Martial Arts News

Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van both claim to have tricks up their sleeves for their rematch.

Pantoja (30-6) will look to reclaim the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title from Van (17-2) in their rematch at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Both 125-pounders have identified holes in each other’s games that they’re looking to exploit.

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Alexandre Pantoja's coach breaks down their UFC 331 flyweight title rematch Pantoja’s muay thai coach at American Top Team, Anderson Franca, says the Brazilian has some surprises in store for his Octagon return. He believes Van will try to keep the fight standing as he will be concerned about Pantoja’s ground game. However, Franca claims Pantoja can surprise Van on the feet as well and predicts a precise fourth-round finish.

“Van’s fight with Taira gave us a lot of elements to study in terms of how he might approach this fight,” Franca told Sherdog. “We have Plan A and Plan B. We’re br…

American Top Team muay thai coach Anderson Franca believes Arman Tsarukyan presents a tricky stylistic challenge for Mauricio Ruffy.

Tsarukyan will meet Ruffy in the co-main event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming event in Los Angeles. Franca, who has previously cornered Tsarukyan, won’t be in the Armenian’s corner at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena, but was instrumental in creating the game plan.

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Anderson França breaks down Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 In a recent interview with Sherdog, Franca broke down the Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy matchup. The coach revealed changes Tsarukyan has made to his camp in preparation for Ruffy, who he considers the best striker in the 155-pound division.

“Arman always trains with me when he has his camp at ATT, but for this particular camp he brought Petrosyan, who is a high-level fighter who competed in K-1,” Franca told Sherdog. “Arman is an athlete who never gives up and is will…

Scott Coker has officially unveiled the name and format of his new mixed martial arts promotion.

Ki MMA will launch in the first quarter of 2027 under Coker and Peter Y. Levin, with events planned across North America, Europe, Asia and South America. The organization had previously announced plans for a new global league backed by Coker, with a tournament format central to the project.

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Scott Coker and Peter Y. Levin detail Ki MMA's 2027 launch and World Grand Prix Coker and Levin shared the details about the new promotion via a press release. The inaugural Ki MMA World Grand Prix will feature 32 featherweights divided into four eight-man continental tournaments. Each regional tournament will use a single-elimination format, with the four continental champions advancing to a one-night World Grand Prix Final.

The final event will feature two semifinals followed by the championship bout, so the inaugural Ki MMA champion will need to win five fights. Read more

Tom Aspinall has vacated the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title due to ongoing complications from an eye injury that has sidelined him for nearly a year.

Aspinall hasn’t competed since his bout against Ciryl Gane ended in a no contest last October. Gane accidentally poked him in both eyes and the Brit subsequently underwent multiple eye procedures. He still hasn't received medical clearance to return to the Octagon and has opted to relinquish the championship.

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Tom Aspinall explains why he relinquished the UFC heavyweight championship Aspinall took to Instagram to share a lengthy message announcing his decision to vacate the title amid recent complications with his right eye. The former champion revealed that he had previously agreed to a fight date and resumed sparring before an accident caused further damage.

“I had previously agreed to a fight date and was back sparring, feeling great and ready to compete when an accident caused fur…

One fighter will have a chance to earn an extra $50,000 when the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Los Angeles on Sept. 19 for UFC 331.

UFC CEO Dana White recently announced that a special “proper chaos bonus” will be awarded to a fighter at Crypto.com Arena. The additional prize is being introduced in conjunction with the Paramount+ series “MobLand.”

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Dana White will personally decide who earns the UFC 331 ‘proper chaos’ bonus White announced the bonus in partnership with Paramount+’s “MobLand” on Instagram. The bonus will be separate from the promotion's standard $25,000 finishing bonus and $100,000 awards: a Fight of the Night bonus and a few Performance of the Night bonuses.

White hasn’t established specific criteria for the new award, saying the decision will ultimately be his.

“Long before I did a deal with Paramount, I've been telling you guys I'm a huge fan of ‘MobLand.’ It is one of the best shows on television,” White said in…

Josh Hokit has called for a title shot after Tom Aspinall vacated the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight belt.

Aspinall relinquished the title after ongoing eye-related complications prevented him from receiving medical clearance to return to the Octagon. Hokit claims a matchup between himself and interim champ Ciryl Gane should now determine the next heavyweight king.

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Josh Hokit targets Ciryl Gane as UFC heavyweight division moves on from Tom Aspinall Shortly after Aspinall announced his decision to vacate the heavyweight title, Hokit called for a fight against Gane on social media.

“The fans deserve Me vs Gane,” Hokit wrote on X. “I’ll give Ciryl what he has coming. If Alex can win 1 fight in my weight class, I’ll give it to him too, early ‘27. I’ll be the most active champ in the company.”

Both Gane and Hokit recorded stoppage victories at UFC Freedom 250, where “Bon Gamin” beat Alex Pereira to win the interim heavyweight title and …

Renato “Money” Moicano vs. Brian Ortega is no longer part of the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship numbered event.

Ortega has suffered an injury, forcing the cancellation of the bout scheduled for UFC 331 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sept. 19. While “T-City” nurses his injury, Moicano has a new matchup and will now headline a Fight Night in Las Vegas in October.

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Brian Ortega’s injury cancels Moicano fight before UFC 331 After his bout with Ortega was pulled from UFC 331, Moicano’s next opponent was announced. The Brazilian is now set to face Tom Nolan in the main event of the UFC Fight Night card on Oct. 31 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

Ortega took to social media to reveal details of his injury. A deep cut has forced him out of his UFC lightweight debut and he had to get stitches above his left eye.

“I have to pull out of the fight because of the stitches in my eye,” Ortega wrote on Instagram. “I’m on weight, I’ve been training …

Ryan Garcia has slammed Oscar De La Hoya over the promoter’s absence from his latest fight.

Garcia defended his WBC welterweight championship against Conor Benn on Sept. 12 in Las Vegas, stopping the Englishman in the second round. De La Hoya wasn’t in attendance despite Garcia previously expressing a desire to have his longtime promoter walk him to the ring.

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Ryan Garcia says Oscar De La Hoya had a seat for his Conor Benn fight but didn't attend Despite De La Hoya being at loggerheads with Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO and Zuffa Boxing co-founder Dana White for years, the latter has reiterated that he didn’t prevent the former from attending the event. The Golden Boy promoter had been invited and even offered VIP access.

However, he didn’t attend the event. Garcia initially appeared unfazed by De La Hoya's absence. Days later, however, the champion was far more critical.

“Honestly, nobody wanted him there,” Garcia told Ariel Helwani. “Some…

Mauricio Ruffy enters the biggest fight of his career as a sizable underdog, but the Brazilian’s former and current team are confident he has the tools to spring an upset.

Ruffy will meet Arman Tsarukyan in the co-headliner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming event in Los Angeles. His former coach, Fighting Nerds’ Pablo Sucupira, and his new teammate, UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, view the matchup as the perfect opportunity to make a statement.

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Pablo Sucupira backs Mauricio Ruffy to score a statement knockout against Arman Tsarukyan Sucupira claims the odds might reflect an overemphasis on Ruffy's loss to Benoit St. Denis, in which the former was taken down and finished. The Brazilian coach explained that the loss to St. Denis was an outlier and that the likes of Michael Chandler and Rafael Fiziev failed to secure takedowns against Ruffy.

“I don’t just think Ruffy is going to win; I think he’s going to send a message …

Dana White’s Contender Series returns on Sept. 15 for Week 6 of Season 10, with five more matchups set to go down at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.Dana White’s Contender Series Week 6 is official with Zevan Hunt vs. Mayton Perea The Week 6 lineup features fights across the featherweight, middleweight, lightweight and welterweight divisions, with Zevan Hunt (170) and Mayton Perea (171) set to headline the card. Additionally, Oscar Ravello (184.5) takes on Igor Cavalcanti (184.5) and Akbar Abdullaev (155) meets Ednilson Barros Santos (156).Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 Week 6 weigh-in results Mayton Perea (171) vs. Zevan Hunt (170)Igor Cavalcanti (184.5) vs. Oscar Ravello (184.5)Akbar Abdullaev (155) vs. Ednilson Barros Santos (156)Luis Hernandez (185) vs. Hugo Guillon (185)Tyshawn Williams (146) vs. Antonio Monteiro (145.5)

Bare Knuckle Boxing will make its Mexico debut on Sept. 19, with a pair of world championship fights topping the promotion’s BKB 59 card in Tijuana.

The event, which is being held in partnership with Zanfer Boxing, will feature seven bouts on the main card and five additional matchups on TikTok Live.

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BKB 59 features Julian Fernandez vs. Dan Podmore and two world title fights Julian “El Guerrero Mexicano” Fernandez will defend the BKB super cruiserweight championship against former three-division titleholder Dan “Big Pod” Podmore in the main event at Auditorio Municipal. The vacant BKB super flyweight championship will be contested in the co-main event when Cecy Ulloa meets Andy “The CrAsian” Nguyen.BKB 59: All the fights BKB 59 Main Card BKB super cruiserweight world championship main event: Julian Fernandez vs. Dan PodmoreBKB super flyweight world championship co-main event: Cecy Ulloa vs. Andy NguyenSuper middleweight: Romario Ovalle vs. Marco Chino…

Khamzat Chimaev could take another hiatus from the Octagon if the Ultimate Fighting Championship fails to offer him a fight by the end of the year.

The former UFC middleweight champion had initially targeted a return in October in Abu Dhabi. Chimaev now says he’s reached a point where he may take time away from competition to address several lingering health issues.

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Khamzat Chimaev says lingering injuries could force a break from UFC competition Speaking to Adam Zubayraev, Chimaev revealed that he might take a break if he doesn’t get a fight by the end of 2026 to address some niggling health issues. “Borz” doesn’t want to compete compromised again, having done so several times previously.

“If nothing happens in October or December, I think I’ll take a little break,” Chimaev said. “I have a lot of injuries that I need to get treated. I’ve been putting off my surgeries, putting them off, putting them off, and I go into every fight with some kind of p…