Martial Arts News

Ciryl Gane’s penchant for landing illegal blows undoubtedly has his opponents concerned. 

Gane (14-2) faced Alex Pereira (13-4) for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main event at UFC White House on June 14. Gane rocked Pereira with a jab early in the second round and followed up with vicious shots, forcing “Poatan” to turtle-up. Gane then dropped multiple 12-to-6 elbows at the back of Pereira’s head, which are officially illegal blows. However, there was no acknowledgement from referee Herb Dean that any of the blows landed by Gane were illegal. While Pereira still managed to return to his feet, Gane, smelling blood, followed up with a vicious flurry to secure a standing technical knockout. 

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Foreshadowing? Sean O'Malley knocked out Aiemann Zahabi in the second round of their bantamweight matchup on the same card. “Suga” revealed that Pereira was specifically reminding the referee about illegal back of the head shots during the rules …

Arman Tsarukyan believes Justin Gaethje has found the proverbial second wind in his career. 

Gaethje (28-5) reached the pinnacle of his career by dethroning Ilia Topuria (17-1) to win the undisputed lightweight title at UFC White House last weekend. “The Highlight” survived an onslaught in the second round, while battering Topuria for the rest of the fight, forcing his corner to throw in the towel after the fourth round. 

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There were speculations about Gaethje retiring if he lost to Topuria at the White House. However, the 37-year-old announced that he had promised his mom not to decide on retirement immediately after winning the title. Tsarukyan (23-3) urges Gaethje not to retire. Tsarukyan believes Gaethje still has a couple of years left in him, judging by how good he looked last weekend. Tsarukyan notes that Gaethje looked almost unscathed despite taking hard shots from Topuria. Tsarukyan is considered the frontrunner for the next lightw…

Daniel Cormier claims the now-deleted screenshots of alleged chats with Eric Trump were not shared by him. 

The alleged screenshots were shared from Cormier’s X account on Sunday before promptly being deleted. The posts showed President Donald Trump’s eldest son asking Cormier for insider information regarding fights at UFC White House which went down at the White House on Sunday. Eric Trump even allegedly asked “DC” if any of the fights were rigged. While posting the screenshots, Cormier wrote that he wouldn’t be silenced. Eric Trump later dismissed the alleged texts as fake and AI-generated. 

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‘Why Would I Do That?’ Cormier has also subsequently denied posting the screenshots. The former UFC double champ turned commentator claims they were “not real.” Cormier says his social media was hacked.

“Not real,” Cormier said (via Nicolas Ballasy). “I can’t believe you guys believed that. Who believes that?... I got hacked or something like tha…

Arman Tsarukyan believes Ilia Topuria will take a lot away from his loss to Justin Gaethje. 

Topuria was a massive favourite going into his lightweight title defense against Gaethje at UFC White House on Sunday at the White House. “El Matador” also exuded a level of confidence bordering on cockiness going into the fight. 

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However, Gaethje brutally beat up Topuria, forcing his corner to throw in the towel at the end of the fourth round. “The Highlight” handed Topuria his first-ever professional loss in a monumental upset. Tsarukyan believes Topuria’s lesson in humility will teach him to avoid overconfidence. According to “Ahalkalakets,” Topuria was more focused on his media obligations than his training, going into the fight against Gaethje.A Lesson in Humility “I think this loss is going to teach him a lot of lessons — not to be overconfident and to respect your opponent,” Tsarukyan said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “And keep grinding. I th…

Petr Yan claims the UFC didn’t give Sean O'Malley a title shot against him because they didn’t want to see “Suga” take a beating at the White House. 

O’Malley took on Aiemann Zahabi in a bantamweight tilt at UFC White House last weekend. Despite taking some brutal inside leg kicks from Zahabi, O’Malley knocked out the Canadian in the second round. O’Malley then called for a title shot against Yan. 

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However, Yan claims he had already agreed to defend his title against O’Malley at the White House. “No Mercy” believes the UFC didn’t make the matchup because the promotion wanted to make sure that O’Malley won at the White House.Favorable Matchmaking? “The UFC were afraid for you!” Yan wrote on his Instagram Stories. “They needed to be sure that you would win in the White House! They didn't want you to get beaten in the White House! I gave my consent! That's why they gave you someone you can at least handle!”

O’Malley (20-3) defeated Yan (20-…

Arman Tsarukyan vows to back up his words with action. 

Justin Gaethje challenged Ilia Topuria for the lightweight title in the main event at UFC White House on Sunday at the White House. A massive underdog going into the fight, Gaethje handed Topuria a brutal beating, forcing his corner to throw in the towel at the end of the fourth round. 

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Tsarukyan had placed a massive $1 million bet on Gaethje for a payout of $5.7 million. “Ahalkalakets” had promised to buy Gaethje a RAM truck if he defeated Topuria. Tsarukyan now confirms he will honor his promise to Gaethje. Tsarukyan is scheduled to compete in a wrestling match against Colby Covington at RAF 11 on July 18 in St. Louis, Missouri. Tsarukyan says he will buy Gaethje a truck after his wrestling match.Reaping the Rewards “Of course,” Tsarukyan said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I just checked what color he wants... I'm competing on July 18 in St. Louis, and after St. Louis, I'm going to b…

Ilia Topuria has nothing but praise for Justin Gaethje after suffering his first career defeat.

“El Matador” relinquished the lightweight crown to Gaethje in the UFC White House headliner on Sunday night, falling to his American adversary via fourth-round technical knockout when his corner waved off the fight. After looking nearly invincible for the majority of his professional tenure, Topuria was bloodied and battered by one of the sport’s most respected veterans.

The Georgian-Spaniard acknowledged as much in a post on Instagram.

“Justin, congratulations. You said you’d leave your mark on my face… and you did,” Topuria wrote. “You took the sight from my right eye in the first round, and by the end of the second, from my left too.

“No excuses. I had one of the best camps of my life. I came in sharp, prepared, and ready. Last night was your night. That’s the nature of this game. Glory and pain walk side by side.”

Another Chapter Yet to Come? Topuria emer…

Josh Hokit's latest UFC victory was accompanied by some controversial post-fight comments. | Getty/UFC

Josh Hokit is making waves in the UFC’s heavyweight division, but some of his recent post-fight remarks aren’t scoring him any points with promotion officials.

Hokit improved to 4-0 in the Octagon with a second-round stoppage of Derrick Lewis at UFC White House on Sunday in Washington, D.C. Hokit, who has gained attention for his cringe-worthy pro wrestling schtick, took a different route when speaking with Joe Rogan following his latest victory. During the segment, Hokit praised President Donald Trump, gave thanks to God and continued his verbal assault toward former two-division champion Alex Pereira before shifting gears entirely.

“Lastly, Michele Obama is a man,” Hokit said. “Am I right, America?”

White House UFC fighter Josh Hokit just said:

“Michelle Obama is a man… am I right America?”

How are you enjoying Trump…

Jon Jones has reasserted his status as MMA GOAT after Alex Pereira’s loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC White House. 

Pereira (13-4) looked to win a title in a third weight class when he challenged Gane (14-2) for the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House. However, Pereira barely landed any significant damage while Gane’s jab was on point from the opening bell. “Bon Gamin” hurt Pereira early in the second round and unleashed vicious damage on him on the ground before securing a standing technical knockout on the feet. 

Still the Best in His Own Mind Jones reacted to Pereira’s loss by wearing a necklace of a GOAT in a video posted on social media, signifying the greatest fighter of all time. Jones is currently having a fallout with the UFC since he was denied a spot on the White House card. While Jones retired last year, he started rallying for a spot on the card as soon as it was mentioned.

When Jones missed out on a spot at UFC Fr…

Josh Hokit is open to fighting Alex Pereira even though “Poatan” lost at the White House. 

Pereira (13-4) aimed to create history by challenging Ciryl Gane (14-2) for the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House. Pereira never got his momentum going before Gane hurt him early in the second round and followed up with a barrage of shots to secure the finish. Meanwhile, Hokit (10-0) earned a lopsided stoppage win in a heavyweight clash against Derrick Lewis (29-14) on the same card.

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Hokit was watching Pereira getting finished during a post-fight interview. With the new interim champion Gane expected to face the champ Tom Aspinall in a title unifier, Hokit is eyeing a clash against Pereira next.Targeting ‘Poatan’ “I think Pereira gained a little too much weight,” Hokit said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “I think he weighed in at 251 [pounds], that’s not good. You’ve got to be light, something that you’re u…

Diego Lopes received game-changing advice from one of his cornermen at the White House.

Lopes opened UFC Freedom 250 against Steve Garcia (19-6) at the White House on Sunday. While the opening round was closely contested, Lopes believes he might have been behind on the scorecards. However, Lopes dropped Garcia with a massive left hand midway through Round 2 before finishing him with ground-and-pound. 

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Lopes subsequently revealed that he received the fight-ending advice from UFC flyweight Alessandro Costa, who was in his corner. Costa told Lopes to step back when Garcia landed on him the first time. Costa then told Lopes to stand ground on the second connection and counter with a three-punch combination. Lopes paid heed to Costa’s advice and dropped Garcia with the third punch of his combination.

“The whole credit I give to my brother, Alessandro,” Lopes said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “He told me, ‘Hey, he connects you, you step …

Mauricio Ruffy had a memorable night at the White House on Sunday.

Ruffy faced Michael Chandler in a lightweight tilt at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House. Ruffy beat Chandler down in style before making him fold with a spinning wheel kick late in the first round. Only a few follow-up shots were necessary for the referee to call a stop to the action. 

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Ruffy then made the victory even more special by proposing to his girlfriend, Nadine, for marriage. Ruffy said that while he had wanted to marry her soon after they met, they didn’t have the financial conditions to do so.The Ideal Time and Place “A while ago, when I met my wife Nadine. I really wanted to ask her to marry me, but we didn’t have the money, we didn’t have the condition,” Ruffy said in his post-fight interview. “And now, what better place, to ask my wife to get married. Nadine, I love you, would you marry me?”

While the cameras didn’t show Nadine, UFC commentator Joe Rogan…