MMA News

Harry Kettle - June 18, 2026 at 7:19 AM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC analyst Din Thomas is of the belief that Ilia Topuria will be able to bounce back from his UFC Freedom 250 defeat. On Sunday night, Ilia Topuria fell to his first professional defeat as a mixed martial artist. He was beaten and battered by Justin Gaethje, and while he certainly had a few bright moments, especially in the second round, it isn’t a performance he will want to repeat anytime soon.

Dylan Bowker - June 17, 2026 at 6:41 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Alex Pereira and Sean O’Malley had fairly different outcomes in their respective UFC Freedom 250 bouts, with the latter offering up an intriguing behind-the-scenes quip regarding the former from the pre-fight build. While Pereira fell short against Ciryl Gane in a bid to become the UFC’s first-ever three-division champion, the loss was not without controversy, as is seemingly customary these days with the newly minted two-time UFC interim heavyweight champ Gane. Sean O’Malley secured a highlight reel finish over Aiemann Zahabi in his June 14th bout and also took time to cover the illegal strikes that were landed to the back of the head by Gane during the finishing sequence in his Pereira bout. During a conversation with MMA Guru in the aftermath of the UFC’s White House-based card, with the excerpt of the clip posted to X account @Home_of_Fight, O’Malley said,

Dylan Bowker - June 17, 2026 at 6:40 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje is a title fight that is quite intriguing to the former two-time UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. In the wake of UFC Freedom 250, Justin Gaethje pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport by finally becoming the divisional kingpin of 155 pounds. The man who previously captured interim lightweight gold two times became the lineal champ outright when he stopped the previously unbeaten Ilia Topuria inside the distance on June 14th. A former UFC lightweight champion is making his return next month, and while Conor McGregor is having a sequel clash with Max Holloway at welterweight for the UFC 329 headliner, there are some who are intrigued by the notion of ‘The Notorious’ returning to 155 pounds someday. Post-UFC Freedom 250 in conversation with Demetrious Johnson on Johnson’s YouTube channel Mighty, Adesanya said,

Curtis Calhoun - June 17, 2026 at 4:12 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo could be on the verge of a fighting comeback, this time in the boxing ring. Olympic gold medalist and former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo dropped the gloves and announced his retirement at UFC 323 in December. Cejudo, one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, retired after a four-fight losing streak stemming from his 2023 MMA comeback.

Cole Shelton - June 17, 2026 at 3:56 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Kyoji Horiguchi plans to make a statement at UFC Vegas 119. Horiguchi is set to rematch Manel Kape on Saturday in a pivotal fight at flyweight. It also serves as a rematch of their fight back in 2017 in RIZIN, which Horiguchi won by submission.

Curtis Calhoun - June 17, 2026 at 3:36 PM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC featherweight contender Steve Garcia shared his first thoughts on Diego Lopes’ come-from-behind KO at UFC Freedom 250. UFC featherweight Steve Garcia made Mixed Martial Arts history on Sunday when he became the first fighter to enter the Octagon on the White House lawn at UFC Freedom 250. Garcia, who entered UFC Freedom 250 on an impressive win streak, squared off with former title challenger Diego Lopes in the opening fight.

Curtis Calhoun - June 17, 2026 at 2:55 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Daniel Cormier addressed the controversy surrounding alleged DMs between himself and Eric Trump before UFC Freedom 250. UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier was on the call for arguably the promotion’s biggest event last weekend at UFC Freedom 250. The seven-fight card at the White House lived up to lofty expectations, culminating in a massive upset by Justin Gaethje in the main event.

Curtis Calhoun - June 17, 2026 at 2:10 PM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski believes one of his recent understudies possesses the best striking on the roster. Alexander Volkanovski reclaimed the UFC featherweight throne last year at UFC 314 by defeating Diego Lopes in an instant classic. After back-to-back losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, Volkanovski returned to the Octagon in style and proved his detractors wrong.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 17, 2026 at 1:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

For years, the Ukrainian built an unbeaten record that made him the most feared heavyweight striker on the planet. Then Samet Agdeve walked into his promotional debut last November and took everything away from him in a single night. Roman Kryklia now gets his rematch. The Ukrainian two-sport world champion challenges Agdeve for the ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Title at The Inner Circle 19 on Friday, June 19, live from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Curtis Calhoun - June 17, 2026 at 12:44 PM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev’s first title defense headlines the promotion’s long-awaited return to Philadelphia. After Ilia Topuria’s shocking loss at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday, UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev remains at the top of the heap of the pound-for-pound rankings. Makhachev became the UFC’s latest two-division titleholder when he defeated Jack Della Maddalena to win the welterweight title last year at UFC 322.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 17, 2026 at 10:20 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Arman Tsarukyan believes it’s time for the UFC brass to cut ties with Michael Chandler. Chandler suffered his fourth straight loss on the UFC Freedom 250 card this past Sunday. He suffered a fourth-round TKO loss to Mauricio Ruffy in a fight many believed would be a mismatch going in. Chandler was hoping to bounce back after suffering losses to Paddy Pimblett, Charles Oliveira, and Dustin Poirier.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 17, 2026 at 9:45 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Daniel Cormier believes the UFC Freedom 250 atmosphere gave Justin Gaethje a significant boost. Gaethje pulled off the upset over Ilia Topuria to conclude UFC’s historic event on the White House lawn this past Sunday. He scored a fourth-round TKO victory via corner stoppage to capture the undisputed UFC Lightweight Championship for the first time in his career. While Gaethje was a two-time interim titleholder, he hadn’t earned the undisputed distinction until he stopped Topuria.

Curtis Calhoun - June 18, 2026

Former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria will likely be out for the remainder of 2026 after a brutal loss at the White House. Ilia Topuria left the Octagon a bloody mess as he suffered the first loss of his career to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday. Topuria, previously unbeaten in his MMA career, lost to Gaethje by TKO (corner stoppage) in what was his first lightweight title defense.

Curtis Calhoun - June 18, 2026

FC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping criticized Alex Pereira’s recent media tour following his TKO loss to Ciryl Gane. Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira suffered just the second stoppage loss of his promotional tenure to Ciryl Gane on Sunday at UFC Freedom 250. In his highly anticipated heavyweight debut, Pereira struggled with Gane’s power and movement en route to a second-round TKO loss.

Cole Shelton - June 18, 2026

Manel Kape is looking to get some revenge on Saturday. Kape is set to headline UFC Vegas 119 on Saturday at the Apex against Kyoji Horiguchi. The two fought back in 2017 in RIZIN, and it was Horiguchi who won by submission.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 18, 2026

Josh Hokit believes there is a double standard when it comes to those who are criticizing him for his comment on Michelle Obama during the UFC Freedom 250 broadcast. Hokit competed against Derrick Lewis on the White House lawn and delivered a second-round TKO finish. The win improved Hokit’s pro MMA record to 10-0, but it was his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan that got the attention of the mainstream media. At the end of the interview, Hokit grabbed the mic and said, “Michelle Obama is a man.”

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 18, 2026

Michael Chandler has had some time to mull over his latest defeat against Mauricio Ruffy. Chandler was searching for his first victory since 2022 when he competed on the White House lawn for UFC Freedom 250. Instead, “Iron” suffered his fourth straight loss. Chandler was stopped in the opening frame via TKO. At the age of 40, many are wondering if Chandler will decide to hang up his gloves.

Harry Kettle - June 18, 2026

Arman Tsarukyan has spoken about why he didn’t know the UFC Freedom 250 main event result for a good few hours. On Sunday night, Justin Gaethje defeated Ilia Topuria in emphatic fashion to become the new UFC lightweight champion. In doing so, he may well have set himself up for a clash with Arman Tsarukyan, who has been waiting patiently for an opportunity to challenge for the strap.

Harry Kettle - June 18, 2026

UFC commentator Joe Rogan has taken the time to reflect on a crazy night of fights at UFC Freedom 250 last weekend. UFC Freedom 250, in the eyes of many, was a triumph. While there are certainly questions to be asked about the sportswashing allegations put forward by a lot of critics, there’s no denying that it was a success – and Joe Rogan was there to witness it all in person.

Harry Kettle - June 18, 2026

UFC analyst Din Thomas is of the belief that Ilia Topuria will be able to bounce back from his UFC Freedom 250 defeat. On Sunday night, Ilia Topuria fell to his first professional defeat as a mixed martial artist. He was beaten and battered by Justin Gaethje, and while he certainly had a few bright moments, especially in the second round, it isn’t a performance he will want to repeat anytime soon.

Dylan Bowker - June 17, 2026

Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje is a title fight that is quite intriguing to the former two-time UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. In the wake of UFC Freedom 250, Justin Gaethje pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport by finally becoming the divisional kingpin of 155 pounds. The man who previously captured interim lightweight gold two times became the lineal champ outright when he stopped the previously unbeaten Ilia Topuria inside the distance on June 14th. A former UFC lightweight champion is making his return next month, and while Conor McGregor is having a sequel clash with Max Holloway at welterweight for the UFC 329 headliner, there are some who are intrigued by the notion of ‘The Notorious’ returning to 155 pounds someday. Post-UFC Freedom 250 in conversation with Demetrious Johnson on Johnson’s YouTube channel Mighty, Adesanya said,

Curtis Calhoun - June 17, 2026

Former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo could be on the verge of a fighting comeback, this time in the boxing ring. Olympic gold medalist and former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo dropped the gloves and announced his retirement at UFC 323 in December. Cejudo, one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, retired after a four-fight losing streak stemming from his 2023 MMA comeback.

Cole Shelton - June 17, 2026

Kyoji Horiguchi plans to make a statement at UFC Vegas 119. Horiguchi is set to rematch Manel Kape on Saturday in a pivotal fight at flyweight. It also serves as a rematch of their fight back in 2017 in RIZIN, which Horiguchi won by submission.

Curtis Calhoun - June 17, 2026

UFC featherweight contender Steve Garcia shared his first thoughts on Diego Lopes’ come-from-behind KO at UFC Freedom 250. UFC featherweight Steve Garcia made Mixed Martial Arts history on Sunday when he became the first fighter to enter the Octagon on the White House lawn at UFC Freedom 250. Garcia, who entered UFC Freedom 250 on an impressive win streak, squared off with former title challenger Diego Lopes in the opening fight.