MMA News

Conor McGregor power walks inside the UFC Octagon
UFC

UFC fans react to Conor McGregor allegedly using PEDs while recovering from 2021 leg break: "He's never denied it"

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 11, 2026 at 10:09 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Conor McGregor reportedly used banned substances while recovering from his brutal leg injury back in 2021, and UFC fans appear to be on his side. Dr. Neal ElAttrache told New York Times that he wrote a letter in support of McGregor’s use of performance-enhancing drugs that benefitted his recovery after suffering a broken tibia and fibula during his UFC 264 trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier. McGregor’s team reportedly attempted to get an exemption from USADA but were never given an approval.

Chris Weidman
UFC

Chris Weidman feels he could’ve been MMA's GOAT but still pleased by UFC Hall of Fame nod

Dylan Bowker - June 10, 2026 at 5:20 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Chris Weidman has achieved hall of fame distinctions for his amateur wrestling as well as MMA efforts but feels like he fell short of what he ultimately wanted. Touching upon his thoughts on hearing about his UFC Hall of Fame induction and the feelings tied to that induction which will transpire in July, Weidman said [via Bowks Talking Bouts], “Oh, yeah. I was completely surprised. I had no idea. Nobody in my family knew, my coaches, my manager, nobody knew. So, there was no way that that secret was going to get back to me. They asked me and Dustin Poirier to go cage side so they could pan over to us and then promote the post-fight show. We’re like, “Okay, yeah, whatever.” Then we were like talking to each other like, “Why wouldn’t they just do this from the desk? They could do that same shot from the desk.” So thought it was a little weird.”

Tomyamkoong Bhumjaithai
ONE Championship

Tomyamkoong headlines a five-bout The Inner Circle 18 card on June 12 with a US$100,000 contract in sight

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 10, 2026 at 4:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

He left Surin at 15 with nothing but ambition and headed to Bangkok to find out how good he really was. Six years later, Tomyamkoong Bhumjaithai is headlining The Inner Circle with back-to-back stoppages on his record and a life-changing contract one win away. Tomyamkoong faces Azerbaijani striker Anar Mammadov in the flyweight Muay Thai main event of The Inner Circle, streaming live for members at live.onefc.com from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, June 12.

Daniel Cormier, Dana White and Alex Pereira
Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier dismisses Alex Pereira's GOAT case ahead of UFC White House: 'Needs more work!'

Curtis Calhoun - June 10, 2026 at 3:42 PM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier believes Alex Pereira still has work to do to surpass Jon Jones and others in the GOAT debate. Alex Pereira drew high praise from UFC CEO Dana White earlier this week, as the UFC head proclaimed Pereira would become the GOAT with a win at UFC Freedom 250. Pereira, who will make his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane for the interim title, could become the UFC’s first three-division champion.

Alex Pereira and Josh Hokit at UFC Freedom 250 media day
UFC

Alex Pereira calls for Josh Hokit's release after latest altercation ahead of UFC White House

Curtis Calhoun - June 10, 2026 at 2:45 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira took his strongest stance yet against Josh Hokit’s antics ahead of UFC Freedom 250. Alex Pereira will face former interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane in the UFC Freedom 250 co-main this weekend. Still, another rising heavyweight has also claimed space in his mind ahead of fight night.

Dana White and Alex Pereira
Dana White

UFC legend mocks Dana White's Alex Pereira GOAT claim ahead of UFC Freedom 250

Curtis Calhoun - June 10, 2026 at 1:51 PM PDT // 0 Comments

A UFC legend called Dana White’s bluff on his recent controversial GOAT claim about Alex Pereira ahead of UFC White House. Alex Pereira enters UFC Freedom 250 at the White House with the opportunity to become the promotion’s first three-division champion. Pereira, who vacated the UFC light heavyweight belt earlier this year, will face former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane in the UFC Freedom 250 co-main event.

Josh Hokit and Alex Pereira
Josh Hokit

VIDEO | Josh Hokit explicitly attacks Alex Pereira in UFC White House fighter hotel run-in

Curtis Calhoun - June 10, 2026 at 1:15 PM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC heavyweight Josh Hokit continued to taunt interim title challenger Alex Pereira in a UFC White House hotel run-in. Alex Pereira will look to become the UFC’s first three-division champion this weekend when he battles Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title at the White House. Pereira opted to vacate the light heavyweight belt earlier this year to make the full-time move to heavyweight, and a win could potentially move him into the UFC GOAT debate.

Rambong
ONE Championship

Rambong faces Sornsueknoi at The Inner Circle 18 on June 12 with a rebuilt game plan

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 10, 2026 at 1:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Two losses in a row. A moment of serious doubt. Then a decision to fight smarter rather than fight harder. Rambong Sor Therapat arrives at The Inner Circle 18 as a different version of himself. Rambong faces Sornsueknoi FA Group in a flyweight Muay Thai co-main event at The Inner Circle 18, streaming live for members at live.onefc.com from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, June 12.

Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane face off before UFC Freedom 250
Ciryl Gane

Ciryl Gane isn't buying into Alex Pereira slowing down at heavyweight prior to UFC Freedom 250: "He is a professional"

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 10, 2026 at 10:14 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Ciryl Gane believes Alex Pereira will show up in peak form at UFC Freedom 250. Gane and Pereira are scheduled to collide with the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship at stake this Sunday on the White House lawn. “Poatan” is making the jump up in weight in hopes of capturing UFC gold in a third division. If Pereira pulls off the win, he’d be the only three-division champion in UFC history, although he’d be carrying the interim label.

Alex Pereira attends UFC Freedom 250 press conference
Dana White

Dana White's bold claim on Alex Pereira's all-time GOAT status backed by rising UFC star: "Nobody has ever done that"

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 10, 2026 at 9:36 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Dana White isn’t the only one who thinks Alex Pereira would cement himself as the MMA GOAT if he wins at UFC Freedom 250. On Sunday, Pereira will collide with Ciryl Gane in the co-main event of UFC’s historic show on the White House lawn. “Poatan” and Gane will be competing for the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship. While Jon Jones is largely viewed as the greatest MMA fighter of all time depending on how you view his past failed drug tests, White believes Pereira would surpass him if he becomes a three-division champion.

Aiemann Zahabi returns at UFC Freedom 250
Sean O'Malley

Aiemann Zahabi plans to surprise Sean O'Malley with his striking at UFC Freedom 250: "We'll see if I can cause a lot of problems for him"

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 10, 2026 at 9:08 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Aiemann Zahabi hopes to give Sean O’Malley a slew of unexpected problems on the feet during their scrap on Sunday. Zahabi and O’Malley are scheduled to meet on the White House lawn during the UFC Freedom 250 card. It’s a pivotal bantamweight tilt that will see the winner move one step closer to a 135-pound title fight. O’Malley is no stranger to UFC gold, but Zahabi has a major opportunity to possibly ascend to UFC title contention for the first time in his career.

Alex Pereira, Ciryl Gane
Ciryl Gane

UFC White House | Pro fighters make their picks for Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane interim title fight

Cole Shelton - June 10, 2026 at 5:40 AM PDT // 0 Comments

The UFC is in Washington, D.C., for their historic event on the White House lawn for a stacked UFC White House card. In the co-main event, former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira moves up to heavyweight to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title. Heading into the fight, the oddsmakers have it as a pick’em, as both fighters are -113 on FanDuel. Ahead of the bout at UFC White House, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the interim heavyweight title fight. The pros slightly lean towards Pereira becoming the first-ever three-weight UFC champion as they expect his striking to be the difference.

UFC

Arman Tsarukyan enters the Octagon for his fight at UFC Qatar
UFC

"Hard to argue that [Arman Tsarukyan] does not deserve a title shot", per ex-UFC champion who faced Tsarukyan

Dylan Bowker - June 11, 2026

Arman Tsarukyan is someone who should be next up to fight for the UFC lightweight belt in the eyes of many and a former kingpin of the UFC’s 155 pound division has weighed in on the curious situation the top contender finds himself in. The combatant in question is Benson Henderson who grappled with Tsarukyan quasi-recently in a grappling contest that saw the latter win via submission at ACBJJ 18. Through the athletic meritocracy lens, Tsarukyan should be getting the UFC title shot in the eyes of many, but instead reigning champ Ilia Topuria will fight interim belt holder Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 this weekend. When simply asked what does this guy have to do to get the next crack at the UFC crown, Henderson said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

Khamzat Chimaev and Dillon Danis
Khamzat Chimaev

VIDEO | Khamzat Chimaev challenges Dillon Danis to 'street fight' in heated RAF 10 faceoff

Curtis Calhoun - June 11, 2026

Former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev and Dillon Danis got into it just hours before their RAF 10 headliner. Khamzat Chimaev suffered one of the biggest upsets in UFC history last month at UFC 328 against Sean Strickland. In his long-awaited first UFC middleweight title defense, Chimaev struggled against Strickland’s pace and pressure en route to a split decision loss.

Eddie Hearn and Tom Aspinall
Tom Aspinall

UFC analyst blames Tom Aspinall's 'outsider' relationship with Eddie Hearn for uncertain UFC return

Curtis Calhoun - June 11, 2026

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall’s business partnership with Eddie Hearn could potentially hinder his return timeline. As Tom Aspinall continues to recover from multiple eye injuries, Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane will fight for the interim UFC heavyweight title this weekend at UFC Freedom 250. Gane and Aspinall fought to a no-contest at UFC 321 last year after multiple eye pokes by Gane left Aspinall unable to continue.

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira at UFC 312
Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya picks Alex Pereira to make history at UFC White House: 'It's just destiny'

Curtis Calhoun - June 11, 2026

Alex Pereira’s two-time UFC rival, Israel Adesanya, is fired up to see his former foe’s pursuit of history. Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira will look to become the promotion’s first three-division titleholder this weekend when he faces Ciryl Gane in the UFC Freedom 250 co-main event. Pereira and Gane will fight for the interim UFC heavyweight championship amidst Tom Aspinall’s uncertain timeline for a return to the Octagon.

Paddy Pimblett vs Michael Chandler UFC 314
Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler explains why he believes Paddy Pimblett will beat Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 329

Cole Shelton - June 11, 2026

Michael Chandler believes Paddy Pimblett will pull off the upset at UFC 329. Pimblett is set to take on Benoit Saint-Denis in the co-main event of UFC 329 in Las Vegas in a pivotal lightweight fight. Pimblett is coming off an upset loss to Justin Gaethje for the interim belt and is the betting underdog against Saint-Denis.

Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje pose on the White House lawn for UFC Freedom 250
Justin Gaethje

Justin Gaethje says Ilia Topuria has been assessing him wrong: "He's backed himself into a corner"

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 11, 2026

Justin Gaethje thinks Ilia Topuria hasn’t been able to figure him out ahead of UFC Freedom 250. Gaethje is hoping to become an undisputed UFC champion for the first time in his pro MMA career. To do so, he’ll need to pull off the upset over Topuria to cap off a historic card on the White House lawn this Sunday. While many believe Topuria’s crisp boxing will lead to Gaethje getting caught, “The Highlight” is always a live threat.

Tom Aspinall and Dana White during UFC 321 presser
Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier calls for Tom Aspinall and UFC to straighten things out: "They need to get on the same page"

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 11, 2026

Daniel Cormier is attempting to play mediator in the midst of issues between Tom Aspinall and the UFC brass. Aspinall is the main UFC Heavyweight Champion, but he’s been out of action since suffering a double eye poke back in Oct. 2025. Aspinall’s title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 was ruled a no contest when the champion had difficulty seeing. An interim championship fight between Gane and Alex Pereira will be taking place at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday.

Conor McGregor power walks inside the UFC Octagon
UFC

UFC fans react to Conor McGregor allegedly using PEDs while recovering from 2021 leg break: "He's never denied it"

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 11, 2026

Conor McGregor reportedly used banned substances while recovering from his brutal leg injury back in 2021, and UFC fans appear to be on his side. Dr. Neal ElAttrache told New York Times that he wrote a letter in support of McGregor’s use of performance-enhancing drugs that benefitted his recovery after suffering a broken tibia and fibula during his UFC 264 trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier. McGregor’s team reportedly attempted to get an exemption from USADA but were never given an approval.

Daniel Cormier, Dana White and Alex Pereira
Daniel Cormier

Daniel Cormier dismisses Alex Pereira's GOAT case ahead of UFC White House: 'Needs more work!'

Curtis Calhoun - June 10, 2026

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier believes Alex Pereira still has work to do to surpass Jon Jones and others in the GOAT debate. Alex Pereira drew high praise from UFC CEO Dana White earlier this week, as the UFC head proclaimed Pereira would become the GOAT with a win at UFC Freedom 250. Pereira, who will make his heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane for the interim title, could become the UFC’s first three-division champion.

Manel Kape
UFC

"Manel Kape has the most dangerous style for [Kyoji] Horiguchi", per multi-time Horiguchi foe

Dylan Bowker - June 10, 2026

Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi are running it back for a sequel clash later this month, with a fighter who has established history with the latter commenting on that contest. The referenced fighter is Hiromasa Ougikubo, who holds Rizin Fighting Federation gold and is a consistent training partner of the UFC’s most recent flyweight title challenger, Tatsuro Taira. Hiromasa Ougikubo defends his RFF flyweight crown in his own rematch against Makoto Shinryu at Rizin Landmark 14 on June 6th. Ougikubo is a former opponent of Kyoji Horiguchi’s multiple times over, and with the context of Taira attempting to become Japan’s first UFC champion, Horiguchi is also vying for that placement in history by bringing the UFC strap to the land of the rising sun.

Alex Pereira and Josh Hokit at UFC Freedom 250 media day
UFC

Alex Pereira calls for Josh Hokit's release after latest altercation ahead of UFC White House

Curtis Calhoun - June 10, 2026

Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira took his strongest stance yet against Josh Hokit’s antics ahead of UFC Freedom 250. Alex Pereira will face former interim UFC heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane in the UFC Freedom 250 co-main this weekend. Still, another rising heavyweight has also claimed space in his mind ahead of fight night.

Dana White and Alex Pereira
Dana White

UFC legend mocks Dana White's Alex Pereira GOAT claim ahead of UFC Freedom 250

Curtis Calhoun - June 10, 2026

A UFC legend called Dana White’s bluff on his recent controversial GOAT claim about Alex Pereira ahead of UFC White House. Alex Pereira enters UFC Freedom 250 at the White House with the opportunity to become the promotion’s first three-division champion. Pereira, who vacated the UFC light heavyweight belt earlier this year, will face former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane in the UFC Freedom 250 co-main event.