Martial Arts News

Justin Gaethje has weighed in on Arman Tsarukyan pulling out of his lone championship opportunity in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Tsarukyan was scheduled to challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC lightweight title at UFC 311 in January 2025. He pulled out the night before weigh-ins due to an alleged back injury and has since been out of the title picture. Gaethje believes Tsarukyan wasn’t on course to make championship weight and used the injury as an excuse.

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Gaethje speculates weight-cutting issues led Tsarukyan to withdraw from his Islam Makhachev title fight Gaethje refuses to believe Tsarukyan was forced out of the fight due to a back injury. He argues that the UFC wouldn’t have treated Tsarukyan as they did if the injury concern was real. Gaethje believes Tsarukyan may have had a difficult weight cut wherein his body came close to shutting down.

“The truth is, he wasn’t gonna make weight, so he dropped out,” Gaethje told Demetrious John…

Justin Gaethje realized he had no money to spend just as he was about to celebrate his first decent paycheck.

Gaethje fought on television for the first time in 2013 under the World Series of Fighting banner. He was supposed to earn $8,000, but was mistakenly paid $10,000. Gaethje went to New York City to celebrate with his family. However, he realized his bank account was frozen due to the payment error when he went to the ATM, leaving him essentially penniless.

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Justin Gaethje recalls going broke early in his career before beating Ilia Topuria for the UFC title Gaethje says he endured an “absolutely terrible” Sunday following his bank account getting frozen. He recalls feeling rich and spending his first paycheck within a month. “The Highlight” didn’t buy anything fancy, spending his money almost entirely on food instead and claims this cycle repeated over and over again.

Now one of the most successful athletes in the sport, the Ultimate Fighting…

Regina Tarin feels divine intervention led her to pursue a professional mixed martial arts career.

Tarin (8-0) tried professional boxing and even considered a pro-wrestling career before an opportunity in the Ultimate Fighting Championship presented itself. She is scheduled to fight J.J. Aldrich (15-7) at Noche UFC 4 on Sept. 12 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, in her second Octagon appearance.

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Regina Tarin explains how WWE tryouts and a three-day UFC offer changed her career Tarin was scheduled to fight on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. However, the bout was canceled and she then got a call from the WWE soon after. Tarin participated in their tryouts this past January, and while she was almost set on a WWE career, she asked God if she had chosen the right career path.

The undefeated Mexican then got a call from the UFC to make a debut on three days’ notice. That was the moment that Tarin knew she was destined for MMA. “Kil…

Security had to separate Tommy McMillen and Marwan Rahiki during their run-in at the fighter hotel days before their clash.

McMillen (11-0) and Rahiki (9-0) are set to collide in a highly anticipated matchup of undefeated Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweights at Noche UFC 4 on Sept. 12 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

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Tommy McMillen details altercation with Marwan Rahiki before Noche UFC 4 Bad blood is brewing between the two unbeaten 145-pounder prospects and they’ve taken several shots at one another before fight week. McMillen previously said he’s ready to brawl with Rahiki in a parking lot and doubts whether the Moroccan would be ready to do the same.

The American now claims to have already had a run-in with Rahiki inside an elevator at the fighter hotel. McMillen says he was with his brother and his striking coach when he met Rahiki, who had eight teammates with him.

“I popped up here in the elevator and that’s the …

Kurtis Campbell can’t see his opponents clearly inside the Octagon.

Campbell wears considerably thick-lensed glasses when out of competition. The Liverpool native seems to be heavily dependent on them, putting them back on immediately after his fights. Campbell recently revealed that his eyesight is poor and that his opponents appear blurry to him until they get close.

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Kurtis Campbell explains why his UFC opponents appear blurry across the Octagon While Campbell tried contact lenses when he was young, he was too nervous to put them in. The Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight eventually got used to fighting without contact lenses and prefers it this way now.

“My eyesight is really bad, but at the same time I love my glasses,” Campbell told Ariel Helwani. “I would never change them… I tried contacts when I was younger, but I was always too nervous; I couldn’t put them in. So, I got used to fighting without them and I don’t think I’ve ever go…

The Rizin Fighting Federation heads to Kyocera Dome Osaka on Sept. 10, with Rizin Super 5 bringing a loaded lineup to Japan.

The event is headlined by a 66 kilogram (145.5 pounds) double-championship fight between Rizin featherweight champion Rajabali Shaidullaev and Professional Fighters League's A.J. McKee, with titles from both organizations on the line. The card also features Mikuru Asakura vs. Shinya Aoki, Ren Hiramoto vs. Karshyga Dautbek and Roberto Satoshi de Souza vs. Shunta Nomura, among others.

Super Rizin 5 weigh-in results for A.J. McKee, Rajabali Shaidullaev and the full cardThe event will be available to stream on RIZIN.TV at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m. PT on Thursday morning, Sept. 10.Super Rizin 5 weigh-in results Rajabali Shaidullaev (145.5) vs. A.J. McKee (145.4)Mikuru Asakura (156.5) vs. Shinya Aoki (155.8)Karshyga Dautbek (145.2) vs. Ren Hiramoto (145.4)Roberto Satoshi de Souza (156) vs. Shunta Nomura (156.4)Yutaka Saito (145.3) vs. Ren Sugiyama (145.5)Vugar…

The next Real American Freestyle event features several big names across mixed martial arts and wrestling.

RAF 13 is headlined by a cruiserweight crossover between former Ultimate Fighting Championship interim titleholder Colby Covington and former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad. The co-main event will feature former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev against former UFC title challenger Gilbert Burns in a catchweight crossover.

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RAF 13 features Colby Covington, Belal Muhammad, Khamzat Chimaev and Gilbert Burns RAF confirmed the full RAF 13 lineup after announcing that Wyatt Hendrickson and Greg Kerkvliet’s matchup had been postponed due to an injury.

The event includes a pair of championship matches. Kennedy Blades faces Diana Avsaragova for the women's middleweight title, while Austin DeSanto meets Arsen Harutyunyan for the bantamweight championship.

Elsewhere on the card, Michael Caliendo faces Timur Bizhoev at welterweight, w…

Jose Delgado has vicious intentions going into his maiden main event in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Delgado will face Jean Silva in the Noche UFC 4 headliner on Sept. 12 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. He claims he has already envisioned how he wants the fight to end.

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Jose Delgado visualizes a spectacular ending against Jean Silva at Noche UFC 4 Delgado says he’s been visualizing his upcoming fight with Silva repeatedly in the lead-up to the bout. He claims his confidence in his vision has continued to grow, to the point that he no longer needs to close his eyes to picture the moments he wants to create.

“Every single thought I have at this point is how to take Jean Silva out in the most spectacular of ways and I love it, man,” Delgado said in a recent interview. “I see it so damn clearly. I used to have to close my eyes to be able to see these things. I’m telling you; I can keep them open and see it right now.”

Delgado…

The door is open for Michael “Venom” Page to return to bare-knuckle boxing.

Page completed his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract with a unanimous decision victory over Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris. Despite going 5-1 in the UFC, “Venom” failed to secure a single finish and his victories were lackluster affairs, prompting the promotion to opt against re-signing him.

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Dave Feldman welcomes a potential Michael Page return after his UFC run Dave Feldman spoke about his interest in Page in an interview with Bloody Elbow. The Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship president is still unsure about Page’s status with the UFC, so hasn’t made a move yet, but is keen on the Englishman competing in his promotion again.

“I don’t know if his contract is actually terminated,” Feldman said. “That’s a pretty fast time to get his contract terminated, so I don’t want to make any moves on him yet. We would definitely welcome MVP. When he fought for us with Mike Per…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s fourth edition of Noche UFC goes down on Sept. 12.

Noche UFC 4 takes place at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, with Jean Silva taking on Jose Delgado in the main event. The card also features former champions Brandon Moreno and Alexa Grasso, several Mexican fighters and some highly anticipated matchups.

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Noche UFC 4 betting odds feature Alexa Grasso at +205 and Yousri Belgaroui at -850 Per Bovada, Silva is a -430 favorite against Delgado (+335) in the main event. Delgado accepted the fight on just a few weeks’ notice after former interim champ Yair Rodriguez withdrew from the event due to injury.

Former flyweight champ Moreno is a slight underdog at even money against his compatriot, Joseph Morales (-120), in the co-headliner. “The Assassin Baby” is looking to break a losing skid, having lost his last two bouts.

Meanwhile, Manon Fiorot is favored at -245 against former women’s flyweight queen Gra…

Kalinn Williams is well aware of his upcoming opponent's skills and accomplishments.

Williams (16-5) will welcome former two-division KSW champion Roberto Soldic (21-4) to the Ultimate Fighting Championship when the pair meet on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. For Williams, the matchup came together quickly, but he had no hesitation about accepting it.

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Kalinn Williams explains why Roberto Soldic’s reputation made the UFC 332 fight more appealing In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Williams discussed how the UFC 332 matchup materialized just days prior to the announcement. He acknowledged the hype surrounding Soldic and sees the fight as an opportunity to add a big name to his record.

“A couple days ago, pretty much,” Williams said. “Fighters fight, man. So, it’s one of them things that, it just happened, man, and I just took advantage of the opportunity. I know he’s dangerous. I know what he’s capable of. I checked him out and that’s …

Tyson Fury has seemingly moved on from the Anthony Joshua showdown, turning his attention to Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury recently took to social media to challenge Usyk after his targeted Nov. 20 heavyweight clash with Joshua failed to materialize. Negotiations stalled regarding the location and the extent of TKO’s involvement in the matchup. “The Gypsy King” has now revealed that running it back with Usyk is his top priority.

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Tyson Fury calls for a third Oleksandr Usyk fight after Anthony Joshua negotiations hit an impasse Fury’s side wanted the fight to take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City, while Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn campaigned for the all-English clash to take place in London. Fury has now challenged Usyk to a third meeting in November, noting that the Ukrainian had already agreed to face him twice.

“Trilogy in the pipeline [Usyk]. The land of real men, Time to get it back!” Fury wrote in his Instagram post. “The last dance bet…