RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesWith another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from July 2026: Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month award for July.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
Nominee: King Green def. Terrance McKinney at UFC 329
Many fight fans knew King Green vs. Terrance McKinney would be mayhem, and indeed it was. Two of the division's most exciting fighters delivered what could end up being both the Round of the Year and the Comeback of the Year when all is said and done in 2026.
Ultimately, it was Green (36-17-1 MMA, 17-12-1 UFC) who stopped McKinney (18-9 MMA, 8-6 UFC) with one second left in Round 1 – but the majority of the time leading up to the finish was a much different story. A big right body punch from Green clipped McKinney above his right hip. McKinney crumpled to the canvas against the cage and covered up. It was a race between Green and the clock – and the longtime UFC lightweight was quicker to get the TKO.
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Nominee: Tommy McMillen def. Alberto Montes at UFC Fight Night 281
Tommy McMillen had a breakout performance and put on a volume clinic against Alberto Montes, and afterward UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping said he's going to be "an absolute superstar."
Montes (12-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) got in a plethora of big strikes of his own during the thrilling featherweight battle. It was no match for the ridiculous output of McMillen (11-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who taunted Montes before scoring the finish following 252 significant strikes landed (a three-round UFC record previously held by Nate Diaz).
Nominee: Rasul Magomedov def. Sullivan Cauley at PFL Washington
Rasul Magomedov and Sullivan Cauley had little regard for defense in their light heavyweight scrap, and it turned into a three-round banger.
Magomedov (10-0) kept his undefeated record in tact by blooding and busting up the face of Cauley (8-3) over the course of three rounds en route to a unanimous decision . Cauley stood his ground and threw back and made it an interesting and entertaining affair, but ultimately his skills were a step behind Magomedov, and the scorecards proved it.
Nominee: Thad Jean def. Ernesto Rodriguez at PFL Washington
Ernesto Rodriguez nearly pulled off an all-timer, but Thad Jean persevered and left with the PFL title around his waist.
Jean (12-0) ran into early trouble against Rodriguez (11-2) in their vacant welterweight title clash. Rodriguez took the fight on just two days’ notice. Although Rodriguez dropped Jean, who was – understandably under the circumstances – a massive 10-1 betting favorite, Jean rallied and put the fight away in the third round to escape with the 170-pound title.
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The winner: Brandon Royval def. Lon'er Kavanagh at UFC 329
Brandon Royval refuses to be anything short of exciting, and at UFC 329, he refused to lose in the process.
Royval (18-9 MMA, 8-5 UFC) submitted Lone'er Kavanagh (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) with a rear-naked choke at 3:40 of Round 3. However, it'll likely be the thrilling process of getting there that will be most remembered by onlookers.
The best the flyweight division has to offer was on full display once again as Royval and Kavanagh showed off technical striking, speed, well-roundedness – and perhaps most importantly: the chaos factor.
BRANDON ROYVAL IS A REAL DAWG 🦴 He gets the 3rd round submission to remain in the Top 5! [ #UFC329 | LIVE ON @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/fTWrE5mq4E
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) July 12, 2026 Over the course of the first two rounds, Royval and Kavanagh each had their moments. Both fighters were stunned at various points in the bout with momentum shifts aplenty. But when Round 3 rolled around, Royval began to take over. He took down Kavanagh and worked for several submissions until he finally got what he was looking for. Kavanagh submitted and appeared to go out less than a second later.
Royval, 33, bounces back from back-to-back losses to Joshua Van and Manel Kape. A divisional staple, he continues to solidify his place as one of the division's most exciting fighters with his sixth Fight of the Night in 13 promotional appearances.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month for July: Flyweights shine at UFC 329
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