Day: 21. August 2026

Khabib Nurmagomedov says Ali Abdelaziz incites strong feelings in people, one way or the other.

While Nurmagomedov was managed by Abdelaziz throughout his Ultimate Fighting Championship career, their relationship extends beyond fighter and manager. Abdelaziz manages all Dagestani fighters from Nurmagomedov’s camp and shares a strong personal relationship with everyone. Furthermore, the UFC Hall of Famer’s successor, Islam Makhachev’s favorite person to prank is the Dominance MMA founder.

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Nurmagomedov says getting to know Abdelaziz reveals the loyalty he values most Nurmagomedov recently said that people inevitably have strong feelings about Abdelaziz, whether good or bad. According to “The Eagle,” one can’t feel neutral towards the veteran manager. He believes people either strongly love Abdelaziz or hate him with equal fervor.

Nurmagomedov claims one needs to get to know Abdelaziz to appreciate him and that he’s incredibly loyal.

“Ali has on…

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s toughest fight wasn't entirely because of the opponent he faced.

Nurmagomedov recently revealed that the most challenging bout of his career was against Justin Gaethje in 2020. The Russian successfully defended his lightweight title by putting Gaethje to sleep with a triangle choke in the second round. While Nurmagomedov says he has never been pushed to his limits in a fight, he admits Gaethje came close.

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Khabib explains why Justin Gaethje presented the toughest challenge of his undefeated career The fight was the toughest for Nurmagomedov due to several factors leading up to it. Most importantly, “The Eagle” lost his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, to Covid-19 before the bout. He claims it was difficult to stay composed after losing the person he was fighting for in the first place.

The training camp was also hard, as Nurmagomedov battled several injuries. However, the Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer managed to …

Anthony Hernandez believes his loss to Sean Strickland showed him exactly what needs to change.

Hernandez will look to rebound Saturday when he headlines UFC Sacramento against Gregory Rodrigues at Golden 1 Center.

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Anthony Hernandez details the changes he made after losing to Sean Strickland The middleweight contender spent part of his training camp at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas, where he worked to address the issues exposed in the loss.

“I had to make some adjustments, as simple as that,” Hernandez said in a recent interview. “If you f*ck up, you're probably going to get f*cked up. So, it lays it right out for you nice and perfectly, what you got to adjust and fix.”

Hernandez, whose loss against Strickland came after eight straight wins, said he spent the summer away from his family to focus entirely on training, working alongside larger middleweights and sharpening his game.

“I moved away from my family for the full summer,”…

Gregory Rodrigues has an Ultimate Fighting Championship main event ahead of him, but the Brazilian has a deeper reason to appreciate the moment.

“Robocop” will headline UFC Sacramento against Anthony Hernandez on Aug. 22, marking his second time topping a UFC card. For Rodrigues, simply reaching this stage is the fulfillment of a dream that began a generation ago.

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Gregory Rodrigues reflects on his father’s influence ahead of UFC Sacramento In a recent interview, Rodrigues opened up about the significance of his upcoming bout.

“I started very young in this journey through my father,” Rodrigues told. “Like I always said, that was my father’s dream and then it became my dream and I made this dream become true. So yeah, that’s fantastic, and I’m excited. One more fight in the UFC, I’m in my second main event. Oh man, I'm just happy.”

Rodrigues has made a conscious effort to appreciate these moments rather than become consumed by the pressures that…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Markus “Maluko” Perez has reportedly been in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for more than a month while his immigration case proceeds.

According to Brazilian outlet Recorte da Luta, Perez was detained July 15 while visiting relatives in Salt Lake City. The outlet reported that he has since been transferred between detention facilities and is currently being held in California.

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Markus Perez was reportedly detained July 15 while visiting relatives in Salt Lake City A fundraiser shared through Perez’s official Instagram account is seeking $25,000 to help cover legal fees and other expenses related to the proceedings.

According to the fundraiser, Perez had been pursuing an EB-1 visa, and his request for bond was denied.

Perez, 36, competed seven times in the UFC from 2017 to 2021, compiling a 2-5 record. He later competed in several combat sports, including Karate Combat.

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Daniel Marcos didn’t take long to find a new home in the Professional Fighters League after being released from the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Marcos (18-1) was surprisingly released from the UFC this past May despite scoring a submission win in his last bout in November. “Soncora” went 5-1 in the UFC, with his only career loss coming against Montel Jackson. Marcos says he was surprised by his UFC release and still doesn’t know why his exit came about.

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Daniel Marcos targets PFL champion Sergio Pettis after surprising UFC exit Despite his shocking UFC departure, Marcos is grateful to the UFC for providing him with a platform to showcase his skills at the highest level.

“More than anything, I was surprised,” Marcos told MMA Fighting. “I asked myself, ‘Why? Why did this happen?’ I had only lost once in my entire career, so I didn’t understand what was going on. I can’t control what other people decide to do. But I’m still grateful to the UFC for…