Martial Arts News

Manel Kape took home an extra $100K on Saturday night. | Getty/UFC Manel Kape has his revenge, and he’s also $100,000 richer for his efforts.

“Starboy” secured a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his third-round stoppage of Kyoji Horiguchi in the UFC Vegas 119 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Kape put his foe on wobbly legs with a counter right, then unleashed a barrage on his grounded adversary — including a vicious uppercut from behind — that brought a halt tot he contest 2:42 into Round 3. Kape avenged a 2017 submission loss to Horiguchi that occurred under the Rizin banner.

An Impressive Debut Elsewhere, promotional newcomer Murtazali Magomedov earned a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” check after making short work of Melsik Baghdasaryan in a featured featherweight affair. Magomedov elicited a tapout 1:17 into the opening stanza with a twister, only the fourth such submission in UFC history.

Finally, Vinicius Oliveira and …

Dricus Du Plessis will return at UFC Oklahoma City. | Getty/UFC

Oklahoma City is getting a marquee middleweight matchup.

Dricus Du Plessis will square off against Kamaru Usman in a matchup of former title holders in the UFC Oklahoma City headliner, the Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Saturday. The event, also known as UFC Fight Night 281, takes place at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and airs in its entirety on Paramount+.

High Stakes Affair Du Plessis hasn’t competed since last August, when he relinquished the middleweight crown in a lopsided unanimous decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. Prior to that, the South African standout was 9-0 in the Octagon, earning notable victories against the likes of Sean Strickland (twice), Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker, Derek Brunson and Darren Till.

Usman is back in action for the first time since he outpointed Joaquin Buckley in the UFC on ESPN 69 headliner last June. While there were…

Manel Kape marked his territory as the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s number one contender in waiting at 125 pounds.

The Xtreme Couture rep punched out Kyoji Horiguchi in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 279 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Kape (23-7, 8-3 UFC) slammed the door 2:42 into Round 3, avenging his Dec. 31, 2017 submission defeat to the former Rizin Fighting Federation and Bellator MMA champion.

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Horiguchi (36-7, 9-2 UFC) stayed a step ahead of “Starboy” from a tactical standpoint through much of the first 10 minutes. In fact, he secured a takedown and spent almost the entire second round grinding away on Kape from top position. However, Horiguchi’s inability to inflict any real damage proved costly. Kape clipped him with a right hook midway through Round 3, pushed him to all fours and snuck a devastating uppercut underneath the armpit that prompted the stoppage.

Meanwhile, surging City Kickboxing prospect N…

Sherdog's live UFC Vegas 119 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 279. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Collins (-160); Tanzilovi (+140)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Rosa (-115); Santos (+100)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round…

Beatriz Mesquita’s otherworldly ground skills were there when she needed them most.

The undefeated American Top Team star remained unbeaten and continued her climb in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight division, as she disposed of Melissa Mullins with an armbar in the first round of a featured UFC Fight Night 279 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Mesquita (8-0, 3-0 UFC) drew the curtain 3:16 into Round 1.

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Mullins (7-3, 2-3 UFC) nearly sprang the upset. She dazed Mesquita with a left hook, then closed in on the 10-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion with follow-up punches. Putting the icing on the cake proved problematic. The resourceful Mesquita lured her opponent into her venomous guard, cleared the cobwebs and snatched the armbar. Mullins fought briefly to free herself but had no choice but to tap.

Meanwhile, ex-Inka Fighting Championship titleholder Kevin Borjas outstruck the heavily favored and previous…

Jan Blachowicz and Bogdan Guskov fought to a majority draw in their first meeting. | Getty/UFC

Jan Blachowicz and Bogdan Guskov have a little bit of unfinished business to handle.

The light heavyweights will square off in a rematch at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1, the promotion recently announced. Blachowicz and Guskov initially battled to a majority draw at UFC 325 this past December. A rematch was slated for UFC 328 on May 9, but Blachowicz was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury.

UFC Belgrade — also known as UFC Fight Night 283 — takes place at Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, and is headlined by a welterweight showdown pitting Uros Medic against Daniel Rodriguez. The card will air in its entirety on Paramount+.

A Difficult Road A former light heavyweight champion, Blachowicz is just 1-3-2 in his last six Octagon appearances dating back to October 2021. However, the 43-year-old Pole has squared off against only the division’s best during tha…

Jean Silva believes he will jump the queue ahead of Movsar Evloev for the next UFC featherweight title shot. 

Silva considers himself next in line for a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski. However, standing in his way is Evloev, who has long been the top contender at 145 pounds. Volkanovski has also repeatedly acknowledged the undefeated Russian as the most deserving title contender. However, Silva doesn’t think Evloev will get the next title shot. While Silva is eyeing a title shot next, he is willing to take one more fight if he needs to.

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“I’m the next one in line for the title,” Silva told MMAjunkie.com. “I’m the next one that’s gonna get that belt. I’m taking that belt back to Brazil. Hunter’s helping me with that. My manager Ivan is helping me out with that. Dana as well… They’re giving me the path to that… I think the chances of Evloev fighting Volkanovski by the end of the year are slim. And if Volk wants to fight somebody, I’ll be …

Don’t expect to see Justin Gaethje in the Octagon again this year. 

Gaethje (28-5) recently dethroned Ilia Topuria in a massive upset at UFC White House to win the undisputed lightweight title. “The Highlight” had previously won the interim title against Paddy Pimblett this past January. Gaethje notes that it is already a rarity to see him compete twice in a year. Gaethje revealed that it is highly unlikely for him to compete again in 2026.

Hiatus Loading“I already fought twice this year,” Gaethje said on "The Pat McAfee Show.”. “Very, very rarely do you get me twice in one year. So there’s very, very, very small chance that I would ever consider fighting this year again.”

Gaethje has never fought more than twice a year in the UFC. The newly-crowned lightweight champion had competed only once each in 2024 and 2025. Gaethje’s win over Topuria marked his third bid for the undisputed title. There was speculation about the 37-year-old retiring if he had lost against…

Khabib Nurmagomedov is supporting an underdog in the FIFA World Cup 2026. 

Nurmagomedov (29-0) recently shared his predictions for the ongoing soccer World Cup in North America. While Nurmagomedov isn’t supporting Germany, he believes the former four-time champions will lift the trophy again in 2026. “Eagle” believes the Netherlands will end up as the runner-up, with Spain following in third place.

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“Who will win the World Cup? Germany. I am not rooting for them, but I think Germany is the number one favorite,” Nurmagomedov told Okko Sport (translation via Red Corner MMA). “I would put the Netherlands in second. And Spain in third.”Talking Futbol However, Nurmagomedov doesn’t think any of the top goal scorers will be from Germany. The former UFC lightweight champion’s top five goal scorers include France’s Kylian Mbappe, Argentina’s Lautaro Martinez, Brazil’s Vinicius Jr., Portugal’s Joao Felix and England’s Harry Kane.

“Let me give you my Top …

Sean O'Malley believes Aleksandre Topuria doesn’t like him. 

O’Malley (20-3) defeated Aiemann Zahabi via a second-round knockout at UFC White House earlier this month. Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria lost his lightweight title to Justin Gaethje in a massive upset on the same card. Ilia’s elder brother, UFC bantamweight Aleksandre, cornered his brother at the White House. 

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O’Malley came across Topuria and his team backstage at the White House. While O’Malley and Ilia have traded barbs in the past, “Suga” believes there are no hard feeling between them. However, O’Malley believes Aleksandre doesn’t like him. O’Malley claims that while he shook hands with Ilia’s entire team, Aleksandre refused to acknowledge him.Lingering Animosity “If Ilia’s heard me talk about him, he knows I think he is one of the greatest of all time,” O’Malley said on Tim Welche’s YouTube channel. “I made a couple of short jokes, he’s made fun of me, like, ‘Ugly tattoo.’... But h…

Professional Fighters League featherweight Alexei Pergande has accused Ian Garry of lying. 

The spat started with Pergande posting a video of a training session where he took Garry down. Garry unfollowed Pergande on Instagram after the clip went viral. Replying to a fan, Garry said that he unfollowed Pergande because “Russian DNA” had filmed their training session without consent. Garry also accused Pergande of continuing to film even after he was asked not to.

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“Because he filmed me without permission, then secretly kept filming me after I asked him to stop and has been editing and reposting the same session for four years,” Garry wrote. “I liked the kid but respect when someone says no to filming you.” 

However, Pergande (8-0) completely denies Garry’s accusations. Pergande says his fiancée was filming the session in the presence of Garry’s wife and UFC middleweight Chris Curtis. According to Pergande, he was never asked to stop filming …

Merab Dvalishvili believes all fighters deserve respect. | Getty/UFC

Merab Dvalishvili believes fighters shouldn’t be disrespected regardless of wins and losses. 

Dvalishvili (21-5) recently lashed out on social media against “s—t talk” toward fighters. While Dvalishvili didn’t clarify the target of his rant, he issued an open challenge to talk trash to his face.

“You disrespect the dedication and hard work to the sport that every fighter puts in when you talk s--t,” Dvalishvili wrote on X. “Win or lose we are all warriors and deserve respect. F--k anyone talking what they don’t know - come say it to my face.”

You disrespect the dedication and hardwork to the sport that every fighter puts in when you talk sh!t. Win or lose we are all warriors and deserve respect. F*^k anyone talking what they don’t know - come say it to my face.

— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) June 19, 2026 Standing Up for a Fri…