Martial Arts News

The bantamweight finale of the latest season of “The Ultimate Fighter” ended in a disqualification, but Dustin Poirier has questioned the victor’s reaction to the foul.

Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu won the “TUF” 34 championship after Mehemmedali Osmanli was disqualified for landing an illegal knee to a grounded opponent at 2:19 of the opening round of their clash at UFC Vegas 121 at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Poirier, however, questioned Uulu’s reaction to the illegal blow.

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Dustin Poirier questions Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu’s reaction to illegal knee Poirier discussed the foul that ended the fight alongside Jorge Masvidal and Chris Weidman on “Deep Water.” On the replay, Uulu appeared to reach for Osmanli’s leg before the referee intervened.

Poirier claimed that Uulu’s reaction changed once he realized the fight was being stopped. The former interim champion and Masvidal viewed the sequence as an exaggerated response, joking that it was a “flop” and comparing the …

Bella Mir has a wrestling assignment lined up before competing for Real American Freestyle.

Mir is scheduled to compete at the U23 Wrestling World Championships in Las Vegas from Oct. 12-18, giving her another competition before her Oct. 23 RAF 14 matchup with Hope Chase. RAF announced the matchup last week, marking Mir’s return to competition after her loss on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Bella Mir will represent the US at the U23 Wrestling World Championships before facing Hope Chase at RAF 14 The opportunity comes after Mir’s scheduled wrestle-off with Kennedy Blades did not take place. Instead, Mir will retain the No. 2 position on the 2026-27 U.S. Senior National Team and represent the United States at the upcoming U23 World Championships.

Mir captured an NCAA women’s wrestling championship before transitioning to mixed martial arts. She most recently competed in August on DWCS, suffering a loss to Alex Apodaca. “Lady” is currently 4-1 in her professional mixed …

Movsar Evloev wants to make a statement in his first Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenge.

Evloev is scheduled to challenge Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. While Evloev has long been considered a top contender, he has yet to record a finish in the UFC.

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Evloev wants to stop Alexander Volkanovski in his first UFC title challenge Evloev is looking to win the featherweight title in style.

“This is my first title fight,” Evloev told MMA Fighting. “And we’re looking to make it my first finish in the UFC.”

The unbeaten Russian says that while he has defeated champions on the regional scene, he often didn’t receive credit for those victories. According to Evloev, his detractors would argue that his opponents were past their prime or coming from a bad camp. He doesn’t want to hear the same criticism if he dethrones the 38-year-old Volkanovski and is eager to f…

Luis Hernandez believes he can end Chris Curtis’ Ultimate Fighting Championship career, but not just yet.

Hernandez had an altercation with Curtis and Sean Strickland at a Tuff-N-Uff event last year. He mocked Curtis and Strickland after defeating their Xtreme Couture teammate Miles Hunsinger, drawing a strong reaction from the two before security intervened to prevent the situation from escalating beyond Strickland throwing a blow.

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Luis Hernandez explains why he wants to build his name before fighting Chris Curtis Hernandez made his UFC debut on two days’ notice at UFC Vegas 121, finishing Sedriques Dumas in less than a minute. Curtis recently claimed that he contacted UFC matchmakers about facing Hernandez after “The Stache” earned his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series earlier this month.

According to Curtis, UFC matchmakers declined the matchup because of the disparity in experience. Curtis said he contacted them again after Hernandez…

Luis Hernandez wants to be a full-time fighter while continuing his career in law enforcement.

Hernandez (9-0) is a deputy sheriff with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office and is also part of its Priority Response Team. He made his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC Vegas 121 on two days’ notice against Sedriques Dumas. “The Stache” needed less than a minute to force Dumas to tap to a standing guillotine choke, earning a Performance of the Night bonus.

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Luis Hernandez says his Miami-Dade law enforcement career still pays more than fighting in the UFC Hernandez has revealed that he still earns more from law enforcement than he does from the UFC, even when factoring in his $100,000 bonus. He praised the support he receives from his agency and said he has no plans to leave law enforcement while competing in the UFC.

“[Still making more in] Law enforcement… The support that I get from my agency is amazing,” Hernandez told Ariel Helwani. “You don’t…

Lewis McGrillen-Evans will return to the Professional Fighters League cage against Nawras Abzakh at PFL Dubai on Nov. 14.

The promotion announced on Tuesday that McGrillen-Evans will face the 2025 PFL MENA bantamweight champion at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

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Lewis McGrillen-Evans faces Nawras Abzakh at PFL Dubai on Nov. 14 McGrillen-Evans (13-2) enters the matchup looking to build a winning streak. The Manchester Top Team representative most recently returned to the win column at PFL Charlotte, where he earned a unanimous decision over Brandon Lewis to rebound from his defeat to Rafael do Nascimento.

The 25-year-old bantamweight has established himself as a notable name in the PFL’s European circuit, with wins over Dean Garnett, Alexander Luster and Alan Philpott.

Meanwhile, Abzakh (15-6) enters the contest riding a three-fight winning streak. The Jordanian fighter secured the PFL MENA bantamweight championship in December 2025 by submitting I…

Christian Lee will defend his One Championship lightweight title against Tye Ruotolo.

One Championship announced on Monday that the two will meet at One: The Inner Circle 37 on Nov. 6 at Lumpinee Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand. Lee will put his mixed martial arts championship on the line against Ruotolo, the promotion’s welterweight submission grappling champion.

Christian Lee will defend his One lightweight title against 2-0 Tye Ruotolo on Nov. 6 Lee enters the matchup with an 18-4 record, including 13 victories by knockout and four by submission. His most recent appearance came in November 2025, when he stopped Alibeg Rasulov with knees in the second round. He has lost just one of his last 11 bouts.

Meanwhile, Ruotolo is 2-0 in MMA, with both victories coming via rear-naked choke in 2025. He also owns a 9-0 submission grappling record under the One banner.

World Champions COLLIDE 👑 Two-division MMA king Christian Lee puts his ONE Lightweigh…

Most Valuable Promotions has responded to a lawsuit filed by former world champion Heather Hardy over her 2023 rematch with Amanda Serrano.

Hardy is seeking $10 million in damages from MVP, alleging in her complaint that the promotion moved forward with the bout despite concerns about the risks involved. Hardy alleges that she suffered permanent neurological damage from the fight, which took place in August 2023 on the Jake Paul-Nate Diaz card.

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Most Valuable Promotions cites Hardy's medical clearance and commission oversight in response to the lawsuit According to Hardy’s complaint, the fight presented an “extraordinary and foreseeable risk of serious neurological harm.” She also alleges that the bout contributed to lasting issues, including traumatic brain injury, memory loss and double vision.

MVP disputed the allegations in a statement issued in response to the lawsuit, emphasizing Hardy’s medical clearance and the commission’s oversight of the …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Salt Lake City on Oct. 3 for UFC 332, with a new women’s flyweight champion set to be crowned in the main event.

With Valentina Shevchenko out due to injury and the title vacant, Natalia Silva and Cong Wang will compete for the 125-pound championship. The card also features several notable names, including former champions Deiveson Figueiredo and Rafael dos Anjos, who enter their respective matchups as sizable underdogs.

Payton Talbott is -575 against former UFC champion Deiveson FigueiredoPer Bovada, Silva enters the title fight as a -195 favorite against Wang (+165). Silva is riding a 14-fight winning streak and is unbeaten in the UFC, while Wang enters the matchup on a four-fight winning streak.

Payton Talbott enters UFC 332 as the largest favorite on the card. Talbott is listed at -575 against former UFC flyweight champion Figueiredo, who is a +425 underdog. Damian Pinas and promotional debutant Roberto Soldic are also…

Paul Felder has witnessed several shocking moments during his years working Ultimate Fighting Championship events, but Raoni Barcelos’ collapse at UFC Vegas 121 left him particularly shaken.

Felder was on commentary duty at Meta Apex in Las Vegas for the latest Fight Night. The main event, which was a back-and-forth battle, ended in frightening fashion as Barcelos appeared to go limp during a wrestling exchange against the Octagon wall in the final round. The referee immediately stopped the contest, and Barcelos was removed from the Octagon on a stretcher and transported to a hospital.

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It was later confirmed that Barcelos was conscious and responsive. For Felder, the moments after the finish remain unforgettable.Paul Felder revisits Raoni Barcelos’ collapse at UFC Vegas 121: ‘I thought he had a heart attack’ Speaking on the “Believe You Me” podcast, Felder recalled his immediate reaction while watching the medical team attend to Barcelos. The former…

Raoni Barcelos’ first gold medal came when he was 8 years in 1994. | 📷: Marcelo Alonso

Raoni Barcelos has provided a positive update after a frightening conclusion to his Ultimate Fighting Championship main event clash against Raul Rosas Jr.

Barcelos was stopped in the fifth round on Saturday at Meta Apex after appearing to go limp during an exchange with Rosas Jr. in the UFC Vegas 121 headliner. He was subsequently removed from the Octagon on a stretcher and transported to a hospital for evaluation. It was later reported that Barcelos was conscious, and the UFC subsequently confirmed that he was stable, alert and responsive.

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The Brazilian veteran has now addressed fans directly.Raoni Barcelos addresses fans after his UFC Vegas 121 loss to Raul Rosas Jr. Barcelos provided an update in the comments section of a post on the UFC Brazil Instagram account.

“Hello everyone, I just want to say to all of you that I'm really fine and as soo…

Josh Hokit isn’t buying Tom Aspinall’s claims regarding his eye issues.

Aspinall hasn’t fought since his Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane ended in a no contest in October 2025. The Englishman was unable to continue after Gane poked him in both eyes in the first round. Aspinall recently vacated the title amid further issues with his right eye. Hokit, however, claims the former champ is faking his injury in an attempt to leave the UFC.

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Josh Hokit claims Tom Aspinall is exaggerating his eye injury to get out of his UFC contract Hokit claims Aspinall is exaggerating the seriousness of his eye injury. The undefeated American suggested that Aspinall is looking for a way out of his UFC contract and speculated that he could be pursuing a lucrative move to boxing instead.

“Honestly, I don’t even think that sh*t’s real,” Hokit told Ariel Helwani. “I think he has his teammates farting on his pillow, then he goes to s…