Martial Arts News

Irish star Paul Hughes will be at the top of the card when Professional Fighters League heads to Belfast on May 10.

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Hughes will headline PFL Europe Belfast at the SSE Arena, which will also include the first set of PFL Europe tournament fights for 2025. An opponent for Hughes was not announced.

“All my career I’ve said I will main event The SSE Arena, and we’ve made my dream into a reality,” Hughes said in a release. “Belfast, I’m coming to put on a show for my people, and I will show you how much your support means to me. It’s time to get to work.”

A former Cage Warriors champion, Hughes was a prized free agent before signing with the PFL in 2024. He made his presence felt at PFL “Brace for Impact” last October, when he defeated ex-Bellator MMA featherweight champ A.J. McKee via split decision. “Big News” then challenged Usman Nurmagomedov for the lightweight belt at PFL Road to Dubai, losing a narrow majority decision in one of the best…

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A potential clash between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall appears to be closer to becoming a reality.

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While Aspinall is the interim champ, Jones has long delayed a heavyweight title unification bout against the Englishman. There were even talks of former light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira surpassing Aspinall for a superfight against Jones.

However, that discussion seems to have ended after Pereira lost his title to Magomed Ankalaev via a unanimous decision at UFC 313 on Saturday. UFC CEO Dana White also acknowledged the same and confirmed that Jones will fight Aspinall. While hopes of the matchup were initially bleak, White now claims that Jones as agreed to the bout and the promotion is looking for a date and place. White also reiterated a previous statement that the plan is to hold Jones vs. Aspinall sometime in the summer.

“Jon Jones definitely wants the fight, just when and where is what we’re working on now,” White said at…

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Paddy Pimblett plans on chasing a big payday if he wins a UFC title.

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The Liverpudlian, who faces Michael Chandler at UFC 314, is targeting a Top 5 opponent next and hopes to earn a title shot with a win. Pimblett would then like to defend his title against Conor McGregor in front of his home fans at the Anfield Stadium, home of the Liverpool football club.

However, Pimblett also has his eyes on a latest addition to the lightweight roster, Ilia Topuria. Pimblett called Topuria “hand sanitizer boy,” referring to the their altercation ahead of UFC London in 2022.

“My plan is to fight with Top 5 opponents, then fight for the belt… And then my first title defense could be Conor McGregor in Anfield,” Pimblett told Shakiel Mahjouri. “That is perfect because that’s where the money is… But obviously I want to batter hand sanitizer boy. I want to show him how small he is and show him that he’s got little man syndrome.”

Pimblett…

Ignacio Bahamondes doesn’t want Jalin Turner to retire after their fight at UFC 313.

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Bahamondes made a statement by submitting Turner with a slick triangle in the first round of their UFC 313 clash on Saturday. Turner then hung up his gloves inside the Octagon and announced his retirement at just 29 years of age.

Turner’s loss against Bahamondes marked his return to action after nearly a year. It was also the fourth loss in his last five outings for “The Tarantula.” Turner elaborated on his retirement decision in an emotional post-fight interview. Turner revealed that he was contemplating retirement since his previous loss against Renato Carneiro at UFC 300 last year. The loss against Bahamondes was the last straw for Turner, who didn’t feel he was in it as much he expected he would be.

“You either gotta be all in or not,” Turner told Aaron Bronsteter. “And being in there wasn’t fully all in as I thought I would be. And the decision to stay o…

Justin Gaethje hopes the third time’s the charm when it comes to the UFC lightweight title.

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After a brutal knockout loss to Max Holloway last April, “The Highlight” returned to the win column with a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph over Rafael Fiziev in the UFC 313 co-main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. It was Gaethje’s second victory over Fiziev, who stepped in on short notice after Dan Hooker withdrew from the event with a broken hand.

Gaethje is a fan favorite and one of the promotion’s most notorious action fighters, so he won’t be lacking for options when it comes to his next bout. At Saturday’s post-fight press conference, Gaethje made it clear where his ambitions lie.

“I want to fight for the belt, obviously,” Gaethje said. “That’s a much different matchup than the one I just had. They tried to give me a doughnut. I took a bite, but I’ve got to get back to running if I’m going to fight [Islam] Makahc…

Alex Pereira didn’t perform up to his usual lofty standards at UFC 313, but “Poatan” is taking his first light heavyweight defeat in stride.

Pereira relinquished the 205-pound strap to Magomed Ankalaev in Saturday’s headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, falling via unanimous decision in an affair where he struggled to unleash his vaunted striking. After the bout, the Brazilian released a brief statement in a video on Instagram.

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That’s it, everyone. Some marks, but I’m good,” Pereira said. “Going to rest a bit. I’ll be back, like I’ve always done. This has already happened. Life continues.”

It isn’t the first time Pereira has tasted defeat in the Octagon, as he suffered a second-round knockout loss to Israel Adesanya in a middleweight title rematch at UFC 287 in April 2023. After that, he move to 205 pounds and won five straight bouts before falling to Ankalaev.

At Saturday’s post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White indicated tha…

Magomed Ankalaev did not get the version of Alex Pereira that he expected.

The Dagestani standout outstruck his opponent on the feet and mixed in occasional control against the fence to capture a close unanimous decision triumph in the UFC 313 headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. While Pereira is typically known for his offensive prowess, Ankalaev proved to be too difficult a puzzle to solve for the Brazilian star.

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“He was considered to be the best striker in the division on the way to this fight,” Ankalaev said through a translator at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “That’s what everybody was talking about, the narrative was that he’s the best. You saw what kind of best striker he was in the fight. You saw how well we did against the striking and how our striking was working.

“We didn’t have to rely on the wrestling because we were confident in our striking. We were trying to get him to go forward the entire time,…

UPDATE: The UFC website now shows the Palestine flag under Belal Muhammad's name 🇵🇸

🎥 @bullyb170 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/BKZBntKqjp

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 8, 2025

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Belal Muhammad’s complaints about the absence of a flag next to his name have been addressed.

While he now lives in Chicago, Muhammad has always been a proud representative of his Palestinian roots. The UFC welterweight champ walks out with the Palestinian flag and has strongly voiced his opinions on the ongoing crisis in the region.

Muhammad recently complained about the lack of a Palestinian flag next to his name on the UFC’s official website, and Dana White made sure that the issue was addressed immediately. Muhammad thanked White and the UFC for now adding the flag next to his name on the website. “Remember the Name” also noted that White, a strong advocate of free speech, never lets anyone influence his opinions.

“Just wann…

Mauricio Ruffy’s spot among post-fight bonus winners was secured long before UFC 313 concluded.

Ruffy received a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for a highlight-reel finish of Bobby Green in their featured lighweight encounter on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Fight Nerds standout put his opponent to sleep at 2:07 into the opening round, landing a spinning wheel kick that will likely wind up on many “Knockout of the Year” lists when all is said and done. It was just the 16th knockout by spinning kick in UFC history.

Elsewhere, Ignacio Bahamondes garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for making short work of Jalin Turner in another featured lightweight pairing. Turner took top position early in the bout, but eventually he found himself trapped in a triangle choke. Turner tapped out 2:29 into Round 1, giving Bahamondes his third consecutive first-round finish.

Finally, Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev earned “Fi…

Magomed Ankalaev stared into the eyes of a Brazilian boogeyman and did not blink.

Relentless forward pressure, clubbing power punches and a suffocating clinch game spurred Ankalaev to a unanimous decision over Alex Pereira, as he captured the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight crown in the UFC 313 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three members of the judiciary sided with Ankalaev (20-1-1, 12-1-1 UFC): 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47.

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Pereira (12-3, 9-2 UFC) invested heavily in kicks to the lower lead leg, and they seemed to pay dividends initially. However, Ankalaev connected with the most impactful strike of the match near the end of the second round, where he staggered the champion with a clean left hook. Pereira survived but looked uncharacteristically gun-shy as the bout progressed. A closely contested third round gave way to a lopsided fourth for Ankalaev, who trapped “Poatan” along the fence in a dominee…

Sherdog's live UFC 313 coverage will begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Santos (-192), Diaz (+160)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:

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Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Gutierrez (-110), Castaneda (-110)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SC…

Joshua Van may be rough around the edges, but he has the look of a future contender in the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division.

Stellar takedown defense and superior standup carried the onetime Fury Fighting Championship titleholder to a unanimous decision over the previously unbeaten Rei Tsuruya in their featured UFC 313 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 30-27 for Van (13-2, 6-1 UFC).

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Tsuruya (10-1, 1-1 UFC) offered little outside of repeated takedown attempts, many of which went nowhere. Van called upon an effective sprawl and peppered the ex-Pancrase champion with a variety of strikes to the head and body. Frustration built for Tsuruya over time. Van increased the intensity of his attacks down the stretch, putting even more distance between himself and his one-dimensional opponent.

Meanwhile, Brazilian TKO standout Brunno Ferreira bounced back from his Oct. 26 submissio…