Martial Arts News

Belal Muhammad and Kamaru Usman’s common manager, Ali Abdelaziz, must be in a tough spot. 

Muhammad is scheduled to fight surging welterweight contender Gabriel Bonfim at UFC Fight Night 278 on June 6 at the Apex in Las Vegas. Muhammad claims Bonfim and Usman were two potential opponents initially mentioned to him by his manager. However, Muhammad was almost certain he would have to fight Bonfim, as he knew Usman wouldn’t accept. 

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Muhammad even plans to tell Abdelaziz in person that he is protecting Usman. However, Muhammad also understands Abdelaziz’s predicament. Muhammad notes that Usman is one of the most high-profile fighters that Abdelaziz has managed over the years. However, Muhammad believes “The Nigerian Nightmare” is at the tail end of his career, where he has to wait for a perfect matchup.

Usman was initially rallying for a welterweight title shot against Islam Makhachev, who is also managed by Abdelaziz. However, Muhammad beli…

Dominick Reyes sees an upside to fighting on the same card that has a title fight. 

Reyes (15-5) is scheduled to fight fellow veteran Johnny Walker (22-9) in a light heavyweight matchup at UFC 327 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. Meanwhile, Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg will fight for the vacant light heavyweight title in the main event of the same card. 

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Reyes believes there is an advantage of fighting on the same card where the title is on the line. According to “The Devastator,” we live in a world of recency bias. Reyes believes a highlight-reel win over Walker will make him relevant in the title picture since the title goes on the line just a couple of fights later.Planning to Put on a Show “I win this fight, I would have won four of my last five, so it’s pretty damn good,” Reyes told MMAjunkie.com. “The cool thing about fighting on the title fight card is a relevancy thing. We live in a world of, ‘What have you don…

Ian Garry is hungry for a welterweight title shot. | Getty/UFC

Ian Garry doesn’t miss any opportunity to rally for a title shot against Islam Makhachev. 

Garry is considered a frontrunner, along with Michael Morales, for the next welterweight title shot against Makhachev. However, a matchup between Makhachev and lightweight champion Ilia Topuria is arguably one of the most anticipated matchups in modern MMA history. A fight between Topuria and Makhachev was rumoured to be the original plan for the UFC White House card in June. However, Topuria will now defend his title against interim champion Justin Gaethje at the White House on June 14. 

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Topuria hinted that he was originally scheduled to fight Makhachev, who pulled out. Makhachev recently denied Topuria’s accusations, claiming to have accepted the fight. Makhachev instead accused Topuria of demanding an unrealistic amount of money, and pulling out when the UFC didn’t meet h…

Paulo Costa can’t wait to get rid of his worst investment.

Costa recently revealed that he regrets buying an old BMW in Las Vegas. The UFC star did not expect the amount of wear and tear the car has undergone, leading to perpetually high maintenance costs. “Borrachinha” can’t wait to sell the old car.

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Buyer’s Remorse“I bought an old BMW in Las Vegas,” Costa told t UFC on Paramount+. “I think it was the worst thing because it has a lot of damage, and the maintenance is so high. We spent a lot of money on that. I can’t wait to sell it.”

Costa (15-4) is scheduled to fight undefeated light heavyweight contender Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The Brazilian is coming off an upset win over Roman Kopylov that saw him rebound from consecutive losses against Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland. However, Costa displayed two of his best performances in the losses against Whittaker and Strickland.

Meanwhi…

Carlos Ulberg has won nine straight UFC bouts. | Getty/UFC

Jiri Prochazka is one of the most unorthodox fighters in the sport, which can make game planning something of an interesting process.

The was the challenge Carlos Ulberg faced as he prepared to face Prochazka for the vacant light heavyweight title in the UFC 327 main event on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami. At the same time, the City Kickboxing standout has been eyeing Prochazka as a potential opponent for quite some time as he made his way toward the top of the 205-pound division.

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“There's no real preparing for a particular fighter like Jiri. He's very unpredictable,” Ulberg told the UFC.  “We do have some looks that can give us what we need for this particular fight. It was a short notice to take this fight on, especially it being a world title fight, five rounds.

“But we've been preparing for this fight for years now. We've seen it happen. We've seen that …

Gable Steveson has an opponent for his Real American Freestyle debut.

The two-time NCAA national champion and Olympic gold medalist will square off against Alexander Romanov in the RAF 9 main event on May 30 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas. The organization announced the match on Tuesday. Additionally, Colby Covington will meet Chris Weidman in the RAF 9 co-headliner. The event streams on Fox Nation.

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A Highly-Anticipated Debut While his wrestling background is well known, Steveson is also 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.

Romanov went 7-3 during a 10-bout UFC stint to 2024. The 35-year-old Moldovan has since joined Professional Fighters League and is currently scheduled t…

Khamzat Chimaev (15-0) recently said that he does not put too much thought into his legacy.

The UFC middleweight champion believes legacy will find its own course if it has too. Chimaev enjoys traveling to fight and the paycheck that follows.

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“No legacy,” Chimaev said on the "Beyond the Win” podcast. podcast. “I never think too much about the legacy. Legacy gonna come by itself. I enjoy my job. I like to train, I like to fly to other countries, beat somebody up, take the money and come back.” A Growing Trend? Chimaev is not the first fighter to prioritize money over legacy. The legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov had always emphasized that he fought for his legacy, not money. However, things have since changed in the MMA world. Former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou fought only once in MMA after leaving the UFC, despite securing a lucrative contract with the PFL. When asked if he jeopardized his legacy by leaving the UFC, Ngannou said that le…

Jiri Prochazka doesn’t mix emotions with his profession. 

Prochazka has stopped every UFC opponent with the exception Alex Pereira. The Czech star was finished in two title fights against Pereira. However, Prochazka doesn’t hold any grudges against Pereira. “BJP” isn’t hell bent on avenging his losses against Pereira. Prochazka took the losses in his stride, and wants to prove that he always comes back stronger.

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Moving On “I'm not pushing the UFC to give me Alex,” Prochazka told New York Post Sports. “I’m not obsessed with that. I'm not the guy who holds some bad emotions, like, ‘I have to defeat Alex Pereira. Til that time I won’t find calm.’ I really don’t care. Every fall down will strengthen your mind and spirit. And you have to come back and be the best.”

Prochazka (32-5) was knocked out by Pereira (13-3) the first time in a fight for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 295 in 2023. Pereira once again defended his title against Prochazka …

Islam Makhachev recently doubled down on his accusations against Ilia Topuria. 

A fight between Makhachev (28-1) and Topuria (17-0) is arguably the most anticipated booking by MMA fans right now. With the buildup going on for over a year, the fight was reportedly being targeted to be the main event for the UFC White House card in June. However, Topuria is now scheduled to defend his lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje at the White House. 

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Topuria has since claimed that he originally accepted an offer to fight Makhachev at the White House. However, Topuria was allegedly informed that he would fight Gaethje a day before the card was officially announced by the UFC. Topuria recently reiterated his comments at a press conference in Spain. 

Makhachev has now responded to Topuria, accusing the undefeated Georgian-Spaniard of turning down a fight offer. Makhachev claims he accepted an offer to fight Topuria at the Whi…

Dricus Du Plessis has faced some opponents who just refused to go down.

Du Plessis (23-3) lost his middleweight title to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 last year. However, it didn’t feel like a fight to Du Plessis, as he was dominated for five straight rounds. Excluding the loss against Chimaev, Du Plessis considers Israel Adesanya the most technically sound opponent he has faced so far. Du Plessis was losing against Adesanya while defending his title in 2024, before he turned things around and submitted “The Last Stylebender.” 

In terms of sheer grit, Du Plessis considers Brad Tavares and Sean Strickland his toughest opponents so far. Du Plessis has won two title fights against Strickland, who is known for defensive striking. Du Plessis notes that while Strickland rolled with his punches, Tavares kept standing despite absorbing some flush shots.

Technical and Tough “Obviously, the Khamzat fight was one that I lost pretty significantly,” Du Plessis told Fight Fore…

Santiago Ponzinibbio never enjoyed the company of Colby Covington. 

Ponzinibbio recently called out Covington for a UFC fight. “The Argentine Dagger” slammed Covington for calling for matchups that are implausible. Ponzinibbio has previously trained with Covington at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. Ponzinibbio doubts Covington will accept his callout considering their experience training together.

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“One fight that I would like without a doubt is against Colby Covington,” Ponzinibbio told Hablemos MMA A. “… He is always asking for fights that he knows aren’t gonna happen. We had the opportunity to train together here, at American Top Team. But truth is, he knows that it may not be an easy fight for him. And that’s why he doesn’t want to accept it. But it would be a great fight for me without a doubt.” 

Covington left ATT in 2020 over growing feuds with multiple teammates. Ponzinibbio claims Covington was always selfish, compet…

Khamzat Chimaev is oozing confidence as usual. 

Chimaev dethroned Dricus Du Plessis to win the middlweight title at UFC 319 last year. While some expected it to be close contest, Chimaev dominated Du Plessis for five rounds to earn a unanimous decision win. “Borz” was extremely confident going into his title fight against the South African. Chimaev explains that he doesn’t like to accept fights that he thinks he won’t win. And Chimaev currently believes he can win all potential fights that are on offer. The undefeated Chechen-born doesn’t think it’s a big deal to beat up just one opponent inside the Octagon.

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“Honestly, I don’t like to start things where I can’t win,” Chimaev said on the ”Beyond the Win” podcast.. “These fights, I can win. That’s why – I know I can win the fight, I go in excited, happy. It’s only one guy against you. It’s not that big thing to beat him up.” No Fear Chimaev (15-0) puts his title on the line against Sean Stric…