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.
UFC 318 Analysis: Holloway-Poirier 3 Picks, McGregor’s White House Dream & “Conor Schlongs” Controversy!
Dave Simon and AJ D’Alesio preview UFC 318’s emotional main event between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier while discussing Conor McGregor’s wild week and sharing their best betting picks for the Louisiana card.