UFC News

Curtis Calhoun - June 30, 2026

UFC heavyweight contender Josh Hokit wants the promotion to cut ties with Tom Aspinall amidst the undisputed champion’s ongoing absence. After Ciryl Gane reclaimed the interim UFC heavyweight title at the White House earlier this month, he’s likely set for a rematch against undisputed champion Tom Aspinall. Aspinall is in ongoing negotiations with the UFC, which could hit a speed bump amidst his advisor, Eddie Hearn’s ongoing feud with UFC CEO Dana White.

Cole Shelton - June 30, 2026

Bruce Buffer still isn’t thinking about retirement anytime soon. Buffer had said to BJPENN.com two years ago that he had likely 10 years left, or around UFC 400, when he would step away from the sport. However, the Octagon announcer has walked back on those plans, as he believes he can go past that, and can continue to do his job into his 80’s.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 30, 2026

Brendan Schaub is the latest MMA personality to take veteran referee Herb Dean to task. Dean found himself at the center of controversy once again during the UFC Baku co-main event this past Saturday. He was the official inside the Octagon for the middleweight tilt between Sharabutdin Magomedov and Michel Pereira. Shara “Bullet” grabbed a full head of hair during the bout and Dean was slow to break things up, leading to criticism from UFC color commentator Michael Bisping.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 30, 2026

Ian Machado Garry is not in search of an early finish when steps inside the Octagon with Islam Makhachev. Garry is scheduled to challenge Makhachev for the UFC Welterweight Championship on Aug. 15 in Philadelphia. This will be “The Future’s” first opportunity at UFC gold, and he insists he’ll make the most of it. Makhachev has emerged as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA today, and he’s hoping to secure his first successful welterweight title defense.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 30, 2026

Michael Bisping isn’t thrilled with Eddie Hearn’s dig towards him regarding Tom Aspinall. Many experts have weighed in on Aspinall’s current situation with the UFC brass. Aspinall is the promotion’s reigning heavyweight champion, but things have been dicey between both sides. The titleholder signed a talent agency deal with Hearn’s Matchroom company after being displeased with UFC CEO Dana White’s remarks about the double eye injury he suffered during his Oct. 2025 bout with Ciryl Gane.

Dylan Bowker - June 30, 2026

Dustin Poirier has been making headlines recently for a public drunkenness incident, and a peer from American Top Team has commented on the situation with the former interim UFC champion. Dalton Rosta was the combatant in question who was on the scene during PFL San Diego fight week to discuss his looming clash with Bryan Battle at PFL Charlotte in August. It was referenced that Rosta tweeted something out that seemed to be referring to the Dustin Poirier situation, a message to the effect of “sad to see, CTE is real.” When asked for his thoughts on that whole situation involving ‘The Diamond’, Rosta said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

Harry Kettle - June 30, 2026

UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has said that he would love to punch potential opponent Conor McGregor in the face. Right now, Justin Gaethje is living his best life. He is coming off the back of his first-ever undisputed UFC lightweight title triumph after he was able to knock off the previously undefeated Ilia Topuria in their blockbuster main event at UFC Freedom 250.

Harry Kettle - June 30, 2026

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre has given his thoughts on the upcoming Islam Makhachev vs Ian Machado Garry clash. In the main event of UFC 330, Islam Makhachev will defend his UFC welterweight championship against Ian Machado Garry. While Islam may be seen by many as the clear favorite to walk away with the title, Machado Garry has been waiting a long time for this opportunity.

Cole Shelton - June 29, 2026

The UFC was in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Saturday for a solid UFC Baku card. The main event saw lightweight contenders throw down as Rafael Fiziev took on Manuel Torres in a pivotal fight at lightweight. Fiziev entered the bout coming off a TKO loss to Mauricio Ruffy and was 1-4 in his last five. Torres, meanwhile, was on a two-fight winning streak and was coming off a TKO win over Grant Dawson.

Curtis Calhoun - June 29, 2026

Former UFC title challenger Paulo Costa is becoming increasingly aggravated with the matchmakers’ lack of urgency to book him a fight. UFC light heavyweight contender Paulo Costa made a statement in his most recent outing at UFC 327. Facing the unbeaten Azamat Murzakanov in Miami, Costa put on one of the best performances of his career, defeating Murzakanov by knockout.

Curtis Calhoun - June 29, 2026

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman addressed Dricus du Plessis’ claims surrounding their recent UFC OKC negotiations. One of the most anticipated fights of the summer features former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis’ return to the Octagon against former welterweight titleholder Kamaru Usman at UFC Oklahoma City on July 18th. After defeating welterweight Joaquin Buckley at UFC Atlanta last year, Usman opted to make the move to middleweight to potentially secure a title shot with a win over Du Plessis.

Dylan Bowker - June 29, 2026

Islam Makhachev thinks Usman Nurmagomedov will get compensated far more if he stays in the PFL, and PFL’s CEO has commented on those words from the UFC champion. Nurmagomedov defends his PFL crown against Archie Colgan at PFL New York in July, but much of the discourse around the PFL lightweight champ centers on this being the final contracted bout of his PFL agreement in the coming weeks. PFL CEO John Martin appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts to field questions during the kickoff of the PFL Summer Series. This leads into Saturday night with PFL San Diego as AJ McKee takes on unbeaten combatant Salamat Isbulaev on June 27th. In an interview with Adam Zubayraev, the UFC welterweight champion said [via Sherdog],

Cole Shelton - June 29, 2026

Rafael Fiziev admits he got very lucky to score a KO win over Manuel Torres. Fiziev earned a second-round knockout win over Torres in the main event of UFC Baku to get back into the win column. Yet, in the first round, Torres landed some hard shots, and Fiziev admits those impacted him.

Curtis Calhoun - June 29, 2026

Former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev says Sean Strickland is stalling alleged talks for an immediate title rematch. Sean Strickland pulled off another legendary upset earlier this year when he defeated Khamzat Chimaev by split decision at UFC 328 to reclaim the middleweight title. After entering UFC 328 as a significant underdog, Strickland handed Chimaev his first career loss in a clinical performance from the now-two-time champion.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 29, 2026

Conor McGregor has done quite well for himself financially, and Dan Hooker is impressed that the “Notorious” one hasn’t simply walked away from the fight game. McGregor is scheduled to step back inside the Octagon for the main event of UFC 329 on July 11. The Irishman will be meeting a familiar foe in Max Holloway. The two clashed all the way back in 2013, and it was McGregor who emerged victorious via unanimous decision despite suffering a torn ACL during the fight.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 29, 2026

It appears Arman Tsarukyan’s team isn’t counting on facing Justin Gaethje next. Tsarukyan has made it clear that he feels a run with the UFC Lightweight Championship is inevitable. The general consensus within the MMA community is that “Akhalkalakets” is the rightful No. 1 contender, but will Gaethje even fight again in 2026? “The Highlight” scored a huge upset win over Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 to unify the gold at 155 pounds and initially held off on revealing plans for his fighting future.

Harry Kettle - June 29, 2026

Controversial UFC legend Jon Jones has given some more thoughts on Dustin Poirier’s recent drunken arrest incident. As the majority of fans know, Dustin Poirier was recently arrested for an incident that involved him being drunk in public. He got into a verbal altercation with a police officer, and it even got to the point where he was threatening to take him on in a fight.

Dylan Bowker - June 29, 2026

UFC’s Meta Apex shows don’t exactly inspire the imaginations of many mixed martial arts fans, and PFL CEO John Martin seems to be part of this group. The promotional figurehead for Professional Fighters League expressed as much on Bowks Talking Bouts ahead of the kickoff of PFL’s Summer Series. This begins on June 27th with PFL San Diego as AJ McKee clashes with rising star Salamat Isbulaev, in the top of the marquee attraction. PFL has not only increased the amount of domestic North American shows as they have also expanded globally while maintaining a uniform standard of production quality across all shows. Touching on those components, Martin said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],