cage in the main event of UFC Vegas 102 on Saturday. Back for the first time since suffering a unanimous decision loss to Caio Borralho in August, Jared Cannonier met another rising Brazilian in the form of Gregory Rodrigues. ‘Robocop’ entered the bout riding a three-fight winning streak, last beating Christian Leroy Duncan last July.

Cole Shelton - February 18, 2025

Gregory Rodrigues wonders how his UFC Vegas 102 main event would have played out if he was healthy. Rodrigues entered his first main event as the betting favorite, and early on he had success. He dropped Jared Cannonier twice in the first round, but he couldn’t put Cannonier away. Cannonier then rallied and stopped Rodrigues early in the fourth round.

BJ Penn Staff - February 18, 2025

UFC lightweight King Green is going to bat for Anthony Smith following some harsh criticism from former bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw. During a 2024 appearance on the JAXXON podcast, Dillashaw questioned “Lionheart” Smith’s heart, claiming he “gives up” in his fights.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 18, 2025

One UFC Hall of Famer says that Islam Makhachev has no fear of fighting Ilia Topuria. Makhachev is the reigning UFC lightweight champion, while Topuria holds the featherweight gold. Topuria has expressed interest in a champion vs. champion showdown, but Makhachev has let it be known that he prefers to go after “champ-champ” status. “El Matador” believes Makhachev is avoiding a fight against him.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 18, 2025

One rising UFC welterweight thinks it would be a mistake for Belal Muhammad to give middleweight a try. Muhammad has mulled over a potential move up to 185 pounds. “Remember The Name” has said he’d switch weight classes for a shot at becoming a double champion if the stars align. He has also said he’d rather move up in weight and allow reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev to go after the welterweight gold.