Martial Arts News

Not everyone counted out Justin Gaethje ahead of his fight against Ilia Topuria. 

Gaethje (28-5) challenged Topuria (17-1) for the undisputed lightweight title in the main event at UFC White House last weekend at the White House. Gaethje was as big as a +500 underdog on some sportsbooks going into the fight. 

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However, Francis Ngannou thought the oddsmakers were being unfair to Gaethje. The former UFC heavyweight champion couldn’t fathom why Gaethje was such a massive underdog, considering “The Highlight” always put on a show even in his losses. Ngannou put his money on Gaethje, who made Topuria’s corner throw in the towel at the end of the fourth round. Gaethje finally won the much deserved undisputed title in his third attempt. Ngannou thanked the newly crowned lightweight champion for making his week.A Beautiful Week“I bet on Gaethje,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports. “I saw these odds and I’m like, ‘Something’s wrong with these bookmakers.’ Lik…

Dalton Rosta is 2-2 under the PFL banner. | PFL MMA

A middleweight bout pitting Bryan Battle against Dalton Rosta will headline PFL Charlotte on Aug. 7.

Professional Fighters League announced the pairing on Wednesday. The event takes place at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, and also includes two other confirmed 185-pound pairings: Joshua Silveira vs. Aaron Jeffery and Josh Fremd vs. Jhony Gregory. The PFL Charlotte main card airs on ESPN at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

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Top notch featherweights headline PFL San Diego: Tune in Saturday, June 27 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Battle signed with PFL last year following a UFC stint where he went 7-1 with one no contest but was plagued by issues making weight. “The Butcher” faced former middleweight champ Johnny Eblen in his organizational debut, falling via first-round submission at PFL Pittsburgh on March 28.

Anchored at American Top Team, Rosta has split four PFL appearanc…

Youssef Zalal is eyeing a matchup against Kevin Vallejos. 

Zalal recently called out Vallejos for his previous comments. “The Moroccan Devil” believes he will give Vallejos a reality check if they meet inside the Octagon.

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“Let that guy talk, I hope they give me his name,” Zalal told Home of Fight. “I want to see that contract. I’ll show him the ‘kid that runs, the kid that circles, and is not fun to fight’... I can’t wait to give him a reality check and show him there’s levels to this.”On a Collison Course? Zalal’s (18-6) first UFC run ended in 2022 after going winless in four straight outings. However, Zalal returned to the UFC in 2024 after three consecutive first-round finishes on the regional circuit. Zalal went undefeated in five straight outings, with four finishes, in his second UFC stint. Zalal’s impressive run ended with a lopsided decision loss against Aljamain Sterling this past April.

Vallejos was rooting for Sterling to defeat Zal…

Alex Pereira wasn’t expecting the reaction that Jon Jones had to his loss against Ciryl Gane. 

Pereira faced Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House last weekend. Gane hurt Pereira in the second round and finished him on the feet, albeit not without the controversy of some illegal blows. 

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Jones reacted to Pereira’s loss by posting a video of himself wearing a GOAT necklace, signifying the greatest fighter of all time. Pereira was admittedly surprised by Jones’ reaction to his loss. Pereira doesn’t understand why Jones chose to kick him while he was down. Pereira also notes that he had never shown anything but respect towards “Bones.” Despite the reaction, “Poatan” claims he will continue being a fan of Jones.A Confusing Reaction “To be honest, I was very surprised,” Pereira said on YouTube. “If I was one of the guys that provoked him, then lose, and then he goes and says something, I’d understand. But I’ve never spoken bad…

Alexander Volkanovski believes Arman Tsarukyan didn’t make a wise decision by not weighing in as the backup fighter for the main event of the UFC White House card. 

Tsarukyan (23-3) was officially the backup fighter for the lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 last weekend at the White House. However, Tsarukyan had previously clarified that he would only weigh in as the backup fighter if he saw some serious chance of someone pulling out. “Ahalkalakets” eventually chose not to weigh in as the backup and wrestled Tony Ferguson at RAF 10 instead. Meanwhile, Diego Lopes, who was already scheduled to fight Steve Garcia in a featherweight matchup at the White House, also weighed in as the backup for the main event between Topuria and Gaethje.

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Volkanovski believes Tsarukyan hurt his chances in the UFC by choosing not to weigh in as the backup. According to the UFC featherweight champion, the UFC likes comp…

“The back of the head” is a tricky area in MMA, according to Herb Dean. 

Cyril Gane (14-2) and Alex Pereira (13-4) clashed for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House. Gane hurt Pereira with a jab early in the second round and swarmed him with punches. As Pereira dropped to the canvas, Gane landed multiple blows to the back of the head without any warning from Dean, who was the referee. While Pereira got back to his feet, Gane finished him soon after with a vicious flurry. 

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Dean has faced severe backlash for allowing Gane’s shots to the back of Pereira’s head, which have been widely deemed illegal. Pereira also holds Dean partly accountable for his loss, especially after emphasizing illegal blows to the back of the head during the rules meeting before the fight. 

Dean has now defended his stance while elaborating on the rule. According to Dean, the rule should actually be called illegal blows to “the nape of the neck.” Dean…

Justin Gaethje entered the White House as the UFC's biggest underdog and left as the biggest winner of the night. After ending Ilia Topuria's undefeated streak, Gaethje took home his belt and two bonuses.

The American's ground coach, Jorge Santiago, spoke with Sherdog.com on Monday about the victory and revealed interesting details about what went on behind the scenes at UFC White House. Having won belts in organizations such as Sengoku and Strikeforce, the Brazilian revealed that he was moved by the show.

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"It was a unique experience. There will never be a show like this. I never imagined seeing the political capital of the USA closed to our sport. Everything was approved by the Secret Service. After all, they had already tried to assassinate the president twice, so it was an impressive level of care. We would pass through a gate and there was an FBI clearance; when we got in the car we couldn't talk to the agents or we would have to go back and do …

Conor McGregor is set for his long-awaited return at UFC 329. | Getty/UFC

Conor McGregor apparently has a timeframe in place for his next two UFC bouts.

McGregor is scheduled to return for the first time since July 2021 when he faces Max Holloway in a welterweight contest at UFC 329 on July 11. In an interview on "The Ariel Helwani Show," the former two-division champion revealed that he has two fights left on his current deal — and the date for his final bout is also tentatively in place. However, McGregor isn’t necessarily pleased by the potential layoff between those two bookings.

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"Right now, I am contracted, and I have both dates," McGregor said. "I have both dates for my fights. I have July 11 and I have – where would you think they would put me back in? When would you think they would put me back in? April 2027. It's almost a year later. That's ridiculous to me. No? This is the way the contract was done. I have my second dat…

It was a frustrating night for "Poatan" at UFC White House. | Getty/UFC

While Alex Pereira admits that Ciryl Gane rocked him in their UFC White House matchup, the Brazilian star also believes what followed deserved some closer examination.

“Poatan” was on the defensive after being hurt by a Gane jab in their interim heavyweight title bout on Sunday, but during the ensuing salvo, “Bon Gamin” appeared to land multiple 12-to-6 elbows to the back of his opponent’s head. While Pereira did return to his feet, Gane ultimately finished the job with more powerful punches at the 1:27 mark of Round 2.

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In a video on YouTube, Pereira addressed the loss as well as Dean’s officiating in the heat of the moment.

“Putting myself in the referee’s shoes, my opponent’s there and catches me, I drop, he starts striking,” Pereira said. “The ref is watching that they are illegal shots, but he thinks like this, ‘How am I going to stop this fight?’ It’s illegal,…

The FBI revealed on Tuesday that it was able to halt a potential terrorist threat that targeted the UFC White House event and its attendees this past Sunday.

According to Fox News, the alleged plan included using explosive-laden drones to force an evacuation, where crowds would be directed toward an area with snipers in place. The group included a “second wave,” which planned to storm the White House gate, per the report.

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As of Monday, five people were in custody — with 23 in total identified as part of the alleged terrorist plot. One of those arrested was 19-year-old Tycen Proper, of Danville, Ohio, who according to the Columbus Dispatch, is charged in U.S. District Court in Columbus with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, attempted murder of any officer or employee of the United States, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and receipt or transfer of a firearm used to commit a felony.

Proper has be…

Anthony Smith believes Ilia Topuria should return quickly to recover from the loss against Justin Gaethje. 

Topuria (17-1) put his lightweight title on the line against Gaethje (28-5) in the main event at UFC White House on Sunday. While Topuria was a massive favorite, Gaethje bloodied up “El Matador” in the first round. Topuria briefly rebounded in the second round but apparently exhausted himself hunting a finish. Gaethje unleashed brutal punishment in the third round. However, Topuria showed immense heart in getting off the stool for the fourth round, where he absorbed even more damage. Topuria’s corner had seen enough to throw in the towel at the end of the fourth round. Gaethje shocked the world by winning the undisputed title in his third attempt in one of the greatest upsets in UFC history. 

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Smith believes the best way for Topuria to mentally recover from his first career loss is to return to competition as soon as he can. According …

Arman Tsarukyan believes no one in the lightweight division can beat him right now. 

Justin Gaethje (28-5) challenged Ilia Topuria (17-1) for the undisputed lightweight title at UFC White House last weekend. Gaethje handed Topuria a brutal beating, forcing a corner stoppage at the end of the fourth round. “The Highlight” became the undisputed lightweight champion in one of the greatest upsets in UFC title fight history. 

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Currently rallying for the next lightweight title shot, Tsarukyan (23-3) believes he is equipped to beat both Gaethje and Topuria. If Tsarukyan is champion by the time Topuria recovers, “Ahalkalkets” would like to hand him a beating worse than Gaethje did. Tsarukyan currently doesn’t see any threat in the lightweight division since former champ Islam Makhachev moved up to welterweight.Supremely Confident “I want to beat Justin Gaethje. I want to beat everybody,” Tsarukyan said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “And when Ilia is …