Month: Februar 2026

Demetrious Johnson believes Dana White wanted to show his competitors his might by signing Conor Benn to Zuffa Boxing. 

Benn, who is still far from the pinnacle of boxing, recently made headlines by signing with Zuffa Boxing. Benn parted ways with longtime promoter Eddie Hearn and signed with Zuffa overnight for reportedly a $15 million one-fight deal. 

According to Johnson, Benn’s signing is a flex from the UFC head honcho. Johnson believes White isn’t concerned about the sustainability of deals like Benn’s. “Mighty Mouse” believes White just wanted to show his competitors what they are up against by signing Benn for $15 million.

Because He Can “$15 million for one fight is crazy,” Johnson said on YouTube. “Because, what’s gonna happen after this fight? Is the $15 million worth having Conor Benn? It's the first time I've heard of him. From what everybody tells me, he is a very good boxer. But is Khamzat Chimaev making $15 million? Is Ilia Topuria making …

Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick believes what happens in the gym should stay in the gym. 

Sean Strickland (30-7) has been accusing middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev (15-0) of inactivity for a while now. Chimaev claims Strickland is irked with him after getting submitted in the past while training together at Xtreme Couture. 

Advertisement

Strickland scored an upset win by knocking out Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston last weekend. Strickland subsequently called for a title shot against Chimaev. Strickland claims Chimaev submitted him in a situational grappling spar. The former middleweight champ claims he made Chimaev quit training at Xtreme Couture. Strickland asked his teammates and his longtime coach, Nicksick, to back up his claims. Meanwhile, Chimaev claims he destroyed Strickland in sparring, and Nicksick is aware of it. 

See you soon boy 🤫

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) February 23, 2026 Better Left …

Georgio Poullas is confident that he will take down Arman Tsarukyan in their upcoming wrestling match. 

Tsarukyan and Poullas will meet in a wrestling match at RAF 6 on Feb. 6 at the Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona. Poullas does not doubt that he will take down Tsarukyan more than once.

Advertisement

“At a certain level, anyone can take anyone down,” Poullas said in a recent interview. “So, can Arman take me down? Yeah, he has a chance to take me down. Can I take him down? Absolutely, I have a chance to take him down. I think I’m going to take him down multiple times. The question is, is he gonna get that $1,000? Can he take me down?... If you’re asking about a simple takedown, absolutely, 100 percent. I think I’m getting more than one takedown. I’m adding quite a few up, if you ask me.”A Challenge Worth More Than $1,000A former Division I wrestler from Cleveland State University, Poullas has gone viral on the internet with his “take me down for $1,000” video…

Josh Hokit has made a name for himself in a short time in the UFC. | Getty/UFC

Josh Hokit will be swimming in deep waters in his next Octagon apppearance.

The undefeated heavyweight prospect will lock horns with perennial contender Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 in Miami, the promotion announced Tuesday. A handful of other bouts — some previously reported — were also confirmed for the April 11 event: Kevin Holland vs. Randy Brown at welterweight; Paulo Costa vs. Azamat Murzakanov at heavyweight and Dominick Reyes vs. Johnny Walker at light heavyweight.

UFC 327 takes place at the Kaseya Center in Miami and features flyweight title tilt pitting Joshua Van against Tatsuro Taira. It is currently unclear if Van vs. Taira will be the evening’s main event. The entirety of the card airs on Paramount+.

A Gap in Experience Hokit is undefeated in eight professional outings and has finished all of his opponents inside the distance. After earning a contract on Dana Whi…

Sean O'Malley isn’t happy about Conor Benn’s $15 million Zuffa Boxing deal. 

Zuffa Boxing is the latest venture of Dana White and TKO Group, the parent company of the UFC. Zuffa recently signed Conor Benn, reportedly for $15 million for a single-fight deal. Benn also changed sides overnight, parting ways with Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn, who basically shaped his career. As Hearn predicted, UFC fighters aren’t happy about Benn’s Zuffa deal. 

Advertisement

O’Malley doesn’t even completely believe the report of Benn being signed for $15 million. The former UFC bantamweight champion says he has never heard of Benn. O’Malley isn’t happy about someone else reaping the benefits after he played a pivotal role in generating revenue for the UFC.

“I can’t imagine it being true,” O’Malley said on YouTube. “I don’t even know who Conor Benn is. I’ve never heard of him… It’s crazy how you put in so much work in the UFC, build this name, create this character, be…

Aljamain Sterling is stepping in on short notice at RAF 6. | Getty/UFC

RAF wrestling is bringing in the best athletes from MMA.

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is set to wrestle former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at RAF 6 on Feb. 28 at the Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona. Sterling replaces an injured Chad Mendes on short notice. 

Advertisement

After a career spanning over 17 years, Henderson hung up his MMA gloves following a loss against Usman Nurmagomedov in 2023. “Smooth” has since competed in Karate Combat, boxing, and wrestling. Henderson most recently suffered a submission loss in a grappling match against Arman Tsarukyan at ACBJJ in September 2025. 

Meanwhile, Sterling has competed in various grappling matches while staying active in the UFC. “Funkmaster” has gone 2-1 since moving up to featherweight after losing his bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley in 2023. 

Champ vs. Champ

Read more

Fans anticipating a future blockbuster showdown between Alex Pereira and Khamzat Chimaev might have to wait for the time being.

At the UFC Houston post-fight press conference this past Saturday, Dana White indicated that he preferred to see Chimaev defend his middleweight belt at least once before moving up to 185 pounds. However, the UFC CEO seemed more open to the possibility of “Poatan” moving up to heavyweight.

Advertisement

“Pereira is one of those guys who always steps up and does what we need him to do. Whatever this guy wants to do, we’re going to work with him,” White said.Enjoying LifeMeanwhile, that same Saturday, some 5,000 miles away, the UFC light heavyweight champion posted a video enjoying the champions' parade at the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, a major event on the Brazilian calendar that attracts millions of people. In a video shared on Instagram, the UFC heavyweight champion showed the VIP area where he was enjoying the party with some friends. Read more

Mayweather defeated Pacquiao via unanimous decision in 2015. | Esther Lin/Showtime

More than a decade after their first fight, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are going to run it back.

Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 will take place on Sept. 19 at the Sphere in Las Vegas and will stream on Netflix, the streaming platform announced on Monday. After years of circling each other for a blockbuster bout, Mayweather and Pacquaio initially squared of in 2015, with “Money” winning a clear-cut unanimous decision.

Advertisement

Mayweather, 48, hasn’t fought professionally since defeating former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor via 10th-round TKO in August 2017. However, the former champion has competed in a number of exhibitions, facing the likes of Tenshin Nasukawa, Logan Paul, Mikuru Asakura and John Gotti III, to name a few. Mayweather, who owns a 50-0 professional mark, is expected to face Mike Tyson in an exhibition bout this April in the Congo.

The …

Ronda Rousey is ready to go head-to-head against the UFC as she promotes her comeback fight.

The former UFC bantamweight queen will compete for the first time since 2016 when she faces Gina Carano under the Most Valuable Promotions banner in a featherweight bout televised on Netflix on May 16. The fight has generated plenty of attention since it was announced last week, and a lot of that has to do with Rousey, who remains the biggest star in women’s MMA history.

Advertisement

For Rousey, however, at least part of the narrative centers around her showdown with Carano providing some competition for the UFC.

"It's a dream fight and a superfight and everything, but I feel like the story and everything behind it is not just this fight," Rousey said in a video released by MVP on Monday.. "A lot of it is MVP vs. UFC. That's where I'm gonna f—-ing go real hard in the trenches.

"We're helping [the UFC] because they're suffering from a lack of competition. They can'…

Daniel Cormier is impressed with the version of Sean Strickland that showed up at UFC Houston on Saturday. 

Strickland was a massive underdog going into his middleweight headliner against Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston on Saturday. However, Strickland displayed his signature defensive striking masterclass from the opening bell, never letting “Fluffy” find his rhythm. Strickland folded Hernandez with a knee to the midsection in the third round and followed up with a barrage of punches, forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight.

Cormier believes that the version of Strickland that defeated Hernandez could also pose a serious threat to the champion Khamzat Chimaev. “DC” recalls that a similar version of Strickland had shocked the world by dethroning Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight title in 2023. Strickland lost his title to Dricus Du Plessis in his first defense and failed to reclaim it in their rematch. However, Cormier believes Strickland wasn’t …

Paddy Pimblett isn’t happy that Benoit St. Denis has climbed above him in the rankings by beating Dan Hooker. 

St. Denis dominated Hooker en route to a technical knockout win at UFC 3255 last month. The win saw the Frenchman climb ahead of Pimblett to the No. 5 spot on the official UFC lightweight rankings. The fact that St. Denis overtook Pimblett by beating Hooker isn’t sitting well with the Liverpudlian. Pimblett is now calling for a matchup against St. Denis, which he bills as a matchup between Europe’s two best lightweights. However, Pimblett is willing to fight anyone that the UFC offers, be it Arman Tsarukyan or anyone from the fallout of the upcoming UFC 326 headliner between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira.

Advertisement

Keeping Options Open “What pissed me off is that St. Denis has moved above me for beating that bum Dan Hooker… St. Denis sounds like a good fight to me,” Pimblett said on YouTube. “Europe’s two best lightweights going at it again…

Sean Strickland had some choice words about his opponent's coach on Saturday. | Getty/UFC

Sean Strickland drew fuel from his anger toward Anthony Hernandez’s coach, Jim West. 

Strickland (30-7) faced Hernandez in the main event at UFC Houston on Saturday. Unlike most of his other opponents, Strickland couldn’t find a reason to hate Hernandez. Strickland then directed his anger towards Hernandez’s coach, West. It certainly paid off as Strickland looked in his element en route to a third-round stoppage win over “Fluffy.”

Strickland subsequently accused West of grooming former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd. Strickland claims Ladd was still a minor when West started grooming her. However, Strickland’s tirade was cut short as his mic was muted, and the press conference abruptly ended.

On a Tirade “I kept thinking there’s no f—-ing way I’m gonna let this predator beat me and have a victory over me,” Strickland said. “So my motivation was thinking about Jim We…