Martial Arts News

Diego Lopes believes we might see a massive upset in the UFC Freedom 250 main event—and he is willing to explain why.

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As Ilia Topuria (17-0) looks to defend his lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje (27-5) in the headliner of the UFC White House card on June 14, he figures to enter the Octagon as a 5-to-1 favorite or greater. Lopes initially favored Topuria, but claims he has changed his mind recently and is pulling for Gaethje to pull off the upset he feels is more of a possibility than most observers will admit. Lopes, who is scheduled to open up the event in a featherweight tilt with Steve Garcia, told Ariel Helwani:

“99% of the people think Topuria takes the win, I thought so before too. But now I jumped to Gaethje’s side. Because this is like a car crash. In a car crash there 50-50 [chance]. Gaethje has heavy hands. I hope Justin Gaethje surprises everyone and me too.”

Lopes also believes Topuria has yet to face a kn…

Tom Aspinall’s relationship with the Ultimate Fighting Championship may not be as sour as some think.

UFC heavyweight champion Aspinall (15-3) is currently sidelined due to eye injuries suffered in his title defense against Ciryl Gane (13-2) last year. Gane is now scheduled to fight Alex Pereira (13-3) for an interim heavyweight title in the co-headliner at UFC White House: Freedom 250 on June 14.

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Dana White recently revealed that if Aspinall was fit, he would have defended his title against Pereira at the White House, leaving Gane out of the picture.

“100% [Aspinall vs. Pereira] would have been the fight if he was fit,” White told UFC on TNT Sports. “A lot of our champions are hurt right now. There’s a lot of things you have to deal with when you’re making these matches, with timing and everything else going on in everyone’s life, injuries. But yeah, it would have been Tom.”

Aspinall’s first title defense ended in an unfortunate no-contest …

Steve Garcia has a big fight coming up this weekend—and a similarly big chip on his shoulder.

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“Mean Machine” (19-5) is set to face two-time former title challenger Diego Lopes (27-8) in the opening bout of UFC White House: Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House. Heading into the biggest fight of his career, the 34-year-old New Mexico native claimed that he doesn’t receive due credit for the body of work he has put in. Despite riding one of the longest win streaks in the entire division at seven straight—six of them by knockout—Garcia lamented his lack of recognition, telling Ariel Helwani:

“I do still feel disrespected. I do feel like people don't count me seriously, but I finally get a platform where I can go out there and continue to prove otherwise. I have seven knockouts in the UFC, eight wins... I've knocked out several guys, and, bro, I don't even have a Topps card. Everybody on the White House card pretty much has a Topps card… I got a bi…

Things are heating up between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje ahead of their upcoming fight.

Topuria (17-0) will look to defend his lightweight title against interim champ Gaethje (27-5) in the main event of UFC White House: Freedom 250 on Sunday, June 14. While both Topuria and Gaethje were initially respectful toward each other, they have now started a serious war of words.

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Topuria recently got divorced from his ex-wife, Giorgina Uzcategui Badell. Gaethje said he understands why Topuria’s wife divorced him, as even he wouldn’t want to be roommates with “El Matador.” Topuria did not take kindly to Gaethje’s personal dig at him. Topuria responded:

“Justin crossed a line. What happened between my ex-wife and me is our business. We may no longer be together, but she is the mother of my daughter. To everyone insulting her or speaking about things they know nothing about: show some respect. You don’t have to respect our relationship. But respecting so…

Pereira and Vakhitov went 1-1 in a pair of 2021 title fights (Photo: Glory Kickboxing)

Ciryl Gane is training with the last man to defeat Alex Pereira in kickboxing, but Pereira claims to be unfazed.

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Gane (13-2), who faces Pereira (13-3) for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main event of UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday in Washington, D.C., has enlisted Artem Vakhitov in his camp to help prepare for the fight against Pereira. Vakhitov is a former two-time Glory Kickboxing light heavyweight champion with a 3-1 MMA record including a victorious appearance on Dana White's Contender Series in 2024.

Significantly, the 35-year-old Russian defeated Pereira by majority decision at Glory 78 in September of 2021, winning back the Glory light heavyweight belt and marking Pereira’s last loss in kickboxing before making his final transition to MMA. The narrow decision brought the pair even after their similarly competitive first bout eight month…

The lightweight title fight headlining UFC Freedom 250 definitely has the attention of one man who recently held that belt.

UFC welterweight champ Islam Makhachev, who relinquished the lightweight title last year in his quest for a second title, recently weighed in on the upcoming clash between his successor, Ilia Topuria, and interim champ Justin Gaethje.

In an interview shared Monday by the UFC’s official social media channels, Makhachev predicted that White House card will be a treat for fans. Gaethje (27-5) will enter the cage as a prohibitive underdog to the undefeated Topuria (17-0) in Sunday’s main event, but Makhachev does not dismiss the American’s chances. However, Makhachev believes the eight-year age gap will be an advantage for the younger Topuria. Makhachev is picking “El Matador” to defeat Gaethje. Regardless of the outcome, Makhachev believes the fight will be fan-friendly and definitely won’t go the distance.

“Of course, I’m not counting…

UFC White House: Freedom 250 won’t be the first time that Steve Garcia has fought outdoors.

Garcia (19-5) is scheduled to open the iconic UFC White House card in a featherweight tilt against Diego Lopes (27-8) on June 14. Fighters, pundits and even UFC boss Dana White have expressed various concerns about the promotion’s first outdoor event.

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Garcia, speaking from experience, recently listed his concerns about fighting in the Octagon that will be set up on the South Lawn of the White House. Garcia has fought outdoors twice in his career before. The first time was at night, where he had to face a common issue -- bugs. Many, including White, have expressed concerns about insects at the UFC White House event. Garcia’s first outdoor event, being an amateur one, he also had to deal with lighting issues.

However, Garcia had to weather a more serious issue in his second outdoor event, which was also his professional debut in 2013. Garcia says that the cage…

Sean Brady saw some holes in Belal Muhammad’s game.

Muhammad took on Gabriel Bonfim in a welterweight matchup in the main event at UFC Fight Night 278 on Saturday. Bonfim delivered a master class on the feet, never letting Muhammad get his wrestling game going. While “Remember the Name” put on a display of heart and chin, Bonfim beat him down for five rounds to earn the win by dominant unanimous decision.

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Muhammad’s former opponent Brady believes the former champ failed to use a few weapons at his disposal. Namely, when Bonfim kicked, Brady expected Muhammad to either catch the limb or counter it more effectively. Brady noted that Muhammad fought on his back foot for most of the fight, which significantly hampered his wrestling. However, Brady also gave the victor Bonfim credit for placing himself in the best place to win the fight. Brady said on the UFC post-fight show:

“I think [Muhammad] could have worked on catching the kicks a lot more. Gabrie…

Kyle Daukaus had to conquer some demons after the end of his first stint with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Daukaus (17-4) is scheduled to fight Bo Nickal (8-1) in a middleweight matchup on the UFC White House card on June 14. The placement of Daukaus on the seven-bout billing surprised many, given that one year ago, Daukaus was on the outside of the UFC looking in. His first stint did not go well, with the Pennsylvanian washing out of the promotion with a record of 2-4-1.

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After leaving the UFC, “The D’Arce Knight” saddled back up with his developmental organization of Cage Fury Fighting Championships in the tri-state area. In the span of a year, Daukaus crushed four foes to pick up a title and rebuild his confidence. A late replacement opportunity against Michel Pereira in 2025 worked in his favor as he staged the surprise upset in his UFC return to make himself one to watch in the division going forward. His 50-second submission of Gerald Mee…

Bo Nickal believes people often undermine the body of work he put in before his Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

Nickal is scheduled to fight Kyle Daukaus (17-4) in a middleweight clash on the UFC White House card on June 14. Like many of Nickal’s previous bookings on high-profile cards, some fans believe he didn’t deserve a spot on the iconic seven-fight White House show.

Nickal (8-1) tries not to take criticism lobbed towards him personally, noting that while he transitioned into MMA in 2021, he has been toiling hard on the wrestling mats for most of his life. Nickal does not entirely understand the hatred cast his way, as he doesn’t call the shots regarding his matchmaking. The wrestler claims he has accepted every matchup that the UFC has offered him so far. Nickal said in an interview with the UFC:

“I mean, it’s natural for people to just be jealous in general. I think a lot of people think that I haven’t earned this spot. What they don’t realize is t…

Arman Tsarukyan is going all in on the UFC White House headliner.

Interim champion Justin Gaethje (27-5) challenges Ilia Topuria (17-0) to unify the lightweight belts on June 14 at the White House. Sportsbooks and experts have prognosticated that the reach and prominence of these bouts may break single-event MMA betting records. Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight contender Tsarukyan is contributing his own share to the pot, to the tune of $1 million.

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Tip the dealer The Armenian by way of Russia has put down a million dollars on the bout between Topuria and Gaethje. Recording himself on video placing the bet with +570 underdog odds, Tsarukyan has put it all on Gaethje to win. Should “The Highlight” get the job done on Sunday, Tsarukyan can clear $5 million on this bet alone. He posted a screenshot of his betting slip on social media, while promising Gaethje he will buy him a new truck should he defeat Topuria.

Tsarukyan has developed a littl…

Ciryl Gane takes responsibility for poking Tom Aspinall in the eyes.

Gane challenged Aspinall for the undisputed heavyweight title at UFC 320 last October. The highly anticipated matchup met with an anticlimactic end as Gane unintentionally poked Aspinall in both eyes at the same time in the first round. The fight was declared a no contest after Aspinall was unable to continue despite taking four out of the five allotted minutes to recover. Although early into the matchup, some suggested Gane was getting the better of the Brit while it lasted.

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Gane admits that he made a mistake, although it was unintentional. “Bon Gamin” explains that he had mistimed a kick to the midsection, which Aspinall tried to capitalize on by moving forward. The Frenchman instinctively extended his hand to push Aspinall back and ended up poking his eyes.The division keeps turning With Aspinall still recovering from the eye injury, Gane is now scheduled to fight Alex Pereira for…