Martial Arts News

Marwan Rahiki has big aspiration for his UFC career. | Getty/UFC

Marwan Rahiki wants to go out without a blemish on his record. 

Rahiki (8-0) made his UFC debut in a featherweight matchup against Harry Hardwick at UFC Vegas 114 on Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas. Rahiki connected flush and landed significant damage on Hardwick, who showed extreme grit in refusing to go down. However, Hardwick had sustained visible damage to his jaw and started keeping his mouth wide open in the second round. Hardwick’s corner threw in the towel at the end of the second round after the Englishman informed them that he had a broken jaw. 

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Rahiki was unable to knock his opponent out clean despite his best efforts. “Freaky” saw that his opponent was physically well prepared, judging by the veins in his chest and shoulders. The undefeated Moroccan-Australian believes all of his opponents prepare extra hard to fight him and come in much better tha…

Steven Asplund got busted up at UFC Vegas 114. | Getty/UFC

Steven Asplund believes he should have won a decision against Vitor Petrino. 

Asplund (7-2) took on Petrino (14-2) in his sophomore UFC outing at UFC Vegas 114 on Saturday. Asplund dropped Petrino in the first round and looked close to securing a finish. However, Petrino weathered the early storm and got his offense going in the second round. Petrino left Asplund all bloodied up after 15 minutes to earn a unanimous decision victory. 

However, Asplund believes he did enough to sway the scorecards in his favor. The heavyweight newcomer uploaded a video of his bloodied face from the hospital, urging Dana White to take notice. The 27-year-old was slightly overwhelmed with emotions while thanking his fans for their support.

Still Pushing “That’s clearly not the decision we want,” Asplund said on his Instagram Stories. “I ain’t gonna lie, I thought I was gonna get the nod. My face looks …

Steve Erceg was victorious in his last outing against Ode Osbourne. | Getty/UFC

Steve Erceg will look for a victory in front of his home crowd against Tim Elliott. 

Erceg (13-4) and Elliott (21-13) will meet in a flyweight clash at UFC Perth on May 2 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The Las Vegas-based promotion recently announced the booking.

A Quick Ascent Erceg made his UFC debut in 2023 and earned a surprising title shot against Alexandre Pantoja after just three victories. However, Erceg’s stock slightly dropped after a failed title bid against Pantoja in 2024. “Astro Boy” then went on to drop two more against Kai Kara-France and Brandon Moreno. Erceg has since rebounded with a win over Ode Osbourne in August last year. The only other UFC card on which Erceg fought at home was UFC 305, where he was knocked out by Kara-France in 2024. 

Meanwhile, Elliott has seen it all in the flyweight division in his UFC career spanning over near…

Kevin Vallejos made short work of Josh Emmett. | Getty/UFC

Kevin Vallejos delivered on the biggest stage of his career to date.

The 24-year-old Argentina native earned a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his first-round technical knockout victory over Josh Emmett in the UFC Vegas 114 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Vallejos dropped his opponent with a right hand early, then sealed his victory with a barrage of offense against the fence at the 3:33 mark of Round 1.

Newcomers Earn Extra Cash Meanwhile, Marwan Rahiki and Harry Hardwick secured “Fight of the Night” honors and $100,000 apiece for their wild featherweight battle on the main card. While both fighters had their moments during a series of furious exchanges, Rahiki did the most significant damage, forcing the bout to be halted after due rounds after it was suspected that Hardwick suffered a broken jaw.

Finally, Octagon newcomer Manoel Sousa received the evening’s ot…

Kevin Vallejos blew a well-respected longtime contender out of the water.

The fast-rising 24-year-old Argentinian fortified his place among the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight elite, as he annihilated Josh Emmett with punches, knees and elbows in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 269 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Vallejos (18-1, 4-0 UFC) slammed the door 3:33 into Round 1, logging his seventh straight victory.

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Emmett (19-7, 10-7 UFC) was a non-factor. Vallejos stalked him from the center of the cage and let his exquisite timing and reactions light his way. He lured Emmett into an exchange, floored him with a right hook and swamped him with punches and elbows. Vallejos allowed the Californian to stand, then pinned him to the fence and launched an all-out assault on his body and head with a hailstorm of strikes, prompting the stoppage.

Meanwhile, Gillian Robertson overcame in inauspicious start to impleme…

Sherdog's live UFC Vegas 114 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC Vegas UFC Fight Night 269. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Rodriguez (-140); Hughes (+115)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Smith (-180); You (+150)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese …

Myktybek Orolbai looked like a dog playing with a chew toy.

The surging Kyrgyzstani welterweight took another step forward in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s loaded 170-pound weight class with a three-round unanimous decision over Chris Curtis in their featured UFC Fight Night 269 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Orolbai (16-2-1, 5-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 30-27 marks from the cageside judges.

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Curtis (32-13, 6-5 UFC) was a man with no answers. Orolbai closed the distance and completed one takedown after another, effectively smothering the former CES MMA champion across 15 non-competitive minutes. Every time Curtis managed to stand, his opponent was there to return him to the mat. Orolbai progressed to the back on multiple occasions and threatened the neck with rear-naked chokes but mostly chose to play it safe and dominate the battle with superior grappling.

Meanwhile, CM System mainstay Vitor Petrino called u…

Cory Sandhagen believes Merab Dvalishvili rushed into his rematch against Petr Yan.

Dvalishvili (21-5) defeated Yan (20-5) via a lopsided unanimous decision in their first matchup in 2023. While Dvalishvili won the bantamweight title soon after, Yan hasn’t lost a fight since. Yan earned a chance to avenge the loss in a rematch against Dvalishvili at UFC 323 this past December. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili looked to defend his bantamweight title for the fourth time in a year in his rematch against Yan. Dvalishvili made a two month turnaround from a successful title defense against Sandhagen in October. Yan put on a technical masterclass, outclassing Dvalishvili in every aspect to earn a huge upset win. 

Sandhagen admits he expected Dvalishvili to win the rematch against Yan. However, Sandhagen believes “The Machine” slightly underestimated Yan in making a quick turnaround for the rematch. Yan is currently recovering from a back surgery and is expected to face Dvalishvil…

Dricus Du Plessis doesn’t think Khamzat Chimaev has any right to call a fight boring. 

Max Holloway put his BMF title on the line against Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 earlier this month. Oliveira dominated Holloway on the ground to earn a unanimous decision win. Despite Oliveira’s dominant performance, some felt that the performance didn’t do justice to the BMF title. Chimaev also mocked the fight for lack of entertainment.

“This was crazy highlight fight,” Chimaev wrote.

This was crazy highlight fight 😂

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) March 8, 2026

Du Plessis slammed Chimaev for criticizing the fight. Du Plessis believes “Borz” doesn’t have the right to call out a fight for inactivity after their clash at UFC 319 last year. Du Plessis defended Oliveira’s performance, citing the Brazilian’s constant submission threats.

Pot, Meet Kettle “I saw Khamzat commenting and saying how boring that fight was,” Du Plessis told Fight Forecast. …

Carlos Prates believes former foe Ian Garry has the best chance of dethroning Islam Makhachev. 

Prates believes Garry’s well-rounded skillset and elite movement can make for a competitive fight against Makhachev. While Garry has lost to an elite grappler in Shavkat Rakhmonov, Prates believes a potential matchup against Makhachev will be different. Competing with Garry for the next welterweight title shot is Michael Morales. However, Prates believes Makhachev will successfully defend his title against Morales.

An Intriguing Challenge “I think Ian Garry,” Prates told Red Corner MMA.”I think it’ll be little bit different [than the Shavkat fight]. Because Ian Garry knows how to move a lot, how to be really competitive in any place, on the ground or stand up. So I think that fight would be interesting.”

Makhachev dethroned Jack Della Maddalena to the welterweight title at UFC 322 last November. Prates also entered the welterweight title picture by knocking out Leon Edwa…

Colby Covington believes the UFC has become lackadaisical after the Paramount deal. 

The UFC is set to host a one-of-a-kind event on President Donald Trump’s birthday, June 14, at the White House lawn. The card, billed as Freedom 250, is a tribute to America’s 250th year of independence. An avid supporter of Trump, Covington had been rallying for a spot on the card ever since it was first mentioned last year. However, when the card was announced last weekend, Covington left out. 

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Covington can’t comprehend why he isn’t a part of the White House card. “Chaos” believes the UFC has disappointed its hardcore fanbase with the White House lineup. According to the former welterweight title challenger, the UFC has become indifferent since landing the $7.7 billion deal with Paramount. Covington even makes a lofty prediction that the RAF 7 wrestling event on March 28 will be bigger than the White House card.‘It’s Just Sad’ “It doesn’t make sense to …

Cory Sandhagen believes Sean O'Malley has the privilege of choosing his opponents. 

Sandhagen (18-6) has been calling out O’Malley (19-3) for a matchup, which would be a striking treat for fans. Instead, O’Malley is now booked to fight Aiemann Zahabi at UFC White House on June 14. 

Sandhagen holds Sean O’Malley responsible for them not being booked against each other. O’Malley claims he was never offered Sandhagen for the White House. However, Sandhagen believes that’s not how it works for “Suga.” Sandhagen thinks O’Malley has the privilege of rejecting and picking fights of his choice. According to Sandhagen, not mentioning his name specifically was a clear duck from O’Malley. Sandhagen has now given up hope of the O’Malley matchup after multiple callouts. “The Sandman” also believes O’Malley will retire if he loses to Zahabi or even if he doesn’t see a certain route to a title run next.

‘A Cop-Out Punk Move’ “I don’t think the dude’s ever going to fight…