Martial Arts News

Islam Makhachev sympathizes with Conor McGregor.

McGregor (22-7) returned to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship after a five-year hiatus against Max Holloway at UFC 329. However, the highly anticipated rematch ended anticlimactically as McGregor injured his knee with the first kick he threw. The Irishman could barely plant his leg after the injury, forcing the referee to step in at just 69 seconds of the opening round.

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Despite the longtime rivalry between their teams, Makhachev feels bad for the former two-division champ.Islam Makhachev says Conor McGregor's comeback ending in 69 seconds wasn't how he expected the fight to unfold While the Dagestani contingent aren’t fans of McGregor, Makhachev (28-1) commiserated with the fan favorite. While the reigning welterweight champion expected Holloway to win, he didn’t see the fight ending the way it did. Makhachev recently revealed that he was interested in seeing how McGregor would perform afte…

Jan Blachowicz's journey back to title contention has taken another unexpected turn.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder was originally slated to rematch Bogdan Guskov at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1 in Serbia. However, those plans changed when Guskov was offered the UFC Abu Dhabi main event spot against Magomed Ankalaev following Khalil Rountree's withdrawal.

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As such, Blachowicz (29-11-2) will now square off against Navajo Stirling in the new co-main event in Belgrade and the Polish veteran is unfazed by the change.Jan Blachowicz prepares for UFC Belgrade fight against Navajo Stirling After Guskov accepted the short-notice bout against Ankalaev, Blachowicz was paired with Stirling. The former champion insists little has changed in his preparation. “I am doing this all my life,” Blachowicz said in a recent interview. “It’s a new opponent. I have a lot of respect for him, but it's just another fighter who I have to stop…

Jon Jones remains highly confident in his ability.

In a recent interview, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight and light heavyweight titleholder weighed in on how he believes a fight against fellow former two-division king Alex Pereira and a wrestling match against longtime rival Daniel Cormier would unfold, backing himself in both scenarios.

Jon Jones explains why he sees grappling as the deciding factor in a hypothetical fight with Alex Pereira Jones and Pereira were seemingly on a collision course when the latter announced his move up to heavyweight for UFC Freedom 250. However, with Jones’ ongoing stalemate with the UFC regarding his future, a fight against “Poatan” has fallen through.

Nevertheless, Jones cites size as a key factor at heavyweight, claiming his former opponents Stipe Miocic and Ciryl Gane are bigger than Pereira, who previously competed at 185 pounds.

“I watched Pereira train,” Jones said in an interview with AFL Global. “I …

Arman Tsarukyan will return to competition this weekend, though not inside the Octagon.

The top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight contender is set to face Indian fitness influencer Ankit Baiyanpuria in a submission-only grappling match at a Hype Fighting event in Armenia, the promotion announced on Instagram.

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Arman Tsarukyan faces Ankit Baiyanpuria in a submission-only grappling match at Hype Fighting in Armenia Hype Fighting announced a submission-only grappling match between Tsarukyan and Baiyanpuria for their upcoming event in Yerevan, Armenia, on Aug. 1.

Tsarukyan has not competed in mixed martial arts since November last year, when he submitted Dan Hooker. The victory marked his return following a lengthy hiatus after earning a decision win over former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in April 2024.

While his next UFC appearance remains unconfirmed, Tsarukyan has stayed active outside the promotion. The Ar…

Islam Makhachev's elite grappling continues to draw compliments.

Makhachev will look to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title against Ian Garry in the UFC 330 main event on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Ahead of his first title defense at 170 pounds, Porrada Training Center coach Ronny Markes has hailed Dagestan’s ability on the mat.

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Islam Makhachev’s grappling advantage before UFC 330 welterweight title defense Markes has worked with numerous high-level athletes at his Las Vegas gym, including Johnny Walker, Jessica Andrade, Alexander Volkov, Magomed Ankalaev and Kelvin Gastelum. Speaking to Sherdog, he offered insight into Makhachev's grappling prowess.

“I watched him train here at the P.I. against an ADCC champion, a Brazilian more than 10 kilograms [22 pounds] heavier, under grappling rules,” Markes said. “It was an incredibly tough session and Islam only lost by two or three points in that grappling sp…

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The Professional Fighters League has finalized the lineup for its July 31 event at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, featuring an 11-bout card headlined by a lightweight title fight.

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PFL New York is headlined by Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Archie Colgan. The card also features several notable matchups across the main and preliminary cards.PFL New York: All the details PFL New York will see undefeated champion Nurmagomedov (21-0) defend his lightweight crown against unbeaten contender Colgan (13-0) in the main event. In the co-headliner, top-ranked women's flyweight Dakota Ditcheva (15-0) returns after more than a year on the sidelines against Denise Kielholtz (9-5) in a bout with significant title implications at 125 pounds.

The main card also includes a light heavyweight matchup between Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (26-8-1) and Simeon Powell (12-2), while unbeaten lightweight prospect Amru Magomedov (10-0) squares off against Angel …

Islam Makhachev can do it all.

Makhachev recently gave two young men a stylistic makeover. He started by taking off one’s necklace and the other’s bracelet. The Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champion then cropped off their curly locks of hair with a trimmer. The Dagestani assured them that the new hairdo suited them better.

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Islam Makhachev’s Dagestan team tradition returns ahead of UFC 330 The close crop hairstyle is mandatory in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team. The rule was laid down by the UFC Hall of Famer’s late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who initially honed the entire team in the mountains of Dagestan. Notably, Makhachev had once been thrown out of the gym for having long hair.

Makhachev took to his Instagram Stories to showcase the only hairstyle permitted in the team.

“Today, for these two brothers, we make good haircut. I swear you look better.”

Khabib also posted a video of his protege trimming their hair. Makhachev sh…

F1 star Lewis Hamilton was very disappointed with Jon Jones for an unexpected reason.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship double champ recently recalled an incident that led Hamilton to unfollow and block him on social media. Jones had joined Army Rangers on a hunting trip from a helicopter with rifles. He even managed to shoot a pig, which was donated to an underprivileged family. However. Hamilton was disappointed with Jones’ way of hunting.

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Jon Jones explains how Lewis Hamilton reacted to his helicopter pig hunt and why the F1 icon cut ties on social media Hamilton called Jones a “coward” for shooting the animal from a helicopter. The former F1 champ believes that animals should be hunted traditionally with spears or arrows, to give them a fighting chance.

“I went hunting years ago with a bunch of Army Rangers and we ended up hunting pigs from a helicopter using AR-15s,” Jones told ALF Global. “I was so proud of myself because I killed one…

Despite failing multiple drug tests, Jon Jones insists that he never used steroids.

Jones (28-1) is considered one of the greatest fighters in Ultimate Fighting Championship history. However, his legacy is marred by multiple anti-doping violations throughout his career. The former two-division champion recently reiterated past claims that he’s never taken performance-enhancing substances.

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Jon Jones’ UFC career remains tied to anti-doping controversies and GOAT debates Jones was stripped of the interim UFC lightweight heavyweight title after testing positive for clomiphene and letrozole following his win over Ovince St. Preux in 2016. He again tested positive for a turinabol metabolite in 2017, which led to his stoppage win over Daniel Cormier in their rematch being overturned to a no contest.

While Jones tested positive for the M3 metabolite of oral turinabol in 2018 following his win over Alexander Gustafsson, “Bones” wasn’t penalized as the subst…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Anthony Smith has been arrested on multiple charges.Anthony Smith remains in custody after his arrest in Nebraska on multiple criminal chargesSmith (39-22) was arrested in Sarpy County, Nebraska, on charges of terroristic threat, 1st degree false imprisonment and domestic violence causing serious bodily injury. The former UFC light heavyweight title challenger currently remains in police custody in Sarpy County.

Terroristic threat and 1st degree false imprisonment carry a maximum of three years in prison, plus fines and post-release supervision. Meanwhile, the domestic violence charge can result in a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Smith left the UFC on a three-fight slump following a loss to Mingyang Zhang last year. “Lionheart” returned to competition this past April, scoring a submission win in Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA.

🚨 Anthony Smith was arrested in Nebraska yesterday on three felony charg…

Paulo Costa wants to bring excitement back to the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division.

Costa (16-4) recently slammed former champions Jiri Prochazka and Magomed Ankalaev, calling Prochazka “dumb” for his loss to current champ Carlos Ulberg and labeling Ankalaev’s last bout “boring.” The former middleweight title challenger is now eyeing a title shot.

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Paulo Costa unloads on Magomed Ankalaev after UFC Abu Dhabi while making his case for a UFC light heavyweight title shot Following Ankalaev’s stoppage of Bogdan Guskov at UFC Abu Dhabi, Costa has taken repeated shots at the Russian. Despite Ankalaev securing a late finish, their recent bout was lackluster, primarily due to Guskov backtracking throughout. Costa now claims the former 205-pound king is closer to getting cut from the roster than the title.

Costa also slammed Prochazka for his lapse in judgment against Ulberg, wherein the latter clearly suffered a leg injury in the op…

Jon Jones has mixed feelings about Dana White.

When recently asked to describe the Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO in one word, Jones said White is an “asshole.” However, the former double champ made sure to emphasize that he describes White as such “right now” and clarified that he loves White for changing his life.

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Jon Jones explains why he called Dana White an 'asshole' after UFC split with Tom Aspinall The relationship between Jones and White soured amid the promotion’s efforts to book him against Tom Aspinall. “Bones” ultimately vacated the heavyweight championship, drawing the ire of the UFC head honcho. Nevertheless, White continues to proclaim Jones is the GOAT despite their past differences.

While their working relationship has seemingly hit a low point, Jones admits that he’ll always be grateful for the opportunities afforded to him by the UFC.

“Right now, I’ll say asshole,” Jones told ALF Global. “But I love him, no matter what.…