Martial Arts News

Islam Makhachev doesn’t hesitate to give credit where it’s due. 

Ilia Topuria will look to defend his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 at the White House. While Makhachev believes Gaethje still has a chance, he thinks “The Highlight” is a little past his prime. Makhachev believes Topuria will rule atop the lightweight division in the near future.

“Topuria is the new generation,” Makhachev told UFC on TNT Sports. “I still believe Gaethje can do something. But he’s a little bit old right now. He’s a good fighter, legend. He showed us many very good fights. But now I think it’s Topuria’s time for lightweight.”

What Might Have Been A matchup between Topuria (17-0) and Makhachev (28-1) is arguably the most anticipated matchup in recent history. Topuria was the featherweight champion when he started calling out Makhachev, who was the lightweight champion then. However, Makhachev didn’t want to give Topuria a title shot until “El …

Islam Makhachev believes Conor McGregor has a tough matchup for his return. 

McGregor is set to return for the first time since 2021 in a rematch against Max Holloway at UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor is a +300 underdog going into the fight against Holloway, a -450 favorite. While Makhachev believes McGregor’s return is good for the sport, the UFC welterweight champion is siding with the oddsmakers on this one.

Good for the Sport “It’s good. Big name for our sport,” Makhachev told UFC on TNT Sports. “But he have tough opponent, Max Holloway, against Conor. I think Max can beat him.”

McGregor (22-6) defeated Holloway (27-9) via a unanimous decision in their first matchup in his sophomore UFC outing in 2013. McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a trilogy loss against Dustin Poirier in 2021. While “Notorious” has teased a return multiple times, it hasn’t come to fruition so far for various reasons. Meanwhile, Holloway has …

Ilia Topuria is leaving no stone unturned in preparing for his upcoming fight. 

Topuria (17-0) puts his lightweight title on the line against interim champion Justin Gaethje (27-5) in the main event at UFC White House on June 14. Topuria recently revealed a neurostimulation device he uses in fight camps. The device, which looks like a complicated headgear, has two variations. The version Topuria was wearing in his YouTube video is used to increase focus before training.

Advertisement

“El Matador” claims the effect of the device is better than 100 cups of coffee. Topuria says there’s another version of the device that is used after training for mental recovery and sleep. Topuria jokes that the only flaw the device has is its weird appearance.Weird But Effective “This is neurostimulation with infrared light and serves for various things, to improve focus, for mental recovery, to improve sleep,” Topuria said on YouTube. “What I notice most is the focus before tr…

Magomed Ankalaev captured light heavyweight gold with a win over Alex Pereira in March 2025. | Getty/UFC

Magomed Ankalaev is set to get back to work for the first time since losing the light heavyweight crown this past October.

Ankalaev will face former title challenger Khalil Rountree in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event, while Umar Nurmagomedov will lock horns with David Martinez in the evening’s bantamweight co-headliner. The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the bouts on Monday. UFC Abu Dhabi — also known as UFC Fight Night 282 — takes place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and airs in its entirety on Paramount+.

Advertisement

Ankalaev last appeared at UFC 320, where he suffered an 80-second technical knockout loss to Alex Pereira in a light heavyweight championship rematch this past October. Prior to that, “Big Ank” authored a 14-bout promotional unbeaten streak that saw him claim 205-pound gold with a five-round verdict over “Po…

Sean Strickland recently unveiled another controversial social media post. | Getty/UFC

Sean Strickland has changed his stance on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. 

Known for being unhinged, Strickland has previously faced backlash for insensitive comments about Palestine. That was actually the beginning of Strickland’s feud with Khamzat Chimaev while they were training together at Xtreme Couture. Belal Muhammad, who is also a staunch supporter of Palestine, had also slammed Strickland for his comments. 

Advertisement

Changing His Tune However, Strickland has since changed his stance on the conflict. Strickland has been repeatedly lashing out at Israel for allegedly “bombing kids.” Following his massive upset win over Chimaev at UFC 328 last month, Strickland also made a joke about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which was censored on the Paramount+ broadcast. Strickland then had an online spat with Jew…

Melquizael Costa had a six-bout winning streak snapped in a loss to Arnold Allen. | Getty/UFC

Melquizael Costa has decided to move up a weight class. 

Costa recently announced on the MMA HOJE podcast that he is officially moving up from featherweight to lightweight. 

Advertisement

It was a good run in this category, but my body can't handle cutting 22 kilos for each fight anymore.Let’s go Lightweight @arielhelwani @UFCBrasil @mmahoje

— 𝙈𝙚𝙡𝙠 “𝐷𝑎𝑙𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑛” 𝘾𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙖 (@MelkCostaCauthy) June 1, 2026 On the Heels of Defeat Costa’s decision comes following his unanimous decision loss against top featherweight contender Arnold Allen last month. While Costa put on a gritty performance, Allen just outclassed him in a technical affair. Costa went 1-2 in his first three UFC outings after making his debut in 2023. “The Dalmatian” then rebounded with a six-fight winning streak, with four finishes, which ended with his loss to Al…

Islam Makhachev recently shared a heartwarming moment with one of his diehard fans. 

Makhachev FaceTimed his fan, who is battling cancer. Makhachev shared words of support and invited the fan to his next fight, expected in August. Makhachev promised to send him tickets for the fight and also to give him one of his T-shirts after the fight.

Advertisement

“Hey, hello uncle, how are you? When you come to visit us? I want to invite you to my next fight in August,” Makhachev said. “I will send you tickets. Uncle, be strong, we will see you soon. I will give you T-shirt after the fight.” UFC Diehard While the name of the fan is not known, he became famous on social media when his daughter shared a video of his UFC-themed birthday party. The UFC took notice and started sending him merchandise, filling up his entire wardrobe. As the man is a hardcore fan of Makhachev, people started sharing his posts so that they could reach the UFC welterweight champion. The post…

Drew Dober made some precise picks for fighters he would train, fight or party with. 

Dober was asked to choose between Michael Chandler, Ilia Topuria, and Josh Hokit to train, fight, or party with. Dober picked Chandler to fight without hesitation. While Chandler is booked to fight Mauricio Ruffy at UFC White House on June 14, Dober believes it should have been him instead of Ruffy.

Advertisement


 “Why am I not fighting Michael Chandler on this card?” Dober told Max Warin on YouTube. “It’s a disservice to Americans, I feel. First and foremost, I will fight Michael Chandler.”

Dober wants to train with Topuria to learn his knockout skills. While Dober is somewhat of a knockout artist himself, he notes that “El Matador” has been putting legends to sleep.

“I would train with [Ilia] Topuria,’ Dober said. “Because 5-foot-7 knocking people out. Dude, teach me your ways. I know I knock people out but he is doing it to cooler people.”

A Potential Spectacl…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship recently released a new video promoting its highly-anticipated White House event.

The focus of the video is the UFC White House co-main event, where Alex Pereira will attempt to become a three-division champion when he faces Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight crown.

Advertisement

I think greatness is drive, determination. It’s about the legacy I leave behind. That’s what greatness is to me,” Pereira says in the video. “Accomplishing your dreams.

“When I look at where I came from and where I am now, that means a lot to me. But I want to do something no one’s ever done: Win the belt and say I’m a three three-division champion.”

UFC White House takes place on June 14 and is headlined by a lightweight title clash between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. The card airs on Paramount+ beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Watch the Latest Promo Video for UFC White House:[embedded content]

Islam Makhachev’s upcoming fight announcement is seemingly overdue. 

Makhachev (28-1) recently attended PSG’s Champions League victory match against Arsenal in Budapest, Hungary. Makhachev revealed that he would be going into fight camp immediately after, eyeing a return in August. Makhachev also acknowledged Ian Garry (17-1) as the frontrunner for the next welterweight title shot against him. While Makhachev also mentioned that there are other contenders, the Dagestani star doesn’t plan on parting with his belt.

Advertisement

“Right after here I’m going to camp,” Makhachev told UFC on TNT Sports. “[Return likely in] August. I will be ready. Lot of contenders but No. 1 is Ian Garry. We still have couple of more [contenders] who want to take the belt but I don’t give no one.” A Variety of Contenders Garry has contenders like Carlos Prates and Michael Morales in the race with him. However, Prates recently said that Garry would fight Makhachev in August. The…

Bryce Mitchell was successful in his bantamweight debut. | Getty/UFC

Bryce Mitchell has received a new opponent less than a week before UFC Fight Night 278.

Mitchell will square off against Santiago Luna at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Luna is a replacement for Victor Henry, who withdrew from the bantamweight bout for undisclosed reasons. The promotion confirmed the change following an intiial report from MMA Latinoamerica.

Taking on a Surging Prospect Mitchell made his 135-pound debut at UFC on ABC 9, where he outpointed Said Nurmagomedov at UFC on ABC 9 last July. “Thug Nasty” began his Octagon tenure at featherweight, where he was victorious in his first six appearances. After going 2-3 in his next three UFC bouts, the Sherwood, Arkansas, native elected to try his hand at bantamweight.

Luna is undefeated in eight pro fights — including two in UFC competition. The 21-year-old Mexican has defeated Quang Le via first-round knockout and Angel Pacheco via de…

Shane Burgos hasn't fought since facing Clay Collard in August 2023. | PFL MMA

Shane Burgos has been quiet for nearly three years, but it appears that’s about to change.

In a post on Instagram, the UFC and Professional Fighters League veteran indicated that he was ready to return to mixed martial arts. The 35-year-old Team Tiger Schulmann representative hasn’t competed since suffering a unanimous decision loss to Clay Collard under the PFL banner in August 2023.

Refreshed and Ready “One more run,” Burgos wrote. “I needed that break from fighting. The weight cuts, the training camps, everything that goes into it burned me out. That’s in the past tho. I’ve never stopped working. I need to be back in that fire again. I miss it. Excited for whatever’s next.”

Burgos debuted in the UFC in 2017, compiling a 8-3 record in the Las Vegas-based organization over the course of a tenure that concluded in 2022. “Hurricane” then signed with the PFL, where he went 1-2 …