UFC News

Curtis Calhoun - February 18, 2026

NBA superstar Jaylen Brown is the latest basketball standout to tease potentially becoming an MMA fighter once his current career concludes. The UFC Octagon has showcased some of the most versatile athletes in the world. From former professional football players like Greg Hardy and Brock Lesnar, to former Olympians like Henry Cejudo, the Octagon has shown many different elements of athleticism.

BJ Penn Staff - February 18, 2026

Former UFC champ Sean Strickland has no interest in watching Ronda Rousey fight Gina Carano on Netflix this May. Rousey will meet Carano in a pro MMA bout on May 16. Both women rank among the most influential fighters in the history of women’s MMA, so the bout will definitely generate huge viewership—possibly more than the upcoming UFC White House card.

BJ Penn Staff - February 18, 2026

Ronda Rousey has issued a friendly challenge to the UFC ahead of her hotly anticipated clash with fellow MMA legend Gina Carano. Rousey and Carano will collide on Netflix on May 16. It will be a professional MMA bout promoted by Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions. The May 16 date puts the fight just one month ahead of the anticipated UFC White House card (June 14), which UFC brass hope will break MMA viewership records.

Cole Shelton - February 18, 2026

Sean Strickland expects to make a statement at UFC Houston. Strickland is set to headline UFC Houston on Saturday against Anthony Hernandez in a pivotal fight at middleweight. Heading into the fight, Strickland is a +230 underdog on FanDuel, but he expects to hand him the upset at UFC Houston.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 18, 2026

To many, Conor McGregor and Jon Jones being showcased on the UFC White House card would be a slam dunk, but Chael Sonnen doesn’t think it’s a good long-term move. UFC appears to be drawing closer to announcing the White House card. Dana White revealed to reporters that the card has been finalized, but he isn’t ready to share details. McGregor quickly deleted a social media post claiming he has accepted a bout, which sparked speculation.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 18, 2026

Former UFC heavyweight legend Cain Velasquez was recently released from prison 10 months after pleading no contest to attempted murder, among other charges. The circumstances around Velasquez’s sentence have been heavily discussed, and Sean Strickland is glad that the former champion is a free man. Last year, Velasquez was given a five-year sentence with 1,283 days credited for time served. Back in Feb. 2022, Velasquez shot at a vehicle with Harry Goularte as a passenger. Goularte’s stepfather suffered a non-life threatening injury during the incident. Goularte has been accused of molesting Velasquez’s son and is awaiting trial for a felony charge of lewd acts with a minor. Despite this, Goularte is currently out on bail.

Harry Kettle - February 18, 2026

In a since-deleted tweet, Conor McGregor has claimed that he’s been offered both a date and an opponent for his UFC return. For the longest time now, fight fans have been waiting to see what’s next for Conor McGregor. While he hasn’t competed in mixed martial arts for nearly five years, the Irishman is still considered to be one of the biggest stars of the sport.

Harry Kettle - February 18, 2026

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has explained why he believes Alex Pereira will be part of the UFC White House card. As we know, Alex Pereira is easily one of the biggest stars in all of mixed martial arts – and perhaps in the entirety of combat sports. His run since arriving in the UFC has been nothing short of remarkable, and even at this point in his career, he still seems to have a bright future ahead of him.

Dylan Bowker - February 17, 2026

UFC Ottawa is looming, and one of Canadian MMA’s most promising, surging fighters foresees a big win over a former Alex Pereira opponent, vaulting him toward that April UFC card in Canada. The UFC is coming back to Canada once again and is back in the capital city this time out. On the grassroots scene in the great fight north, Bobby Poulter will clash with former ‘Poatan’ kickboxing opponent and kickboxing legend Simon Marcus in a clash for the Unified MMA welterweight title at Unified MMA 66 on Friday, February 20th, in Toronto.

Curtis Calhoun - February 17, 2026

Blue-chip heavyweight MMA prospect Gable Steveson left out two of the greatest heavyweights off of his personal Mount Rushmore. Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson could be months away from making his UFC debut. The blue-chip prospect returns this weekend as he looks to move to 3-0 in his young MMA career.

Curtis Calhoun - February 17, 2026

Decorated MMA coach Javier Mendez agrees with his star pupil, Daniel Cormier’s stance that Jon Jones shouldn’t be in the UFC GOAT discussion. Despite being years removed from their two fights in the UFC Octagon, Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones remain fierce rivals outside of the cage. Their recent time spent as opposing coaches on a Russian reality television show demonstrates that tensions between the two sides remain high.

Curtis Calhoun - February 17, 2026

UFC middleweight star Bo Nickal has some words of wisdom for Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson as the sport’s latest hype train kicks off. Olympic wrestling gold medalist Gable Steveson is potentially one win away from getting a call from UFC CEO Dana White and the matchmakers. The Jon Jones protege is 2-0 in his professional MMA career with two knockouts, and returns to the cage on Thursday night against Hugo Lezama at Mexican Fight League 3.

Dylan Bowker - February 17, 2026

Tom Aspinall loves the lifestyle pieces of being a competitive mixed martial artist, but the politics involved in the machinations of the business are not to his preference. In a detailed interview with Petesy Carroll of Uncrowned, the UFC heavyweight champion broke the fourth wall and let fans see what his recovery has looked like since dealing with residual eye poke issues from his Ciryl Gane clash in October.

Dylan Bowker - February 17, 2026

Sean O’Malley seems optimistic that the UFC’s heavyweight division can make a turnaround, but seems less optimistic about the present and potential future circumstances for Tom Aspinall. The UFC heavyweight champion has been sidelined since last October with, uncertainties abounding as Aspinall recovers from eye surgery with no clear idea on when, or if at all, the UK native will return to competition. From the full video that was posted to the former UFC bantamweight champion’s YouTube account, with an excerpt posted to X account @RedCorner_MMA, O’Malley said,

Cole Shelton - February 17, 2026

Geoff Neal knew he had to make a change. Neal was going down a dark path as he admitted he was abusing alcohol and substances even during fight camp. So, after five years of constantly drinking or using substances, Neal finally decided he needed to get sober.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - February 17, 2026

Khamzat Chimaev’s coach is taking critics of the UFC Middleweight Champion to task. Chimaev has been undefeated in his pro MMA career thus far. He turned in a grappling clinic with nearly 22 minutes of control time against Dricus du Plessis. Many anticipated that du Plessis would be able to create scrambles at least early on, but he didn’t have an answer.

Harry Kettle - February 17, 2026

Michael Bisping believes that the right fight to make at the upcoming UFC White House card is Ilia Topuria vs Islam Makhachev. As we know, Ilia Topuria is rumored to be returning to the cage later this year, most likely as part of the UFC White House card. While many believe that he’s going to unify the lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje, there are a few other options on the table.

Harry Kettle - February 17, 2026

UFC legend Kamaru Usman has revealed how he would approach a Khamzat Chimaev rematch if they ever fought again. As we know, Kamaru Usman is very much in the twilight of his mixed martial arts career. He has made it crystal clear that he wants to ride off into the sunset sooner rather than later, but before he does, he wants to win not one, but two titles at both welterweight and middleweight.