Martial Arts News

Health permitting, Josh Hokit has earned himself a spot at the UFC White House event. | Getty/UFC

At the request of President Donald Trump, the UFC White House card will have one more fight than originally anticipated.

UFC CEO Dana White announced on Saturday that Derrick Lewis will square off against Josh Hokit at the June 14 event. UFC White House takes place on the South Lawn in Washington, D.C., and is headlined by a lightweight title tilt pitting Ilia Topuria against Justin Gaethje. In the co-main event, Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane will vie for the interim heavyweight belt.

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Just prior to the announcement, Hokit had emerged from a three-round war against Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 with a unanimous decision triumph. “The Incredible Hok” is 9-0 as a professional — including three triumphs in the UFC. Blaydes was by far the most significant victory of Hokit’s career to date, and the bout also stands out as a potential “Fight of the Ye…

Heavyweight prospect Gable Steveson is officially taking his talents to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

During the UFC 327 broadcast on Saturday night, it was announced that Steveson had signed with the Las Vegas-based promotion. He will make his debut at UFC 329 during International Fight Week against an as-yet-to-be-named opponent. Steveson was in attendance at UFC 327 in Miami when the announcement was made.

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THE NEWEST ADDITION 🚨

Gable Steveson is officially signed and will be fighting at #UFC329! pic.twitter.com/mUVJsFUskK

— UFC (@ufc) April 12, 2026 Making Waves Steveson is regarded as one of the top prospects in all of MMA. The 25-year-old, who has worked extensively with former UFC two-division champion Jon Jones, is 3-0 in MMA bouts — finishing all of his opponents inside of a round. Prior to focusing on fighting, Steveson tried his hand at both professonal wrestling and the NFL.

Steveson last app…

Rajabali Shaidullaev continues to dominate the competition in Rizin. | Rizin FF

Rajabali Shaidullaev is one of MMA’s most talented fighters outside of the UFC. The 25-year-old Kyrgyz warrior kept his unblemished record intact and easily retained his featherweight title with a first-round TKO victory in the Rizin Fighting Federation “Landmark Vol. 13” main event on Sunday in Fukuoka, Japan.

Shaidullaev (19-0, 7-0 Rizin), who has run into a shortage of challengers on the Rizin roster, was matched up against striker Yuta Kubo (5-3, 1 NC; 5-3, 1 NC Rizin) in a rematch from their first meeting at the end of 2024. That first fight ended in a TKO triumph for Shaidullaev, and he captured his Rizin featherweight title four months later, but it was also the only time in his Rizin career so far that he was taken into a second round.

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Perhaps motivated to make a statement with an even more dominant victory, Shaidullaev did just that in the rematch.…

Josh Hokit was a standout performer at UFC 327. | Getty/UFC

It was a night to remember for Josh Hokit.

After drawing mixed reviews for his various personas during UFC 327 fight week, “The Incredible Hok” delivered on Saturday night, keeping his undefeated record intact with an upset victory over perennial Top 10 heavyweight Curtis Blaydes.

Not only was it a signficant step in Hokit’s career, but it also padded the Jackson-Wink MMA product’s bank account. For a slugfest that resulted in the most combined significant strikes in UFC heavyweight history, Hokit and Blaydes received “Fight of the Night” honors and $100,000 apiece. Additionally, Hokit garnered a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his unanimous decision trumph — bring his total bonus earnings up to $200,000.

Belt and a Bonus Meanwhile, Carlos Ulberg earned the card’s other $100,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his stunning knockout of Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 327 headliner…

With his championship dreams seemingly about to go up in smoke, Carlos Ulberg defied the odds.

After appearing to injure his right leg due to an awkward step early in Round 1, Ulberg scored an unlikely knockout victory over Jiri Prochazka in the UFC 327 headliner on Saturday night at the Kaseya Center in Miami. A picture-perfect left hook and approximately six to seven follow-up blows rendered Prochazka unconscious at the 3:45 mark of the opening period. With the victory, Ulberg claims the light heavyweight belt vacated by Alex Pereira.

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The bout was just getting started when Ulberg suffered his injury, which instantly compromised his movement. While Prochazka targeted the leg with kicks, he also let up on the throttle somewhat — even offering to stand and trade with his wounded foe with a symbolic point to the canvas. As Prochazka stalked Ulberg near the fence, “Black Jag” countered with the left hook to instantly send the former Rizin champ to the fl…

The Professional Fighters League has just found a potential star in the making at PFL Chicago, and his name is Mitchell McKee.

In his PFL debut, McKee dominated former world champion Sergio Pettis en route to a decision win (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Saturday night at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Despite the close scorecards, McKee (10-0, 1-0 PFL) was in control for the majority of the fight. The unbeaten Minnesotan made mincemeat of Pettis on the ground and controlled the former Bellator kingpin’s hips in check. Pettis nearly pulled off a hail mary triangle choke in the second round, but once McKee avoided the danger, he closed the door on Pettis’ hopes for a comeback. With his first win in the PFL coming against a battle-tested former champion, the sky is the limit for what the promotion plans for its newest title contender.

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Renat Khavalov kept his unblemished record intact after eeking out a tough decision win over experienced veteran Raufeon Stots in b…

Aaron Pico picked up his first UFC win in Miami. | Getty/UFC

Aaron Pico looked every bit like a fighter who was once one of the sport’s most highly-touted prospects on Saturday night in Miami.

In a battle of former Bellator standouts, Pico (14-5, 1-1 UFC) shook off a slow start to pull away for a unanimous decision triumph against Patricio Freire (37-9, 1-2 UFC) in the featured UFC 327 preliminary bout. All three cageside judges scored the featherweight fight in favor of Pico: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Pico rebounds from a first-round knockout loss to Lerone Murphy in his promotional debut at UFC 319 this past August.

The first round was competitive, but there were some nervous moments for Pico, who was buckled by a jab and stumbled by a counter right in the frame. The 29-year-old Californian kept his composure, however, and truly began to assert himself over the final 10 minutes of the bout.

During that period, Pico showcased his superior handspeed, taggi…

Sherdog's live UFC 327 coverage will begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Radtke (-185), Prado (+154)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Gastelum (-250), Luque (+205)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Padilla (-180), Med…

Sherdog's live PFL Chicago coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.

A world class bantamweight clash headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, April 11 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

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Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. K…

Yoel Romero’s father was concerned about him getting hurt in boxing. 

Still an athletic specimen at 48, Romero has made a career in bare-knuckle boxing since his most recent MMA bout in February 2024. However, the former UFC title challenger recently revealed that his father never wanted him to try boxing, even though he loved it. Romero’s father was concerned about the potential damage his son could suffer in boxing. However. “Soldier of God” went to try his hand at pugilism regardless.

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Difference in Opinion “I wanted to try boxing, but my father said no,” Romero told Red Corner MMA. “He said, ‘I don’t want you to do boxing because it’s very hard. Punches in the face, punches in the head.’ He told me many times, ‘Son, you don’t need to do this.’ I said, ‘Dad, I love boxing.’ When I see bareknuckles, I see it like boxing. The only thing is there are no gloves. He said, ‘No, my son, don’t do that.’ But doesn’t matter. My father said no, but now I…

Jon Jones' retirement from fighting was unceremonious to say the least. 

While Jones (28-1) was teasing a return to fighting until recently, the former UFC double champ is no longer considering it. “Bones” recently confirmed that he is now focused on his business ventures and won’t fight again.

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“No bare-knuckle. My gloves are hung up,” Jones said at an IBA bare-knuckle boxing event in Russia last month. “I’m chilling these days. You got business Jon Jones. No more fighter Jon Jones. The businessman.” 

Jones initially returned to action after a three-year hiatus in 2023 and made quick work of Ciryl Gane to win the UFC heavyweight title. Jones then insisted on defending the title against Stipe Miocic despite Tom Aspinall being the interim champ. Jones successfully defended the title against Miocic in 2024 and stalled the division, continuing to avoid Aspinall.

Failed Bid for the White House While Dana White kept promising that Jones woul…

Ilia Topuria’s son is a curious learner. 

Topuria recently boasted about his son’s fighting skills. However, the UFC double champion claims he has never formally trained his son. Topuria just brings his son to the gym and asks him to figure things out by watching. Topuria claims his son is inquisitive enough to pursue him and other coaches for lessons. Topuria doesn’t want to pressure his son to choose any particular career. While “El Matador” will support his son if he wants to fight, the undefeated Georgian-Spaniard most importantly wants him to have a purpose in life.

Finding a Purpose “You have to see my son. You don’t know how good he is,” Topuria told Adam Catteral. “In my life, I never teach him anything. Everything he knows is because he saw it. I never ever put him in a class. Come [to the gym] and do something. He is the one who’s always asking me and the coaches. When we finish training, he goes, ‘Hey, do you mind to be with me and teach me something?’...…