Martial Arts News

The Ultimate Fighting Championship took a significant financial hit by staging UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

Despite the loss, the promotion's parent company still posted strong overall growth in the second quarter of 2026.

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TKO details the financial impact of UFC Freedom 250 and Q2 2026 earnings TKO Group Holdings recently released its latest financial results, revealing that the White House event resulted in an estimated $30 million loss for the company. Notably, the event didn’t generate any ticket revenue because it was invite-only. The promotion recouped some of the cost through sponsorships and other commercial partnerships.

“With regards to UFC Freedom 250, we incurred significantly higher than normal costs, which we partially offset with sold-out global partnerships inventory,” TKO chief financial officer Andrew Schleimer said during a call with investors. “As a reminder, we did not sell tickets and therefore did not record any live e…

BJJ icons gathered in Rio de Janeiro to honor Murilo Bustamante. | 📷: Marcelo Alonso/Sherdog

Murilo Bustamante’s latest Brazilian jiu-jitsu milestone became a gathering of the sport’s past, present and future.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion and longtime BJJ figure was promoted to 8th-degree black belt, receiving the red-and-white coral belt. This was celebrated at the AABB club in Lagoa, Rio de Janeiro, with many legends in attendance.

Several Brazilian legends attended Murilo Bustamante’s belt promotion Bustamante's promotion was witnessed by major figures from both the grappling and mixed martial arts world.

Among those in attendance were Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, Ricardo Liborio, Ricardo De La Riva, Fernando Pinduka, Carlos Rosado and Bebeo Duarte. Former rivals from other academies also gathered to honor Bustamante, including Ralph Gracie, Leonardo Castello Branco, Sergio Zveiter, Hélio Soneca and Vini …

Jonah Hill’s comments about jiu-jitsu have drawn a reaction from Cub Swanson.

Hill, who trains jiu-jitsu, said that he would “annihilate” anyone who challenges him. Swanson, who competed in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship for nearly 15 years, now wants to test the Hollywood star’s skills.

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Cub Swanson had a playful response after Jonah Hill's confident Brazilian jiu-jitsu comments. Hill’s physical transformation has garnered much attention lately. The actor was known for playing characters on the heavier side, but his weight loss over the past few years hasn’t gone unnoticed. He recently revealed that jiu jitsu has played a major role in his fitness journey and positively benefited his confidence as well.

“I love Brazilian jiu-jitsu, except my body is begging me not to love it,” Hill said during his appearance on SiriusXM’s Smartless. “My wife is often like, ‘You’re not going to become a professional fighter. You kno…

Cain Velasquez has reflected on how life has changed since his release from prison.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion was incarcerated after targeting an individual he accused of molesting one of his young relatives. He was released earlier this year, but has stayed away from the limelight. Velasquez has now opened up about his time in prison and the changes that have followed.

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Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez reveals how life changed after prison Back in 2022, Velasquez pursued Harry Goularte, a man he accused of molesting one of his young relatives in San Jose, California. He even shot at Goularte’s vehicle, but he came away uninjured. Velasquez was later sentenced to five years in prison for the incident.

After being released in February upon serving 11 months, Velasquez has been focused on rebuilding his life. He is currently mentoring fighters at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose.

“I've always been a teacher eve…

Two Dutch heavyweight combat sports legends are reportedly in talks to meet.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Alistair Overeem and longtime Glory heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven are in negotiations for a boxing match in Amsterdam, per a new report.

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Alistair Overeem and Rico Verhoeven reportedly negotiating heavyweight boxing showdown in Amsterdam Black Book PR, which represents Overeem, shared a post from popular boxing news outlet Boxing.media on their Instagram stories, drawing attention to the potential matchup. The post claims Overeem and Verhoeven, who were scheduled to square off on two previous occasions, could finally lock horns in a boxing match at Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam.

The post further claims that the boxing clash will be the first of three bouts, with the two heavyweights then competing in MMA and kickboxing.

Overeem hasn’t competed in the UFC since his 2021 loss to Alexander Volkov. He fought …

Islam Makhachev is settling in nicely at welterweight, which gives him even more confidence.

Makhachev (28-1) recently revealed that his training camp for his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight debut was challenging and that he’s better adjusted to the higher weight class going into his first title defense at 170 pounds. The former lightweight champ takes on Ian Garry (17-1) in the main event of UFC 330, which takes place Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

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Islam Makhachev details his transition from lightweight champion to UFC welterweight titleholder Makhachev was focused primarily on securing the belt rather than chasing a finish against Jack Della Maddalena last year. The Russian claims to be more comfortable going into his second welterweight outing, as he isn’t lifting weights during camp.

“Now, I feel more comfortable, honestly,” Makhachev told MMA Junkie. “The first camp, so hard. I just tried to gain weight, do a lot …

Zabit Magomedsharipov is set to make his first competitive combat sports appearance in nearly seven years.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight takes on Youssef Zalal in the main event of ACBJJ 22 on Aug. 30 in Istanbul, Turkey. Kerim Engizek and Belal Muhammad will also be a part of the grappling event.

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Zabit Magomedsharipov returns after UFC run ended in 2019 The ACBJJ 22 main event will pit Magomedsharipov against Zalal, an active 145-pound contender in the UFC. This marks his first competitive outing since his last Octagon appearance, which came in 2019 against Calvin Kattar.

The Russian enjoyed an impressive run in the Octagon between 2017 and 2019, emerging as a fan favorite thanks to his flashy striking and memorable finishes. However, after a bout against Yair Rodriguez fell through, Magomedsharipov stepped away from the sport. He was previously scheduled to face Raul Rosas Jr. in a grappling match in July but withdrew be…

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White believes Ian Garry possesses one key attribute that could trouble Islam Makhachev.

Makhachev is set to make his first 170-pound title defense when he meets Garry in the UFC 330 main event on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. White recently highlighted what makes the Irish challenger a “serious threat” to the welterweight title.

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Dana White explains why Ian Garry’s takedown defense could challenge Islam Makhachev at UFC 330 White pointed to Garry's defensive wrestling as a potential equalizer against Makhachev. He said that if “The Future” proves too difficult to take down, the champion could struggle to impose his will.

“I think it's a great fight, actually,” White told The Mac Life. “If you look at what Ian Garry has been able to do, he frustrates people. His takedown defense has been excellent and we'll see if he can stay on his feet. Obviously, if he can stay off the ground, he poses a …

Dana White is unfazed by the union of two of the biggest competitors to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The UFC CEO addressed the recently announced merger between Most Valuable Promotions and the Professional Fighters League, offering a dismissive response when asked about the future of the organization.

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‘Those guys aren’t my competition’: Dana White dismisses PFL-MVP merger MVP and PFL revealed that the two companies will be joining forces in a move aimed at reshaping the combat sports landscape. The transition process is expected to take several months, with the new promotion targeting a full launch in 2027. The merged entity plans to stage both boxing and MMA events, although the finer details are yet to be finalized.

Speaking to The Mac Life, White shared his opinion on the merger.

“I don’t know anything about what they’re doing,” White said. “It probably makes sense. When sh*t isn’t working for anybody, we should probably get toge…

Jan Blachowicz wore the scars of his latest battle proudly.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder took to social media to reveal the damage sustained during his latest Octagon appearance, sharing images of the cut he suffered in his technical knockout to Navajo Stirling at UFC Belgrade.

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Jan Blachowicz shows facial injury from Navajo Stirling defeat at UFC Belgrade During their co-headlining matchup, Stirling dropped Blachowicz with a powerful strike that sent him across the Octagon. Stirling then opened up a nasty cut on his face with ground-and-pound blows en route to victory, the biggest of his career so far. Blachowicz has now given fans a look at the aftermath of the bout, sharing images of the cut before and after getting stitches.

“It is what it is,” Blachowicz wrote in the caption of his post. “Another one for the collection.”

This defeat extended Blachowicz’s winless run to five fights. His last vict…

A women's flyweight bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship has reportedly been added to the UFC 331 lineup.

Casey O'Neill is slated to meet Eduarda Moura at the Sept. 19 event, which takes place at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

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Casey O’Neill looks to rediscover winning momentum against Eduarda Moura Leo Guimaraes was the first to report the flyweight clash between Moura and O’Neill.

O'Neill (11-2) enjoyed a perfect start to her UFC run, earning four consecutive victories to establish herself as one of the division's brightest prospects. However, the Australian-Scottish standout then suffered back-to-back losses against Jennifer Maia and Ariane Lipski da Silva before returning to form with consecutive wins over Luana Santos and Gabriella Fernandes.

Notably, O'Neill’s first-round knockout victory over Fernandes in March marked her first appearance following a lengthy Octagon hiatus that nearly lasted two years.

Meanwhile, Moura (12…

Renato “Money” Moicano picked up a quick submission victory in a grappling match at BJJ Stars 19 ahead of his return to the Octagon.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight submitted former Bellator champion Patricky Freire in a grappling match in Sao Paulo.

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Renato Moicano submits Patricky Freire ahead of UFC return He needed less than four minutes to secure an arm-triangle choke after countering a takedown, advancing to mount and forcing the tap.

This took Moicano’s submission grappling record to 3-1. He previously defeated fellow UFC fighter Chase Hooper in 2021 and Cristian Guzman in 2024 before losing to Russia’s Yusuf Raisov. Meanwhile, the result marked Freire’s second submission loss in a grappling match against a UFC athlete, previously losing to Arman Tsarukyan last year. Furthermore, “Pitbull” is on a five-five losing streak in MMA.

Moicano (21-7-1) returns at UFC 331 on Sept. 18 in Los Angeles, reportedly set to take on Bria…