The heavyweight division will have to move on without Tom Aspinall for now. The Englishman recently announced that he is vacating the 265lbs **** le after another incident caused further damage to his right eye. Aspinall has been sidelined for nearly a year after suffering a double eye poke at the hands of Ciryl Gane at UFC 321.
He was diagnosed with the rare bilateral traumatic Brown's syndrome and has since undergone triple eye surgery. Eddie Hearn recently revealed that Aspinall needed more time for additional tests before he could be considered 100% healthy. However, the prolonged recovery timeline became increasingly frustrating.
The former champion took to Instagram and penned a lengthy post explaining the circumstances behind his decision. Shortly after, Josh Hokit seized the opportunity to stake his claim to the now-vacant **** le.
The 10-0 heavyweight had recently rejected Alex Pereira's call for a rematch with Gane, who currently holds the interim **** le. Instead, Hokit pitched two blockbuster headliners for UFC 334 later this year, with himself facing Gane for the heavyweight gold and Pereira taking on Sergei Pavlovich.
Now that Aspinall has vacated the belt, Gane is seemingly expected to be upgraded to undisputed champion. However, staying true to his original plan, Hokit has doubled down on facing the Frenchman for the championship next.

#aspinall #heavyweight #year

Josh Hokit wasted no time making his case for UFC gold after Tom Aspinall vacated the heavyweight ******* le Monday.
Aspinall relinquished his championship after suffering yet another setback in his ongoing recovery from the eye injuries he sustained against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 last October. The move clears the way for the UFC heavyweight division to resume it's usual activity; Gane defeated Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 in June to claim an interim ******* le, and will likely be formally upgraded to undisputed heavyweight champion in short order.
And Hokit wants the first crack.
"The fans deserve Me vs Gane. I'll give Ciryl what he has coming. If Alex can win 1 fight in my weight class, I'll give it to him too, early '27. I'll be the most active champ in the company."
Pereira has continued to campaign for an immediate rematch with Gane in the months since UFC Freedom 250, accusing the Frenchmen of using illegal strikes to the back of the head to defeat him in their battle on the White House's South Lawn. Hokit, though, has repeatedly dismissed the former two-division UFC champion, arguing that Pereira should have to earn his way back after being stopped by Gane in less than two rounds.

#pereira #title

The bitter saga between Francis Ngannou and Dana White continues nearly four years after the Cameroonian parted ways with the UFC. For the unversed, Ngannou left the promotion in January 2023 after fighting out his contract, with negotiations breaking down over his desire to pursue boxing and other contractual demands.
White has repeatedly claimed that Ngannou is not a nice person to deal with and that he would never do business with him. Now, he has admitted that he was rooting against Ngannou when the heavyweight champion defended his ****** le against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.
For the unversed, the fight took place in January 2022 and marked Ngannou's final Octagon appearance. The Cameroonian successfully defended his heavyweight crown before leaving the UFC after negotiations failed to reach an agreement that would keep him with the promotion.
ALSO READ: Justin Gaethje Breaks Down Ilia Topuria's Emotional and Technical Flaws at UFC Freedom 250
White even considers Ngannou as unlikable as Oscar de la Hoya, his longtime promotional rival. During an interview with BigBoyTV, he said, "Listen, Ngannou is on my Oscar De La Hoya list. Look at the history of Francis Ngannou and the other companies he's been with since. He's a bad guy, man. He's a bad guy. I'm just at a point in my life where I don't want to do business with bad guys. I just don't."

#ngannou

Josh Hokit has a serious problem with Alex Pereira campaigning for a Ciryl Gane rematch.
Pereira (13-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC) was finished by Gane in their interim heavyweight ***** le fight at UFC Freedom 250 in June. Gane dropped Pereira with a jab then swarmed him for the second-round TKO. "Poatan" complained that several shots from Gane landed to the back of his head in the fight-ending sequence, and he's eager to run things back.
Hokit (10-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who scored two big wins over Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis in the span of two months, believes Pereira has no business rematching Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) – or even asking for it.
"As a fan, that fight makes no f*cking sense," Hokit wrote on X. "I watched you get demolished. How about a more favorable match up like Sergei who is basically a striker & way less athletic than Ciryl. How about you get one f*cking win in this weight class before you are gifted another ***** le shot."
As a fan, that fight makes no ***** sense. I watched you get demolished. How about a more favorable match up like Sergei who is basically a striker & way less athletic than Ciryl. How about you get one ***** win in this weight class before you are gifted another ***** le shot. https://t.co/47rOmZ5Oqj

#gane #pereira #title

Surging heavyweight Josh Hokit went on tirade on social media after former two-division UFC champion Alex Pereira posted a video campaigning for a rematch with Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight belt.
In a series of X posts targeting Pereira and making his case for the next shot at Gane, Hokit criticized the idea that Pereira and Ilia Topuria could challenge for belts next after both got finished by Gane and Justin Gaethje this past June at UFC White House, respectively.
"As a fan, that fight makes no ***** sense," wrote Hokit, who finished Derrick Lewis on that same card. "I watched you get demolished. How about a more favorable match up like Sergei [Pavlovitch] who is basically a striker & way less athletic than Ciryl. How about you get one ***** win in this weight class before you are gifted another ***** le shot."
"Growing up, I loved the UFC & all of its fighters," he continued on a separate post. "So it gives me great pleasure to use my platform today to speak the truth: neither Ilia Topuria nor Alex Pereira deserve a ***** ***** le shot in their next fight. They both got handily destroyed. Make them earn it and fight their way back like everyone else."
Hokit argued that Tom Aspinall's manager Eddie Hearn is "obviously" stalling to "buy time in contract negotiations" instead of working on a deal for a ***** le unification bout with Gane. Hokit suggests, then, booking him versus Gane on the upcoming Madison Square Garden show November in New York, while Pereira battles Pavlovich on the same card.

#fucking #ciryl

It has been nearly three months since Alex Pereira's bid to become a UFC champion in a third weight class came to a brutal halt at UFC Freedom 250. Ciryl Gane delivered a statement-making performance to score a second-round knockout in the historic White House co-main event.
The win was a huge moment for Gane, who became just the second fighter in UFC history to win two interim ***** les in the same division. More importantly, it put the French heavyweight in line for a highly anticipated rematch with undisputed champion Tom Aspinall.
However, much of the post-fight discussion wasn't about Gane's performance. Instead, the spotlight quickly turned to the 11 finishing shots he landed on Pereira, with seven appearing to connect to the back of the head and being deemed illegal.
ALSO READ: Ilia Topuria Breaks Down First Career Loss to Justin Gaethje in Deeply Personal 9-Part Essay
Pereira has since repeatedly called out referee Herb Dean and even demanded that he be removed from officiating his future fights. So far, though, nothing has changed on that front, and it appears Pereira is ready to put the controversy behind him and focus on what comes next.

#since #champion #performance #freedom

Victor Wembanyama gets a big shout-out from French UFC fighter Ciryl Gane originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Over the past decade, it has become clear that basketball is one of the biggest sports in the world. The rise of international players is a testament to this because there has not been an American regular-season MVP since James Harden's MVP in 2018.
Players like Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been dominant as non-American players. However, it seems San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama is ready to carry the torch moving forward as the best player to come out of France, a country that's well-known for producing some elite athletes.
As the current UFC interim heavyweight champion, Ciryl Gane knows what it's like to succeed. He is, in fact, a two-time holder of that **** le, so he is quite successful in his mixed martial arts career. The orthodox heavyweight striker stands out in the UFC with his natural talent and light feet despite being a 6'4" fighter.
Just like Gane, Wembanyama shares some traits with his fellow Frenchman. Being a giant who can move light on their feet is certainly a good trait to have, but it matters the most in a sport like basketball.

#ciryl #fighter

JonJones remains highly confident in his ability.

In a recent interview, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight and lightheavyweight **** leholder weighed in on how he believes a fightagainst fellow former two-division king AlexPereira and a wrestling match against longtime rival DanielCormier would unfold, backing himself in both scenarios.
Jones and Pereira were seemingly on a collision course when thelatter announced his move up to heavyweight for UFC Freedom 250. However, with Jones' ongoing stalemate withthe UFC regarding his future, a fight against "Poatan" has fallenthrough.

Nevertheless, Jones cites size as a key factor at heavyweight,claiming his former opponents StipeMiocic and Ciryl Ganeare bigger than Pereira, who previously competed at 185 pounds.

"I watched Pereira train," Jones said in an interview with AFLGlobal. "I see his level of wrestling and it's way behind. I feelas if Stipe Miocic is a true heavyweight. He's a big, big boy.Ciryl Gane, when you see him in person, he's a big, big boy. AlexPereira is not a big, big boy. He's a lean guy. I think right nowhe weighs maybe 250."

Jones believes his size and grappling would have overwhelmedPereira, predicting a submission win had they collided inside theOctagon.

"I feel as if my physical strength would have been too much forhim," Jones said. "I felt as if the moment I would have gotten himto the ground, my submissions would have come pretty quickly. Imean, everyone knows that. I think that's the clearest path tovictory for me against Alex Pereira. But we're not fighting. I am afan of him. I support him, and I want to see him do well."

"Bones" also discussed his approach towards a potential wrestlingmatch with Cormier, who he's already shared the cage withtwice.

"I think I would have beat D.C. in a wrestling match," Jones said."It wouldn't be easy, but I think I would beat him in wrestling. Ihear that he has problems with his back, so my strategy would be tojust try to wear on him. Not shoot, not go for the takedown, butjust hand fight, hand fight, hand fight and see if I could wear onthat back."

#pereira #hand

Magomed Ankalaev returns to the cage on Saturday, July 25th to headline a UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi against Bogdan Guskov. We haven’t seen or heard much from Ankalaev since he lost his light heavyweight ****** le to Alex Pereira, dropping his record to 1-1 against his bitter rival.
It’s unclear how much of that rivalry is actually generated by Ankalaev and how much is just”Big Ank,” the disrespectful personality on X (formerly Twitter) that many believe is actually the work of Ankalaev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz. During this week’s media day, Ankalaev explained why he was a man of few words in real life.
“How are people going to know what I am or what I have inside?” Ankalaev said. “I’m a professional fighter, I like to keep my emotions inside. And if there’s no crossing of a specific line, then I come out here and I come out as a professional. But if somebody crosses that line or kind of toes the line, then I’m sure I can show my character as well. Other than that, I like to keep my emotions in, my head cool, and go and do my job.”
Ankalaev recently said he’d be willing to chase Pereira up to heavyweight for a third fight, a comment that “Poatan” seemed to dismiss by commenting “Are you even still alive over there?”
“Alex Pereira must have been sleeping for a long time because I believe he was put to sleep pretty hard,” Ankalaev said, referring to Pereira’s recent knockout loss at the hands of Ciryl Gane. “If you can pass him a message, tell him I’m alive and well, and I’m waiting to see what he can show.”

#pereira #line #heavyweight

Ultimate Fighting Championship great Alex Pereira is the type of guy to give someone else a present on his birthday.

Two weeks before her ******* le defense at Karate Combat 62—scheduled for July 24 in Miami against Juliana Velasquez—Aline Pereira was surprised by her brother, “Poatan,” with one of the biggest gifts she has ever received. On his birthday of July 7, per sources close to the situation, the current UFC heavyweight gave his younger sister a house in Connecticut, near their training camp of Teixeira MMA & Fitness.
On a since-deleted Instagram Stories post, the Karate Combat champ wrote, “There are gifts that change a life. Today, you gave me one of them. Thank you, little brother, for so much love and generosity. May God repay you twofold for everything you do for me. Happy birthday! I love you.”

The 35-year-old flyweight has bounced back and forth between kickboxing, Karate Combat and MMA since debuting in the LFA in 2022. Her most recent appearance in any combat sport came in May when she took home a decision over Jade Masson-Wong at the inaugural MVP MMA event. That put her on the first win streak of her career, although all of her professional outings in MMA have heard the final bell.

As a Karate Combat participant, she first appeared in 2024 to knock fellow MMA expat Dee Begley out in the opening frame. She went on to stop Amanda Torres early the next year, and in July 2025, captured its first ******* le by earning a decision over Fani Peloumpi. This bout on July 24 at Karate Combat 62 is to be the first defense of her 125-pound throne, and she will be facing another ex-MMA fighter in Velasquez.

“Poatan” lost in his last UFC outing, appearing at the UFC White House event in June and succumbing to strikes from Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight belt. The former middleweight and light heavyweight ******* list attempted to become the first three-division champion in company history, and since his defeat, has suggested he plans on remaining at the highest weight category for at least one more match.

Jon Jones claims he meant no disrespect to Alex Pereira with his GOAT necklace video.

Pereira (13-4) looked to create history by winning a third Ultimate Fighting Championship ******* le when he fought Ciryl Gane for interim heavyweight gold at UFC Freedom 250 last month. However, Gane stopped Pereira in the second round.

In the immediate aftermath of Pereira’s loss, Jones (28-1) shared a video of himself sporting a GOAT necklace, drawing backlash for kicking Pereira while he was down. Even “Poatan” was surprised by Jones’ post, considering they have only shared mutual respect in the past.
Jones recently clarified that the video wasn’t aimed at Pereira. “Bones” recalls the Brazilian paying tribute to his late brother, Arthur Jones, after his death last October, and claims he has nothing but respect for Pereira.

He explained that his post was directed at those who claimed Pereira would be the MMA GOAT if he defeated Gane to win a championship in a third weight class. Jones, who is widely considered among the greatest fighters of all time, says that his video was a message to his haters.

He told Red Corner MMA: “I wish Alex all the best though. After my brother died, Pereira came out and had a moment of silence for my brother. And I respect that very, very dearly. And after the fight I made a video that went viral. It was a video of me with a GOAT necklace on. It felt like an attack to Alex. And I wanna say it here that I meant no disrespect to Alex. A lot of people, before the fight, were saying that if Alex wins he is the greatest of all time. And my little video after Alex’s loss was a message to all my haters. It wasn’t directed towards Alex. So I wanna make that very clear. I have nothing but respect for Alex.”

While he didn’t name names, Dana White had claimed that Pereira would be considered the GOAT with a victory over Gane. Jones is amidst a fallout with the UFC after failing to secure a spot on the White House card.

Josh Hokit has a plan to make Heavyweight great again.
“The Incredible Hok” may be a controversial figure, but it’s hard to argue that he’s a welcome presence in the division’s largely stagnate **** le mix. In less than a year on the UFC roster, Hokit has built up a 4-0 record in the promotion, beating a pair of Top 10 opponents in the last three months alone. By smashing going to war with Curtis Blaydes and smacking down Derrick Lewis, Hokit has established himself as a serious **** le threat.
Unfortunately, the **** le remains at a standstill. Champion Tom Aspinall has been sidelined for about nine months since his eye poke “No Contest” versus Ciryl Gane, and the timeline on his return remains uncertain (though hopefully moving in the right direction). Gane, meanwhile, just smoked Alex Pereira at the UFC White House (watch here)
Hokit has a bold idea to get the Heavyweight wheel spinning: cut the current champion!
“This crybaby has lost all of his aura,” Hokit wrote on X about Alex Pereira. “Here’s an idea UFC. Cut Tom [Aspinall]. Ciryl is the undisputed champ anyways IMO. He made Tom quit. Tom’s manager is trying to play games. Give me Ciryl in September and when I win I will give [Alex Pereira] a chance to get his self esteem back in Nov/Dec. At least then we will have a champ that is down to fight all of the time.”

Heavyweight contender Josh Hokit took aim at champion Tom Aspinall over inactivity and wants the UFC to strip Aspinall of the heavyweight ****** le and release him from the organization. He also continued to take shots at former two-division ****** leholder Alex Pereira.
"This crybaby has lost all of his aura," Hokit said about Pereira on X. "Here's an idea ufc . Cut Tom. Ciryl is the undisputed champ anyways IMO. He made Tom quit. Tom's manager is trying to play games.
"Give me Ciryl in September and when I win I will give AlexPereiraUFC a chance to get his self esteem back in Nov/Dec. At least then we will have a champ that is down to fight all of the time."
Earlier in the week, "The Incredible Hok" called Pereira "a broken man" and took at shot at the Brazilian's past alcohol use.
"Alex Periera is a broken man… imagine how much more broken he’ll be after I beat him… he started as an alcoholic and he will end as an alcoholic…," Hokit wrote.

Alex Pereira isn’t letting go of his vendetta towards referee Herb Dean.
The former light heavyweight and middleweight champion went on the offensive in the days after his loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC White House, blaming Dean for failing to recognize that he was eating several strikes to the back of the head during his fight. Pereira was ultimately stopped following a barrage of shots on the feet, but the multitude of punches and elbows he absorbed on the ground left him in a severely compromised state.
Pereira blasted Dean for not only ignoring what he deemed as illegal blows but the referee failed to admonish Gane or pause the action for the fouls. Now, Pereira is taking aim at the veteran referee again following a controversial performance at UFC Baku on Saturday.
“Herb Dean … coward,” Pereira wrote on Instagram along with an image from the fight between Shara “Bullet” Magomedov and Michel Pereira.
In the fight, Dean warned Magomedov on two separate occasions for pulling Pereira’s hair during exchanges on the ground. In between rounds, Dean went to Magomedov’s corner and explained yet again that his illegal moves wouldn’t be tolerated and one more foul would result in points taken.

Eddie Hearn has signed Ian Machado Garry to the Matchroom Talent Agency, as a second UFC fighter joins the boxing promoter’s new venture.
Earlier this year, the mixed-martial-arts world was gripped by news that Hearn had signed UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, and in Machado Garry, Matchroom has acquired the UFC’s No 1 welterweight contender.
Machado Garry, 28, also joins England rugby-union player Henry Pollock in signing with Hearn, who is not signing these athletes to the Matchroom boxing promotion, of course, but rather a new talent agency.
Still, Aspinall’s signing proved controversial given Hearn’s bitter feud with UFC president and CEO Dana White, who kickstarted Zuffa Boxing earlier this year and even acquired Conor Benn, whom Hearn had supported through his entire boxing career – including a two-year saga in which the British fighter failed two drug tests.
Aspinall has had his own frustrations with the UFC in recent months, too, taking exception to comments made by White after Aspinall fought Ciryl Gane to a no-contest in October; the Manchester heavyweight could not continue after suffering several eye pokes, and White suggested that Aspinall had opted not to keep fighting, although the injuries eventually led to double eye surgery.

After months and months of slow recovery news and drama, Tom Aspinall is ready to return to the octagon.
The undisputed UFC heavyweight champion hasn’t fought since October 2025 when he was badly poked in both eyes by opponent Ciryl Gane. Thus began a lengthy saga that saw Aspinall undergo multiple surgeries to correct issues with his sight. Back in February it was revealed that his depth perception was so bad he couldn’t drive and missed peoples’ hands when trying to shake them. Things looked bad.
Now, things are starting to move in the right direction again, health-wise at least. On the business side, there may be a new stumbling block: Aspinall’s new manager Eddie Hearn, who also happens to be UFC CEO Dana White’s biggest rival in boxing. Since taking Aspinall on as a client, Hearn has questioned the amount of money the UFC paid Aspinall and vowed to get his client what he deserves.
The UFC is more of a ‘Take it or leave it’ kind of org when it comes to accepting the pay you signed a contract for, especially if you come at them wrong about it. So the good news is that Tom Aspinall is ready to sign his next fight. The bad news is there may be rocky negotiations ahead that could kill things just as surely as those eye injuries did.
“Honestly, this is a dangerous fight,” Hearn told Ariel Helwani of the Ciryl Gane rematch. “And some people still refuse to acknowledge that [Tom] had four eye operations and was told quite clearly he could have lost his vision. You’ve got to go back in there, do the same kind of thing, could happen again. This time it could be worse, or it could be a back of the head blow. All these other fouls that you see, it’s going to be that kind of fight. It’s not going to be easy.”

JoshHokit wants Herb Dean asthe referee if he fights Ciryl Ganein the future.

Dean has recently faced backlash for his officiating in AlexPereira's loss against Gane at UFC White House. Gane finished Pereira in the second round towin the interim heavyweight ****** le earlier this month. However, Ganeapparently used multiple shots to the back of Pereira's head,without Dean issuing any warning. Gane has previously been accusedof using illegal shots when his ****** le challenge against TomAspinall ended in a no-contest due to a double eye poke by theFrenchman.

However, surging heavyweight contender Hokit (10-0) is unbotheredabout illegal shots from Gane (14-2) if they fight. "The IncredibleHok" specifically wants Dean as the third man in the Octagon if hefights Gane.

"The Incredible Hok's eyes would break Ciryl Gane'sfingers and the back of my head would shatter his elbow. I insistthat Herb ref our fight," Hokit wrote on X.
Gane has now earned a reputation for using illegal shots. Pereiraclaims to have even reminded Dean about back-of-the-head shots fromGane during the rules meeting ahead of their fight.
Meanwhile, Hokit also mocked Pereira and Aspinall in his recentspree on social media.

TomAspinall is preparing for a rematch against CirylGane.

Aspinall (15-3) recently posted a video mocking Gane (14-2)over his reputation for using illegal shots. Aspinall posted a clipshowing Gane hitting opponents with low blows, eye pokes andback-of-the-head shots. Aspinall then shows himself wearing ametallic groin guard and a motorcycle helmet to shield himselfagainst Gane.

"Training for the rematch has begun," Aspinall wrote in the captionof an Instagram post.

Gane has been accused of throwing illegal blows on multipleoccasions. Gane challenged Pereira for the heavyweight ***** le atUFC320 this past October. The fight ended in an unfortunate nocontest after a double eye poke from Gane in the first roundrendered Aspinall unable to continue. With Aspinall sidelined dueto his eye injury, Gane fought AlexPereira for the interim heavyweight ***** le earlier this month.While Gane finished "Poatan" in the second round, the Frenchman hasbeen accused of throwing several back-of-the-head shots in thefinishing sequence. Gane is now expected to challenge Aspinall in atitle unifier when the Englishman returns to action.

This past week, AlexPereira made it clear that he was not happy with whattranspired in the UFC White House co-main event.

"Poatan" came up short in his bid to become a three-divisionchampion when he suffered a second-round technical knockout loss toCirylGane on June 14 in Washington, D.C. After the event, PereiraMMAjunkie.com) "Sometimes the foulshappen. Maybe Dean should've said, 'Watch the back of the head' orwarned him or something like that. But I don't know. I can tell youthis: AlexPereira is not a whiner. And AlexPereira doesn't complain about things or make excuses afterfights. So I have to believe that he believed that. That he trulybelieved that was true."
It's currently unclear if Pereira and his team will attempt toappeal the result. The Brazilian has stated that he plans to remainin the heavyweight division going forward.

"That's something [an appeal] they'll have to work out with thecommission. Not my area," White said. "Like I said: Alex Pereira isnot a whiner. The guy doesn't ever complain about anything. So youhave to believe if the's that serious about it, that he's upsetabout and believes it to be true."

Herb Dean is again involved in a controversy regarding illegal shots.

Dean was the third man in the Octagon when Andre Fili (25-14) welcomed Vinicius Oliveira (24-4) to the featherweight division at UFC Fight Night 279 on Saturday in Las Vegas. Oliveira managed to survive the first round despite being visibly hurt by body kicks from Fili. “LokDog” went all guns blazing late in the second round after stunning Fili. Oliveira rained a vicious barrage of shots on Fili, forcing Dean to step in just before the bell in the second round.
However, some of the shots landed by Oliveira in the finishing sequence appeared to be on the back of the head, which is illegal. Fili was subsequently seen complaining to Dean, who appeared to check the fighter’s head. Dean also seemingly showed “Touchy” the replay of the fight.
Dean was involved in a similar controversy earlier this month regarding Alex Pereira’s loss against Ciryl Gane at tUFC White House. Gane won the interim heavyweight ****** le by finishing Pereira with a brutal barrage of shots. Some of the shots landed by Gane on the ground appeared to be to the back of Pereira’s head. Dean subsequently

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UFC White House has come and gone and days later, Justin Gaethje’s dream remains a reality: He is the undisputed lightweight champion.
Gaethje was MMA Fighting’s No. 5-ranked fighter at 155 pounds heading into his duel with the undefeated Ilia Topuria, with Charles Oliveira (who previously finished Gaethje), Max Holloway (ditto), and Arman Tsarukyan ahead of him. Twice, Gaethje has held the interim ***** le, a dubious honor that seemed to label him as destined to always be a runner-up. A competitive win over Paddy Pimblett did little to inspire confidence that the undisputed crown was in his future.
And yet, here we are. Look at that lightweight graphic below. No. 1. Justin Gaethje. Still doesn’t seem real.
The other big fight at the White House saw Ciryl Gane fend off Alex Pereira to join Gaethje as the only UFC fighters to win an interim ***** le twice. Fortunately for “Poatan,” his ranking remains unchanged as he was moving up from his home at light heavyweight to chase unprecedented three-division glory. The immediate future of 205 is cloudy right now with Pereira insisting he’s staying at heavyweight and current light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg on the mend after injuring his knee the same night he won the ***** le at UFC 327. For now, everyone holds on to their spots.

UFC's fight card at the White House delivered a record-breaking viewership to Paramount+, according to the streaming platform, with 17 million viewers tuning in.
On Sunday, an unprecedented event took place on the South Lawn, as seven UFC fights played out to celebrate 250 years of the United States, as well as the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump.
Trump sat cageside with UFC chief Dana White, a good friend of his, as the night ended with Justin Gaethje securing an upset stoppage win over Ilia Topuria to become lightweight champion. In the co-main event, Ciryl Gane stopped Alex Pereira to win the interim heavyweight ******* le.
In fact, all seven bouts ended with stoppages, as American star Sean O'Malley joined compatriots Josh Hokit and Bo Nickal in picking up victories – although Hokit and Nickal's wins came at the expense of other US fighters.
Regardless, the event was a resounding success for Paramount+, which was the exclusive broadcaster of the fights in the US and Latin America.

Alex Pereira and his coach, Plinio Cruz, are continuing their verbal onslaught on Herb Dean following the UFC Freedom 250 dispute.
'Poatan' was one win away from being the only fighter in UFC history to capture gold in three separate weight classes. Knocking out Israel Adesanya and Jiri Prochazka to capture both the middleweight and light heavyweight ****** les, Ciryl Gane stood in the way of greatness. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, it wasn't to be, but the loss didn't come without controversy. After being dropped, Pereira was subject to multiple illegal shots to the back of his head, and the referee has come under fire for allowing those strikes to go unpunished.
This wouldn't be the first time Herb Dean has been at fault for costly mistakes inside the octagon, but Alex Pereira isn't prepared to make peace with the official. Pereira believes that without the barrage of illegal strikes, he would have been able to recover as he has done several times before in his fighting career.
Pereira claimed he would push for Herb Dean never to referee one of his future fights. The former UFC champion also shared what punishment should be in place for Dean's alleged sloppy officiating.
"Something's got to be done," Pereira said. "But one thing I'll tell you, I think his time is up. I think he already did enough, and just like on a regular 9-to-5, on a regular business, he's been there for too long already, and now he's starting to mess up. Maybe he shouldn't be there anymore. Something's got to be done so people don't end up getting hurt because of him."

UFC Freedom 250 brought loads of violence to the White House lawn Sunday in Washington DC.
While all 14 fighters were suspended by the ******* ociation of Boxing and Combative Sports Commissions (ABC), nine received longer-than-mandatory time off for specific injuries sustained in the bout.
On Wednesday, MMA Junkie received the full list of those medical suspensions, from California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive director Andy Foster, who served as one of the head regulators of the event.
Receiving maximum durations, unsurprisingly, were headliners Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria, who engaged in a gutsy back-and-forth war. Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC), who was significantly swollen as he retired to the stool between Rounds 4 and 5, received a 180-day suspension and will need to seek oral and maxillofacial surgeon clearance. Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) was given the same duration for injuries to his right wrist and left knee.
Also receiving the 180-day suspension was Alex Pereira, who was finished by Ciryl Gane in the co-main event. Pereira (13-4 MMA, 10-3 UFC), too, will need maxillofacial CT scan clearance. His opponent Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC), walked away relatively unscathed, needing only eight days off for rest in the commission's eyes.

Alex Pereira is not happy with how things went down at UFC Freedom 250.
Pereira, who aimed to be the first fighter to win a UFC ***** le in three weight classes, was stopped by Ciryl Gane in Round 2 of their UFC interim heavyweight ***** le fight that took place Sunday at the White House. "Poatan" is not so much upset about the fact that he lost, but more at how he lost. Pereira claims Gane cheated by landing illegal strikes to the back of his head and blasted referee Herb Dean for not taking any action.
"I think if it weren't for those punches, I wouldn't be in that situation," Pereira said in Portuguese in an Instagram video. "When the jab landed, I fell and grabbed his legs. Throwing elbows and punches, the guy was desperate. He landed a punch that he couldn't even believe, and then he wanted to end the fight no matter what. The ref was there watching. The guy hits me, I fall, and he starts throwing punches. The guy sees it's an illegal hit, but he's there thinking, 'Bro, how can I stop this fight?'
"Man, it's the regulations. It's in the rulebook. You're wrong if you don't stop it. That's in the rules. What makes me more upset is that I warned him beforehand. But the guy doesn't have the guts, man. He's not a real man."

Bummed.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) two-division champion Alex Pereira had his dream of becoming a three-division champion crushed when multi-time Heavyweight ****** le challenger Ciryl Gane stopped him in the second round to win the interim Heavyweight ****** le last night (Sun., June 14, 2026) at UFC Freedom 250 live on Paramount+ on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C (watch highlights).
And longtime rival-turned-friend Israel Adesanya was locked into the co-main event.
Like a lot of “Poatan” fans, he ended up being pretty disappointed.
“Ciryl is no slouch, but f—k,” Adesanya said. “Dare to be great, [Pereira] is a one-of-one. He’s a great. You can’t fault him.”

UFC Freedom 250 went down in the history books last night (Sat., June 14, 2026) in what was truly one-of-a kind event that saw all seven fights end via knockout. In the main event of the evening, Justin Gaethje became the undisputed Lightweight champion of the world after he absolutely brutalized Ilia Topuria to the point to where “El Matador” could not answer the call to come out for the fifth and final round (highlights). In the co-headlining act, Ciryl Gane once again captured UFC gold by knocking out Alex Pereira (video), while Sean O’Malley stopped Aiemann Zahabi in round two (see it here).
It’s about time UFC stops playing with Tsarukyan and give him his long over due shot at the **** le. He is currently ranked No. 2 and while he has been meaty taking on side quests in RAF, he should be ready to get back to his true calling inside the Octagon. This is another fight that has fireworks written all over it. Tsarukyan is on a five-fight win streak and was last seen submitting Dan Hooker in Nov. 2025.
After Gane stunned Pereira in round two with his heavy bombs, the hulking Frenchman can now look ahead to trying to settle some unfinished business with the current champion, Aspinall, in a rematch. The two men initially threw down at UFC 321 in Oct. 2025, which saw the fight end in anti-climactic fashion in the very first round after Aspinall was on the wrong end of an inadvertent eye poke, resulting in a no contest (NC). Since then, however, all we have been seeing is how slow the champ’s recovery has been, so there is no telling when that fight will happen…if ever.
After O’Malley took care of Zahabi last night, he called for a **** le fight against current Houston champion, Petr Yan. The two men initially fought way back at UFC 280, which saw “Suga” walk away with a split-decision win. Since then, however, Yan has become champion once again, winning the undisputed **** le more recently at UFC 323 by defeating Merab Dvalishvili. There have been talks about a potential rematch between the two, but nothing has yet become official. If and when it does, then I can see O’Malley waiting to face the winner, as he should.
Hokit secured his fourth straight win inside the Octagon in just seven months by stopping Derrick Lewis in round number two (see it here). Currently ranked No. 5, he could be moving up a spot or two following his latest win. Up next, a fight against Pavlovich could be in order, which would undoubtedly be his biggest test so far inside the Octagon. Pavlovich is currently ranked No. 3 in the division and is coming off an easy night of work, disposing of Tallison Teixeira in 39 seconds just last month (see it here). The winner of this fight could put himself in great position for a **** le eliminator fight, possibly against Alexander Volkov.

Joe Rogan says UFC Freedom 250 delivered in every way.
Justin Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) pulled off a massive upset by stopping Ilia Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) to claim the UFC lightweight **** le in Saturday's main event at the White House in Washington. In the co-main event, Ciryl Gane (14-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) spoiled Alex Pereira's heavyweight debut by scoring a second-round TKO to capture the interim belt.
Rogan was in awe of how UFC Freedom 250 played out, which saw all seven fights end by TKO or KO.
"This is the greatest night in the history of combat sports, and the greatest night in the history of MMA by far," Rogan said on the UFC on Paramount+ post-fight show. "There's nothing that's ever going to top this until something does."
Cormier doesn't see any event topping UFC Freedom 250. He thinks Gaethje realizing his ultimate moment at the White House was a perfect ending.

WASHINGTON – Fighters from Saturday's UFC Freedom 250 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $241,500.
The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.
UFC Freedom 250 took place at the White House. The entire event streamed on Paramount+.
Justin Gaethje: $42,000 def. Ilia Topuria: $42,000
Ciryl Gane: $32,000 def. Alex Pereira: $32,000

Awesome history was not made.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) interim Heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane spoiled Alex Pereira’s bid to become the first three-division champion in promotional history, knocking out “Poatan” in the second round tonight (Sun., June 14, 2026) at UFC Freedom 250 live on Paramount+ on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C., as UFC celebrated America’s 250th anniversary.
The first round between Gane and Pereira was competitive, but it seemed like the French striker was getting the better of the Brazilian future Hall of Famer, truly welcoming him to the Heavyweight division.
Then, less than 30 seconds into the second round, Gane put a stamp on his performance.
Gane dropped Pereira with a power jab and immediately started unloading heavy shots. Pereira appeared to be badly hurt — and maybe even out on his feet — but the former Middleweight and Light Heavyweight champion somehow survived the initial 30-second onslaught.