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What’s Next: UFC Freedom 250 Losers

Bryson Hester — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 13:01:13 +0000

The UFC pulled off an unprecedented, numbered-style fight card at the White House, of all places, a pivotal symbol of the United States Executive Branch. The special UFC Freedom 250 card featured just seven bouts, all of which being on the same card. So, the main card, it seems, was more like the only card.

Regardless, all seven of the fights ended with a finish including the two final title fights to cap off the night. Some matchups made more sense than others and some were certainly more competitive than others. In the main event, Ilia Topuria suffered the first loss of his professional career as Justin Gaethje legitimized his UFC Interim Lightweight title. In the co-main event, top ranked UFC heavyweight Ciryl Gane stopped Alex Pereira, denying him of a historic third belt in three different weight classes. The heavyweight and lightweight division were left especially reeling from this card.

Ilia Topuria

(Interim C) Justin Gaethje battered and brutalized the face of (C) Ilia Topuria, leaving him nearly unrecognizable on his way to a stoppage between the third in fourth round of the main event on Sunday. This was the first loss of Ilia’s now 18-fight career. He’s now 9-1 with the UFC.

The best fight for Ilia here is for him to stay at lightweight and establish himself. There are some climbing fighters fighting next month that could offer Topuria the perfect opportunity. Giving Topuria the loser of Paddy Pimblett vs. Benoit St-Denis makes a lot of sense here. Those two fight on July 11 so the timing could be fine. Topuria is going to need some time to recover. If Paddy loses, he’d be on a two-fight skid as he lost a unanimous decision to Gaethje back in January. Paddy would be 7-2 with the promotion. BSD is riding a four-fight win streak after he was finished twice; by Dustin Poirier then Renato Moicano in 2024. Either way, Ilia drawing one of these fighters would be an optimal way for him to start a rebuild. Easy co-main of a ‘PPV’ (numbered card).

Topuria’s next fight: (#6) Paddy Pimblett vs. (#5) Benoit St. Denis loser

Alex Pereira

(#1HW) Ciryl Gane had (#2LHW) Alex Pereira out on his feet against the cage early in the second round of their bout in the co main event slot of UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday. Alex has lost two of his last three fights and is 10-3 with the promotion.

Alex said that he would speak with his coaches regarding whether or not he would be staying at heavyweight for his next fight or going back down to light heavyweight. Should Pereira go back down, he should take on the current champion, Carlos Ulberg. Since Pereira was forced to vacate his strap, Carlos took just a round to smoke former champ, Jiri Prochazka. Putting my eggs in the basket that Pereira and his camp elect to pack it up and go back down to 205lbs. and this would produce the matchup that makes the most sense. Not to say Alex doesn’t come back up, but he’s definitely looking to keep active.

I could see Alex drawing any number of names in the heavyweight division if he elects to stay. (#4) Waldo Cortes Acosta and his snappy boxing is a name that comes to mind that is coming off a loss as well. Last in the cage against (#2) Alexander Volkov last month losing a unanimous decision. Of course, whatever Pereira elects to do will be on a number card in a co main or main event slot.

Pereira’s next fight: (LWCHMP) Carlos Ulberg

Aiemann Zahabi

(#3) Sean O’Malley delivered yet another highlight reel KO on Sunday night with his second-round finish of (#6) Aiemann Zahabi. The finish had all of the signature style that ‘Suga’ has come to be known for, during his tenure with the promotion. Aiemann falls to 8-3 in the UFC as he suffers his first defeat in over seven years. After starting 1-2 with the promotion, Zahabi ripped off 7-wins in a row nearly ascending into the top 5 of the division.

Now Aiemann has to pick up the pieces after facing the former champ. Zahabi’s next fight should be against the loser of (#4) Cory Sandhagen vs. (#7) Mario Bautista. That fight is on July 11th. Cory is 2-2 in his last four. He’s coming off an unsuccessful title shot opposite of Merab Dvalishvili last October. Mario has 9 of his last 10 heading into this bout. His only loss in that stretch came to Umar Nurmagomedov in October of last year. Giving Aiemann the loser would make a lot of sense rankings-wise as well as timing-wise. Could see a bout like that as a co main or main event of a fight night card, easily. Big implications for an ever-moving bantamweight division.

Zahabi’s next fight: (#4) Cory Sandhagen vs. (#7) Mario Bautista loser

Derrick Lewis

(#5) Josh Hokit outclasses and dispatched a 41-year-old (#9) Derrick Lewis in an interesting, but lopsided heavyweight fight on Sunday. This may have been a ‘special order’ bout, but that doesn’t help it make too much more sense. Especially considering Hokit was heading into this one on the heels of his April victory of Curtis Blaydes.

But anyways, back to Derrick. “The Black Beast” is now 20-12 with the UFC and 2-2 in his last four. Firmly in the exciting and established gatekeeper realm. Derrick’s next fight should be against the loser of Marcin Tybura vs. Alexsandar Rakic. Aleksandar is moving up to the heavyweight division after an ugly four-fight losing skid stemming from a nasty knee injury opposite of Jan Blachowicz four years ago. Rakic was a force to be reckoned with and is 6-5 with the promotion. He’s only lost to killers; this current losing streak includes Jan, Jiri Prochazka, Magomed Ankalaev and Azamat Murzakanov. Interested to see him with the big boys, as he’s got a large frame.

Tybura is on a two-fight losing skid having lost to Ante Delija and Tyrell Fortune most recently. Tybura and Lewis fought in 2018 and Lewis finished him in the third round. This would be a fun one to run back as Marcin in Derrick’s age and being used similarly. Timing isn’t great as this fight doesn’t go down till early August. Still plausible.

Lewis’s next fight:(#12) Marcin Tybura vs. Alexsandar Rakic loser

Michael Chandler

(#9) Mauricio Ruffy looked as spectacular as ever as he had an answer for nearly everything that his hyper-explosive opponent, Michael Chandler, threw at him on Sunday. Chandler now has the miserable promotional record of 2-6 with the added bonus of one of his wins being against a fighter no longer with the UFC (Tony Ferguson). Chandler’s other win is Dan Hooker in his UFC debut in early 2021.

40-year-old Michael Chandler is in a horrible position after the loss at the White House. But he could still pull a huge fight and an even bigger payday. Chandler’s next fight is a no brainer here; he should draw the loser of Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway. That fight goes down on July 11 so timing would be great. Conor will be days away from turning 38-years-old in his next appearance (if you can believe that) and has lost three of his last four fights dating back to 2018. That stretch includes fights against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Donald Cerrone, and Dustin Poirier, twice. If Conor loses to Max in the pair’s rematch and doesn’t retire, then Mike is going to get his money fight. Only other fight on the table for Conor would be a Diaz fight, at least that makes sense.

Holloway is 4-3 in his last seven bouts dating back to 2022. He’s been way more active than Conor, obviously, and has lost to Alexander Volkanovski, Ilia Topuria, and Charles Oliveria in that stretch. All title fights. He’s coming off a five round unanimous decision defeat to Charles back in March. If he somehow loses, why not give him Chandler? Mike will likely somehow stay in the rankings, and it’d be a fun fight for fans.

Chandler’s next fight: Conor McGregor vs (#4) Max Holloway loser

Kyle Daukaus

Bo Nickal made quick work of Kyle Daukaus, dropping his opponent with a nice right hook and finishing him off with some terrifying ground strikes. The loss was Kyle’s first since being resigned to the UFC last year. In this second stint with the promotion, he had two finishes under a minute. One over Michel Perira and then over Gerald Meerschaert last November. The result on Sunday brings Kyle’s UFC record to 4-5, 1 NC.

Kyle should target former welterweight and middleweight title challenger, Kelvin Gastelum for his next bout.

Kyle was originally scheduled for the bout against Vicente Luque on April 11 but got rescheduled to take on Bo on this massive card. Vicente took on Kelvin in April instead and steam rolled him in a round. So great fighters to match up here, considering they had a similar outcome. Timing isn’t the greatest, but it could certainly work as Gastelum is a name a Daukaus has earned that. Kelvin is 2-3 in his last five, losing to Sean Brady at 170lbs. and Joe Pyfer at MW. Of course, Kelvin’s missed weight in that stretch so he always has a question mark next to his name. Fun scrappy fight to make between two capable fighters who have yet to put it all together in the UFC, albeit for two totally different reasons.

Daukaus’s next fight: Kelvin Gastelum

Steve Garcia

(#2) Diego Lopes notched another wild finish to his resume with his spinning stoppage over (#9) Steve Garcia to win the first bout of UFC Freedom 250 in the first round. Steve entered Sunday riding a seven-fight win streak as he was another fighter who had started off 1-2 with the UFC before streaking. That seven-fight win streak also featured six finishes. Truly devastating for Steve.

Going to do something a little different here. Jean last fought at the end of January and likes to stay pretty active. he’s gone 6-1 with the UFC in two years. His only loss with the UFC was in his second to last fight when Diego Lopes finished him in the second round. Jean bounced back with his last win over Arnold Allen via unanimous decision. Silva is likely going to be booked for a fight any day now. Steve should draw the loser of that bout as that is guaranteed to get him on the right track with a banger of a fight. He can’t rebuild the streak in one fight, but he can recapture some of the hype.

Garcia’s next fight: (#6) Jean Silva vs. next opponent loser

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Diego Lopes Kicks Off UFC Freedom 250 with Violent Finish of Steve Garcia

Brett Cagle — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 01:15:17 +0000

Kicking off the historic UFC Freedom 250 card at the White House on Sunday was a featherweight showdown between Diego Lopes and Steve Garcia.

Lopes, who in a unique twist weighed in twice for the White House card, once for his fight and once as a backup, a weight class above, for the night’s main event, was representing his native Brazil and adopted Mexico in the bout.

“Mean Machine” Garcia, meanwhile, was fighting at home in the U.S., and while his profile might not be as high as the former title challenger, he had become known for very entertaining scraps.

Both fighters met in the center of the cage with Garcia as the initial aggressor. Lopes circled away to the fence as Garcia landed a few low leg kicks early. Garcia continued with forward pressure making Lopes fight defensively off the back foot. A solid straight left hand landed from Garcia who may have stole the opening round from Lopes.

To start the second round, Garcia utilized a solid jab again forcing Lopes to retreat to the fence. Lopes ran into a straight left hand from Garcia that rocked him momentarily. Lopes landed a solid right hand of his own and stunned Garcia. Sensing his opponent was hurt, Lopes pounced on the opportunity throwing caution to the wind, with wild hooks connecting. A left hook on the inside dropped Garcia and Lopes followed it up with massive ground and pound. Veteran referee Mike Beltran called a stop to the fight moments later, the result announced as a KO. After controlling the fight for its entirety, Garcia slipped up momentarily and paid for it.

This was another massive win for Lopes who entered the contest as the #2 ranked fighter in the division. Having lost twice to champ Alexander Volkanovski, however, his road back to the title could be a lengthy one.

Official Result: Diego Lopes def. Steve Garcia by KO, Round 2, 2:42

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UFC Freedom 250 Fight Companion LIVESTREAM

Staff — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:22:37 +0000

One of the most anticipated fight cards of the year is finally here, and Cageside Press is bringing you along for every punch, knockout, controversial decision, and unforgettable moment.

Join us for a special Fight Companion as we react live to the FINAL 4 bouts on the UFC Freedom 250 card, a historic event taking place at the White House featuring championship stakes, star power, and enough drama to keep the MMA world talking long after the final bell.

Whether you’re watching along with friends or looking for a place to celebrate victories and vent about scorecards, we’ve got you covered with live analysis, instant reactions, and plenty of laughs throughout the night. So settle in, jump in the chat, and experience one of the wildest nights in UFC history with the Cageside Press crew.

UFC Freedom 250

Ilia Topuria (C) vs. Justin Gaethje – UFC Lightweight Championship
Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane – UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship
Sean O’Malley vs. Aiemann Zahabi – Bantamweight Bout
Josh Hokit vs. Derrick Lewis – Heavyweight Bout
Mauricio Ruffy vs. Michael Chandler – Lightweight Bout
Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus – Middleweight Bout
Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia – Featherweight Bout

The historic UFC Freedom 250 card takes place June 14 on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington DC.

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UFC Freedom 250 Full Results

Staff — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 22:00:47 +0000

The much anticipated, once-in-a-lifetime UFC Freedom 250 at the White House in Washington, D.C. arrived on Sunday, a card that once would have been unthinkable to even the most die-hard of UFC fans.

Back when Sen. John McCain was calling MMA and the UFC “human cockfighting,” mixed martial arts struggled to find respect, and the UFC found difficulty securing venues. Donald Trump, with his Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, for one, was one of the safe havens for the promotion, at least for a brief period.

That sparked a relationship between UFC President (and now CEO) Dana White and future U.S. President Trump. And with Trump now serving out a second term in office, and the UFC a multi-billion dollar sports property, the tide has certainly turned.

What was once unthinkable is now very much reality, with the UFC having to honor of being the first-ever professional sporting event at the White House. Set for the White House lawn on Sunday, the likes of Ilia Topuria, Justin Gaethje, Alex Pereira, Sean O’Malley and Michael Chandler were all on hand. Just 14 fighters, seven fights in total, a rare opportunity for all involved to appear on what was expected to be one of the biggest cards in UFC history.

With the full card airing on Paramount+ in the U.S., there was no premium price tag, at least for U.S. fans. All the more reason to tune in.

The wait is over, and UFC Freedom 250, a.k.a. UFC White House, is finally here. Check below throughout the night for results from the event, and links to each fight’s individual recap. It all kicks off at 8PM ET, 5PM PT.

Update, 6:15 PM ET: Earlier this afternoon the UFC announced a change to the UFC Freedom 250 broadcast schedule. The broadcast now starts at 8PM, which was originally the go-time for the first fight. It’s unclear if the originally planned one-hour pre-show will still be held in its entirety.

Update, 8PM ET: Per UFC pre-show broadcast, shelter in place order will be given in the case of lightning strike within a six mile radius of the White House. That will end 30 mins after the last strike. Weather supposed to clear by 9PM ET.

Update, 8:25PM ET: With the weather cooperating for the time being, the fights themselves are set to go, with Dana White and U.S. President Donald Trump walking out first.

UFC Freedom 250 Results

Justin Gaethje (ic) def. Ilia Topuria (c) by TKO (corner stoppage), Round 4, 5:00 – for the UFC lightweight championship / title unification bout
Ciryl Gane def. Alex Pereira by TKO, Round 2, 1:27 – for the vacant UFC interim heavyweight championship
Sean O’Malley def. Aiemann Zahabi by TKO, Round 2, 4:02
Josh Hokit def. Derrick Lewis by TKO, Round 2, 4:09
Mauricio Ruffy def. Michael Chandler by TKO, Round 1, 4:29
Bo Nickal def. Kyle Daukaus by TKO, Round 1, 4:34
Diego Lopes def. Steve Garcia by KO, Round 2, 2:42

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Steve Garcia Didn’t Know He Was Going to Be on UFC Freedom 250

Daniel Vreeland — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 11:07:51 +0000

In the midst of a seven-fight win streak, Steve Garcia was riding high. He felt like his run to the top was running smoothly and he was ready for that next step. So it was of no surprise when he got an invite from one of his bosses to come for a chat. Hunter Campbell, the chief business officer for the UFC, asked him to come in for a meeting.

“I never talked to Hunter before and so I was happy to talk to him because I’ve talked to Dana, but I’ve never talked to Hunter,” Garcia explained. “Hunter’s kind of like taking over some of the responsibilities and I was like thank you for reaching out. I like knowing who I work for and who’s calling some of these shots. It’s nice to talk to you. You’ve been killing it – all this stuff.”

The pleasantries only lasted a short while and Campbell immediately got to business. However, the talk wasn’t about Garcia’s next fight or some sort of promotional work like he may have thought. Instead, he was answering personal questions about himself.

“Tell me about your family. I want to know about your kids. Tell me about your kids.
I want to know about you, you know, do you have a record? Have you lived in the United States your whole life?” he recalled. “Tell me about your upbringing. So he just kind of went down the list and I answered all those questions.”

After answering a slew of questions, Garcia started to get concerned. He spoke up and was given some shocking news.

“Midway through the interview, I was like, what is this about? And then they told me it was the White House,” Garcia said. “I was like, oh, okay. Alright, ask away, you know what I mean? And I asked who the opponent was. They said it was potentially Diego Lopes.”

He then had to standby as he waited for the official announcement. Garcia found out like everyone else – with the announcement during the UFC broadcast that he’d be on the card opposite of Lopes.

In addition to being over the moon about the opportunity, Garcia is also hyped about the fight. He knows that while fans enjoy Diego Lopes, this is a chance to show them all how much fun he can be. More importantly, it’s a chance for him to continue the run to the top.

“Everybody loves the way Diego fights. I think everybody should love how I fight too, you know what I mean? But the thing is, they just don’t know me. I don’t have that push, but it’s all good. I fight for myself and my family and for God,” he said. “That’s how I provide for my family and unfortunately, Diego Lopes has to fall. He’s the next one and I got to go and do my job.”

You can catch that fight as part of the seven-fight main card of UFC Freedom 250. The card begins this Sunday at 8pm EST on Paramount+.

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TTP Ep. 535: Aiemann Zahabi, Steve Garcia, and UFC Freedom 250

Daniel Vreeland — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 19:36:07 +0000

Aiemann Zahabi Interview (1:59)

Kicking off this UFC Vegas 118 edition of TTP is our interview with UFC bantamweight, Aiemann Zahabi. Zahabi discusses the sitting down with the bosses for an interview before getting the call to fight at the White House. He chats about not getting Canadian representation on the kit, but also how pumped he is for the opportunity to represent. Plus, he breaks down the fight with Sean O’Malley and talks about the UFC bantamweight title picture.

TopTurtleMMA · Episode 535: Aiemann Zahabi, Steve Garcia, and UFC Freedom 250

Fights, Dogs and Parlays: UFC Freedom 250 (15:58)

The fight night we’ve been talking about for some time is finally here. UFC Freedom 250 comes to us from the White House lawn with a pair of title fights up top. First, Alex Pereira and Cyril Gane will do battle for the interim heavyweight strap. Then we’ll get a fight for the undisputed lightweight title between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. We’ll break down those fights as well as some of our other favorite fights on the main card. Plus, as always, we’re hitting you with an underdog and a plus-money parlay that we think will make your wallet fat this weekend. For this segment, all odds via FanDuel Sportsbook.

Steve Garcia Interview (22:30)

Closing out this UFC Freedom 250 edition of TTP is our interview with UFC featherweight, Steve Garcia. Garcia also gives us the lowdown of how he found out he’d be fighting on the biggest card of the year. That’s a long way removed from where he was when he started with the organization. He discusses that wild turnaround and the belief that he always had in himself. Plus, he takes some time to break down his fight with Diego Lopes for the big card. He’ll be the first fighter to make that walk to the South Lawn and he’s excited to put on for the world.

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Steve Garcia on Diego Lopes: ‘All Eyes Will Be on Us’ at UFC White House

Gabriel Gonzalez and Staff — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 17:12:21 +0000

Steve Garcia believes he and Diego Lopes are exactly the type of fighters who will set the tone for UFC White House on Sunday night. Known for his aggressive style and willingness to embrace a firefight, Garcia expects the opening moments of the card to capture everyone’s attention as he looks to score the biggest win of his career against one of the featherweight division’s top contenders.

“Setting the pace with me and Diego Lopes is the way to start this card off. For me, I prefer to be the first or last on this type of event,” Garcia told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.

“All eyes will be on us, and you guys are going to see why.”

Garcia (19-5) said a major part of his preparation for Lopes has involved studying film and identifying the subtle habits that can make a difference on fight night. With plenty of footage available on his opponent, Garcia and his team have focused on recognizing patterns, tendencies and the situations where Lopes is most likely to react in predictable ways.

“As we break everybody down we definitely try to pick up on the tendencies and triggers and just different mindsets on who the opponent is that they’re fighting. He has a lot of tape so you can kind of do that,” he said.

Garcia spoke highly of his friend Josh Hokit outside of the spotlight, describing him as a genuinely good person despite the larger-than-life personality fans may see during fight promotion.

While Garcia admitted Hokit’s entertaining side might not align with the more traditional martial arts values he grew up around, he also acknowledged that adapting to the modern era of combat sports is part of the business. In Garcia’s eyes, Hokit has found a way to embrace the entertainment aspect of the sport without losing sight of who he is as a person.

“He knows how to act really well, maybe? The Josh I know is a good dude man. He really is,” he said.

“Right now, enjoy his entertainment. Enjoy his performances. I know right now the shift in promoting has changed. I kind of come from like a little bit more of an honorable type of background. Martial arts used to be kind of like that. Now it’s come to an entertainment spectacle. I’m not hating on it. You got to adjust to the times, and I think he’s done it well.”

Garcia laughed when asked how he planned to approach the matchup, offering a response that perfectly captured both his confidence and willingness to embrace chaos inside the Octagon. While there is undoubtedly a detailed game plan in place, Garcia made it clear that when the cage door closes, all bets are off.

“I’m just going to close my eyes and just start swinging,” he said.

Watch the entire media day scrum with Steve Garcia above. He faces Diego Lopes at UFC White House on Sunday night.

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What’s Next: UFC Vegas 110 Winners

Mathis Desjardins — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 22:34:14 +0000

Usually, I would come here and tell you this Apex show was just like every other Apex show. Though, this time, I would be lying if I said it was. From a co-main event filled with eye-pokes and refereeing confusion to a potential James Krause-type betting controversy, UFC Vegas 110 was actually quite packed with storylines. However, none of them should overshadow Steve Garcia’s quick dispatching of David Onama in our main event. With the 110^th Apex Fight Night card now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for Garcia and the rest of our main card winners.

Steve Garcia

Maybe it’s because he started off his UFC stint 1-2, but fans seem to have been too dismissive of Steve Garcia’s current win streak, which he extended to seven on Saturday. Ever since dropping to featherweight after his loss to Maheshate, Garcia has been on a tear, winning seven straights, six of which via KO. The streak features names like Chase Hooper, the also streaking Melquizael Costa, Calvin Kattar and now David Onama.

After his win, Garcia called out Josh Emmett in his post-fight presser. Though that’s not a bad name to call out at all, I prefer the option he laid out. After submitting the aforementioned Emmett in under two minutes, I had Youssef Zalal fighting the winner of this main event should Garcia be victorious in UFC 320’s edition of what’s next. And victorious he was, so why not see if Zalal can avenge his teammate Onama and stop the red-hot Garcia?

Garcia’s next fight: Youssef Zalal

Waldo Cortes-Acosta

It wasn’t the cleanest performance from referee Mark Smtih and we’ll see if Ante Delija can manage to get this result overturned with an appeal, but in the spirit of fairness, Waldo Cortes-Acosta didn’t do anything wrong on Saturday. We will treat this as a victory for the Dominican fighter as long as it is ruled as such.

Tom Aspinall will undoubtedly rematch Ciryl Gane and the winner will probably have to fight Alexander Volkov. But if the division can manage to move through all this relatively quickly, “Salsa Boy” might be just one more good win away from a title shot. Jailton Almeida, Derrick Lewis and Shamil Gaziev should he beat Serghei Spivac are all names I wouldn’t be against putting in there with WCA, but I ultimately landed on Curtis Blaydes as I think Cortes-Acosta should have his takedown defence tested once more before eyeing a title shot.

Cortes-Acosta’s next fight: Curtis Blaydes

Jeremiah Wells

It wasn’t the most thrilling affair, but Jeremiah Wells got his hand raised for the first time since April of 2023, outlasting Themba Gorimbo for a unanimous decision win. At 39 years of age, the best is almost certainly behind Wells, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some fun things to do with him. I think a fight with the guy who won just two fights prior could make for a fun scrap.

Wells’ next fight: Charles Radtke

Yadier del Valle

Potential betting scandal aside, this was Yadier del Valle’s second 1^st-round rear-naked choke win in as many UFC bouts. With this win, the 29-year-old undefeated prospect took his perfect record to double digit. Being undefeated at featherweight means one thing and one thing only: will Christian Rodriguez take another 0? C-Rod’s last four wins came against then-undefeated Raul Rosas Jr., Cameron Saaiman, Isaac Dulgarian and Austin Bashi. Gimmick aside, there’s no doubt Rodriguez is someone who can test a guy like del Valle. The gimmick just adds a bit of spice to what might otherwise be a bout that would fly under the radar.

del Valle’s next fight: Christian Rodriguez

Charles Radtke

Charles Radtke was looking to bounce back after his brutal KO loss to Mike Malott in May. Though Daniel Frunza survived a bit longer than some of us might have expected, Radtke did eventually sink in the rear-naked choke. As mentioned, I think he and Jeremiah Wells would make for an entertaining matchup.

Radtke’s next fight: Jeremiah Wells

Allan Nascimento

Through inactivity, a weight miss and a bit of bad luck, Allan Nascimento’s last win at 125 lbs goes back to January of 2023. It’s a shame he hasn’t been able to gather more momentum because he could be an interesting player at flyweight. He’s now won four straights, two of which got him Performance of the Night bonuses, after taking Tagir Ulanbekov to a split decision in his promotional debut. The UFC rarely likes to reward inactivity, which is why I think they will most likely just end up rebooking the Rafael Estevam matchup, which isn’t a bad idea at all.

Nascimento’s next fight: Rafael Estevam

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Four Performance Bonuses, No FOTN at UFC Vegas 110

Staff — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 05:49:50 +0000

It was a card wildly derided by fans, much to the annoyance of UFC President and CEO Dana White this week. Still, UFC Vegas 110 produced a few memorable scraps, even if they weren’t always for the right reasons.

One of four Performance of the Night bonus-winners fell in that category. Ante Delija seemed to have Waldo Cortes-Acosta finished in the night’s heavyweight co-main event, lighting him up alongside the fence. However as replay showed and the ref caught real time, Cortes-Acosta had been poked in the eye right at the start of the deluge.

Despite Delija thinking he had won, Cortes-Acosta was given recovery time, opted to continue, and immediately knocked Delija out.

In the main event, headliner Steve Garcia took another Performance of the Night bonus for his TKO finish of David Onama. The featherweight fight was much-maligned as lacking the appropriate main event star power, and Onama’s name was on the marquee for the first time in his UFC tenue. The end came at 3:34 of round one.

Newcomer Donte Johnson, for a guillotine choke submission of Sedrique Dumas at middleweight, and flyweight Allan Nascimento, who put away Cody Durden with an Anaconda choke to open the UFC Vegas 110 main card, picked up the remaining bonuses.

No Fight of the Night was handed out Saturday; all four bonus winners take in $50,000 U.S. for their efforts.

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Steve Garcia Makes Top Contender Statement, Finishes David Onama

Eddie Law — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 01:41:45 +0000

Steve Garcia and David Onama headlined UFC Vegas 110 on Saturday in a featherweight showdown that promised fireworks and intensity from start to finish.

Garcia (18-5) entered the matchup riding a six-fight winning streak, with five of those victories coming inside the first three rounds. Ranked No. 12 at featherweight, he hoped a standout performance against Onama would vault him into the division’s top five conversation.

Onama (14-2) entered on a four-fight winning streak of his own, with notable victories over Gabriel Santos, Jonathan Pierce, Roberto Romero, and Giga Chikadze. Ranked No. 13 in the division, he aimed to halt Garcia’s momentum and climb further up the featherweight ladder at the UFC APEX.

Round 1 – Both fighters met in the center immediately, neither willing to take a backward step. Garcia opened aggressively, landing a right hand to the face before mixing in a stiff jab, a left to the body, and another clean shot up top, setting a relentless pace early as Onama looked hesitant to fire back.

A sharp right hand forced Onama to shell up and reset, visibly shaken by Garcia’s volume and pressure. Garcia continued to vary his attacks, keeping Onama off balance and preventing him from establishing any rhythm.

A clean left hand from Garcia dropped Onama, who quickly returned to his feet only to be swarmed with more combinations. A second barrage sent Onama crashing to the canvas again, prompting the referee to step in and wave it off.

A statement finish and the seventh consecutive victory for Steve Garcia.

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