MMA News

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 22, 2026 at 1:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

She has walked out to K-pop routines, changed her hair colour more times than she can count, and recently left a shopping mall encounter in a state of genuine embarrassment. Between title reigns, the former three-sport ONE World Champion turns out to be a woman with a lot of thoughts about fashion. Stamp Fairtex returns to atomweight Muay Thai action against Cynthia Flores at The Inner Circle 20, streaming live for members in Asia primetime from Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, on Friday, June 26. Ahead of her return, she spoke openly about the fashion interests that fill her life away from competition.

Cole Shelton - June 22, 2026 at 12:28 PM PDT // 0 Comments

The UFC returned to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday for UFC Vegas 119. The main event saw flyweight contenders throw down as Manel Kape took on Kyoji Horiguchi in a rematch nearly 10 years in the making. Kape entered the fight coming off a KO win over Brandon Royval and was on a three-fight winning streak. Horiguchi, meanwhile, was on an eight-fight unbeaten streak and was 2-0 since returning to the UFC.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 22, 2026 at 11:58 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Joe Rogan doesn’t believe Ciryl Gane purposely landed illegal strikes to the back of Alex Pereira’s head. Gane became a two-time interim UFC Heavyweight Champion on the White House lawn. He defeated Pereira via second-round TKO, and has now secured a title unification bout against main titleholder Tom Aspinall. “Poatan” expressed his gripes with referee Herb Dean after the fight, as he pointed out being on the receiving end of numerous strikes to the back of the head.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 22, 2026 at 11:32 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Paddy Pimblett believes Conor McGregor will have a successful return to the Octagon against the odds. McGregor is set to have his first pro MMA bout since 2021. He’s scheduled to rekindle his rivalry with Max Holloway, who he defeated all the way back in 2013. McGregor’s return fight will headline UFC 329 on July 11, which will cap off International Fight Week.

Harry Kettle - June 22, 2026 at 7:46 AM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC commentator Michael Bisping has praised Conor McGregor ahead of his upcoming return to action. Next month, Conor McGregor will make the walk to the Octagon for the first time in five years. It’s been a long time coming for his loyal fanbase, and while he has certainly been involved in plenty of controversies outside of the cage, there are still many who want to see him compete.

Harry Kettle - June 22, 2026 at 7:43 AM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC legend Georges St-Pierre believes that Aiemann Zahabi’s fight against Sean O’Malley was stopped too early. While Aiemann Zahabi seemingly had a good chance of defeating Sean O’Malley heading into UFC Freedom 250, hope was soon extinguished by Sean after a great combination led him down the path of a victory that will likely set him up for another crack at the UFC bantamweight championship.

Harry Kettle - June 22, 2026 at 7:41 AM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry has issued a warning to reigning champion Islam Makhachev ahead of UFC 330. Later this summer, Ian Machado Garry finally gets his shot at gold in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He will take on Islam Makhachev, the reigning king at 170 pounds, and many believe he has what it takes to actually dethrone the champ and bring a title back to Ireland.

Harry Kettle - June 22, 2026 at 7:38 AM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape has his eyes on a big UFC record after his triumph over Kyoji Horiguchi last weekend. On Saturday night, Manel Kape took a huge step towards a UFC flyweight title shot when he defeated and finished Kyoji Horiguchi. The two fought almost a decade ago and on that occasion, it was Horiguchi who got a submission win – but he couldn’t repeat his heroics this time around.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 21, 2026 at 1:18 PM PDT // 0 Comments

A retired UFC veteran doesn’t believe Michael Chandler is worthy of his spot in the top MMA promotion. It has been tough sledding as of late for Chandler, who is a former three-time Bellator champion. While “Iron” has long developed a reputation for being an exciting fighter, he has lost four bouts in a row. Chandler hasn’t earned a victory since 2022, and top lightweight Arman Tsarukyan has suggested that he should be cut from the UFC roster.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 21, 2026 at 11:56 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Kyoji Horiguchi is experiencing a low point following his loss to Manel Kape, but he still intends to become a UFC champion one day. Horiguchi and Kape shared the Octagon this past Saturday in the UFC Vegas 119 headliner. The two weren’t strangers to one another going into the bout, as they had competed against each other back in 2017. While Horiguchi scored the submission in their first encounter, Kape got revenge in part two with a TKO finish inside the Meta Apex.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 21, 2026 at 11:31 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Josh Hokit has gone scorched earth on UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier. Hokit has raised a lot of eyebrows, and his recent performances inside the Octagon only tell part of the story. While “The Incredible Hok” has defeated Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis, it’s his antics that have gotten him attention. After defeating Lewis on the UFC Freedom 250 card, Hokit got on the mic during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan and called Michelle Obama a man.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 21, 2026 at 9:27 AM PDT // 0 Comments

Manel Kape envisions a UFC title fight the next time he steps inside the Octagon. The stage was set for a high stakes flyweight tilt in the main event of UFC Vegas 119 this past Saturday. For Kape, not only was it a chance to make a strong case for a 125-pound title fight, but it was an opportunity to get revenge on Kyoji Horiguchi. “Starboy” was submitted by Horiguchi under the Rizin banner back in 2017.

Harry Kettle - June 23, 2026

UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev has given his thoughts on Ian Machado Garry’s style as we approach UFC 330. Later this summer, Islam Makhachev will attempt to once again cement himself as one of the best fighters on the planet when he defends his UFC welterweight championship against top contender Ian Machado Garry.

Harry Kettle - June 23, 2026

UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje wants to be compensated for his great success since signing with the promotion. At UFC Freedom 250, Justin Gaethje finally reached the top of the mountain. He became the undisputed UFC lightweight champ for the first time in his career, and he did so with an unbelievably impressive victory over former king Ilia Topuria.

Dylan Bowker - June 22, 2026

Conor McGregor is weeks away from fighting in the confines of a cage once again and a surging BKFC contender, who has been a long time fan, has covered multiple tendrils attached to the targeted UFC 329 return of the Irish superstar. Nathan Rivera is the referenced bare knuckle boxer here and Rivera clashes with Tray Martin at BKFC Nashville on June 19th in the co-main event. Before Friday’s fight, the ranked featherweight contender touched on multiple topics including a sentiment from a former opponent of BKFC juggernaut Mike Perry’s and Conor McGregor’s in Eddie Alvarez. When discussing the looming UFC return of BKFC figure head Conor McGregor, Alvarez spoke about how if McGregor were to win that Max Holloway rematch coming up, it would be tantamount to one of the biggest upsets in combat sports history because of all the variables with the half decade return timeline, the prior injury, caliber of opponent, etc. When asked for his thoughts on the general return of McGregor on July 11th and that grandiose sentiment from Alvarez, Nathan Rivera said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],

Curtis Calhoun - June 22, 2026

Former UFC star Colby Covington didn’t hold back on his former teammate Dustin Poirier’s recent arrest for public intoxication. Former UFC superstar Dustin Poirier was arrested in Georgia on Sunday night on a ‘public drunk’ misdemeanor charge. Poirier was released on bond and now faces up to a year in jail and/or a hefty fine if convicted.

Curtis Calhoun - June 22, 2026

Former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira is contemplating retirement after his shocking defeat at UFC Freedom 250. Alex Pereira’s pursuit of UFC history fell short at UFC Freedom 250 earlier this month. In his interim heavyweight title bout against Ciryl Gane, Pereira lost by second-round TKO to Gane in his highly anticipated heavyweight debut.

Curtis Calhoun - June 22, 2026

UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre believes Conor McGregor needs to shake up his camp for his long-awaited Octagon return. After five years away from the Octagon, former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor will make the walk against Max Holloway at UFC 329 next month. McGregor hasn’t fought since injuring his leg against Dustin Poirier in their UFC 264 trilogy, and many questions remain regarding McGregor’s place in Mixed Martial Arts.

Cole Shelton - June 22, 2026

Paddy Pimblett is looking to make a statement at UFC 329 against Benoit Saint-Denis. Pimblett is coming off a decision loss to Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. As he looks to get back into the win column, he will take on Saint-Denis in the co-main event of UFC 329 on July 11, which sees Conor McGregor taking on Max Holloway in the main event.

Curtis Calhoun - June 22, 2026

Future UFC Hall of Famer Dustin Poirier was arrested over the weekend for public intoxication in Atlanta and faces a misdemeanor charge. Less than a year after his UFC 318 retirement, Dustin Poirier ran into trouble with the law on Father’s Day.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 22, 2026

Joe Rogan doesn’t believe Ciryl Gane purposely landed illegal strikes to the back of Alex Pereira’s head. Gane became a two-time interim UFC Heavyweight Champion on the White House lawn. He defeated Pereira via second-round TKO, and has now secured a title unification bout against main titleholder Tom Aspinall. “Poatan” expressed his gripes with referee Herb Dean after the fight, as he pointed out being on the receiving end of numerous strikes to the back of the head.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 22, 2026

Paddy Pimblett believes Conor McGregor will have a successful return to the Octagon against the odds. McGregor is set to have his first pro MMA bout since 2021. He’s scheduled to rekindle his rivalry with Max Holloway, who he defeated all the way back in 2013. McGregor’s return fight will headline UFC 329 on July 11, which will cap off International Fight Week.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 22, 2026

UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre believes it would be wise if Justin Gaethje wraps up his pro MMA career coming off his biggest athletic achievement. Gaethje took center stage in the UFC Freedom 250 headliner against Ilia Topuria. The general consensus is that it would be Gaethje last chance at becoming an undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion. “The Highlight” made the most of his opportunity, forcing Topuria to quit on his stool to earn the fourth-round TKO finish.

Harry Kettle - June 22, 2026

UFC commentator Michael Bisping has praised Conor McGregor ahead of his upcoming return to action. Next month, Conor McGregor will make the walk to the Octagon for the first time in five years. It’s been a long time coming for his loyal fanbase, and while he has certainly been involved in plenty of controversies outside of the cage, there are still many who want to see him compete.