Belal Muhammad vs Gabriel Bonfim Preview + Sean Strickland’s White House War
No UFC champion has ever done what Sean Strickland is doing right now. Ten days before UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn, the two-time middleweight champion — fresh off handing Khamzat Chimaev his first loss — says he’s blacklisted from the event and is publicly torching it, trading vicious social media barbs with main eventer Justin Gaethje along the way. Meanwhile, Saturday’s UFC Vegas 118 main event is a genuine crossroads: Belal Muhammad, 37 and on two straight decision losses, meets Gabriel Bonfim, a 28-year-old Brazilian finisher at 19-1, with the betting markets split almost exactly down the middle. Add the first look at “The Claw” on the White House lawn, Conor McGregor’s July return against Max Holloway, and the official January 2027 death date for UFC pay-per-view in Canada.
Colby’s Gone, Dana’s Wrong, and UFC Freedom 250 Has Real Problems
Three stories are colliding in MMA right now, and none of them are particularly flattering for the sport. Colby Covington is out of the UFC after going once-a-year for five years and losing four of his last six — then finding himself off the White House guest list despite being Trump’s loudest MMA supporter for a decade. Trump’s actual favorite fighter? Khabib. UFC Freedom 250 is June 14 on the White House lawn with Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje and Alex Pereira vs. Cyril Gane, but the UFC is running its own judges with no government athletic commission in place, it’s going to be 80-plus degrees outside with insects swarming the lights, and 50,000 people are watching on outdoor screens nearby. And Dana White told Time magazine that people who talk about their mental health publicly are giving young men permission to be weak. It’s the most dangerous thing he’s said in years — and the most revealing.
McGregor vs. Holloway at UFC 329: The Rematch, the Odds, and Why MVP MMA 1 Made the UFC Look Untouchable
Conor McGregor is officially back. UFC 329, July 11, 2026, T-Mobile Arena — McGregor versus Max Holloway in a welterweight rematch at 170 pounds. The UFC announced it mid-MVP MMA 1, which was either perfect timing or a mercy kill depending on how you look at it. Because MVP MMA 1 was not the show the sport needed. Ronda Rousey submitted Gina Carano in 17 seconds, then retired on the microphone. Junior dos Santos and Francis Ngannou were involved in mismatches. The broadcast felt decades behind. Meanwhile, the UFC is heading into the most ambitious summer in company history — Freedom 250 at the White House on June 14th, Makhachev vs. Gaethje for the lightweight title, Pereira vs. Gane for the interim heavyweight belt, and a full UFC 329 card built around the return of the sport’s biggest star. The gap between the real sport and everything else has never looked wider.
UFC Freedom 250 Exposes the UFC’s Broken Promise Machine
The UFC promised us the greatest card in history for the White House event. Six or seven title fights. Jon Jones. Conor McGregor. Francis Ngannou. What we actually received was UFC Freedom 250 — a card with Topuria vs Gaethje and Pereira vs Gane, but no superstars, no superfights, and the quiet confirmation that Jon Jones will never fight in the UFC again. This week, Jones fired back at Dana White on Twitter revealing he was actively negotiating and received stem cell treatment. Ronda Rousey went scorched earth on the streaming model. And the Conor Benn Zufa Boxing payday exposed how dramatically the UFC undervalues its own fighters. Dave Simon calls it what it is: over-promising and under-delivering.
UFC White House Card Predictions: Jon Jones Injured, Zero American Champions & Title Fight Overload
The Ringside Report MMA crew breaks down the UFC White House card crisis: Jon Jones potentially done for good, Kayla Harrison as America’s lone champion, Arman Tsarukyan’s social media masterclass, and why six title fights is the max before the event becomes an endurance test.
UFC White House Title Fights: Can Dana White Really Stack 8 Championships on One Card?
Dana White says eight title fights at the White House on June 14th. After UFC 325 delivered a forgettable Volkanovski-Lopes rematch, the real story is what the UFC is building for this summer. Dave Simon went division by division and made a startling discovery: not a single UFC champion has a scheduled fight beyond March 2026. Pereira, Makhachev, Topuria, Chimaev — they’re all being held back. Jon Jones needs hip surgery, effectively killing the heavyweight title fight. The pay-per-view model is dead, and Paramount wants one Super Bowl-style mega event. Plus full Apex predictions, AJ’s upset specials after hitting a six-fight parlay.
UFC 325 Preview: Volkanovski-Lopes 2
Gaethje destroyed our predictions at UFC 324. Now we’re picking Volkanovski unanimously for UFC 325. Will age catch up, or will the champ dominate in Sydney?
Mark Smith ACL Tear: UFC Referee Finishes Fight, Gets Carried Out
Mark Smith tore his ACL during UFC 324 while refereeing Gautier vs Pulyaev. The 52-year-old veteran finished all 15 minutes on a blown knee, then was carried out of T-Mobile Arena. Dana White compared it to Bruce Buffer’s 2011 injury—the only other non-fighter ACL tear he’s witnessed in UFC history.
UFC 324 Preview: Why Paddy Pimblett Will End Justin Gaethje’s Career This Saturday
When Trevor Whitman says this is Justin Gaethje’s “last ride,” you know the stakes are real. At 37 years old, the former BMF champion faces the hungry 31-year-old Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324—and all three Ringside Report analysts are picking against him. Dave Simon sees a TKO finish reminiscent of the Chandler destruction. Fred Garcia likes a decision grind. AJ D’Alesio predicts another submission loss for Gaethje, adding to his Khabib and Oliveira defeats. Meanwhile, Sean O’Malley’s concerning embedded performance has Dave staying away from Sugar entirely. We break down every main card fight, deliver three different parlays, and discuss why Canadians are getting screwed with $100 pay-per-views while Americans pay $9 a month for Paramount+
UFC 2026 Predictions: O’Malley, Usman, and Unwanted Matchups
Dave Simon delivered his most controversial UFC 2026 predictions on Ringside Report MMA: the Paramount era will bring fights nobody wants. Sean O’Malley gets another undeserved title shot after one win over Song Yadong. Islam Makachev’s welterweight debut will be against Kamaru Usman instead of legitimate contenders like Shavkat Rakhmonov. Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje fight for an interim lightweight title that means nothing. Dave, AJ D’Alesio, and Fred Garcia explained why the UFC’s subscription model will prioritize star power over merit, making 2026 “the year the UFC gives us a bunch of fights no one asked for.” Plus Merab Dvalishvili’s fighter-of-the-year debate after his UFC 323 loss, Brandon Royval vs Manel Kape predictions, and the six-week UFC drought before the Paramount deal begins.