MMA News

Curtis Calhoun - June 18, 2026 at 4:50 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones sent an ominous message to Alex Pereira and Dana White in a since-deleted tweet. Alex Pereira’s bid at making UFC history fell short at the White House on Sunday as he lost to Ciryl Gane in their interim heavyweight title bout. Pereira opted to make the full-time move to heavyweight and vacate the light heavyweight belt earlier this year, before losing to Gane by second-round TKO.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 18, 2026 at 4:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Both fighters injured themselves. Both had to rebuild. Now, weeks after the most anticipated women’s striking matchup of the year faced a delay, the fight happens. Allycia Hellen Rodrigues defends the ONE Women’s Atomweight Muay Thai World Title against ONE Women’s Atomweight Kickboxing World Champion “The Queen” Phetjeeja Lukjaoporongtom in the main event of The Inner Circle 19 on Friday, June 19, streaming live for members from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. The bout was originally booked for ONE Fight Night 41 in March before injuries to both fighters forced a postponement.

Curtis Calhoun - June 18, 2026 at 3:20 PM PDT // 0 Comments

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 at 2:32 PM PDT // 0 Comments

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.

Cole Shelton - June 18, 2026 at 1:38 PM PDT // 0 Comments

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.

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 18, 2026 at 1:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

He submitted one of the most decorated champions in ONE Championship history, reached the finale of a Netflix reality series, and received congratulations from his country’s president. Now the world is watching to see if Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu can hold what he has won. Enkh-Orgil Baatarkhuu makes his first ONE Bantamweight MMA World Title defence against undefeated Azerbaijani challenger Elbek Alyshov at The Inner Circle 24, streaming live for members from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, July 31. With two finishers sharing the ring, this World Title matchup is built to produce a statement.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 18, 2026 at 10:48 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Josh Hokit believes there is a double standard when it comes to those who are criticizing him for his comment on Michelle Obama during the UFC Freedom 250 broadcast. Hokit competed against Derrick Lewis on the White House lawn and delivered a second-round TKO finish. The win improved Hokit’s pro MMA record to 10-0, but it was his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan that got the attention of the mainstream media. At the end of the interview, Hokit grabbed the mic and said, “Michelle Obama is a man.”

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 18, 2026 at 10:15 AM PDT // 0 Comments

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.

Harry Kettle - June 18, 2026 at 7:28 AM PDT // 0 Comments

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 at 7:24 AM PDT // 0 Comments

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.

Harry Kettle - June 18, 2026 at 7:19 AM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC analyst Din Thomas is of the belief that Ilia Topuria will be able to bounce back from his UFC Freedom 250 defeat. On Sunday night, Ilia Topuria fell to his first professional defeat as a mixed martial artist. He was beaten and battered by Justin Gaethje, and while he certainly had a few bright moments, especially in the second round, it isn’t a performance he will want to repeat anytime soon.

Dylan Bowker - June 17, 2026 at 6:41 PM PDT // 0 Comments

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,

Curtis Calhoun - June 19, 2026

One of referee Herb Dean’s biggest critics, Dan Hardy, is one of his biggest defenders from Alex Pereira’s criticism after UFC Freedom 250. Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira’s bid at history fell short as he lost to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250. In his highly anticipated heavyweight debut, Pereira lost the opportunity to become the UFC’s first three-division champ as Gane knocked him out in Round 2.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 19, 2026

Jake Paul has some words after viewership numbers for UFC Freedom 250 on Paramount+ surfaced. UFC Freedom 250 was a historic event that was capped off by a memorable title unification bout in the lightweight division. Justin Gaethje stopped Ilia Topuria before the start of the fifth round to earn his first undisputed UFC championship. The co-main event saw Ciryl Gane finish Alex Pereira to win the interim UFC heavyweight gold.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 19, 2026

One fighter on the UFC Vegas 119 card failed to make his contracted weight on Friday, but there is good news. Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi avoided weigh-in mishaps prior to Saturday’s card. That’s music to the ears of fight fans given that the two will be headlining UFC Vegas 119, which will be held at the Meta Apex. In fact, all competitors scheduled for the main card were able to clock in at the weights they agreed upon.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 19, 2026

Daniel Cormier is none too pleased over Josh Hokit’s diss aimed at Michelle Obama. UFC Freedom 250 offered a lot for MMA fans to be excited about. All seven fights on the historic White House card delivered knockout finishes. A new lightweight champion was crowned in a thrilling main event, and there is some movement in the heavyweight division after Ciryl Gane captured interim gold.

Harry Kettle - June 19, 2026

UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has provided an update on his return to the cage after his win at UFC Freedom 250. Last weekend, Justin Gaethje defeated and stopped Ilia Topuria on the stool to become the new undisputed UFC lightweight champion. It was a pretty incredible performance from the man known as ‘The Highlight’, and as you can imagine, the masses are already interested to know who he may take on next.

Harry Kettle - June 19, 2026

Veteran MMA referee John McCarthy has given his thoughts on the back of the head controversy surrounding Alex Pereira. Last weekend at UFC Freedom 250, Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane went head to head for the UFC interim heavyweight championship. In the end, it was the Frenchman who managed to get his hand raised, finishing off the Brazilian sensation with a flurry of strikes – featuring a handful that many considered to be illegal.

Dylan Bowker - June 18, 2026

UFC Freedom 250 was bound to attract widespread attention and it certainly delivered on that side to the scale of nearly twenty million viewers. The White House-based card that took place on June 14th saw Paramount+ record a cumulative amount of 17 million viewers across America and Latin America. Between the United States and Latin America, 15.3 million viewers came from the former market while the latter market brought in 1.7 million viewers. This was the largest viewing audience that Paramount+ has received so far within a UFC media rights deal that kicked off at the beginning of this year. It was also the biggest live exclusive event in the broadcast platform’s overall history. An average of 8.2 million viewers took in the more concise seven-fight offering. The 8.2 million average viewer figure was broken up by 7 million viewers within America and 1.2 million viewers within Latin America.

Curtis Calhoun - June 18, 2026

Former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones sent an ominous message to Alex Pereira and Dana White in a since-deleted tweet. Alex Pereira’s bid at making UFC history fell short at the White House on Sunday as he lost to Ciryl Gane in their interim heavyweight title bout. Pereira opted to make the full-time move to heavyweight and vacate the light heavyweight belt earlier this year, before losing to Gane by second-round TKO.

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

Josh Hokit believes there is a double standard when it comes to those who are criticizing him for his comment on Michelle Obama during the UFC Freedom 250 broadcast. Hokit competed against Derrick Lewis on the White House lawn and delivered a second-round TKO finish. The win improved Hokit’s pro MMA record to 10-0, but it was his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan that got the attention of the mainstream media. At the end of the interview, Hokit grabbed the mic and said, “Michelle Obama is a man.”