MMA News

Dylan Bowker - February 23, 2026

Dana White has been a staple in the MMA world for quite a while now, with the prominent promoter ringing in a quarter of a century as the figurehead of the UFC. On February 23rd, 2001, White debuted as the new face of the brand with the Fertitta brothers as financial backers of the promotion as UFC 30 transpired. That was an event that emanated from the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This was the first-ever UFC card to have taken place under the Zuffa banner, with that branding still existing to this day through Dana White’s pugilistic sidequest, Zuffa Boxing. Dana White was part of a historically significant kickoff card, which saw the first-ever 155-pound champion in the organization’s history cemented. Jens Pulver would earn this distinction when he bested Caol Uno by way of unanimous decision in the co-main event of the night.

Curtis Calhoun - February 23, 2026

Coach Eric Nicksick weighed in on gym rumors surrounding Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev’s past sparring sessions. Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is on the verge of potentially earning another title shot after defeating Anthony Hernandez last weekend.

Cole Shelton - February 23, 2026

The UFC was in Houston, Texas, on Saturday for a solid UFC Houston fight night card. In the main event, former middleweight champion Sean Strickland took on Anthony Hernandez in a pivotal fight at 185lbs. Entering the bout, Strickland was coming off a decision loss to Dricus du Plessis in the rematch for the belt. Hernandez, meanwhile, was riding an eight-fight winning streak and was looking to earn a title shot.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 23, 2026

Ramadan “The Scorpion” Ondash had never lost inside ONE Championship before he met Aliff Sor Dechapan at ONE Fight Night 38 in December 2025. The Lebanese striker entered that bout riding a four-fight winning streak that earned him a main-roster contract and pushed him squarely into the ONE Strawweight Muay Thai World Title conversation. All he had to do was get past Aliff. For two rounds, Ondash believed he was doing exactly that. Then a flying knee in the third sent the 19-year-old to the canvas for an eight-count — a moment that tilted the judges toward a unanimous decision for the Thai-Malaysian contender, who secured his own title shot against reigning champion Prajanchai PK Saenchai in the process.

Curtis Calhoun - February 23, 2026

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has questions for Dana White after Conor Benn’s eight-figure deal with Zuffa Boxing. Dana White scored a massive win over his promotional rival Eddie Hearn in signing Conor Benn to a one-fight, $15 million deal with Zuffa Boxing. Benn, a longtime fighter under Hearn’s umbrella, is expected to return to the ring later this year against a to-be-announced rival, potentially Chris Eubank Jr., for a trilogy bout.

Curtis Calhoun - February 23, 2026

Professional Fighters League superstar Paul Hughes will look to get back into the lightweight title mix when he returns to fight on April 16. Two-time Professional Fighters League title challenger Paul Hughes will return to the cage later this year for the first time since his second defeat to Usman Nurmagomedov.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 23, 2026

Pawel Jaworski opens his promotional account against ONE Welterweight Submission Grappling World Champion Tye Ruotolo in a 10-minute all-grappling showdown at ONE Fight Night 41: Rodrigues vs. Phetjeeja on Friday, March 13, live on Prime Video from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The Academia Gorila standout swept the IBJJF circuit in 2025, capturing the No-Gi Pans, No-Gi Europeans, and No-Gi Worlds in the same calendar year — a run that put him on ONE Championship’s radar between the semifinal and final of the No-Gi Worlds in December. He learned about the booking before he even had the gold in hand, and he learned it was a World Title shot shortly after.

Curtis Calhoun - February 23, 2026

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will step up on short notice to oppose one of the greatest UFC lightweights. Former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling is back in a title mix since making the full-time move from bantamweight to featherweight. Sterling, who has earned recent wins over Brian Ortega and Calvin Kattar, is knocking on the door of a potential title shot with one more victory on his resume.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 23, 2026

Jorge Masvidal continues pushing for a third showdown with Nate Diaz. “Gamebred” and the Stockton native have competed against one another twice. Their first encounter took place back in Nov. 2019 when Masvidal defeated Diaz under the UFC banner. Diaz scored a decision win over Masvidal in their 2024 rematch, which took place under boxing rules.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 23, 2026

Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov have exchanged words following the events of UFC Houston. Strickland hadn’t been inside the Octagon since falling short in his title rematch with Dricus du Plessis. While some expected Anthony Hernandez to make a big statement at the expense of Strickland, it was the former 185-pound champion who pulled off a dominant performance. Strickland dug into Hernandez’s body with a knee and eventually finished the fight with strikes in the third round.

Harry Kettle - February 23, 2026

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has praised Sean Strickland’s performance in his win at UFC Houston last weekend. On Saturday night, Sean Strickland picked up his most impressive win in recent memory when he defeated Anthony Hernandez in the main event of UFC Houston. While he had a pretty controversial week outside of that as a result of his comments in the media, he reminded everyone that he’s actually a pretty good fighter, too.

Harry Kettle - February 23, 2026

Dana White has given his thoughts on Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano being booked for a Netflix show as opposed to the UFC. As we know, later this year we will see Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano make their respective returns to mixed martial arts competition. They will collide on Netflix in association with Most Valuable Promotions, although many expected that if Ronda did wind up returning to the sport, it would likely be with the UFC. Alas, that didn’t quite come to fruition.

Harry Kettle - February 23, 2026

UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van is surprised to be fighting Tatsuro Taira as opposed to Manel Kape at UFC 327. As has now been confirmed, Joshua Van will defend his UFC flyweight championship at UFC 327 against Tatsuro Taira. Taira was one of a handful of fighters thought to be in the mix for this bout, including Alexandre Pantoja depending on his recovery, and perhaps the clearest contender Manel Kape.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 22, 2026

Anthony Hernandez got stopped in the UFC Houston headliner, but he doesn’t plan to sulk. Hernandez was hoping to make a strong case for the No. 1 contender spot in the middleweight division. Instead, it was Sean Strickland who had a statement-making win. He scored the third-round TKO finish after battering “Fluffy” with a knee to the body, following by punches before the referee called a halt to the fight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 22, 2026

Dana White has responded to Khamzat Chimaev pushing for a fight with UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Alex Pereira. Chimaev is the current middleweight titleholder. He captured the gold thanks to a suffocating performance against Dricus du Plessis back in Aug. 2025. “Borz” hasn’t fought since the championship win, but he’s displayed more interest in a 205-pound bout than a 185-pound title defense.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 22, 2026

Paddy Pimblett is feeling more love in his lone UFC loss than he has for his seven wins under the promotion. Pimblett competed for the interim UFC Lightweight Championship back in January. Standing across from “The Baddy” was Justin Gaethje. The two delivered fireworks for UFC’s debut on Paramount+. Ultimately, it was Gaethje who found more success on his way to a unanimous decision victory.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 22, 2026

UFC CEO Dana White believes the media plays a big role in making Sean Strickland a PR “nightmare.” Strickland has been known to be outspoken and UFC’s message has been about free speech over the last few years. Still, White isn’t happy with some of the extremes Strickland will reach in some of his quotes. While White doesn’t want to filter his fighters, he is taking media members to task over Strickland’s latest rants.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 22, 2026

Conor McGregor has hinted that a fighter with a smaller name than some might be expecting could face him in his return UFC bout. McGregor hasn’t been in a pro MMA fight since 2021. The “Notorious” one broke his leg during a trilogy outing against Dustin Poirier. McGregor’s return has since been teased, and he was even booked to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 back in 2024 before being pulled due to an injury.