Kape KOs Horiguchi in Round 3, Garner wins WBC title in Southampton: June 15–22 combat sports recap
UFC Fight Night 279 delivered all 12 fights by finish — Manel Kape came back from two rounds down to KO Kyoji Horiguchi, Murtazali Magomedov landed the 4th twister submission in UFC history on debut, and Navajo Stirling stayed unbeaten. In boxing, Ryan Garner captured the WBC interim super featherweight title in front of 11,000 hometown fans in Southampton, while Oscar Collazo demolished a late-replacement opponent two weight classes up. McGregor revealed he has two fights left on his contract and faced off with Holloway ahead of UFC 329. Preview: UFC Fight Night 280 in Baku (Fiziev vs. Torres) and Zayas vs. Ennis WBA/WBO super welterweight unification at Barclays Center.
June 15–22 recap · June 22–29 preview
Manel Kape came back from two rounds down to KO Kyoji Horiguchi in the third — one of 12 straight finishes on UFC Fight Night 279, a stat that stands on its own. The same DAZN evening, Ryan Garner handed out 12 rounds of punishment to Michael Magnesi before 11,000 fans at his hometown St Mary's Stadium and walked away as WBC interim super featherweight champion. Conor McGregor went on record: two fights left on his contract, no extension signed. Here's the full rundown.
UFC Fight Night 279 — June 20, Meta APEX, Las Vegas (Paramount+)
Twelve bouts, twelve finishes. The card produced a 100% finish rate across all 12 fights — 5 on the main card, 7 in the prelims — with five Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses distributed. 1
Main event: Kape KO3 Horiguchi — flyweight
Manel Kape (now 23-7, 8-3 UFC) stopped Kyoji Horiguchi (36-6, 9-2 UFC) via KO (punches) at 2:42 of Round 3. 2
Horiguchi took the first two rounds on every media scorecard, landing a takedown each round and controlling the ground game. Kape landed a clean right counter early in Round 3 that dropped Horiguchi, followed with ground-and-pound until referee Herb Dean waved it off. Horiguchi protested the stoppage but the result stood. 1 The two fighters first met at RIZIN in December 2017, where Horiguchi won via third-round arm-triangle. Kape has now won four straight, all by stoppage. 3
Kape said post-fight he expected to be competing for the flyweight title rather than rematching Horiguchi, adding that his sights are on Joshua Van: "He's my kid and I can't wait to take his diaper." 4
Horiguchi released a statement saying he is "not giving up on my dream yet." 4
Kape earned a Performance of the Night bonus ($100,000). 5
Co-main: Stirling TKO2 Cutelaba — light heavyweight
Navajo Stirling (now 10-0, 5-0 UFC) stopped Ion Cutelaba (20-12-1) via TKO (punches and elbows) at 3:23 of Round 2. Cutelaba threatened with a tight standing guillotine in Round 1, the most adversity Stirling has faced in his MMA career by his own admission. He responded in Round 2 with a knee to the body and ground-and-pound on a seated Cutelaba until referee Kerry Hatley stepped in. 13
Stirling earned a finish bonus ($25,000). 5
Full main card results
| Winner | Method | Rd / Time | Loser | Division |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kape (23-7) | KO (punches) | R3, 2:42 | Horiguchi (36-6) | FLW |
| Stirling (10-0) | TKO (punches/elbows) | R2, 3:23 | Cutelaba (20-12-1) | LHW |
| V. Oliveira (24-4) | TKO (punches, knees, elbows) | R2, 4:56 | Fili (25-14) | FW |
| C. Rodriguez (13-4) | Tech sub (guillotine) | R1, 3:43 | Amil (11-3) | FW |
| Borjas (11-5) | UD (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) | — | Lima (11-1) | FLW (catchweight) |
| Magomedov (11-0) | Sub (twister) | R1, 1:17 | Baghdasaryan (8-4) | FW |
Fight of the Night highlights:
Vinicius Oliveira took hard body kicks from Andre Fili throughout Round 1, then answered in Round 2 with relentless leg kicks and combinations that dropped Fili against the fence, finishing with brutal elbows at 4:56. Oliveira's featherweight debut. He called out Josh Emmett afterward. Oliveira and Fili split Fight of the Night ($100,000 each). 5
Christian Rodriguez used a head kick to drop Hyder Amil, then immediately locked in a modified guillotine. Amil went unconscious; referee Mike Beltran stopped it at 3:43 of Round 1. Rodriguez earned a finish bonus ($25,000). 1
Kevin Borjas handed Andre Lima his first career loss via UD in a bout that went to catchweight after Lima missed weight at 129.0 lbs. A Round 2 low blow from Lima delayed the fight by approximately five minutes, but Borjas recovered and closed out the three-round decision. 13
Murtazali Magomedov lands a twister — only the 4th in UFC history
Murtazali Magomedov (11-0) took down Melsik Baghdasaryan in his UFC debut, took his back, and locked in a modified twister submission, finishing at 1:17 of Round 1. 1 The twister is among the most technically complex grappling finishes in MMA — only three had been recorded in the UFC before Saturday night. Magomedov earned a Performance of the Night bonus ($100,000), making him the first UFC debutant to earn a POTN bonus via twister. 5
Prelim results
| Winner | Method | Rd / Time | Loser | Division |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chokheli (15-3) | TKO (punches) | R1, 0:23 | Shahbazyan (12-5) | WW |
| Mesquita (8-0) | Sub (armbar) | R1, 3:16 | Mullins (7-3) | W-BW |
| Collins (8-0) | UD (30-27 x3) | — | Tanzilovi (10-2) | FW |
| L. Santos (11-2) | UD (30-27 x3) | — | Rosa (19-8) | W-BW |
| Bolanos (9-5) | UD (29-28 x3) | — | Aswell Jr. (11-5) | FW |
| Raposo (11-3) | SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) | — | Nascimento (22-7) | FLW |
Notable prelims: Levan Chokheli needed 23 seconds to drop Leon Shahbazyan with a leg kick-into-right-hand combination and finish with follow-up strikes. Former UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili was in Chokheli's corner. Chokheli earned a finish bonus ($25,000). 5
Bia Mesquita — known in the jiu-jitsu world as the "Lady GOAT" — was rocked badly early by Melissa Mullins, pulled guard, and submitted her with an armbar from bottom at 3:16 of Round 1. Mesquita earned a finish bonus ($25,000). 1
Boxing recap — June 15–22
Garner UD12 Magnesi — WBC interim super featherweight title (June 20, Southampton · DAZN)
Ryan Garner (20-0, 10 KOs) defeated Michael Magnesi (26-3, 13 KOs) by unanimous decision — 116-112, 118-110, 119-111 — to claim the WBC interim super featherweight (130 lbs) title at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton. 789
Approximately 11,000 fans filled the stadium to see Garner — Southampton-born, trained by Wayne Batten for over a decade — fight for a world title on home turf for the first time. Magnesi pressed forward for 12 rounds; Garner's best stretch came in Round 9, where he landed his clearest power combinations to the head. Magnesi briefly staggered him with an overhand right in Round 10, but Garner closed strong. 7 DAZN named it a Fight of the Year contender. 8
Garner post-fight on DAZN: "If it wasn't for the football club, the Saints fans and Frank Warren then none of this would be happening. It was hard work tonight, [Magnesi] doesn't stop, he's an absolute machine and I had to dig deep there at times." 9
With the WBC interim belt, Garner is now the mandatory challenger to O'Shaquie Foster, who holds the full WBC super featherweight title. Promoter Frank Warren named Anthony Cacace, Foster, and Emanuel Navarrete as potential future opponents post-fight. 7
Also on the Southampton card: Bradley Goldsmith defeated Brad Pauls (21-3-1) by unanimous decision to win the IBF international middleweight title. Pauls suffered a knockdown in Round 6 and was "absolutely gutted," saying: "He stood up and took his chance, and that's boxing." 10 Lewis Edmondson won by UD10 over Lyndon Arthur in a vacant WBA international light heavyweight title bout on the undercard. 9
Collazo TKO2 Valdez — WBO International flyweight (June 20, Oceanside CA · DAZN)
Oscar Collazo (15-0, 12 KOs) stopped Neider Valdez (15-4-2, 12 KOs) via TKO at 2:35 of Round 2. Three knockdowns in Round 2 brought Valdez's corner to wave off the fight. 11
The bout was not Collazo's planned minimumweight (105 lbs) title defense. Original opponent Joey Canoy withdrew mid-week due to visa problems; Neider Valdez stepped in as late replacement but could not make 105 lbs, so the fight was renegotiated to flyweight (112 lbs). 12 Collazo weighed 110½ lbs, Valdez 111¼ lbs. Collazo's WBA and WBO minimumweight titles were not on the line; the vacant WBO International flyweight title was. 11
Moving up two weight classes in five days did not visibly affect Collazo's output. He called out unified flyweight champion Ricardo Sandoval — also promoted by Golden Boy — after the fight. 11
Other boxing results (June 15–22)
Ashton "H2O" Sylve (14-1, 11 KOs) defeated JoJo Diaz (34-10-1) by unanimous decision on June 19 in Detroit on MF Pro / DAZN — Sylve passing a veteran test in a 10-round super featherweight bout. 13
Abraham Perez defeated Jonathan Gonzalez by UD on the June 14-15 DAZN card in Grand Rapids to win an interim WBA title — a result at the edge of this week's window. 8
UFC news and storylines
McGregor: 2 fights left, no extension, faceoff with Holloway
Conor McGregor appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show on June 16 and disclosed that he has two fights remaining on his current UFC contract — UFC 329 on July 11 against Max Holloway, and a second bout scheduled for April 2027. He confirmed he has not signed a contract extension. 1415
McGregor said the UFC's new Paramount+ deal forced a renegotiation of the previous PPV-revenue model: "Was it what my worth is? Probably not. Was it what they wanted to offer? Definitely not. We met in the middle. We got a juicy one." 14 On the gap between his two remaining fights: "It's almost a year later. That's ridiculous to me." 14
On June 21-22, McGregor and Max Holloway held their first face-to-face ahead of UFC 329 (July 11, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, welterweight). McGregor told Holloway: "Max, you're not going to lay a glove on me and even if you do lay a glove on me, I'm going to laugh in your face." 16 Holloway introduced himself as the arrival of a new era: "Welcome to the Mystic Max era. Return of the Max July 11." 16
McGregor has not competed since July 2021, when he broke his leg against Poirier at UFC 264.
Aspinall agrees to Gane unification at UFC Paris in September
Tom Aspinall (15-3), the UFC undisputed heavyweight champion, accepted Ciryl Gane's call for a unification fight at UFC Paris on September 5 at Accor Arena. Aspinall responded via Instagram video on June 15: "Paris in September, eh? I'll do that. I don't mind. I'll go to Paris. I'll be there. Ciryl Gane in Paris — let's go." 17
Gane won the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 by stopping Alex Pereira in Round 2. Their previous meeting in October 2025 ended in a no-contest after Gane's eye pokes left Aspinall unable to continue; Aspinall underwent four eye surgeries in the months that followed. The UFC Paris event has not yet been upgraded from a Fight Night to a numbered PPV. 17
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Song Yadong taking shape
Umar Nurmagomedov (20-1) is without an opponent for his July 25 UFC Abu Dhabi date after David Martinez withdrew due to injury. In an interview published June 21, Nurmagomedov said he is "interested" in a rumored bout with Song Yadong (23-9) and called him "a punching bag": "How did he do against O'Malley? He was dead by the third round. I don't consider him a top-class fighter, honestly." 18 Song had not publicly responded as of June 22. The UFC has not officially confirmed the booking. 19
Preview: June 22–29
UFC Fight Night 280: Fiziev vs. Torres (June 27, National Gymnastics Arena, Baku, Azerbaijan · Paramount+)
Main card: 12:00 PM ET. Prelims: 9:00 AM ET. Full 13-fight card. 20
Main event: Rafael Fiziev (#11) vs. Manuel Torres (#15) — lightweight
Rafael Fiziev (13-5, 7-5 UFC) fights in Azerbaijan for the first time in his UFC career. He has lost four of his last five bouts — twice to current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, once to Mauricio Ruffy at UFC White House, and once via leg-injury TKO against Mateusz Gamrot. A loss on home soil would push him out of the top 15. 21
Manuel Torres (17-3, 5-1 UFC) has finished all five UFC wins in Round 1, each earning a post-fight bonus. His only UFC loss came against Ignacio Bahamondes; he bounced back with first-round stoppages of Drew Dober and Grant Dawson. Torres has not won a fight that went past the first round in approximately eight years — Fiziev will know that if he survives early, the fight shifts in his favor. 21
Odds (as of June 22): Fiziev -120, Torres +100 — essentially a pick'em. 21
Co-main: Shara "Bullet" Magomedov (16-1) vs. Michel Pereira (32-14) — middleweight
Magomedov (5-1 UFC) returns from a nearly 12-month layoff; his last outing was a Fight of the Night decision over Marc-Andre Barriault in July 2025. His only loss came against Michael "Venom" Page. Pereira has won just once in his last four fights — a split decision over Zach Reese — after a stretch where he averaged a 60-second first-round KO across three consecutive bouts. This is a strikers' bout in a venue that will be aggressively pro-Magomedov. 21
Odds: Magomedov -350, Pereira +275. 21
Full main card
| Bout | Division | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Fiziev (13-5) vs. Torres (17-3) | LW — main event | Fiziev -120 / Torres +100 |
| Sh. Magomedov (16-1) vs. Pereira (32-14) | MW — co-main | Magomedov -350 / Pereira +275 |
| Sadykhov vs. Camilo | LW | Sadykhov -225 / Camilo +185 |
| Almabayev (#8) vs. Johnson (#14) | FLW — ranked bout | Almabayev -220 / Johnson +180 |
| Aliskerov vs. B. Ferreira | MW | Aliskerov -225 / Ferreira +185 |
| Ab. Magomedov vs. Oleksiejczuk | MW | Ab. Magomedov -140 / Oleksiejczuk +118 |
The Almabayev vs. Johnson flyweight bout is the card's only ranked-vs-ranked matchup. Asu Almabayev (#8, Kazakhstan) could push into title eliminator range with a win; Charles Johnson (#14, USA) would record the biggest win of his UFC tenure. 21
At least three Azerbaijani fighters compete on the night: Fiziev, Nazim Sadykhov (main card), and Tahir Abdullayev (prelims). The card's seven-bout prelim slate also includes Walker vs. Yakhyaev, Pulyaev vs. Ruziboev, Berggren vs. Donchenko, Almakhan vs. Matsumoto, Ofli vs. Reyes, and Abdullayev vs. Nascimento. 20
Boxing: June 22–29
Wednesday June 25 — Lewis Crocker vs. Liam Paro (IBF welterweight title), Brisbane, DAZN UK. 22
Saturday June 28 — Xander Zayas vs. Jaron "Boots" Ennis (WBA/WBO super welterweight title unification), Barclays Center, Brooklyn, DAZN PPV, 8:00 PM ET. Both men are undefeated; this is the biggest fight in the career of either fighter. The undercard includes Emiliano Vargas vs. Bryce Mills (140 lbs), Jahi Tucker vs. Euri Cedeno (MW), and Ben Whittaker vs. Richard Rivera — Whittaker's US debut. 22
Floyd Mayweather vs. Mike Zambidis exhibition (Athens, June 27) — cancelled. DAZN pulled the fight from its schedule after promoter CSI obtained a US court injunction, alleging Mayweather accepted a $4.65 million advance to fight Mike Tyson and that the Zambidis bout breached that agreement. The DAZN event page no longer exists; Ticketmaster stopped selling tickets. 2223
PFL San Diego — McKee vs. Isbulaev — runs June 27 at Pechanga Arena, San Diego, directly opposite UFC FN 280. 24
Cover image: UFC Fight Night 279 official event poster. UFC / Zuffa LLC.
Garner vs. Magnesi in-fight photo: BoxingScene / photo.boxingscene.com
References
- 1UFC Fight Night 279 live updates: Kape vs. Horiguchi
mmajunkie.usatoday.com
- 2UFC Vegas 119 results: Kape snipes Horiguchi for comeback TKO
mmajunkie.usatoday.com
- 3Tapology: UFC Fight Night: Kape vs. Horiguchi 2
tapology.com
- 4MMA Fighting: UFC Vegas 119 results
mmafighting.com
- 5UFC Fight Night 279 bonuses: Twister submission earns extra $100K
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- 7BoxingScene: Ryan Garner's Southampton dream
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- 17MMA Junkie: Tom Aspinall agrees to fight Ciryl Gane at UFC Paris in September
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- 24Sherdog: Upcoming Events
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