issue 218
June 2025
Paul Browne jumps into the Fighters Only wayback-when machine to recap the best of mixed martial arts in June 2025.
Kayle Harrison on Dropping Two Weight Classes: “The Sacrifice is Worth the Reward”
Kayla Harrison will need to do something she’s never done before to fight for a UFC title this weekend—make the bantamweight championship limit of 135 pounds.
Harrison had never competed at bantamweight prior to signing with the UFC last year. There were doubts about her ability to drop to a lower weight class, but she eased those concerns by successfully weighing in at 136 pounds for both of her UFC bouts—against Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira.
With a UFC title on the line in her co-main event clash against Julianna Peña at UFC 316, the one-pound allowance no longer applies. That means the pressure is on the former Olympic gold medalist to go the extra mile during fight week to make championship weight.
“I think it’s overblown,” Harrison said this week during an interview with MMA Fighting. “I’ve been very disciplined, and I have an excellent team around me, and we have body fat check-ins and calorie check-ins and water and like, there’s a sweet science to it. And I’m right on track, and I trust God and I trust the process, and we’re all going to see (on Friday).”
The vast majority of Harrison’s fights outside the UFC took place at 155 pounds—the weight class in which she won PFL world titles in 2019 and 2021. While she acknowledges that dropping two weight classes isn’t ideal, she’s come to terms with it and is prepared to make the sacrifice.
“I don’t believe in weight cutting, I don’t believe that this is the best decision for me, but I do believe that the sacrifice is worth the reward,” Harrison explained. “It’s not ever something I wanted to do, like, there’s no beating around the bush with that. It’s not fun, it’s not enjoyable, it’s not pleasant, but I have an internal drive and a a goal, and I want to see how high I can climb, and I do feel like It’s all part of my journey,
“Back before I signed with UFC like, where was I going to go? What was I going to do? I was scared. I’d never made the weight before, and I asked God to help me grow, and he put a hell of a challenge in front of me. I’ve always been a disciplined athlete, but I’ve never been super disciplined about what I eat. It’s not a secret. I won the Olympics on Pizza Rolls and Diet Coke and Oreos.
“I moved away from home at a young age. I mean, I was 15 when I moved to Boston, and I was living in a judo house, and nutrition wasn’t as important, I would say, back then in those years as it is now. So this is an opportunity for me to grow and be even more disciplined and be refined in the fire.”
Francis Ngannou Could Still Return to the UFC
We may not have seen the last of Francis Ngannou in the UFC. Ngannou (18-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) left the organization under a cloud two years ago following a contract dispute, walking away from the UFC heavyweight title he had won and successfully defended.
Shortly afterward, he announced that he had signed with the PFL. However, he has competed in the PFL Smartcage only once, scoring a first-round stoppage win over Renan Ferreira in Saudi Arabia last October.
Since leaving the UFC, Ngannou has stepped into the world of professional boxing twice—losing to both Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua in a pair of highly lucrative bouts. He has also teased a possible third appearance inside the squared circle against Deontay Wilder.
Ngannou’s coach, Eric Nicksick, believes there is a possibility that the 38-year-old could make a surprise return to the Octagon.
“I know that he’s been kind of asking for that Wilder fight, and if that’s something that comes up, great,” Nicksick said this week during an interview with Home of Fight. “I just feel like the heavyweight division as a whole is kind of in shambles, and I think that if we can somehow, someway get this back together, there’s so many options for Francis. Not only in the UFC, but just around. I think that he can help bridge that gap that the UFC is lacking in its star power when it comes to the heavyweight division,
“I think enough time has passed. I would love to see somehow, someway that they can mend these fences and get back in competing in the UFC.”
Ngannou knocked out Stipe Miocic to become the UFC heavyweight champion in March 2021. He went on to defend the title by defeating Ciryl Gane in January 2022, before spending the following year embroiled in a highly publicized dispute with UFC President Dana White.
Since Ngannou’s departure, the two have continued to exchange verbal jabs, but Nicksick doesn’t see that as a potential stumbling block in negotiations for Ngannou’s return.
“100 percent,” Nicksick responded when asked if he believed Ngannou and White could possibly put their differences to one side. “I think this is more about business than it is about ego, at least it is from Francis’ side. He wants the opportunity to be paid for — It’s like being an independent contractor. You (want to be) paid the highest amount for whoever needs your services. He doesn’t want to be stuck in a position where he’s not allowed to go box or he’s not allowed to go do these things, but he went out and did these things and he competed and made a lot of money, proved that he could do it. So, now, where does his motivation come from?
“It’s not about money, it’s about competition, and the best competition is in the UFC.”
“I think Dana is a smart-enough businessman that it’s not about his ego, it’s about what’s best for his company, and I think that a guy like Dana is level-headed enough to say, like, ‘Look, the past is the past and we can get through those things if these things can work out for us in the future, why not?’” Nicksick said. “Why not explore those options?
“Look at the heavyweight division right now. What’s going on? You’ve got this poor guy in Tom Aspinall that’s been holding on to an interim belt for almost 600 days now. What are we doing here? I’m not saying Francis is the answer, but it at least adds some more value to your heavyweight division if you go out and get a guy like him and bring him back. Let bygones be bygones, everybody’s making money, everybody’s happy, but it gets things moving.”
Nunes on Harrison: “I Like to be in Danger”
Kayla Harrison’s victory at UFC 316 on Saturday not only earned her a UFC championship belt—it also set the stage for one of the biggest matchups in the history of women’s MMA.
Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) submitted Julianna Peña in the co-main event, claiming the UFC bantamweight title and adding it to an already remarkable résumé that includes two Olympic gold medals and two PFL world championships.
The win positions her for a blockbuster showdown with former two-division UFC champion Amanda Nunes (11-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who earlier this year announced her intention to return from retirement to face the winner of Saturday’s title bout at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
“The Lioness” was seated cageside for the event and watched as her former American Top Team training partner dominated Peña before securing a second-round submission. Nunes later shared the key reasons behind her decision to step back into competition.
"Honestly, if I stayed at American Top Team this fight might not ever happen," Nunes said in an interview with ESPN shortly after the event. "I left. It was my decision. Now I have my own gym, my own camp with my own coaches that I set up everything with. I'm going to get in camp full time. I've been training here and there, always in shape. But honestly like November-December, I'm going to be ready to go."
Harrison has looked dominant during her brief UFC run, earning wins over Holly Holm and Ketlen Vieira on her way to Saturday’s title victory—a streak that has caught the attention of Amanda Nunes.
“As soon as she got a microphone, she used to talk about me,” the former champion said of Harrison. “From that moment, we already started getting like, not different, but like we always respect each other in the gym – but we knew the energy. We never would be able to connect.
"I like when the opponents can bring me fear, bring me adrenaline. Kayla is one of those kinds of fighters. This is how I show up, when you threaten me with something. I know Kayla is that kind of fighter. This is what I like to feel. I like to be in danger. This is how 'The Lioness' comes out."
What’s Next for the Winners of UFC 316
Fans at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, were treated to not one, but two bantamweight world title bouts on Saturday night—kicking off a stacked lineup of UFC events scheduled for June.
With the dust now settling after another major pay-per-view, it’s time to take a look at what’s next for the winners from the UFC 316 main card.
Merab Dvalishvili
After dominating former champion Sean O’Malley once again in Saturday’s main event, Merab Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) has firmly entered the conversation as one of the greatest bantamweights in UFC history.
“Sean O’Malley came in 100 percent ready—mentally, physically, in every way you could be ready for this fight—and Merab finished him,” UFC President Dana White told reporters after the event. “He’s definitely there.”
With back-to-back wins over José Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, Sean O’Malley (twice), and Umar Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili has nearly cleared out the division. At this point, Cory Sandhagen may be the only realistic contender left standing.
Kayla Harrison
This one sells itself. When Kayla Harrison (19-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) submitted Julianna Peña in Saturday’s co-main event to capture the UFC bantamweight title, it set the stage for the biggest women’s MMA fight since Amanda Nunes faced Cris Cyborg at UFC 232 in 2018.
When Nunes (11-6 MMA, 8-4 UFC) stepped into the Octagon for a faceoff with her former American Top Team training partner, the matchup was all but confirmed. Nunes will need to re-enter the UFC’s drug testing pool, but fans can likely expect this long-anticipated clash to happen before the end of 2025.
Joe Pyfer
By adding Kelvin Gastelum to the list of names he’s defeated in his short UFC career, Pennsylvania’s Joe Pyfer (14-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) may have just punched his ticket into the middleweight top 15.
A victory over a former interim title challenger carries weight, and Pyfer could now be in line to face the division’s No. 15 contender, Abus Magomedov (28-6-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC). Another possibility is a matchup with the winner of the upcoming UFC 317 bout between No. 14-ranked Roman Kopylov (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) and No. 12-ranked Paulo Costa (14-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC), scheduled for later this month.
Mario Bautista
Much of the post-fight discussion following Mario Bautista’s win over Patchy Mix on Saturday has focused on Mix’s underwhelming performance. But it might be time for UFC fans to recognize that Bautista (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is becoming a serious threat in the bantamweight division. His victory extended his winning streak to eight straight.
Bautista was originally scheduled to face former title challenger Marlon Vera (23-10-1 MMA, 15-9 UFC), who currently holds the No. 7 spot in the rankings—three places above him. It’s time to rebook that matchup.
Kevin Holland
A second consecutive win at 170 pounds—this time over Vicente Luque—should be enough to convince Kevin Holland (28-13 MMA, 15-10 UFC) to put an end to his back-and-forth with the middleweight division.
Saturday’s submission victory is likely to earn "Trailblazer" a spot back in the welterweight top 15 when the rankings update this week. At the post-fight press conference, Holland called for a fun, fan-friendly matchup against Colby Covington (17-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC)—a fight that could be a perfect fit for both fighters.
“I Hate Him”: Topuria Eyes Paddy Pimblett
The rivalry between Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett runs deep.
When former UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) vacated the 145-pound division earlier this year to pursue gold at lightweight, the prospect of a long-anticipated matchup with old rival Paddy Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) inched closer to reality.
The tension between the two dates back to an altercation ahead of UFC London in 2022. Their feud escalated later that year when they exchanged verbal jabs at the UFC 282 pre-fight press conference—an encounter that Topuria, known as “El Matador,” hasn’t forgotten.
Since then, Topuria has achieved championship glory, defeating Alexander Volkanovski to capture the featherweight title. He followed up by knocking out former champion Max Holloway in his first defense. Now, he’s set to headline UFC 317 later this month, where he’ll face Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight belt.
"He's a hypocrite," Topuria said of Pimblett while speaking to ESPN Deportes in Spanish. "I'll tell you, I remember we shared a press conference once, and he said something like, 'I'm fighting in the main card, and you're on the prelims,' some kind of nonsense. And now I'm thinking, I have two belts. Where are you? Who the f*ck is Paddy Pimblett right now and why would he deserve to fight me right now?"
As Topuria closes in on championship status in the same division where Paddy Pimblett has been building his name since joining the UFC in 2021, the Spanish-Georgian star revealed that, if given the choice, Pimblett would be his preferred opponent for a first title defense.
"Honestly, if I could choose a fight, I would fight him because I hate him," Topuria said. "He's a pain in the ass. I'd love to give that fight to the fans, because for a long time, I believe that in the UFC, you haven't seen a real fight. Two people who really want to fight each other, and what better way than to fight in front of everyone and put on a show? I know what's going to happen, and it won't be good for him."
UFC 318 Planned as Tribute to Dustin Poirier
Dana White has confirmed that UFC 318 was built entirely around Dustin Poirier.
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) is set to face Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) for the third time when they square off in the main event at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans on July 19. “The Diamond” has stated that he plans to retire after the event, which will mark the UFC’s first trip to New Orleans in ten years.
UFC President Dana White confirmed this week that the promotion’s return to Louisiana was planned specifically to honor Poirier’s remarkable career inside the Octagon.
“Throughout the world, Dustin Poirier is a big star for us,” White told WDSU in Louisiana. “He’s accomplished a lot in the sport. This is for him, to be honest with you. This is for him. He wanted to have his last fight and end his career in New Orleans so here we are.”
After making his debut in the Zuffa-owned WEC in 2010, Dustin Poirier entered the UFC the following year. Over the course of an exceptional career, he challenged for the UFC lightweight title three times. He was submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira in his first two title fights, and suffered the same heartbreaking result in his most recent appearance—a loss to Islam Makhachev one year ago.
Despite never capturing undisputed UFC gold, Dana White still considers Poirier one of the greatest fighters in the sport’s history.
“Actually, he’s ranked No. 5 in the world right now in the lightweight division,” White said about Poirier. “He’s a guy who’s held his position in the top 10 in the sport for a very long time. He’s achieved a lot.
“He’s one of the all-time greats. Thousands of people have fought in the UFC, I don’t know where I could rank him but he’s one of the all-time greats.”
Poirier is set to face former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway for the third time at UFC 318. He previously submitted “Blessed” during Holloway’s UFC debut in 2012, and later defeated him by decision to claim the interim lightweight title in their 2019 rematch. Dana White believes a third meeting between the two is the perfect way to honor Poirier’s final walk to the Octagon.
“Poirier is fighting Max Holloway — another one of the all-time greats,” White said. “It should be an amazing fight.”
Ilia Topuria Eyes History
Ilia Topuria is intrigued by the prospect of capturing UFC titles in three different weight divisions.
Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) recently vacated his featherweight championship to move up to 155 pounds, aiming to challenge the man who had ruled the division since 2022—Islam Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC).
However, with Makhachev now planning a move to welterweight to pursue a third title, Topuria has instead been booked to face Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) for the vacant lightweight belt in the main event of UFC 317 next weekend.
While the Spanish-Georgian is grateful for the chance to become a two-division champion, he admits he’s slightly disappointed he won’t get to test himself against the UFC’s current pound-for-pound No. 1.
"To be honest, I wanted to face (Makhachev) because he was the guy who was dominating anyone and everyone (at 155 pounds)," Topuria said Friday at a media scrum ahead of an open workout in Las Vegas. "But at the end of the day, I can't control what they do. The only thing I can control is what I do. So I wanted to move up, I wanted to fight for the title of this division. That's what I'm doing. He decided to move up also. I can't do anything else but go and fight whoever wants to fight me."
Although the fight hasn’t been officially announced, Islam Makhachev is expected to face newly crowned welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena later this year.
If both Makhachev and Ilia Topuria are successful in their upcoming title bouts, “El Matador” says he’ll likely follow Makhachev up to 170 pounds in pursuit of a third UFC title.
"We'll see how he does in the welterweight division, if he wins the title and I win the title in the lightweight division. Maybe I move up or he comes down to the lightweight division and we have the fight that everyone wants to see," Topuria said.
“If Islam becomes the world welterweight champion, for sure I'm going to push for that shot and I will move to the welterweight division."
Dana White Reveals Jon Jones Changed His Mind
One of the most drawn-out sagas in combat sports history finally came to a close on Saturday with the announcement that Jon Jones has retired from MMA.
After more than eighteen months of speculation about a possible title unification fight between UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones (28-1 MMA, 22-1 UFC) and interim titleholder Tom Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC), the situation was finally resolved when UFC President Dana White revealed at the UFC Baku post-fight press conference that Jones had decided to retire.
Speaking at the Canelo vs. Crawford news conference in New York on Sunday, White said he is still unsure exactly why Jones made the decision to walk away.
“He called us and just started saying ‘you know what, I think I’m done, I want to retire. It’s been a great run, I appreciate everything’ and that was it,” White told reporters during a media scrum. “He was absolutely, positively sure that he wanted to retire and we said why don’t you sleep on it, if you wake up in the morning if that’s how you still feel.”
Fans have long speculated that Jones was scared of facing the younger, faster Aspinall at this stage of his career, but White isn’t certain that’s behind the champion’s move.
“Who knows. I don’t know everything that went into this decision. It’s something you guys are going to have to ask him if you ever see him again … all I know is he made it very clear that he wanted to retire and I don’t disagree with him.”
White had promised UFC fans on numerous occasions that he would “100%” get the fight between Jones and Aspinall booked. While most fans and pundits had their doubts, White insists that Jones had initially accepted the offer to fight, only to change his mind at the last second.
“We had the fight done. You saw me talking about it very confidently that this fight was going to happen and he changed his mind.”
Topuria’s featherweight Exit
Ilia Topuria’s reign atop the UFC featherweight division may have been short-lived, but he insists he already had one foot out the door before his first title defense even took place.
Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) dethroned longtime champion Alexander Volkanovski in February 2024, then became the first fighter to knock out Volkanovski’s predecessor, Max Holloway, when they faced off at UFC 308 in October.
“El Matador” has since vacated the featherweight title and is now set to face Charles Oliveira (35-10 MMA, 23-10 UFC) for the vacant lightweight belt in the main event at UFC 317 this Saturday.
While his move to the 155-pound division may have surprised some fans, Topuria insists he had already made the decision to move up before his victory over Holloway.
“Even before the fight, I was sure that I would leave the division” Topuria said this week during an interview with The New York Post. “I already spoke to my family, to my team, and I told everyone, like, this is the last fight (1t 145 pounds). This is the last weight cut I'm doing. So after this one, we are going to the lightweight division.”
At 5’7”, Topuria may not be the tallest fighter in the UFC lightweight division, but he says the difficulty of making the 145-pound limit was a key factor in his decision to move up. “Always when you have that last mile to run, you are getting like more exhausted, more tired”, he said. “And that was happening to me in the last weight cut. I knew that it was the last weight cut, so I suffered a lot.”
When Topuria first decided to move up to the lightweight division, his sights were set on a blockbuster matchup with longtime titleholder Islam Makhachev. However, the Dagestani fighter has since followed in Topuria’s footsteps by vacating his belt and moving up to 170 pounds. Still, Topuria hasn’t completely ruled out the possibility of that fight happening down the line.
“I don't care, I don't want to run behind anyone” the Spanish Georgian said. “You know what I mean? So if he wants to fight, I will be here. I will defend my belt and he can come and fight for a lightweight belt or I can move to the welterweight and we fight for the welterweight belt. I don't care.”
With Makhachev out of the title picture, all eyes now turn to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday, where Topuria will face former champion Charles Oliveira for the belt Makhachev vacated.
One man watching closely will be Arman Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who was originally scheduled to face Makhachev at UFC 311 in January before withdrawing at the last minute due to a back injury. The Armenian fighter is set to weigh in as the backup this weekend, but Topuria insists that doesn’t automatically put him at the front of the line to face the winner.
“I wouldn't give him the chance immediately” said the former featherweight champion. “He needs to win one more fight. He had the opportunity to fight for the title. He pulled out, I don't know for what reasons, but he pulled out. So he needs to win his shot again against, I don't know, someone. There's Justin Gaethje, Paddy Pimblett, many guys in the division that also deserve the shot. So they need to fight between each other.”
Islam’s Move to 155
Islam Makhachev believes the timing couldn’t be better for him to move up and challenge for the UFC welterweight title.
Makhachev (27-1 MMA, 16-1 UFC) last fought in January, when he submitted Renato Moicano—who stepped in at the last minute to replace the injured Arman Tsarukyan—at UFC 311 to retain his lightweight title. After four consecutive title defenses, Makhachev felt there were no exciting matchups left for him at 155 pounds and now plans to take on newly crowned welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena later this year.
"Right now it's the best time," Makhachev said during an interview this week with MMA Junkie. "I was waiting for (Arman) Tsarukyan because he also has very good win-streak and people were waiting for this fight. He pulled out of the last fight, and I don't see any interesting fights in my division. That's why we made the decision to move up because they have new champion, a good fighter in Jack Della Maddalena, and this fight makes me train every day and wake up early morning."
UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell recently visited Makhachev in his native Dagestan, and many fans assumed the trip was an effort to persuade Makhachev to sign on the dotted line to face Ilia Topuria, who recently moved up to 155 pounds after vacating the UFC featherweight title.
However, Makhachev insists that fight was never discussed. Instead, the focus of their conversations was on matching him against the winner of the recent welterweight title fight between Jack Della Maddalena and Belal Muhammad.
"Everybody think he comes to make a fight with Topuria, but he was here, and we talked about fighting against whoever the winner is between Della Maddalena and Belal. He told me, 'I know Belal is your friend, but this is a sport. Shake hands, fight, after the fight it's respect, and that's it. See who is the best in the world.' We had a big discussion about that," Makhachev said. "I told him, 'Let's wait for the fight when Belal fight with Della Maddalena and we will see what we have to do.' Right after the fight in Los Angeles (against Renato Moicano), Hunter came to my locker room and told me, 'Now is the good time, any day when you want to move up, you have the opportunity. Just tell us.'"
Like Topuria, Makhachev has also vacated his belt to make the move up to 170 pounds. He wanted to retain his status as the lightweight champion, but it wasn’t possible.
"I want to hold my belt from the lightweight, but it's not possible because if I fight with Della Maddalena in October or November," Makhachev said. "Then in February Ramadan is beginning, holding more than one year of the lightweight belt (without defending) is not what I want to do. It's not respectful to all those.
"Maybe (I'll return to lightweight)," he continued. "We will see. If something interesting comes up, we will see. I don't say no because maybe.”
