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MMA and UFC news, 2026-06-29

Today's MMA news features fighter retirements, callouts for Israel Adesanya, and Dana White's take on the Herb Dean petition.

MMA and UFC news, 2026-06-29

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We’ve got a packed roundup for you today, with some big names making headlines. From retirements to controversial petitions and a flurry of callouts for a certain middleweight champ, there’s plenty to dive into.

Fighters Hang Up the Gloves

It’s always a bittersweet moment when a fighter decides to step away from the cage, and this week we’ve seen a couple of notable retirements. Ariane Lipski da Silva, known for her exciting fights, has announced she’s retiring from MMA. Also, a UFC veteran and former KSW champion has decided to call it a career. These athletes have given a lot to the sport, and we wish them all the best in their next chapters.

The Herb Dean Petition and Dana White’s Response

Alex Pereira recently shared a petition to ban veteran referee Herb Dean, sparking a lot of discussion among fans and fighters. Dana White weighed in on the situation, stating that whether a referee is banned or not is “not up to me.” It’s a reminder that while fighters and fans have strong opinions, the power to make such decisions rests with athletic commissions, not the UFC president.

Adesanya’s Popularity Leads to Callouts

Israel Adesanya is clearly a hot commodity in the middleweight division, as he’s been called out by multiple fighters recently. Abus Magomedov, fresh off his win at UFC Baku, wasted no time in challenging Adesanya. Shara Magomedov also sees Adesanya as a “great matchup” for himself. It seems everyone wants a piece of the champ, which just goes to show the level of respect and challenge he represents in the sport.

UFC 329 and Conor McGregor’s Return

The bout order for Conor McGregor’s highly anticipated return at UFC 329 is now official. A new promo for his fight against Max Holloway has also dropped, with McGregor confidently stating, “I’m going through Max.” This fight is generating a lot of buzz, and it’s clear McGregor is as focused as ever on making a statement in his comeback.

UFC Baku Aftermath and Fighter Insights

UFC Baku delivered some exciting action, and we’re already looking at potential matchups for the main card winners. Rafael Fiziev, reflecting on his spinning wheel kick at the event, revealed that his vision was actually impaired when he landed the strike. This just adds another layer to the incredible skill and resilience these fighters display in the octagon, even when facing unexpected challenges.

From the community

Over on r/MMA, fans are talking about this: [Spoiler] Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane.

Sources

Every source behind today's roundup (14)

We summarize the day’s news in our own words. Full credit to the outlets below for the original reporting, click through to read their work:

Open Scoring MMA is a daily AI-produced MMA and UFC news podcast. Listen to today’s episode, read the full Feed, or get every episode by email.

Episode transcript

Read the full episode transcript

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA. This is episode 10 for June 29, 2026, your daily look at what’s happening now and next across the world of MMA and UFC.

Rafael Fiziev, fresh off his highlight-reel knockout win over Manuel Torres in the main event of UFC Baku, dropped a pretty wild revelation. He said his vision was actually impaired moments before he landed that decisive spinning wheel kick. Can you believe that? The guy’s out there fighting with compromised vision and still putting on a clinic, delivering a finish that had everyone talking. That just speaks volumes about his fight IQ and his ability to adapt on the fly. It’s one thing to win, it’s another to win like that when you’re not even at one hundred percent. It makes you wonder what he could do when he’s completely dialed in. That’s a scary thought for the rest of the lightweight division.

Speaking of UFC Baku, the event went down yesterday, Saturday, June twenty seventh, inside the Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan. Besides Fiziev’s incredible performance, we also saw Shara Magomedov defeat Michel Pereira after a fifteen-minute battle in the co-main event. It was a solid night of fights, showcasing some real talent from that region and beyond. The main event was definitely the showstopper, though. Fiziev really cemented his status as a top contender with that one.

And after his win at UFC Baku, Abus Magomedov wasted no time in calling out Israel Adesanya. He’s eyeing the former middleweight champion, which is a pretty bold move. Magomedov’s coming off a win, feeling good, and he’s looking to make a big splash in the division. Whether Adesanya would even entertain that fight is another question, but it shows the ambition of these guys coming up. They’re not just looking for wins, they’re looking for legacy fights, and a win over someone like Adesanya would definitely put him on the map.

Not to be outdone, Shara “Bullet” Magomedov, who also fought at UFC Baku, is also interested in facing Israel Adesanya. He believes Adesanya would be a “great matchup” for him. So, we’ve got two Magomedovs, both coming off wins at UFC Baku, both calling out the same former champion. It’s an interesting dynamic. It seems like Adesanya is a target for a lot of these up-and-coming middleweights. They see him as a big name, a former champ, and a way to fast-track their careers. It’s a testament to Adesanya’s star power, even when he’s not holding the strap.

Now, let’s talk about the big one: Conor McGregor’s return. We’re hearing that the UFC has just dropped a new promo for what’s being called his second fight against Max Holloway. Word is the full fight card and bout order are set for UFC 329. McGregor and Holloway first faced off all the way back in two thousand thirteen, so this rematch has been a long time coming. The promo reportedly features McGregor saying, “I’m going through Max,” which is exactly the kind of confident, brash talk we expect from him. The anticipation for this card is through the roof. It’s been over one thousand eight hundred days since McGregor last stepped into the cage, and everyone’s wondering what version of “The Notorious” we’re going to see. This is a massive fight, a true money fight, and it’s going to be a huge pay per view event. The MMA community on Reddit is absolutely buzzing about this one, dissecting every frame of that new promo and debating who’s going to come out on top. It’s all anyone can talk about right now.

In other news, Dana White has weighed in on Alex Pereira sharing a petition to ban referee Herb Dean. White insists that he has no say when it comes to who officiates UFC fights, stating, “That’s not up to me.” Herb Dean has found himself at the center of controversy more than a few times, and it seems like fighters and fans alike have strong opinions about his officiating. Pereira’s move to share a petition shows just how frustrated some fighters can get with certain referees. But White’s stance is pretty clear: the athletic commissions handle the officiating assignments, not the UFC president. It’s a reminder that there’s a whole other layer of governance in this sport beyond just the promotion.

And the drama around Alex Pereira doesn’t stop there. Josh Hokit continues to berate the former two-division UFC champion, with his callouts getting personal. Hokit has referred to Pereira as a “broken man” and referenced Pereira’s history with alcohol. Both fighters were in action at the UFC Freedom 250 event earlier this year, and it seems like Hokit is trying to build a narrative for a future fight. When callouts get this personal, it definitely adds an extra layer of intrigue. It’s not just about who’s next in line, it’s about genuine animosity, and that often leads to some absolute barnburners in the cage. This is the kind of beef that sells pay per views.

On a different note, we’ve got a retirement to announce. The woman known as “The Queen of Violence,” Ariane Lipski da Silva, has reportedly decided to call it a career. The former UFC women’s flyweight fighter announced her retirement from MMA after losing to Jena Bishop at PFL San Diego. The thirty-two-year-old Brazilian was submitted by Bishop in the first round of their fight on Saturday, and that will be the last time we see her step into the cage. It’s always tough to see a fighter hang up the gloves, especially one with such an exciting style. She brought a lot of action to the cage, and we wish her all the best in her next chapter. It’s a reminder of how brutal this sport can be, and how quickly careers can change.

In some historical news, it’s been twenty years since “The Spider,” Anderson Silva, burst onto the scene in the UFC with a forty-nine-second knockout in his debut. He didn’t look back for years and years after that. That’s a legendary moment in MMA history. Silva’s debut was a sign of things to come, a preview of the dominance he would display for years as one of the greatest champions the sport has ever seen. It’s always cool to look back at these moments and appreciate the legends who paved the way.

And for our ONE Championship fans, Rifdean Masdor, the Malaysian knockout artist, is eyeing Nadaka after earning a six-figure deal at The Inner Circle 19. He dreams of claiming the ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title. It’s great to see fighters getting these kinds of deals and having big goals. ONE Championship is really building up its talent pool, and Masdor sounds like a force to be reckoned with. A six-figure deal is life-changing money for many fighters, and it’s awesome to see him get that recognition and opportunity.

Now, for our OSM Pick of the day. Our system has been crunching the numbers for the upcoming bout between Brandon Royval and Lone’er Kavanagh. Our model is picking Lone’er Kavanagh to win this one, with a sixty-seven percent chance of victory. The betting line has Kavanagh as the favorite at minus one hundred ninety-six, which is pretty close to our read. Royval is the underdog at plus two hundred. Since our last update, the line has actually moved, with Brandon Royval drifting further as the underdog. We’re sticking with Kavanagh here, primarily because of his superior striking accuracy and his ability to control the distance. We’ve got Kavanagh by decision in this one.

That’s all for today’s Open Scoring MMA. We’ll be back tomorrow with more news and analysis from the world of mixed martial arts.

Before you go, two quick things. Check out our free Fight Tracker at tracker dot open scoring m m a dot com, with every upcoming UFC and PFL card, live odds, and where to watch, all in one place. And follow us on YouTube, just search Open Scoring MMA, for breaking news alerts, fight breakdowns, and videos you won’t get here on the feed. That’s it for today’s Open Scoring MMA. Keep your hands up, and we’ll see you next time.