Martial Arts News

Ilia Topuria was humbled at UFC White House. | Getty/UFC

Islam Makhachev is enjoying Ilia Topuria’s humbling lesson at the UFC White House event. 

Topuria (17-1) put his lightweight title on the line against interim champion Justin Gaethje (28-5) in the main event at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House. “El Matador” repeatedly affirmed that he would knock Gaethje out in the very first round. Topuria also claimed that he had a video predicting how he would knock Gaethje out, which would be released after the fight. Topuria even celebrated his expected victory with friends and family a day before the fight. 

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However, Gaethje bloodied Topuria up in the very first round. While Topuria gained momentum in the second round, he seemingly spent up his energy trying to finish Gaethje. “The Highlight” busted up a visibly tired Topuria in the third round. While the cageside doctor even appeared to be calling the fight off due to …

Justin Gaethje had a performance for the ages on Sunday. | Getty/UFC

Justin Gaethje was the man of the hour at UFC White House.

By authoring an all-time upset and being one-half of a “Fight of the Year” candidate, the newly-crowned UFC lightweight champion earned a whopping $825,000 in post-fight bonuses on Sunday. Not only did Gaethje receive a $425,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his fourth-round stoppage of Topuria in the evening’s lightweight headliner, but he and his opponent shared “Fight of the Night” honors and $400,000 apiece.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the elevated bonus structure ahead of the landmark event.

Gaethje survived some serious adversity in the second stanza when Topuria landed multiple damaging body shots and later threatened with ground-and-pound and submissions after assuming full mount. Gaethje showcased his resolve and took control down the stretch, battering Topuria to a point where his corner waved off the b…

Sherdog's live UFC White House: Freedom 250 coverage will begin Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Lopes (-175); Garcia (+140)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Nickal (-350); Daukaus (+280)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Ruffy (-7…

President Donald Trump’s son allegedly asked Daniel Cormier about potentially “rigged” fights at the White House. 

Cormier is on commentary duty for UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House. “DC” posted now-deleted screenshots of an alleged chat with President Trump’s eldest son, Eric Trump. 

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Eric initially asked Cormier for any fight predictions and if he was betting. Cormier told Eric that, as an employee, he is not allowed to bet on UFC fights. Eric then asked Cormier if any of the fighters on the card were injured. Cormier said the fighters were all in good shape while expressing confusion about Eric’s question. Eric then cut to the chase and directly asked Cormier about any potentially rigged fights.

“I'll just cut to the chase,” Eric allegedly wrote. “Are any of the fights tomorrow rigged? I've been eyeing the Lopes fight and I think an upset wouldn't be too unrealistic. $$”

Cormier responded: “No none of our fights rigged…

Sean Strickland didn’t make it to the UFC White House event, but he did manage to cause a scene a little before the card was scheduled to begin.

The UFC middleweight champion briefly made his way to the promotion’s fan fest at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. However, after entering a WWE ring and delighting nearby fans, Strickland was escorted off the premises by security.

“I may have been charged with disorderly conduct. I don’t know what that is but it sounds cool,” Strickland said later on his Instagram Stories. “Anyways, I just want to thank you fans. I can’t thank you guys enough. After being banned, you guys riding, supporting me, it means a lot to me.”

It is currently unclear if Strickland has been formally charged at this point in time.

Making Waves Strickland caused a stir leading up to UFC White House when he claimed that he was banned from attending the event due to controversial remarks he made about Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netany…

The aftermath of the Khamzat Chimaev-Dillon Danis pairing at RAF 10 has garnered much more attention than the match itself.

After the former UFC middleweight champion scored a quick victory over Danis, Chimaev kicked the legs of a grounded “El Jefe,” sparking a huge melee at the Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis. Danis appeared to draw Chimaev’s ire by holding on to his foot at the conclusion of the match.

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A HUGE BRAWL JUST ERUPTED AT RAF BETWEEN Khamzat Chimaev AND Dillon Danis

HOLY SH*T 🤯pic.twitter.com/wOp3OyIn76

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) June 14, 2026 Danis also attempted a guillotine on Chimaev after being taken down earlier in the match.

In case you missed why Khamzat was pissed off at Dillon Danis - here's Dillon Danis ripping a high wrist guillotine pic.twitter.com/WJb2FuOkSC

— Josie Aldo (@JosieAldoMMA) June 14, 2026

Chimaev has since broken his silence on the situation…

Jon Jones has yet to fully commit to retirement.

Despite calling for his release after a recent falling out with the UFC, Jones has seemingly not given up on the idea of competing again. Former opponent Ciryl Gane recently lauded Jones as the best fighter on the current UFC roster as well as the best UFC fighter of all time. 

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Jones (28-1) appreciated Gane’s compliment, while claiming to be still a part of the UFC roster. “Bones” also says that he is capable of competing again.Not Done Yet? “Still on the roster, still capable of making the biggest fights on the globe,” Jones wrote on his Instagram Stories. “I appreciate you for keeping it real.” Jones returned to action after three years in 2023 and made quick work of Gane to win the vacant UFC heavyweight title. Jones defended the title against Stipe Miocic before avoiding a matchup against interim champion Tom Aspinall. “Bones” continued ducking Aspinall for nearly a year before unceremoniou…

Islam Makhachev had to call an ambulance after taking the wrong pills. 

Makhachev (28-1) welcomed Arman Tsarukyan to the UFC in 2019, beating him via unanimous decision. Makhachev recently revealed that he wasn’t feeling well after the fight and threw up. Right as Makhachev started relaxing, one of his teammates insisted that he should take activated charcoal pills. Makhachev took seven pills after some convincing. 

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Makhachev’s teammate then suddenly realized that he had administered the wrong pills. However, Makhachev’s stomach was too empty even to throw up. While Makhachev’s friend tried to find a manganese solution as a cure, it couldn’t be procured without a prescription. They eventually called an ambulance and found out that Makhachev had taken seven laxative pills. The Dagestani star took a month and a half to recover from that, while sticking to milk and rice.A Painful Mistake “Muslim says, ‘Take some activated charcoal, it’s going …

Georges St. Pierre believes Aiemann Zahabi beats Sean O'Malley if he avoids making mistakes. 

Zahabi will take on O’Malley in a bantamweight tilt at UFC White House on Sunday. Zahabi’s brother, Firas Zahabi, is often credited for shaping St. Pierre into one of the greatest fighters to have ever graced the sport. St. Pierre and Firas will be in Aiemann’s corner at the White House on Sunday. 

St. Pierre is impressed with Zahabi’s preparation for the matchup against O’Malley. The former UFC double champ and Hall of Famer believes Zahabi will beat “Suga” if he performs as he does in the gym. “Rush” says Zahabi, just has to avoid “f—-ing it up” to get his hands raised against O’Malley.

‘Just Be Yourself’ “I feel good about this,” St. Pierre told UFC on TNT Sports. “After seeing how he recuperated in a very small amount of time after his weight cut, it’s just amazing. He looks like the Hulk right now… Aiemann will be successful tomorrow; he just needs to be as…

Islam Makhachev was struggling in a street fight when Khabib Nurmagomedov stepped in to change the outcome. 

Makhachev (28-1) and Nurmagomedov (29-0) grew up together in the mountains of Dagestan, which are known for a tough upbringing. Both UFC stars have repeatedly mentioned how they had to stand their ground in street fights to avoid being bullied. 

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Makhachev recently recalled a massive fight involving rival schools with around 500 guys on each side. Makhachev’s side was struggling as the other side had older guys. It was then that Nurmagomedov, three years older than Makhachev, stepped in with some of his friends. The tide swayed, and the other side took heel, which boosted the confidence of Makhachev and his friends.‘We Needed Some Fire’ “Once we had a scuffle 500 vs. 500, school vs. school,” Makhachev told Red Corner MMA. “And we were too young, but on the other side they had older guys, so we struggled against them. We needed some fi…

Tom Aspinall and Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden are both not in the United States, which is currently hosting major events in their respective sports. 

UFC heavyweight champion Aspinall (15-3) is currently sidelined due to an eye injury suffered in his first title defense against Ciryl Gane last year. Meanwhile, Gane is scheduled to fight Alex Pereira for an interim heavyweight title in the co-main event of the iconic UFC White House card on Sunday. While the champion of the division is typically present in the interim title fights, Aspinall has not been invited to the White House. 

Meanwhile, Foden has failed to make it to the English national soccer squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in America. Aspinall recently met Foden, finding common ground over not being in the U.S. during crucial events in their respective sports.

Uncertain Future The winner of the fight between Gane and Pereira should ideally fight Aspinall in a title unifier. However…

Diego Lopes is always ready to save the day for the UFC.

Lopes is scheduled to open the iconic UFC White House card in a featherweight clash against Steve Garcia on Sunday. Lopes successfully made the non-title limit of 146 pounds for his matchup against Garcia. 

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However, Lopes reappeared at the weigh-ins to step on the scale for another weight class. Lopes later successfully weighed in at 154 pounds as the backup fighter for the lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. The Brazilian reveals that he contacted Hunter Campbell when he heard that the originally planned backup fighter, Arman Tsarukyan, wouldn’t be weighing in. Campbell gave the green light to Lopes, who stands a chance at a lightweight title shot if any of the main event fighters are forced out for some reason. 

Diego Lopes officially comes in at 145lbs…AND 155lbs for tomorrow’s #UFCWhiteHouse card!

[ 8pmET | LIVE on @Para…