Martial Arts News

Unbeaten welterweight Jacobe Smith will reportedly put his perfect record on the line against Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Randy Brown.

Smith is coming off a first-round knockout of Bruce Whitehead at UFC 332 on Oct. 3. The 30-year-old needed just 92 seconds to improve his professional record to 13-0. He now faces a more experienced opponent in Brown, who has competed in the UFC since 2016.

Jacobe Smith vs. Randy Brown reportedly set for UFC's Oct. 31 Las Vegas cardBrown has made 22 UFC appearances and is coming off consecutive losses to Gabriel Bonfim and Kevin Holland. According to Marcel Dorff, “Rude Boy” will face Smith, who is 4-0 in the UFC after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series.

The welterweights are slated to meet at UFC Fight Night 292 on Oct. 31 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. A lightweight matchup between Renato “Money” Moicano and Tom Nolan headlines the card.

Randy Brown vs. Jacobe Smith #UFCVegas123 -…

Alex Pereira has explained his frustration with the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight matchmaking.

Pereira (13-4) is scheduled to face Sergei Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Josh Hokit (10-0) will face Ciryl Gane (14-2) for the heavyweight title at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Advertisement

Pereira said he initially expected either a rematch with Gane or a grudge match against Hokit, but he sees the Pavlovich booking as a favorable stylistic matchup.Alex Pereira explains UFC matchmaking frustration and why Sergei Pavlovich is more dangerous than Josh Hokit Pereira lost his UFC heavyweight debut to Gane by technical knockout in an interim title bout at UFC Freedom 250. After Tom Aspinall relinquished the undisputed championship, Pereira said the promotion discussed a title rematch with Gane or a fight against Hokit, who has repeatedly criticized “Poatan.”

Pereira considers H…

Petr Yan believes he has figured out Merab Dvalishvili ahead of their trilogy bout.

Yan is scheduled to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title against Dvalishvili at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Their series is tied 1-1, but Yan expects to replicate his commanding performance in their rematch.

Advertisement

Petr Yan expects another dominant showing against Merab Dvalishvili in UFC 333 title trilogy Dvalishvili overwhelmed Yan with his wrestling to win their first meeting by unanimous decision in 2023. Yan reversed the result in their December 2025 title rematch, repeatedly defending takedowns and landing effective strikes to reclaim the championship by unanimous decision.

“No Mercy” expects another strong showing in their rubber match.

“We definitely have enough information downloaded from the time we spent together in the Octagon,” Yan said in a pre-fight interview. “But the second victory, obviously, was very do…

Alexander Volkanovski is confident he’ll become the first fighter to defeat Movsar Evloev.

Volkanovski (28-4) will defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against Evloev (20-0) at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The champion believes he presents a “nightmare” stylistic matchup for the unbeaten Russian.

Alexander Volkanovski explains why Movsar Evloev's grappling may fail him in UFC 333 title fight Ahead of their title clash, Volkanovski explained that Evloev relies on his wrestling to escape difficult situations. The Australian champion believes his own grappling skills will deny the challenger that fallback option.

“I think it just doesn’t end well for him,” Volkanovski said in a pre-fight interview. “I don’t mean it in any bad way. I just think I’m the guy to take that zero from him. He’s got incredible skill. He is very effective with what he does… Every time he’s had problems, he could rely on that wrestling and grappling to …

Movsar Evloev says he has pushed himself harder than ever ahead of his first UFC title shot.

Evloev (20-0) is scheduled to challenge Alexander Volkanovski (28-4) for the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Ahead of the bout, the unbeaten Russian discussed how his preparations have differed from previous training camps.

Advertisement

Movsar Evloev details toughest training camp ahead of Alexander Volkanovski title fight at UFC 333 Evloev said he increased his workload across all aspects of training to address any potential weaknesses. He believes that preparation will help him showcase his abilities in Saturday’s main event.

“This preparation is different just because I pushed more than ever,” Evloev said in a pre-fight interview. “And we did more of everything to make sure we didn’t miss anything. He hasn’t beaten anyone like me. There’s many things that make me special, like unique. And I’m abo…

Prop bets are available for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming event in Abu Dhabi.

UFC 333 takes place Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, featuring two championship bouts. BetOnline Sports & Casino is offering odds on which matchup will produce the fastest finish and how many bouts will end inside the distance.

Nikita Krylov vs. Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev leads UFC 333 fastest-finish odds at -200Nikita Krylov vs. Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev is the favorite in the fastest-finish market. The matchup is listed at -200, followed by Dominick Reyes vs. Azamat Murzakanov at +200 and Aaron Pico vs. Losene Keita at +300. The two championship bouts — Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev and Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili 3 — have the longest odds among the nine listed matchups.

The sportsbook has also set an over/under of 7.5 for the number of fights to end inside the distance at Saturday’s event.

The listed odds for the fastest-finish prop are:…

Brendan Allen says he and Khamzat Chimaev have agreed to fight each other only if a title is on the line.

Allen submitted Christian Leroy Duncan in his last bout, extending his Ultimate Fighting Championship winning streak to four. The victory strengthened “All In”’s case for a title shot and raised the possibility of a clash with his friend, Chimaev. However, Allen said they have an agreement governing a potential matchup.

Advertisement

Brendan Allen explains title-only fight agreement with Khamzat Chimaev Allen discussed the arrangement during an appearance on MMA Junkie Radio, saying their friendship wouldn’t prevent them from sharing the Octagon in a championship bout.

“We have the agreement that we’re not going to fight each other unless it’s for gold,” Allen said. “So, if it’s for the belt, then we’re gonna fight. Fighting for the belt changes my life, and it changes my family’s. Everyone that I’ve ever come in contact with knows that about me: if it’s for…

Building the most data-backed combat sport on earth 🌎 We're deepening our partnership with @BallysCorp ahead of Friday’s card in Biloxi. Swipe to see what this 360 partnership means for the future of bare knuckle ➡️ https://t.co/G2L24zg52w

— BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing (@bkbbareknuckle) October 21, 2026

Bally’s Corp. and BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing will bring their latest Fightnight event to Mississippi on Friday, Oct. 23, combining professional bare-knuckle boxing with technology that measures punches and delivers real-time statistics to spectators and television viewers.

The event at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi is part of an expanding partnership linking Bally’s casino properties, sports technology and media distribution, the companies announced Wednesday.

Bally’s, BKB expand Bare-Knuckle Boxing partnership with Oct. 23 fight card in Biloxi

The collaboration centers on Bally’s proprietary ForceIQ punch-tracking technology, whi…

Bilal Hasan wants to capitalize on his early UFC momentum.

Hasan scored a 45-second technical knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series in August to earn his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. The undefeated flyweight made his UFC debut in Shanghai just 18 days later, securing a second-round knockout. He recently discussed his busy schedule ahead of his second UFC appearance, slated for UFC 334.

Bilal Hasan embraces rapid UFC rise ahead of Luis Gurule fight at UFC 334 Hasan (10-0, 1 NC) is scheduled to fight Luis Gurule (11-4) at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. “The IndoNinja” said his UFC career is moving faster than expected. He initially wanted only one more fight this year after earning his contract but has welcomed the additional opportunities.

“I said it right after my Contender Series fight, ‘I need just maybe one more fight before the end of this year. I want to take it super slow; I want to build all this.’ The UFC put me on a r…

Scott Coker is seeking rule changes before his new promotion’s debut.

The former head of Strikeforce and Bellator recently unveiled Ki MMA, which is expected to stage its first event in 2027. Coker said the promotion has submitted a request to the California State Athletic Commission to consider an alternative ruleset.

Ki MMA asks California regulators to discuss global MMA rules at Dec. 1 meetingCoker wants to incorporate elements of the global MMA rules into the Unified Rules of MMA. However, the proposal would exclude soccer kicks, stomps and what his statement describes as “linear knee strikes.”

“I’ve always believed MMA should keep evolving,” Coker wrote on Instagram. “Ki MMA has formally requested a rule change to bring elements of the Global MMA Rules into the Unified Rules, excluding soccer kicks, stomps and linear knee strikes as per Rule 533. We’ve asked CSAC to discuss this topic at the Dec. 1 stakeholders meeting.”

Eddie Hearn is mocking Zuffa Boxing after Shakur Stevenson’s departure.

The promotion, headed by Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White, signed Stevenson in July. However, the boxing star has secured his release without fighting for the organization.

Advertisement

Eddie Hearn calls Shakur Stevenson's departure before Zuffa Boxing debut 'humiliating' Hearn criticized White over Stevenson’s departure. The Matchroom Boxing chairman said he initially thought the news was a publicity stunt.

“Unbelievable, I thought it was a publicity stunt, to be honest with you,” Hearn told iFL TV. “Like, until Shakur’s team called me, messaged me last night, I thought it was all just some kind of stunt for an announcement, because it was so bad, so embarrassing, so humiliating for Zuffa, that I thought it can’t be real. Because it happened, and literally within 30 seconds I had 50 messages. ‘Oh my God, have you seen this? Zuffa’s finished. Zuffa’s imploding. Dana White’s hea…

Muhammad Mokaev believes the Ultimate Fighting Championship is unfairly damaging fighters’ careers.

The UFC has drawn criticism for declining to renew the contracts of fighters on winning streaks. Mokaev claims some athletes have been warned to change their wrestling-heavy styles or risk losing their roster spots, raising questions about the fairness and competitive implications of such an approach.

Advertisement

Muhammad Mokaev questions UFC wrestling warnings and Dana White's remarks after Farid Basharat exit Farid Basharat (16-0) recently completed his contract and wasn’t offered a new deal despite going 7-0 in the promotion. UFC CEO Dana White suggested that difficulties with matchmakers or declined fights could explain such departures without identifying a specific incident involving Basharat. Mokaev believes those comments can damage fighters’ reputations and prospects after leaving the UFC.

The former UFC fighter questioned whether warnings about fighting…