Yoel Romero Withdraws From BKFC Knucklemania 6 Co-Main Event

A strong case of the flu has knocked Yoel Romero out of BKFC Knucklemania 6. | PFL MMA

Former UFC title challenger Yoel Romero won’t be competing at one of BKFC’s signature events as originally planned.

“The Soldier of God” has been forced to withdraw from a proposed clash against Lorenzo Hunt at BKFC Knucklemania 6 after contracting a “strong strain of the flu.” As a result, BKFC’s No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, David Mundell, will step in to face Hunt in a 199-pound catchweight affair.

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Rebooking in the Works “Unfortunately I have to withdraw from my scheduled fight against Lorenzo Hunt at KM6 due to a very strong strain of the flu,” read a statement from Romero released through BKFC. “During my weight cut for RAF I felt my immune system was low, and I was feeling very weak. A few days after my Jan. 10 RAF match I started to experience severe flu symptoms.

“I am extremely disappointed but I’ve been unable to train and I need to make …

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Viewership Figures Announced for UFC 324 on Paramount+

The UFC’s debut on Paramount drew a significant amount of eyeballs.

According to a release, the UFC 324 reached a live-minute average audience of 4.96 million and 7.18 million global households, a record for a live event on the streaming platform. Citing Adobe Analytics and Nielsen Media, the release also states that “UFC 324  also reached more homes than any other live UFC event in nearly a decade across linear, broadcast and streaming.” The viewership figures do not included co-viewing or delayed viewing.

“As is the industry norm, we don’t disclose subscriber data for individual events, but suffice to say the first live event exceeded expectations against all major benchmarks,” the release stated.

UFC 324 took place this past Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and saw Justin Gaethje capture the interim lightweight crown with a unanimous decision victory over Paddy Pimblett in the evening’s main event. The event marked the beginning of the se…

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Amanda Nunes: ‚Interim Title is Too Small for Everything I Represent‘

Amanda Nunes is only interested in undisputed gold. | Getty/UFC

The news of Kayla Harrison's injury the week before UFC 324 disappointed fans, but undoubtedly the most impacted by that was her opponent, Amanda Nunes.

“I've never been through anything like this in my entire career. I had already finished camp and was starting to pack my bags when UFC called me,” the former two-division champ said in an interview with Ag.Fight backstage at the event in Las Vegas.

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‘There’s a Whole Plan’ The "Lioness" stated that she never considered competing for an interim title.

“The athletes are right to ask I've been there, I know what it's like to be there wanting to fight for the title, it involves a lot,” she said. “There’s a whole plan, there's a plan between me and the UFC. The interim title is too small for everything I represent in women's MMA.”

Nunes did admit that if Harrison doesn’t make a relatively quick recovery, she might change …

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Former Invicta FC Champ Jillian DeCoursey Announces Retirement

She may have only needed 10 walks to the cage as a pro, but ex-Invicta Fighting Championships queen Jillian DeCoursey made them count.

On her social media on Thursday, DeCoursey announced her retirement from MMA competition. The 41-year-old atomweight had flirted with returning after dropping her belt in 2023 to Rayanne dos Santos, but efforts never materialized. A veteran of only Invicta and Cage Warriors Fighting Championship for the entirety of her pro career, she won a belt with the former and unsuccessfully vied for one with the latter.

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First stepping into the cage as an amateur in 2014, the New York native rattled off eight nonprofessional victories opposite a single defeat. Along the unpaid circuit, DeCoursey battled future talents like Hilarie Rose, Marisa Messer-Belenchia and Lindsey VanZandt, beating all three. After taking a decision for an amateur belt in 2017, DeCoursey turned pro.Might Make ‘Fill in the Blank’ My New Fight NameThe fight…
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Chase Hooper Gets Homecoming at UFC Seattle Against ‘Fearless’ Canadian

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is adding what should be a grappler’s delight to its March show in Seattle.

Per the organization on Thursday, Chase Hooper (16-4-1) and Lance Gibson Jr. (9-2) will toe the line at UFC Seattle, also known as UFC Fight Night 271. This lightweight affair on March 28 will serve as the first time Hooper has competed in his home state of Washington since he went 5-0 in the regionals from 2017 to 2018.

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Submission specialist Hooper saw his five-fight, three-sub streak come to a crushing halt at the hands of Alexander Hernandez at UFC 319 in 2025. That knockout, the second of his young tenure as a pro, derailed the momentum built up by beating the likes of Jim Miller, Clay Guida and Jordan Leavitt. “The Dream” celebrates an even finish rate of 75%, with two-thirds of those stoppages coming by sub.

Gibson exceeds his upcoming foe’s finish rate by a few percentage points, although he comes in a few years older and fairly le…

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UFC 324’s Jean Silva Makes Specific Prediction on His Upcoming Matchup

Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight Jean Silva is channeling his inner Babe Ruth.

Months after watching his 13-fight, over seven-year unbeaten streak fall to Diego Lopes, Silva (16-3) will return to the Octagon to open the UFC 324 main card in Las Vegas, where he faces Englishman Arnold Allen (20-3). Arriving to the “Fight Capital of the World” this past Saturday, Silva spoke with Brazilian outlet Ag.Fight and, as always, didn’t hide his goal.

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“My tactic has no secret,” Silva declared. “I’m going to control the distance, hit him without throwing strikes, and when he makes a mistake, I’m going to knock him out. He’ll probably want to take me down in desperation, but this time I’m not going to do the spinning takedown. My prediction is to knock him out in the second round.”Rematch or Bust The Fighting Nerd opened his heart, acknowledging that the defeat in his last fight made him seek psychological help. With a new lease on life, the 29-year-o…
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Justin Gaethje: ‚I’m Not Getting $1 More‘ Under New UFC-Paramount Deal

Justin Gaethje has been one of the UFC's most entertaining fighters during his tenure. | Getty/UFC

The UFC will get $7.7 billion dollars over seven years from its new broadcasting deal with Paramount. According to Justin Gaethje, none of the promotion’s financial windfall is reflected in his fight purse for UFC 324.

The 14-time Octagon veteran discussed fighter pay during his media day session ahead of Saturday’s event. “The Highlight” pointed out that he hasn’t hit $1 million in bonuses despite being a frequent winner, and he also disputed Daniel Cormier’s recent claim that salaries were increasing across the board due to the new media rights deal.

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“To have 14 bonuses and not equal up to $1 million is not right,” Gaethje said (video via MMAjunkie.com). “It’s not right. It should be a lot more than that and I should have had opportunities to do smarter things with my money but I don’t and I haven’t.

“I hear Daniel Cormier saying eve…

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Dana White Dismisses McGregor-Masvidal UFC White House Rumors as ‚Goofy S–t‘

UFC CEO Dana White says there is no truth to rumors of a clash between Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal being targeted for the White House.

Discussion around a fight between the two stars began to pick up steam on social media recently, and Masvidal only added fuel to the fire when he told MMAjunkie.com that he was “training for something big.”

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During a recent interview with TMZ Sports, White quickly dismissed the possibility when informed that McGregor vs. Masvidal had become a hot topic on social media.

“You know what’s funny? In my algorithm on Instagram, I have nothing MMA,” White said. “Literally nothing MMA pops up.

“I don’t listen to any of the goofy s--t. It’s goofy s--t. The MMA world, I don’t listen to any of that s--t. So literally none of that is on my algorithm. Almost everything you see on the internet about our sport is wrong. It’s all wrong.”

As far as putting together the card for the White House, the UFC boss says that matc…

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‚The Lazy King‘ Receives New Opponent at PFL Road to Dubai

"The Lazy King" is 3-0 under the PFL banner. | PFL MMA

Abdoul Abdouraguimov will not be squaring off against Magomed Umalatov at PFL Road to Dubai as originally anticipated.

The Professional Fighters League on Tuesday announced that Umalatov has withdrawn from the welterweight bout for undisclosed reasons. As a result, Kendly St. Louis will step in and face “The Lazy King” on Feb. 7 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. PFL Road to Dubai is headlined by a lightweight championship clash between Usman Nurmagomedov and Alfie Davis and airs on the ESPN App in the United States.

A 35-year-old native of Lauderdale Lakes, Florida, St. Louis split a pair of bouts under the PFL banner last year. After scoring a third-round submission of Mukhamed Berkhamov at PFL Tournament 5 on June 12, “The Highlander” suffered a first-round TKO defeat against Chris Mixan at PFL Tournament 9 on Aug. 15. St. Louis has also earned victories on the PFL Challenger …

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UFC 324’s Arnold Allen on Lengthy Layoff: ‚For the Last Year I Lost My Mind‘

Arnold Allen hasn't fought since July 2024. | Getty/UFC

By the time Arnold Allen steps into the Octagon at UFC 324 on Saturday, more than a year and a half will have passed since his last fight.

The 31-year-old Englishman hasn’t competed since July 2024, when he defeated Giga Chikadze in a featherweight clash at UFC 304. That snapped a two-bout losing streak for Allen, who began his promotional tenure with 10 consecutive triumphs before dropping back-to-back outings against Max Holloway and Movsar Evloev.

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After besting Chikadze, “Almighty” was eager to resume his ascent toward title contention at 145 pounds, but progress was derailed by a lingering shoulder injury that took a significant amount of time to heal. He admits that the layoff took its toll on him mentally.

“For the last year, I lost my mind trying to focus on the things I can do,” Allen told UFC.com. “My life is very career-driven, and I love my career — I want to give it t…

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Justin Gaethje: Arman Tsarukyan to Blame for His Own UFC Troubles

Justin Gaethje holds Arman Tsarukyan responsible for his own situation. 

Despite Tsarukyan being the top lightweight contender, he has been sidelined from the title picture. As the champion, Ilia Topuria, takes a short hiatus, Gaethje (26-5) will fight Paddy Pimblett (23-3) for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 on Saturday in Las Vegas.  Gaethje believes Tsarukyan is to blame for the situation that he is in. Gaethje notes that “Ahalkalakets” has irked the UFC multiple times by pulling out of a title fight and then headbutting his opponent before a fight.

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Multiple Mistakes “Tsarukyan is definitely probably more deserving,” Gaethje told New York Post Sports. “But the guy f’ed up multiple times, and this is something you can’t do. He was gonna fight for the belt, he pulled out the night before because he couldn’t make weight or… I don’t think any of us are actually privy to what happened that night… They put a lot of money, time, and re…
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Magomed Zayunkov Wants to Host Entire Village If Victorious in UFC Debut

Magomed Zaynukov isn’t one to forget his roots. 

Zaynukov is popularly known as “Chanco,” which is the name of his village in Dagestan, Russia. “Chanco” recently visited his village, where he is building a new house. Zaynukov revealed that he wants to host his entire village for a barbecue feast if he wins his UFC debut.

A Feast for All “This is the new house we’ve been building with my brother,” Zaynukov told Red Corner MMA. “The old house fell apart, so we decided to build a new one. Now we’re going to live here. We’ll come here with our families and kids and spend some time here. You should never forget your roots and where you come from. After the UFC debut – Inshallah, I hope it’ll be victorious for me — I’d love to have all my villagers here to grill some meat and celebrate my win.”

Zaynukov (8-0) shot to fame as a teammate of Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov even before he was in the UFC. While most of the team is made up of elite wrestlers, “Chanco”…

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