Fight Coverage
Monthly Report | July 2026
Highlighting The Standout Action From Inside The Octagon Over The Previous Month
Once the action in the Octagon for July kicked off, it went by in a blink, with three events, 38 fights and plenty of highlight material to choose from as we figure out who gets the hardware for their hard work.
After grinding the tape and crunching the numbers, here is landed atop each category as the second half of the 2026 fight calendar got underway.
Breakout Performance: Tommy McMillen
Just when it seemed like “Gun” was going to get into another back-and-forth dust-up, the Red Hawk Academy representative stepped on the gas and started connecting to the point that he quickly put a ton of distance between himself and fellow Dana White’s Contender Series grad Alberto Montes. As the third round progressed and it seemed like Montes was going to survive to the final horn, McMillen once again ramped up his output and his urgency, putting the Venezuelan away along the fence with roughly 90 seconds remaining in the fight.
WATCH: Tommy McMillen Overwhelms Alberto Montes For Round 3 TKO
Now 2-0 in the UFC, McMillen is going to get a big push in the featherweight division. As a DWCS alum with ties to “Suga” Sean O’Malley, he’s already earned main card placement in each of his first two fights, justifying that positioning with bonus-winning efforts. He’s been heralded as a superstar-in-the-making, and there is a real possibility that he gets booked like one next time out, especially after lobbying for a place on the Noche UFC card in his adopted home state of Arizona in September, which feels like a real possibility.
Tommy McMillen's Masterclass | UFC Oklahoma City Highlights
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Tommy McMillen's Masterclass | UFC Oklahoma City Highlights
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His height and length are huge plusses for the division, and his high-output approach offers shades of young Max Holloway, minus the refinement. He clearly doesn’t mind sticking his nose in it, and has shown toughness and grit at every turn, so there is good reason to be excited about what McMillen brings to the table.
Every fight from here on out is going to be crucial as each win is only going to crank up the intensity of the spotlight and ratchet up the pressure even more. While McMillen would likely say that pressure makes diamonds, it also bursts pipes, so it’ll be up to him to continue showing that he’s a real gem in the talented-rich 145-pound ranks.
Honorable Mentions: Alessandro Costa, Ryan Gandra, Damian Pinas, Luke Riley, Gable Steveson, RJ Harris, Felipe Franco, Abdul Hussein, Sam Patterson, Muhammad Saidov,
Submission of the Month: Paddy Pimblett puts Benoit Saint Denis to sleep (UFC 329)
WATCH: Paddy Pimblett Post-Fight Interview | UFC 329
While I don’t necessarily think this submission needed to be given its own name, I do think it was the best of the month, which is saying something because there were some quality submissions over the last three Saturdays. Those that forever want to be critical of Pimblett will argue that Saint Denis made a poor decision by shooting straight away and looking for a head-outside takedown against the lanky lad from Liverpool. That’s fair, but “Paddy the Baddy” always was sure to make him pay for that choice, and he deserves praise for how swiftly he locked things up and sent the French contender off to Night-Night-Ville.
Paddy Pimblett Submits Saint Denis 52 Seconds Into Round 1 | UFC 329
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Paddy Pimblett Submits Saint Denis 52 Seconds Into Round 1 | UFC 329
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The finisher itself wasn’t anything crazy — a fast and deep D’arce choke that Pimblett laced up in a hurry — but it’s the length and flexibility of the Scouser that really made this one stand out. I can’t recall ever seeing anyone ever sitting down into that choke in that manner while still having such incredible purchase on their bicep that their opponent goes to sleep. Add in that Paddy tossed his left leg over the back for extra downward pressure — and had both over when he initially sat back before Saint Denis rolled, clearing the right leg — and you have a unique finish that claims monthly honors.
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I do want to give a special little shout out to Valter Walker too, who collected his fifth straight first-round submission win on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, tapping Thomas Petersen with a calf slicer, becoming just the second person to hit the move inside the Octagon. It also brought him into fourth all-time in the heavyweight division for submission wins and a tie with Demian Maia for the most consecutive submission wins in the Modern Era with five; Royce Gracie holds the overall record with six. Dude is a straight up menace.
Honorable Mentions: Costa vs Cody Durden, Brandon Royval vs Lone’er Kavanagh, Dione Barbosa vs Anna Melisano, Chase Hooper vs Mitch Ramirez, Hussein vs Cody Gibson, Aexel Sola vs Ismael Bonfim, Valter Walker vs Thomas Peterson
Knockout of the Month: RJ Harris elevates and finishes Alvin Hines
Do you understand how clean you have to catch someone in order to lift them off their feet with a punch? Did I mention the gentleman that got elevated was a six-foot-two, 264-pound heavyweight?
RJ Harris Gets R1 TKO Victory In Debut | UFC Oklahoma City
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RJ Harris Gets R1 TKO Victory In Debut | UFC Oklahoma City
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Yeah, that’s award-winning if you ask me.
Harris was patient for the 60 seconds of his pairing with Hines, a short-notice affair he accepted nine days before the fight. Once he settled in and started throwing, he immediately began hurting Hines, and after “Goozie” reached on a right hand that missed, “The Hammer” countered with an uppercut that picked Hines off his feet and sent him to the canvas. He swarmed quickly and landed enough shoots to force the stoppage, collecting his first UFC victory in style.
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Harris is another young heavyweight name to watch, joining Walker, Vitor Petrino, Mario Pinto, Gable Stevenson, and Josh Hokit as promising talents under 30 years old that have shown flashes of real upside over the course of their relatively brief UFC careers thus far. Obviously, trouncing Hines isn’t the same as besting someone with far more seasoning or a number next to their name, but it’s a great start and definitely the kind of performance that has me eager to see what he can do for an encore later this year. You should be curious too.
Honorable Mentions: Pinas vs Cesar Almeida, Adrian Yanez vs Cody Garbrandt, Steveson vs Elisha Ellison, Robert Whittaker vs Nikita Krylov, King Green vs Terrance McKinney, Franco vs Levi Rodrigues Jr., McMillen vs Alberto Montes, Patterson vs Santiago Ponzinibbio, Saidov vs Dustin Jacoby
Fight of the Month: Flyweights Shine Once More (UFC 329)
A couple years ago, it felt like bantamweight was the division seemingly delivering an awesome fight every card and leading the pack in terms of quality battles and the best overall depth of talent in the UFC.
Flyweight made have taken the crown.
After Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira claimed top spot in the Thomas Gerbasi UFC.com Awards at the halfway point, Brandon Royval and Lone’er Kavanagh turned up at UFC 329 and made sure to put themselves in the Fight of the Year conversation with a high quality back-and-forth tussle that ended with Royval securing a third-round submission.
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This was one of those classic pairings of a veteran contender and a surging prospect coming off a massive win. While the veteran came out on top, Kavanagh gave an excellent account of himself and shouldn’t lose any ground in the rankings or shine off his star. Royval is a gamer, was part of the Fight of the Year last year with Van, and has more experience in back-and-forth battles like this.
The diversity of his game is what really allowed “Raw Dawg” to pull ahead and ultimately find the finish as Kavanagh couldn’t stop or counter the takedowns later in the fight, allowing the Colorado resident to work without worrying about defending and ultimately squeeze out the finish. This was an ultra-competitive and thoroughly entertaining fight, which truly is becoming the calling card of the division.
Honorable Mentions: Mario Bautista vs Cory Sandhagen, McMillen vs Montes,