Issue 225

February 2026

Fighters Only’s social media editor, Paul Browne, picks out his highlights from the past month on MMA social media.

PANTOJA HITS THE BENCH, NOT THE PANIC BUTTON

After an injury that had us googling anatomy charts and whispering career-altering, Alexandre Pantoja is already back in the gym doing the most Pantoja thing possible. Light upper-body work. Careful sparring. And yes, bench pressing like a man who absolutely read his physio notes and then ignored the scary parts.

ARMAN BRINGS RECEIPTS ON PADDY'S TAP

The internet never forgets, and Arman Tsarukyan made sure of it. After Paddy Pimblett once floated the idea that he could out-grapple Arman, fate delivered a subplot. Weeks out from UFC 324, Pimblett was caught getting tapped at an annual BJJ tournament, prompting Tsarukyan to ask the only question that mattered: “Is this the trash can that said he can out-grapple me?” No follow-up needed.

FROM TITLE DEFENCES TO LOCATION SCOUTING

Once upon a time, champions defended belts. This year, they’re pin-dropping locations. Khamzat Chimaev announcing “Let’s go White House” while promising to finish Alex Pereira fast feels less like matchmaking and more like a hostile takeover pitch. Coffin emoji included. Somewhere between rankings and reality, call-outs have turned into destination weddings. It’s peak modern MMA.

A FIGHT THAT FIXES EVERYTHING

Every fantasy card needs a heartbeat, and Dustin Poirier vs Justin Gaethje is the kind of fight that makes promoters stop pretending spreadsheets matter. When Poirier floated this as the one comeback fight that would make a White House card, fight fans nodded with fire emojis. No rankings gymnastics. Just two men who treat defense like a rumor and violence like a civic duty. Now Gaethje is riding high on a recent win, is he too much for Poirier?

IAN GARRY VS REALITY, ROUND ONE

Confidence is undefeated, and Ian Machado Garry just fired off the kind of line that makes grapplers everywhere stop stretching and start laughing. “I can’t wait until you all see me out-grapple Islam” is either elite-level trolling or the bravest career choice since someone tried to wrestle a bear for content. The problem, of course, is that Islam Makhachev treats grappling like a birthright.