Martial Arts News

#LFA224 Face Off ⚔️

Takes place Friday, January 16th at the @MysticLake Casino Hotel in #PriorLake #Minnesota

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📲 Main card live on @VICETV® at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.Prelims live on YouTube at 7:30pm ET #LFAFightNetwork

Meet the prospects: https://t.co/y05gTyWe3y pic.twitter.com/FWPgaGQVYy

— LFA (@LFAfighting) January 15, 2026 The Legacy Fighting Alliance kicks off 2026 with a heavyweight championship fight for the vacant title, which is now official following the LFA 224 weigh-ins.

Throwing down for up to five possible rounds are Matthew Adams and undefeated prospect Arslan Bilalov. Both men came in under the 266-pound heavyweight limit. As for the rest of the card, all fighters made weight with the exception of Jose Ferreira, who came in 5.8 pounds over the lightweight cap. As a result, his fight against Ednilson Barros Santos has been canceled.

The 28-year-old Adams is the slightly more experienced p…

Rizin Fighting Federation has confirmed four bouts, including a super atomweight showdown between Saori Oshima and Keito Oyama, for its first event of 2026.

Rizin 52 on March 7 will also include the following three contests: Luiz Gustavo vs. Taisei Sakuraba at lightweight; Takaki Soya vs. Tony Laramie at flyweight and Viktor Kolesnik vs. Kazuki Aimoto at featherweight.

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Rizin 52 takes place at Ariake Arena in Tokyo and is availabile on pay-per-view via Rizin.TV.

The promotion also announced that Rizin Landmark Vol. 13 will take place on April 12 at Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka Japan. No fights were confirmed for that event.

Oshima won her first four Rizin appearances to eventually earn a super atomweight title shot. “Little Giant” came up short in that opportunity, falling to women’s pound-for-pound stalwart Seika Izawa via unanimous decision at Rizin Landmark Vol. 12 this past November.

Oyama, who is more commonly known as “Kate Lotu…

The UFC Apex has a new name.

As a result of a partnership with Meta, the promotion’s home venue in Las Vegas will now be known as the Meta Apex for the next five years. UFC CEO Dana White announced the rebranding via social media on Monday.

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“So as we go into the new year, the home of Contender Series, the home of some [UFC] Fight Nights, the home of Zuffa Boxing, UFC BJJ will now be called the Meta Apex,” White said on Instagram. “We’ve done a five-year deal with Meta.

“So welcome to the new Meta Apex.”

White was elected to the Meta board of directors in 2025. One of the largest information technology companies in the U.S., Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, among other things. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is an avid MMA fan and consistent jiu-jitsu practitioner.

A New ExperienceAccording to a release, “Meta branding will be integrated throughout the facility. UFC and Meta will also work together to create interactive exper…

Justin Gaethje wants to avenge his loss against Max Holloway. 

Gaethje (26-5) is scheduled to fight Paddy Pimblett (23-3) for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Holloway (27-8) is set to trade leather against Charles Oliveira (36-11) at UFC 326 on March 7 in Las Vegas. 

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Gaethje recently revealed that he is rooting for Holloway to beat Oliveira. Gaethje wants a rematch against Holloway if they both win their respective fights. Gaethje also hopes that the current lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria, moves up a weight class. Gaethje would then defend his lightweight title against Holloway, along with the latter’s BMF title on the line, preferably at the White House in June.High Stakes “I hope Max wins. I hope Ilia goes up,” Gaethje told the UFC. “And then I can fight Max on the White House card and take the BMF belt and the championship belt.”

Gaethje has only lost to Holloway in his last four outings…

Paddy Pimblett doesn’t think he can be mimicked. 

Pimblett is scheduled to fight Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas. While Gaethje is known for his striking, Pimblett boasts a high level of wrestling. Gaethje’s camp recently said that they have been emphasizing wrestling to prepare for Pimblett. Regardless, Pimblett believes Gaethje won’t be able to stifle his wrestling. Pimblett claims that he doesn’t wrestle conventionally, making his style awkward. While fighters usually bring in sparring partners to emulate their upcoming opponents, Pimblett doesn’t think Gaethje will find any to mimic him.

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‘I’m Not Normal’ "I don't wrestle like a normal person,” Pimblett told the UFC. “I don't shoot double legs and single legs and wrestle like a normal person. I do everything differently. I'm not normal. He’s not gonna be able to get a sparring partner that grapples like me or strikes like me, because I'm a we…

Justin Gaethje’s recent retirement threat was not all his idea. 

Gaethje (26-5) is scheduled to fight Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas. The interim title fight was hatched after champion Ilia Topuria announced a short break from competition for personal reasons. Gaethje and Pimblett (23-3) were previously frontrunners for a title shot against Topuria. However, Topuria has clearly expressed his preference for defending his title against Pimblett over Gaethje. Gaethje was threatening retirement if denied a title shot in his next fight. 

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Thankfully for Gaethje, circumstances played out in his favor. However, Gaethje recently revealed that the retirement threat was partly his manager, Ali Abdelaziz’s idea. Gaethje also admitted that he was being emotional about the whole situation.Taking Things Personally "I definitely got what I asked for,” Gaethje told the UFC. “It was more that my manager put…

Paddy Pimblett vows to finish Justin Gaethje on the feet. 

Pimblett (23-3) is scheduled to fight Gaethje (26-5) for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas. “The Baddy” believes Max Holloway has already delivered the gameplan to beat Justin Gaethje. Holloway and Gaethje fought for the BMF title at UFC 300 in 2024. Holloway picked Gaethje apart on the feet before finishing him in a last-round buzzer-beater. 

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While people expect Pimblett to wrestle Gaethje, the Liverpudlian plans to follow Holloway’s gameplan. Pimblett believes his striking is underestimated. Pimblett notes that while he dominated Michael Chandler in his last outing, Gaethje had a “Fight of the Year” slugfest against Chandler in 2021, which he won via unanimous decision. Pimblett claims he has the perfect gameplan against Gaethje and plans to finish him within three rounds.Going Against Expectations “I’ll keep it on the feet with him,” Pimblett told th…

Chael Sonnen recently extended his support to Arman Tsarukyan. 

Tsarukyan (23-3) has been denied a lightweight title shot despite being widely regarded as the most deserving contender. Tsarukyan was originally scheduled to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311 last year. However, Tsarukyan pulled out due to an injury a day before the fight, disappointing the UFC 

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As Dana White promised, Tsarukyan was sidelined when Makhachev vacated his belt and moved up. Ilia Topuria defeated Charles Oliveira to win the vacant title while Tsarukyan weighed in as the backup. While Tsarukyan kept rallying for a title shot, Topuria seemed interested in fighting Paddy Pimblett. Tsarukyan thought a title shot would be undeniable when he finished Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar this past November. However, Tsarukyan was sidelined again when Topuria announced a short hiatus from action for personal reasons. “Ahalkalakets” has to keep waiting whil…