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McGregor-Holloway 2 Is a Nightmare for Anyone Who Trusts a Ranking Algorithm

Posted on July 10, 2026 by A. J. Riot

Photo by David Guliciuc on Unsplash

Thirteen years on from their first fight, Conor McGregor and Max Holloway meet again Saturday at welterweight. No rating system, human or computerized, has enough recent data on either man to call this one with a straight face.

A Fight Nobody Actually Expected to Happen

UFC 329 headlines International Fight Week on Saturday, July 11, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor and Holloway first met in August 2013 on a preliminary card in Boston. McGregor won a unanimous decision, tearing his ACL somewhere along the way. Both guys were still nobodies at featherweight.

Then their paths split hard. McGregor became a two-division champion and the biggest star the sport has produced. Holloway did the unglamorous thing: he kept fighting. He held the featherweight title for three years and, in one of the sport’s better recent moments, knocked out Justin Gaethje in the final second of UFC 300 to take the BMF belt. Now they’re doing it again, two weight classes up, and McGregor hasn’t fought since a broken leg ended his 2021 trilogy with Dustin Poirier.

The UFC’s Newest Millionaire Isn’t Apologizing to Anyone

Posted on June 26, 2026 by Andrew Carswell

After knocking out Derrick Lewis, igniting a national controversy, and becoming a millionaire in seven months, Josh Hokit explains the strategy behind “The Incredible Hok.”

NEW YORK — Ten months ago, Josh Hokit was still trying to prove he belonged on the UFC roster. Today, he sits at the center of nearly every major conversation in mixed martial arts. His undefeated rise through the heavyweight division, his headline grabbing performance at UFC Freedom 250, and one of the most controversial post-fight interviews in recent memory have transformed the former football player into one of the sport’s fastest rising stars. Now, after nearly 47 minutes with Ariel Helwani, Hokit peeled back the curtain on the man behind “The Incredible Hok,” revealing that much of what fans see is no accident at all.

Andrew Carswell

Andrew Carswell is a combat sports columnist and college writing professor, based in Las Vegas, NV, whose work examines the intersection of fighting, media, business, and culture. His commentary and analysis have been featured in various magazines, newspapers, and media outlets, including Yahoo! News, and USA TODAY. Blending journalistic insight and experience with a fan’s perspective, Carswell writes about the fight game as both a cultural phenomenon and a global business.

UFC 329 – McGregor vs. Holloway 2 – FightMatrix Preview and Prediction

Posted on June 26, 2026 by Vitaliy Vovk

Jul 11, 2026 | Las Vegas, United States

More than twelve years after their first meeting, [NR] Conor McGregor (22-6-0) and [#5 LW | #4 UFC] Max Holloway (27-9-0) are set to face each other again in one of the most anticipated rematches of 2026. This time, the bout will take place in the welterweight division (170 lbs), adding another intriguing element as both fighters compete above their traditional weight classes.

Their first encounter took place in August 2013 at UFC Fight Night 26, where McGregor earned a unanimous decision victory. Since then, both athletes have become UFC legends, but they enter this rematch from very different positions.

MMA Promoter | Event Organizer | Analyst

Founder & President of Real Fight Promotion (RFP) – one of the longest-running and most recognized MMA organizations in Ukraine. Organizer of 100+ MMA events. Contributor, analyst, and Trusted Promoter collaborating with leading global MMA platforms.

https://rfpromo.com/

McGregor vs Holloway: everything NC bettors need to know before UFC 329

Posted on June 25, 2026 by A. J. Riot

Conor McGregor ends a five-year absence on July 11 in Las Vegas, Holloway arrives as the clear favorite, and North Carolina MMA fans have seven licensed apps ready to take the action.

It has been five years, one broken leg, an 18-month anti-doping suspension, and more comeback rumours than anyone cared to count. On July 11, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Conor McGregor finally walks back into an Octagon. His opponent is Max Holloway, a fighter he beat by unanimous decision when both were prospects in August 2013, and one of the few men in MMA who can legitimately claim to have become a better version of himself during the years McGregor was absent. The official UFC 329 event page confirms the card runs during International Fight Week, with a welterweight main event at 170 pounds — Holloway making his debut at the weight class against a man who has not won a professional fight since stopping Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds on January 18, 2020.

“The Guy Doesn’t Have the Guts”: Alex Pereira’s Explosive Attack on Herb Dean

Posted on June 22, 2026 by Andrew Carswell

After a controversial White House loss to Ciryl Gane, Pereira unloads on Herb Dean, demands accountability, and makes it clear he wants the rematch.

Alex Pereira did not sound like a fighter making excuses.

He sounded like a fighter who believes something dangerous happened in front of the whole world, and nobody in charge was willing to stop it. Days after losing to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn, Pereira sat down for a long, emotional interview and delivered one of the most explosive responses of his career. The former middleweight and light heavyweight champion said he felt good at heavyweight, respected the jab that initially hurt him, and still believed the fight could have developed differently if not for what he described as repeated illegal blows to the back of his head.

Andrew Carswell

Andrew Carswell is a combat sports columnist and college writing professor, based in Las Vegas, NV, whose work examines the intersection of fighting, media, business, and culture. His commentary and analysis have been featured in various magazines, newspapers, and media outlets, including Yahoo! News, and USA TODAY. Blending journalistic insight and experience with a fan’s perspective, Carswell writes about the fight game as both a cultural phenomenon and a global business.

A Betting Preview for UFC Fight Night 280 in Baku

Posted on June 20, 2026 by A. J. Riot

UFC Fight Night 280 is the second of four planned annual Fight Night events to be held in Baju, the capital of Azerbaijan. It is set to take place on June 27, 2026, at the city’s National Gymnastics Arena (pictured). Lightweights Rafael Fiziev (UFC #11) and Manuel Torres (UFC #15) will contest the headline fight, while unranked middleweights Shara Magomedov vs Michel Pereira will fight the co-main.

In terms of betting odds, sportsbooks and fans are mostly only concentrating on the two headline fights, with odds not widely available on any of the undercard matchups. However, there are some interesting lines to the two headline bouts as well as the narrative storylines behind them.

Paulette “La Heredera” Cuesta – The Fighter & Her Puerto Rico Victory

Posted on June 16, 2026 by Heather

Who Is Paulette Cuesta?

Paulette “La Heredera” (The Heiress) Cuesta (19-5-1, 4 KO) is a professional boxer. She is in the Mexican super bantamweight division. Her nickname is more than a brand – it reflects genuine boxing royalty in her bloodline. Cuesta began boxing at 23, initially training for fitness before quickly transitioning to competition.

Combat Sports & Martial Arts Writer| Partnership Marketing and Digital Strategy Lead (Combat Sports)
I have been an avid viewer of Boxing and MMA for decades. I have had an interest in MMA since 2001. I had a 25 year career in healthcare, and now I am pursuing my hobby. I enjoy writing about combat sports and martial arts for FightMatrix.

www.fightmatrix.com

UFC Fight Night 279 – Kape vs. Horiguchi 2

Posted on June 15, 2026 by Vitaliy Vovk

Jun 20, 2026 | UFC Apex, Las Vegas, United States

[#5 FW | #2 UFC] Manel Kape (22-7-0) vs [#3 FW | #5 UFC] Kyoji Horiguchi (36-5-0)

Preview and Prediction

The main event of UFC Fight Night 279 features one of the most intriguing flyweight rematches in recent MMA history as Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi meet nearly nine years after their first encounter.

The two fighters originally faced each other on December 31, 2017, at RIZIN World Grand Prix 2017. On that night, Horiguchi showcased his championship-level versatility by defeating Kape via third-round arm-triangle choke. Since then, both athletes have continued to evolve and establish themselves among the world’s elite flyweights.

Today, the rematch arrives under very different circumstances. Kape enters as one of the UFC’s leading title contenders, while Horiguchi returns to the Octagon carrying the experience of a legendary career that includes championships in both Bellator and RIZIN.

MMA Promoter | Event Organizer | Analyst

Founder & President of Real Fight Promotion (RFP) – one of the longest-running and most recognized MMA organizations in Ukraine. Organizer of 100+ MMA events. Contributor, analyst, and Trusted Promoter collaborating with leading global MMA platforms.

https://rfpromo.com/

“I’m going to knock Mauricio Ruffy out on the White House lawn” – Will UFC Freedom 250 Become Michael Chandler’s Redemption Moment?

Posted on June 11, 2026 by Andrew Carswell

Michael Chandler has never needed much help turning a fight into theater. For most of his UFC run, the former Bellator champion has fought like a man trying to detonate the building before the final horn, whether that meant walking through danger, creating chaos, or giving fans the kind of violence that makes highlight reels feel too small for the moment.

But, on Sunday night, at UFC Freedom 250, Chandler says the moment itself may be bigger than anything he has ever walked into.

Andrew Carswell

Andrew Carswell is a combat sports columnist and college writing professor, based in Las Vegas, NV, whose work examines the intersection of fighting, media, business, and culture. His commentary and analysis have been featured in various magazines, newspapers, and media outlets, including Yahoo! News, and USA TODAY. Blending journalistic insight and experience with a fan’s perspective, Carswell writes about the fight game as both a cultural phenomenon and a global business.

Gabriel Bonfim Has Forced His Way Into the Welterweight Title Picture. What Comes Next?

Posted on June 10, 2026 by A. J. Riot

A dominant 50-45 shutout of former champion Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 118 has lifted the Brazilian to number five in the world and set up one of the most compelling title queues in recent memory at 170 pounds.

Gabriel Bonfim’s performance at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas on June 6 was not a close-run thing. Five rounds of calf kicks, clean jabs, and sustained pressure produced three identical 50-45 scorecards, a unanimous decision result that moved Bonfim from 11th to fifth in the official UFC welterweight rankings. He is 28 years old, now 20-1, and according to UFC Stats landed 128 significant strikes in the main event, more than he had managed across his previous three UFC outings combined.

Gabriel Bonfim Turns the Welterweight Division Upside Down as UFC Vegas 118 Delivers One Last Statement Before the White House

Posted on June 7, 2026 by Andrew Carswell

The UFC had one eye on history Saturday night, with the White House card looming next weekend and the entire sport already leaning toward UFC Freedom 250. But, before the Octagon moves into one of the most surreal settings in combat sports history, UFC Vegas 118 gave the promotion a reminder that the APEX can still produce a night that changes divisions, breaks narratives, and launches new contenders.

Gabriel Bonfim (20-1-0) did not just beat Belal Muhammad (24-6-0, 1NC) in the main event. He changed the way the welterweight division has to talk about him. Coming into the fight, Muhammad was the former UFC welterweight champion, a veteran grinder, and the kind of opponent who usually forces rising fighters into ugly, exhausting, uncomfortable fights. Bonfim turned that script inside out. He defeated Muhammad by unanimous decision, 50-45 on all three scorecards, in a clean five-round shutout that moved him to 20-1 and gave him the biggest win of his career.

Andrew Carswell

Andrew Carswell is a combat sports columnist and college writing professor, based in Las Vegas, NV, whose work examines the intersection of fighting, media, business, and culture. His commentary and analysis have been featured in various magazines, newspapers, and media outlets, including Yahoo! News, and USA TODAY. Blending journalistic insight and experience with a fan’s perspective, Carswell writes about the fight game as both a cultural phenomenon and a global business.

The Drama Unfolds : Sean Strickland’s White House Snub Turns UFC Freedom 250 Into Political Firestorm

Posted on June 4, 2026 by Andrew Carswell

The UFC’s planned White House event was already one of the most unusual spectacles in the history of American sports. Now, before a single fighter has made the walk, the event has become a political controversy involving Sean Strickland, President Donald Trump, Israel, active-duty troops, and a massive UFC structure sitting on the South Lawn.

UFC Freedom 250 is scheduled for June 14th on the White House grounds, as part of the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. The date also falls on Flag Day and President Trump’s 80th birthday. The event is expected to feature a full Octagon on the South Lawn, a large patriotic lighting structure known as “The Claw,” and a crowd made up of invited guests, UFC insiders, administration invitees, celebrities, and active-duty service members. It is not a public-ticketed event. It has been reported that about 5,000 spectators are expected to attend, with access controlled through the UFC, the Trump administration, or military invitations.

Andrew Carswell

Andrew Carswell is a combat sports columnist and college writing professor, based in Las Vegas, NV, whose work examines the intersection of fighting, media, business, and culture. His commentary and analysis have been featured in various magazines, newspapers, and media outlets, including Yahoo! News, and USA TODAY. Blending journalistic insight and experience with a fan’s perspective, Carswell writes about the fight game as both a cultural phenomenon and a global business.

Conor McGregor’s UFC Return: What Happens If the Irishman Beats Max Holloway?

Posted on June 4, 2026 by A. J. Riot

T-Mobile Arena, the site of Conor McGregor’s Upcoming UFC Return – Source: Unsplash

Five years is a long time in any sport. In the UFC, it can feel like a geological age — titles change hands, rivalries are born and buried, legacies are cemented and questioned. On July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Conor McGregor ends the wait.

UFC 329 puts “The Notorious” back in the Octagon opposite Max Holloway in a welterweight main event nearly 13 years in the making, and it represents the most compelling return the sport has staged since McGregor himself was the new name dismantling the old order. His last appearance ended in a broken leg in the first round of his trilogy with Dustin Poirier in July 2021 — the second consecutive stoppage loss to a man he once dispatched without appearing to break a sweat.

Both men are genuine all-time greats. Both men have unfinished business with the sport’s upper echelon. But should McGregor get his hand raised on fight night, the question becomes: what exactly does this victory unlock? The answer involves three names.

The Chaos Continues : Colby Covington’s Next Rivalry Is Already Here

Posted on June 3, 2026 by Andrew Carswell

By Alexandra Shea – CC0, Link

Arlington, Texas — For someone who has just recently retired, Colby Covington sure has been staying busy. Just weeks after announcing that he was stepping away from active mixed martial arts competition, the former interim UFC welterweight champion scored a victory over Chris Weidman at RAF 09 and immediately agreed to a future showdown with Arman Tsarukyan. What began as a retirement story has quickly become one of the biggest storylines in Real American Freestyle, a promotion that suddenly looks much closer to a legitimate player in combat sports.

Covington’s move to RAF surprised many fans when it was first announced. While he had been inactive inside the Octagon, he remained one of the UFC’s most recognizable personalities and one of the sport’s most reliable headline generators. Rather than continue waiting for another UFC booking, Covington chose to focus his attention on wrestling, the sport he has repeatedly described as his first love. The decision also opened the door to a variety of crossover matchups that would have been difficult to pursue while actively competing in the UFC.

Andrew Carswell

Andrew Carswell is a combat sports columnist and college writing professor, based in Las Vegas, NV, whose work examines the intersection of fighting, media, business, and culture. His commentary and analysis have been featured in various magazines, newspapers, and media outlets, including Yahoo! News, and USA TODAY. Blending journalistic insight and experience with a fan’s perspective, Carswell writes about the fight game as both a cultural phenomenon and a global business.

UFC Fight Night 278 – Muhammad vs. Bonfim

Posted on May 31, 2026 by Vitaliy Vovk

Jun 6, 2026 | UFC Apex, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

[#7 WW | #5 UFC] Belal Muhammad (24-5-0) vs. [#16 WW | #11 UFC] Gabriel Bonfim (19-1-0)

The main event of UFC Fight Night 278 features a compelling welterweight clash between former UFC champion Belal Muhammad and one of the division’s fastest-rising contenders, Gabriel Bonfim.

Muhammad enters the bout as one of the most experienced fighters in the welterweight division. His greatest strengths remain his relentless pace, excellent cardio, strong wrestling, and ability to control opponents over five rounds. However, his recent performances have raised questions about whether he can remain a legitimate title contender after suffering back-to-back defeats.

Bonfim, meanwhile, appears to be entering his prime. The Brazilian has won four consecutive fights, including notable victories over Stephen Thompson and Randy Brown. His skill set combines dangerous Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, explosive striking, and impressive finishing instincts. Younger, faster, and more dynamic, Bonfim presents a difficult challenge for any opponent in the division.

MMA Promoter | Event Organizer | Analyst

Founder & President of Real Fight Promotion (RFP) – one of the longest-running and most recognized MMA organizations in Ukraine. Organizer of 100+ MMA events. Contributor, analyst, and Trusted Promoter collaborating with leading global MMA platforms.

https://rfpromo.com/