Blog

Paddy Pimblett believes Ilia Topuria is just too small a lightweight.

Topuria (17-1) won and defended the featherweight title once before moving up to lightweight. Topuria was a massive favorite when he put his lightweight title on the line against Justin Gaethje (28-5) at UFC Freedom 250 last month.

Advertisement

However, Gaethje battered Topuria and bloodied him up, forcing his corner to throw the towel after four rounds.The Ilia Topuria lightweight debate Pimblett (23-4) had originally been eyeing a title shot against Topuria. However, Gaethje defeated “The Baddy” to win the interim title earlier this month. Pimblett believes he would send Topuria back to featherweight if they were to fight now. The Liverpudlian notes that there are weight classes for a reason. Pimblett also believes it was Gaethje’s destiny to beat him and win the title against Topuria as an American at the White House.

“I always say we have weight classes for a reason,” Pimblett told Spinni…

Josh Emmett is looking to return to the lightweight division as he enters the twilight of his career.

The 41-year-old started his run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship competing at 155 pounds before dropping down and committing to featherweight back in 2017. Now on a three-fight losing streak, the American is eyeing a move back up.

Advertisement

Josh Emmett reflects on ‘crazy’ weight cut at featherweight Emmett went as far as competing for the interim featherweight championship, but he’s now lost five of his last six bouts. He recently admitted that the weight cut is “crazy” and revealed his desire to switch to the lightweight division.

“I’ll definitely fight before the end of the year,” Emmett told MMAFighting. “I’m enjoying some things that I’ve wanted to do for a while, so I’m doing that right now. Maybe anywhere from October to early December, and I might go back up to 155. Just that the cut to ‘45 is just crazy.”

“It’s so hard, and I think it is …

Diego Lopes celebrates following his win at "UFC Freedom 250." | 📷: Getty/UFC

Diego Lopes is pondering a change of scenery.

The two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title challenger is debating leaving the weight class, claiming that he wants to compete at lightweight in his next fight. Lopes last fought at UFC Freedom 250, where he finished Steve Garcia.

Diego Lopes lightweight move and UFC featherweight title picture While Lopes is still among the top featherweights, two losses to current champion Alexander Volkanovski puts him far from title contention, and his next move potentially opens up new possibilities.

“It’s a little difficult.,” Lopes told MMA Fighting. “As long as Volkanovski doesn’t retire, it’s going to be hard to get another title shot. I’d have to be rooting for him to lose, but I’d rather see him retire as champion because he was such a great champion for the division. I’m definitely in a bit of a tough spot.”

…

Despite coming up short in his two previous attempts at undisputed gold in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Justin Gaethje never lost faith.

Gaethje became an undisputed champion for the first time at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House in Washington, D.C., and it wasn’t an easy path. After nearly being finished in the second round courtesy of a body shot, Gaethje rallied and bounced back to beat Ilia Topuria in a massive upset in the main event.

Advertisement

Gaethje previously lost by submission to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira in championship bouts, in addition to losing the BMF belt via knockout to Max Holloway. Nevertheless, “The Highlight” always knew he’d achieve his goals.Justin Gaethje reflects on his path to gloryDuring the latest episode the “What Hones You” podcast, Trevor Wittman, Gaethje’s coach, asked the champ about the doubts he had regarding whether he’d actually become an undisputed champion. The UFC lightweight replied, “I mean, …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has added several new bouts to UFC 330, which goes down in Philadelphia on Aug. 15.UFC 330 adds more firepowerIn his second fight since a brief retirement, Jalin Turner returns to action against Kaue Fernandes. Also on the card, veteran welterweight Neil Magny will take on Ramiz Brahimaj. Furthermore, Geoff Neal will lock horns with Chidi Njokuani and Mansur Abdul-Malik will aim to return to winning ways against Dustin Stoltzfus.

Advertisement

UFC 330 is to be headlined by Islam Makhachev defending his welterweight title against Ian Garry. Mackenzie Dern will defend her strawweight title against Gillian Robertson in the co-main event.

Other fights on the card include ranked flyweights Erin Blanchfield and Jasmine Jasudavicius colliding, Jeremiah Wells taking on Myktybek Orolbai at welterweight, Vicente Luque against Tresean Gore at middleweight and veteran lightweight Edson Barboza toeing the line with Esteban Ribovics.

UFC 33…

Mario Bautista doesn’t want to leave it up to the judges in his upcoming fight.

Bautista is set to take on Cory Sandhagen in a bantamweight matchup at UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He believes Sandhagen has a clear wrestling disadvantage against him, and plans to push the pace early.

Advertisement

Mario Bautista On His Game Plan For Cory Sandhagen With his last fight being a decision loss, Bautista doesn’t want to let Sandhagen use his evasive movement to bank rounds. Their upcoming clash being a three-rounder, he is eager to avoid leaving it to the judges.

Eyeing a definitive finish, Bautista told Home of Fight: “I’m gonna be hunting that finish. I think it’s obvious where he’s not really the best, which is on the mat. So I’m gonna be hunting for that finish. Pushing hard. We got three rounds. So I’m gonna have to get on the gas right away. I can’t just let him get away with a decision and run around or anything. I think it’s gonna be an exc…

Valter Walker has Rousimar Palhares-esque plans for Josh Hokit.

Hokit’s rapid rise to stardom in the Ultimate Fighting Championship has been fueled by his brazen trash talk that has fans divided. Walker recently noted that the American heavyweight had insulted his home country of Brazil ahead of his Dana White’s Contender Series fight against Guilherme Uriel last year.

Advertisement

Walker believes he will eventually cross paths with Hokit inside the Octagon. Known for his heel hook submissions, the Brazilian is confident that he will catch “The Incredible Hok” with one.

Furthermore, he claims he doesn’t want to let go even if Hokit taps. Walker wants to send the American to surgery for a broken foot. However, he might have to reconsider if doesn’t want to get banned forever like Palhares, who was notorious for holding on to leglocks far too long.

Walker told Home of Fight: “This guy is no problem for me. This guy, Josh Hokit, I can break his leg. But pleas…

Jon Jones advises Ilia Topuria to be honest with himself in the aftermath of his first professional loss.

Topuria (17-1) was a massive favorite going into his title unification bout against Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 last month. However, the latter handed “El Matador” a brutal beating, forcing his corner to stop the fight after the fourth round. While Gaethje finally captured gold in his third crack at the crown, Topuria suffered his first career loss.

Advertisement

Ilia Topuria’s first UFC loss and Jon Jones’ comeback advice Jones, who is essentially undefeated with his lone career loss being a controversial disqualification, believes Topuria can come back stronger from the defeat. “Bones” claims to have heard that the former two-division champion is humble and honest in defeat, and believes acknowledging one's own mistakes instead of making excuses is the key to returning from a loss.

Jones told Red Corner MMA: “Ilia’s gonna be in a good position. He ha…

Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev didn’t know the most popular YouTuber in the world until recently.

Yakhyaev has drawn plaudits with a series of impressive finishes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. However, fans also noticed similarities between Yakhyaev and YouTube sensation Jimmy Donaldson, also known as MrBeast.

Advertisement

Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev’s UFC record and MrBeast comparisons Yakhyaev recently revealed that he had no idea who MrBeast was before he caught wind of the online comparisons following his knockout win over Raffael Cerqueira at UFC Qatar this past November. After checking out MrBeast, Yakhyaev doesn’t think he looks like the YouTuber and isn’t enjoying the comparisons.

He even jokes that MrBeast needs to shave off his mustache, telling Red Corner MMA, “To be honest with you, I didn’t even know who he was. But after the fight in Qatar, when they started making those comparisons, I checked him out and found out that he’s some vlogger who’s popula…

😅 Jon Jones reacts to Alex Pereira loss with a video of himself wearing a goat necklace.

It took Jones a few minutes to finish Ciryl Gane. pic.twitter.com/IZBdgLKwOB

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) June 15, 2026

Advertisement

Jon Jones claims he meant no disrespect to Alex Pereira with his GOAT necklace video.

Pereira (13-4) looked to create history by winning a third Ultimate Fighting Championship title when he fought Ciryl Gane for interim heavyweight gold at UFC Freedom 250 last month. However, Gane stopped Pereira in the second round.

In the immediate aftermath of Pereira’s loss, Jones (28-1) shared a video of himself sporting a GOAT necklace, drawing backlash for kicking Pereira while he was down. Even “Poatan” was surprised by Jones’ post, considering they have only shared mutual respect in the past.Jon Jones and Alex Pereira’s GOAT debate after UFC loss Jones recently clarified that the video wasn’t aimed at Pereira.…

Justin Gaethje’s coach, Trevor Wittman, appreciates Aleksandre Topuria’s cornerwork.

Gaethje (29-5) challenged Aleksandre’s brother, Ilia Topuria (17-1), for the undisputed lightweight title at UFC Freedom 250 last month. While Ilia was a massive favorite, Gaethje viciously piled on the damage in the third and fourth rounds.

Advertisement

Despite showing immense grit to fight through Gaethje’s offense, Ilia was barely able to see at the end of the fourth round, prompting Aleksandre to force a stoppage before the fifth. Notably, the ringside doctor seemingly came close to stopping the bout at the end of the third round.Trevor Wittman discusses Aleksandre Topuria’s decision to stop Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje Wittman lauds the concern that Aleksandre had for his brother. While some of the conversations in the Topuria corner were lost in translation, the veteran coach claims Ilia had made it clear that he couldn’t continue after a point. Wittman believes an athle…

Josh Hokit is trying to set himself up for a heavyweight title shot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Heavyweight king Tom Aspinall has been sidelined due to an eye injury suffered in his first title defense against Ciryl Gane last October, which ended in a no contest. Gane then won the interim title with his technical knockout victory over Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250, and Hokit has now addressed all the aforementioned heavyweights.

Advertisement

Gane’s win over Pereira wasn’t without controversy, as yet another foul from the Frenchman became a talking point in the aftermath. “Poatan” alleges strikes to the back of his head played a key role in the finishing sequence and has since repeatedly berated veteran referee Herb Dean for his handling of the situation.

Hokit has now taken to social media to mock Pereira’s complaints. He also recommended that the UFC cut Aspinall from the roster. The unbeaten heavyweight believes Gane made Aspinall quit and that …

Sean O'Malley is eager to run it back with Petr Yan after knocking out Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Freedom 250.

Yan, the current Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion, and former champion Merab Dvalishvili are expected to square off in a trilogy fight next, and O’Malley, who has a win over Yan, wants to take on the Russian.

Advertisement

Sean O’Malley Talks Petr Yan Rematch After UFC Freedom 250 “I’ve been hearing Petr and Merab are going to fight for a long time — still nothing booked,” O’Malley told Kamaru Usman on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. “I don’t know if it’s Merab’s nose or Petr’s back. It sucks. One of those guys is obviously holding it up, and I don’t think it’s Merab. I think Merab would fight with his arm cut off. So, I think Petr is probably just dealing with some injuries.”

O’Malley admitted that if Yan is dealing with injuries, he should take more time before facing Merab. “You can’t fight Merab on half-a**ed camps,” he added. “You need a…

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.

Advertisement

‼️ 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.

Advertisement

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. 

Advertisement

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. 

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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…