Tom
Aspinall is targeting September's UFC Paris card for a return to
the Octagon. | 📷: Getty/UFC
Fans can expect
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight champion Tom
Aspinall back in the Octagon soon.
Aspinall has been out of action recovering from an eye injury he
suffered against Ciryl Gane
(14-2) at UFC
321 in October of last year. The bout ended in a no contest
after Gane simultaneously poked the Englishman in both eyes in the
first round. Aspinall is now gearing up for his return.
Tom Aspinall ready to fight again, but UFC relationship remains
a storyline
Aspinall (15-3) recently revealed that he is ready to fight again.
The Brit claims to have informed the promotion that he is ready to
return and is eyeing the UFC
Paris card in September.
“We’ve let the UFC know that we’re ready to go and we’re just
waiting for dates,†Aspinall said on his YouTube channel. “We’ve
just literally told them we can do it in Paris. We told them we can
do it wherever they want. So, we’re just waiting for them to let us
know. It’s down to the UFC.â€
Notably, Aspinall had a falling out with the UFC, unhappy with how
the aftermath played out and with some of Dana White's comments. He
then onboarded boxing promoter Eddie Hearn as an advisor, further
souring the relationship between himself and White.
Gane won the interim title for a second time at
UFC Freedom 250 by defeating Alex
Pereira, setting up a rematch with Aspinall. The UFC's next
event in Paris is slated for Sept. 5.
Dana
White is livid with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's production team for getting
celebrities' names wrong on the broadcast.
Four-division boxing champion and Zuffa Boxing's latest signing,
Shakur Stevenson, was in attendance at
UFC 329 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However,
when Stevenson was shown on screen, a lower third had him captioned
as NBA player Jalen
Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder. White later slammed the
UFC's production team for the mix-up.
Shakur Stevenson and Jalen Williams react to mix-up at UFC
329
White notes that his production team, which he is usually immensely
proud of, just hosted a monumental event on the South Lawn of the
White House last month. However, the UFC CEO believes his
production team is the worst in all sports when it comes to
showcasing celebrities at UFC events.
“My production team, we just did the White House. We built an arena
on the South Lawn of the White House, and it was the greatest thing
in the world to be there live and to watch it on TV,†White said at
the UFC 329 post-fight press conference. “I just paid Shakur
Stevenson a sh*tload of money, and for some reason, we can’t figure
this celebrity sh*t out. They put him up as a f*cking OKC NBA
player. Are you f*cking kidding me? But we are the absolute worst
to ever do the celebrity thing. When we put celebrities up, we are
the worst.â€
Stevenson enjoyed White's rant, posting on X, “Yea Dana,†followed
by a laughing and fire emoji. Williams also took the incident in
good stead and couldn't help cracking a few jokes. The NBA champion
wrote on his Instagram Stories, “Ehh close enough,†before
accepting lifetime free ringside tickets to UFC events as a token
of apology.
Dana White was not happy that Zuffa's latest
signing Shakur Stevenson was presented as NBA player Jalen
Williams on last night’s UFC broadcast 😳 pic.twitter.com/ro4zIwoDtD
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine)
July 12, 2026
Yea Dana 😂🔥
#FireTheyAss https://t.co/3opexAShWa
— Shakur Stevenson (@ShakurStevenson)
July 12, 2026
Paddy Pimblett says he would've considered retirement if he lost
at UFC 329. | 📷: Getty/UFC
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Paddy
Pimblett believes there would've been no point in continuing
his fighting career had he lost to Benoit St.
Denis.
Pimblett (24-4) took on St. Denis (17-4) in a lightweight matchup
in the co-main event of
UFC 329 on Saturday in Las Vegas. “The Baddy†had repeatedly
predicted that his French counterpart would rush for a takedown and
get choked out. It played out just as the Brit foresaw, as he
secured a quick submission in the first round to return to winning
ways.
Paddy Pimblett explains why UFC 329 loss to Benoit St. Denis
could have ended his career
Pimblett subsequently revealed that weeks before the fight, he was
wondering whether he should retire if he couldn't beat St. Denis.
He has always voiced his UFC championship aspirations and believed
his title dreams would've never materialized if he hadn't gotten
past St. Denis.
“About four weeks ago, five weeks ago, I was like, ‘If I don’t win
this fight, what’s the point in fighting anymore? I might as well
retire. If I can’t beat BSD, then what’s the point in fighting?' If
I can’t beat BSD, I’m never going to be a world champion,†Pimblett
said on the UFC's ”About Last Fight” podcast. “And that’s what I
do this for. I do this to be the best in the world. So, if I can’t
beat him, what?â€
Paddy Pimblett was inspired by Justin Gaethje's win at UFC
Freedom 250
However, the Liverpudlian found a new wave of motivation when
Justin
Gaethje defeated Ilia
Topuria in a massive upset to win the undisputed lightweight
title at
UFC Freedom 250. Coming off a hard-fought loss to Gaethje,
Pimblett felt invincible during the last two weeks of his fight
camp for UFC 329.
“And then two days later, Justin Gaethje beats Ilia Topuria. And it
was one of the biggest kicks up the ass I’ve ever had in me life,â€
Pimblett added. “Set a fire underneath me and just the last couple
of weeks of this training camp have been unbelievable. And I’m
ready to kill anyone. Put anyone in front of me and I’ll kill them.
Like, I literally could have killed Benoit St. Denis then. I had to
say to Marc, ‘Lad, he’s out. He’s unconscious.'â€
Carlos Prates says he would do physical harm to Conor McGregor
in a cage. | 📷: Getty/UFC
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Carlos
Prates claims he would be a tough matchup for Conor
McGregor.
McGregor (22-7) returned to action after five years in a
welterweight matchup against Max
Holloway (28-9) at
UFC 329 on Saturday in Las Vegas. The Irishman's highly
anticipated return ended in 69 seconds after he injured his right
knee on the first kick he threw. While there were rumblings of
McGregor vs. Prates before the Holloway rematch was confirmed, the
Brazilian believes it wouldn't have worked out for the former
two-division champ.
Carlos Prates has a warning for Conor McGregor: ‘I would hurt
you'
Reacting to UFC 329's headliner, Prates says he would significantly
damage the UFC legend if they were to fight. “The Nightmareâ€
advises McGregor to never accept a booking against him. Prates also
believes that McGregor has already cemented his legacy and should
make way for the new generation now. He further took a dig at the
Irish star's mohawk, which he donned for his latest outing.
“If I fight against u, I would hurt you bad bro,†Prates wrote on
his Instagram stories. “[It's] alright don't accept the fight
against me Mc chicken. And have your legacy already, now it's time
for the new generation. And never cut your hair like this
again.â€
Prates (24-7) has finished all seven of his UFC wins so far, while
only dropping a decision against Ian Garry,
who challenges Islam
Makhachev for the title at UFC
330. There were initially rumors of McGregor returning to
action against Prates. “Notorious†even claimed that the UFC had
offered him the Brazilian 170-pounder, but the matchup ultimately
fell through in favor of the Holloway rematch.
Carlos
Prates warned Conor
McGregor to never accept a fight against him 😳
“If I fight against you I would hurt you bad bro. Don't accept the
fight against me McChicken. And have your legacy already, now it's
time for the new generation.
And never cut your hair like that… pic.twitter.com/bTAucvpk0p
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
July 12, 2026
Conor
McGregor believes the UFC offered him Carlos
Prates to try and scare him back down to 155
“I said yea, no problem. Send the contract.
They wanted me back down at 155 pounds. So I think they were trying
to throw names at me… yes, no problem.†😅