MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 3, 2026 at 4:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

While most of her friends were at prom, the 16-year-old was at Lumpinee Stadium finishing her opponent in under 90 seconds. Olivia Bahsous stopped Phontip Khlongtoeiyouthcenter via TKO in 89 seconds to win her The Inner Circle 19 debut at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, June 19. The three-time IFMA Gold Medalist had accepted a prom invitation before the fight was confirmed. When ONE Championship called, the choice was immediate.

Curtis Calhoun - July 3, 2026 at 1:57 PM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC featherweight knockout artist Josh Emmett could be on his way to the lightweight division after a series of brutal weight cuts. Josh Emmett is one of the most decorated knockout artists in UFC featherweight history after finishes over Bryce Mitchell, Michael Johnson, and Ricardo Lamas. The 41-year-old Emmett is usually in firefights when he enters the Octagon, as evidenced by recent fights against top featherweights like Lerone Murphy and former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria.

Curtis Calhoun - July 3, 2026 at 1:01 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Former ONE star Reinier de Ridder will look to put an end to his recent struggles against one of the middleweight division’s toughest outs. After a quick start to his UFC middleweight tenure, Reinier de Ridder has lost back-to-back fights and is fighting to get back into the division’s title mix. Several health issues linked to his recent loss to Brendan Allen postponed his quick ascent to a middleweight title shot.

BJPENN.COM Staff - July 3, 2026 at 1:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Lito Adiwang faces Antonio “The Flash” Cesar in a flyweight MMA bout at ONE Fight Night 45 on Prime Video, broadcasting live in U.S. primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, July 17. Cesar steps in as a replacement for Joshua Perreira. The card is headlined by a featherweight Muay Thai bout between Luke Lessei and Mohamed Younes Rabah. Adiwang has made his move to flyweight look straightforward. His debut in the division at ONE Fight Night 37 in November produced a first-round TKO of Mauro Mastromarini. He followed that at ONE Fight Night 43 in May by stopping Eko Roni Saputra in 34 seconds. Eighteen career victories and a 75 percent finishing rate have backed up every claim he has made about belonging in this weight class.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 3, 2026 at 11:28 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Max Holloway believes he will push Conor McGregor to the brink in their UFC 329 showdown. Holloway and McGregor haven’t shared the Octagon since 2013, which was long before either man became icons in the sport of MMA. The “Notorious” one defeated “Blessed” via unanimous decision. Holloway would emerge as a fan favorite who reached elite championship status, while McGregor became the biggest star the sport has ever seen, capturing gold in two weight classes.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 3, 2026 at 10:55 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Paddy Pimblett doesn’t think Ilia Topuria has the size to continue competing at 155 pounds. Topuria lost the UFC Lightweight Championship in a title unification bout against Justin Gaethje on the White House lawn back in June. “El Matador” didn’t get off his stool for the final round after having his face battered to the point where he suffered a broken orbital. It’s the first loss of Topuria’s pro MMA career.

Harry Kettle - July 3, 2026 at 7:08 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Ian Machado Garry has used Sean Strickland’s win over Khamzat Chimaev as an example of big upsets being possible ahead of UFC 330. In the main event of UFC 330, Ian Machado Garry has the chance to make history as he attempts to become the new UFC welterweight champion. He will challenge Islam Makhachev which, as we know, isn’t the easiest of tasks for anyone to face.

Harry Kettle - July 3, 2026 at 7:06 AM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC veteran Jon Jones has explained why he felt humbled in the wake of the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House. When you talk about controversial figures in the world of mixed martial arts, Jon Jones has to feature towards the top of that list. He has been involved in many incidents away from the cage, as well as a few inside of it.

Cole Shelton - July 2, 2026 at 5:18 PM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer has been around the UFC for decades and has seen plenty of new countries. Just recently, Buffer was in Baku, Azerbaijan, for the second time, which is a country he didn’t expect to go to until the UFC hosted an event.

Curtis Calhoun - July 2, 2026 at 2:34 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Rising UFC lightweight star Quillan Salkilld will face the toughest test of his career in the UFC Vegas 120 main event. Amid a recent major change at the top of the UFC lightweight division, rising star Quillan Salkilld is knocking on the door of a potential title shot after an unbeaten five-fight run in the Octagon. Salkilld, one of Australia’s top fighters, has surged into the lightweight Top 15 after earning a UFC spot via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024.

Curtis Calhoun - July 2, 2026 at 1:59 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Boxing superstar Terence Crawford says Conor McGregor’s claims about an alleged two-fight offer were fabricated. Conor McGregor will make his highly anticipated return to the UFC Octagon later this month against Max Holloway at UFC 329. It’ll mark McGregor’s first MMA appearance since injuring his leg against Dustin Poirier in their UFC 264 trilogy.

Curtis Calhoun - July 2, 2026 at 1:23 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman shared his side to the story of why his targeted fight with Islam Makhachev never happened. Kamaru Usman will return to the middleweight division for a showdown with former UFC champion Dricus du Plessis in the UFC Oklahoma City main event later this month. Usman, who hasn’t fought since defeating Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta last year, has the chance to potentially earn a middleweight title shot with a win over Du Plessis.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 5, 2026

Paddy Pimblett is looking for a bounce back win on Saturday, and head coach Din Thomas believes he will get it. Pimblett is set to trade leather with Benoit Saint Denis in the UFC 329 co-main event in Las Vegas. It’s a chance for “The Baddy” to return to the win column after failing to capture the interim UFC Lightweight Championship against Justin Gaethje back in January. He’ll need to halt the momentum of Denis, who is riding a four-fight winning streak.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 5, 2026

Charles Oliveira has joined a growing list of fighters who have criticism for longtime referee Herb Dean. Dean has come under fire as of late following UFC Freedom 250 and UFC Baku. He officiated the interim heavyweight title fight between Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira. Gane won the fight via second-round TKO, but Pereira ripped Dean for not intervening when he took illegal shots to the back of the head.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 5, 2026

Conor McGregor believes he’s more dangerous inside the Octagon than he’s ever been, and he vows to prove it on Saturday. McGregor is scheduled to make his return in the UFC 329 headliner. The Irish megastar will collide with Max Holloway, and both men have been sharing their pre-fight thoughts. While “Blessed” sees himself taking McGregor into deep waters and “drowning” him, the “Notorious” one predicts a far different outcome.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 5, 2026

Josh Hokit has a critique of UFC heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall. Hokit has been vocal about Aspinall’s partnership with Eddie Hearn for a Matchroom Talent Agency deal. Hearn represents Aspinall in the midst of a public feud with UFC CEO Dana White. The deal occurred after Aspinall expressed his displeasure with how the UFC boss reacted to his eye injury against Ciryl Gane.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 5, 2026

Max Holloway won’t dismiss the possibility of having more 170-pound bouts once his rematch with Conor McGregor concludes. Holloway has spent most of his career as a featherweight, but he has dabbled in the lightweight division as well. In fact, Holloway’s most scintillating finish was contested at 155 pounds when he knocked out Justin Gaethje with one second to spare in their UFC 300 bout. Gaethje is the current UFC Lightweight Champion.

Dylan Bowker - July 3, 2026

Alex Pereira has been blowing up headlines lately, airing grievances about the errant strikes to the back of the head he received against Ciryl Gane, and a Brazilian combatant who has held UFC gold has offered her thoughts on this matter. The referenced mixed martial artist is Cris Cyborg, who prepares for what could be her final MMA fight ever when she defends her PFL featherweight crown against Ketlen Vieira at PFL Tampa on August 22nd. During her media day amid PFL San Diego fight week, the five-promotion champion mentioned the dangerous nature of the sport earlier in her scrum. When asked about her fellow countryman, Alex Pereira, having a bit of a rough situation at the UFC Freedom 250 card with the back of the head strikes that landed on him in his bid to become a three-division champion, Cyborg said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

Dylan Bowker - July 3, 2026

MMA has been focusing less on the women’s bantamweight class in recent years. The first woman to step into the UFC octagon has given her unfiltered thoughts on why that is. The combatant in question is Liz Carmouche, who fought for the UFC bantamweight crown against Ronda Rousey years ago. But Carmouche plies her trade as a flyweight these days. Carmouche is on the heels of a guillotine choke win over Viviane Araujo. This flyweight fight transpired at PFL San Diego in the co-main event. During the PFL post-fight press conference, when asked why a weight class that was once a marquee division in the sport no longer has the eyeballs and prominence that it once did, Carmouche said,

Curtis Calhoun - July 3, 2026

UFC featherweight knockout artist Josh Emmett could be on his way to the lightweight division after a series of brutal weight cuts. Josh Emmett is one of the most decorated knockout artists in UFC featherweight history after finishes over Bryce Mitchell, Michael Johnson, and Ricardo Lamas. The 41-year-old Emmett is usually in firefights when he enters the Octagon, as evidenced by recent fights against top featherweights like Lerone Murphy and former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 3, 2026

Diego Lopes might be fully committing to a change in weight class amid a recent social media post. Lopes is one of the best UFC featherweight contenders in the world, but he could be on the verge of a change given he has fallen short in two titles fights at 145 pounds. The reigning champion is Alexander Volkanovski, and Lopes has dropped two decisions against “The Great.” The 36-fight veteran admitted to MMAFighting that those defeats have put him in a rough situation.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 3, 2026

Max Holloway believes he will push Conor McGregor to the brink in their UFC 329 showdown. Holloway and McGregor haven’t shared the Octagon since 2013, which was long before either man became icons in the sport of MMA. The “Notorious” one defeated “Blessed” via unanimous decision. Holloway would emerge as a fan favorite who reached elite championship status, while McGregor became the biggest star the sport has ever seen, capturing gold in two weight classes.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 3, 2026

Paddy Pimblett doesn’t think Ilia Topuria has the size to continue competing at 155 pounds. Topuria lost the UFC Lightweight Championship in a title unification bout against Justin Gaethje on the White House lawn back in June. “El Matador” didn’t get off his stool for the final round after having his face battered to the point where he suffered a broken orbital. It’s the first loss of Topuria’s pro MMA career.

Harry Kettle - July 3, 2026

Ian Machado Garry has used Sean Strickland’s win over Khamzat Chimaev as an example of big upsets being possible ahead of UFC 330. In the main event of UFC 330, Ian Machado Garry has the chance to make history as he attempts to become the new UFC welterweight champion. He will challenge Islam Makhachev which, as we know, isn’t the easiest of tasks for anyone to face.