Month: September 2026

Alexander Volkanovski was visibly distraught after teammate Mauricio Ruffy suffered a knockout loss.

Ruffy was stopped by Arman Tsarukyan with back-to-back elbows at 4:56 of the opening round in their pivotal Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight clash. Volkanovski was in Ruffy’s corner at UFC 331 and his reaction to the finish has gone viral.

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Alexander Volkanovski was in Mauricio Ruffy’s corner when Arman Tsarukyan landed the fight-ending elbows at UFC 331 Ruffy switched gyms after losing to Benoit St. Denis last year, leaving the Brazilian gym Fighting Nerds to train under Volkanovski in Australia. Cameras captured the featherweight champ’s reaction from Ruffy’s corner as Tsarukyan delivered the fight-ending elbows. Volkanovski and former UFC lightweight Brad Riddell were clearly stunned by the outcome.

Ruffy’s takedown defense looked solid in the first round against Tsarukyan, pointing to obvious improvements in his defensive wrestling sin…

Gable Steveson’s sophomore Ultimate Fighting Championship outing couldn’t have gone worse, but his team is already looking forward to a comeback.

Steveson suffered the first loss of his professional mixed martial arts career on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, getting knocked out by Sean Sharaf just 12 seconds into their heavyweight bout at UFC 331. Steveson’s manager has now addressed the result.

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Abraham Kawa points to Islam Makhachev, GSP and other UFC greats after Steveson’s loss to Sean Sharaf Steveson (4-1) was a massive betting favorite going into UFC 331. He made boisterous claims in the lead-up to the fight, dismissing Sharaf as merely a stepping stone towards his championship aspirations. Fans turned on him as well and the Olympian was relentlessly booed at the pre-fight formalities and on fight night, further fueled by Sharaf taking digs at him at the pre-fight presser.

First Round Management’s Abraham Kawa backed his client t…

Iwo Baraniewski is taking his first professional loss in stride.

Baraniewski (9-1) took on Alonzo Menifield (19-6) in an Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight tilt at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles. Baraniewski was a heavy -250 favorite going into his biggest step up in competition so far.

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Iwo Baraniewski reflects on Alonzo Menifield loss at UFC 331 Having never seen the second round in his career before UFC 331, Baraniewski came out all guns blazing, looking to finish Menifield in the first round. However, Menifield weathered the early storm and started gaining momentum in the second round. “Atomic” braved through the third round, fighting with an injured thumb to earn a split-decision victory.

This was Baraniewski’s first professional loss. However, the 27-year-old says this isn’t the first time he’s experienced failure. “Rudy” wants to take some time to recover and vows to return stronger.

“My first professional loss, but no…

Sean Sharaf was going through tough times just weeks before pulling off one of the biggest upsets in Ultimate Fighting Championship history.

Sharaf was a +1000 underdog and likely fighting for his spot on the roster going into his UFC 331 clash against Gable Steveson, a -2500 favorite. Sharaf flatlined Steveson with a left hook in just 12 seconds. UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has now revealed some details about Sharaf’s pre-fight predicament.

Sean Strickland shares Sharaf’s living situation three weeks before UFC 331 Strickland, who was rooting for Sharaf, recently shared their DMs from just three weeks before UFC 331. Sharaf sent Strickland a photo of his living arrangement: a mat on the floor to sleep on and his belongings packed into luggage. The champ then advised him to at least buy a cheap mattress rather than sleeping on the floor.

“Bro getting off the floor sucks,” Strickland wrote in response to Sharaf’s image. “Least get a cheap Amazon mattress …

California State Athletic Commission executive director Andy Foster recently discussed some potential rule changes in mixed martial arts.

UFC 331 went down at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sept. 19. Foster subsequently discussed some rules at a CSAC debrief, touching on oblique kicks, a polarizing and highly effective tool in MMA, among other subjects.

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CSAC's Andy Foster wants to discuss banning oblique kicks after UFC 331 Edmen Shahbazyan earned a unanimous decision win in a middleweight bout against Brunno Ferreira at UFC 331. Shahbazyan was complaining to the referee about Ferreira throwing side-kicks to the knee, seemingly unaware that they are legal.

While kicks to the knee don’t look like much, they can deal dangerous damage to the knee at certain angles. While it is considered a cheap shot in sparring and banned in most gyms, it is perfectly legal in pro MMA. However, Foster now wants to discuss banning side-kicks to the knee. Foster als…

The disclosed salaries for UFC 331 have been released by the California State Athletic Commission.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight titleholder Alexandre Pantoja led the way with a flat $650,000 purse for his rematch with Joshua Van, who bagged half a million for his second title defense. The pay figures released by CSAC don’t include bonuses or additional payments to fighters that remain undisclosed.

UFC 331 disclosed payouts put Alexandre Pantoja ahead of champion Joshua VanAlexandre Pantoja: $650,000 — no win bonusJoshua Van: $500,000 — no win bonusArman Tsarukyan: $350,000 — no win bonusMauricio Ruffy: $110,000Patricio “Pitbull” Freire: $400,000 ($200,000 to show, $200,000 to win)Doo Ho Choi: $85,000Sean Sharaf: $60,000 ($30,000 to show, $30,000 to win)Gable Steveson: $160,000Iwo Baraniewski: $50,000Alonzo Menifield: $310,000 ($155,000 to show, $155,000 to win)Robelis Despaigne: $200,000 ($100,00 to show, $100,000 to win)Tai Tuivasa: $350,000Giga Chik…

UFC 331 delivered several memorable finishes.

The card featured six knockout victories and one submission. Joanderson Brito, Ryan Gandra, Sean Sharaf, Patricio "Pitbull" Freire and Arman Tsarukyan delivered first-round knockouts, Marlon Vera recorded his first finish in four years and Casey O’Neill pulled off a bonus-worthy submission at the latest numbered event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

UFC 331 featured six knockouts and one submission at Crypto.com Arena Watch every finish from the card in the player below.[embedded content]

UFC 334’s lineup has been revealed, as have the opening odds.

In the main event, Ciryl Gane is set to defend the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title against Josh Hokit on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The card is co-headlined by a bantamweight title fight between Kayla Harrison and Amanda Nunes.

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BetOnline has released its current odds for both championship bouts, with Gane favored over Hokit and Harrison favored over Nunes.UFC 334 betting lines move for Gane-Hokit and Harrison-Nunes Gane opened at -150 and is now at -235. The Frenchman is favored to beat the undefeated Hokit, who is currently listed at +195. Both fighters secured finishes at UFC Freedom 250 in their last outings. Gane was promoted to undisputed champ after Tom Aspinall vacated the belt.

The Harrison-Nunes line was originally released in November 2025 after they were announced for UFC 324, with Harrison opening at -155 and Nunes at +135. The fight…

Arman Tsarukyan cemented his status as the No.1 contender at lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship with a first-round knockout win.

Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with back-to-back elbows in the dying seconds of the opening round in UFC 331’s co-main event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, further strengthening his case for a title shot.

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Tsarukyan finishes Ruffy with back-to-back elbows in the UFC 331 co-main event Tsarukyan admitted the opening minutes of the bout were challenging after Ruffy connected with some clean strikes, but he remained confident that he would eventually find a finish.

“I feel great,” Tsarukyan said in a post-fight interview. “I was looking for a finish and even the first round was kind of rough, but I knew, like, I’m going to finish him. First punches, it’s always hard to defend because both of us, we’re fresh. But Ruffy is one of the best strikers, you know, we shouldn’t forget about that.”

“The Bat…

Dana White has pushed back against the idea that he doesn’t like Tom Aspinall.

This comes after Aspinall vacated the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title amid ongoing complications from an eye injury that prevented him from returning to competition. He has also linked up with Eddie Hearn, who has repeatedly criticized aspects of Aspinall’s contract and the UFC model.

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The UFC boss explains why fans may have gotten the wrong idea about Tom Aspinall Speaking after UFC 331, White dismissed suggestions that he has a personal issue with the former champion. He acknowledged Aspinall’s injury and revealed that the Brit is seeking further medical advice.

“No, that’s not the case,” White said at the post-fight presser. “It’s the furthest thing from the truth. He’s going through stuff with the doctor. He knows it’s going to be a while before he comes back. This is totally normal.”

White claims that certain misunderstood comments and reaction…

Arman Tsarukyan has completely redeemed himself after past clashes with Dana White and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Tsarukyan extended his win streak to six straight and further solidified his No.1 contender status at UFC 331 in Los Angeles with a first-round knockout win over Mauricio Ruffy. White praised the top-ranked lightweight at the post-fight presser, lauding his Octagon return.

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Arman Tsarukyan’s knockout of Mauricio Ruffy earns major praise from the UFC CEO Tensions between Tsarukyan and White sparked after the former pulled out of his lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev the night before weigh-ins. He later drew more criticism from the UFC CEO for scuffles with fans and other fighters.

White acknowledged that Tsarukyan’s relationship with the UFC had soured amidst the aforementioned events, but “The Batman” has turned his standing with the company around.

“I’ve been vocal that I wasn’t crazy about some of the stuff…

Dana White isn’t looking forward to a potential Josh Hokit title reign in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Hokit will challenge Ciryl Gane for the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Gane was elevated to undisputed champion following Tom Aspinall’s relinquishment of the belt and “The Incredible Hok” will be the Frenchman’s first challenger.

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Dana White addresses Josh Hokit ahead of his UFC 334 title fight against Ciryl Gane White hasn’t been coy about his views on Hokit, who has drawn the ire of the UFC CEO previously, especially for his antics before and during UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

With the unbeaten heavyweight now set to headline MSG, White was asked about the same at the UFC 331 post-fight presser.

“I got a lot of thoughts on that,” White said. “Yeah, lots and lots. I’m sure they’re the same thoughts that you’re all having. I doubt we’re that different. Yeah.”

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