Month: April 2025

Tagir Ulanbekov once decided to obey Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov and certainly doesn’t regret it.

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The late Abdulmanap, father of former UFC champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, is regarded as a pioneer of Russian MMA who trained a legion of elite fighters. Ulanbekov is one the fighters who benefitted from the tutelage of Abdulmanap since his early career.

Back in 2006, Ulanbekov joined his cousins, who were going to join Abdulmanap’s gym. Abdulmanap summoned Ulanbekov and one of his cousins — both of whom had long hair — and asked them to shorten it by the next day. Ulanbekov decided to obey and there was no looking back.

“So we’re in the gym, I had longer hair back then,” Ulanbekov told Red Corner MMA. “Both me and one of my cousins. So he looked at us and said, ‘You two, where are you from?’ And I said, ‘We came here to train.’ He took my hair like this [grabbed] pulled me out of the line-up and said, ‘I’ll grab your hair and throw a knee. Cut it off by…

Nazim Sadykhov will get a homecoming when he meets Nikolas Motta at UFC Baku.

Both fighters confirmed the lightweight booking following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com. The UFC Fight Night event takes place at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan, on June 21 and is headlined by a light heavyweight showdown between Khalil Rountree and Jamahal Hill.

A native of Baku, Sadykhov is 3-0-1 in his first four Octagon appearances — with a draw against Viacheslav Borshchev the only blemish on his ledger thus far. In his last outing, the Longo-Weidman MMA representative scored a first-round doctor stoppage win against Ismael Bonfim at UFC Vegas 102 on Feb. 15.

Brazil’s Motta will be competing for the first time this year. The 32-year-old is coming off a 2-0 campaign in 2024 that saw him saw him defeat Tom Nolan via first-round TKO and take a three-round verdict over Maheshate Hayisaer.

🏆🔥Carlos Prates says a win over Ian Garry puts him one fight away from the title:

"I want to fight twice this year and then fight for the belt in 2026."

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🎥 YT Nicolas Henrique▫️ pic.twitter.com/zdRj1QHgSf — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 20, 2025

Carlos Prates thinks he is on the cusp of getting a UFC title shot.

Prates is scheduled to headline UFC Kansas City -- also known as UFC on ESPN 66 -- against Ian Garry on Saturday at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. “The Nightmare” believes a win over Garry puts him just one more win away from a UFC welterweight title shot. While Prates has been unusually active since his UFC debut last year, the Brazilian is in no rush to fight again this year. Prates is looking at two fights this year and expecting a title shot by next year if he wins.

“I believe that if I beat Ian Garry, I’ll fight one more time and then I will fight for the title,” Prates tol…

😳Khamzat Chimaev shares a photo of him submitting Caio Borralho

📸 @KChimaev ▫️ pic.twitter.com/acLZpwkM1u

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 21, 2025

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Khamzat Chimaev is flexing about his sparring session with Caio Borralho amid rumors of a matchup between the two.

Borralho recently claimed that Chimaev has accepted a matchup with him, potentially for an interim middleweight title. “The Natural” also believes it’ll be a bigger draw than Chimaev fighting champ Dricus Du Plessis for the title.

“Khamzat said yes! The only thing that makes sense is the Interim belt!” Borralho wrote on X. “This fight is gonna be bigger than him vs Dricus! Mark my words.”

Khamzat said yes!

The only thing that makes sense is the Interim belt!

This fight is gonna be bigger than him vs Dricus! Marks my words

— Caio Borralho (@BorralhoCaio) April 20, 2025

While Chimaev didn’t refute rumors of the …

A trio of women’s fights have been officially announced for UFC Vegas 106 on May 17.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion confirmed two strawweight bouts — Tecia Pennington vs. Luana Pinheiro and Denise Gomes vs. Elise Reed — and one bantamweight contest — Luana Santos vs. Tainara Lisboa — in a recent post on social media.

UFC Vegas 106 — also known as UFC Fight Night 256 — takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight clash pitting Gilbert Burns against Michael Morales.

Pennington snapped a two-bout skid in her last outing, when she outpointed former 115-pound queen Carla Esparza at UFC 307 this past October.

Pinheiro is looking to end a three-fight losing streak that includes losses to Amanda Ribas, Angela Hill and Gillian Robertson. Her last victory came in April 2023, when she took a split verdict over Michelle Waterson-Gomez at UFC 287.

Gomez has won four of her last five Octagon appearances and is coming of…

Ahmad Sohail Hassanzada’s UFC debut has been put on hold after he was arrested on two felony charges over the weekend.

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According to Sacramento County Main Jail records, Hassanzada has been charged with a lewd or lavicious act with a child under 14 and a lewd act on a child/victim aged 14 or 15 where the defendant is 10 or more years older than the victim. Bail has been set at $400,000, and Hassanzada’s next court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday. Ag.Fight was first to report the news.

Hassanzada was slated to make his first Octagon foray against Evan Elder at UFC Kansas City on Saturday. Without mentioning the arrest, the promotion announced that Gauge Young will now face Elder on the card, which is also known as UFC on ESPN 66.

A native of Kabul, Afghanistan, Hassanzada made his second appearance on Dana White's Contender Series this past September, where he earned a UFC contract with a third-round submission of Dylan Mantello. The 28-y…

Le retour du Guv'nor! Gavin Tucker faces JeongYeong Lee at #UFC315!

🇨🇦 Gavin Tucker vs JeongYeong Lee 🇰🇷

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Tickets On Sale Now | Billets En Vente Maintenant pic.twitter.com/8MpI9DnOGv — UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) April 17, 2025

A featherweight tilt pitting Gavin Tucker against Jeong Yeong Lee has been added to the UFC 315 lineup.

The Las Vegas-based promotion recently announced the booking. UFC 315 takes place on May 10 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is headlined by a welterweight championship clash between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. In the co-main event, Valentina Shevchenko will defend the flyweight crown against Manon Fiorot.

Tucker will be back in action for the first time since August 2023, when he suffered a first-round submission loss to recent title challenger Diego Lopes at UFC on ESPN 50. The 38-year-old Canadian won four of his first five Octagon appearances before drop…

Fabian Edwards closes the show with a KO!

Big moment. Big finish. Big statement at 185!

[ #PFLWorldTournament LIVE NOW | ESPN & ESPN+ ] pic.twitter.com/eUCezByXQ4 — PFL (@PFLMMA) April 19, 2025 The Professional Fighters League's middleweight and lightweight divisions were on display as 16 of its top fighters competed to move on to the 2025 World Tournament semifinals.

The PFL World Tournament 3 main event was highly anticipated as Impa Kasanganay and Fabian Edwards clashed to determine the middleweight frontrunner. Kasanganay (18-6) and Edwards (14-4) were initially locked in a stalemate as neither fighter could take the other down. However, Edwards was able to sneak in several clean punches and elbows that cut the 2023 PFL Middleweight Champion.

The second round saw the hard-hitting Kasanganay land a heavy right hand that rocked his British opponent. Edwards would recover well, as he was the far more technical striker. "The …

Sherdog's live PFL 2025 World Tournament: First Round 3 coverage will begin Friday at 5 p.m. ET.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE Friday, April 18 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+.

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Round 1 The fight was canceled on Friday afternoon due to an illness suffered by Watley. News of its cancelation broke from the promotion shortly after the event started. Round 1 Every match tonight will have tournament implications as this is a single-elimination grand prix where you win and move on. Four semifinalists for lightweight will be established, but before then, middleweights are up to bat. PFL newcomer Jeffery (15-5, 0-0 PFL) will try to ply his trade with the company, while Ramazanov (12-2, 1 NC; 1-2 PFL) is hoping the 15 extra pounds on his frame will give him the advantage he seeks. Before they throw down, they touch gloves. Referee Blake Grice is ready for what happens next. Jeffery probes his way forward with jabs and leg kic…

It might come as a surprise that the Ultimate Fighting Championship has not booked this matchup before.

The UFC made official a short list of matches on Friday for UFC 316 on June 7. The promotion confirmed several bouts already reported, including its headliner of Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley 2 and the co-main of Julianna Pena vs. Kayla Harrison. One new fight not previously on the books takes place at 170 pounds, in the form of a banger between Vicente Luque (23-10-1) and Kevin Holland (27-13, 1 NC). The two contenders will throw down inside of the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, likely as part of the main card.

Although he has lost three out of five dating back to 2022, things are not entirely grim for the well-traveled Luque. In his last three outings, Luque took a decision over Rafael dos Anjos in a five-rounder, succumbed to strikes from Joaquin Buckley and rebounded in December by throttling Themba Gorimbo with an anaconda choke. The submission,…

[embedded content] Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Charles Oliveira does not care who stands across the Octagon with him as long as gold is on the line.

Celebrating a whopping eight million followers on his Instagram page, Brazil’s Charles Oliveira is the most popular mixed martial arts fighter from that country, even surpassing Alex Pereira’s 6.8 million. The next fight for the jiu-jitsu ace is bound to be a significant one, if it is entirely up to Oliveira. “Do Bronxs” spoke to Sherdog on Wednesday, anxious about his next opponent and hopeful that he will be vying for a belt of some kind—even if it is of the “BMF” variety—in that next outing.

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“For me, what makes sense is to fight for the title,” Oliveira evaluated. “I talked a lot about BMF because Islam [Makhachev] said that he just wants to return in October, and October is too much time [out of the cage]. I want to fight [on International Fight Week in June]. But later, Islam said he…

⚖️ PFL World Tournament 3 Weigh Ins are underway!

Middleweight Main Event is official!

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Impa Kasanganay: 185.6 lbsFabian Edwards: 185.6 lbs

[ #PFLWorldTournament | Friday, April 18th | 📺 7PM EST | ESPN ] pic.twitter.com/xFALeW9xDq

— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 17, 2025 The Professional Fighters League's 2025 World Tournament continues on Friday, as the first round of the men's lightweight and middleweight tournaments begins.

The PFL World Tournament 3 main event will see middleweights Impa Kasanganay and Fabian Edwards clash. Both men came in under the 186-pound limit for the three-round fight. All 16 tournament fighters successfully made weight for the card.

Kasanganay (18-5) reached the finals last year, where he lost to Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov via knockout. "Tshilobo" will look to rebound and get back to his winning ways as he's won nine of his last 11 fights. Just 31, the Kill Cliff FC product stepped on th…