Martial Arts News

Dana White says Ilia Topuria is ready to return to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Topuria suffered the first defeat of his professional career at UFC Freedom 250 earlier this year. Justin Gaethje forced a corner stoppage before the final round of his title clash with Topuria. Despite taking heavy damage in the fight, White has revealed that “El Matador” will return to the Octagon sooner than expected.

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Dana White weighs Justin Gaethje rematch and Paddy Pimblett fight for Topuria During his appearance on “The Jim Rome Show,” White was asked about Topuria's future after the Georgian-Spaniard recently addressed the defeat on social media.

“Topuria's ready to fight,” White said. “We're ready, we're ready for him.”

The UFC CEO was then asked whether a rematch with Gaethje or a matchup with Paddy Pimblett is more likely for the former two-division champ’s return.

“Yeah, both sound good to me,” White added. “They're both great f…

Rajabali Shaidullaev is set to compete under the Most Valuable Promotions banner in 2027, per reports.

The undefeated featherweight captured the Professional Fighters League title and retained his Rizin championship with a unanimous decision victory over A.J. McKee in the main event of Super Rizin 5.

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Rizin and PFL champion Rajabali Shaidullaev is expected to join MVP in 2027 Shaidullaev has already agreed to a two-year deal with MVP, according to Ariel Helwani. The promotion will operate under the MVP name beginning in 2027 following the MVP-PFL merger.

The 25-year-old went the distance for the first time in his career against McKee, having previously finished all of his victories. However, Shaidullaev isn’t finished with Rizin just yet. He is slated to make one final appearance for the Japanese promotion on its New Year’s Eve card, defending his featherweight title against Kyoma Akimoto.

Razhabali Shaydullaev is now …

Dana White claims Terence Crawford might return to the squared circle for the right matchup.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO was recently asked if we could see the retired Crawford compete in Zuffa Boxing someday. White believes that “Bud” will end his retirement if he’s offered certain fights.

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Terence Crawford challenges Jaron Ennis as comeback speculation grows Crawford (42-0) announced his retirement in December last year, months after his monumental win over Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. He became the undisputed champ across three weight divisions with the win. The undefeated 38-year-old recently teased a return to action, with Jaron “Boots” Ennis (36-0) seemingly in his sights.

White was asked about the same during his recent appearance on the “Night Cap” podcast.

“If I went to Crawford with the right fight, Crawford would fight,” White said.

Crawford recently took to social media to tease a fight with Ennis, marking the first time…

Eddie Alvarez advises against an immediate Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje rematch, claiming the former won’t enter the Octagon as the same fighter who won two-division gold.

Topuria (17-1) was a massive favorite when he put his Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title on the line against Gaethje (28-5) at UFC Freedom 250 this past June. The challenger handed Topuria his first professional loss, forcing a corner stoppage before the final round.

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Eddie Alvarez warns against an immediate Ilia Topuria-Justin Gaethje UFC rematch Amidst rumors linking Topuria to an immediate rematch with Gaethje, former UFC lightweight champ Alvarez believes running it back could cost both Topuria and the UFC heavily. Alvarez claims Topuria doesn’t deserve a rematch to begin with, but understands why the UFC wants to put him in a big fight.

However, Alvarez says an immediate rematch would be ill-advised on Topuria’s part, considering Gaethje and his team have al…

Justin Gaethje is campaigning for the Republican Party in the upcoming United States midterm elections.

Gaethje recently took to the podium at the 2026 Republican Midterm Convention in Dallas. The Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder strongly supported Donald Trump, emphasizing the importance of voting.

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Justin Gaethje urges Republican turnout during speech at Dallas convention He urged Republican supporters to vote with the same fervor as they did in the 2024 presidential election. Gaethje also believes President Trump and the Republican Party want the best for everyone, even their political competitors.

“In fighting, your last fight is how people remember you, but your next fight is the only one that matters,” Gaethje said. “Everybody has to understand how important these elections are and we have to get out and vote. One mistake I've made in my career was becoming complacent while I was on a winning streak and forgetting how unf…

The Professional Fighters League’s next Dubai card is taking shape.

The event, scheduled for Nov. 14 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, will be headlined by a heavyweight title clash between Vadim Nemkov and Sergey Bilostenniy. Two more bouts have now been added to the card, featuring a former Bellator MMA champ and the brother of a former Ultimate Fighting Championship star.

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Khasan Magomedsharipov faces Adam Borics on Nov. 14 PFL Dubai card Sergio Pettis (25-8) is set to take on Joji Goto (20-9) in a bantamweight tilt at PFL Dubai. Pettis is coming off a decision loss to Mitchell McKee this past April, which snapped a two-fight winning streak. Meanwhile, Goto, who makes his PFL debut, is coming off a first-round submission win over Azizbek Temirov.

Khasan Magomedsharipov (11-0) will look to maintain his perfect record when he takes on Adam Borics (20-4) in a featherweight matchup at PFL Dubai. Khasan is the brother of former UFC standout Zabit Magomed…

Sean Strickland is disappointed with Justin Gaethje for supporting the Republican Party.

Gaethje (28-5) recently took to the stage to support President Donald Trump at the 2026 Republican midterm convention in Dallas. The Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder urged Republican supporters to vote and not get complacent with the 2024 presidential election victory. Gaethje’s appearance at the event has drawn a reaction from Strickland.

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Sean Strickland questions Justin Gaethje's MAGA support after GOP convention appearance Strickland (31-7), who was once a staunch supporter of Trump, has recently turned into a critic. The UFC middleweight champion is surprised by Gaethje’s continued support of Trump despite alleged unfulfilled promises.

Strickland accuses Trump of not fulfilling his promises on deportation, new wars, cost of living and government spending. He also mocked Trump’s promise of a $5,000 “dividend” to every adult citizen if t…

Professional Fighters League continues to build its Oct. 16 event in Chicago, which is currently scheduled to be the promotion’s final United States show of the year.

PFL Chicago will be headlined by a women’s flyweight title rematch between Liz Carmouche and Jena Bishop. Another matchup at 125 pounds has now joined the lineup.

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Paulina Wisniewska faces Chelsea Hackett in a key women’s flyweight matchup Sources close to the promotion confirmed to Sherdog that Paulina Wisniewska will face Chelsea Hackett in a bout with potential implications for the women’s flyweight division.

Wisniewska earned her most recent victory during the PFL’s first visit to Chicago this year, stopping Kana Watanabe via technical knockout in the second round. The result marked her fifth victory under the PFL banner.

The Polish fighter has suffered only one loss as a professional, dropping a split decision to fellow rising contender Sabrinna de Sousa in 2025.

A fl…

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…