Day: 17. August 2026

Islam Makhachev has named the ideal next challenger for his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title.

Makhachev retained his belt with a hard-fought victory over Ian Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia. The Russian revealed that Carlos Prates is the preferred next opponent after recording his first title defense at welterweight.

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Islam Makhachev backs Carlos Prates for next UFC welterweight title shot Prates and Michael Morales, who were both in attendance at UFC 330, are in the running for the next title shot, with Makhachev believing the Brazilian currently has the stronger case. He dismissed Shavkat Rakhmonov, who’s been sidelined with injuries since December 2024, and Morales, who hasn’t been as active as Prates.

“If you ask me today, Shavkat [Rakhmonov] is not fighting; Prates is still fighting, still active,” Makhachev said during the Paramount+ post-fight show. “Morales also is good, but I don’t remember the last time he fought. If you …

Daniel Cormier wants Usman Nurmagomedov to join the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The former two-division UFC champion recently crossed paths with Nurmagomedov at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The unbeaten Dagestani is now a free agent after exhausting his contract with the Professional Fighters League and Cormier has directly challenged him to test himself against the UFC's best.

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Daniel Cormier wants PFL free agent Usman Nurmagomedov to face the UFC's best Nurmagomedov (22-0) stopped Archie Colgan in the final bout of his PFL contract. Amidst the promotion’s merger with Most Valuable Promotions, he’ll likely be offered a bumper new contract to return, as PFL still has a limited exclusive negotiation window before the UFC can make an offer.

Nurmagomedov appeared to question the level of competition available to him in the UFC, calling top-ranked lightweights “bums” while talking to Cormier after UFC 330. The Hall of Famer then claimed t…

Cris Cyborg has accomplished just about everything there is in women’s mixed martial arts and she recently discussed what drives her.

Cyborg returns to action Aug. 22 to defend the Professional Fighters League women's featherweight championship against Ketlen Vieira in the main event of PFL Tampa at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa in what will reportedly be her MMA retirement fight.

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Cris Cyborg reflects on her career approach before PFL Tampa Cyborg has established herself among the sport's elite. With championships across multiple major promotions and more than two decades of competition behind her, the Brazilian has increasingly focused on the impact she can have on women's mixed martial arts.

In a video posted by the PFL, Cyborg explained one of the biggest motivations of her career: making women’s MMA exciting.

Cris Cyborg’s final MMA bout headlines PFL Tampa: Tune in on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.

“A lot of peo…

The early betting lines are in for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s next trip to Abu Dhabi.

The promotion announced UFC 333's lineup during the UFC 330 broadcast, with Alexander Volkanovski set to defend his featherweight championship against Movsar Evloev. In the co-headliner, Petr Yan will run it back with Merab Dvalishvili in a trilogy bout for the bantamweight championship.

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Furthermore, with Islam Makhachev retaining his welterweight title at UFC 330, odds for his next bout have also dropped.Both defending champions at UFC 333 open as betting favorites; Islam Makhachev favored against top welterweightsUFC 333 is set for Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi and BetOnline Sports has released odds for both title fights on the card. Volkanovski, the reigning 145-pound champ, opened as a slight favorite at -130 against the unbeaten Evloev (+110). Meanwhile, Yan is a larger favorite at -170 against Dvalishvili (+150) for their third meeting. Their two bouts so f…

Mackenzie Dern has already started looking ahead after defending her Ultimate Fighting Championship title.

Dern (17-5) thoroughly outclassed Gillian Robertson at UFC 330, using her grappling to secure a unanimous decision and retain the strawweight belt in Philadelphia. She’s now name-dropped who could be next in line for a title shot.

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Mackenzie Dern names Weili Zhang, Tatiana Suarez and Lupita Godinez as possible UFC title challengers When asked in a post-fight interview who she could face next, Dern initially admitted she’s unsure. She claimed the next challenger for the 115-pound throne could be Tatiana Suarez (12-1), Lupita Godinez (14-6), or former champ Weili Zhang (26-4).

“I know there’s Tatiana, Weili… Who else? Lupita could be coming up pretty soon,” Dern said.

Godinez is unlikely next in line, having lost three of her last five bouts. Moreover, the Mexican contender has already lost to Dern.

Suarez previously challenged for UFC gold…

Ian Garry has no intention of dwelling on his failed title bid in the Ultimate Fighting Championship against Islam Makhachev.

Garry came up short against Makhachev in the UFC 330 main event in Philadelphia, dropping a unanimous decision after a hard-fought five-round battle. The Russian retained the welterweight championship and extended his winning streak in the UFC to 17 straight victories, a new record. Nevertheless, the challenger is encouraged by his performance and what the future holds for him.

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Ian Garry addresses UFC 330 loss and promises to come back stronger Garry believes his performance against Makhachev showed that he belongs at the highest level of the sport.

“Tonight wasn’t my night,” Garry said on Instagram. “I feel great, I did great, Islam was just better than me tonight and that’s OK. I want everybody who loves me and supports me and wants to see me do better; I want you to know that I’m going to be back.”

The former Cage Wa…

Islam Makhachev has nothing but respect for Ian Garry and the Irishman’s preparation for their title bout.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight king retained his belt with a hard-fought victory over Garry in the main event of UFC 330 in Philadelphia. The challenger pushed the champ to the limit and the latter recently revealed what made the five-rounder so challenging.

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How Ian Garry’s patient approach frustrated Islam Makhachev at UFC 330 Makhachev claims Garry’s lack of output on the feet made the matchup a tricky puzzle to solve.

“Very hard to fight with someone who stands… No working, just standing and waiting,” Makhachev said in a post-fight interview. “Very difficult. He prepared himself well for the fight; he gave me a hard time, but no matter. From the first second to the last second, I am going to war. I am going to win, doesn’t matter how.”

Later, at the post-fight presser, Makhachev revealed that Garry caught him with an in…

Ian Garry’s failed title bid didn’t deter him from lecturing Michael Morales backstage.

Morales (19-0) was in attendance when Garry (17-2) challenged Islam Makhachev (29-1) for the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title in the main event of UFC 330. Despite suffering a unanimous decision loss, Garry gave Makhachev a tough test and took a moment backstage to talk to potentially the next challenger to the 170-pound title, Morales, who weighed in as a backup for UFC 330.

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Ian Garry calls for new wave of fighters to avoid trash talk while confronting Michael Morales Garry confronted Morales backstage about their recent feud while the undefeated Ecuadorian barely responded.

“All the s*** you talk, it's OK. Make sure you back it up,” Garry said. “I don't know whatever story you made up about meeting me; I've never encountered that sort, you know that, right? Listen, you're a good fighter. Show up, keep winning, and you can do anything. Does tha…

Neil Magny believes he can close the gap on Jim Miller for the most wins in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.

Magny (32-14) scored a second-round stoppage win over Ramiz Brahimaj at UFC 330. The win saw him surpass Max Holloway and tie Charles Oliveira for the second-most wins in UFC history (25). Magny is now only behind Miller (28). “The Haitian Sensation” believes he will eventually tie or break Miller's record.

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Neil Magny moves within three wins of Jim Miller after UFC 330 Magny has fought the who’s who of the UFC welterweight division since making his debut in the promotion in 2013. The 39-year-old is the unofficial gatekeeper to the top tier of the division, having shared the cage with all current 170-pound championship contenders and derailed several hype trains previously. Still going strong, he sees himself eventually becoming the all-time leader for Octagon wins.

“I think Father Time is working in my favor to catch up to Jim,” Magny…

Lucas Fernando likely wouldn’t have debuted in the Ultimate Fighting Championship if not for his wife.

Fernando (14-3) made his promotional debut against Rafael Tobias at UFC 330. He put on a striking clinic before dropping Tobias with a knee to the body and finishing him with vicious follow-up shots in the third round.

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Lucas Fernando rebounded from DWCS and LFA losses to earn his UFC opportunity Fernando called his wife during the post-fight press conference and said he couldn’t wait to return to her in Brazil after being in the U.S. for a month. He also credited his wife for talking him out of quitting mixed martial arts after his loss on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2023. While Fernando was skeptical about fully committing to the sport after his defeat, his wife convinced him to pursue his dream of a UFC career.

“My wife, I miss her a lot,” Fernando said at the post-fight presser. “I’ve been in the United States for a month training, so I c…