Fight Coverage
The 10 | Jumping Into July’s Most Compelling Matchups
Plenty Of Intriguing Fights On Tap Over The Coming Month
The summer months are historically action-packed inside the Octagon, and things shouldn’t be any different as the warmest months of 2026 roll in.
Beginning with the lone numbered event of the month and wrapping in Abu Dhabi, July’s three-event slate offers a little bit of everything, including the debut of one of the most hyped prospects in some time, a bushel of critical matchups across several divisions, and a trio of main events that all carry very different reasons for intrigue.
Watch Every UFC Event On Paramount+
We’re going to learn a lot more about a couple of emerging stars, and several divisional pictures will clear up in July, so let’s dive into the collection of fights that pique my interest the most in the month ahead.
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 — Saturday, July 11 (Las Vegas, NV)
Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison
With all due respect to Ellison, this is strictly about the arrival of Steveson, who is being heralded as the “next big thing” in the heavyweight division and future champion before he’s even stepped into the Octagon.
On paper, there is a ton to like about the newcomer: he just turned 26, is an Olympic gold medalist and a two-time NCAA National champion wrestler from the University of Minnesota. On top of that, he’s being shepherded by Jon Jones, training with Brandon Gibson and others that “Bones” relied on in Albuquerque, had a cup of coffee with the WWE, and was signed by the Buffalo Bills without ever playing meaningful snap of football in his life; he’s also gone 3-0 with three first-round finishes in MMA and 1-0 with another quick win in Dirty Boxing.
From a measurable and pedigree standpoint, Steveson is the genuine article, with the kind of athleticism and wrestling chops we haven’t seen since a healthy Cain Velasquez was working his way up the ranks and winning the heavyweight title. But he’s also exclusively fought weekend warriors and dudes he absolutely should have smashed the way he did, which just means he’s good enough to beat up randoms that are happy to get lamped for a few hundred bucks and the chance to say, “I fought Gable Steveson.”
It’s going to be a minute before we can make any real assessments about how far Steveson can go in this sport, but the anticipation is real, and the excitement is palpable, which is good enough for me at this point.
Brandon Royval vs Lone’er Kavanagh
Flyweight has been on fire for more than a year, and these two are very much in the thick of things in the 125-pound weight class.
ATHLETE PROFILES: Brandon Royval | Lone'er Kavanagh
Royval’s last five fights have come against five of the best fighters in the division —Alexandre Pantoja, Brandon Moreno, Tatsuro Taira, Joshua Van, and Manel Kape —and while he’s 2-3 in that time, no one is faulting him for the losses to Pantoja, Van, or Kape, who are the top 3 in the division at the moment. Kavanagh arrives off a stunning upset win over Moreno in Mexico City earlier this year, which served as a tremendous bounce-back after he was stopped by Charles Johnson last August in Shanghai.
Not only should this be a competitive and thoroughly entertaining bout, no matter how it plays out, but it’s also a tricky bout from a divisional standpoint because the next two title challengers are seemingly already stacked up. As such, the winner doesn’t move too far forward, but the defeated fighter gets knocked significantly further back in the chase, making this a "must-win” for these two title hopefuls.
Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista
Sandhagen and Bautista met back at the start of 2019 in what was Sandhagen’s third appearance and Bautista’s short-notice debut. Now, more than seven years later, they’re top 10 mainstays set to run it back in the middle of the UFC 329 main card.
MORE UFC 329: Buy Tickets | VIP Experiences
Being one of the five best bantamweights in the UFC is a massive achievement, but it also probably stings a little if you’re the guy everyone lists at No. 5, which is basically where Sandhagen stands right now. He’s dropped fights to Petr Yan, Merab Dvalishvili, and Umar Nurmagomedov in the past, with the Denver-based standout in a holding pattern as an elite contender who is going to need some help to secure another championship opportunity.
Mario Bautista Wraps Up Second-Round Submission | UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs Oliveira
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Mario Bautista Wraps Up Second-Round Submission | UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs Oliveira
/
Bautista has been one of the better stories of quiet perseverance over the last few years and now gets the opportunity to avenge his first UFC loss while potentially usurping Sandhagen’s place as the guy you have to get by in order to really be in the title mix. He scored a dominant win in February to get back in the win column and can shake things up with a second straight win here.
Benoît Saint Denis vs Paddy Pimblett
Whenever there is a title change, I’m always curious to see how the first marquee matchup in that division goes afterwards, especially when one of the participants has history with the new titleholder.
Saint Denis has been a buzzsaw since connecting with Nicolas Ott, winning four straight, all by stoppage, finishing Mauricio Ruffy, Beneil Dariush, and Dan Hooker in succession heading into this one. Pimblett returns after landing on the wrong side of the cards in his UFC 324 interim title clash with Gaethje in January, where he had moments, but couldn’t find a way to swing things in his favor.
There is some uncertainty about Gaethje’s future and an unknown timeline for when Ilia Topuria will return, which opens things up at the top of the division a little. While Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira are entrenched in the top 5, these two are battling to be on the short list of contenders as well, and a blistering effort from either one could go a long way to solidifying their place in the pecking order.
Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway
Five years and two days after his last appearance, McGregor returns to the Octagon in a welterweight clash with Holloway to close out UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. While it is a rematch, their first encounter came nearly 13 years ago at featherweight and has little to no bearing on this matchup.
Joe Rogan Interviews Conor McGregor And Max Holloway Ahead Of UFC 329
McGregor is an impossible fighter to discuss in any real, accurate way because he has been all over the place since his march to the top of the lightweight division. He’s 1-3 since departing to box Floyd Mayweather Jr. and lost each of his last two by stoppage, plus he turns 38 three days after the event and has a titanium rod in his leg, but he’s also one of the most sublime talents I’ve ever seen compete and has a way of snake-charming you in to believing he’s still the best fighter in the world.
This is an interesting moment for Holloway, who had little to offer Charles Oliveira at UFC 326, but looked terrific in wins over Dustin Poirier and Gaethje on either side of his ill-advised return to featherweight at UFC 308, where he got stopped by Topuria. Age and activity are definitely in his favor, but after having next to nothing for “Do Bronxs” earlier this year, there is a little “show me something” hanging over Holloway here.
Full Fight | Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 1
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Full Fight | Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 1
/
The wild card in this one is that it’s being contested at welterweight, where Holloway has never fought before. McGregor is 1-2 in the division with wins over Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone, and while he’s giving up height, he’ll have a solid reach advantage. What’ll be interesting to see is how Holloway approaches fighting at 170 pounds because if he’s fully committed to this move — even if it’s just for this fight — that’s different than just floating up to welterweight for a fight.
UFC Fight Night: Du Plessis vs Usman —Saturday, July 18 (Oklahoma City, OK)
Tabatha Ricci vs Fatima Kline
Top 15 flyweights clash in OKC as Tabatha Ricci takes on Fatima Kline in what is a massive fight for both women.
Ricci has earned her place in the top 10 with wins over Gillian Robertson, Angela Hill, and Amanda Ribas, but failed to take that next step, most recently dropping a decision to Virna Jandiroba in April. Kline has gone 3-0 since returning to strawweight following her short-notice debut up a division, posting back-to-back finishes before thoroughly out-working Hill at Madison Square Garden last November.
This profiles as a bout that will answer some important questions about each fighter, which Ricci is looking to show she’s capable of defending her spot and holding off the ascending prospect, while Kline is aiming to show she’s on the verge of title contention already and still improving. Stylistically, they match up really well together, which should make for a high-paced battle in all phases at Paycom Center later this month.
Kevin Holland vs Jacobe Smith
These next two fights are the type that captivate me because there are few things I like to see more than an emerging prospect stepping in with one of the more seasoned members of their respective weight class.
UFC OKLAHOMA CITY: Buy Tickets | VIP Experiences
Holland got back into the win column in April with a good win over Randy Brown at UFC 327, and remains the kind of well-rounded, ever-dangerous fighter that every weight class benefits from having just outside the top 15, if not just inside those doors. You have to be somebody to beat Holland, and doing so isn’t easy.
Jacobe Smith Ground And Pounds His Way To A 1st RD TKO | UFC Houston
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there`s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world`s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Jacobe Smith Ground And Pounds His Way To A 1st RD TKO | UFC Houston
/
Smith, who went to school at Oklahoma State in Stillwater, is 12-0 as a professional and 3-0 in the UFC, with all three wins coming inside the distance. Solid in every facet, this is a major step up in competition for the former Cowboys wrestler, but if he passes this test, a date with a ranked opponent could be on the horizon.
Jared Cannonier vs Christian Leroy Duncan
While Cannonier is now at Level 42 (read: 42 years old), he’s still rightfully hanging onto a place in the ranking, having rallied to put away Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues early last year. The former title challenger couldn’t corner Michael “Venom” Page last time out but serves as a powerful veteran presence opposite Duncan in this one.
Keep Up With All Things UFC With Our Free Newsletter
“CLD” had a couple of stumbles earlier in his UFC career, but has been rock solid as of late, entering on a four-fight winning streak. After consecutive spinning finishes, he out-pointed Roman Dolidze in March in London, and a matchup like this one with Cannonier is the logical next step for the Gloucester man.
Middleweight has been undergoing renovations for the last several years, and there is no sign of them being finished. That said, Cannonier has the opportunity to be the exposed brick or marble countertop that doesn’t get swapped out if he’s able to earn a victory, while Duncan is angling to be an agent of further change in the 185-pound ranks.
Dricus Du Plessis vs Kamaru Usman
It took a minute for this one to formally get announced, but it’s become more intriguing in the last couple of months as the division has continued to shift.
Du Plessis fights for the first time since losing the middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev last August in Chicago, while Usman ends a one-year absence dating back to his win over Joaquin Buckley in Atlanta last June, while making a legitimate move to the middleweight division. Not only have these two jawed with each other in the preamble to this one, which always adds a little more excitement to the festivities, but their shared history with the man on the throne ups the ante as well.
The former titleholder Du Plessis owns a pair of wins over current and two-time champ Sean Strickland, beating him more soundly the second time around, while Usman beat him way back in 2017 when they were both welterweight hopefuls trying to get ahead. With Chimaev and his camp detailing how punishing his weight cut was ahead of UFC 328, his days in the division might be numbered, and just like Strickland was able to snake his way into a title opportunity with an emphatic win earlier this year, maybe one of these two could do the same here?
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Rountree Jr. —Saturday, July 25 (Abu Dhabi, UAE)
Magomed Ankalaev vs Khalil Rountree Jr.
The month wraps in Abu Dhabi with former light heavyweight champ Magomed Anklaev returning to action against all-action contender Khalil Rountree Jr.
This marks Ankalaev’s return to action after getting mauled and losing the title to Alex Pereira at UFC 320 last October. The defeat snapped a 14-fight unbeaten streak (12-0-1, 1 NC) and left people questioning how much of the Russian standout’s title win over Pereira earlier in the year was a result of his skills and approach, and how much came down to the Brazilian being under the weather and dealing with an injury.
Rountree Jr. touches down having split a pair of fights last year. Last June, he ventured to Baku, Azerbaijan, and out-worked former champ Jamahal Hill to earn a unanimous decision win, but then in October, he got chased down and finished in the third by Jiri Prochazka after being up 2-0 on the scorecards.
The new champ, Carlos Ulberg, is very much still on the mend, and Pereira’s future is unknown at the moment following his UFC Freedom 250 loss to Ciryl Gane at heavyweight, so this is a massively important contest for both the participants and the division as a whole.
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 11, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!