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Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Michael Bisping have engaged in a war of words over the UFC’s pay structure. With Hearn now working with heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, his recent comments have drawn a reaction from Bisping.

On June 24, 2026, during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hearn accused Bisping of being too close to the UFC to fairly talk about fighter pay.

“These are people that are on the payroll,” Hearn said, “These are people who have been suppressed themselves, and these are people who don’t have any backbone about them. Michael Bisping should be ashamed of what is being proposed to Tom Aspinall to be in a fight like Ciryl Gane with that amount of money that is in the pot. He is a fighter. He should stand up for what’s right for fighters.” He added, “So what are you saying, Bisping? ‘Do as you’re told, shut up, take your money. That’s all you’re worth?’” He proceeded to challenge Bisping to debate.<…

Tyson Fury isn’t fighting Anthony Joshua next.

Fury is scheduled to fight Mariusz Wach on July 24 at Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya, Thailand. The bout will be broadcast on Netflix.

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‼️ ANNOUNCED: Tyson Fury will return to face Mariusz Wach in a heavyweight clash on July 24th in Thailand. pic.twitter.com/Dr0hDdwc22

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) June 30, 2026

Fury (35-2) scored a unanimous decision over Arslanbek Makhmudov in his last outing this past April. The win saw “The Gypsy King” return to action for the first time since 2024, rebounding from consecutive title losses against Oleksandr Usyk. Fury is in talks for a massive matchup against Joshua, with promoters clashing over rights for the bout. His upcoming fight against Wach is being considered a tune-up bout for a potential matchup against Joshua.

Tyson Fury vs. Mariusz Wach Set for July 24 Netflix Fight Meanwhile, Wach is currently 1-3 in his last four o…

Trey Waters (right) has signed with the PFL. | 📷: Zuffa/Getty

Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Trey Waters has signed with Professional Fighters League and will debut in the SmartCage on Aug. 7, in Charlotte, North Carolina, for one of the company’s upcoming Summer Series events, sources tell Sherdog.com.

Homegrown talent Trukon Carson will take on Waters in a welterweight tilt.

Waters (9-2) will join the PFL after a 2-1 tenure in the UFC, where he also competed in Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, losing to Gabriel Bonfim by submission.

Carson, 6-1, known as “The Carolina Gamedog,” has had five of his six professional wins come by way of first-round stoppage, has went the distance just once in his career, with his most recent win coming in Fury FC. Having fought last in March, Carson will get the biggest step up in competition in taking on Waters, while also getting an opportunity to breakthrough in the PFL’s welterweight division.<…

Cobey Fehr was overwhelmed with emotions after his successful Professional Fighters League debut.

Fehr (4-0) took on Daniel Bzdigian in a bantamweight tilt at PFL San Diego last weekend. Fehr took just two minutes to take Bzdigian down and earn a submission win with a brabo choke in his PFL debut. 

“The Don” subsequently explained why he was emotionally shouting inside the cage, celebrating his win. Fehr revealed that he hasn’t been to his home in Ohio in six years. The 31-year-old further revealed that he used to be an opioid addict, although he never informed his family about his addiction. Fehr was in withdrawal from his addiction when he came to Las Vegas from Ohio with $4. Having now become someone for his parents to be proud of means a lot to Fehr.

Turning His Life Around “I haven’t been home in six years,” Fehr said in a post-fight interview (via Home of Fight). “I came to Vegas with $4 in my wallet. I’ve never told anyone in my family this, but I was …

Daniel Rodriguez was calling for a matchup against Leon Edwards before he got booked for UFC Belgrade. 

Rodriguez (20-5) is set to fight Uros Medic (13-3) in a welterweight bout at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1. “D-Rod” recently revealed that he was originally rallying for a booking against Edwards at UFC 329 during International Fight Week. However, Rodriguez believes Edwards was not keen on the matchup. Rodriguez plans to continue the pursuit by calling out “Rocky” if he beats Medic at UFC Belgrade.

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Not Forgotten “We wanted the fight; we asked for the fight,” Rodriguez told Home of Fight. “I guess on his end, they were leaning towards another direction. That would’ve been crazy to have fought on the International Fight Week card. But I got a better opportunity. Another tough matchup as well. We’ll see; we’ll definitely be calling him out after.”

While Rodriguez is currently on a three-fight winning streak, he hasn’t fought since July 2025, as he was…

Sean Strickland isn’t bothered by Sharabutdin Magomedov’s recent tirade against him. 

Magomedov fought Strickland teammate Michel Pereira at UFC Baku last weekend. Magomedov survived early adversity to score a come-from-behind unanimous decision win over Pereira. 

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Strickland emulated Magomedov’s style while helping Pereira prepare for the fight. “Shara Bullet” has since aimed unprovoked verbal shots at Strickland. Magomedov claims Strickland is a “domestic champion” who is scared to defend his title outside the U.S. While Magomedov is yet to be officially ranked at middleweight, he says Strickland will avoid a fight with him outside America. Laughing It Off Strickland isn’t taking Magomedov’s comments too seriously. The UFC middleweight champion just reminded Magomedov that he fought his teammate, not him.

“It makes me laugh. Bro you fought my teammate... There are levels to this haha,” Strickland wrote on X.

Magomedov (17-1) h…

Rafael Fiziev would never have become a UFC standout striker had his job as a police officer not gone south. 

Born to an Azerbaijani father and a Russian mother, Fiziev (14-5) was mostly raised in Kyrgyzstan. Fiziev dreamed of becoming a Kyrgyz police officer and successfully graduated from the police academy. However, Fiziev’s expectations were shattered from the very beginning of his job. Fiziev claims that academically less successful people got better positions by paying bribes, while he was made to serve parking tickets. Fiziev’s original goal was to fight the drug mafia. When Fiziev saw the alleged corruption in the police force, he left within a couple of months to pursue a professional career in MMA.

Corruption and Changing Course “I went to work and saw all of this bulls—t in the Kyrgyzstan police,” Fiziev said on "The Ariel Helwani Show” “Zero justice—100% corruption. I said, ‘What the f—k? I don't want to be here.’... It was my dream to stand against the …

Magomed Zaynukov earned a UFC contract on the Contender Series last summer. | Getty/UFC

Magomed Zaynukov is booked to make his much-anticipated UFC debut. 

Zaynukov will face fellow undefeated lightweight prospect Damian Rzepecki at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25 at the Etihad Arena in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Marcel Dorff was first to report the pairing.

Generating Buzz “Wild Chanco” has risen to significant stardom even before making his UFC debut. Zaynukov (8-0) was first seen on camera when his Islam Makhachev introduced him to Demetriosu Johnson during “Mighty Mouse’s” visit to Dagestan. Zaynukov subsequently earned his UFC contract with an entertaining unanimous decision win on Dana White's Contender Series this past October. A striker from a region known for wrestling, Zaynukov has finished five of his eight professional wins so far. 

Meanwhile, Rzepecki (10-0) has the potential to derail Zaynukov’s hype train. The 24-year-old Polish stan…

Jon Jones might have a massive boxing fight on his hands.

Oleksandr Usyk vacated his IBA, WBC and WBA boxing heavyweight titles last week. However, Usyk clarified that he will have one “last dance” before completely hanging up his gloves. 

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One Last Hurrah Usyk advisor Sergey Lapin recently told Ring Magazine that the former world champion is considering Jones and Deontay Wilder as potential opponents for his last fight. 

Usyk was en route to a massive upset loss against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven last month. However, Usyk scored a highly controversial stoppage win in the final seconds of the 11th round. 

Meanwhile, Jones (28-1) retired from the UFC last year as the heavyweight champion. However, “Bones” later started rallying for a spot on the UFC White House card, which went down earlier this month. Jones lashed out at the UFC and asked for his release after failing to land a spot on the White House card. The former UFC double …

Paulo Costa is ready to get back to work. | Getty/UFC

Paulo Costa wants to keep the momentum going, but it appears that he and the UFC aren’t on the same page in that regard.

“Borrachinha” enjoyed a successful light heavyweight debut at UFC 327, where he finished the previously undefeated Azamat Murzakanov with a head kick in the third round on April 11. The victory seemingly opened up a variety of new possibilities for the Brazilian. Thus far, however, he’s been kept on ice.

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Costa’s sense of urgency to get back to work is compounded by the fact that he is entering the last fight on his current UFC contract.The Waiting Game “Since I defeated Azamat in April, I have been looking for the next fight,” Costa wrote on X. “I’ve eventually opened the door to fight at heavyweight. UFC told me to wait…wait… Here we are, it’s already July, and [I’m] still looking to fight someone else at light heavyweight, middleweight or even heavyweight but th…

Ethyn Ewing's third UFC fight will have to wait. | Getty/UFC

The UFC 329 undercard has lost one of its most intriguing talents.

Ethyn Ewing has been forced to withdraw from a proposed bantamweight clash against Farid Basharat due to an undisclosed injury. Best Fight Picks was first to report Ewing’s exit from the event. The Las Vegas-based promotion is reportedly seeking a replacement opponent for Basharat on short notice. Ewing vs. Basharat was slated for the early preliminary lineup.

UFC 329 takes place on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight showdown pitting Max Holloway against Conor McGregor. The card airs in its entirety on Paramount+.

10 and Counting After dropping his first two professional appearances, Ewing has won 10 consecutive outings — including two under the UFC banner. “The Professor Finesser” turned heads when he upset the highly-regared Malcolm Wellmaker at UFC 322, and he continued that mome…

Khamzat Chimaev is still focused on a rematch with Sean Strickland. | Getty/UFC

Khamzat Chimaev is applying the pressure for a middleweight championship rematch against Sean Strickland.

Chimaev targeted Strickland in a social media post on Monday. “Borz” relinquished the 185-pound strap to Strickland in a split-decision defeat at UFC 328 on May 9. It was Chimaev’s first loss in 16 professional outings.

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“Accept the fight, don't run. I'll beat you anyway,” Chimaev wrote on X. “The sooner this happens, the easier it will be to breathe.”

Accept the fight, don't run, I'll beat you anyway, The sooner this happens, the easier it will be to breathe 😁@SStricklandMMA

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) June 29, 2026 Change in Plans and Another Worthy Contender While Chimaev initially indicated he would move to light heavyweight following the loss to Strickland, his focus quickly shifted to a rematch shortly thereafter. A …

Macksom Lee hopes to prove himself to UFC matchmakers with an emphatic win at LFA 237. | Getty/DWCS

After suffering his first defeat in 10 MMA fights against Hecher Sosa on Dana White's Contender Series last September, Macksom Lee will return to the cage on July 24 against Carlos Tardio (12-2) in the main event of LFA 237 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

“The best choice I made was to come to the USA to do a camp coordinated by master Roberto “Facada” Neves. It’s the first time I’ve done a camp totally focused on me with sparring emulating my opponent’s style,” Macksom told Sherdog.com.

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Tragedy Strikes The son of Markine Santos—an athlete on the Brazilian national Sanda team— Lee literally grew up in a dojo.

"When I was 5, my father separated from my mother and took me to live with him at his gym. So, I literally grew up on the mats. I started training Sanda between the ages of 8 and 9, competed for the first time at 10, and haven't stopped …

Jon Jones didn’t hesitate while picking between Arman Tsarukyan and Ilia Topuria. 

Jones, Tsarukyan, Petr Yan and Alexander Volkov were all recently in attendance for an International Boxing Association card in Moscow, Russia. Jones was asked who would win a fight between Tsarukyan and Topuria.

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“You already know, Arman all day,” Jones replied.

Tsarukyan then joked that he would have wrestled “Bones” if the latter had picked Topuria. 

Missed Connection Tsarukyan (23-3) should have ideally fought Topuria (17-1) when “El Matador” moved up to lightweight. However, Tsarukyan had fallen out of the UFC’s favor after pulling out of a scheduled title fight against Islam Makhachev. Topuria went on to beat Charles Oliveira to win the vacant lightweight title instead. While Tsarukyan subsequently started calling for a shot against Topuria, the Georgian-Spaniard expressed interest in fighting Paddy Pimblett instead. However, Pimblett went on to los…

Yair Rodriguez is apparently moving up to lightweight. 

Rodriguez (20-5) and Belal Muhammad are teammates at Valle Flow Striking in Bensenville, Illinois. Muhammad recently claimed that “El Pantera” is moving up to lightweight from featherweight. 

Rafael Fiziev knocked out Manuel Torres via a highlight-reel spinning back kick in front of his home fans at UFC Baku last weekend. Muhammad subsequently suggested a matchup between Fiziev and Rodriguez. When a fan noted that Rodriguez is a featherweight, Muhammad Said that the Mexican is moving up to lightweight. Muhammad also revealed that Rodriguez underwent surgery on his wrist after his last win over Patricio Freire. 

Fizev and Yair would be fire

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) June 27, 2026 ’ Shifting Gears and Injury Recovery Rodriguez has had an illustrious career at featherweight, only losing to top talents like Frankie Edgar, Max Holloway, Alexander Volkanovski and Bria…

Sharabutdin Magomedov believes Sean Strickland is afraid of fighting outside the U.S. 

Magomedov (17-1) scored a come-from-behind victory over Strickland’s teammate Michel Pereira at UFC Baku last weekend. Strickland had even mimicked “Shara Bullet” while helping Pereira prepare for the fight. 

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Magomedov has since labeled Strickland (31-7) a “domestic champion.” Magomedov accuses Strickland of not leaving America because he is scared. According to Magomedov, Strickland just acts like a hero in his own gym. Magomedov believes Strickland would ask for additional security if had to go to Abu Dhabi to fight. While Magomedov wants to Strickland in the future, he believes it won’t be anytime soon. ‘Just a Windbag’ “He’s just a windbag,” Magomedov told Red Corner MMA. “His time will come and we’ll meet in the Octagon. There’s where we’ll find out. Even if he keeps talking trash what should I do? Go to America to chose him? He’s like a domestic…

Alex Pereira has gained two allies in his crusade against Herb Dean: Tom Aspinall and Renato "Moicano" Carneiro.

Considered one of Brazil's biggest MMA influencers, “Moicano” published a video on his Youtube channel criticizing Dean's failure to deduct points from Sharabutdin Magomedov after the Russian repeatedly grabbed Michel Pereira’s hair during their bout at UFC Baku.

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"Three weeks in a row where Herb Dean has interfered with results: first at UFC White House, then in the 'Lok Dog' vs. Andre Fili fight fight last week, and now in the Michel vs. Shara fight. The truth is this guy manipulates results. How does he not deduct a point? The Russian committed an eye poke and grabbed Michel's hair three times, yet he did nothing. If he had punished [Magomedov for the infractions], the result would have been a draw. Once again, he made a huge mistake and interfered with a fight's outcome,” Carneiro said.United in Criticism Tom Aspinall—who the previous w…

Alex Pereira seemingly doesn’t deserve the backlash that he is facing for his recent seminar during his United Kingdom tour. 

Pereira (13-3) recently faced criticism for allegedly refusing photographs during a paid meet-and-greet session at a seminar in Keighley, England. However, the organizers for the event, Joyagear, recently issued a statement defending Pereira. As per Joyagear, Pereira was only informed about a one-hour seminar, which he delivered. The organizers claim that “Poatan” was not informed about autograph signings or individual photographs after the session. The organizers promise to fully refund the meet-and-greet ticket holders.

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😲Alex Pereira is getting called out after his seminar in London

Attendees claim he REFUSED to take photos, even the pre paid ones

He refused to sign merch

Also he cut the seminar time pic.twitter.com/eFuFWhw2N7

— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) June 28, 2026 In Defense of…

Terence Crawford believes he is a smarter boxer than Jaron “Boots” Ennis. 

Ennis (36-0) challenged Xander Zayas for the WBO and WBA junior middleweight titles on Saturday in Brooklyn, New York. Ennis scored three knockdowns en route to a seventh-round stoppage win over Zayas. Fans have since started plotting a matchup between “Boots” and Crawford, who retired last December. 

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However, Crawford confirms that he won’t come back from retirement to fight Ennis. Crawford lauded Ennis in every aspect, labelling him a threat to anyone. However, Crawford believes he would outsmart Ennis.Nothing to Prove “I don’t worry about coming back to prove anything,” Crawford told “The Porter Way Podcast.” “… To credit ‘Boots,’ he is a tremendous talent and he’s no walk in the park for no one. He is a threat to anyone that he steps a foot in the ring with. He got tremendous speed, he got great power, defense, reflexes. But the only thing that I can say is, I’m 1…

Ariane Lipski da Silva competed for the PFL, UFC and KSW over the course of a 30-fight pro tenure. | PFL/MMA

The woman known as “The Queen of Violence” has decided to call it a career.

Ariane Lipski da Silva announced her retirement via social media following a first-round submission loss to Jena Bishop at PFL San Diego on Saturday night. Lipski da Silva went 1-1 under the Professional Fighters Leaguebanner but exits the sport having lost four of her last five professional outings.

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"Officially retired from MMA,” Lipski da Silva wrote on Instagram. “Everything has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Yesterday was the last time I stepped into the cage, bringing to a close a journey of nearly 13 years as a professional MMA fighter, with the privilege of competing in the biggest organizations in the world. I'm grateful for everything this sport has given me; for every opportunity, every lesson, and every door it opened along the way. I gav…

Rafael Fiziev was struggling with his vision moments before he put the decisive finishing sequence in motion in the UFC Baku headliner.

“Ataman” rocked and dropped Manuel Torres with a spinning wheel kick, then put his reeling foe away with a barrage of punches 15 seconds into Round 2 of their lightweight clash on Saturday at National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan. Fiziev’s spectacular finish seems even better considering the fact that he was dealing with extenuating circumstances in that moment.

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SPINNING HEEL KICK INTO GNP 🤯

Rafael Fiziev blows the roof off of #UFCBaku 👏

[ LIVE ON @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/3kGbvxosLJ — UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) June 27, 2026

“This guy is strong, he [has] reach, long hands, power,” Fiziev said in an interview with the UFC. “…[His] last jab on my eye, I didn't see anything when I opened my both eyes, but when I closed my left eye, I see good.

“Begi…

Conor McGregor is set to fight for the first time in nearly five years. | Getty/UFC

The full fight card and bout order are set for UFC 329.

The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed the full lineup over the weekend. UFC 329 takes place on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight clash pitting Conor McGregor against Max Holloway. McGregor hasn’t competed since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. The former two-division champion defeated Max Holloway via unanimous decision in a featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 26 on Aug. 17, 2013.

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The UFC 329 main card airs on Paramount+ beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The event kicks off with the early prelims at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT, highlighted by a featured flyweight tilt between Tracy Cortez and Cong Wang. The preliminary draw continues at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. with four more contests, which include the Octagon debut of Gable Steveson and Rob…

Featherweight prospect Salamat Isbulaev saw his undefeated run come to an end in the PFL San Diego headliner.

Given that his opponent was A.J. McKee, that result wasn’t especially surprising. However, Isbulaev’s purse was: The 29-year-old Kazakhstan native took home just $10,000 for his work. The California State Athletic Commission initially released salary figures from the event to MMAFighting.com on Saturday. McKee, meanwhile, earned a flat rate of $100,000 in victory.

Crowd LOVING this main event!! #PFLSanDiego | LIVE NOW on ESPN 2 for MAIN CARD pic.twitter.com/lLzyj5Imkg

— PFL (@PFLMMA) June 28, 2026

McKee and Liz Carmouche, who garnered $100,000 for a submission victory over Viviane Araujo ($20,000) in the evening’s co-main event, where the card’s high earners. The next highest salary was Alexandr Shabliy, who took home $50,000 for a unanimous decision triump over Alfie Davis ($20,000).

Note: The disclosed purses reported b…

Ikram Aliskerov wants to make some noise in his next fight. 

Aliskerov took on Brunno Ferreira (15-4) in a middleweight bout at UFC Baku on Saturday. Aliskerov dominated Ferreira on the ground while holding his own on the feet to score a unanimous decision win. 

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Aliskerov wants an opponent with a big name in his next fight. Aliskerov wants to fight again in October, when the UFC usually hosts its annual Abu Dhabi card.Planning Ahead “Next what I need is big loud fight, a big name,” Aliskerov said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “At least one fight at the end of the year. So, I’m thinking Abu Dhabi for me, in October, works perfectly. I need one good fight, one big name… The choice is not for me. The choice is for Mick [Maynard], for Hunter [Campbell]. If they give me a good name, I’m happy to fight anybody they suggest.”

Aliskerov (18-2) had only lost to Khamzat Chimaev before making his UFC debut in 2023. Chimaev had once acknowl…