Month: August 2026

Tom Pagliarulo’s career aspirations are finally coming to fruition.

Pagliarulo (11-2) took on Ananias Mulumba in a featherweight clash on Week 1 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026. “The Phenom” left it all in the cage, finishing Mulumba with ground-and-pound in the final seconds of the fight, earning an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract for his efforts.

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‘Most afraid I’ve ever been’: Tom Pagliarulo details how his team helped him stay focused ahead of DWCS Week 1 Pagliarulo admits that he was very nervous throughout fight week. However, his coaches and teammate, UFC bantamweight Cory Sandhagen, helped him stay dialed in. The 29-year-old is glad to have finally made it to the biggest stage in MMA, even if it came a little later than he expected.

“This is the most afraid I’ve ever been in my life, all week,” Pagliarulo said in his post-fight interview. “My coaches and Cory Sandhagen back home kept me locked in. Just reminded me to go be me, …

Joseph Kropschot can’t believe his opponent refused to tap to his submission attempt on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Kropschot kicked off the DWCS 2026 Week 1 action in a middleweight clash against Jonathan Kunneman. He maintained higher output while his opponent desperately looked for a Hail Mary overhand right. Kropschot also locked in an armbar in the final seconds of the fight that looked deep enough to secure a finish.

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Joseph Kropschot revisits ‘gross’ injury to opponent on DWCS Kunneman, perhaps too tough for his own good, refused to tap. Kropschot eventually dislocated Kunneman’s arm before walking away with a unanimous decision win. The victor subsequently said that he can’t believe his opponent didn’t tap to the armbar.

“I cannot believe he didn’t tap,” Kropschot said in his post-fight interview. “That bent like at the right angle. Gross.”

Kropschot (9-3) was on a four-fight finishing streak going into his DWCS opportunity, where he …

Payton Talbott could have another former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder standing opposite him in his next bout.

Talbott (11-1) is reportedly set to face former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (25-7-1) at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Brazilian reporter Leo Guimaraes claims that the matchup is being worked on and is yet to be finalized.

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Payton Talbott and Deiveson Figueiredo’s contrasting journeys to UFC 332 Talbott and Figueiredo enter the rumored matchup at different points in their careers. The former has not competed since earning a unanimous decision victory over former two-division champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 323. The 27-year-old rebounded from the lone loss of his career, a decision defeat to Raoni Barcelos, with wins over Felipe Lima and Cejudo.

Before the Barcelos defeat, Talbott finished his first three UFC opponents, including a 19-second knockout.

Meanwhile, Figueiredo made the move to ba…

Stephen Thompson is looking to end his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract with a bang.

Thompson (17-9-1) recently revealed that he has one fight left in his current UFC contract. “Wonderboy” is looking to fight out his deal at the UFC’s annual New York City card in November at Madison Square Garden, which will likely be UFC 334.

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Stephen Thompson targets Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden with one fight remaining on his UFC contract Thompson is going through the welterweight roster to scout an opponent who can deliver a potential banger with him.

“Madison Square Garden, Nov. 14, got to make it happen,” the former title challenger told Home of Fight. “I’ve actually got one fight left in my contract. We’re looking at November… We’ll see who we get. We’re kind of looking at the roster, trying to find out a good fight. A good barnburner, if you will, for that card.”

While Thompson never tasted UFC gold despite two attempts against Tyron Woodley…

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— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR) August 11, 2026 With a crowd of more than 10,000 fans at Toyota Arena Tokyo, Rizin Fighting Federation put on Rizin 54 on Tuesday in Tokyo. The card was headlined by a featherweight title eliminator between top MMA prospect Kyoma Akimoto and former Rizin champion Kleber Koike Erbst.

After three hard-fought rounds, Akimoto (13-1, 8-1 Rizin) emerged victorious, while Erbst (35-10-1, 1 NC; 10-5, 1 NC Rizin) may have seen his path back to the title derailed.

Koike was active with kicks in the first round and landed dozens to Akimoto’s legs and midsection during the first two minutes alone. Akimoto stayed calm as Koike chased him w…

Marwan Rahiki believes Tommy McMillen’s record-setting performance reflects a lack of knockout power.

Rahiki (9-0) and McMillen (11-0) will put their undefeated records on the line at Noche UFC 4 on Sept. 12 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. In his last outing, McMillen set a new record for significant strikes in an Ultimate Fighting Championship three-round bout, but Rahiki is far from impressed.

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Marwan Rahiki questions Tommy McMillen’s knockout power ahead of Noche UFC 4 Rahiki welcomed the matchup despite the relatively short turnaround. He’s 2-0 in the UFC and is excited at the prospect of fighting McMillen, who also has a ton of hype behind him.

“I was surprised, but at the same time, I'm not that surprised,” Rahiki told MMA Junkie. “This is the most exciting fight I've ever had. The first time I heard the name, I was like, 'Wow.' So happy -- I don't remember myself being so happy with a fight, with the opponent. I've always wante…

Daniel Cormier believes Ali Abdelaziz may be getting carried away with his assessment of Usman Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov (22-0) recently completed his Professional Fighters League contract in emphatic fashion, stopping Archie Colgan in the opening round at PFL New York.

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The undefeated lightweight is now a free agent and Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White has indicated that his promotion is interested.Daniel Cormier says Usman Nurmagomedov will have his work cut out for him in the UFC Abdelaziz has made lofty predictions about what Nurmagomedov could accomplish against the UFC's elite. The veteran manager has claimed that the undefeated Russian would finish the likes of Ilia Topuria, Paddy Pimblett, Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway, expectedly leaving out his other client, Justin Gaethje, the reigning UFC lightweight champ.

Cormier acknowledged Nurmagomedov's considerable talent but believes there is a major difference between dominat…

Arman Tsarukyan’s coach believes Mauricio Ruffy presents a more dangerous and versatile striking threat than Ilia Topuria.

Tsarukyan will look to defend his spot in the lightweight rankings when he takes on Ruffy in the co-main event of UFC 331 in Los Angeles on Sept. 19. Ahead of the fight, Marcos da Matta broke down Ruffy’s skillset and how it compares to Topuria’s.

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Marcos da Matta says Mauricio Ruffy brings more striking weapons than Ilia Topuria Speaking to Brazilian YouTube channel Podcast Connect Cast, the American Top Team coach praised Ruffy's striking arsenal and addressed the upcoming lightweight clash.

“Everyone knows Arman's strengths and Ruffy's strengths,” Da Matta said. “Arman's strengths are grappling, ground-and-pound and jiu jitsu, while Ruffy is obviously an excellent striker.”

“Parrumpa” then discussed how Ruffy’s variety of strikes makes him more dangerous than Topuria, who primarily relies on boxing combinations and leg …

Malki Kawa has fired back at Ali Abdelaziz over his assessment of Ilia Topuria.

Abdelaziz recently suggested that Usman Nurmagomedov, who is currently a free agent, would force Topuria to quit if the two were to fight. The comments came after Nurmagomedov defended his Professional Fighters League title against Archie Colgan and are clearly a dig at Topuria’s loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250.

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Ilia Topuria’s manager slams Ali Abdelaziz, hypes up former double champ’s comeback Nurmagomedov extended his perfect record to 22-0 with his first-round knockout victory at PFL New York. Abdelaziz subsequently claimed that the unbeaten Russian would beat Topuria during his appearance on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast. Kawa responded by claiming that Topuria could “annihilate” Abdelaziz’s entire roster.

“You've got this guy, he's sitting there with two of his clients, and one of them happens to be Usman,” Kawa said in a social media post. “They're sitti…

Court McGee is set to close the book on his Ultimate Fighting Championship career in front of a hometown crowd.

The 41-year-old recently announced that his upcoming bout at UFC 332 will be the final fight of his career. The event is scheduled for Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, although McGee’s opponent has not yet been revealed.

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Court McGee prepares for retirement after nearly three decades of UFC fights McGee (22-14) has enjoyed considerable success competing in his home state, posting a 10-1 record in Utah so far. Furthermore, he’s 2-0 in Utah while competing in the UFC. “The Crusher” announced his upcoming retirement in a video posted to Instagram.

“I signed my final contract,” McGee said. “I've negotiated my last either five or six contracts, usually four-fight deals -- actually, all of them are four-fight deals, but I signed my last fight in my last four-fight contract. I was going to retire before I had my neck surgery, and I had i…

Nate Diaz has responded to Jake Paul's latest call-out for a rematch, this time in mixed martial arts.

Paul recently called out Diaz while promoting the newly announced merger between Most Valuable Promotions and the Professional Fighters League. He urged his former boxing opponent to stop avoiding a rematch under MMA rules. Diaz responded on social media with a four-word message for the YouTuber-turned-boxer.

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Nate Diaz welcomes Jake Paul’s call-out Paul has expressed interest in making his MMA debut against the former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter. They previously met in a boxing match that marked Diaz's professional debut, which Paul won by unanimous decision after 10 rounds.

Paul framed the matchup as a potential game-changer in the sport, suggesting a fight with Diaz could help reshape the combat sports landscape. Diaz has finally responded on social media, seemingly welcoming the bout.

“Pull the f**k up,” Diaz posted on X.

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Ian Garry claims he has faced significantly steeper competition than Islam Makhachev has.

Garry (17-1) is scheduled to challenge Makhachev (28-1) for the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title at UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The Irish challenger recently compared their strength of schedule, claiming that his recent run of form surpasses the Russian’s.

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Ian Garry highlights size and skill difference between his recent opponents and Islam Makhachev’s Garry has faced Belal Muhammad, Carlos Prates, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Michael Page and Geoff Neal in his last five outings, only losing to Rakhmonov. Meanwhile, Makhachev has defended his lightweight title against Volkanovski twice, Dustin Poirier, and Renato Carneiro, and dethroned Jack Della Maddalena to win the welterweight title in his last five bouts.

“The Future” believes Muhammad, Prates, Rakhmonov and Page are among the trickiest fighters in the world. While h…