Martial Arts News

Carlos Prates has a rather unconventional prediction for how a showdown with Islam Makhachev will unfold.

Prates claims that if he fights Makhachev, who recently defeated Ian Garry to retain his title, he would spend the early portion of the fight getting dominated by the Russian's wrestling before turning the tables late and claiming the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title via knockout.

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Carlos Prates explains why UFC 330 made him more confident against Islam Makhachev Prates, the frontrunner for the next title shot at 170 pounds, expects Makhachev's grappling to create problems early, but believes he can weather the storm and find a late finish.

“I think I’m going to start by getting smashed and the first time I manage to get back to my feet and start hurting him, I’m going to knock him out somewhere around the fourth or fifth round,” Prates told Gilbert Burns.

UFC 330’s main event between Makhachev and Ian Garry has further so…

Umar Nurmagomedov isn't dwelling on his first-ever knockout loss.

Nurmagomedov was finished by Yadong Song in the second round of their main event clash on Aug. 29, marking his second defeat in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Despite now being out of title contention and likely taking an extended break before his next bout having been slept by Song, the Dagestani isn’t letting the result discourage him.

Umar Nurmagomedov is already back in the gym after UFC Shanghai loss to Yadong Song After his loss to Song at UFC Shanghai, Nurmagomedov assured fans that he’s alright and revealed that he’s already back in the gym. He claims that he won’t let the result affect his mentality.

“Stay strong and thankful to God always,” Nurmagomedov wrote in an Instagram post. “I have no plans to lose heart or withdraw into myself. I got up and shook off the dust. I’m back in the gym and getting back to work.”

Nurmagomedov also reiterated that fans shouldn’t feel sorry for him, …

Muhammad Mokaev is campaigning for a return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Mokaev (17-0) recently took to social media to remind UFC CEO Dana White of a challenge the latter issued following the former’s controversial exit from the promotion. The unbeaten flyweight has racked up several wins across different disciplines since leaving the UFC in 2024 and now wants another shot in the premier mixed martial arts organization.

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Muhammad Mokaev points to championships outside the UFC in message to Dana White Mokaev recently added yet another win to his resume with a decision victory over Moris Boleian to claim ACBJJ’s 60kg division title. He has won four MMA fights since departing the UFC, capturing the Brave CF flyweight championship in November before picking up another finish in the Spanish promotion, WOW. He has also competed in Karate Combat last year, securing a second-round stoppage victory.

After his jiu-jitsu win over Boleian at ACBJJ 2…

Javier Mendez doesn't agree with Dana White's assessment of Ian Garry's performance against Islam Makhachev.

Makhachev retained the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title with a unanimous decision win over Garry in the UFC 330 main event on Aug. 15. White later criticized the Irish challenger for being too passive and overly respectful, which he believes cost him the fight.

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Javier Mendez praises Ian Garry’s strategy in UFC 330 loss to Islam Makhachev Mendez has a different take on Garry’s strategy against Makhachev. While he understands the UFC CEO’s point of view, the American Kickboxing Academy head coach commended Garry’s approach.

“From that perspective, I get where he [Dana White] is coming from, but he doesn't understand the mentality of a fighter and what Ian pulled off,” Mendez said. “If he understood that, then he'd have a different outlook on it like I do.”

Mendez acknowledged that the fight was lackluster, but Garry’s s…

Frank da Silva Castro’s luck has seemingly deserted him, as a second chance on Dana White’s Contender Series has now fallen apart.

Castro (8-0-1) was originally scheduled to fight An Tuan Ho on DWCS last year. However, he withdrew for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Eduardo Henrique. He maintained his undefeated record with a win on the regional circuit earlier this year to earn another shot at an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

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Frank da Silva Castro is reportedly out of DWCS Week 5 against Colton Loud Castro was scheduled to face Colton Loud (7-1) in Week 5 of DWCS 2026 on Sept. 8 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. However, he has reportedly been forced out of the matchup due to visa issues.

Still just 22 years old, the unbeaten Brazilian bantamweight has plenty of time to make it to the UFC, but will likely need to return to the regional scene and pick up more wins while his visa issues get sorted out.

Castro will now be replaced…

Aboubakar Younousov blames his surname for a missed opportunity to make an Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

Younousov (8-0) claims he was willing to step up on short notice to fight Nathaniel Wood (23-6) at UFC Paris after the Englishman’s original opponent withdrew from the upcoming event. He claims Wood allegedly turned down the matchup, viewing it as a risky move.

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Aboubakar Younousov says Nathaniel Wood rejected short-notice UFC Paris fight Younousov, the Ares FC bantamweight champion, was even willing to move up a weight class to face Wood. He believes Wood turned down the matchup as certain surnames, primarily those that originate from the Caucasus regions, are feared across mixed martial arts.

“As you know, another fighter ultimately stepped in as a replacement because Nathaniel Wood refused to face me,” Younosov wrote on Instagram. “Yet, the odds were stacked in his favor: weight, training camp, and experience. Honestly, I’m actually p…

Former Professional Fighters League tournament champion Timur Khizriev will return to competition at PFL Chicago in October, more than a year after he was injured in a shooting.

Sources close to the promotion confirmed to Sherdog that Khizriev will compete for the first time since defeating Brendan Loughnane to win the 2024 PFL featherweight tournament. He will face former tournament finalist Gabriel Braga.

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Timur Khizriev faces Gabriel Braga in PFL Chicago rematch after year-long absence Khizriev remains undefeated with an 18-0 record. The Dagestani survived being shot five times during an alleged robbery in his homeland, an attack that kept him out of action for more than a year.

The matchup will also be a rematch. Khizriev edged Braga by split decision in a closely contested 2024 PFL tournament semifinal.

A flyweight title fight headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Braga will make his second appe…

After Alex Apodaca pulled off the biggest upset in Dana White’s Contender Series history on Week 3 of Season 10, a new crop of prospects will look to earn Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts at Week 4.

The first three weeks of DWCS 2026 have seen 15 fighters receive contracts, including 14 winners and one fighter who earned a contract despite losing on the judges’ scorecards. As such, the possibility of a new season record is alive. Seasons 7 and 9 currently share the record with 46 contracts awarded in each installment.

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The Week 4 lineup features five matchups across the welterweight, middleweight, lightweight and heavyweight divisions. The event takes place on Sept. 1 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Welterweights Patrick Rivera (170) and Adam Darby (169.5) are set to headline the card.Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 Week 4 full weigh-in resultsPatrick Rivera (170) vs. Adam Darby (169.5)Brandon Holmes (183.5) vs. Modestino Rodrigues (185…

Vitor Petrino isn’t letting Valter Walker's latest jab go unanswered.

Petrino (15-2) extended his win streak to four with a unanimous decision over Serghei Spivac on Aug. 22 to further ascend the heavyweight rankings. Walker (16-1), who’s also among the top-ranked heavyweights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, took a shot at Petrino on social media by posting a photo from his recent fight, labeling it boring.

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Petrino has now fired back.Vitor Petrino says he has repeatedly asked the UFC to book Valter Walker In a recent interview with Sherdog's Marcelo Alonso, Petrino responded to Walker’s comments about his fight with Spivac, claiming that he’s campaigned for a matchup against the grappling specialist many times, to no avail.

“That guy is a clown. Nobody respects him. I don’t even want to talk about him much,” Petrino said. “I’ve asked for that fight several times and I don’t know why the UFC hasn’t made it happen.”

Petrino's interest in…

Alexandr Shabliy will return to action at PFL Chicago.

Shabliy is scheduled to return to the cage in a lightweight matchup at the promotion's Oct. 16 event at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The Russian last competed in June against Alfie Davis, which saw him bounce back from his defeat to Usman Nurmagomedov.

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Alexandr Shabliy faces Landry Ward on Oct. 16 at PFL Chicago Shabliy (25-4) has lost just once since 2017 and was on a nine-fight win streak before coming up short against Nurmagomedov, the most recent PFL lightweight champ. He’ll look to compile another win streak when he returns at PFL Chicago.

A flyweight title fight headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN.

His upcoming opponent, Landry Ward (11-3), is coming off a split-decision victory over Michael Boylan in his PFL debut on Aug. 7 and has won his last three fights.

The matchup joins a PFL Chicago card headlined by the women's flyweight title remat…

Kai Asakura is reinvigorated at bantamweight following a rocky start in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Asakura stopped Qileng Aori with a second-round technical knockout at UFC Shanghai on Aug. 29. The Japanese star is now 2-0 in the UFC bantamweight division after losing his first two UFC fights via submission at flyweight. He detailed how his approach has changed since the move up and broke down his finishing move against Aori soon after the victory.

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Kai Asakura says bantamweight gives him more power, speed and confidence Asakura claims that he can be more assertive with his offense at 135 pounds, a significant improvement on how he felt while competing at 125 pounds.

“At bantamweight, I have more power and I have more speed,” Asakura said in a post-fight interview. “So, I feel like I can fight with more confidence than at flyweight.”

He also broke down the sequence that led to the finish.

“There were two things,” Asakura added. “The …

Bilal Hasan believes fighting is more than a career and sees it as a way of giving back.

Hasan made a memorable Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC Shanghai on Aug. 29, stopping fellow promotional newcomer Nilson Rojas in the second round, earning a Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts. He recently revealed what drives him both in and out of competition.

Bilal Hasan discusses his purpose after UFC Shanghai debut victory The first round between Hasan and Rojas was closely contested. The former pulled ahead in the second round and eventually found the finish, dropping his opponent with a counter-right hand before finishing with a follow-up strike to cap off an eventful Octagon debut.

Speaking after the fight, Hasan explained the deeper meaning he attaches to fighting.

“I don't want to get all religious or spiritual or anything like that, but I feel like we're all put on this earth to give back in some way,” Hasan said in a post-fight interview. “…