Martial Arts News

Nassourdine Imavov hasn’t been guaranteed a title shot against Khamzat Chimaev. 

Imavov recently revealed that the UFC brass originally wanted to match him against Chimaev in December 2025. The potential timeline was later postponed to this past February, but Chimaev was injured. Imavov says that although matchmaker Mick Maynard recently reiterated his interest in the matchup, nothing has been confirmed yet.

Multiple Delays “No final news yet, no contract signed,” Imavov told MMAFighting.com. “One of the last discussions I had with Hunter Campbell and Mick Maynard in Qatar – They told me that they wanted to schedule the fight against Khamzat for December, then for February. But Khamzat got injured. We spoke recently with Mick Maynard, and they want to see the fight happen, but we don’t have final approval.”

Imavov (17-4) is widely considered the most deserving middleweight title contender with wins over Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier, Brendan Allen, Israel Adesany…

Robert Whittaker believes Max Holloway can’t lose the BMF  title. 

Holloway puts his BMF title on the line against Charles Oliveira in the main event at UFC 326 on March 7 in Las Vegas. While Whittaker doesn’t exactly understand what the BMF title signifies, he is sure that there is none more deserving of the honor than Holloway. Whittaker recalls Holloway's iconic point down in the final seconds of his fight against Justin Gaethje, and knocking him out in a buzzer beater. Whittaker believes no one except Holloway has the guts to invite their opponent to a slugfest in the final seconds of a fight that they were already winning convincingly. While “The Reaper” likes Oliveira, he is concerned that the Brazilian will suffer serious damage against Holloway.

Safety Concerns “I don’t think Max can lose that title,” Whittaker told Submission Radio. “You can’t be up five rounds and then point to the center of the Octagon — nobody else does that. Nobody else can. They d…

Dana White has confirmed the date for UFC White House is still the same. 

The UFC is set to stage a one-of-kind event at the White House in June. The date for the card was initially expected to be June 14, the birthday of President Donald Trump. But recent reports surfaced of the card being postponed to June 26. However, White has since refuted the rumors, assuring fans that the event will take place on June 14, Trump’s birthday.

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Media to Blame White wrote on Instagram Stories: “Media is so full of s—t. White House fight. Date is the same, Sunday, June 14.” 

The idea for the card was initially floated in June last year. The event will be held on the South Lawn of the White House, with potentially four to five title fights on the card. According to White, the $20 million budget for Noche UFC at the Sphere in 2024 is “ashtray money” compared to the cost of the White House card. A plethora of UFC stars have been calling for a spot on the car…

Michael Page was disappointed in the amount of money Zuffa Boxing shelled out for Conor Benn. | Getty/UFC

When the UFC broadcast deal with Paramount was announced, Michael Page took a wait-and-see approach rather than immediately celebrating the news.

Page’s skepticism turned out to be well founded when Zuffa Boxing, which is owned the same parent company as the UFC, made headlines in the combat sports world by signing Conor Benn to a one-fight deal worth a reported $15 million. While salary figures are rarely released these days, there are few, if any, athletes under the UFC banner who make that much for a single fight. Even with the new seven-year, $7.7 billion broadcast rights deal in place, thus far it doesn’t appear that UFC purses have increased significantly.

"It’s not something that I'm happy about," Page told Yahoo! Sports of the Benn signing. "What I would say is when the announcement of the Paramount, big-money partnership [with the UFC] came…

Brad Kohler (left) squared off against "Babalu" Sobral in 2000. | Marcelo Alonso/Sherdog.com

Brad Kohler once fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the pre-Zuffa era.

In the present day, he has big political aspirations in his home state. Kohler recently announced in a press release that he will be running for governor in Minnesota.

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“Many of you know me as a former UFC heavyweight professional fighter and three-time MMA world champion,” Kohler stated. “Since then, I have been recognized as an author, inventor, small business owner and mentor. From the experiences in my life, the family values and standards I hold myself to, and my business background, I believe I am the best candidate for this office.

“…My relentless commitment to serving the people of this great state has driven me to pursue this opportunity to lead. As governor, I will focus on making Minnesota a better place to live, work, and raise a family.”

From Lo…

Merab Dvalishvili is the latest UFC star to cross over the Real American Freestyle.

The organization announced on Tuesday that Dvalishvili will headline RAF 8 in Philadelphia on April 18. His opponent will be revealed at a later date. RAF 8 will stream exclusively on Fox Nation.

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“One of MMA’s most dominant champions is coming to wrestling’s new main stage,” read a post on social media.A Growing Talent Pool RAF, an unscripted professional wrestling league, has already enlisted the services of former and current UFC stars like Henry Cejudo, Arman Tsarukyan, Bo Nickal, Urijah Faber, Yoel Romero, Colby Covington and Michael Chandler, to name a few. The promotion’s upcoming event, RAF 6, takes place on Saturday in Tempe, Arizona and is headlined by a clash between Cejudo and Faber.

Over the course of a 14-bout winning streak from 2018 to 2025, Dvalishvili established himself as the UFC’s top bantamweight talent. “The Machine” captured 135-pound gold wit…

Sean O'Malley believes the UFC, by itself, doesn’t want to restrict speech in any way. 

Sean Strickland knocked out Anthony Hernandez in the third-round of their UFC Houston headliner last Saturday. Known for his controversial and unhinged opinions, fans were eagerly waiting for Strickland’s post-fight press conference. The former UFC middleweight champion met the expectations by accusing Hernandez’s coach, Jim West, of grooming former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd. However, Strickland’s mic was muted soon after, and the press conference abruptly ended. 

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O’Malley believes the UFC’s new Paramount deal is responsible for Strickland’s presser getting cut short. During the ESPN era, UFC numbered events had to be purchased on a pay-per-view basis. Meanwhile, the Fight Nights could be viewed on an ESPN+ subscription. O’Malley recalls that there was absolutely no restriction on speech after numbered cards during the ESPN era. However, fighters woul…

Nassourdine Imavov vows to knock out Sean Strickland in a potential rematch. 

Strickland scored a massive upset win over Anthony Hernandez via a third-round knockout at UFC Houston last weekend. Imavov has since been calling for a chance to avenge his previous loss against Strickland. 

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Strickland replaced an injured Kelvin Gastelum against Imavov in 2023. The fight took place at light heavyweight as Strickland came in on five days’ notice. Strickland defeated Imavov via an emphatic unanimous decision. 

However, Imavov claims the fight would have played out differently under “normal conditions.” While Imavov is calling for a rematch against Strickland, the former champ is eyeing a title shot against Khamzat Chimaev. Imavov accuses Strickland of ducking him. “The Sniper” believes Strickland is scared of a brutal beatdown against him, but doesn’t mind being choked out by Chimaev.

‘He’ll End Up Unconscious’ “Of course he's ducking,” I…

Opinions are mixed regarding in the Brazilian MMA community regarding Conor McGregor's return. | Bellator MMA

Among the most debated topics in the MMA community today is the return of the biggest star in the history of the sport, Conor McGregor.

Away from MMA since 2021, when he was injured in a fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, McGregor left many people curious last week when he made an enigmatic post on his X account suggesting that his opponent at the White House will be an unknown. 

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“It´s a no name up next to me possibly, folks. And, as you know idgaf, I ACCEPT. Send the contract, lads,” he wrote.

Interestingly, Fighting Nerds coach Flavio Alvaro had said in an exclusive interview with Sherdog days before that fans could expect a huge fight for Prates.

"Something very, very big is coming for him and it will be announced soon, unfortunately I'm not yet authorized to say anything," said Alvaro.

Since Spanish journalis…

Sean O'Malley wants to renegotiate with the UFC before his current contract expires. 

O’Malley (19-3) recently revealed that he has only two fights left on his current UFC contract. According to “Suga,” the UFC doesn’t like fighters to exhaust their contracts as it opens the door for offers from competitors. However, O’Malley can’t imagine any other promotion that he would rather be in. Hence, O’Malley is looking forward to renegotiating with the UFC when he travels to Las Vegas next month. The former UFC bantamweight champion is expecting a bigger contract, especially since he is coming off a win.

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Show Him the Money “I have two fights left on my deal, so ideally I’ll probably go renegotiate,” O’Malley said on YouTube. “The UFC really doesn't like people fighting their contract out. Because that’s when you can start getting offers from other people. It’s like – where the f—k else you want to go? Typically, they don’t want you to fight your contr…

Demetrious Johnson believes Dana White wanted to show his competitors his might by signing Conor Benn to Zuffa Boxing. 

Benn, who is still far from the pinnacle of boxing, recently made headlines by signing with Zuffa Boxing. Benn parted ways with longtime promoter Eddie Hearn and signed with Zuffa overnight for reportedly a $15 million one-fight deal. 

According to Johnson, Benn’s signing is a flex from the UFC head honcho. Johnson believes White isn’t concerned about the sustainability of deals like Benn’s. “Mighty Mouse” believes White just wanted to show his competitors what they are up against by signing Benn for $15 million.

Because He Can “$15 million for one fight is crazy,” Johnson said on YouTube. “Because, what’s gonna happen after this fight? Is the $15 million worth having Conor Benn? It's the first time I've heard of him. From what everybody tells me, he is a very good boxer. But is Khamzat Chimaev making $15 million? Is Ilia Topuria making …

Xtreme Couture head coach Eric Nicksick believes what happens in the gym should stay in the gym. 

Sean Strickland (30-7) has been accusing middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev (15-0) of inactivity for a while now. Chimaev claims Strickland is irked with him after getting submitted in the past while training together at Xtreme Couture. 

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Strickland scored an upset win by knocking out Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston last weekend. Strickland subsequently called for a title shot against Chimaev. Strickland claims Chimaev submitted him in a situational grappling spar. The former middleweight champ claims he made Chimaev quit training at Xtreme Couture. Strickland asked his teammates and his longtime coach, Nicksick, to back up his claims. Meanwhile, Chimaev claims he destroyed Strickland in sparring, and Nicksick is aware of it. 

See you soon boy 🤫

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) February 23, 2026 Better Left …