Martial Arts News

Ilia Topuria’s son is a curious learner. 

Topuria recently boasted about his son’s fighting skills. However, the UFC double champion claims he has never formally trained his son. Topuria just brings his son to the gym and asks him to figure things out by watching. Topuria claims his son is inquisitive enough to pursue him and other coaches for lessons. Topuria doesn’t want to pressure his son to choose any particular career. While “El Matador” will support his son if he wants to fight, the undefeated Georgian-Spaniard most importantly wants him to have a purpose in life.

Finding a Purpose “You have to see my son. You don’t know how good he is,” Topuria told Adam Catteral. “In my life, I never teach him anything. Everything he knows is because he saw it. I never ever put him in a class. Come [to the gym] and do something. He is the one who’s always asking me and the coaches. When we finish training, he goes, ‘Hey, do you mind to be with me and teach me something?’...…

Terrance McKinney has a few names in mind. 

McKinney recently listed potential opponents for his next fight. “T.Wrecks” is eyeing Lance Gibson Jr., Joaquim Silva and Alex Hernandez. However, McKinney notes that Hernandez is scheduled to fight Rafa Garcia at UFC Fight Night 274 on April 25. McKinney wants to take on one more fight before he starts calling for ranked opponents.

Keeping Options Open “Lance Gibson will be cool. Alex Hernandez got a fight, I wanted to fight him. We got a few other names in mind that I sent my coach,” McKinney told MMAjunkie.com. “Maybe Joaquim Silva as well… One more and then a ranked opponent.” 

McKinney (18-8) is one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC roster. McKinney has finished all of his eight UFC wins in the first round and has never seen the judges’ scorecards in his career. McKinney recently knocked out Kyle Nelson at UFC Seattle last month to rebound from a loss against Chris Duncan. 

[embedded content]

Jim Miller will make his 47th Octagon appearance at UFC 328. | Getty/UFC

Jim Miller is still eyeing 50 UFC fights. 

Miller is set to return to action against Jared Gordon at UFC 328 on May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the lightweight pairing.

A Goal in Sight Miller (38-19) has previously mentioned that he plans on having 50 UFC fights before retiring. Miller’s upcoming bout will be his 47th fight in the UFC, breaking his own record for the most outings in the promotion. The 42-year-old is 3-2 in his last five outings since 2023 and coming off a decision loss against Chase Hooper from last year. 

Meanwhile, Gordon (21-8) has alternated wins and losses in his last four outings and comes off a stoppage loss against Rafa Garcia. 

Only the Professional Fighters League could go to Nigeria.

Mere hours before the first PFL Africa event in 2026, PFL Pretoria, kicked off, the organization released some details about its second jaunt to the continent. For the first time in PFL history, the league will be traveling to Nigeria, posting up in Lagos at the Eko Convention Center on June 13 for the event that will be coined either PFL Nigeria or PFL Lagos. While only two fights have been revealed, the plan is for the opening round of the bantamweight and lightweight brackets to officially commence.

Advertisement

Headlining the fight card is a non-tournament tilt pitting local athlete Wasi Adeshina (10-3) against Spain’s Nacho Campos (7-2) at 145 pounds. The former carved his way through the 2025 PFL Africa tournament, debuting with the organization in August and picking up three victories in the span of four-plus months to take home the $100,000 check and a shot at greater heights. In the tournament…

[embedded content] The vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title will be up for grabs this weekend after both title challengers made weight following the UFC 327 weigh-ins.

Competing for the vacant 205-pound crown are former champion Jiri Prochazka and the streaking Carlos Ulberg. Both men had no issue making championship weight for the five-round title fight. All other fighters also made weight for the card, with the exception of Chris Padilla, who came in two pounds heavy for his lightweight bout against MarQuel Mederos. The fight will continue with Padilla being fined 20% of his purse.

Advertisement

A fan-favorite inside the Octagon, Prochazka (32-5-1) is coming off impressive knockouts of Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree. The former champ's only two defeats inside the UFC are to Alex Pereira. "BJP" will look to regain the belt he originally won in 2022 against Glover Teixeira and officially weighed 203 pounds, or two pounds under the limit…

⚖️PFL Chicago Official Weigh Ins are underway!

PFL Chicago Bantamweight Main Event:Sergio Pettis: 134.4Mitch McKee: 135.6

Advertisement

PFL Chicago will air LIVE on ESPN 2 on Saturday, April 11th!#PFLChicago | Saturday, April 11th | Wintrust Arena | Chicago, Illinois | Early Card 6PM EST… pic.twitter.com/hDa408pPHk — PFL (@PFLMMA) April 10, 2026

A world class bantamweight clash headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, April 11 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

The Professional Fighters League returns to Illinois on Saturday with 11 fights, which are now all official following the PFL Chicago weigh-ins.

The PFL Chicago main event will see Sergio Pettis look to go 3-0 inside the promotion at the expense of the undefeated Mitchell McKee. Both men had no issue making bantamweight. Two fighters missed their marks as Shanna Young came in 2.2 pounds over for her fight against Viviane Araujo, and Dashiande Harris-Moore was three pounds …

WHAT A COMEBACK!! 🤯

JUSTIN CLARKE KO'S ABDOULAYE KANE OUT OF NOWHERE!!!#PFLPretoria | LIVE NOW on the PFL YouTube Channel pic.twitter.com/8XZZcL0Kqo

— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 10, 2026

Advertisement

2025 PFL Africa bantamweight champion Nkosi Ndebele shined in his first fight since winning the tournament, beating Italy’s Michele Clemente by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

The hometown hero Nedbele (12-3, 4-0 PFL) headlined Friday’s PFL Africa season opener at the Sunbet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, and he left his countrymen signing with joy. Ndebele was too well-rounded for Clemente (7-2, 0-1 PFL). He outstruck the PFL debutant throughout the first two rounds before dominating his foe from side control throughout the third. Ndebele has emerged as the face of PFL Africa after a string of impressive performances and although he won’t be competing in the bantamweight tournament this season, fans were still excited to see t…

Sherdog's live PFL Africa 1: 2026 First Round coverage will begin Friday at 12 p.m. ET.

A world class bantamweight clash headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, April 11 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Advertisement

Round 1 Women’s strawweights kick off festivities in South Africa, as Mugo (5-2-1, 0-0 PFL) toes the line against Kiiza (3-1, 0-0 PFL) to open the event. Ferdinand Basson draws the officiating assignment. Kiiza refuses to touch gloves, and they get to work. Kiiza throws in combination, both with kicks and punches, but fails to control distance. Mugo clinches and secures a takedown, moving immediately to the back. Kiiza rolls but winds up in full mount. She sweeps into top position and drops ground-and-pound, mostly right hands. Mugo sets off a scramble and maneuvers into full mount once more. She transitions to the back. Absolutely frenetic pace here. Mugo flirts with a face crank and moves to full mount. They scramble to their feet. Mugo clinches and s…

[embedded content] Former heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury's return from his fifth retirement is officially set after the Fury vs. Makhmudov weigh-ins took place on Friday.

Fury (34-2-1) is getting a softer touch in his comeback fight after back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024 saw him lose the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship and fail to regain it in a rematch. Prior to the duo of setbacks, Fury had been undefeated with only a draw to Deontay Wilder, who he would go on to beat twice in rematches, being his only blemish. Fury became a household name in 2015 after winning a decision over Wladimir Klitschko for multiple heavyweight belts. For his comeback fight, "The Gypsy King" weighed 267.9.

Meanwhile, Arslanbek Makhmudov is looking to cause a monumental upset at Fury's expense. Makhmudov (21-2) recently lost via TKO to both Agit Kabayel and Guido Vianello. Since the defeat to Vianello, he won two fights in 2025 by picking up a first-round TK…

After a four and a half-year stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and two appearances in the Professional Fighters League, Rodrigo Nascimento wants to hit the reset button against a familiar face in the PFL.

The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Brazilian will rematch Alexander Romanov when their heavyweight prelim buoys the PFL Chicago undercard this Saturday at Wintrust Arena. Nascimento was cut by the UFC after he lost a unanimous decision to the hulking Moldovan in 2024.

Advertisement

A world class bantamweight clash headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, April 11 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

“We learned a lot from that,” he told Sherdog.com. “We’re always learning and innovating. After I left the UFC, I came to understand that being an athlete wasn’t only about fighting in the UFC’s Octagon. Being an athlete requires interactions with the public and finding other means to stay in touch with the fans. Now, I’m always posting videos and having live sessions. I’m…

One of the Professional Fighters League’s highest-ranked flyweights will be welcoming a new fighter to the roster next month.

Per sources close to the situation, the PFL has booked a women’s flyweight tilt pitting Taila Santos (22-4) against Qihui Yan (25-5) for the upcoming PFL Sioux Falls event. The two ladies will battle it out inside of the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on May 2. Local athlete Logan Storley will serve in the main attraction as he takes on Florim Zendeli.

Advertisement

A bantamweight world title fight headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, April 11 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

After six-month suspension for oxandrolone and clenbuterol metabolites—anabolic agents prohibited both in and out of competition—knocked her out of competing in 2025, Santos will return to action for the first time since late 2024. The Brazilian saw her PFL tournament season come to a crashing halt as she suffered her first career stoppage loss to the…

MAIN EVENT FACE OFF IN PRETORIA!@nkositheking1 and @micheleclemente_thearrow lock horns ahead of their explosive Bantamweight showcase this Friday!

South Africa vs Italy.. Who you got?

Advertisement

🎟️ TICKETS ALMOST SOLD OUT —SECURE YOUR SPOT NOW: https://t.co/fHRFuKTnRa#PFLPretoria |… pic.twitter.com/ELTw1QRgng — PFL Africa (@PFLAfrica) April 7, 2026 The Professional Fighters League returns to South Africa for its first PFL Africa event of 2026, which is now official following the PFL Africa: Pretoria weigh-in results.

Headlining the card is a bantamweight fight between Nkosi Ndebele and Michele Clemente. Both main event fighters made weight, as did all eight of the welterweight tournament participants. However, two strawweights didn't hit their marks as both Felista Mugo and Jane Osigwe came in overweight for their respective prelim fights, which will move forward with each woman being fined a percentage of their purse.

N…