Martial Arts News

Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili believe their training partner, Phumi Nkuta, was robbed on the MVP MMA card.

Nkuta (11-1) took on Adriano Moraes (22-6) in a bantamweight outing at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. While Nkuta picked apart Moraes on the feet, the former ONE Championship champion had the edge on the ground. The highly competitive fight met with a controversial ending in the final round. 

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Moraes secured a rear-naked choke in the final second of the fight. While Nkuta seemed to be in his senses till the final bell, Moraes held on to the choke even for a few seconds, even after the bell, despite referee Herb Dean intervening. Nkuta was choked out unconscious, and it was declared a submission win for Moraes. 

The fight gave Dvalishvili immediate flashbacks of his controversial loss against Ricky Simon in 2018. While “The Machine” was dominating the fi…

The Conor McGregor-Nate Diaz rivalry was one of the UFC's best. | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Conor McGregor still hasn’t dismissed the idea of a trilogy fight against Nate Diaz.

Diaz (21-14) took on Mike Perry at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. Diaz had barely anything to offer while suffering a one-sided beatdown against Perry. Diaz was so bloodied up by the end of the second round that his corner decided to throw in the towel. 

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Diaz was originally in talks with the UFC for a return to MMA in a trilogy fight against McGregor. After Diaz’s performance against Perry, McGregor says he knows why his former foe didn’t accept the trilogy matchup. However, “Notorious” hasn’t completely given up on a potential rubber fight against Diaz.

“I see why [Nate Diaz] didn’t take the fight lol,” McGregor wrote on X. “Anyway here’s to when I get my hands on you, you lanky strea…

Most Valuable Promotions’ first MMA card is getting mixed reactions from fans and pundits. 

While Jon Jones called it better than the UFC, the card failed to impress fellow UFC veterans Daniel Cormier and Ben Askren. Askren found the card full of lopsided matchups. While Askren understands the importance of highlight reels, the former Bellator MMA and ONE Championship champion believes competitive fights are what matchmakers should aim for.

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“Incredibly one-sided is the biggest thing that comes to mind,” Askren said on a podcast with Cormier. “You know, there wasn't a singular fight that was moderately competitive on the card. And, you know, we need the highlights, we need the knockouts, we need these spectacular things, but the best thing we can get is a back-and-forth fight.” No Star Building Cormier noted that one-sided matchups don’t work for MMA unlike boxing, where stars are built by letting them walk through a plethora of underskille…

Most Valuable Promotions’ contracts are seemingly not lucrative enough for everyone. 

Salahdine Parnasse is eyeing a UFC contract after an impressive win at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" on Saturday. Parnasse took on Kenneth Cross in a lightweight matchup on the card. Parnasse picked apart Cross before finishing him in the first round.

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Parnasse’s team has since expressed interest in a UFC contract. Parnasse’s manager, Stephane Chaufourier, wrote on an Instagram post tagging Dana White and the UFC: “We've done our part. The ball is in your court…”

Parnasse has amassed impressive experience on the regional circuit at just 28 years of age. The former KSW two-division champion has finished 15 of his 23 pro wins so far, while just conceding two losses. 

A Significant Gap Parnasse reportedly earned $70,000 for his fight against Cross, which is a huge discrepancy compared to main event fighters Ronda Rousey’s $2.2 million…

Jon Jones believes he would surprise people with his boxing skills. 

Jones attended Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano” on Saturday in Los Angeles, California. Francis Ngannou knocked out Philipe Lins in a heavyweight matchup on the card and subsequently called out Jones. While Jones expressed interest in the matchup, he noted that he needs to be released from the UFC first. 

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Jones is optimistic about his UFC release if he goes through the right channels. Jones recently revealed that he wants to transition to boxing.A Chance to Show Other Skills? “I think getting out of my UFC contract is very very possible,” Jones said.”I need to find the right people and go through the right channels… I really wanted to box. If I put all of my energy into my hands, my combinations, my punching power, I think I would surprise a lot of people. I would love to box.”

Jones (28-1) is currently having a falling out with the UFC. Jones retired as the…

Jean Silva got the better of Kevin Vallejos on the Contender Series. | Getty/UFC

Kevin Vallejos believes he can avenge his loss against Jean Silva in a rematch. 

Vallejos suffered his lone professional loss against Silva in his first Dana White's Contender Series opportunity in 2023. While Silva quickly rose to stardom in the UFC, Vallejos finally earned his UFC contract in his second Contender Series outing in 2024. 

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Silva finished his first five UFC opponents before suffering a loss in a featherweight title eliminator against Diego Lopes last year. Silva has since rebounded with a win over fellow contender Arnold Allen this past January. Making a Name for Himself Meanwhile, Vallejos has racked up four UFC victories with three finishes. The 24-year-old Argentinian prospect established himself as a star in his own right with a first round knockout win over Josh Emmett in his first UFC main event this past March. Vallejos…

The UFC did its best to steal the thunder from Most Valuable Promotions on Saturday night.

As Francis Ngannou was making his walk to the cage at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Saturday night, UFC CEO Dana White went live to announce that Conor McGregor would return to face Max Holloway in the UFC 329 headliner. The timing wasn’t surprising to those in the MMA community, many of whom predicted that the UFC would do something along those lines to take away from the Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano” card.

Ronda Rousey gave her thoughts on the UFC’s decision to announce the McGregor fight when it did during Saturday’s MVP post-fight press conference. Rousey defeated Gina Carano with an armbar 17 seconds into the opening round of the MVP main event on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

"I mean, it's kind of catty," Rousey said. "But it also shows that they see MVP MMA as a threat, that they would, you know, do it in that moment and do it at that ti…

More than 12 years after their first meeting, Conor McGregor will enter the rematch with Max Holloway as a considerable underdog.

According to online oddsmaker BetOnline, McGregor is a +350 underdog heading into his first fight since July 2021. Holloway, whose most recent UFC appearance came in March, checks in as a -450 favorite.

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McGregor vs. Holloway will be contested at 170 pounds and serves as the main event for UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The two rivals initially squared off in a featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 26 on Aug. 17, 2013. Despite suffering a torn ACL in the fight, McGregor emerged with a unanimous decision triumph.

CONOR MCGREGOR vs MAX HOLLOWAY 2 !!!!

Your International Fight Week main event is confirmed!

[ #UFC329 LIVE July 11 on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/uVxVdgV9Gm

— UFC (@ufc) May 17, 2026

McGregor hasn’t fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broke…

Paddy Pimblett will share a card with Conor McGregor at UFC 329. | Getty/UFC The UFC’s International Fight Week card is far more than just Conor McGregor’s return.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced 11 bouts for UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor’s rematch with Max Holloway at welterweight is the featured attraction. Meanwhile, a previously rumored lightweight clash between Paddy Pimblett and Benoit St. Denis will serve as the co-main event.

The lineup also includes key bouts at bantamweight (Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista) and flyweight (Brandon Royval vs. Lone'er Kavangah). Meanwhile, heavyweight uber prospect Gable Steveson has an opponent for his Octagon debut, as he will lock horns with one-time UFC competitor Elisha Ellison. Also noteworthy is the first 205-pound foray for ex-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who will lock horns with Nikita Krylov.

Outside of the main and co-main events, an official bout o…

Ronda Rousey is happy to ride off into the sunset after what she considers a fairytale ending to her career. 

Rousey took on fellow veteran Gina Carano in the main event of MVP's first MMA card on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. “Rowdy” took 17 seconds to make Carano tap with her signature armbar. Rousey subsequently confirmed that she is hanging up her gloves for good.

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Abbreviated Farewell Tour “There’s no way I could have ended it better than this,” Rousey said in her post-fight interview. “I want to have some more babies, and I gotta get cooking.”

Rousey (12-2) went on a murderous streak in Strikeforce and later the UFC, securing nine submissions via armbar. Rousey’s UFC bantamweight title reign ended with a knockout loss against Holly Holm in 2015. Rousey exited the UFC after a first-round knockout loss in a failed title bid against Amanda Nunes in 2016. Rousey later went on to ply her trade in the WWE. The Olympic…

Arnold Allen has praise for Melquizael Costa’s powerful kicks. 

Allen faced surging prospect Costa in the main event at UFC Fight Night 276 on Saturday in Las Vegas. While Allen dropped Costa early, the tough Brazilian refused to be put away. Despite Costa’s valiant effort, Allen put on a technical masterclass to earn a unanimous decision win. 

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With Costa being known for his kicking game, Allen was expecting heavy kicks. However, “Almighty” admits that the first spinning back kick from Costa that hit him in the chest felt like a battering ram. Allen also revealed that he was coughing up phlegm during fight week. The Englishman jokes that he felt like the kick from Costa cleared up the cough in his chest.Meeting Expectations “I wasn’t surprised, but the first back kick he threw felt like I got hit with a battering ram in the stomach,” Allen said at the post-fight press conference. “I kind of expected that to happen. It was the shot that knoc…

Nate Diaz doesn’t think he could have done much if his fight against Mike Perry had continued longer than it did. 

Diaz returned to action against Perry at MVP’s first MMA card on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Perry put his bare-knuckle skills on display, battering Diaz from the very onset. While Diaz managed to take Perry down, he was barely able to land any damage. Perry left Diaz bloodied by the end of the second round, forcing the fight to be waved off by cageside doctors. 

Diaz subsequently revealed that he injured his finger early in the fight, which diverted his attention. Diaz also agrees with his corner’s decision to stop the fight. The Stockton native admits that he could barely see with blood covering his eyes.

‘I Couldn’t See S—t’ “I think I broke my finger in the first two seconds,” Diaz siad. “I was spending too much time focusing on that…I had blood in my eyes, I couldn’t see s—t. I wasn’t gonna do nothing… But next time he ain…