Martial Arts News

Greg Jackson won't be in the corner of Josh Hokit or Steve Garcia at UFC White House. | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Two Jackson-Wink MMA athletes will be without one of their primary coaches on the biggest stage of their careers to date.

According to a report from the Albuquerque Journal, Greg Jackson will not corner Josh Hokit or Steve Garcia in their bouts at UFC White House on June 14. Hokit initially revealed the news on social media, saying that Jackson wouldn’t be present for “personal reasons.” Hokit will face Derrick Lewis at heavyweight, will Garcia will square off against Diego Lopes in a featherweight tilt.

Advertisement

My coach Greg Jackson will not be coaching me on the White House fight for personal reasons… I don’t have a coach now… will the ring girls corner me please… tag them for me🙏

— The Incredible Hok (@Josh_HokitUFC) April 18, 2026 Sitting This One Out This week, Jackson confirmed to the Journal via…

Francis Ngannou will return to MMA on May 16. | PFL MMA

One of the bigger “what if” fights in recent MMA history was a potential heavyweight booking between Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones.

While both men were once under the UFCbanner, the bout never came to fruition, as the promotion had difficulties negotiating with both men at various times during their respective tenures. According to Ngannou, Jones was never a realistic possibility while he was in the UFC.

Advertisement

“It was never really on the table, so I don’t have to be disappointed. The only time that he seems like a possibility was when he was used as bait, something to bait me,” Ngannou told ESPN.

Ngannou eventually left the UFC, vacating the heavyweight title in the process. He then signed with Professional Fighters League, which allowed him to compete in lucrative boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua prior to his debut. In his lone PFL appearance, “The Predator” knoc…

Gilbert Burns saw some hard times early in his career. 

Burns recently recalled a heartbreaking phone call with his mother. Burns couldn’t even pay his own rent when he suffered a bout of bronchitis. “Durinho” called his mother, planning to ask her for some money to buy medicines. Burns didn’t want to ask for money right away and had a lengthy conversation with his mother. However, it was Burns’ mother who ended up asking for his help instead. Burns promised her that while he didn’t have any money then, he would send some soon. The Brazilian remembers telling himself after the incident that he didn’t have any choice other than becoming successful in life.

Advertisement

I Have to Make It Happen 
 “My rent would be like $7-8 a month, that I didn’t have to pay. I have guys helping out, paying my rent,” Burns said in a recent interview (via Home of Fight). “That week I was having bronchitis, I was gonna call my mom just to see if she had money for medicine to help…

Darren Till is disappointed with the UFC's recent state of affairs. 

Till slammed the UFC over lackluster cards, which he claims he doesn’t even watch anymore. “The Gorilla” believes his former boss, Dana White, is no longer focused on the UFC. Till further went off on Dana White for his handling of the media. White recently snapped at a reporter who brought up criticism against AI use in UFC promotional videos. Till says White needs to put his ego aside and respond sincerely to questions.

Advertisement

Lacking Intrigue “I do like Dana,” Till said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “But I just think Dana’s ego is getting a little bit out of control. I think he’s totally switched off from the UFC. I don’t even watch the UFC anymore. I couldn’t tell you half the people who fight there. The events aren’t juicy no more. I’m pissed off, to be honest, with the media side of things. Every time Dana’s in a scrum, it’s like these reporters are scared to say the real thing. …

Jean Silva knocked Charles Jourdain back into his senses by knocking him out. 

Jourdain (18-8) is coming off a unanimous decision win in a “Fight of the Night” battle against Kyler Phillips in front of his home crowd at UFC Winnipeg last weekend. This was Jourdain’s third consecutive bonus-winning performance in as many outings since he moved to bantamweight from featherweight in 2024. “Air” credits the impressive streak to a knockout loss against Silva, which prompted the move to bantamweight. Weeks following the knockout loss, Jourdain’s wife informed him that she was pregnant. Jourdain had to make a choice between giving up his dreams and turning his life around, and he took the tougher path.

Advertisement

“I have to thank Jean Silva,” Jourdain said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “Ever since I got knocked out, he put sense into me—going to 135, three in a row, three bonuses in a row. Jean Silva changed my life with that uppercut… I had no hope anymore for mys…

Renato "Moicano" Carneiro is not a fan of the UFC using artificial intelligence for promotional videos. 

As AI takes over various forms of content across different spheres, the UFC also hasn’t been spared from its influence. The UFC has recently faced backlash from fans over use of AI in their content. 

Advertisement

“Moicano” is also critical of the UFC about using AI for promotional content. Being a fan himself, the UFC lightweight thinks it's disrespectful to fans, who can clearly see through the lack of effort. With two of the UFC’s biggest stars, Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria, set to compete at the White House in June, “Moicano” doesn’t think it should be a big deal to fly them down to Washington to shoot some content. While Carneiro is also a content creator, he tries to avoid the use of AI as he considers it “brain rot.”A Sign of Disrespect “UFC is not going to be very happy for me to say that, but I didn’t like it,” Carneiro said on “The Ariel He…

Jasmine Jasudavicius’ fight against Karine Silva was mostly uninteresting, barring a brief moment. 

Jasudavicius (15-4) took on Silva in front of a home crowd at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on Saturday. Jasudavicius picked up a unanimous decision win in a lukewarm bout mostly marked with inaction. However, a moment in Jasudavicius’s corner captured fans’ attention. The 37-year-old was seen fiddling with something behind her lips, which fans suspected was a nicotine pouch. 

Advertisement

However, Jasudavicius denies using a nicotine pouch in her fight. Jasudavicius finds the accusations even funnier as she claims to be among the very few fighters from her gym who don’t use Zyn, a popular brand of nicotine pouches used under the lip. Jasudavicius claims that she usually uses chewing gum during workouts and warm-up, and forgot to spit one out before walking into the Octagon at UFC Winnipeg.

Looks Can Be Deceiving “It’s so …

Sean Strickland confirms that not all the best fighters in the world are a part of the UFC roster. 

Strickland recently shared high praise for his training partner Johnny Eblen. Following a sparring session with Eblen, Strickland joked that the UFC should never sign “Pressure.” Strickland wants Eblen to stay put in the Professional Fighters League because he would be a threat to the entire UFC roster. Strickland believes Eblen would be competing for a UFC title if the promotion signed him.

Advertisement

Championship Talent “Never let this man come to the UFC,” Strickland said on his Instagram Stories. “Keep his ass where he’s at. F—-ing savage, bro. If this man was in the UFC, he’d be fighting for the belt.” 

Eblen (17-1) is widely considered one of the best fighters in the world outside of the UFC. The former Bellator MMA middleweight champion also continued his reign at PFL when the promotion took over Bellator. Eblen was a massive -550 favorite goi…

Brian Ortega claims he knew that he had made a mistake early into his relationship with Tracy Cortez. 

Ortega met Cortez in 2020 shortly after he left his previous wife Stephanie Ortega and their two sons. Shortly after getting into a relationship with Cortez, Ortega knew that he had made a mistake. However, Ortega’s ego was too big to leave Cortez and return to his family as he was afraid of being laughed at.

Advertisement

“Shortly into that, I was like ‘Damn, I f—d up.’ But because I already left the kids, left the family, I was like, ‘If I dump her right now, everyone’s gonna laugh at me.’ So it was the ego again,” Ortega told Dominick Cruz on the "Love & War” podcast. “I thought I can’t let people laugh at me, so I’m gonna put up with all the craziness… I knew it four months in.”

Ortega (16-5) and Cortez (12-3) finally broke up amidst public drama in 2023. Ortega claims his mother had warned him about Cortez in the beginning of their relationship. Wh…

Gilbert Burns is eyeing a new chapter in MMA after he retired from professional competition. 

Burns (22-10) recently revealed that he plans to become a fighter manager after having recently retired from fighting. While Burns had long been considering a career in management, the plan was on hold while he was active as a fighter. Burns believes he can help several fighters sign with the UFC with a good body of work behind them. According to “Durinho,” many managers don’t extend their help to fighters beyond securing matchups in the Octagon. However, the Brazilian legend wants to help fighters with their social media, relationships, and build their brands. Burns also believes he will have a better understanding of matchups, where he can ensure a purse befitting the difficulty of the fight.

Advertisement

Inside Knowledge “I think now another cycle of my life will begin where I will also give my all,” Burns said. “I will dedicate myself. I already have a plan to b…

Darren Till has a dance partner for his first BKFC foray.

The former UFC title challenger will square off against Aaron Chalmers at BKFC 90 on May 30 in Birmingham England. Till announced the bout during an appearance on "The Ariel Helwani Show” on Tuesday. Till also revealed that he signed a “massive,” three-fight contract with the organization.

Earlier this month, Till announced that he was parting ways with Misfits Boxing, with an announcement regarding his next move coming soon. “The Gorilla” went 3-0 while capturing a title during his stint under the Misfits banner. Till emerged as a star early in his UFC career thanks to victories over welterweight stalwarts such as Donald Cerrone and Stephen Thompson. After suffering a second-round submission defeat against Tyron Woodley in a 170-pound title bout in September 2018, the Liverpool native was never the same, ending his promotional tenure with losses in four of his next five appearances.

Reality TV Meets Combat S…

Bryce Mitchell will make his second bantamweight appearance in June. | Getty/UFC

The UFC Fight Night 278 lineup appears to be nearly complete, and the card includes one of the promotion’s most controversial athletes.

The promotion confirmed 12 bouts for the June 6 event on Tuesday — including a newly-announced bantamweight showdown pitting Bryce Mitchell against Victor Henry. UFC Fight Night 278 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Belal Muhammad and Gabriel Bonfim. The card airs in its entirety on Paramount+.

Mitchell, who is notorious for his outspoken nature, made his 135-pound debut last July, when he outpointed Said Nurmagomedov at UFC on ABC 9. Prior to that, “Thug Nasty” went 8-3 in the featherweight division, falling only to Ilia Topuria, Josh Emmett and Jean Silva.

Henry, a well-traveled veteran with experience in promotions such as Pancrase and Rizin is 4-2 with one no contest during h…