Martial Arts News

Sean O'Malley isn’t happy about Conor Benn’s $15 million Zuffa Boxing deal. 

Zuffa Boxing is the latest venture of Dana White and TKO Group, the parent company of the UFC. Zuffa recently signed Conor Benn, reportedly for $15 million for a single-fight deal. Benn also changed sides overnight, parting ways with Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn, who basically shaped his career. As Hearn predicted, UFC fighters aren’t happy about Benn’s Zuffa deal. 

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O’Malley doesn’t even completely believe the report of Benn being signed for $15 million. The former UFC bantamweight champion says he has never heard of Benn. O’Malley isn’t happy about someone else reaping the benefits after he played a pivotal role in generating revenue for the UFC.

“I can’t imagine it being true,” O’Malley said on YouTube. “I don’t even know who Conor Benn is. I’ve never heard of him… It’s crazy how you put in so much work in the UFC, build this name, create this character, be…

Aljamain Sterling is stepping in on short notice at RAF 6. | Getty/UFC

RAF wrestling is bringing in the best athletes from MMA.

Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is set to wrestle former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at RAF 6 on Feb. 28 at the Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona. Sterling replaces an injured Chad Mendes on short notice. 

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After a career spanning over 17 years, Henderson hung up his MMA gloves following a loss against Usman Nurmagomedov in 2023. “Smooth” has since competed in Karate Combat, boxing, and wrestling. Henderson most recently suffered a submission loss in a grappling match against Arman Tsarukyan at ACBJJ in September 2025. 

Meanwhile, Sterling has competed in various grappling matches while staying active in the UFC. “Funkmaster” has gone 2-1 since moving up to featherweight after losing his bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley in 2023. 

Champ vs. Champ

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Fans anticipating a future blockbuster showdown between Alex Pereira and Khamzat Chimaev might have to wait for the time being.

At the UFC Houston post-fight press conference this past Saturday, Dana White indicated that he preferred to see Chimaev defend his middleweight belt at least once before moving up to 185 pounds. However, the UFC CEO seemed more open to the possibility of “Poatan” moving up to heavyweight.

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“Pereira is one of those guys who always steps up and does what we need him to do. Whatever this guy wants to do, we’re going to work with him,” White said.Enjoying LifeMeanwhile, that same Saturday, some 5,000 miles away, the UFC light heavyweight champion posted a video enjoying the champions' parade at the Rio de Janeiro Carnival, a major event on the Brazilian calendar that attracts millions of people. In a video shared on Instagram, the UFC heavyweight champion showed the VIP area where he was enjoying the party with some friends. Read more

Mayweather defeated Pacquiao via unanimous decision in 2015. | Esther Lin/Showtime

More than a decade after their first fight, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are going to run it back.

Mayweather-Pacquiao 2 will take place on Sept. 19 at the Sphere in Las Vegas and will stream on Netflix, the streaming platform announced on Monday. After years of circling each other for a blockbuster bout, Mayweather and Pacquaio initially squared of in 2015, with “Money” winning a clear-cut unanimous decision.

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Mayweather, 48, hasn’t fought professionally since defeating former UFC two-division champion Conor McGregor via 10th-round TKO in August 2017. However, the former champion has competed in a number of exhibitions, facing the likes of Tenshin Nasukawa, Logan Paul, Mikuru Asakura and John Gotti III, to name a few. Mayweather, who owns a 50-0 professional mark, is expected to face Mike Tyson in an exhibition bout this April in the Congo.

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Ronda Rousey is ready to go head-to-head against the UFC as she promotes her comeback fight.

The former UFC bantamweight queen will compete for the first time since 2016 when she faces Gina Carano under the Most Valuable Promotions banner in a featherweight bout televised on Netflix on May 16. The fight has generated plenty of attention since it was announced last week, and a lot of that has to do with Rousey, who remains the biggest star in women’s MMA history.

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For Rousey, however, at least part of the narrative centers around her showdown with Carano providing some competition for the UFC.

"It's a dream fight and a superfight and everything, but I feel like the story and everything behind it is not just this fight," Rousey said in a video released by MVP on Monday.. "A lot of it is MVP vs. UFC. That's where I'm gonna f—-ing go real hard in the trenches.

"We're helping [the UFC] because they're suffering from a lack of competition. They can'…

Daniel Cormier is impressed with the version of Sean Strickland that showed up at UFC Houston on Saturday. 

Strickland was a massive underdog going into his middleweight headliner against Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston on Saturday. However, Strickland displayed his signature defensive striking masterclass from the opening bell, never letting “Fluffy” find his rhythm. Strickland folded Hernandez with a knee to the midsection in the third round and followed up with a barrage of punches, forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight.

Cormier believes that the version of Strickland that defeated Hernandez could also pose a serious threat to the champion Khamzat Chimaev. “DC” recalls that a similar version of Strickland had shocked the world by dethroning Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight title in 2023. Strickland lost his title to Dricus Du Plessis in his first defense and failed to reclaim it in their rematch. However, Cormier believes Strickland wasn’t …

Paddy Pimblett isn’t happy that Benoit St. Denis has climbed above him in the rankings by beating Dan Hooker. 

St. Denis dominated Hooker en route to a technical knockout win at UFC 3255 last month. The win saw the Frenchman climb ahead of Pimblett to the No. 5 spot on the official UFC lightweight rankings. The fact that St. Denis overtook Pimblett by beating Hooker isn’t sitting well with the Liverpudlian. Pimblett is now calling for a matchup against St. Denis, which he bills as a matchup between Europe’s two best lightweights. However, Pimblett is willing to fight anyone that the UFC offers, be it Arman Tsarukyan or anyone from the fallout of the upcoming UFC 326 headliner between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira.

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Keeping Options Open “What pissed me off is that St. Denis has moved above me for beating that bum Dan Hooker… St. Denis sounds like a good fight to me,” Pimblett said on YouTube. “Europe’s two best lightweights going at it again…

Sean Strickland had some choice words about his opponent's coach on Saturday. | Getty/UFC

Sean Strickland drew fuel from his anger toward Anthony Hernandez’s coach, Jim West. 

Strickland (30-7) faced Hernandez in the main event at UFC Houston on Saturday. Unlike most of his other opponents, Strickland couldn’t find a reason to hate Hernandez. Strickland then directed his anger towards Hernandez’s coach, West. It certainly paid off as Strickland looked in his element en route to a third-round stoppage win over “Fluffy.”

Strickland subsequently accused West of grooming former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd. Strickland claims Ladd was still a minor when West started grooming her. However, Strickland’s tirade was cut short as his mic was muted, and the press conference abruptly ended.

On a Tirade “I kept thinking there’s no f—-ing way I’m gonna let this predator beat me and have a victory over me,” Strickland said. “So my motivation was thinking about Jim We…

Dana White doesn’t think similarly about every UFC champion planning to move up a weight class. 

Light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira reclaimed his title by knocking out Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 320 last year, avenging a previous loss. Pereira is now eyeing a move up to heavyweight. White says “Poatan” has always stepped up for the UFC and deserves to do whatever he wants. White assures that the promotion will work with the Brazilian on whatever his next plan is.

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“He’s one of those guys who always steps up and does whatever we need him to do,” White said at the UFC Houston post-fight press conference. “Whatever that guy wants to do, we’ll work with him.”The Need to DefendHowever, White doesn’t think the same about middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev. Chimaev won the middleweight title via a dominant unanimous decision against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 last year. “Borz” is now eyeing a move up to light heavyweight to challenge Pereira. H…

Uros Medic had an eventful night at UFC Houston on Saturday. 

Medic (13-3) co-headlined the card against welterweight veteran Geoff Neal at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. “The Doctor” sent Neal to the shadow realm with a left hook to the temple in the very first round. 

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Medic revealed that he was congratulated by President Donald Trump immediately after his win. Trump lauded Medic for dispatching Neal, who was known for his durability until his last few losses. Medic, who was born in Serbia, also shares ethnic similarity to the first lady of the United States, Melania Trump, who was born in Slovenia. Medic had also pleaded for the resolution of his immigration issues in his post-fight Octagon interview. Trump promised that the UFC welterweight would be free to travel. Medic was overwhelmed by the conversation, which seemed unreal initially.

“They brought me back,” Medic told the UFC. “Dana was in the office, as soon as I walked in,…

Paddy Pimblett believes his fight against Justin Gaethje might have played out differently had fouls been aptly penalized. 

Pimblett (23-4) and Gaethje (27-5) fought for the vacant lightweight title in the main event at UFC 324 last month in Las Vegas. Gaethje handed Pimblett a beating en route to a unanimous decision victory. However, the fight wasn’t entirely devoid of controversy. 

Gaethje received a stern warning for poking Pimblett in the eye in the first round. Gaethje also dropped Pimblett late in the second round and “The Baddy” was barely saved by the bell. But replay showed that Gaethje blatantly poked Pimblett in the eye before dropping him in the second round. However, despite the previous warning, Gaethje didn’t have a point taken away.  Pimblett notes that the most damage he received from Gaethje was after he got poked in the eye and then dropped. The Liverpudlian came back strong and went on to went on to win the third round on all three o…

Paul Hughes will fight on home soil this spring. | PFL MMA

A lightweight clash pitting Paul Hughes against Jay-Jay Wilson will headline Professional Fighters League’s return to Belfast, Ireland, the promotion announced Monday.

PFL Belfast takes place at the SSE Arena on April 16. The main card airs on ESPN2, the ESPN app and ESPN Deportes in the United States beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The prelims will be broadcast on the ESPN app at 2:30 p.m.. ET/11:30 a.m. PT. More bout are expected to be revealed in the coming weeks.

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Lightweight Contenders in Ireland A former Cage Warriors champion, Hughes was a high-profile free agent signee for the PFL in 2024. He has gone 2-2 under the PFL banner, with both of his losses coming against reigning lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov. He notably defeated former Bellator MMA featherweight king A.J. McKee via split decision at PFL “Battle of the Giants” in October 2024.

Wilson, meanwhile, …