Martial Arts News

Joshua Van and Manel Kape are trading barbs online.

Van successfully defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title for the second time at UFC 331 on Sept. 19, earning a unanimous decision over former champion Alexandre Pantoja in their rematch. Kape, who is considered a potential challenger for Van’s next title defense, has responded after the champion took aim at him on social media.

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UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van and Manel Kape escalate their war of words Van mocked Kape in a recent post on X while teasing a fight between the two strikers.

“Yo fat f*ck,” Van wrote on X. “Start cutting now cuz u better make weight !! We don’t want another weight excuse. Let’s give the people what they want!!!”

Kape soon responded, vowing to finish the champion quicker than Charles Johnson did in Van’s most recent defeat.

“Finally came out of hiding, son?” Kape posted in response. “They told me you weren’t sure about facing your dad, but I gu…

A welterweight matchup between Rhys McKee and Ernesto Rodriguez has been added to the Professional Fighters League’s upcoming event in Dubai.

McKee will meet Rodriguez on Nov. 14 at PFL Dubai as the Northern Irish fighter looks to build momentum in the welterweight division. He made a successful PFL debut in April, while his Cuban-American counterpart is 1-1 in the promotion.

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Rhys McKee sees major stakes in his PFL Dubai fight against Ernesto Rodriguez McKee (15-7-1) endured two unsuccessful stints in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, going 0-2 and 1-3 on either side of a championship run with Cage Warriors.

He returned to the win column in his PFL debut at the promotion’s Belfast event in April, earning a decision victory over Alex Lohore. “Skeletor” is excited about the stakes of his upcoming bout and believes a victory could earn him a place in the rankings.

“I've seen how big an event is there and know it'll be a special night, havin…

Deiveson Figueiredo has been training in Thailand in preparation for his next bantamweight challenge.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight titleholder will face Payton Talbott at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 in Salt Lake City. After suffering four defeats in his last five fights, the Brazilian has spent his latest training camp in Thailand sharpening his muay thai.

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Deiveson Figueiredo sharpens Muay Thai and grappling for Payton Talbott Speaking to Sherdog, Figueiredo said the trip was initially intended as an opportunity to spend a month training and experiencing Thailand before the UFC presented him with the matchup against Talbott.

“Actually, I came here to spend a month sharpening my muay thai and experiencing Thailand, which had been a longtime dream of mine,” Figueiredo said. “When I got here, the UFC offered me this fight, so I decided to do my entire camp here.”

Figueiredo worked on his striking with Phuket Fight Club head coach Le…

Body language expert Inbaal Honigman believes Anthony Joshua appeared more composed than Tyson Fury during their first pre-fight faceoff.

Joshua and Fury are set to clash on Dec. 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The two came face-to-face for the first time ahead of their fight at a press conference Wednesday at Olympia Exhibition Center in London. Honigman offered her interpretation of the body language displayed by Joshua and Fury.

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Body language expert Inbaal Honigman points to several Tyson Fury behaviors during his first Anthony Joshua faceoff According to Honigman, both Fury and Joshua initially appeared confident while posing side by side. However, she interpreted changes in Fury’s behavior during the faceoff as possible signs of nervousness or insecurity. Honigman pointed to Fury standing on the tips of his toes, flexing his fingers and chewing while speaking as examples.

By comparison, Honigman characterized Joshua as calm and co…

Eddie Hearn isn’t buying Dana White’s explanation for missing the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua press conference.

Fury and Joshua are set to clash on Dec. 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The first press conference for the fight took place Sept. 30 at Olympia Exhibition Center in London. White has repeatedly said he is involved in the fight alongside Turki Alalshikh. However, Hearn has disputed White’s characterization of his role, claiming contractual arrangements prevent White from being involved without his approval.

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Eddie Hearns calls Dana White situation ‘one of the greatest PR disasters in boxing’ The Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO did not attend the press conference in London, having cited his Dana White’s Contender Series obligations the previous day.

Hearn remains unconvinced by that explanation. The Matchroom Boxing chairman questioned whether White would miss a press conference for a fight of this magnitude because of h…

Federal agents questioned Alexander Hernandez after his fight against Michael Johnson fell through.

Hernandez, who returns to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 332 on Oct. 3, was scheduled to face Johnson at UFC 324 in January. However, the fight was canceled at the last minute amid suspicious betting-line movement.

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Alexander Hernandez recounts federal questioning after canceled Michael Johnson fight Hernandez opened as a sizable favorite, but money reportedly began pouring in on Johnson a day before the fight, shifting the odds in his favor. Hernandez said he was subsequently questioned by federal agents about whether he was planning to throw the fight.

Hernandez recently recalled the “embarrassing” episode. According to Hernandez, the agents asked whether he had any incriminating apps, a question he initially did not understand. At their request, Hernandez said he downloaded the Signal messaging app again on his phone.

He…

Stephen Thompson wants to go out by giving another fighter the type of opportunity he once received.

The longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight contender is scheduled to face Charles Radtke in his retirement bout at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Thompson has explained his reasoning for accepting a fight against the unranked welterweight.

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Stephen Thompson wants to give Charles Radtke the opportunity veterans once gave him “Wonderboy” explained in an interview with Full Mount MMA that he wants to leave the door open for a new wave of fighters. Thompson believes he would not have become a perennial presence in the welterweight rankings if established fighters had not given him similar opportunities earlier in his career. He now wants to give Radtke the chance to work his way up the rankings.

“Why not go out with a chance to give these other guys an opportunity to work their way up?” Thompson said. “I would…

Payton Talbott believes he has become a more complete fighter during his Octagon hiatus.

Talbott defeated former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division titleholder Henry Cejudo in his most recent outing in December. The bantamweight prospect returns to action at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 after spending much of the year focused on training while waiting for his next fight.

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Payton Talbott explains what changed before facing Deiveson Figueiredo Talbott, who faces former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo on Saturday at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, said the extended time spent working on his game allowed him to reinvent aspects of his fighting style.

“Yeah, it was kind of weird,” Talbott told the UFC when asked about his nine-month hiatus. “This is all still new to me, so I tried to just stay training and just stay ready. I mean, I trained pretty much the whole year, and I feel like I kind of reinvented myself a little bit and went back to my roots…

Ateba Abega Gautier wears his battle scars with pride.

Gautier is scheduled to face Roman Kopylov (15-5) in an Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight bout at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The rising contender understands that physical damage comes with the territory in combat sports.

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Ateba Gautier embraces his battle scars before facing Roman Kopylov at UFC 332 The Cameroonian believes those concerned with preserving their appearance might want to reconsider a career in combat sports. Gautier considers the scars on his face badges of honor.

“Don’t fight if you want to stay clean,” Gautier told the UFC. “If you want to look pretty, don’t fight. Because there’s always someone in front of you who wants to look dirty. And he wants you to look dirty as well. So, I’m not there to look clean. I have scars on my eyebrows. These are gold… I’ll never get rid of them. So, why are you fighting? To be a model? No, I didn’t choose to …

Natalia Silva never stopped believing in herself, even when she considered walking away from mixed martial arts.

Silva (20-5) is scheduled to face Cong Wang (10-1) for the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight title at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Ahead of her championship bout, Silva reflected on her journey to title contention and the hardships she has overcome.

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Natalia Silva recalls living at her gym before earning UFC 332 title shot Silva credits her perseverance and belief in herself with helping her overcome hardships throughout her career. She recently revealed that she once lived at her gym and slept on a physical therapy bed. The Brazilian admitted there were several occasions when she considered quitting mixed martial arts but credits her faith and the people around her with helping her continue.

“I think what brought me here was believing in myself and never quitting and continuing regardless of …

Dana White remains involved in discussions surrounding a potential NBA expansion franchise in Las Vegas.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO was asked about the NBA potentially expanding to Las Vegas and whether he remains involved with a prospective ownership group during Tuesday’s Dana White’s Contender Series post-fight press conference.

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UFC CEO Dana White says he remains involved with a prospective ownership group tied to NBA expansion in Las Vegas White previously acknowledged that he had been approached about potentially becoming part of an ownership group connected to a Las Vegas NBA expansion effort. When asked for an update following reports that the NBA is reviewing finalist bids for a potential Las Vegas franchise, White simply said, “Yes.”

ESPN reported that the NBA is reviewing bids for a potential Las Vegas expansion franchise. The bids reportedly value the franchise and arena proposals at between $12 billion and $13 billion. The …

Dana White added another seven-figure casino story to his gambling history.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO joined streamer and social media personality SteveWillDoIt for a high-stakes baccarat session at Park MGM in Las Vegas, with UFC fighter Tommy McMillen also present. White ultimately walked away $1 million richer after winning a seven-figure wager.

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Dana White's $1 million baccarat wager pays off at Park MGM White won $1 million after placing a $1 million baccarat wager at Park MGM. SteveWillDoIt documented the session on his stream, explaining that the casino had imposed one condition before allowing the pair to gamble together: They couldn’t bet on the same side of a hand.

“You guys are p*ssies,” White said upon entering the high-stakes room. “Your bosses called and they were like, ‘Yeah, you can bet $1 million, but you’ve got to make sure you don’t call us p*ssies anymore.’ And then they call me and go, ‘Here’s the deal: you can both…