Michael Chandler returns to action against a very dangerous opponent at UFC Freedom 250.

Michael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy preview

Chandler (23-10 MMA, 2-5 UFC) returns after over a year on the sidelines, looking to close the floodgates of a three-fight skid. Moreso, he's 1-5 over his last six. Chandler's last win was a second-round stoppage of Tony Ferguson, which came at UFC 274. Results aside, Chandler's fights often bring fireworks.

Ruffy (13-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) already has one highlight-reel finish in 2026, and is looking for another. At UFC 325, he stopped the ultra-durable Rafael Fiziev in the second round to earn a Performance of the Night bonus. The fight prior was his lone loss in the UFC, a second-round submission against Benoit Saint Denis. Like Chandler, Ruffy is excitement waiting to happen.

Michael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy odds

According to FanDuel, Ruffy is a sizable -480 favorite to get his hand raised at the White House. Chandler currently sits at +330 as a big underdog.

How to watch Michael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Freedom 250

• When: Sunday, June 14, 2026
• Where: The White House, Washington, D.C.
• Broadcast/streaming: Paramount+

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Michael Chandler vs. Mauricio Ruffy: UFC Freedom 250 odds, info

Eddie Hearn has labelled Tom Aspinall’s UFC contract “a disgrace” after signing the heavyweight champion to his new talent agency.

This month brought the shock news that promoter Hearn, who runs Matchroom Boxing, had joined mixed-martial-arts star Aspinall in an advisory role.

Fans were quick to note Hearn’s ongoing rivalry with UFC president and CEO Dana White, who has launched several verbal attacks against the British promoter since the birth of Zuffa Boxing in January.

White is the face of the new promotion alongside Saudi government official Turki Alalshikh, while it is co-owned by combat-sports brand TKO and Saudi company Sela.

“I represent the UFC world heavyweight champion,” Hearn told media on Friday, as filmed by Pro Boxing Fans. “I’m gonna bite my tongue a little bit for now, but what I will tell you is: his contract is a f***ing disgrace. Right? A disgrace.

“I cannot believe the money that he is on, when you look at the commercial revenue that his fight would generate – against a Pereira or against a Gane in a rematch.”

Hearn was referencing Ciryl Gane and Alex Pereira, who will clash over the interim UFC heavyweight title at the White House on 14 June, after Gane’s eye pokes on Aspinall led to a no-contest in their October fight.

“And honestly,” Hearn continued, “if I’m Tom Aspinall, I’m looking at that contract, I go: ‘I don’t even think you should f***ing bother, mate.’ But he wants to come back, he wants to rematch Gane, he wants to fight Pereira. He wants to defend his world heavyweight title.

“By the time you’ve paid your tax and paid your team, there’s no f ***ing point in even fighting, especially when you’ve had four operations after your eye has got gouged out. Do you know what I mean? Honestly, it’s unbelievable, but I’m really glad that it’s been highlighted.”

Here, Hearn was referring to the two surgeries that Aspinall has had in recent months; Gane’s numerous fouls led to injuries in both of the Briton’s eyes, and the 32-year-old has still not returned to full training, five months on.

However, Aspinall provided a positive health update this month as he aims to return to the UFC Octagon.

When asked whether he will fight before the end of the year, the Wigan heavyweight said on The Ariel Helwani Show: “I hope so, I hope so. I think so.

“They’re giving me the indication that everything’s going in the right direction and improving fast. There was a time when things were all up in the air, because we had some complications with it, but everything now is moving good, and I’m feeling a lot better.

“And I can really see the difference in the way the vision is, because vision is something that you use obviously – every second of every day. So, mate, I’m feeling really good about it at the moment.”

Aspinall is 15-3 (1 no-contest) as a professional, with a UFC record of 8-1. His sole defeat in the promotion came just 15 seconds into a 2022 fight with Curtis Blaydes, as Aspinall suffered a knee injury. He avenged the loss in 2024, knocking out Blaydes in the first round.

Hearn and Aspinall’s shock link-up came just weeks after Conor Benn, one of Hearn’s most high-profile boxers, made a stunning switch to Zuffa Boxing.

Benn had been with Matchroom throughout the entirety of his pro career, and the company had stuck by him during a two-year saga in which he was unable to box in the UK after failing two drug tests.

In the fallout of Benn’s Matchroom exit, Hearn claimed he had lent the 29-year-old “hundreds of thousands of pounds” during that two-year spell. The Independent received no response after contacting Benn and one of his representatives.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday will touch down in “The Big Smoke” when UFC London takes place at O2 Arena. A brief rundown for those who intend to catch the show:

Where to Watch UFC London TODAY (March 21) in the United States

The broadcast of UFC Fight Night 270 “Evloev vs. Murphy” will air live on Paramount+ at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT. You can view it here: UFC London on Paramount

A featherweight title eliminator will take place when Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy lock horns in the five-round headliner, while undefeated 145-pound prospect Luke Riley will face a stiff test in Michael Aswell.

Where to Watch UFC London TONIGHT (March 21) in the United Kingdom

TNT Sports is the lone broadcaster showing UFC Fight Night 270 live in the United Kingdom. Coverage begins at 5 p.m. GMT.

A look at the complete UFC London card as of March 20, 2026:
Movsar Evloev (146) vs. Lerone Murphy (145)
Michael Aswell (145) vs. Luke Riley (146)
Michael Page (171) vs. Sam Patterson (170)
Iwo Baraniewski (206) vs. Austen Lane (205)
Roman Dolidze (186) vs. Christian Leroy Duncan (186)
Kurtis Campbell (145) vs. Danny Silva (145)
Mason Jones (156) vs. Axel Sola (156)
Losene Keita (146) vs. Nathaniel Wood (146)
Brando Pericic (264) vs. Louie Sutherland (264)
Mantas Kondratavicius (185) vs. Antonio Trocoli (185)
Felipe Franco (227) vs. Mario Pinto (257)
Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (156) vs. Shaquem Rock (156)
Shanelle Dyer (116) vs. Ravena Oliveira (116.5)

Hello everyone, and welcome back for another week of rankings in the UFC. With UFC Vegas 114 being one of the best fight cards all year, it was fun for all of us UFC fans. With UFC London this Saturday, there are no fights that will affect these rankings, other than the main event, which could land either Movsar Evloev or Lerone Murphy a title shot. That being said, let’s get to the rankings for this week. Have a great day, everyone, and may the fights be with you.

MORE: Predicting March Madness upsets in the 2026 NCAA Tournament

10. Joshua Van:

Joshua Van remains at the tenth spot as he gets ready for his next fight, which is on April 11th at UFC 327. His opponent will be Tatsuro Taira, who punched his ticket by submitting Hyun-sung Park and knocking out Brandon Moreno, who lost to Lone’er Kavanagh at UFC Mexico. Look for this match to be a banger with everyone saying that Taira will be the new champ. I don’t agree, but my official pick will not be made until the Fight Club show that week. 

9. Petr Yan:

Petr Yan did the unthinkable by defeating Merab Dvalishvili in their title match at UFC 323. Yan now moves up to ninth overall this week as part of the shake-up I’ve wanted to do after UFC 324 and UFC 325. However, even though Yan won the title, he will most likely be handing it back to Dvalishvili in their rematch sometime in the future. That may be a bold call, but that’s what we do in the Fight Club of Pain.

8. Max Holloway:

Max Holloway lost his BMF Championship to Charles Oliveira, which now opens things up for Holloway. With Topuria vs. Gaethje in June, I could see Holloway asking for a title shot against the winner of this match. Holloway has fought both of these athletes, but Dan from the Fight Club of Pain always says that Holloway deserves a rematch in his own division, instead of making a weight cut like last time, to fight Topuria.

7. Charles Oliveira:

Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira is the new BMF Champion in the world after systematically taking apart Max Holloway at UFC 326, last Saturday. With Topuria already scheduled to fight in early summer, you could see Oliveira defend his BMF title against Conor McGregor sometime this fall. I feel that with all the online banter that has been going on, this fight makes sense for Oliveira at this stage of his career.

6. Merab Dvalishvili:

Merab Dvalishvili lost his title to Petr Yan in the main event at UFC 323. Unlike their first matchup, Dvalishvili didn’t secure as many take-downs as they did in their first fight, which led to Yan smacking him up till he was bloodied. There are already whispers in the wind that the rematch will be scheduled soon, so until then, we’ll wait for the third saga in this feud. For now, Dvalishvili is my sixth-ranked fighter on this list.

5. Alex Pereira:

Alex Pereira stays at fifth on this list with so much more potential for him in the future. Of course, Pereira won his title back at UFC 320 by finally throwing his reverse punch, which hit Magomed Ankalaev so bad that his knees buckled immediately. Since then, Pereira has vacated his title, which is now up for grabs between Jiri Procházka and Carlos Ulberg at UFC 327 on April 11th. For Poatan, he’ll be facing Ciryl Gane on the White House card on June 14th for the Interim Heavyweight Championship. CHAMA!

4. Khamzat Chimaev:

Khamzat Chimaev stays at the fourth spot with a fight finally scheduled for him once Ramadan is done. That fight will be against Sean Strickland, who knocked out Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston. Since then,  Strickland has launched numerous attacks on social media that gave Dana White no choice but to give him another title shot. That fight will happen on May 9th in New Jersey, at UFC 328. You can expect a war in this match, so be ready.

3. Alexander Volkanovski:

Alexander “The Great” Volkanovski moves up to third as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, after defeating Diego Lopes at UFC 325. Now that we’re past that match, Volk has said that he wants to fight someone who deserves it. Jean Silva looks like he could get a shot this year, but that will only happen once the match between Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy happens. That match was scheduled yesterday for UFC Fight Night in London, on March 21st. 

2. Ilia Topuria:

Ilia Topuria has slipped to second on this list after Islam Makhachev dominated Della Maddalena. However, Topuria is back and will be headlining UFC Freedom 250, which is happening at the White House on June 14th. His next opponent is none other than Justin Gaethje, who won the interim Lightweight Championship against Paddy Pimblett. 

1. Islam Makhachev: 

Islam Makhachev is now the number one, pound-for-pound fighter in the world, after he easily dispatched Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. Not only did he dominate JDM, but he became the 11th fighter to claim a belt in another division. Now that I’ve seen the Death Vader of the UFC smash a man, we can only hope that next year we get another super match between Makhachev and another opponent. The rumors are out that it could be Kamaru Usman, which would be fantastic, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Michael Morales gets the bid. Until then, let’s all hail Lord Makhachev as the best fighter in the world. SMESH!

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The UFC is back in London this weekend, with a pivotal match-up headlining a card full of British talent.

In the main event, Manchester’s Lerone Murphy takes on Movsar Evloev in an intriguing featherweight clash, with one man set to lose his unbeaten record – and the other likely to earn a shot at champion Alexander Volkanovski.

On Thursday, Evloev confirmed he had to solve late Visa issues to get to the English capital, after a rumour circulated that Jean Silva would be stepping in for the Russian, so the O2 Arena’s headline bout looks set to go ahead as planned. And what of Silva? He may even challenge Volkanovski before the winner of Saturday’s main event does.

Elsewhere on the UFC London card, Paddy Pimblett’s teammates Luke Riley and Shem Rock step out to represent Liverpool, Michael “Venom” Page and Sam Patterson meet in an all-British bout, and fan favourite Nathaniel Wood is in action.

Furthermore, heavyweights Louie Sutherland and Mario Pinto will make their domestic debuts in the UFC, with the latter aiming to stay unbeaten as a pro. Here’s all you need to know.

When is UFC London?

The event will take place at the O2 Arena on Saturday 21 March. The prelims will begin at 5pm GMT (10am PT / 12pm CT / 1pm ET), with the main card following at 8pm GMT (1pm PT / 3pm CT / 4pm ET).

How can I watch it?

In the UK, the main card will air live on TNT Sports and is also accessible via Discovery+, EE TV, Virgin Media, Amazon Prime Video, and Sky Sports; beforehand, the early and regular prelims will stream live on UFC Fight Pass. In the US, Paramount+ will stream the action.

How to buy tickets

Tickets to UFC London are on sale nowon sale via AXS.

Full card

Subject to change

Main card

Movsar Evloev vs Lerone Murphy (featherweight)

Luke Riley vs Michael Aswell Jr (featherweight)

Michael “Venom” Page vs Sam Patterson (welterweight)

Iwo Baraniewski vs Austen Lane (light-heavyweight)

Roman Dolidze vs Christian Leroy Duncan (middleweight)

Kurtis Campbell vs Danny Silva (featherweight)

Prelims

Mason Jones vs Axel Sola (lightweight)

Nathaniel Wood vs Losene Keita (featherweight)

Louie Sutherland vs Brando Pericic (heavyweight)

Mantas Kondratavicius vs Antonio Trocoli (middleweight)

Mario Pinto vs Felipe Franco (heavyweight)

Shem Rock vs Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady (lightweight)

Shanelle Dyer vs Ravena Oliveira (women’s strawweight)

Melissa Mullins vs Luana Carolina (women’s bantamweight)

Movsar Evloev is confident his fight against Lerone Murphy is a UFC featherweight title eliminator.

Evloev (19-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) meets fellow unbeaten featherweight Murphy (17-0-1 MMA, 9-0-1 UFC) in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 270 (Paramount+) main event at The O2 in London.

Jean Silva (17-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) said he's flying to London to watch Evloev fight Murphy, and that he'll meet with UFC brass to sign a contract to fight featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

"I try not to think about those guys, guys like Jean Silva," Evloev told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. "Obviously it's great that he has a goal, that he's saying all those things, that he's working towards his goal, and he's got a dream. His dream is to fight for the title, but that's not something I concentrate about because besides speaking out loud or being outspoken, what you need to do is prove and show that you are that next No. 1 contender.

"I consider myself and Lerone somebody, who has done enough to show that this is one of us. One of us is the next contender, and this Saturday will make it period, end of story. The winner of this is definitely the next person to fight for the title because I think both of us have shown there's going to be no other No. 1 contender. The victor of this fight is the next one to fight the champion."

Murphy has shown a tendency of getting repeatedly taken down in fights, but despite grappling being Evloev's strong suit, he sees durability in the Brit.

"Everybody is posting that he was taken down, but he's undefeated," Evloev said. "That means just taking him down – as many times as people take him down, he got up and won the fight afterwards. So, for us, it's not enough just to take him down per say. What we need to do is make sure we take him down and then work on those takedown for bettering our position in the fight.

"Whether it's ground and pound or whether it's taking him down and looking for a finish through submissions or through something of that sort. So, I think what I would also like to show is that this is not the only thing that we prepared. I want to show that we're an ultimate fighter, a universal fighter. Somebody who's got more than straight wrestling or grappling. There's definitely more to us and our game plan than that."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Movsar Evloev reacts to Jean Silva saying he's next for UFC title shot

Middleweight contender Brendan Allen will get a surprising next opponent for his next octagon appearance.

Allen (26-7 MMA, 14-4 UFC) is set to take on Edmen Shahbazyan (16-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 278 on June 6, which takes place at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas (Paramount+).

A person with knowledge of the matchup verified the booking to MMA Junkie following an initial report from journalist Marcel Dorff.

Allen, No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, had been angling for a grudge match with former champ Du Plessis. The 30-year-old once again called out Du Plessis following his corner stoppage TKO of Reinier de Ridder at UFC Fight Night 262 in October, but to no avail.

Instead he gets the unranked Shahbazyan, who after losing five of seven fights from August 2020 to August 2024, has turned it around with a three-fight winning streak. The 28-year-old is coming off a first-round knockout of Andre Muniz at UFC 320 in October.

The latest UFC Fight Night 278 lineup includes:

• Belal Muhammad v. Gabriel Bonfim
• Brendan Allen vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
• Jeisla Chaves vs. Yuneisy Duben
• Edgar Chairez vs. Bruno Silva

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Brendan Allen gets surprising matchup for UFC Vegas 118

Bo Nickal gets a chance to show off his skills on the White House lawn at UFC Freedom 250.

Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus preview

Nickal (8-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will enter his first fight of 2026 on the heels of a third-round stoppage of Rodolfo Vieira in November. That result marked the return to the win column following a second-round loss to Reinier de Ridder, which was the first defeat of Nickal's pro career. The middleweight wrestling star has shown improvements in his game each time out.

Daukaus (17-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) is on his second UFC stint. His first run produced a record of 2-4 with one no contest. The second run has been much better thus far, as Daukaus has scored first-round finishes of Michel Pereira and Gerald Meerschaert.

Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus odds

According to FanDuel, Nickal is a comfortable -330 favorite in the only all-American matchup on the UFC Freedom 250 card. Daukaus currently sits at +240 as the underdog.

How to watch Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus at UFC Freedom 250

• When: Sunday, June 14, 2026
• Where: The White House, Washington, D.C.
• Broadcast/streaming: Paramount+

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Bo Nickal vs. Kyle Daukaus: UFC Freedom 250 betting odds, info

Sean Brady doesn't see Ian Machado Garry as the one to dethrone UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.

A slew of top welterweight contenders await their shot at Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC), who is currently dealing with a hand injury. Machado Garry, Kamaru Usman, and Michael Morales appear to be the frontrunners for that opportunity.

While Brady thinks it should be Machado Garry (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) who gets the next title shot, he predicts Makhachev would have his way with him on the ground.

"I know people are going to say I'm a hater of Ian, but I think Islam will get him down, and I think Islam will probably submit him," Brady said on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "If you look at where Shavkat (Rakhmonov) had Ian, if you look where where (Michael Page) had Ian in a weird grappling spot, people can get to him, and if someone like Islam gets to him, which I think he would, it would be a long night for Ian.

"But, again, Ian is very tricky, and I knew that when I was trying to fight him, and hopefully I still get to fight him. He's very long, rangy, he knows how to keep his distance well, he knows how to skirt along the octagon and keep you away from him. So I think it'll be a very interesting fight, but ultimately, I think Islam will get him down and sub him."

Brady was on the cusp of title contention until he was finished by Morales in Round 1 at UFC 322. With Morales' (19-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) size and power, Brady sees him as a more problematic matchup for Makhachev than Machado Garry.

"I think Morales has a better chance than Ian for sure," Brady said. "(He's) way more unorthodox. I think he'll be very strong in those clinch positions, where Islam will be looking for those inside trips, single legs and all his takedowns.

"Morales, we still haven't seen what he is on his back or what he is like in a harder fight, a second, third, fourth or fifth round. So there's a lot of question marks there where I feel like they've kind of been answered with Ian. You know what you're getting with Ian. I think Morales is still that question mark in the division."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Sean Brady: Morales bigger threat to Makhachev than Machado Garry