UFC News

Harry Kettle - December 18, 2025

Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis has given his thoughts on the current state of the division. As we know, Dricus du Plessis is one of the top middleweight fighters in mixed martial arts right now. However, he is no longer the champion in the UFC after he was beaten in a fairly one-sided fight against Khamzat Chimaev earlier this year.

Curtis Calhoun - December 17, 2025

UFC middleweight contender Reinier de Ridder was medically cleared to compete faster than expected and will return at UFC 326. Former ONE two-division champion Reinier de Ridder hinted at a long absence from competition due to medical issues stemming from his loss to Brendan Allen at UFC Vancouver. But months later, it appears De Ridder has worked through some of his health issues and will return to the Octagon on one of the first cards of 2026, way ahead of schedule.

Cole Shelton - December 17, 2025

Jake Paul has sent a clear message to Anthony Joshua ahead of their highly anticipated fight on Friday. Paul is set to take on Joshua in an intriguing heavyweight fight, which is a massive step-up in competition for the brash YouTuber-turned-boxer. Heading into the bout, many expect Joshua to make quick work of Paul and get a knockout early; however, some have wondered how seriously Joshua is taking it.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 17, 2025

One well-known analyst has shifted his opinion on Ilia Topuria’s status as the UFC Lightweight Champion. Topuria might be holding the main 155-pound title, but he will not be featured in the next lightweight championship bout. Instead, Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje will be fighting for the interim UFC Lightweight Championship on Jan. 24. The bout will headline UFC 324, which will be UFC’s debut event on Paramount+.

Harry Kettle - December 17, 2025

UFC analyst Din Thomas believes Merab Dvalishvili will get the trilogy fight against Petr Yan in his next outing. As we know, Merab Dvalishvili came up short in his attempt to successfully defend the UFC bantamweight championship for the fourth time in 2025. He lost the strap to Petr Yan, who was able to avenge his loss from their first meeting. As you can imagine, Merab is pretty determined to get a trilogy bout against the new champion.

Harry Kettle - December 17, 2025

UFC legend Henry Cejudo has explained why he understands Arman Tsarukyan being snubbed for a world title shot. Right now, Arman Tsarukyan is in a difficult position. While he’s coming off the back of an incredible submission win over Dan Hooker, he wasn’t selected to be part of the UFC interim lightweight title fight at UFC 324. Instead, that honor went to Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett who will battle it out next month.

Curtis Calhoun - December 16, 2025

UFC lightweight superstar Paddy Pimblett didn’t hold back on Jake Paul ahead of his upcoming boxing match against Anthony Joshua. Paddy Pimblett is a little over a month away from challenging for the interim lightweight title against Justin Gaethje at UFC 324. Pimblett and Gaethje headline a stacked card next month as the UFC kicks off its 2026 event slate on its new broadcasting home, Paramount+.

Curtis Calhoun - December 16, 2025

Former UFC title challenger Paulo Costa will face a rising star when he returns to the Octagon at UFC 326 next year. The UFC middleweight division is in a peculiar spot with Khamzat Chimaev sitting atop the throne.

Curtis Calhoun - December 16, 2025

Former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad accused Islam Makhachev of cherry picking opponents ahead of his first title defense. Islam Makhachev won a second UFC title by defeating Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision at UFC 322 last month. Makhachev, just months after vacating the lightweight belt, put on one of the most dominant performances of his career to dethrone Maddalena and win the welterweight championship.

Curtis Calhoun - December 16, 2025

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen had a similar run-in with Francis Ngannou that UFC CEO Dana White recently alleged. Despite being two years removed from their nasty split, UFC CEO Dana White and former heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou remain at odds.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 16, 2025

A former UFC title contender isn’t sold on Conor McGregor fighting on the White House card. McGregor hasn’t fought since 2021, yet UFC continues to use him to market the promotion’s debut on Paramount+. The “Notorious” one is the biggest name to ever compete in UFC and he has vowed to fight again. It hasn’t happened since he broke his leg against Dustin Poirier in their trilogy fight.

Harry Kettle - December 16, 2025

Arman Tsarukyan has spoken about what he would like to do once his mixed martial arts career comes to an end. Right now, Arman Tsarukyan is in a tricky spot. Despite demolishing Dan Hooker in their UFC Qatar main event, Arman didn’t get the call to be part of the UFC 324 main event for the interim UFC lightweight championship. Instead, that went to Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje, who will compete for the belt next month.

Dylan Bowker - December 15, 2025

Ailin Perez and Macy Chiasson will throw down in Q1 of 2026, with both looking to further climb up the hierarchy of 135 pounds in the UFC. This bantamweight bout bolsters UFC Mexico, which transpires on February 28th in Mexico City. This UFC Fight Night offering at Arena CDMX in Mexico City features a main event attraction with former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno taking on surging contender Asu Almabayev.

Dylan Bowker - December 15, 2025

Justin Gaethje realizes that he is authoring the final chapters of his story as a competitive fighter heading into the new year, but he has navigated a plan to go on a 2026 run that will dovetail his narrative together seamlessly. During a video address posted to his personal YouTube channel ahead of his interim 155-pound title bout against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 in January 2026, with an excerpt of the video footage posted to X account @RedCorner_MMA, Gaethje said,

Curtis Calhoun - December 15, 2025

UFC welterweight and former Bellator champion Yaroslav Amosov is tired of hearing fighters compare their career to war. Former Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov passed his first UFC test with flying colors in a dominant win at UFC Vegas 112 last weekend.

Cole Shelton - December 15, 2025

The UFC held its final card of 2025 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday. In the main event, a pivotal flyweight bout went down as Manel Kape took on Brandon Royval in a potential No. 1 contender fight. Entering the bout, Kape was riding a two-fight winning streak and was coming off a TKO win over Asu Almabayev. Royval, meanwhile, was coming off a decision loss to Joshua Van back in June.

Curtis Calhoun - December 15, 2025

Former UFC flyweight title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi could secure another shot at the belt with a win in his upcoming fight. UFC flyweight contender Kyoji Horiguchi’s return to the promotion has greatly exceeded the expectations of fans and pundits. After finding success in Rizin and Bellator following an up-and-down first UFC stint, the UFC gave Horiguchi another opportunity to make a run at the title, winning his promotional return earlier this year at UFC Qatar.

Curtis Calhoun - December 15, 2025

One of the UFC’s hottest feuds might be concluding, with recent remarks by Ilia Topuria about Paddy Pimblett. Ilia Topuria’s ongoing hiatus from competition resulted in the UFC booking an interim lightweight title fight between Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 next month. As Topuria deals with issues away from the Octagon, Pimblett and Gaethje will fight to face Topuria in the undisputed lightweight titleholder’s return to the Octagon.