MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 9, 2026 at 4:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Tomyamkoong Bhumjaithai faces Azerbaijani striker Anar Mammadov in the flyweight Muay Thai main event of The Inner Circle 18, streaming live for members at live.onefc.com from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Friday, June 12. The 22-year-old PK Saenchai Muaythaigym product carries a three-fight winning streak into the bout. His last two wins came inside the distance. A one-punch knockout of Watcharaphon Singha Mawynn and a third-round TKO of Bejenuta Maximus earned back-to-back performance bonuses. Now a fourth straight win could put the US$100,000 contract within touching distance.

Curtis Calhoun - June 9, 2026 at 3:41 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Interim UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje feels no line was crossed in his recent taunts of Ilia Topuria’s divorce. Tensions are ramping up between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje ahead of UFC Freedom 250. Topuria vs. Gaethje headlines a stacked card on the White House lawn, featuring the returns of fan favorites like Alex Pereira, Derrick Lewis, and Michael Chandler.

Curtis Calhoun - June 9, 2026 at 2:11 PM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC White House headliners Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje came face-to-face for the first time since things got personal ahead of fight night. UFC lightweight titleholders Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje are days away from fighting on the White House lawn in the UFC Freedom 250 main event. The seven-fight card at the White House features plenty of big names, including Alex Pereira’s heavyweight debut against former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane.

Curtis Calhoun - June 9, 2026 at 1:47 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis believes Kamaru Usman is having second thoughts on fighting him later this year. Dricus du Plessis hasn’t fought in the UFC Octagon since a lopsided defeat to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 last year. After a dominant title reign, Du Plessis suffered his first UFC defeat to Chimaev, but Chimaev’s recent loss puts him back in the title mix.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 9, 2026 at 1:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Masaaki Noiri faces Liu in one of two quarterfinal rematches at the ONE SAMURAI Featherweight Kickboxing Tournament at ONE SAMURAI 2, broadcasting live and exclusively on live.onefc.com from Ebara Wave Arena Ota in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday, August 8. The eight-man bracket guarantees a shot at reigning ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Champion Superbon to its winner.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 9, 2026 at 11:47 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Derrick Lewis doesn’t appear to be bothered by Josh Hokit’s bizarre style of trash talk. Hokit has quickly ruffled the feathers of several UFC names, including Alex Pereira and even reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria. Hokit will be Lewis’ opponent on the UFC Freedom 250 card this Sunday on the White House lawn. The two shared the stage for the first press conference promoting the event, but Hokit was kicked out after trading barbs with Pereira and Topuria.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 9, 2026 at 11:30 AM PDT // 0 Comments

One former UFC titleholder is a big fan of Justin Gaethje, but he still thinks “The Highlight” will fall to Ilia Topuria. Topuria and Gaethje are on a collision course that will meet its end on Sunday. The two will clash in the UFC Freedom 250 main event on the White House lawn. The winner will have the distinction of unifying the UFC Lightweight Championship. Topuria holds the main title, while Gaethje is the interim champion.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 9, 2026 at 11:11 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Belal Muhammad didn’t walk out of UFC Vegas 118 with a win, and longtime coach Ray Longo believes it was due to a bizarre strategy. Muhammad entered the Meta Apex this past Saturday in hopes getting back in the win column for the first time since 2024. He shared the Octagon with rising contender Gabriel Bonfim. The former UFC Welterweight Champion couldn’t get much going, and he was peppered on the feet. Ultimately, “Remember The Name” was defeated via unanimous decision.

Harry Kettle - June 9, 2026 at 8:03 AM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC analyst Laura Sanko doesn’t agree with Dana White that Alex Pereira could lead the GOAT debate after this weekend. In the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250, Alex Pereira will collide with Ciryl Gane over the UFC interim heavyweight championship. The winner will go on to face Tom Aspinall for the undisputed belt, but the biggest story here is Poatan.

Harry Kettle - June 9, 2026 at 8:00 AM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has declared that he will break Justin Gaethje in their collision at UFC Freedom 250. This weekend, Ilia Topuria will defend his UFC lightweight championship against interim champion Justin Gaethje in the main event of the promotion’s blockbuster White House event. Right now, Ilia is considered by many to be the overwhelming favorite.

Cole Shelton - June 9, 2026 at 7:13 AM PDT // 0 Comments

The UFC is in Washington, D.C., for their historic event on the White House lawn for a stacked UFC White House card. In the main event, Ilia Topuria defends his lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje. Heading into the fight, Topuria is a massive -670 favorite while the challenger is a +430 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the bout at UFC White House, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the lightweight title fight. The pros do think Topuria will get the win, and likely will do so by knockout to defend his belt for the first time.

Cole Shelton - June 9, 2026 at 5:39 AM PDT // 0 Comments

The 223rd episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com with host Cole Shelton is live to preview UFC White House. We’re joined by UFC middleweight Kyle Daukaus (1:00). Next, ninth-ranked UFC featherweight Steve Garcia (18:50) comes on.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 10, 2026

Aiemann Zahabi hopes to give Sean O’Malley a slew of unexpected problems on the feet during their scrap on Sunday. Zahabi and O’Malley are scheduled to meet on the White House lawn during the UFC Freedom 250 card. It’s a pivotal bantamweight tilt that will see the winner move one step closer to a 135-pound title fight. O’Malley is no stranger to UFC gold, but Zahabi has a major opportunity to possibly ascend to UFC title contention for the first time in his career.

Cole Shelton - June 10, 2026

The UFC is in Washington, D.C., for their historic event on the White House lawn for a stacked UFC White House card. In the co-main event, former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira moves up to heavyweight to face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title. Heading into the fight, the oddsmakers have it as a pick’em, as both fighters are -113 on FanDuel. Ahead of the bout at UFC White House, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro fighters to get their predictions for the interim heavyweight title fight. The pros slightly lean towards Pereira becoming the first-ever three-weight UFC champion as they expect his striking to be the difference.

Harry Kettle - June 10, 2026

UFC legend Alexander Volkanovski has provided an update on his possible championship showdown with Movsar Evloev. For the longest time now, Alexander Volkanovski has been the main man at 145 pounds. He is easily one of the greatest featherweights of all time, and in his next outing, he will hope to continue proving that when he defends the belt against number one contender Movsar Evloev.

Harry Kettle - June 10, 2026

UFC analyst Laura Sanko believes veteran Michael Chandler is under a lot of pressure heading into UFC Freedom 250. This weekend, Michael Chandler will attempt to snap his recent losing streak when he goes head to head with Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Freedom 250. It’s an incredibly dangerous fight given the run that Ruffy has been on, but the former Bellator star has never been one to back away from a challenge.

Curtis Calhoun - June 9, 2026

UFC CEO Dana White called Sean Strickland’s bluff after the middleweight champ’s recent claim that he’s ‘banned’ from the White House. The UFC’s most ambitious venture is just days away from coming to fruition. UFC Freedom 250, set to take place on the White House lawn, features seven fights, including the Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje main event.

Cole Shelton - June 9, 2026

Kyle Daukaus admits he was surprised he got onto the White House card. Daukaus is set to take on Bo Nickal in an intriguing middleweight fight. As Daukaus was scheduled to fight Vicente Luque, he got a call from his manager asking to go on a three-way call with Hunter Campbell, which caught him by surprise.

Cole Shelton - June 9, 2026

Justin Gaethje is looking to teach Ilia Topuria a lesson on Sunday on the White House lawn. Gaethje is set to unify the lightweight titles against Topuria in the main event of the UFC White House event. Although Gaethje is a massive underdog, he has full confidence in his skill set that he won’t just be able to beat Topuria, but can KO him.

Curtis Calhoun - June 9, 2026

Longtime UFC Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer helped ring in the launch of Baseball in Sin City earlier this week, ahead of UFC White House. Bruce Buffer is best known for being the voice of the Octagon, but he might transition into another sport once professional baseball comes to Las Vegas full-time.

Curtis Calhoun - June 9, 2026

UFC White House headliners Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje came face-to-face for the first time since things got personal ahead of fight night. UFC lightweight titleholders Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje are days away from fighting on the White House lawn in the UFC Freedom 250 main event. The seven-fight card at the White House features plenty of big names, including Alex Pereira’s heavyweight debut against former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane.

Curtis Calhoun - June 9, 2026

Former UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis believes Kamaru Usman is having second thoughts on fighting him later this year. Dricus du Plessis hasn’t fought in the UFC Octagon since a lopsided defeat to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 last year. After a dominant title reign, Du Plessis suffered his first UFC defeat to Chimaev, but Chimaev’s recent loss puts him back in the title mix.

Cole Shelton - June 9, 2026

Alex Pereira isn’t sure he will fight Tom Aspinall next, even if he becomes the interim heavyweight champion on Sunday. Pereira is set to take on Ciryl Gane in the co-main event of the UFC White House event on Sunday for the interim heavyweight title. It’s an intriguing fight, and oddsmakers have it as a pure pick’em, showing people are torn on who will win.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 9, 2026

Derrick Lewis doesn’t appear to be bothered by Josh Hokit’s bizarre style of trash talk. Hokit has quickly ruffled the feathers of several UFC names, including Alex Pereira and even reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria. Hokit will be Lewis’ opponent on the UFC Freedom 250 card this Sunday on the White House lawn. The two shared the stage for the first press conference promoting the event, but Hokit was kicked out after trading barbs with Pereira and Topuria.