MMA News

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.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 18, 2026 at 9:52 AM PDT // 0 Comments

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 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,

Dylan Bowker - June 17, 2026 at 6:40 PM PDT // 0 Comments

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,

BJPENN.COM Staff - June 17, 2026 at 4:00 PM PDT // 0 Comments

Before he ever set foot inside the ring, the world had already written Samet Agdeve off. That mistake cost Roman Kryklia his unbeaten ONE record. Agdeve became the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion last November when he outlasted Kryklia over five rounds at ONE Fight Night 37 in Bangkok. He now defends that title against the Ukrainian veteran in the co-main event of The Inner Circle on Friday, June 19, streaming live at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

Cole Shelton - June 17, 2026 at 3:56 PM PDT // 0 Comments

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 at 3:36 PM PDT // 0 Comments

UFC featherweight contender Steve Garcia shared his first thoughts on Diego Lopes’ come-from-behind KO at UFC Freedom 250. UFC featherweight Steve Garcia made Mixed Martial Arts history on Sunday when he became the first fighter to enter the Octagon on the White House lawn at UFC Freedom 250. Garcia, who entered UFC Freedom 250 on an impressive win streak, squared off with former title challenger Diego Lopes in the opening fight.

Curtis Calhoun - June 17, 2026 at 2:55 PM PDT // 0 Comments

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.

Harry Kettle - June 19, 2026

Islam Makhachev’s coach Javier Mendez has given his thoughts on Ilia Topuria’s big defeat at UFC Freedom 250 last weekend. Last Sunday, Ilia Topuria fell to his first professional loss in mixed martial arts at the hands of Justin Gaethje. It was a pretty emphatic defeat, and although Ilia certainly had his moments, which included nearly stopping Gaethje in the second round, it was ultimately a poor showing for someone who we have come to expect excellence from.

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

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.