Martial Arts News

Arguably one of the best mixed martial artists competing outside the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Kyrgyz standout Rajabali Shaidullaev preserved his perfect record and became a dual champion before 48,968 fans at Kyocera Dome Osaka in Japan.

Shaidullaev earned a hard-fought unanimous decision over A.J. McKee in the Super Rizin 5 main event. The victory allowed him to retain his Rizin Fighting Federation featherweight title and capture the Professional Fighters League championship at 145 pounds.

Rajabali Shaidullaev moves to 20-0 with unanimous decision over A.J. McKee Shaidullaev (20-0, 8-0 Rizin) encountered early adversity when a counter one-two from McKee (25-3, 1-1 Rizin) knocked him off balance in the opening seconds. Shaidullaev quickly recovered, slammed McKee to the canvas and landed short elbows and punches while pinning him against the bottom rope.

McKee answered with an upkick to the face, but Shaidullaev resumed his attack with punches and elbows.

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King Green claims many Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes are still using banned substances.

A fan recently asked Green how it felt fighting Islam Makhachev compared to his other opponents. Green claimed that competing against Makhachev felt "different." He says he knows the difference, as he claims to have competed against many fighters who have a distinct strength advantage.

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King Green says grappling with Islam Makhachev in 2022 ‘felt like drugs’ Green further claimed that UFC fighters at the top level, including some champions, are still using banned substances and have the money and knowledge to hide it.

“Makhachev; I said I felt something different… To be honest, bro; what I mean by that is, I’ve messed with thousands of people. And it’s the first time -- or a couple of times -- where I feel something, like when I go with guys who do drugs: ‘That feels like drugs.’ I could feel the difference,” Green said on Arnold Barboza’s Kick stream. …

Alexandre Pantoja has a unique perspective on the injury that abruptly ended his Ultimate Fighting Championship title reign.

Pantoja suffered the injury just 26 seconds into his championship bout with Joshua Van in December last year. Van caught the then-champ’s kick and forced him backwards, forcing the latter to use his arm as a frame as he crashed into the canvas, causing the injury. The anticlimactic ending to the fight initially didn’t sit well with Pantoja, who now views it differently.

Alexandre Pantoja explains how the Joshua Van injury loss changed his approach before UFC 331 Ahead of their rematch at UFC 331, Pantoja said the injury ultimately changed his perspective and gave him an opportunity to return to the championship mix with a different mindset.

“I think after these 20 minutes, I'm already over it and focused on what I have to do to get back,” Pantoja said in an interview with Stake. “I am a very fast learner and I really understood what I had to do. …

Bare Knuckle Boxing will make its Mexico debut with a pair of world championship fights.

BKB 59 is scheduled for Sept. 19 at Auditorio Municipal in Tijuana, with Julian “El Guerrero Mexicano” Fernandez defending the BKB super cruiserweight world championship against former three-division champion Dan “Big Pod” Podmore in the main event. Fernandez enters the bout with a 3-0 record, while Podmore is 9-4 with eight stoppages.

The vacant BKB super flyweight world championship will also be up for grabs when Tijuana's Cecy Ulloa faces Andy “The CrAsian” Nguyen in the co-main event.

BKB 59 features Fernandez-Podmore and Ulloa-Nguyen world title fights in TijuanaJulian Fernandez vs. Dan Podmore (Super Cruiserweight)Cecy Ulloa vs. Andy Nguyen (Super Flyweight)Romario Ovalle vs. Marco Chino Villa (Super Middleweight)Pablo Felipe Anguiano vs. Ricardo Ramses Rueda (Cruiserweight)Adrian Gonzalez vs. Javier Santiago Valverde (Lightweight)Felipe Abraham Huerta vs. Erick Eduardo S…

Manon Fiorot claims her upcoming bout against Alexa Grasso will determine the next title challenger.

The French flyweight is set to take on the former Ultimate Fighting Championship champ at Noche UFC 4 on Sept. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.

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Manon Fiorot says Noche UFC 4 winner will receive a flyweight title shot Fiorot is coming off a win over Jasmine Jasudavicius, while Grasso finished Maycee Barber in her last outing. The former challenged Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight championship last year but fell short and she recently revealed that the UFC has promised a title shot to the winner of her upcoming bout with Grasso.

“We know now that it’s a very, very important fight for the next of the division, so win, win, win, definitely,” Fiorot said in a recent interview. “The UFC clearly states that the winner gets the title shot.”

The women’s 125-pound title will be up for grabs at UFC 332, with Natalia Silva and Cong Wang set to collide for …

Justin Gaethje targeted a predictable pattern in Ilia Topuria's movement at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s White House event.

Gaethje survived a difficult second round before taking control and forcing a corner stoppage to capture the lightweight title at UFC Freedom 250. He recently opened up about exploiting certain weaknesses in Topuria’s game.

Justin Gaethje breaks down the footwork pattern he targeted against Ilia Topuria Speaking to UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson, Gaethje explained that Topuria's limited footwork and lack of lateral movement made him a clear target throughout the fight.

“I guess the best explanation for you to understand is his feet never change rhythm,” Gaethje said. “He never changes rhythm with his feet. It’s forwards or backwards. So, ultimately, it’s about timing his feet and interrupting. The game plan was to interrupt his feet, especially when it’s so constant.”

Gaethje also pointed to Topuria's confidence in the buildup…

Michael "Venom" Page has a tongue-in-cheek response to the aftermath of his Ultimate Fighting Championship exit.

Page won via unanimous decision against Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris, completing his UFC contract. Two days later, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed that the promotion would not re-sign the Englishman.

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Michael Page responds to criticism following the end of his UFC run Page went 5-1 across his six UFC appearances. However, he failed to live up to his pre-UFC reputation as a vicious knockout artist, going the distance in all six Octagon outings. Moreover, most of his fights were lackluster and frequently booed.

Rather than engaging directly with the criticism, Page offered a playful response on social media. The 39-year-old posted a photo of himself seemingly trying to push up a large rock with the caption:

“Me trying to handle the internet’s opinions.”

Page's future remains uncertain, with Bare-Knuckle Boxing Championship pres…

Islam Makhachev believes his teammate, Usman Nurmagomedov, is on his way to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Nurmagomedov recently completed his Professional Fighters League contract with a knockout victory over Archie Colgan, sparking discourse over where the undefeated lightweight will compete next. He previously discussed turning down a $2 million-per-fight deal from the PFL and Makhachev’s recent comments further indicate a UFC signing is imminent.

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Usman Nurmagomedov is a free agent after completing his PFL contract Makhachev says there's a strong chance Nurmagomedov will now join the UFC. The welterweight champ claims this is the perfect time for his teammate to make the jump and work towards championship gold in the division he and their mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, once ruled.

“It’s the perfect move for him. He needs to prove he’s the best in the world. He could face a Top 10 rival and soon earn a title shot,” Makhachev told Russian outl…

Roberto Soldic wants to stay in the Ultimate Fighting Championship even though his pay has significantly dropped.

Soldic (21-4) recently signed with the UFC after his contract with One Championship expired. He is now scheduled to fight Kalinn Williams (16-5) in a middleweight bout at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Croatian recently compared the pay between the two promotions.

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Roberto Soldic compares his new UFC contract with what he earned in One Championship Soldic has revealed that his UFC pay doesn’t even come close to what he was making in One Championship. He was a two-division champion in KSW before signing with One Championship in 2022 and was notably in talks with the UFC after parting ways with the Polish promotion.

Soldic claims that his previous offer from the UFC was better than what he will make now. However, One Championship offered him a slightly better deal, also luring him with the options of kickboxing a…

Waldo Cortes-Acosta no longer considers Tom Aspinall the champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division.

Aspinall’s first heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane ended in an anticlimactic no-contest in October 2025. The Englishman was unable to continue after Gane simultaneously poked him in both eyes in the first round. Aspinall has since been inactive, recovering from multiple eye procedures, but Cortes-Acosta claims he’s avoiding a rematch with Gane.

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Cortes-Acosta accuses UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall of avoiding Ciryl Gane Gane won the interim heavyweight title with a second-round knockout of Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250, paving the way for a rematch with Aspinall. Cortes-Acosta believes Aspinall has had sufficient time to recover from his injury and claims the Brit is inactive because he doesn’t want to fight Gane again.

“It’s frustrating to see the champion be like this,” Cortes-Acosta said at Noche UFC …

Taylor Lapilus and Mitchell McKee will battle for the Professional Fighters League bantamweight championship in France this December.

The promotion recently announced that former Ultimate Fighting Championship athlete Lapilus will face undefeated McKee in the main event of PFL Lyon on Dec. 12 at LDLC Arena.

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Taylor Lapilus and Mitchell McKee will fight for the bantamweight title at PFL Lyon Lapilus (25-4) will have the opportunity to win the belt in front of his home crowd. The Frenchman has gone 4-0 since joining the PFL after his UFC run and the upcoming championship opportunity represents the culmination of his career.

“My whole career has led to this moment,” Lapilus said. “I’m here to become champion, leave my mark on this sport and cement my legacy.”

A flyweight title fight headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Meanwhile, McKee (11-0) made his promotional debut at PFL Chicago earlier this yea…

Michael Page's run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship is over and Jake Paul is looking to add him to the Most Valuable Promotions roster.

Page completed his six-fight UFC deal with a unanimous-decision victory over Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris on Sept. 5. Despite going 5-1 inside the Octagon, the UFC opted against offering the Englishman a new deal after failing to secure a single finish in the promotion.

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Michael Page enters free agency after completing his six-fight UFC contract Paul, the co-founder of MVP, responded to Page's availability with a simple pitch on social media.

“Think it's time to bring MVP to MVP,” the YouTuber-turned-boxer wrote on X.

While he accrued a strong UFC record, with his lone loss coming against the most recent challenger for the welterweight title, Page’s fights drew severe backlash. His lack of output and follow-up shots after brief moments of success on the feet drew the ire of both fans and the promotio…