MMA News

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 17, 2026 at 7:04 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Don’t expect Jon Jones to ever go one-on-one with Oleksandr Usyk unless an unlikely condition is met. Jones is considered by many to be the greatest MMA fighter of all time, while Usyk has built his legacy in the boxing world as a future lock for the International Boxing Hall of Fame. “Bones” and Usyk have earned multiple world titles in their respective sports, but could the two ever be standing across each other for a mega fight?

Curtis Calhoun - July 16, 2026 at 4:10 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Jon Jones’ former rival Ciryl Gane earned his respect in how he handled himself in the moments immediately after their UFC 285 fight. Former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones won the heavyweight title by handing Ciryl Gane a humiliating defeat at UFC 285. Just seconds into their fight, Jones tapped Gane with a nasty guillotine choke to become the UFC’s latest ‘champ-champ’.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 16, 2026 at 4:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Nobody has ever accused Paige Ivette Clymer of picking easy fights, and her ONE Championship debut is no exception. Clymer steps onto the global stage against Helena Crevar in a 10-minute openweight submission grappling contest at The Inner Circle 22, streaming exclusively for The Inner Circle members from Bangkok’s historic Lumpinee Stadium on Friday, July 17. The event airs live in Asia primetime.

Curtis Calhoun - July 16, 2026 at 3:47 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones struck a somber tone in his reaction to Conor McGregor’s disastrous comeback. Conor McGregor’s latest comeback attempt ended in disaster after he suffered a right leg injury just seconds into his return at UFC 329. Former BMF titleholder Max Holloway ended up winning the fight by TKO after McGregor was unable to continue competing following the injury.

Cole Shelton - July 16, 2026 at 1:39 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Dricus Du Plessis is looking to remind everyone just how good he is at UFC Oklahoma City. Du Plessis is set to headline UFC Oklahoma City on Saturday in a middleweight bout against former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. It’s an intriguing fight, and ahead of the bout, Du Plessis is looking to get back on track after losing his belt to Khamzat Chimaev last time out.

Curtis Calhoun - July 16, 2026 at 1:37 PM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC superstar Conor McGregor believes his short-lived return at UFC 329 should be moved to a no-contest after his leg injury. Conor McGregor’s highly anticipated return to the Octagon lasted mere seconds against Max Holloway last weekend at UFC 329.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 16, 2026 at 1:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Luke Lessei returns to the main event spotlight on Friday, July 17, when he meets Mohamed Younes Rabah in a featherweight Muay Thai clash at ONE Fight Night 45 in Bangkok, Thailand. The bout streams live on Prime Video from Lumpinee Stadium in U.S. primetime. The 30-year-old Iowa native enters off a loss to Nico Carrillo, who has since captured the ONE Interim Featherweight Muay Thai World Championship. Lessei carries eight professional victories and a finishing rate above 75 percent into the assignment.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 16, 2026 at 11:42 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Justin Gaethje isn’t interested in the idea of a second showdown with Paddy Pimblett. Gaethje won the interim UFC lightweight gold when he defeated “The Baddy” via unanimous decision to cap off UFC’s debut on Paramount+. “The Highlight” went on to capture interim gold when he stopped Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250. Just one month later, Pimblett got back on the winning track by choking out Benoit Saint Denis is under one minute.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 16, 2026 at 10:43 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Israel Adesanya isn’t buying the story that Conor McGregor was injured solely off a failed jumping kick attempt. McGregor had high hopes going into his highly anticipated return at UFC 329. The Irish megastar was set to do battle with Max Holloway, and while the fight began, it quickly ended in anticlimactic fashion. McGregor began favoring his right knee after landing awkwardly from a jumping kick. He had trouble staying on his feet, and referee Mike Beltran had seen enough.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 16, 2026 at 8:05 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Colby Covington isn’t done hurling personal digs at his former training partner Dustin Poirier. Poirier found himself in the headlines after being arrested for public intoxication. Bodycam footage revealed that Poirier threatened to fight a police officer after he was removed from a flight for insulting staff members. Following the ordeal, Poirier appeared on “Diary of a CEO” to reveal that he went through some personal struggles thinking about his father, who is dealing with his own issues.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 16, 2026 at 7:21 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Dricus du Plessis had a tough time accepting the reality that he’d no longer be recognized as the UFC Middleweight Champion. “Stillknocks” had two successful title defenses before stepping inside the Octagon with Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 319 main event back in Aug. 2025. While Chimaev was the betting favorite going into fight night in Chicago, many expected du Plessis to make “Borz” earn his keep. Ultimately, du Plessis was controlled for nearly 22 minutes on his way to a clear unanimous decision loss.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 16, 2026 at 6:49 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Kamaru Usman has reflected on his time sparring with Dricus du Plessis, who happens to be his next opponent. Usman and du Plessis are scheduled to clash at UFC Oklahoma on Saturday, but the two once traded leather inside the gym. “The Nigerian Nightmare” doesn’t remember every detail of his sparring sessions with “Stillknocks,” but he does recall the former UFC Middleweight Champion relying on his power.

Dylan Bowker - July 17, 2026

Sean Strickland helms the UFC’s middleweight division and steadily gets in work with someone vying for gold in another promotion this weekend. The combatant in question is Johnny Eblen, who runs it back with Impa Kasanganay for a rematch with the interim middleweight belt on the line at PFL Austin on July 18th. The winner will battle lineal PFL middleweight champion Costello Van Steenis at a later juncture when the 185-pound titleholder gets off the shelf from his injury. Speaking to the motivational component, getting to work with the UFC champion and potential future UFC Hall of Famer in Sean Strickland, who really touts Johnny Eblen’s skills in quite a high regard, Eblen said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

Curtis Calhoun - July 17, 2026

Alex Pereira’s former light heavyweight foe believes his post-fight attacks against referee Herb Dean are unwarranted. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira’s bid to become the promotion’s first three-division titleholder fell short at the hands of Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 last month. In their interim heavyweight title fight, Gane finished Pereira by Round 2 TKO to secure a rematch against undisputed champion Tom Aspinall.

Curtis Calhoun - July 17, 2026

Former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor answered a flurry of questions asked by fans on his X account about his current mindset. Conor McGregor’s latest comeback attempt at UFC 329 ended in a serious right leg injury suffered just seconds into his fight with Max Holloway. After throwing a failed spinning kick as the fight kicked off, McGregor landed awkwardly on his right leg and suffered an injury that could sideline him for another year.

Cole Shelton - July 17, 2026

Kamaru Usman is moving back up to middleweight. Usman is set to take on Dricus Du Plessis in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City in what will be a fan-friendly fight. Although Usman is the former welterweight champion, he opted to move back up to middleweight to take on Du Plessis.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 17, 2026

Conor McGregor is taking the blame for being too aggressive in his return fight at UFC 329. McGregor has insisted that he felt calm going into his first bout in five years, which is actually something his opponent Max Holloway agrees with. The “Notorious” one didn’t get to showcase what he had been working on, however, as he went for a leaping kick and ended up landing the wrong way on his right knee. McGregor couldn’t move around effectively, and the fight was stopped due to the injury just over one minute in.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 17, 2026

Conor McGregor is targeting a trilogy bout with Max Holloway to make up for his unforeseen injury. McGregor had planned on making the walk for his first fight in five years, which is exactly what he did at UFC 329. What the “Notorious” one wasn’t expecting was for his rematch with Holloway to be stopped before the action ever truly got going. That’s because McGregor suffered a right knee injury when he awkwardly landed off a jumping kick attempt.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 17, 2026

Dricus du Plessis and Kamaru Usman reached their contracted weights on Friday morning, and have now made their UFC Oklahoma main event official. Du Plessis and Usman are set for a collision course inside the Paycom Center on Saturday. Prior to fight night, “Stillknocks” tipped the scales at 185.5 pounds, while “The Nigerian Nightmare” clocked in at 186 pounds. The ceremonial weigh-in event is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. ET.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 17, 2026

Jared Cannonier believes he understands how the UFC’s business model works, but he thinks fighters at certain tiers should be given increases. Cannonier has been a member of the UFC roster since 2015. While he hasn’t captured the top prize in the middleweight division, the 42-year-old has consistently hovered around the top 10 and even top five rankings throughout his run. With 20 fights under the UFC banner, Cannonier still feels he hasn’t been compensated close to his actual worth.

Curtis Calhoun - July 16, 2026

Jon Jones’ former rival Ciryl Gane earned his respect in how he handled himself in the moments immediately after their UFC 285 fight. Former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones won the heavyweight title by handing Ciryl Gane a humiliating defeat at UFC 285. Just seconds into their fight, Jones tapped Gane with a nasty guillotine choke to become the UFC’s latest ‘champ-champ’.

Curtis Calhoun - July 16, 2026

Former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones struck a somber tone in his reaction to Conor McGregor’s disastrous comeback. Conor McGregor’s latest comeback attempt ended in disaster after he suffered a right leg injury just seconds into his return at UFC 329. Former BMF titleholder Max Holloway ended up winning the fight by TKO after McGregor was unable to continue competing following the injury.

Curtis Calhoun - July 16, 2026

Former UFC champion TJ Dillashaw believes Conor McGregor needs to tap back into the brash mindset that made him a superstar. Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 return ended disastrously after suffering a right leg injury just seconds into his fight with Max Holloway. McGregor, who returned to the cage for the first time since UFC 264, blew out his right knee after opening up the action with a failed spinning wheel kick.

Cole Shelton - July 16, 2026

Dricus Du Plessis is looking to remind everyone just how good he is at UFC Oklahoma City. Du Plessis is set to headline UFC Oklahoma City on Saturday in a middleweight bout against former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. It’s an intriguing fight, and ahead of the bout, Du Plessis is looking to get back on track after losing his belt to Khamzat Chimaev last time out.