MMA News

Chris Taylor - February 21, 2026

The Octagon returns to Texas for tonight’s UFC Houston event, a 14-bout fight card headlined by Sean Strickland vs. Anthony Hernandez. Strickland (29-7 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Dricus Du Plessis in a fight for the promotion’s middleweight title 12 months ago at UFC 312 in Sydney, Australia. Prior to that setback, the former middleweight title holder had defeated Paulo Costa by way of split decision at UFC 302.

Dylan Bowker - February 21, 2026

Islam Makhachev sees the UFC’s focus on entertainment over athletic meritocracy informing who they keep on their roster and is openly discussing the matter. It is certainly a curious time for combatants who utilize a more grappling-centric methodology. With several notable cuts materializing with fighters who authored winning UFC records but not in an exciting way [ex: Rinat Fakhretdinov or Martin Buday], it’s not enough to simply go on lengthy winning streaks inside the octagon if the fights aren’t fireworks every time. While more of a striking element has emerged in the post-Khabib Nurmagomedov blue-print as evidenced by the likes of Usman Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, that style of dominant top control with minimal positional advancement has still seemingly been demonstrably getting punished by the promotional brass with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In an interview via Ushatayka, with an excerpt posted to X account @acdmma_, Makhachev said,

Dylan Bowker - February 21, 2026

Sean Strickland has already hit the high-water mark of his MMA career, according to a former foe who clashed with him in the UFC. The combatant in question is Krzysztof Jotko, who fell short to Strickland by way of unanimous decision during their UFC Fight Night bout in May 2021. Jotko recently won the Tipsport Gamechanger tournament and has been carving out a strong path within the European MMA powerhouse, Oktagon MMA. When asked for his thoughts on Strickland’s upcoming fight with Anthony ‘Fluffy’ Hernandez at UFC Houston, Krzysztof Jotko said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

Curtis Calhoun - February 20, 2026

UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van will fight one of the division’s most exciting young contenders in his first title defense later this year. Despite being weeks removed from his UFC flyweight championship win, titleholder Joshua Van wants to waste little time in booking his first title defense. Van defeated Alexandre Pantoja to win the belt at UFC 323 after Pantoja suffered an injury just minutes into their fight.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 20, 2026

ONE Championship has officially announced the launch of ONE Samurai, a new monthly event series set to run in Japan. The promotion held a press conference at Kanda Myojin Hall in Tokyo on Wednesday, February 18. It unveiled the series, which will heavily feature Japan’s biggest martial arts stars across MMA, Muay Thai, kickboxing, and submission grappling. International superstars will also appear on each card, with multiple World Title fights guaranteed per event. The inaugural ONE Samurai 1 goes down at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Wednesday, April 29. U-NEXT, Japan’s leading streaming service with 12 million subscribers, will exclusively broadcast all ONE Samurai events. ONE Championship is committed to producing 60 events over five years. Tickets are on sale now. ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong framed the series as a direct answer to what he sees as the decline of Japanese martial arts since the peak years of K-1 and PRIDE.

Curtis Calhoun - February 20, 2026

Jake Paul might be on the sidelines for a while after undergoing another major surgery on his jaw following his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua. Jake Paul suffered the second professional loss of his polarizing boxing career in December against former heavyweight titleholder Anthony Joshua. For the first time in his career, Paul was stopped inside the ring, as Joshua broke Paul’s jaw with a brutal right hand.

Curtis Calhoun - February 20, 2026

Dana White got the upper hand over Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn in the latest chapter of their budding rivalry. Zuffa Boxing head Dana White and Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn have formed one of the sport’s newest rivalries in fight promotion. The two sides have traded barbs for weeks since White officially launched Zuffa Boxing earlier this year.

BJPENN.COM Staff - February 20, 2026

Panrit Lukjaomaesaiwaree is carrying the weight of back-to-back promotional defeats into Friday’s featured bout — and he’s treating it as the fight that defines his ONE Championship future. The Superbon Training Camp representative faces Nakrob Fairtex in bantamweight Muay Thai action at ONE Friday Fights 143 on February 20 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The 29-year-old brings 74 career victories to the ring, but his recent ONE Championship form tells a rougher story. After stringing together four consecutive wins in 2024 that positioned him as a genuine threat in the division, Panrit dropped his last two outings. He’s gone back to the drawing board after each setback — adjusting strategy, identifying mistakes, and sharpening his game — but the margin for error on Friday night is thin.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 20, 2026

Jailton Almeida is no longer a member of the UFC roster, and he has issued a statement. Almeida was once a rising heavyweight and some believed he’d eventually get a title opportunity. He suffered a setback when he was knocked out by Curtis Blaydes back in 2024. Almeida got back on track with first-round finishes over Alexander Romanov and Serghei Spivac.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 20, 2026

Islam Makhachev isn’t sold on Ilia Topuria being a threat to him in the 170-pound division. Makhachev and Topuria have yet to cross paths inside the Octagon. After capturing the UFC Featherweight Championship and successfully defending the gold against Max Holloway, “El Matador” moved up in weight to challenge for the vacant lightweight title. Makhachev relinquished the 155-pound gold to pursue the welterweight championship.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 20, 2026

The UFC Houston weigh-ins saw every fighter hit their target. The main event middleweight clash between Sean Strickland and Anthony Hernandez is intact. Strickland had some struggles during the weight cutting process, but it didn’t prevent him from hitting the 185-pound mark. Hernandez clocked in at 186 pounds, making Saturday’s headliner official. Co-headliners Uros Medic and Geoff Neal also made weight for their welterweight battle. Medic tipped the scales at 171 bouts, while Neal’s weight was 170.5 pounds.

BJ Penn Staff - February 20, 2026

Sean Strickland seemingly had a very difficult weight cut for his next UFC fight. Strickland, a former middleweight champion, will return to the action in the main event of UFC Houston on Saturday night. His opponent will be surging, No. 4-ranked contender Anthony Hernandez.

Harry Kettle - February 20, 2026

UFC welterweight contender Sean Brady has discussed his future in what is becoming the most stacked division in the promotion. For the longest time now, Sean Brady has been a valuable member of the welterweight division. While he’s had a few setbacks along the way, he has largely been a pretty consistent force towards the top of the pile at 170 pounds.

Harry Kettle - February 20, 2026

UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev has reacted to Ian Machado Garry going to Georgia to train. Right now, Islam Makhachev sits at the top of the mountain as one of the best pound for pound fighters in mixed martial arts. He has proven that time and time again throughout the course of his career, and most recently, he took another step towards immortality by winning his second world title in the UFC in the welterweight division.

Curtis Calhoun - February 19, 2026

Joaquin Buckley and Sean Strickland went at it on social media over the former UFC champ’s use of a racial slur on a recent live stream. Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is hours away from one of the most important fights of his career, but he’s still stirring up controversy away from the cage.

Dylan Bowker - February 19, 2026

Charles Oliveira will lean right into a fire-fight if Max Holloway hits his now infamous point down inside the confines of the cage when they compete. At UFC 326, the two will run it back for a rematch with Oliveira aiming to capture Holloway’s BMF title in the headline attraction of the numbered event. On March 7th, ‘do Bronx’ aims to even up the series with Holloway after Oliveira lost the first fight against ‘Blessed’ after sustaining an injury during a UFC Fight Night card in Western Canada. The Holloway point down has become a signature gesture to call on opponents for a throwdown, with top names like Justin Gaethje ending up on the wrong end of a highlight reel after indulging in the former UFC featherweight champion’s request.

Curtis Calhoun - February 19, 2026

UFC middleweight contender Nassourdine Imavov didn’t take long to hit back at Sean Strickland’s taunts at UFC Houston media day. Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is hours away from arguably the most important fight of his career this weekend at UFC Houston. Strickland and surging middleweight star Anthony Hernandez headline a stacked card in the Lone Star State, with a potential middleweight title shot on the line.

Cole Shelton - February 19, 2026

Anthony Hernandez believes he’s the middleweight boogeyman and plans to prove it once again at UFC Houston. Hernandez is set to headline UFC Houston on Saturday against Sean Strickland in a pivotal fight at middleweight. It’s a big test for Hernandez as he gets to take on the former champion in Strickland. Heading into the bout, Hernandez is the betting favorite, and he believes this is a good matchup for him.