Esteban Ribovics seems to have a thing for wild wars in the Octagon, as he delivered another at UFC Vegas 108, once again earning a decision win as he bested Elvis Brener.
Ribovics started strong in round one, stuffing takedowns and delivering heavy strikes. Ribovics was being aggressive with his combination, though Brener had his own bursts of offense, including a series of leg kicks.
Brener came alive in the second, landing clean head kicks and working his own combinations. His aggression helped to open a cut over one of Ribovics’ eyes and briefly stunned Ribovics with a body kick and flurry.
The two came out swinging in the third round, with Ribovics pushing the pace more thanks to brutal combinations and working the body. Brener never backed down, however, landing flashy strikes that included a spinning wheel kick.
Ribovics ended up attempting more than 300 significant strikes over the course of the three rounds, landing approximately 150 of them. He also defended all nine of Brener’s takedown attempts.
Esteban Ribovics Wins Slugest vs. Elvis Brener At UFC Vegas 108
Ribovics has now won four of five. This is his second straight victory that has come in slugfest fashion, having defeat Daniel Zellhuber at Noche UFC 2: UFC 306 in a bout that earned Fight of the Year honors for 2024.
Rinya Nakamura did not need long to put away Nathan Fletcher, scoring a first-round TKO in the featured preliminary bout of UFC Vegas 108.
Nakamura connected with a body kick that caught Fletcher off balance almost right away. Nakamura looked to pressure, working combinations on the European prospect.
Nakamura connected on a kick that landed on Fletcher’s liver, causing a delayed reaction that brought Fletcher to the canvas. Nakamura would land a little ground-and-pound before the referee stopped the bout.
Rinya Nakamura Stops Nathan Fletcher With Liver Kick At UFC Vegas 108
Nakamura is now 4-1 in the Octagon since a pair of first-round knockouts on Road to the UFC.
Fletcher, an alumnus of season 32 of The Ultimate Fighter, defeated Zygimantas Ramaska in his UFC debut but has now lost two straight. He dropped a split decision to Caolán Loughran earlier this year.
Andrey Pulyaev now has his first win in the Octagon, needing to overcome early adversity before scoring a finish of Nick Klein during the preliminary card of UFC Vegas 108.
Klein dominated early with takedowns, ground control, and clinch pressure, keeping Pulyaev smothered. Very early on in the round, Klein landed some strong strikes from up top, which troubled Pulyaev, and nearly scoring a choke.
Round two changed the momentum, however, as Pulyaev was rejuvenated, while Klein appeared to gas out from his barrages in round one. Pulyaev landed a sharp head kick and clinch knees that turned the tide, opening up a cut above one of Klein’s eyes. Pulyaev then landed a strong body kick that took the wind out of Klein’s sails, following it up with a pair of punches and a low kick to score the TKO.
After dropping his UFC debut, Austin Bashi put on a dominant display in his second Octagon appearance, scoring a submission of John Yannis during the preliminary card of UFC Vegas 108.
Despite an early head kick from Yannis, Bashi hurt Yannis with a right hook. He’d then score a single-leg takedown and take Yannis’ back to control the action.
Bashi then secured a body triangle despite Yannis’ wall walking and escape efforts, eventually locking up a rear-naked choke for the submission.
Conor McGregor has lashed out at rising crime in Ireland, attributing it to individuals from a specific religious group.
McGregor has become increasingly vocal in Irish political discourse, taking aim at the current government with sharp criticism, especially over its immigration policies. He has even hinted at a possible run for the presidency, suggesting he’s eyeing influence far beyond the fight game.
The former two-division UFC champion’s political ambitions gained traction after he accused Irish authorities of using him as a “scapegoat” for the 2023 Dublin riots. “The Notorious” claimed the government deliberately shifted blame onto him to distract attention from knife attacks on Irish citizens allegedly committed by immigrants, which had sparked widespread anti-immigration protests across the country.
Conor McGregor Slams Muslim Immigrants Over Knife Crime In Ireland
Conor McGregor recently took to social media to unleash a fiery response following a disturbing broad daylight knife attack on an Irish police officer by an individual believed to be from the Muslim community, reportedly shouting a religious chant during the assault.
“The Notorious” claimed that the attacker was of Pakistani heritage and called for his immediate deportation, insisting that his citizenship be revoked without delay.
“If is the case, that it was a second generation migrant of full Pakistani heritage, Mother and father came to Ireland prior, had a child and raised him, now a 20/30 year old, in Dublin’s city centre (hesitant to believe this btw) if is the case, then. The stabber and his entire family MUST BE DEPORTED! To raise a person that grows to stab a member of our Gardai while on duty is grounds for immediate termination of citizenship and removal from country. This is how you put our citizens, and members of force, in the knowledge that you are truly with them, and that their safety and livelihood is absolutely paramount! Remove. Immediately!,” Conor McGregor wrote on X.
The UFC superstar once again accused the Irish government of putting native citizens at risk through reckless immigration policies. McGregor suggested that if brought to power, he would take decisive action where current leaders have failed.
“‘Allahu Akbar!’ McGregor added. “The knife wielding maniac shouted this! Watch your back out there people, always. Watch your back out there people, always. Abysmal! Terrifying! This is New Ireland. For now! They will never get away with this with me at the helm. Never in a million years! I will be all over them! Who do you think this government would rather deal with it as head of state during these times of ever frequent attacks on our citizens, or throughout these constant revelations of large scale government corruption… Or more so, who would they not rather deal with? Myself, Conor McGregor, or their hand picked Presidential candidates? There is your answer. Vote McGregor for REAL CHANGE.”
“The Notorious” has signaled strong intent to make his comeback at the rumored UFC spectacle planned for the White House lawn, currently targeted for July 2026. Adding fuel to the speculation, he revealed that he has officially re-entered the UFC’s drug testing pool.
Conor McGregor has remained sidelined since suffering a devastating leg break in his trilogy clash with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. His long-awaited return was set for UFC 303 in June 2024 against Michael Chandler, but a toe injury forced him to withdraw just weeks before the event.
UFC Fight Night took place tonight from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights!
In the main event, flyweights Tatsuro Taira and Hyun Sung Park clashed. While in the co-main event, Mateusz Rębecki faced off with Chris Duncan in a lightweight matchup.
UFC Fight Night Results: Main Card
Tatsuro Taira def. Hyun Sung Park via submission: R2, 1.06
Chris Duncan def. Mateusz Rebecki via unanimous decision (29-28×2, 30-27)
Esteban Ribovics def. Elves Brener via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27×2)
Karol Rosa def. Nora Cornolle via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27×2)
Neil Magny def. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos via TKO: R2, 4.39
Kevin Vallejos def. Danny Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27×2)
Preliminary Card
Rinya Nakamura def. Nathan Fletcher via TKO: R1, 1.02
Rodolfo Vieira def. Tresean Gore via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27×2)
Andrey Pulyaev def. Nick Klein via TKO: R2, 1.31 29-28,
Austin Bashi def. John Yannis via submission: R1, 3.39
Piera Rodriguez def. Ketlen Souza via split decision (29-28×2, 28-29)
Rafael Estevam def. Felipe Bunes via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
Max Holloway has cast serious doubt on fighting again this year.
Last month, Holloway delivered a vintage performance, going to war with familiar foe Dustin Poirier in a thrilling five-round main event at UFC 318. Both men scored knockdowns, but it was “Blessed” who surged ahead with relentless pace and tactical control to outclass Poirier down the stretch.
Although the former UFC featherweight champion was briefly rocked in the second round, he stayed composed and ultimately derailed “The Diamond’s” farewell plans by preventing the trilogy sweep and securing a unanimous decision victory to successfully defend his BMF title.
KEEPING HIS BELT 💪@BlessedMMA earns the UD victory tonight in enemy territory!
Following the victory, Max Holloway wasted no time in calling for a rematch with newly minted lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, banking on their shared history to leapfrog contenders like Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje in the title race.
However, it appears “Blessed” could be shelved for the foreseeable future.
Image: @ufc/Instagram
Max Holloway Says Lingering Hand Injury May Keep Him Out Until 2026
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Max Holloway reflected on his UFC 318 clash with Dustin Poirier and revealed he sustained an injury to his right hand during the bout. The reigning BMF champion admitted the recovery process could take longer than expected, all but ruling out a return to the Octagon in 2025.
“My right hand still hurts,” Holloway said. “If you have hopes of me fighting before the end of the year, probably not gonna happen. I’m seeing a specialist some time this week and I already met with my doctor and now I’ve got to meet a specialist but things are not looking up for me fighting one more time this year. What’s next, I couldn’t tell you, this stupid injury has pushed things back.”
After suffering the first knockout loss of his career to then-featherweight champion Ilia Topuria at UFC 308 in October 2024, Holloway has bounced back and solidified his place as a legitimate contender at lightweight by building on his earlier knockout win over Justin Gaethje with a dominant performance against Poirier.
Thad Jean continues to live up to the hype, as he scored a unanimous decision over Logan Storley in the main event of the PFL World Tournament card in Atlantic City, New Jersey, to capture the 2025 PFL Welterweight World Tournament title.
Jean controlled much of the early action with superior striking and stuffing most of Storley’s takedown attempts. Jean also rocked Storley in the first round with crisp counters, and he nearly finished the fight in round two after a vicious head kick.
Storley’s grappling skillset and takedowns made their presence more felt in the middle rounds of the belt. Storley gained control positions, though Jean usually was able to escape and continued his effective striking, doing some damage on Storley. Jean’s pace, however, slowed later on, though he continued to have a decent output.
Jean went on to score the unanimous decision with a pair of 49-46 scores and a 48-47.
Thad Jean Wins 2025 PFL Welterweight World Tournament
For a mostly one-sided contest that was a really entertaining fight. And a reminder Thad Jean wasn’t even supposed to be in this tournament. What an incredible breakthrough year.
After winning a PFL contract on the PFL Challenger Series and victories in a few showcase bouts, Jean entered the 2025 welterweight tournament and reached the finals with wins over Mukhamed Berkhamov and former Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson.
Storley, the former interim Bellator welterweight champion, reached the finals with wins over Joseph Luciano and Masayuki Kikuiri.
Four years after his first PFL title, Movlid Khaybulaev finds success in the PFL once again, defeating Jesus Pinedo in a battle of former champs to capture his second PFL belt at the PFL World Championships in Atlantic City.
Khaybulaev set the fight’s pace early by scoring early takedowns and controlling the action from top position, despite Pinedo landing some elbows from the bottom.
Khaybulaev nearly finished Pinedo twice in the second round, scoring a knockdown and executing an arm-triangle choke right before the bell. Pinedo, however, responded in the third with a knockdown of his own, courtesy of a big right hand. Khaybulaev, however, quickly recovered and re-established control with his ground game again.
The championship rounds saw more of the same, as Khaybulaev used handcuffs, mat returns, and heavy top pressure to wear Pinedo down. In the fifth, Khaybulaev managed to get into full mount and locked up another arm-triangle. This time, it was enough to score the tap and lock up the PFL title.
Movlid Khaybulaev Wins 2025 PFL Featherweight World Tournament
Movlid Khaybulaev, elite fighter👏
This ref gave Pinedo every chances possible, I don’t know how you stand them back up if a fighter is landing elbows from top position.
Absolute domination by Movlid. And watching Khabib so into it and as intense as if he was fighting was just super cool. This was simply two warriors fighting at the highest level with the GOAT coaching the champ. I love this stuff. @PFLMMApic.twitter.com/k6cR4DsBVS
Khaybulaev now advances to 23-0-1 (1 NC) in his undefeated pro career and locks up a future PFL featherweight world title shot. He advanced to tonight’s final with decisions over Jeremy Kennedy and Kim Tae-kyun.
Pinedo, meanwhile, advanced with finishes of Adam Borics and Gabriel Braga.
In a result that did not go down well with most of the MMA community, Kyle Driscoll managed to come away with a decision win over Husein Kadimagomaev during the early card of the PFL World Tournament event in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The opening round saw both men trading kicks and testing range before Driscoll caught a kick and took the fight to the ground, where he controlled much of the grappling despite Kadimagomaev scrambling well.
Round two continued the theme of measured striking exchanges with Driscoll scoring takedowns and briefly threatening with front headlocks, though Kadimagomaev remained active and landed some solid shots, including a head kick and a flurry at the bell.
In round three, Kadimagomaev found success with powerful kicks, stumbling Driscoll and forcing him to wrestle. Driscoll managed to take the back but couldn’t maintain control, with Kadimagomaev reversing late and ending the fight on top, landing ground strikes.
Both men earned a 30-27 on the judges’ cards, strangely enough, but Driscoll earned a 29-28 on the remaining one to score the decision.
Kyle Driscoll Gets Controversial Nod Over Husein Kadimagomaev
What the fuck kind of judging was that in the #PFL? 30-27 for Kyle Driscoll? In what fucking world? Kadimagomaev won every round and should have easily walked out with the 30-27 decision. That was a crazy ass robbery. Do better PFL Judges.#ROBBERY#PFL#PFLISAJOKE
Driscoll was one of the biggest robberies I’ve ever seen and I had him on the ML. He lost every single round and this is why we should avoid PFL. That’s clearly rigged with the sus line movement. I chased steam and got lucky on the right side of the fix. pic.twitter.com/xn75OG1ps9
‘El Matador’ etched his name in the history books at UFC 317, scoring a sensational first-round finish against Charles Oliveira to claim the lightweight world title, officially becoming a two-division champion.
Thus far, Topuria has not yet booked his first official defense of the 155-pound crown, but there’s really only one challenger that makes sense — Arman Tsarukyan.
9-2 under the UFC banner and sitting on a four-fight win streak, Tsarukyan has more than earned his spot as the division’s top-ranked contender. But despite his No. 1 ranking, Topuria has been nothing but dismissive of a potential clash between the two. That has prompted some to label Topuria a coward, but according to Chael Sonnen, it’s nothing more than a clever bit of gamesmanship from the 155-pound king.
“Ilia is playing you; he’s going to fight Tsarukyan next,” Sonnen said on his Youtube channel. “Do we need more detail, or can we call it here?
“Ilia said, ‘I have no interest in fighting Tsarukyan.’ Now, the reason that it’s peculiar to me is because fellow 155-pounders are upset, but they’re not saying they want to fight him—they’re just calling him a coward. This fight is done just so you understand. But guys do have a recipe. They’re creatures of habit.”
Sonnen recalls Anderson Silva using the same tactic as Ilia Topuria
Sonnen likened the situation to his iconic feud with Anderson Silva, recalling when ‘The Spider’ would regularly disregard him as the next man up as a way to build hype for their inevitable clash.
“When I was having issues with Anderson Silva, it would keep me up at night,” Sonnen said. “Anderson was famous, successful, rich, and he didn’t need anybody. I needed him to choose me. I worked hard to get him to choose me. Anderson’s move was to deny the fight as the first step in accepting the fight every single time. He would let the press conference happen, say nothing, and then after the number one contender’s match, he’d deny the fight.
“Let the media run with that. He could get about two weeks of build-up from just denying the fight. Then Anderson would accept the fight, let excitement die down, and then report that he was injured so the fight was off without confirming or denying.
“Ilia does the same thing. He has his own way to build fights. He’s a very big star.”
UFCVegas 108 is almost here, and we here at MMA News are here to provide you the latest on betting odds for the card.
The card takes place from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday, August 2. The main card portion of the event will start at 9PM ET/6PM PT, with preliminary action starting at 6PM ET/3PM PT.
The headline attraction for the event will feature Tatsuro Taira taking on Hyun Sung Park in flyweight action.
In the co-main event, Mateusz Rebecki will face Chris Duncan.
The main card will also feature Elvis Brener vs. Esteban Ribovics, Karol Rosa vs. Nora Cornelle, Neil Magny vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, and Danny Silva vs. Kevin Vallejos.
UFC Vegas 108: Tatsuro Taira vs. Hyun Sung Park Betting Odds
Listed below are the latest betting odds for UFC Vegas 108 as of August 1 at 8pm ET, courtesy of DraftKings.
Flyweight: Tatsuro Taira (-360) vs. Hyun Sung Park (+285)
Lightweight: Mateusz Rębecki (-225) vs. Chris Duncan (+185)
Lightweight: Elvis Brener (+225) vs. Esteban Ribovics (-278)
Women’s Bantamweight: Karol Rosa (-192) vs. Nora Cornolle (+160)
Welterweight: Neil Magny (+154) vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (-185)
Featherweight: Danny Silva (+330) vs. Kevin Vallejos (-425)
Preliminary Card:
Bantamweight: Rinya Nakamura (-425) vs. Nathan Fletcher (+330)
Middleweight: Rodolfo Vieira (-198) vs. Tresean Gore (+164)
Middleweight: Nick Klein (+130) vs. Andrey Pulyaev (-155)
Featherweight: Austin Bashi (-750) vs. John Yannis (+525)
Flyweight: Rafael Estevam (-625) vs. Felipe Bunes (+455)
Women’s Strawweight: Piera Rodriguez (-225) vs. Ketlen Souza (+185)
Zach Calmus showed out in his prior bare knuckle fighting foray in Sturgis and aims to keep that trend going in the promotion’s return to the market this weekend. Zach Calmus returns to fight in Sturgis for BKFC 79 with his prior BKFC Sturgis bout seeing him secure a sub-one minute knockout over Ryan Shough at BKFC 63.
Appearing on Bare Knuckle Bowker to touch on this return to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to fight Corey Willis on August 2nd, Zach Calmus said,
“Yeah, I’ve training hard regardless. Regardless of who I’m fighting. Corey Willis is just a name, Zach Calmus is just a name. Then we put the work in behind us and I guess I just want to do the best that I can and that’s what God can allow me to do. So, I really just worked as hard as physically possible in this camp. I had a lot of great sparring with UFC-level fighters like Yuri [Panferov], the Russian Polar Bear. We were sparring… [also worked with a former] WBC world champion, he sparred with James Toney back in the day in California. Great coach.”
“What I’m trying to tell you is, I’m getting knowledge that has been passed down through history. I work with some real, real fighters who have world championships, real lineage, real history. I’m with the best coach in all of Connecticut and all the world, in my opinion. He’s worked in famous camps. He’s worked with great fighters to get to that level of fame. To get to that level of fighting, you have to be a great coach.”
“So that’s all l I have to say about that. I have the right people around me or nobody around me which is really the best when you’re all alone and you can just think about the game plan, ignoring all kinds of distractions. So that’s really what my biggest asset has been in this game is that I went back to our basics and just kind of like shut out the world after KnuckleMania because that was a tough loss. I didn’t want the fight to get stopped, but I’m not a referee. They saw something that I didn’t… I moved on. I drove home that day.”
Zach Calmus and the road back to Sturgis post-KnuckleMania 5
When delving into the process of rebounding from his disappointing setback last time out in January of this year at KnuckleMania 5 against Pat Brady, Zach Calmus stated,
“Like, I got back to the hotel like late at night or whatever. But we got home, me and Paula. I was just happy that I got through it with my life. You know what I mean? I’m happy that I went out there and fought at Wells Fargo Center and I didn’t get knocked the f**k out. You know what I mean? The guy that I fought was a beast. I’m not taking nothing away from him either. Pat Brady is a savage and he’s no joke. So it was a tough loss for me, but I didn’t even throw any punches.”
“I didn’t do what I was supposed to do. So I didn’t win the game. This is chess, not checkers. You have a game plan, you got to stick with it. That’s what I didn’t [do]. I just went out there and I fought like I was on the side of a bar. That’s not a good thing when you’re at that level because then you just go out there and you’re like I’ll take one to give one and you’re just f***ing rolling through a process. That’s dangerous.”
“People get hurt that way. So the mindset is no matter what happens in my life, no matter what falls out, no matter what the f**k, I’m going to train every f***ing day. I don’t care how I feel, it’s what I do. That really worked well for me. I got back to the basics and I sparred. I sparred, like I lost count how many rounds.”
Marisol Ruelas will collide with Shyanna Bintiff at BKFC 79: Gogo vs. Lane on August 2nd and Ruelas appeared on Bare Knuckle Bowker to touch on several subjects ahead of her first fighting foray into the world of gloveless combat. Prior to Saturday night’s contest, Ruelas has had prior experiences in MMA, combat jiu jitsu, Power Slap, and Team Combat League.
Upon being asked when bare knuckle fighting got on her radar to compete under that ruleset and the road leading up to this BKFC 79 contract being signed, Ruelas said,
“I competed in MMA starting off for a very long time. When I got the offer for Power Slap, I think a few of the girls that were offered to me were on bare knuckle and I remember telling my manager like oh, this must be a sign. But I had a lot of people against it just because I’m still very young and I do a lot of other things. But I don’t know.”
“I feel like an itch started growing in me and like it was actually very crazy. Like randomly I got a message about doing bare knuckle and if I was interested. So I talked to Tyler a little bit more and that’s about it. He just kind of gave me the option of whether or not I wanted to do it and he would look into an opponent and a match and all of the things. I just decided to take it [laughs].”
BKFC 79, Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, and how Ruelas has “an upper hand”
The 28-year old bare knuckle debutant is honoured to be part of this BKFC Sturgis card as BKFC 79 takes place at the nucleus of the iconic Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. While Ruelas ended up hitting the required 145 pound mark, her opponent Bintiff missed weight by over seven pounds heading into their contracted bout at featherweight.
When asked for her thoughts on her BKFC 79 opponent who is also making their Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship debut but has some prior BKB bouts under her belt, Ruelas stated,
“I mean I didn’t look too much into it. I think I’ve seen like one of her fights. My coaches do all of the research and they do focus on what I should work on for the fight. I did see that she is going to be a little bit taller. Probably a little bit heavier which is; I have no problem with it [laughs]. As far as her background with bare knuckle or fighting in that promotion, I feel like at least I got to see how she fights. On the other hand, she has not. She doesn’t know how I move, how I aim.”
“It’s very different like with boxing or MMA or any sport like that. So I guess it was kind of an upper hand being able to see her last fight. I believe it was like in April or something. I’m not too worried about the experience. I’ve fought girls who had a lot less experience than me and did a lot better than me. I’ve fought girls with more experience than me and I did better. So as far as that, I’m not too worried about it. But again, it’s a fight and I know that I have to be ready for whatever comes to me.”
It only took the doctor a couple of seconds to look at the cut on Nick Meck’s eyebrow before calling off his fight during the PFL World Tournament early card in Atlantic City, giving the win to Sarek Shields.
Shields quickly took the fight to the ground, threatening with a guillotine and using a kimura trap to control Meck. Meck escaped and landed a few shots, but Shields remained relentless with grappling control.
Both fighters had top control, but the fight’s biggest moment was Shields landing a couple of hard knees in the clinching, opening up a cut on Meck’s eye. And when the doctor looked at the eye after the first round, the referee quickly stopped things.
Wow!! What a deep cut. A doctor stoppage gives Sarek Shields the victory after round one over Nick Meck. Shields landed a nasty knee that sliced Meck open badly #PFLWorldTournament
— Live Combat Sports Judging 🥊👊📝 (@PredictingMMA) August 1, 2025
I feel really bad for Nick Meck, but he will get another shot. That cut is brutal and it has to be called, nothing the doctor can do at this point#PFLWorldChampionship
Michael Bisping wants to see McGregor vs. Diaz 3 go down at The White House.
Ever since U.S. President Donald Trump announced his intent to hold a UFC event on the lawn at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, pundits have been busy fantasy booking the history-making fight card, with everything from Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall to a rematch between bitter rivals Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal being at the top of their lists.
But one fighter ‘The Count’ would love to see make his triumphant return in the nation’s capital next year is non other than the ‘Stockton Samurai’ himself, Nate Diaz.
“Diaz is a bit of a badass,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “The way that he carries himself, the way that he keeps it real.”
Diaz ended his 15-year run in the UFC in 2022 following a submission victory over Tony Ferguson. Since then, he’s competed in boxing bouts against Jake Paul and the aforementioned Jorge Masvidal, but Diaz has always insisted his return to the Octagon was just a matter of time.
“Nate Diaz wants to come back,” Bisping continued. “First of all, he’s got to sign with the UFC.”
Bisping wants McGregor vs. Diaz 3 at The White House
As for who Diaz could potentially face in a potential return, Bisping thinks a fight with former featherweight champ and reigning BMF titleholder Max Holloway would be a hell of a matchup.
“If I’m Max Holloway, why not? 100%,” Bispsing said. “That would be a great fight for Max Holloway. The version of Max Holloway at 155 pounds, I think he would have a field day with Nate Diaz.”
However, the former middleweight champ thinks there is an even bigger fight for Diaz — one that could turn the proposed White House card from a cheap gimmick into must-see TV.
“Wouldn’t you rather see Nate Diaz versus Conor McGregor at the White House? That’s the fight that I’d rather see if I’m honest,” Bisping added.
McGregor and Diaz have met twice before, competing in back-to-back bouts under the UFC banner in 2016. Diaz stepped in on short notice to fight the former two-division titleholder at UFC 196, and handed McGregor his first-ever defeat inside the Octagon.
Five month later, McGregor scored some redemption, besting Diaz via majority decision at UFC 202. Three months after that, McGregor would go on to KO Eddie Alvarez and claim the lightweight world title, becoming the promotion’s first-ever simultaneous two-division champion.
In November, the Irish megastar was ordered to pay $285,000 in damages plus legal fees totaling $1.5 million to Nikita Hand, the woman who accused him of sexually assaulting her at a Dublin hotel in 2018. Shorty after, McGregor filed an appeal on the grounds that his lawyers believed his answers to police during interviews should not have been presented to the jury. McGregor’s barrister also argued that a question on the “issue paper” given to the jury to help them decide their verdict was improperly worded.
Three senior judges at the Court of Appeal in Dublin dismissed the appeal on all grounds, noting that McGregor’s lawyers had not proved there was “a real risk of unfair trial.”
At the beginning of the process, Ireland’s Court of Appeal was told that McGregor had withdrawn an application to have new evidence entered at the appeal. According to a report from the BBC, McGregor intended to call Samantha O’Reilly and Steven Cummins, former neighbors of Hand, to give evidence at his appeal before withdrawing the application.
The senior judges said it was “somewhat mysterious” that what they described as an “important and contentious” part of the appeal had been “cast aside.”
McGregor initially claimed that fresh evidence provided by O’Reilly and Cummins bolstered his insistence that he was not responsible for bruising on Hand’s body following the alleged assault.
Hand is Seeking Damages Against Conor McGregor and Her Former Neighbors
While McGregor was not in court on Thursday, Hand was present and expressed her gratitude for the courts decision to dismiss the appeal. It was also revealed that Hand’s legal team have began proceedings to seek damages from McGregor, O’Reilly, and Cummins.
“This appeal has retraumatised me over and over again, being forced to relive it, what happened has had a huge impact on me,” Hand said in a statement
She added, “To every survivor out there, I know how hard it is, but please, don’t be silenced. You deserve to be heard, you also deserve justice. Today, I can finally move on and try to heal.”
The first of three events to mark the conclusion of the PFL’s 2025 World Tournaments goes down in Atlantic City, New Jersey tonight — and MMA News has you covered with all the action.
The World Tournament is the spiritual successor to the season-and-the-playoffs has had since its inaugural season in 2018. As part of the changes in format to the PFL upon the official folding of the Bellator brand earlier this year, the PFL changed its global season to a single-elimination tournament format, adding more weight classes, eight fighters per weight class.
First-round action took place in April and May, with June — previously hosting the second leg of the regular season — hosting semifinal action. This month will see the conclusion of these tournaments, with eight winners receiving PFL World Tournament title belts and $100,000.
This evening will be headlined by the welterweight tournament final that sees undefeated rising star Thad Jean taking on former interim Bellator welterweight champion Logan Storley. Jean made it to the finals through a first-round knockout of Mukhamed Berkhamov and a split decision win over former Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson. Storley, meanwhile, scored a pair of decision wins over Joseph Luciano and Masayuki Kikuiri.
The co-main event will be the featherweight tournament final that features a pair of former champions — 2021 PFL featherweight champion Movlid Khaybulaev and 2023 PFL featherweight champion Jesus Pinedo. The unbeaten Khaybulaev reached the finals with decision wins over Jeremy Kennedy and Kim Tae-kyun. Pinedo, meanwhile, scored finishes of Adam Borics and Gabriel Braga (the latter being a trilogy bout between the two).
2025 PFL World Tournament Week 8 Results & Highlights
Main Card:
Welterweight Final: Thad Jean def. Logan Storley via unanimous decision (49-46 x2, 48-47)
Featherweight Final: Movlid Khaybulaev def. Jesus Pinedo via submission (arm-triangle choke) (R5, 1:17)
Featherweight: Asael Adjoudj def. Yves Landu via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Middleweight: Jordan Newman def. Eslam Baset via TKO (fighter retirement) (R1, 5:00)
Preliminary Card:
Catchweight (160 lbs): Jakub Kaszuba def. Sergio Cossio via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
In particular, McGregor finds it hard to believe how he can be found civilly liable for the sexual assault when he was cleared in a criminal investigation.
“I was on the stand in a world of fog being accused of a crime I didn’t commit, and that I was actually cleared of criminally, and exonerated by every witness present, as well as believed twice over by the public prosecutor, but still up on a stand civilly, in absolute shock,” McGregor said. “Some say the case never went criminal because there was ‘lack of evidence’ that is not the case. It is the opposite! There was so much evidence!
“They had hours of footage of the ‘victim’ after the supposed attempted murder and rape of her. Partying away, messaging away. Leaving the hotel / coming back etc. up and down, in the lobby of the hotel, absolutely everywhere and back. And twice. Not a f****** bother. Smiling, laughing, dancing, kissing, biting, play fighting. It’s some watch…”
Conor McGregor Speaks Out After Appeals In Sexual Assault Case Rejected
McGregor alleges that Hand’s actions he claims happened post incident have been verified by multiple witnesses and CCTV footage. However, McGregor adds, he and his team were not permitted to submit “crucial” evidence from the criminal investigation.
“It’s been some eye opener this entire process, I tell you that good folks,” McGregor posted. “What has taken place here throughout these twice thrown in the bin criminal accusations is an absolute travesty! How people sleep at night is beyond me. I’m sure they don’t. Not soundly anyway, no way. Impossible.
“To falsely accuse someone of rape and lose, then attempt to ignore that fact/brush it under the rug is truly heinous on another level!”
McGregor, who has been making a bid to become President of Ireland in the upcoming election, says he will continue to maintain innocence in spite of the court’s actions.
“I am happy this is still ongoing,” he said. “Hopefully we hear from all. I fight on with the truth and will continue to defend myself. Ireland, amidst this shake down don’t let it distract you. You can see what I am up against here and we knew this would always be the case. We fight on!”
McGregor is also facing another sexual assault allegation, stemming from an incident at the Kaseya Center in Miami during the 2023 NBA Finals.
McGregor, who has not been seen in the Octagon since UFC 264, recently submitted a sample to the UFC testing pool. Over the last month, McGregor has been teasing a return to fighting at the UFC White House card in July 2026.
Shelby Cannon is someone who sings the praises of Taylor Starling, and even her own daughter loves ‘Killa Bee’, but that won’t stop ‘Boom Boom’ from aiming to put an end to Starling’s competitive combat career in BKFC’s return to Sturgis. Shelby Cannon will clash with Taylor Starling at BKFC 79: Gogo vs. Lane in a consequential co-main event clash on August 2nd.
Cannon appeared on Bare Knuckle Bowker and when referencing a prior interview done with Paul Pickett where the context was presented of Taylor Starling doing so many interviews for BKFC on the digital content creation end and it seeming like Cannon was intimating that Starling would be done fighting after their BKFC Sturgis contest.
When asked if that was the sentiment that was being expressed there or if some things were being misconstrued at all, Cannon stated,
“No, I think that you’re 100% correct. I was meaning that because again, I think she; if I’m making a speculation, which I will, I’ll make a speculation. So, let you get in my head a little bit is that I don’t think that she had any intentions on fighting anybody else that was going to be higher ranked. I think that because my name came out there, she thought it’d be an easy win and it would get her back on the charts and it would give her another W, which is great.”
“Then from there, she was going to be able to fight somebody she’s already fought. Being in the game, we know that it’s always easier to fight somebody the second time than it is the first time. Britain Hart is a huge contender and I just feel like naturally somebody’s going to look for the easiest way to get to the top where I was not. I mean, I’m willing to fight anybody and everybody because I’ll tell you, I mean, me and my coach, we talked about Sturgis and we talked about Taylor Starling.”
“I mean, I met Taylor Starling in Utah when I did my my debut. I mean, I’m a Taylor Starling fan to be completely honest with you. I mean, I’ve been watching Taylor Starling for a long, long time. I’ve seen where she was at when she first came into BKFC and I’ve seen where she’s at right now. I think she had way more intensity and she had way more grit at the beginning of her career. I’ve seen her do these promotions and, you know, being there with the the mic and interviewing. I mean, that’s her bread and butter.”
“She’s so natural with people. Like she talks about being like a showman and that’s great, but like being a showman and being a professional bare knuckle fighter is not the same thing. Yeah, maybe they go hand in hand when you’re trying to make money, but I mean at the end of the day, I’m not a showman. I’m a bare knucklefighter. I mean, that’s what I go in there and I do is I win fights. I train every single day, every single week. I’m coming here because there’s just a lot that needs to be done.”
In BKFC, “you’re either a dog or you’re not” says Cannon
As she continued to give her overview of this BKFC matchup in the context of some of the differences she sees between herself and Starling in the world of bare knuckle, Cannon continued,
“I think that keeping the people in the sport that want to stay in the sport and not have all these other ideas of, I mean I don’t know what her ideas are, but I’ve seen a lot of interviews with her. She wants to open a freaking coffee shop. She wants to do interviews with fighters. I mean she’s got all these other plans and like she’s got all these plans after she’s a fighter. I’ve had many people ask me when are you going to stop fighting, Shelby?”
“Well, I’m going to fight for as long as I can fight because mentally, emotionally, physically, all these things, it’s good for me. Why would I have a date already set on when I’m going to, oh, I’m going to stop fighting when I decide I want to open up a nail salon. Well, no, I’ve already opened up a nail salon. Thank you very much. Oh, I’m going to stop fighting when I decide that I want to go to church. No, I’m sorry. I already do that. Oh, I’m going to stop fighting when I decide I have all these other plans.”
“No, that’s just not the way it works [laughs]. It’s just not. So, I see her being a really good interviewer and I think she’s at the the end of her career. But all props to her, though, I think she’s just a great person and I think she’s a good role model. My daughter really looks up to Taylor Starling. She loves Taylor Starling. I think she’s a beautiful person like inside and out. But at the end of the day though, the women, we’re growing. But you’re either a dog or you’re not.”
“You’re staying in or you’re not. I mean, she can say that I’m talking crap. I don’t know. I don’t know if that’s what this is. But at the end of the day, she’s going to have to really fight me a lot differently than she’s ever fought anybody else to get her win.”
BKFC 79 is headlined by a clash for the vacant welterweight championship with Gorjan Slaveski looking to become a two time champion while Julian Lane aims to capture the strap after being a company stalwart and one of the card’s co-main event fighters has commented on the headliner.
Shelby Cannon will clash with Taylor Starling at BKFC 79: Gogo vs. Lane in the co-main event on August 2nd. Cannon appeared on Bare Knuckle Bowker to cover several subjects related to her own high stakes strawweight bout as well as the welterweight main event. As the former BKB title challenger offered up her thoughts on the BKFC title fight between ‘GoGo’ and ‘Let Me Bang’ Lane, Shelby Cannon said,
“I think it’s going to be a good fight. Well Julian, he ended up fighting one of my teammates, in a sense, and he beat him. So I know what kind of power he has. I know how good he is. So everybody keeps saying he’s going to get knocked out. I don’t know. I don’t think anybody really knows. I think they’re both very high IQ fighters and it could go either way. But I’m probably pulling for [Julian] Lane.”
BKFC 79 Main Event Overview Heading Into Sturgis Return
BKFC Sturgis will end the night off with the number five ranked contender in Lane taking on the former welterweight champion who never lost his belt inside of the squared circle in Slaveski.
For Lane, he is riding a four fight win streak heading into this title bid with a 75 percent finishing rate through that recent stretch. The veteran of multiple seasons of The Ultimate Fighter has put together wins over Murat Kazgan, Evgeny Kurdanov, Alfredo Angulo, Cameron VanCamp through this recent stretch of victories.
Lane has also thrown down in gloveless combat with the likes of Jimmy Sweeney, Leonard Garcia, number one pound for pound fighter in the company as well as current BKFC middleweight champion David Mundell, ‘the King of Violence’ Mike Perry, and former BKFC middleweight champion Thiago Alves to name but a few.
Conversely for Slaveski, he has a spotless record in the BKFC ring and as mentioned is returning with the aim of regaining what he never ultimately lost inside of the ring. The last time ‘GoGo’ was seen in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, he was also in a vacant welterweight title bout that saw Slaveski defeat Jake Lindsey on points at BKFC 49.
Since then, Slaveski has been plying his trade in the Karate Combat pit with a loss in his debut effort there only to since put together a pair of finishes under the KC banner to close out 2024.
With prior welterweight champion Austin Trout dealing with some injury issues beforehand and now mapping out a path to pursue lightweight gold in BKFC’s four man tournament, the welterweight strap became declared vacant once again. That will all change on August 2nd when Lane and Slaveski knuckle up and toe the line to crown a new kingpin of 165 pounds on Saturday night at BKFC 79.
LET’S GO STURGIS! Here’s your lineup and fight week schedule for BKFC 79 #BKFC79 | Saturday | Only on DAZN pic.twitter.com/I0NAzonDXs
In the midst of the news that he has lost his sexual assault court appeal, Conor McGregor is actually back in the UFC’s testing pool.
One day after McGregor posted a photo of what appeared to be him giving a urine sample, the UFC Anti-Doping website now shows McGregor having submitted one test for 2025.
This represents the first step in a possible return to the Octagon for McGregor, which he has been teasing over the last month since U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a fight card at the White House on July 4, 2026.
Though limits are more unclear since the UFC’s separation from USADA, the long-time rules had been that an athlete must be in the testing pool for six months before being considered “unretired” and allowed to fight again.
UFC Anti-Doping Website Officially Lists First 2025 Test Session For Conor McGregor
McGregor has been one of the many names who are looking for the chance to compete on the potentially historic card.
In November 2024, a jury in the Dublin High Court found McGregor guilty of sexually assaulting Nikita Hand in a hotel room in December 2018. McGregor was ordered by the jury to pay Hand €248,000 (approximately $257,000).
The former two-division UFC champion vehemently maintains his innocence.
McGregor is also being sued by a woman on allegations that he sexually assaulted her during an NBA Finals game at the Kaseya Center, home of the NBA’s Miami Heat. The suit accuses McGregor of battery and sexual assault and alleges arena staff were negligent in allowing an intoxicated McGregor to remain in the arena.
McGregor has not been seen in the Octagon since his UFC 264 loss to Dustin Poirier. He and Michael Chandler coached season 31 of The Ultimate Fighter in 2023; however, their scheduled UFC 303 bout the next year was scrapped less than a month out.
Khamzat Chimaev walking into UFC 319 as the betting favorite against champion Dricus Du Plessis is about as rare as finding someone who thinks Jake Paul deserves a title shot. Champions are supposed to be favorites. That’s literally the point of being champion. But sometimes, the betting world sees things differently.
You remember Jon Jones destroying Shogun Rua at UFC 128? Jones was the challenger but entered as the favorite at around -210. It was one of those moments where everyone collectively decided the old king was done and the new prince was ready to claim his throne. They were right.
But Jones isn’t alone in this exclusive club of challengers who convinced Vegas they were better than the person wearing the belt. Let’s dive into these rare occasions when the betting world basically said “yeah, the champion is nice and all, but have you seen this other guy?”
5 Times Vegas Backed the Challenger Over the UFC Champion
1. Jon Jones vs Shogun Rua (UFC 128)
Odds: Jones -210, Shogun +165
This was peak “passing of the torch” territory. Shogun was coming off a long layoff after knee surgery, while Jones was this freakish athletic specimen destroying everyone in his path. The oddsmakers weren’t being disrespectful – they were being realistic. Jones didn’t just win; he absolutely dominated, making Shogun look like he belonged in a retirement home rather than a cage.
2. Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo (UFC 194)
Odds: McGregor -140, Aldo +120
Here’s where it gets interesting. Aldo hadn’t lost in a decade, but McGregor’s star power and his interim title win over Chad Mendes had everyone believing the hype train was unstoppable. The betting public bought into McGregor’s mental warfare completely. And then he knocked out Aldo in 13 seconds, making everyone who bet on him feel like geniuses.
3. Valentina Shevchenko vs Nicco Montano (UFC 228)
Odds: Shevchenko -675, Montano +450
Here’s the thing – Shevchenko was the challenger but the massive favorite. Montano was the champion but opened as one of the biggest underdog champions in UFC history. The fight got canceled due to Montano’s weight cut issues, but the odds told the story of how little faith anyone had in the inaugural flyweight champion.
4. Georges St-Pierre vs Matt Serra (UFC 83 Rematch)
Odds: GSP -500, Serra +430
This is the rematch where GSP was the challenger trying to win back his belt. GSP was the massive favorite despite being the challenger because everyone knew Serra’s first win was a fluke. The betting world basically said “yeah, the real champion is getting his belt back now.” They were right.
5. Eddie Alvarez vs Conor McGregor (UFC 205)
Odds: McGregor -150, Alvarez +140
Alvarez was the lightweight champion but an underdog to challenger McGregor. McGregor’s star power and skills had everyone believing he’d become the first simultaneous two-division champion. He knocked out Alvarez in the second round.
Champions become underdogs for several reasons. Sometimes they’re coming off injuries or long layoffs. Sometimes the challenger is just that good. Sometimes the champion is aging and everyone can see the writing on the wall. And sometimes, the betting public gets caught up in hype and momentum.
The fact that you can count these cases on your fingers shows just how rare it is. Champions are champions for a reason, and the betting world usually respects that. When they don’t, it’s because something significant is happening that makes everyone believe we’re about to witness history.
The truth is, these cases are incredibly rare. ESPN found that since 2005, incumbent champions were favored in 85% of their title defenses The beauty of MMA is that anything can happen. Champions can lose on any given night, regardless of what the odds say. But when the betting world actively favors the challenger, it usually means something significant is happening in that division.
Khamzat Chimaev being favored over Dricus Du Plessis is about the collective belief that we might be witnessing another changing of the guard. Chimaev’s undefeated record and dominant performances have the betting world convinced he’s the real champion already. Du Plessis wearing the belt is apparently just a formality that needs correcting. The oddsmakers are basically saying “we’ve seen enough.”
UFC Fight Night: Tatsuro Taira vs. Hyun Sung Park takes place on Saturday, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results.
For the first time in about two months, the UFC is back at its home base, the UFC APEX, to open its August schedule.
Headlining this card will be a short-notice bout, as Tatsuro Taira takes on Hyun Sung Park. Taira was originally booked to face Amir Albazi; however, Albazi was forced to withdraw from the event about a week ago due to injury.
This will be Taira’s first fight since losing his undefeated professional MMA record against Brandon Royval in their UFC Vegas 98 main event in October. Park, who won the Road to UFC season one flyweight tournament, is currently 2-0 in the Octagon. Park finished Shannon Ross in December 2023 and submitted Carlos Hernandez earlier this year at UFC Vegas 106.
The rest of the card will also feature the likes of Mateusz Rębecki, Elvis Brener, Karol Rosa, Neil Magny, and Danny Silva.
UFC Fight Night: Taira vs. Park Weigh-In Results
UFC Fight Night: Taira vs. Park takes place on Saturday, August 2, at the Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, with the preliminary card starting at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
Watch the official weigh-ins above via MMA Junkie, and check out the results below.
Main Card:
Flyweight: Tatsuro Taira (126) vs. Hyun Sung Park (126)
Lightweight: Mateusz Rębecki (155.5) vs. Chris Duncan (156)
Lightweight: Elvis Brener (155.5) vs. Esteban Ribovics (155.5)
Women’s Bantamweight: Karol Rosa (136) vs. Nora Cornolle (136)
Welterweight: Neil Magny (170.5) vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (171)
Featherweight: Danny Silva (144.5) vs. Kevin Vallejos (146)
Preliminary Card:
Bantamweight: Rinya Nakamura (136) vs. Nathan Fletcher (135.5)
Middleweight: Rodolfo Vieira (185) vs. Tresean Gore (189.5)*
Middleweight: Nick Klein (186) vs. Andrey Pulyaev (185.5)
Featherweight: Austin Bashi (145.5) vs. John Yannis (145.5)
Flyweight: Rafael Estevam (130)** vs. Felipe Bunes (125)
Women’s Strawweight: Piera Rodriguez (116) vs. Ketlen Souza (116)
*Gore missed weight by 3.5 pounds, will be fined 25 percent of purse
**Estevam missed weight by 4 pounds, will be fined 25 percent of purse
Having already bested Holloway twice in their previous meetings, “The Diamond” concluded his UFC journey with a spirited unanimous decision loss in a back-and-forth clash for the symbolic BMF title, capping off a storied career with a performance that resonated deeply with fans and marked a fitting farewell.
Although Dustin Poirier fell short in three attempts to capture the undisputed lightweight title, he walks away from the sport as one of the most revered and accomplished fighters of his generation. Now, less than two weeks removed from his retirement bout, “The Diamond” appears to have set his sights on the next chapter of his journey.
Image: @ufc/Instagram
Dustin Poirier Embraces Post Fight Career With ESPN Broadcasting Role
On Thursday, Dustin Poirier took to social media to share that he’s gearing up to follow in the footsteps of fellow former UFC champions like Michael Bisping and Daniel Cormier as he sets his sights on joining ESPN’s broadcasting team.
“Looking forward to getting back on the ESPN desk going to start focusing on that now,” Poirier wrote on X.
Looking forward to getting back on the ESPN desk going to start focusing on that now.
“The Diamond” first stepped into the analyst role at UFC 287 in April 2023, joining Din Thomas and ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. He later returned to the desk at UFC 303 in June 2024, where he was joined by Teddy Atlas, Chael Sonnen, and Brendan Fitzgerald. Most recently, Poirier continued to showcase his analytical chops during the UFC 314 broadcast in April.
