Martial Arts News

Ian Garry fell short in his maiden title bid in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but he made no excuses for the loss.

The Irishman lost to Islam Makhachev in the UFC 330 main event at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, with the champion winning on all three judges’ scorecards to retain the welterweight title. Garry spoke highly of Makhachev in his post-fight interview, while also claiming that he felt he was better on the night.

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Ian Garry says he was better than Islam Makhachev in UFC 330 title fight Garry is proud of his performance and didn’t dispute the judges’ decision. He also praised the champ, commending Makhachev for making the move up from lightweight and being successful at welterweight.

“Nothing surprised me. I have nothing but respect for Islam,” Garry told Joe Rogan. “We should all sit back, show him respect, to come up here and win that second belt. I believed in my heart and in my soul, I was better than him tonight. He won. I …

#AndStill #UFC330 pic.twitter.com/9YIVH6kHkZ

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) August 16, 2026

The hierarchy of the 170-pound and women’s 115-pound divisions was at stake in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

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The UFC 330 headliner saw Islam Makhachev (29-1, 18-1 UFC) cement his status as one of the best mixed martial artists ever as he outpointed Irish challenger Ian Garry (17-2, 10-2 UFC). The former 155-pound titleholder started strong, dominating his opponent in the opening frame with his wrestling-based style. He then dropped Garry with a head kick in the second before controlling his foe on the ground until the end of the stanza. Garry fared better in Round 3, when Makhachev appeared slightly fatigued and slowed his relentless takedown attempts. “The Future” was sharper with his strikes, putting together his best round of the contest.Islam Makhachev beats Ian Garry by un…

NASTY twister by Charles Johnson 🤢

📺 #UFC330 on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/MPP4alSEbb

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 16, 2026 After a spectacular UFC 330 that saw a total of eight finishes, four mixed martial artists bagged an extra $100,000 for their brilliant performances.Charles Johnson, Jalin Turner, Jeremiah Wells and Dustin Stoltzfus earn UFC 330 bonuses The Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White announced the four performance-of-the-night bonus winners. Charles Johnson gained a well-earned $100,000 for his shocking Scottish twister to Eduardo Henrique to record a third-round submission win. Interestingly, the finisher is just the second use in the promotion. Jeremiah Wells also took home a big bonus check. The American delivered a tight ninja choke to secure a technical submission win in the third stanza against Myktybek Orolbai. This is the veteran's sixth UFC victory.

Finally, the last two bon…

Sherdog's live UFC 330 “Makhachev vs. Garry” coverage will begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores t…

The upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Abu Dhabi boasts an exciting double main event.

The UFC has officially announced the main event and co-feature for UFC 333, which will take place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Oct. 24. The main attraction is a 145-pound title bout between reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Movsar Evloev. Volkanovski (28-4, 15-3 UFC) will return to action after back-to-back decision victories over Diego Lopes, the most recent on Jan. 31. Evloev (20-0, 10-0 UFC) earned his title shot after compiling 10 consecutive victories inside the Octagon.

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In the co-feature, Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili will conclude their trilogy with a rubber match. When the pair first met, Dvalishvili (21-5, 14-3 UFC) defeated his Russian rival by unanimous decision in March 2023. Yan (20-5, 12-4 UFC) responded by outpointing Dvalishvili in their rematch last December, taking "The Machine's" divi…

Lucas Fernando made a strong impression in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

The former Legacy Fighting Alliance light heavyweight champion dominated Rafael Tobias before earning a third-round technical knockout at UFC 330.

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Lucas Fernando backs up bold message with TKO of Rafael Tobias at UFC 330 UFC 330’s all-Brazilian matchup showcased Fernando's versatile offense. He attacked Tobias' legs and body with kicks while mixing in crisp boxing combinations. Even when Tobias caught a kick and briefly put Fernando on the canvas, the latter promptly worked his way back to his feet. He ultimately secured the stoppage at 1:10 of the third round.

During a post-fight interview, Fernando opened up about what the victory means to him.

“It’s a dream come true,” Fernando said. “I’ve been dreaming about this my entire life, and I am very happy with this arrival in the UFC. And as I have said, I didn’t come here to be just another fighter in the UFC. G…

The Champ is first to the scale!@MAKHACHEVMMA 170 lbs

[ #UFC330 | LIVE SAT AUG 15 | 9pmET on @paramountplus ] pic.twitter.com/RbL3FXLEN0

— UFC (@ufc) August 14, 2026 Two title fights atop the UFC 330 are now official following the official weigh-ins, which took place earlier today in Philadelphia.

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The mixed martial arts event is headlined by a welterweight title fight between champion Islam Makhachev and challenger Ian Garry. Meanwhile, a strawweight clash between 115-pound queen Mackenzie Dern and Gillian Robertson will serve as the co-main event. All fighters, including the four in title fights, successfully made weight.

This is only the second fight at welterweight for Makhachev (28-1). The former lightweight champion successfully moved up a division to dethrone Jack Della Maddalena in his last outing. Undefeated since 2016, the Russian has only tasted defeat once in his career. Makhachev officially weighed in at 170…

PFL Africa has arrived in Morocco! 🇲🇦

The Biggest MMA Event in North Africa is coming to Casablanca on October 10.

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Our Semi-Finalists are locked in, and the battle for $100,000 and PFL Africa championship belt continues!

​With an incredible lineup of fights packed into one… pic.twitter.com/1iYZtQ6KO6

— PFL Africa (@PFLAfrica) August 13, 2026 The Professional Fighters League will hold its PFL Africa semifinals Oct. 10 at Mohammed V Sports Complex in Casablanca, featuring tournament bouts in three divisions and a heavyweight main event.

PFL Africa 3: 2026 Playoffs, the promotion’s first event in North Africa, will determine finalists in the bantamweight, welterweight and lightweight tournaments. Winners of the six semifinal bouts will advance to the PFL Africa Finals later this year.

Fighters from nine African nations will compete at the Mohammed V Sports Complex Senegal’s Abdoulaye Kane (5-2) will face Morocc…

Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili aren't done competing against one another after already squaring off in mixed martial arts and wrestling.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholders will meet for the third time when they headline RAF 12 on Aug. 22 at Rocket Arena in Cleveland, with the Real American Freestyle lightweight crossover championship on the line.

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Cejudo-Dvalishvili 3 replaces Colby Covington vs. Belal Muhammad as the RAF 12 headliner The rematch replaces Colby Covington vs. Belal Muhammad as the RAF 12 main event. Covington and Muhammad's match has been moved to RAF 13 on Sept. 19 at Watsco Center in Miami.

Cejudo and Dvalishvili collided on the wrestling mats at RAF Georgia on July 11 in Tbilisi. Cejudo raced out to an 8-0 advantage before Dvalishvili made a comeback in front of his home crowd to secure the victory. ‘The Machine’ is now 2-0 under the RAF banner, while Cejudo has split his two appearances, beating Urijah Fab…

Gillian Robertson believes her upcoming title bout is the culmination of an eventful and turbulent run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Robertson (17-8) takes on Mackenzie Dern (16-5) for the strawweight championship in the UFC 330 co-main event at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The challenger has claimed that it feels like her “destiny” to compete for and win the championship.

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Gillian Robertson is excited by grappler vs. grappler matchup Robertson, who has 20 UFC fights on her record, has grown through several ups and downs during her time in the promotion. She competed on the 26th edition of “The Ultimate Fighter” in 2017 and has 14 wins inside the Octagon, including 10 finishes. The Canadian is now riding a five-fight win streak.

Ahead of her maiden title fight, “The Savage” is eager to add championship gold to her UFC run and thrilled about the matchup against a fellow submission specialist.

“I think this matchup, since she […

Gillian Robertson slammed Mackenzie Dern ahead of their Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight title bout.

The two are set to lock horns for Dern’s 115-pound championship at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on Aug. 15. The champ recently claimed that she neither likes nor dislikes Robertson because they don't know each other well. The challenger has now accused Dern of backtracking on past comments.

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Bad blood is brewing between Gillian Robertson and Mackenzie Dern Robertson (16-5) opened up about the tension between her and Dern (17-8) during media day ahead of UFC 330. The Canadian claims Dern previously downplayed her jiu-jitsu but isn’t carrying the same energy into fight week.

“She was making comments all through the camp about how she doesn't know me, she doesn't think my jiu-jitsu's good, and all this stuff,” Robertson said. “Now she's like, ‘Oh, no, it's not anything. It's not that I don't like her.’ I'm like, ‘Why are we trying to t…

Islam Makhachev’s team has strong camaraderie.

With Khabib Nurmagomedov at the helm, the Dagestani squad is known for their close bond. Nurmagomedov, Makhachev and their teammates consider each other “brothers.” With Magomed Zaynukov recently making a successful Ultimate Fighting Championship debut and Khabib’s cousin, Usman Nurmagomedov, potentially headed to the UFC, there’s no chance of them fighting one another.

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‘We’re all brothers’: Islam Makhachev opens up about bond within Dagestani team Makhachev guarantees that lightweights Zaynukov and Usman, or any of their other teammates, will never fight each other. The former lightweight champ and reigning welterweight king can’t even fathom the idea of fighting his teammates, having essentially grown up together.

Makhachev was still climbing the rankings when Khabib was the UFC lightweight champion. Regardless, Makhachev could never imagine fighting “The Eagle,” who has been guiding him from the day…