Month: Juli 2026

The Most Valuable Promotions and Professional Fighters League merger already has top fighters rallying for a spot on their roster, including a former Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight.

MVP and PFL recently announced a historic merger that has made waves in the world of combat sports. The new league will operate under the MVP banner, led by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. Meanwhile, former PFL CEO John Martin will serve as CEO and Board Member of the new company.

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The new league vows to follow a fighter-first approach with equitable compensation for athletes, along with the opportunity to build their brands inside and outside of the cage.Muhammad Mokaev eyes new home after PFL-MVP mergerFormer UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev (17-0) is already rallying for a spot on the new league’s roster if they have a flyweight division. “If MVP & PFL Make 125 division I’m ready for long term deal,” Mokaev wrote on X.

Since MVP doesn’t have a full-fledge…

Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Uros Medic believes he is unlikely to ever make headlines for controversial reasons.

Medic (13-3) is scheduled to fight Daniel Rodriguez (20-5) in front of a home crowd at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1 in Serbia. Notably, Rodriguez will return to action for the first time since being imprisoned in Mexico for marijuana possession and Medic recently addressed the same.

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Uros Medic labels Daniel Rodriguez’s jail time ‘unfortunate’ Medic believes arrests like Rodriguez’s taint the image of MMA fighters, which is already far from perfect. The Serbian believes the media is already waiting for fighters to slip up. “The Doctor” is confident that he will never be in the news for controversies like run-ins with the law or substance abuse.

“It’s unfortunate that he had to go through stuff like that,” Medic told MMA Fighting. “Obviously, it was probably his fault. And I think that type of stuff puts a stain on all of our na…

Sean Strickland is open to a title rematch against Khamzat Chimaev.

Strickland (31-7) has been recovering from a shoulder injury since winning the middleweight title against Chimaev (15-1) at UFC 328 this past May. The champ recently revealed that his shoulder is recovering well before addressing Chimaev’s recent callouts.

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Sean Strickland mocks Khamzat Chimaev gassing out in first meeting Strickland joked about giving Chimaev weight-cutting lessons as “Borz” was visibly drained in their first meeting.

“Yall keep asking me when I'm gonna fight again,” Strickland wrote on X. “Shoulder is getting solid, need a little longer. As to who I'm fighting. Chimaev keeps running his fucking mouth. Want me to teach you how to cut weight so you can stop b*tching for a second L?”

Strickland was a massive underdog going into his title challenge against Chimaev at UFC 328. However, Chimaev was visibly fatigued in the second round and forced to abandon his wre…

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Archie Colgan is a serious threat to Usman Nurmagomedov’s title reign in the Professional Fighters League.

Usman is set to defend his lightweight title against Colgan in the main event of PFL New York on July 31 at UBS Arena in Long Island. Khabib believes the undefeated American is the toughest opponent of his cousin Usman’s career so far.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov breaks down Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Archie Colgan Khabib notes that Colgan has a strong wrestling base, which could neutralize Usman’s ground control. Nevertheless, the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer remains confident and recently revealed that Usman is well-prepared for the bout while breaking down the matchup.

“I think this is the toughest fight for Usman,” Khabib told Will Harris of Anatomy of a Fighter. “This guy's a real deal. He knows how to wrestle. He's tough, never lost. He's the toughest challenge for Usman, I think. Of course, Usman is in…

⚖️#PFLNY Official Weigh Ins

Your PFL Lightweight World Title Bout is official!

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Usman Nurmagomedov: 154.8 lbsArchie Colgan: 154.8 lbs #PFLNY | Friday, July 31st | 📺Prelims 4PM EST on the ESPN App | Main Card 7PM EST on ESPN pic.twitter.com/Fklf5Gu8SS — PFL (@PFLMMA) July 30, 2026 Professional Fighters League lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov's latest title defense is now official following the PFL New York weigh-ins.

The PFL New York main event will see Nurmagomedov (21-0, 1 NC) put his belt on the line against Archie Colgan. Both men had no trouble making championship weight, so the five-round fight will proceed. All other fighters made weight for the event, although we are still awaiting results for Khabib Nabiev and Jamelle Jones.

The 28-year-old Nurmagomedov is widely regarded as the PFL's best fighter. The undefeated lightweight champion previously held Bellator's belt since 2022 and won the inaugura…

Anthony Smith could face some serious consequences following his recent arrest.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter-turned-analyst was arrested in Sarpy County, Nebraska, on charges of false imprisonment of the 1st degree, terroristic threats and domestic violence resulting in bodily injury. New details paint a clearer picture of the alleged incident with his wife and what led to it.

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Anthony Smith faces $500,000 bond after arrest and new allegations Fresh details from the case have emerged, revealing that Smith was allegedly kicked out of a concert following an altercation the night before. Prosecutors accuse the retired fighter of threatening to kill his wife when she refused to leave with him and subsequently forcing her inside a vehicle.

Smith’s wife is reported to have exited the vehicle at one point and the former UFC light heavyweight title challenger then allegedly tried to run her over multiple times. Witnesses who helped Smith’s wif…

Islam Makhachev’s longtime head coach has no issue with Ian Garry trash-talking ahead of their upcoming title fight as long as the Irish contender avoids certain subjects.

As Makhachev prepares to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight crown against Garry in the UFC 330 headliner on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Javier Mendez believes the pre-fight exchanges have helped generate interest in the matchup.

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However, the American Kickboxing Academy founder made it clear that certain subjects are unacceptable.Javier Mendez explains where Ian Garry should draw the line Speaking to NewBettingSites, Mendez praised Garry for adding to the hype surrounding the upcoming welterweight title fight without crossing the line. The veteran coach believes country, family and religion should be completely off limits for pre-fight trash talk.

“Between Ian [Garry] and Ali [Abdelaziz], it’s good to build the drama and make it interestin…

Ronda Rousey isn’t ruling out another bout under the Most Valuable Promotions banner.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion returned to mixed martial arts following a decade-long hiatus against Gina Carano in May, submitting the latter in the very first round in the main event of the historic card which aired on Netflix.

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Ronda Rousey discusses her MMA future after defeating Gina Carano at MVP event Despite announcing her retirement immediately after the victory over Carano, the 39-year-old has now left the door open for another appearance under the MVP MMA banner.

“We’ll see,” Rousey told Fight Culture when asked about whether she’ll be part of MVP MMA 2. “We need to kind of reconvene and see what the future looks like. I think everyone is just kind of decompressing and getting back to post-that huge of an event fight life.”

Rousey (13-2) accrued five straight title defenses in the UFC before suffering back-to-back losses to Hol…

The upcoming Professional Fighters League card has undergone a pair of changes just days before the event.

PFL New York, scheduled for July 31 at UBS Arena in Belmont, N.Y., will move forward with its two featured bouts intact, as Usman Nurmagomedov looks to defend his lightweight title against Archie Colgan in the main event, while Dakota Ditcheva faces Denise Kielholtz in the co-main event.

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However, two fights have been impacted during fight week, with one canceled altogether.PFL New York Card sees two late changesSimeon Powell was scheduled to face Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov in a light heavyweight bout on the main card, but the matchup has been canceled. Powell (12-2) announced the news on social media, though he did not disclose the reason behind the withdrawal. “It’s one of those ones that’s out of my control,” Powell said in an Instagram video. “It’s annoying, but we’ve just got to keep moving.”

The event also lost a light heavyweight bout f…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship debut of Jessie Rosas is set.

Jessie, the older brother of UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr., has signed with the promotion and is expected to make his Octagon debut on Aug. 8 at UFC Fight Night 284. The Fight Night event is scheduled to take place at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

Raul Rosas Jr.’s older brother set for UFC debut against Miles JohnsJessie (8-1) joins the UFC following an impressive run on the regional circuit that included appearances for UWC, Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat, Fury FC and 559 Fights. The 23-year-old bantamweight has six finishes across his eight professional victories, with two wins coming by knockout and four by submission.

Jessie is two years older than Raul, who made his first appearance in the UFC at just 18. He will face Miles Johns (15-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC), a veteran fighter on a three-fight losing streak, in his promotional debut.

Meanwhile, Raul is on a stellar run, recording five straight victories since s…

Ronda Rousey believes the Ultimate Fighting Championship missed out on a major opportunity, singling out UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell in her criticism.

The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion resumed her criticism of Campbell after the success of the inaugural Most Valuable Promotions MMA event, which featured Rousey and Gina Carano in the main event on Netflix.

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Ronda Rousey slams ‘arrogant, stupid and chauvinist’ Hunter Campbell Rousey, who previously criticized the UFC for not pursuing the matchup between herself and Carano, accused Campbell of playing a major role. According to Rousey, the issue extends beyond how the UFC handles female fighters, arguing that Campbell has failed to recognize the value of several athletes.

“It was extremely validating, especially after Hunter Campbell told Gina he didn’t know how he was going to market a couple of 40-year-olds to her,” Rousey said while speaking to Fight Culture. “It’s not tha…

Javier Mendez believes something was off with Conor McGregor before the Irishman’s Ultimate Fighting Championship return against Max Holloway.

The American Kickboxing Academy head coach claimed McGregor’s demeanor seemed “odd” before the fight and questioned whether the former two-division champion was already dealing with an injury before entering the cage.

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Javier Mendez breaks down Conor McGregor’s unusual demeanor before the Max Holloway fight McGregor injured his ACL and meniscus with the very first kick he threw at Holloway. He was unable to plant both feet while throwing strikes and repeatedly fell, prompting an anticlimactic referee stoppage. Since then, speculation has grown about whether McGregor entered the fight already compromised, with footage of him appearing hesitant while removing his shoes during the pre-fight inspection adding fuel to the debate.

Mendez recently weighed in, claiming that something about the Irish superstar’s walk…