UFC News

BJ Penn Staff - January 6, 2026

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Pena is in full support of the recent United States military action in Venezuela, which led to the capture of the South American country’s President, Nicolas Maduro. Maduro was captured overnight on January 3, following a bombing campaign by the US military in Caracas — ordered by president Donald Trump. As with any military action, the campaign has been the subject of fierce criticism both on US soil and abroad.

Dylan Bowker - January 5, 2026

Paddy Pimblett is vying for a UFC strap later this month, but his mindset was rooted in the glory days of Pride FC seemingly, as he spoke on some amendments he would look to see applied to the unified rules of mixed martial arts. Pimblett will battle former UFC interim lightweight champ and ex-BMF champ Justin Gaethje in the headliner of UFC 324 on January 24th. The looming interim lightweight title challenger appeared on a recent vlog as a part of UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall’s YouTube channel and addressed several subjects. During the Aspinall conversation, with an excerpt of the chat posted by X account @RedCorner_MMA, Pimblett said,

Curtis Calhoun - January 5, 2026

UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier promises he’ll return to combat sports in the near future against his two-time Octagon rival, Jon Jones. Don’t expect tensions to cool down between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier anytime soon.

Dylan Bowker - January 5, 2026

Sean O’Malley is eyeing a massive run this calendar year, but also mentioned that 2o26 may be the last time we see the colourful MMA star. The former UFC bantamweight champion is working toward another chance to become kingpin of 135 pounds, with his potential path back to gold going through Song Yadong at UFC 324 in the coming weeks. His focus extends beyond Yadong on the 24th though, and ‘Suga’ has a prominent former opponent in his crosshairs for a subsequent octagon clash later on this year. The former UFC titleholder prefaced his claims by touting Yadong as dangerous and saying he wasn’t overlooking the surging contender but rather that he was concurrently preparing for Yadong as well as former foe/ current champ, Petr Yan.

Curtis Calhoun - January 5, 2026

UFC welterweights Joaquin Buckley and Belal Muhammad might be the latest additions to the upcoming BMF undercard. The UFC’s long holiday break is nearly over as fans, fighters, and pundits look ahead to several major events to ring in the new year.

Curtis Calhoun - January 5, 2026

UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan didn’t come from the upbringing most are led to believe, according to his brother. UFC lightweight star Arman Tsarukyan’s reputation took a hit after his last-second withdrawal from UFC 311 last year. Tsarukyan, who was supposed to face then-UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in the main event, was forced out of the fight due to a back injury suffered just hours before the official weigh-in.

Cole Shelton - January 5, 2026

Paddy Pimblett would like to see Ilia Topuria vacate his title amid his ongoing personal issues. Topuria announced he’ll take some time off amid his divorce and his ex accusing him of domestic abuse. Given it’s unclear how long Topuria will be out, Pimblett believes he should vacate the belt to allow the division to move on. Topuria would also get a title shot when he returns.

Curtis Calhoun - January 5, 2026

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall addressed some of the narratives from fans after suffering multiple eye injuries at UFC 321. Tom Aspinall’s first undisputed heavyweight title defense ended disastrously at UFC 321 last year.

Cole Shelton - January 5, 2026

Jack Della Maddalena has a couple of names in mind for his next opponent. Della Maddalena is coming off a decision loss to Islam Makhachev to lose his welterweight title. It was a lopsided loss, and since then, Della Maddalena hasn’t been booked for his next, and he isn’t sure when he will return.

Dylan Bowker - January 3, 2026

Ateba Gautier will return to action later this month, and an Oktagon MMA two-division champion who spars with the surging UFC middleweight has weighed in on that bout. Gautier clashes with Andrey Pulyaev at UFC 324 on January 24th, and Will Fleury has weighed in on the middleweight matchup. Fleury has aspirations to become a three-division champion, with light heavyweight and heavyweight belts in Oktagon MMA. Speaking to those broader legacy-related goals for 185 pound hardware and referencing his work with the UFC middleweight, Fleury said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

Dylan Bowker - January 3, 2026

Shara Bullet has a former foe in his crosshairs and thinks a sequel clash can be secured with that surging middleweight contender if the former notches a pair of notable victories next year. As we prepare to enter 2026, it is commonplace for many to outline goals for the coming calendar year. For the man known as Sharaputdin Magomedov, that vision involves a three-fight arc that will guide him back to fighting Michael ‘Venom’ Page, the only man to have beaten Magomedov under MMA rules. This broader plan was outlined during an interview with Red Corner MMA, which was posted to their X account, as Magomedov said,

Curtis Calhoun - January 2, 2026

UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov has a no-nonsense approach to coaching fighters under his legendary tutelage. Khabib Nurmagomedov stunned the world when he announced his retirement from MMA fighting in 2020, following a win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Nurmagomedov’s decision came after his father’s tragic death and a promise to his mother to hang up the gloves.