MMA News

Curtis Calhoun - June 8, 2026 at 4:14 PM PDT // 0 Comments

A top UFC analyst predicts Justin Gaethje will pull off another mammoth upset this weekend on the White House lawn. Interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has had several opportunities to win a lineal UFC title during his legendary career in the Octagon. After defeating Paddy Pimblett earlier this year at UFC 324 to win the interim belt for the second time in his UFC tenure, Gaethje will face Ilia Topuria in the UFC White House main event this weekend.

Curtis Calhoun - June 8, 2026 at 3:35 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Former Boxing star Adrien Broner was at the center of one of Jon Jones’ latest controversial moments outside of the Octagon since retiring. Former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones’ exclusion from the upcoming White House card led to bitter animosity between him and UFC CEO Dana White. Jones recently asked for his release from the UFC after contract negotiations fell apart for a fight at the White House, but as of this writing, his request has yet to be fulfilled by the promotion.

Curtis Calhoun - June 8, 2026 at 2:35 PM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen believes Bo Nickal will make the case for a title shot with an impressive win over Kyle Daukaus. UFC middleweight star Bo Nickal will look to continue his positive momentum this weekend at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn. Nickal and Kyle Daukaus will square off as part of a seven-fight card at the White House, featuring the returns of Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira.

Curtis Calhoun - June 8, 2026 at 1:43 PM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC stars Bo Nickal and Josh Hokit squared off in NCAA Division-I wrestling seven years before their fights on the White House lawn. UFC stars Bo Nickal and Josh Hokit will come full circle this weekend at UFC White House.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 8, 2026 at 1:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

He walked off Elmehdi El Jamari with a head kick in April, took the microphone, and said he was waiting for whoever came out of the Prajanchai vs. Aliff fight. Prajanchai got injured. Now Sam-A Gaiyanghadao gets his shot anyway. Sam-A faces Aliff Sor Dechapan for the ONE Interim Strawweight Muay Thai World Title in the main event of The Inner Circle, streaming live for members at live.onefc.com from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, July 24.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 8, 2026 at 1:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Every opponent on Sanzhar “Tornado” Zakirov‘s resume came in ranked or dangerous. None of them came in undefeated. On July 17, that changes. Zakirov faces fellow unbeaten flyweight Ruslan Satiev in a flyweight MMA bout at ONE Fight Night 45: Lessei vs. Rabah on Prime Video, broadcasting live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, July 17.

Curtis Calhoun - June 8, 2026 at 12:59 PM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC featherweight contender Diego Lopes hopes Alexander Volkanovski will retire after presumably fighting his former foe. UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is widely expected to return to the Octagon later this year and fight unbeaten contender Movsar Evloev. Rumors are swirling that Volkanovski vs. Evloev will headline an upcoming major event, potentially as soon as September.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 8, 2026 at 12:27 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Alex Pereira has a response to Ciryl Gane receiving advice from the last man to defeat him under kickboxing rules. Back in 2021, Pereira lost the Glory Heavyweight Championship to Artem Vakhitov via majority decision. Rather than look for revenge, “Poatan” ended up moving on to MMA full-time, and he has since carved out his legacy in the sport. Pereira now has a chance to win a UFC title in a third weight class at UFC Freedom 250 when he meets Gane for the interim gold.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 8, 2026 at 11:45 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Ilia Topuria has responded to Justin Gaethje taking a dig at his divorce. Gaethje became the interim UFC Lightweight Champion after defeating Paddy Pimblett back in January, and it was Topuria’s hiatus that led to an interim title fight. “El Matador” took a small break from pro MMA competition, as he was dealing with a messy divorce from Giorgina Uzcategui. Topuria has children and was able to reach a custody settlement, which ended his hiatus.

Harry Kettle - June 8, 2026 at 7:56 AM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has taken a look back at his recent blockbuster victory over Paddy Pimblett. In his last fight, Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett in a pretty decisive manner to become the new UFC interim lightweight champion. His reward for that will be an undisputed title showdown in the main event of UFC Freedom 250, where he will take on reigning champ Ilia Topuria.

Harry Kettle - June 8, 2026 at 7:53 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Controversial UFC heavyweight Josh Hokit has given his thoughts on Ilia Topuria defending Alex Pereira at the UFC Freedom 250 press conference. One thing we know to be true about Josh Hokit is that he doesn’t really care what people think about him. His latest gimmick is shining proof of that, with a lot of people cringing at his attempts to build his star power through showmanship and some odd remarks.

Harry Kettle - June 8, 2026 at 7:50 AM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC middleweight contender Brendan Allen has made it clear that he is interested in pursuing a rematch against Sean Strickland. Last weekend, Brendan Allen took his current win streak up to three with a comprehensive performance and victory over Edmen Shahbazyan. It comes off the back of triumphs over Marvin Vettori and Reinier de Ridder, with many believing he is getting closer and closer to a championship opportunity.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 9, 2026

One former UFC titleholder is a big fan of Justin Gaethje, but he still thinks “The Highlight” will fall to Ilia Topuria. Topuria and Gaethje are on a collision course that will meet its end on Sunday. The two will clash in the UFC Freedom 250 main event on the White House lawn. The winner will have the distinction of unifying the UFC Lightweight Championship. Topuria holds the main title, while Gaethje is the interim champion.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 9, 2026

Belal Muhammad didn’t walk out of UFC Vegas 118 with a win, and longtime coach Ray Longo believes it was due to a bizarre strategy. Muhammad entered the Meta Apex this past Saturday in hopes getting back in the win column for the first time since 2024. He shared the Octagon with rising contender Gabriel Bonfim. The former UFC Welterweight Champion couldn’t get much going, and he was peppered on the feet. Ultimately, “Remember The Name” was defeated via unanimous decision.

Harry Kettle - June 9, 2026

UFC legend Dustin Poirier has questioned Justin Gaethje’s mentality heading into UFC Freedom 250 this weekend. At UFC Freedom 250, Justin Gaethje will attempt to finally become an undisputed UFC world champion when he faces the current lightweight king Ilia Topuria. Unlike Ilia’s showdown with Charles Oliveira, these two have been back and forth a fair bit in the trash talk department.

Harry Kettle - June 9, 2026

UFC analyst Laura Sanko doesn’t agree with Dana White that Alex Pereira could lead the GOAT debate after this weekend. In the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250, Alex Pereira will collide with Ciryl Gane over the UFC interim heavyweight championship. The winner will go on to face Tom Aspinall for the undisputed belt, but the biggest story here is Poatan.

Cole Shelton - June 9, 2026

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 main event, Ilia Topuria defends his lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje. Heading into the fight, Topuria is a massive -670 favorite while the challenger is a +430 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the bout at UFC White House, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the lightweight title fight. The pros do think Topuria will get the win, and likely will do so by knockout to defend his belt for the first time.

Cole Shelton - June 9, 2026

The 223rd episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live to preview UFC White House. We’re joined by UFC middleweight Kyle Daukaus (1:00). Next, ninth-ranked UFC featherweight Steve Garcia (18:50) comes on.

Cole Shelton - June 8, 2026

The UFC was back at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday for UFC Vegas 118. The main event saw former champion Belal Muhammad taking on Gabriel Bonfim in a pivotal fight at welterweight. Muhammad entered the fight on a two-bout losing streak after dropping a decision to Ian Machado Garry and Jack Della Maddalena to lose his welterweight title. Bonfim, meanwhile, was set for his second-straight main event and was on a four-fight winning streak.

Curtis Calhoun - June 8, 2026

Former UFC flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev could be on his way back to the Octagon after an impressive run outside of the promotion. At a time when the UFC’s flyweight division is on fire, one of the division’s former stars is doing everything he can to return to the promotion. Muhammad Mokaev, who parted ways with the UFC after a win over Manel Kape at UFC 304, remains unbeaten in his Mixed Martial Arts career and has won four-straight fights since his UFC finale.

Curtis Calhoun - June 8, 2026

Former Boxing star Adrien Broner was at the center of one of Jon Jones’ latest controversial moments outside of the Octagon since retiring. Former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones’ exclusion from the upcoming White House card led to bitter animosity between him and UFC CEO Dana White. Jones recently asked for his release from the UFC after contract negotiations fell apart for a fight at the White House, but as of this writing, his request has yet to be fulfilled by the promotion.

Curtis Calhoun - June 8, 2026

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen believes Bo Nickal will make the case for a title shot with an impressive win over Kyle Daukaus. UFC middleweight star Bo Nickal will look to continue his positive momentum this weekend at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn. Nickal and Kyle Daukaus will square off as part of a seven-fight card at the White House, featuring the returns of Ilia Topuria and Alex Pereira.

Curtis Calhoun - June 8, 2026

UFC stars Bo Nickal and Josh Hokit squared off in NCAA Division-I wrestling seven years before their fights on the White House lawn. UFC stars Bo Nickal and Josh Hokit will come full circle this weekend at UFC White House.

Cole Shelton - June 8, 2026

Ilua Topuria has a bold prediction for his upcoming fight against Justin Gaethje. Topuria is set to headline the White House card on Sunday as he defends his lightweight title against Gaethje. It’s a highly anticipated bout, and heading into the fight, Topuria is a massive favorite.