MMA news: UFC Freedom 250 – Can Alex Pereira beat Ciryl Gane to become first triple champion?
The UFC White House card was finally revealed this week, and one fight stood out above the rest. Ciryl Gane vs Alex Pereira – a striking fan’s dream showdown in the octagon – is set to take place on the South Lawn, with the interim heavyweight title on the line.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Cameron Cleugh dissects the fight and what it means to the UFC as a whole.
MMA news: Ilia Topuria vs Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira vs Cyril Gane headline UFC Freedom 250
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has officially revealed the fight card for its historic event at the White House, set to take place on June 14 as part of ‘America250’ celebrations.
While the line-up features two title bouts and a host of popular fighters, the announcement has been met with a wave of disappointment from fans who feel the “greatest-ever” card failed to materialise, writes Sports News Blitz’s Samuel Faris-Clark.
UFC 326: Preview and suggested bets for Max Holloway vs Charles Oliveira and more
The UFC returns to the storied T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 7.
Two fan-favourites and veterans lead the line-up as Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira are set to slug it out. Besides a tantalising main event, the schedule is filled out with thrilling match-ups that fans will want to keep a keen eye on.
It has been a while since we’ve done this, but these bouts are going to be interesting to discuss, writes Sports News Blitz’s Finn Littlewood.
MMA news: Alex Pereira vacates UFC light heavyweight belt, Jiri Prochazka vs Carlos Ulberg set
Alex Pereira has officially vacated his UFC light heavyweight title in order to move up a class and compete at heavyweight.
UFC boss Dana White confirmed the 38-year-old Brazilian’s decision on February 27. Jiří Procházka and Carlos Ulberg will now fight for the vacant 205-pound belt at UFC 327 in Miami on April 11.
Here, Sports News Blitz’s Samuel Faris-Clark takes a look at the situation.
UFC Fight Night: Preview and suggested bets for Brandon Moreno vs Lone’er Kavanagh and more
Former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno takes on rising English talent Lone’er Kavanagh at UFC Fight Night in Mexico City on Saturday, February 28.
The UFC returns to Mexico for the eighth time in its history and the first time since March last year, only this time under somewhat precarious circumstances, writes Sports News Blitz’s Finn Littlewood.
MMA news: Tatsuro Taira gets title shot against Joshua Van over Manel Kape
Joshua Van, UFC flyweight champion, eagerly awaited his return to the cage after capturing the belt in just 26 seconds in a freak accident against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 323 in December.
At 24 years old, Van had one of the best years in MMA history in 2025, going from an unranked fighter at the start of the year to flyweight champion by the end.
Van is scheduled to fight Tatsuro Taira at UFC 327 on April 11 for his first title defence, writes Sports News Blitz’s Samuel Faris-Clark.
MMA news: Champion Khamzat Chimaev reacts to Sean Strickland KO win over Anthony Hernandez
Sean Strickland beat Anthony Hernandez by third-round TKO at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas on Saturday.
The result was only Strickland’s fifth TKO/KO in 24 UFC fights, meaning he has just a 21% TKO/KO rate.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Samuel Faris-Clark rounds up the reaction to the fight.
MMA news: Joe Rogan backs Jon Jones–trained Gable Steveson to be next UFC heavyweight star
Gable Steveson is set to fight Hugo Lezama as part of the Mexico Fight League on Thursday, February 19 at the Showcenter Complex in Monterrey, Mexico.
Steveson won Olympic gold at 125kg in wrestling, competed in the WWE for three years, and is currently 2-0 in his MMA career.
Fans and analysts view the 25-year-old as the future of the heavyweight division given his wrestling pedigree, writes Sports News Blitz’s MMA expert Samuel Faris-Clark.
MMA news: Sean Strickland back in action vs Anthony Hernandez – but is his star quality waning?
Sean Strickland returns to action on Saturday, February 22 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas against Anthony Hernandez after being out of action for just over a year.
Strickland had the MMA world fully behind him when he won the middleweight title against long-reigning champion Israel Adesanya as a 5/1 underdog.
The brash, outspoken nature of Strickland felt like a breath of fresh air to many fans, but public sentiment has since shifted to focus on his underwhelming fighting style, reports Sports News Blitz’s MMA writer Samuel Faris-Clark.
UFC Fight Night: Preview and suggested bets for Mario Bautista vs Vinicius Oliveira and more
After a jam-packed few weeks in the UFC, with two headline events on back-to-back weekends, fight night is returning to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas for the first time in 2026.
And despite smaller names rounding out the event, fight fans will still want to keep a keen eye on this one as a few potential contenders are making an appearance, writes Sports News Blitz’s Finn Littlewood.
MMA analysis: Top-heavy, no depth - The quiet decline of the UFC’s heavyweight division
Sports News Blitz writer Ollie Hughes explores the decline of the UFC’s heavyweight division and how its fall off can be explained.
MMA analysis: Has the UFC done enough to cultivate a new generation of stars?
Sports News Blitz writer Ollie Hughes discusses the current star power on the UFC roster and why the promotion may have no intention of growing it any time soon.
UFC 325: Preview and suggested bets for Alexander Volkanovski vs Diego Lopes and more
Can UFC 325 live up to the hype of last weekend? Will Alexander Volkanovski further cement his legacy in the featherweight division? What does the return of Tai Tuivasa after nearly two years mean?
It’s another landmark event in the UFC this weekend as Volkanovski fights in Australia once more as part of his second title defence against Diego Lopes.
Fellow Aussies Dan Hooker and Tai Tuivasa join Volkanovski on the main card, with ‘The Hangman’ looking to bounce back from a heavy loss to Arman Tsarukyan just over two months ago.
MMA analysis: What does the interim title truly mean for Justin Gaethje?
On Sunday, January 25, Justin Gaethje claimed the interim lightweight title in one of the greatest fights of modern MMA.
It was an all-out war between the two fighters, with Gathje saying in a post-fight interview: “I went off the game plan a bit by trying to kill him as per usual.”
A true fight that displayed everything fans love about MMA and gave the lightweight division a new top dog, but what exactly is an interim champion? Sports News Blitz writer Cameron Cleugh gives his thoughts.
UFC 324 main event reaction: Justin Gaethje defeats valiant Paddy Pimblett in five-round war
Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett by unanimous decision over five rounds in the UFC lightweight interim title fight main event on January 25 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The judges scored the contest 48-47, 49-46, and 49-46 – with Gaethje putting in a dominant display to clinch the interim title by winning four rounds to one on two of the scorecards.
Pimblett did not go down without a fight, though, exhibiting admirable toughness across the contest, but the Liverpudlian took considerable damage the judges could not ignore.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Aidan Leo runs through the top reactions to the bout.
UFC 324: Preview and suggested bets for Justin Gaethje vs Paddy Pimblett and more
Will Paddy the Baddy boost his stocks once more in his toughest fight yet? Does Sean O’Malley still have the hunger to contend for the belt? Sports News Blitz’s Finn Littlewood gives his thoughts.
The UFC makes its long-awaited 2026 debut this weekend, with some big names taking to the octagon in what promises to be an electric event in Las Vegas.
Something that no doubt fight fans have missed the most is making their picks for a UFC weekend, and here I am going to talk through a few of mine and why I believe I’ve got it spot on (I have).
MMA news: Is UFC White House too big a stage for legendary but controversial Jon Jones?
Jon Jones is arguably the greatest fighter of all time and should be a no-brainer for the UFC White House card, but given his history, is Dana White willing to take the risk on MMA’s most unpredictable star?
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Ollie Hughes discusses the likelihood of this year’s most-hyped MMA event featuring the infamous ‘Jonny Bones’.
MMA analysis: Beautiful violence - An appreciation of Justin Gaethje
Professional fighters belong to a special breed of human, but even amongst the UFC roster, Justin Gaethje stands out.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer Ollie Hughes pens a love letter to arguably the most exciting fighter in the history of MMA.
MMA news: Is the UFC building Paddy Pimblett’s star power with easy fights?
Paddy Pimblett is a controversial figure within the MMA community, with some seeing him as the UFC’s next massive star. However, since his clash with Tony Ferguson, his resume has left a lot to be desired.
This resume includes King Green, Michael Chandler and now Justin Gaethje.
It is starting to feel like the UFC is giving Pimblett fighters who are past their prime with massive star power to build his credibility and boost his status easily, writes Sports News Blitz’s Cameron Cleugh.
MMA news: Alex Pereira reveals two fights at heavyweight he wants in 2026
After reclaiming his light-heavyweight title in the rematch against Magomed Ankalaev back in October, Alex Pereira has his sights set on a historic move to heavyweight in 2026.
Pereira, 38, has already left an unforgettable imprint on the sport of MMA since his UFC debut back in 2021.
The hard-hitting Brazilian has held titles at both middleweight and twice at light-heavyweight despite having just 12 fights in the UFC, with seven of those wins coming against either former champions or fighters who would go on to hold UFC gold.
However, after effectively clearing out the light-heavyweight division, Pereira has his sights on two fights in particular that would tempt him to move up to heavyweight, reports Sports News Blitz’s Niall Togher.