Martial Arts News

Umar Nurmagomedov expects a difficult test when he meets Yadong Song in their upcoming main event in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Nurmagomedov is looking to extend his win streak to three straight at UFC Shanghai and the Russian is well aware of the challenge ahead of him in China’s Song.

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Umar Nurmagomedov expects a difficult UFC Shanghai main event against Yadong Song Nurmagomedov has picked up two decision wins since suffering the lone loss of his professional career to Merab Dvalishvili in their bantamweight title fight back in January last year. He’s beaten Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo via unanimous decision to return to winning form and defeating Song in the Chinese 135-pounder’s home country could put the Dagestani back in the title mix.

Nevertheless, Nurmagomedov is focused on the task at hand against a well-rounded opponent and isn’t thinking about the title.

“Of course, I'm going to be happy to do a knockout, you know…

Umar Nurmagomedov is targeting a rematch with Merab Dvalishvili.

Nurmagomedov suffered the first loss of his professional career when Dvalishvili defeated him by unanimous decision in January last year in their Ultimate Fighting Championship title bout. The Russian is eager to run it back with “The Machine” and wants to fight him next, regardless of the outcome of the latter's UFC 333 title fight against Petr Yan.

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Umar Nurmagomedov wants revenge against Merab Dvalishvili after facing Yadong Song at UFC Shanghai The tension between Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili has only grown since their first meeting. The former is set to face Yadong Song at UFC Shanghai on Aug. 29, and while he’s focused on his upcoming bout, the Dagestani wants revenge for his loss to the former champ.

“First of all, of course I have to win this fight,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie. “Then I will fight with Merab, if he will win or if he will lose, I think we're going to fight.”<…

Alex Apodaca didn’t want to be affected by the odds going into her Dana White’s Contender Series outing against Bella Mir.

Apodaca (5-1) took on Mir (4-1), daughter of former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Frank Mir, in a bantamweight tilt on Week 3 of DWCS 2026. Mir was a -6000 favorite, the biggest in DWCS history, going into her clash against Apodaca, a +1200 underdog.

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However, it was clear that the odds were off as soon as Apodaca defended the first takedown.Alex Apodaca earned a UFC contract after beating Bella Mir in the biggest upset in DWCS history Apodaca gave Mir all she could handle in a highly competitive affair, establishing control in the final round to earn a unanimous decision victory. The former earned a UFC contract for the biggest upset in DWCS history, and after the bout, she revealed that she avoided looking at the odds to stay focused on the high-profile matchup.

“I didn't want to look at the odds before; I knew …

Joseph Kropschot won't have to wait long for his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

The Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 Week 1 contract winner has been booked to face Nick Klein at a UFC Fight Night on Oct. 31 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

Joseph Kropschot faces Nick Klein at UFC Fight Night on Oct. 31 Kropschot earned his UFC contract on Aug. 11, defeating Jonathan Kunneman by unanimous decision after three rounds on the opening episode of the 2026 Contender Series season. He boasts a 9-3 professional record in mixed martial arts and has won his last five fights. His contract-winning effort on DWCS marks the lone decision win of his career.

Meanwhile, Klein owns a 6-3 professional record and has not competed since a technical knockout loss to Andrey Pulyaev in August 2025. He lost to Mansur Abdul-Malik in his UFC debut after earning a contract on DWCS in 2024.

The upcoming matchup gives Kropschot an opportunity to build on his Contender Series debut an…

Sean Clancy Jr. claims he could have finished his Dana White’s Contender Series bout sooner than he did.

Clancy Jr. (9-0) took on Gary Balletto Jr. (11-4) in a welterweight clash on Week 3 of DWCS 2026. Clancy Jr. took Balletto Jr. down in the second round and blasted him with elbows to earn a stoppage and an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

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Sean Clancy Jr. says he sought experience before finishing Gary Balletto Jr. Clancy Jr. says he felt Balletto Jr.’s face get crushed between his elbow and the mat.

“I'm buzzing, yeah, I've always wanted to put something open like that,” Clancy Jr. said in his post-fight interview. “It was, aye, it's something I've wanted for a while. I remember being so present; it just, as soon as I put it down, I just felt his face just get crushed in between my elbow and the mat. It was phenomenal. Just split wide open. It's the first time I've done it, but aye, here's to many more.”

The 23-year-old also claims…

Ronald Humphrey is a dangerous addition to the stacked Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight division.

Humphrey (5-0) took on Alexis Miranda (9-3) on Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026. He slammed his opponent early, then dropped him with a jab and finished him with a rear-naked choke in the first round.

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Ronald Humphrey targets UFC gold after submitting Alexis Miranda at DWCS Humphrey revealed championship aspirations after earning his big win. He was also covered in Miranda’s blood after splitting him open with a well-timed elbow. The blood tasted like chicken blood to Humphrey, who claims he didn’t mind consuming it. Humphrey then sent a warning to all UFC welterweights between himself and the belt.

“My f*cking existence is a declaration to warn any and everybody who's gonna try to stop my title run,” Humphrey said in his post-fight interview. “Get in my way. It's up… I threw an elbow; I didn’t know that sh*t was going to land l…

Nick Galanti worked with a Dana White’s Contender Series alum ahead of his appearance on the show.

Galanti (8-1) opened the action on Week 3 of DWCS 2026 in a middleweight clash against Carlos Petruzzella (15-2). While Galanti is known for his wrestling, he floored Petruzzella with a right hook and finished him with ground-and-pound in just 35 seconds.

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Nick Galanti credits Karl Roberson after knocking out Carlos Petruzzella Galanti later revealed that he has been working with former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Karl Roberson to develop his striking. While he originally hoped for a head-kick knockout, he is just as happy to have earned a UFC contract with a right hook.

“Everyone says I’m just a grappler, but I have been working with my guy Karl Roberson, UFC vet, Glory vet; he had one of the fastest knockouts,” Galanti said in his post-fight interview. “The whole time I was calling that right hook. I love that right hook in open stances.…

Guilherme Uriel believes he made a mistake by not using his jiu-jitsu in his first Dana White’s Contender Series appearance last year.

Uriel (8-2) made his second DWCS appearance on Aug. 25 in a heavyweight matchup against Mario Piazzon in Week 3 of Season 10. Uriel made Piazzon tap to a standing guillotine in 50 seconds to earn an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

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Guilherme Uriel explains the jiu-jitsu adjustment that helped earn his UFC contract Uriel had previously suffered a knockout loss against Josh Hokit in his first DWCS opportunity last year. He believes he shouldn’t have abandoned his jiu-jitsu against Hokit. Uriel knew that Piazzon, being a product of the Galpao Da Luta gym, would inevitably grapple and hence worked on his takedown defense and fence work ahead of their DWCS bout.

“One of the things from last time, it was my sin not to use my jiu-jitsu,” Uriel said in his post-fight interview. “And with all due respect to Galpao…

Dana White is resourceful and looks out for those in his good graces.

Content creator Nina Marie-Daniele, who covers several TKO events, recently revealed how White helped her deal with a stalker. Daniele’s phone number was once leaked on the internet, leading to numerous calls from unknown numbers. However, one stalker got really persistent and wouldn’t stop bothering Daniele until White intervened.

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Dana White got Nina Drama’s stalker added to no-fly list Daniele claims the stalker used to send her videos of cartel beheadings. She then approached the Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO for help. Daniele says she got a call from counter terrorism within a couple of minutes after calling White.

Counter terrorism found the stalker’s details within a day and put him on a no-fly list so that he couldn’t come to Las Vegas.

“I got a stalker,” Daniele said on her Kick stream. “The stalker was crazy, he was out of his f*cking mind and he wouldn’t stop…

All fighters successfully made weight for Week 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026, scheduled for Aug. 25 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.Frank Mir’s daughter faces Alex Apodaca atop Dana White’s Contender Series 2026 Week 3Five matchups for Week 3 of DWCS 2026 are set, with fighters competing for Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts. Former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir’s daughter Bella is set to compete in the main event.

The action begins at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

Weigh-in results of Week 3 of DWCS 2026 Bella Mir (136) vs Alex Apodaca (135.5)Mario Piazzon (238) vs Guilherme Uriel (241.5)Gary Belletto Jr. (169) vs Sean Clancy Jr. (170)Ronald Humphrey (169) vs Alexis Miranda (170)Carlos Petruzzella (185.5) vs Nick Galanti (185)

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Sharabutdin Magomedov and Neiman Gracie will meet in a grappling contest at Real American Freestyle in Moscow.

RAF recently announced that the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight will face the former Bellator MMA and Professional Fighters League welterweight on Sept. 5.

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Magomedov last competed in June, earning a unanimous decision over Michel Pereira in the UFC. The Russian previously tested his grappling skills under the Hype FC banner, taking on lightweights Arman Tsarukyan and Edson Barboza, with both matches ending in draws.

Gracie, meanwhile, has not competed since losing to Magomed Umalatov in Professional Fighters League in August 2024. The Brazilian challenged Rory MacDonald for the Bellator MMA welterweight title in 2019 but came up short and went 4-5 thereafter. Gracie's most recent grappling appearance came at ADXC 1 in 2023, where he submitted Benson Henderson.

The Magomedov-Gracie matchup joins a loaded RAF Moscow lineup …

Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Edson Barboza has made it clear that his retirement is final and he has no plans to reverse his decision.

Just days after announcing the end of his 17-year professional mixed martial arts career, the Brazilian has a message for managers and promoters who might try to entice him back into competition.

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Barboza rules out an MMA comeback after ending his 17-year fighting career Barboza announced his retirement after suffering a fourth consecutive defeat, getting finished by Esteban Ribovics at UFC 330 in Philadelphia. The 39-year-old then removed his gloves inside the Octagon as the crowd gave him a standing ovation and chanted his name.

For Barboza, having his children beside him made the moment particularly emotional.

“The entire arena spontaneously chanting ‘Barboza,’ with my kids by my side inside the Octagon — they had never been to one of my fights before,” Barboza told Sherdog. “Definitely, that was t…