Martial Arts News

Bare Knuckle Boxing is bringing championship stakes to its historic inaugural event in Mexico.

The promotion recently announced that two world title fights will headline its Sept. 19 card in Tijuana, Mexico.

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Julian Fernandez defends his super cruiserweight title while Cecy Ulloa and Andy Nguyen battle for the vacant super flyweight championship in Tijuana BKB super cruiserweight champion Julian Fernandez will defend his title against former three-division titleholder Dan “Big Pod” Podmore in the BKB 59 main event, while Cecy Ulloa and Andy Nguyen will battle for the vacant BKB super flyweight world championship in the co-headliner.

“Our Mexico debut deserves nothing less than two world championship fights, and that's exactly what fans in Tijuana are getting on Sept. 19,” BKB CEO David Tetreault said in a press release.

Fernandez will enter the main event looking to defend his first BKB world title in front of his hometown supporters. The Tijua…

Joe Rogan believes Tom Aspinall deserved more sympathy following the controversial ending to his bout with Ciryl Gane last year.

Aspinall’s first defense of the Ultimate Fighting Championship undisputed heavyweight title ended in a no contest after the British champion suffered a severe eye poke that left him unable to continue. The conclusion to the UFC 321 main event sparked debate among fans, with some questioning the severity of the injury and whether Aspinall could have continued.

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Joe Rogan defends Tom Aspinall's UFC 321 no contest with Ciryl Gane after double eye surgery Rogan recently pushed back against criticism directed at Aspinall. Speaking to Rico Verhoeven on a recent episode of his podcast, the veteran UFC commentator argued that Aspinall was unfairly maligned despite dealing with a legitimate injury that eventually required surgery.

“He [Aspinall] got a bad deal,” Rogan said. “He got really f*cked over for that fight.”

Rogan took…

Jorge Masvidal believes Yaroslav Amosov is a bad stylistic matchup for every top-ranked welterweight and the reigning champ, Islam Makhachev.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger recently praised Amosov’s skill set, claiming the Ukrainian has the tools to trouble Makhachev, labeling it a “nightmare” matchup for the Dagestani.

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Jorge Masvidal claims Yaroslav Amosov has the skills to beat all UFC welterweights Amosov (30-1) has made an immediate impact since joining the UFC, earning submission victories over Neil Magny and Joel Alvarez in his first two Octagon outings. Masvidal, who long represented American Top Team, where Amosov trains, is all praise for the former Bellator champ.

“He’s a bad fight for everybody,” Masvidal said on “Deep Waters.” “Even Makhachev, all the way down to No. 10, Yaroslav is that good. He’s a bad fight for all these guys.”

Dustin Poirier, another American Top Team product who previously trained…

Fabricio Werdum has no interest in sharing the mat with Rousimar Palhares.

Palhares called out the former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight titleholder after Junior dos Santos withdrew from their scheduled grappling match at Kings Championship 2, an event promoted by Rafael Cordeiro taking place in Florianopolis, Brazil. However, Werdum declined the matchup, citing Palhares’ history of submission-related controversies.

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Rousimar Palhares responds after Fabricio Werdum declines matchup Shortly after dos Santos withdrew from his scheduled grappling match with Werdum at Kings Championship 2, Palhares offered himself as a replacement. The former UFC middleweight last competed in 2024.

Werdum rejected the offer, pointing to Palhares’ history of controversial submission finishes.

“Toquinho, I have no interest in fighting you,” Werdum said in a recent interview. “The first thing we learn when we step onto the mat is to let go of the submission…

Islam Makhachev believes Michael Morales still has work ahead of him to earn a title shot.

Makhachev (28-1) is scheduled to put his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title on the line against Ian Garry (17-1) at UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. While Garry ultimately received the title shot, surging contender Carlos Prates and the unbeaten Morales were also in the running.

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Islam Makhachev slams Michael Morales’ inactivity, eyes ‘exciting’ Carlos Prates Both Morales (19-0) and Prates (24-7) campaigned for title shots before Garry got the call. Despite Morales being the official backup fighter for the UFC 330 main event, the reigning champion believes Prates is ahead of the Ecuadorian in the welterweight pecking order.

Morales hasn’t fought since knocking out Sean Brady at UFC 322 last November, on the same card that Makhachev won the title against Jack Della Maddalena and Prates finished former champ Leon Edward…

Daniel Cormier says one of the strangest moments of his broadcasting career came when he unknowingly criticized a fighter who was later investigated in connection with alleged fight-fixing.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer recently reflected on the incident during an appearance on the “In the Bayou” podcast, explaining that he spent the bout questioning the fighter's unusually poor grappling before learning about the suspected betting irregularities.

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The UFC Hall of Famer details how an ordinary broadcast became linked to a betting investigation Cormier recalled a UFC bout that was later flagged for suspicious activity, though he did not know about the investigation while calling the fight. During the broadcast, he questioned the fighter’s struggles on the ground before learning that the matchup was under investigation.

“One time they had a fight at the UFC Apex and this one dude was grappling. He was so horrible at grappling,” Corm…

Rousimar Palhares believes Valter Walker has all the tools to become an Ultimate Fighting Championship champion.

Walker has emerged as one of the promotion's most unique heavyweight prospects, compiling five consecutive first-round victories via leg-based submissions, including four heel hooks and a calf slicer. The streak has earned the Brazilian the nickname "The Heavyweight Toquinho" in Brazil, a fitting moniker given that Walker has openly acknowledged modeling his submission game after Palhares.

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Speaking to Sherdog, the former UFC middleweight said he’s impressed watching Walker enjoy success with the same submission that made him one of the sport's most feared grapplers.

“It's very rewarding to see him doing this without anyone judging him,” Palhares said. “I'm sure he'll become champion because the opponents in the division don't know how to defend it.”

Palhares established himself as one of MMA's most feared submission specialists, bu…

Most Valuable Promotions isn't shying away from going against the Ultimate Fighting Championship following its merger with the Professional Fighters League.

Shortly after the merger, MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian doubled down on the promotion's long-term ambitions, arguing that the new venture will prioritize fighters in ways he believes the industry leader has failed to do. This comes shortly after UFC CEO Dana White dismissed the newly merged company as a threat to his promotion.

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MVP co-founder outlines why he believes the merged promotion can become a legitimate UFC rival The merger between MVP and PFL represents one of the most significant recent developments in the professional mixed martial arts landscape. While some have suggested the merger could create a viable competitor to the UFC, others have dismissed that possibility.

Bidarian has now highlighted MVP's long-term approach. Speaking to TMZ Sports, he said the organization's vision ce…

Coach Javier Mendez’s confidence in Islam Makhachev’s striking has grown leaps and bounds over the years.

Makhachev (28-1) is scheduled to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title for the first time against Ian Garry (17-1) at UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. While Makhachev is known for his wrestling and grappling prowess and Garry’s main asset is his evasive striking, Mendez claims his pupil won’t be out of his depth on the feet.

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‘People sleep on his striking’: Javier Mendez hails Islam Makhachev’s well-rounded skillset Makhachev’s striking has developed impressively with time, as he held his own against Dustin Poirier and knocked out Alexander Volkanovski with a head kick. Coach Mendez believes Makhachev doesn’t necessarily need to take Garry down to the canvas to beat him.

While Makhachev will likely have a massive advantage on the mat, Mendez believes the champion can win with his striking alone.<…

Jan Blachowicz is eager to bounce back from his recent defeat in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and has singled out who he wants to return against.

Blachowicz took on Navajo Stirling in the main event of UFC Belgrade. Stirling had accepted the matchup on less than three weeks’ notice, making a 40-day turnaround from a win over Ion Cutelaba, and finished Blachowicz via vicious ground-and-pound in less than three minutes.

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Jan Blachowicz wants Robert Whittaker next after his loss to Navajo Stirling Stirling’s teammate, Robert Whittaker, recently mentioned Blachowicz while discussing future matchups. The former middleweight champ said that he would have been interested in fighting Blachowicz if the Polish veteran hadn’t lost to Stirling.

Blachowicz has now called out Whittaker on X.

“Hey, [Robert Whittaker]! Let’s turn your words into action,” Blachowicz posted.

Whittaker (27-9) made his light heavyweight debut last month after back-to…

Islam Makhachev assures fans that his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, isn’t running his social media.

Abdelaziz manages several fighters from the Caucasus region, who aren’t very fluent in English. The veteran manager has often been accused of running his fighters’ social media accounts when they chirp at their opponents in English, although he doesn’t appear to be behind Makhachev’s online posts.

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Islam Makhachev denies that Ali Abdelaziz runs his social media Makhachev (28-1) will look to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title against Ian Garry (17-1) at UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

Ahead of his first title defense at 170 pounds, the Dagestani took to X to reveal that Abdelaziz doesn’t have his password alongside an image of his manager.

“Ali don’t have my password don’t worry,” Makhachev posted.

While Abdelaziz has been accused of posting online on behalf of high-profile fighters who don’t …

Usman Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has made some bold predictions.

Nurmagomedov (22-0) is currently a free agent, having exhausted his Professional Fighters League contract after defending his lightweight title against Archie Colgan. While the PFL has a 90-day exclusive negotiation window with Nurmagomedov, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is also looking to sign the undefeated Dagestani.

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Usman Nurmagomedov’s manager predicts wins over Ilia Topuria, Charles Oliveira and other UFC contenders Abdelaziz wants Nurmagomedov to fight Ilia Topuria in his UFC debut if he signs with the promotion. The veteran manager believes Nurmagomedov would make the former two-division UFC champion quit.

Abdelaziz and Nurmagomedov both regard current UFC champion Justin Gaethje as the best lightweight in the world. However, Abdelaziz believes Nurmagomedov would dominate most other elite UFC contenders at 155 pounds.

According to Abdelaziz, Paddy Pimbl…