MMA

Gable Steveson is focused on the task ahead despite huge pre-UFC 329 media hype

Published

3 months ago

July 9, 2026

Gable Steveson is focused on the task ahead despite huge pre-UFC 329 media hype

UFC newcomer Gable Steveson is focused on Elisha Ellison despite the hype surrounding his future in the promotion.

On Saturday night at UFC 329, Gable Steveson will make his long-awaited debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Despite being just 3-0 in his mixed martial arts career, Gable has generated a great deal of buzz courtesy of his amazing stint in amateur wrestling.

RELATED: Gable Steveson plans to represent new age of heavyweights at UFC 329: â€œThat's gonna start with meâ€

Now, with the likes of Greg Jackson and Jon Jones behind him, Steveson has expectations on his shoulders for what he could go on to accomplish in the years to come.

In a recent interview, though, Steveson made it clear that he isn't looking past his next opponent.

Steveson is focused on the task ahead at UFC 329

â€œThis is a perfect debut opponent for me,â€ Steveson told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. â€œAll respect to Elisha for taking this matchup. I come out there, and like I said, treat everybody the same whether it's Derrick Lewis or Josh Hokit, Tom Aspinall or Ciryl Gane. But my matchup Saturday is what I'm looking forward to, and that's all.â€

â€œIt doesn't matter to me,â€ Steveson said. â€œI come to show up and do the best thing I ever possibly do, and that's win. That's all that matters to me.â€

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Gable certainly has a great athletic pedigree, but when you get to the UFC level and there are big heavyweights throwing bombs at you, it's an entirely different story. In a few days, we will get the chance to see how he responds to that kind of adversity.

Are you excited to see Gable Steveson make his debut? How far do you believe he can go in the UFC? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!

MMA

Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses

Published

4 hours ago

October 19, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses

Joaquin
Buckley remains undeterred after his third consecutive defeat
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Buckley faced Mike Malott in the Canadian's home country at

UFC Edmonton on Saturday. Malott landed a knee in the second
round and followed with a punch before the referee stopped the
bout. Despite the setback, â€œNew Mansaâ€ remains optimistic about his
future.

Joaquin Buckley plans to document his rebuild after Mike
Malott’s UFC Edmonton knockout

Buckley won six straight fights before his current skid. He now
plans to livestream his efforts to rebuild, inviting fans to follow
the process.

â€œRight now, we rebuilding and I want y'all to see the process, not
just the results,â€ Buckley wrote in the caption of his postfight
Instagram post. â€œThe highs, the lows, and everything it takes to
become who God called me to be.â€

In the accompanying video, Buckley said he wants to share his
training and introduce fans to his team.

â€œI realize that I want to document everything,â€ Buckley said. â€œI
want to document the process, I want to document the work, I want
to document the team. This is really just starting back over from
scratch; creating a new foundation and making something happenâ€¦ I'm
not going to stop; I'm going to keep working. And I'll make sure
that everybody remembers that name.â€

MMA

Joaquin Buckley vows to livestream UFC comeback after 3 straight losses

Published

4 hours ago

October 19, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Joaquin
Buckley remains undeterred after his third consecutive defeat
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Buckley faced Mike Malott in the Canadian's home country at

Joaquin Buckley plans to document his rebuild after Mike
Malott’s UFC Edmonton knockout

Buckley won six straight fights before his current skid. He now
plans to livestream his efforts to rebuild, inviting fans to follow
the process.

In the accompanying video, Buckley said he wants to share his
training and introduce fans to his team.

MMA

16-0 Farid Basharat fires back at Dana White over UFC exit comments

Published

22 hours ago

October 19, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

16-0 Farid Basharat fires back at Dana White over UFC exit comments

Farid
Basharat is pushing back against suggestions that he was
difficult to work with.

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana
White addressed Basharat's departure after
UFC Edmonton. White suggested there were reasons beyond the
unbeaten bantamweight's results for the decision not to renew his
contract, prompting a response.

Farid Basharat denies refusing UFC fights, cites Victor Hugo
weight miss and torn MCL

The UFC did not offer Basharat (16-0) a new contract despite his
7-0 promotional record. After White raised difficulties with
matchmakers and declined fights as possible reasons for such
departures, â€œFerociousâ€ reiterated that he had never turned down an
opponent and cited instances in which he competed under unfavorable
circumstances.

Basharat pointed to his victory over Victor Hugo, who weighed 145.5
pounds for their originally scheduled bantamweight bout in 2024 â€”
9.5 pounds above the non-title limit. He also said he competed with
a torn medial collateral ligament in his knee during his
Dana White's Contender Series appearance in 2022.

â€œHe kind of alluded to, maybe I was turning down fights, or maybe I
was difficult to deal with,â€ Basharat said on Instagram. â€œI
definitely didn't turn nobody down. In fact, we're talking about
the same guy that, in Abu Dhabi, I fought in 2024; my opponent
missed weight by 10 pounds and I still went ahead with the fightâ€¦
Still put on a good show and won. In my Contender Series fight, I
had a torn MCL, still went ahead with the fightâ€¦ These are facts
you can ask your UFC staff; you can ask the physio team.â€