UFC News

Curtis Calhoun - June 18, 2026

Boxing star Ryan Garcia is the latest to taunt Ilia Topuria following the now-former UFC champion’s first career loss. Now-former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria’s first title defense resulted in a stunning upset against Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250. After a dominant run of knockouts inside the Octagon, Topuria got a taste of his own medicine, losing to Gaethje by TKO (corner stoppage) in the UFC Freedom 250 main event.

Curtis Calhoun - June 18, 2026

Former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria will likely be out for the remainder of 2026 after a brutal loss at the White House. Ilia Topuria left the Octagon a bloody mess as he suffered the first loss of his career to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday. Topuria, previously unbeaten in his MMA career, lost to Gaethje by TKO (corner stoppage) in what was his first lightweight title defense.

Curtis Calhoun - June 18, 2026

FC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping criticized Alex Pereira’s recent media tour following his TKO loss to Ciryl Gane. Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira suffered just the second stoppage loss of his promotional tenure to Ciryl Gane on Sunday at UFC Freedom 250. In his highly anticipated heavyweight debut, Pereira struggled with Gane’s power and movement en route to a second-round TKO loss.

Cole Shelton - June 18, 2026

Manel Kape is looking to get some revenge on Saturday. Kape is set to headline UFC Vegas 119 on Saturday at the Apex against Kyoji Horiguchi. The two fought back in 2017 in RIZIN, and it was Horiguchi who won by submission.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 18, 2026

Arman Tsarukyan believes it would be wise for Ilia Topuria to avoid a showdown with Paddy Pimblett for now. Topuria certainly didn’t lack confidence going into the UFC Freedom 250 lightweight title unification bout against Justin Gaethje, but that wasn’t enough to avoid the first loss of his pro MMA career. While Topuria did have some success in the fight, dropping Gaethje with body shots at one point, “The Highlight” got the better of him on the feet. Topuria’s face was battered to the point where he didn’t get off his stool for the final round due to a broken orbital.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 18, 2026

Michael Chandler has had some time to mull over his latest defeat against Mauricio Ruffy. Chandler was searching for his first victory since 2022 when he competed on the White House lawn for UFC Freedom 250. Instead, “Iron” suffered his fourth straight loss. Chandler was stopped in the opening frame via TKO. At the age of 40, many are wondering if Chandler will decide to hang up his gloves.

Harry Kettle - June 18, 2026

Arman Tsarukyan has spoken about why he didn’t know the UFC Freedom 250 main event result for a good few hours. On Sunday night, Justin Gaethje defeated Ilia Topuria in emphatic fashion to become the new UFC lightweight champion. In doing so, he may well have set himself up for a clash with Arman Tsarukyan, who has been waiting patiently for an opportunity to challenge for the strap.

Harry Kettle - June 18, 2026

UFC commentator Joe Rogan has taken the time to reflect on a crazy night of fights at UFC Freedom 250 last weekend. UFC Freedom 250, in the eyes of many, was a triumph. While there are certainly questions to be asked about the sportswashing allegations put forward by a lot of critics, there’s no denying that it was a success – and Joe Rogan was there to witness it all in person.

Dylan Bowker - June 17, 2026

Alex Pereira and Sean O’Malley had fairly different outcomes in their respective UFC Freedom 250 bouts, with the latter offering up an intriguing behind-the-scenes quip regarding the former from the pre-fight build. While Pereira fell short against Ciryl Gane in a bid to become the UFC’s first-ever three-division champion, the loss was not without controversy, as is seemingly customary these days with the newly minted two-time UFC interim heavyweight champ Gane. Sean O’Malley secured a highlight reel finish over Aiemann Zahabi in his June 14th bout and also took time to cover the illegal strikes that were landed to the back of the head by Gane during the finishing sequence in his Pereira bout. During a conversation with MMA Guru in the aftermath of the UFC’s White House-based card, with the excerpt of the clip posted to X account @Home_of_Fight, O’Malley said,

Dylan Bowker - June 17, 2026

Conor McGregor vs. Justin Gaethje is a title fight that is quite intriguing to the former two-time UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya. In the wake of UFC Freedom 250, Justin Gaethje pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of the sport by finally becoming the divisional kingpin of 155 pounds. The man who previously captured interim lightweight gold two times became the lineal champ outright when he stopped the previously unbeaten Ilia Topuria inside the distance on June 14th. A former UFC lightweight champion is making his return next month, and while Conor McGregor is having a sequel clash with Max Holloway at welterweight for the UFC 329 headliner, there are some who are intrigued by the notion of ‘The Notorious’ returning to 155 pounds someday. Post-UFC Freedom 250 in conversation with Demetrious Johnson on Johnson’s YouTube channel Mighty, Adesanya said,

Curtis Calhoun - June 17, 2026

Former UFC two-division champion Henry Cejudo could be on the verge of a fighting comeback, this time in the boxing ring. Olympic gold medalist and former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo dropped the gloves and announced his retirement at UFC 323 in December. Cejudo, one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, retired after a four-fight losing streak stemming from his 2023 MMA comeback.

Cole Shelton - June 17, 2026

Kyoji Horiguchi plans to make a statement at UFC Vegas 119. Horiguchi is set to rematch Manel Kape on Saturday in a pivotal fight at flyweight. It also serves as a rematch of their fight back in 2017 in RIZIN, which Horiguchi won by submission.

Curtis Calhoun - June 17, 2026

Daniel Cormier addressed the controversy surrounding alleged DMs between himself and Eric Trump before UFC Freedom 250. UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier was on the call for arguably the promotion’s biggest event last weekend at UFC Freedom 250. The seven-fight card at the White House lived up to lofty expectations, culminating in a massive upset by Justin Gaethje in the main event.

Curtis Calhoun - June 17, 2026

UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski believes one of his recent understudies possesses the best striking on the roster. Alexander Volkanovski reclaimed the UFC featherweight throne last year at UFC 314 by defeating Diego Lopes in an instant classic. After back-to-back losses to Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, Volkanovski returned to the Octagon in style and proved his detractors wrong.

Curtis Calhoun - June 17, 2026

UFC flyweight contender Erin Blanchfield will return at UFC 330 with a potential title shot on the line against another rising star. As UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko nears potential retirement, rising contenders like Erin Blanchfield are waiting in the wings for a shot at the belt. Blanchfield, who hasn’t fought since finishing Tracy Cortez at UFC 322 last year, is one of the top contenders in the women’s flyweight division.

Curtis Calhoun - June 17, 2026

UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev’s first title defense headlines the promotion’s long-awaited return to Philadelphia. After Ilia Topuria’s shocking loss at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday, UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev remains at the top of the heap of the pound-for-pound rankings. Makhachev became the UFC’s latest two-division titleholder when he defeated Jack Della Maddalena to win the welterweight title last year at UFC 322.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 17, 2026

Daniel Cormier believes the UFC Freedom 250 atmosphere gave Justin Gaethje a significant boost. Gaethje pulled off the upset over Ilia Topuria to conclude UFC’s historic event on the White House lawn this past Sunday. He scored a fourth-round TKO victory via corner stoppage to capture the undisputed UFC Lightweight Championship for the first time in his career. While Gaethje was a two-time interim titleholder, he hadn’t earned the undisputed distinction until he stopped Topuria.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 17, 2026

Conor McGregor plans to bring his children to the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for his big UFC 329 return. McGregor is scheduled to step back inside the Octagon to face Max Holloway in a welterweight clash as part of International Fight Week on July 11. It’ll be the first time fight fans see the “Notorious” one in action since 2021, when he fractured his tibia and fibula in a trilogy clash with Dustin Poirier.