Martial Arts News

Sherdog's live UFC Abu Dhabi coverage will begin Saturday at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 281. Round 1 Good morning, Vietnam Abu Dhabi! Hey, this is not a test. This is rock and roll. Time to rock it from the Nile delta to the UAE. Is that me, or does that sound like an Elvis Presley movie? Viva Yas Island. Yas Island me, Yas Island me, why don’t they get a…anyway, it’s time for the breakfast of champions: fist fighting in the early morn. The show opens with a bantamweight battle that may make referee Mike Beltran relieved as it might end in the blink of an eye. Gibson (21-12, 3-7 UFC) has his back against the wall in his second UFC stint, while Hussein (15-2, 0-0 UFC) is going to try his utmost to make a good first impression. Solid sportsmanship from the two is on display as the athletes gladly touch ‘em up to begin our day. Hussein, the shorter man, comes out of his corner reaching out his jab. Gibson swats him back with hooks that are …

Sherdog's live PFL Washington D.C. coverage will begin Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.

A welterweight title fight headlines PFL Washington DC: Tune on Saturday, July 25 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores th…

Salahdine Parnasse has officially been announced as one of the headliners for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's upcoming trip to Paris.Salahdine Parnasse finally enters the UFC after championship run in KSW During the UFC Abu Dhabi broadcast, the promotion revealed that the highly-touted prospect will take on Dan Hooker at UFC Paris. A former Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki lightweight and two-time featherweight titleholder, Parnasse (23-2, 0-0 UFC) has long been regarded as one of the best fighters outside the UFC. In his most recent outing, under the MVP MMA banner, he stopped Kenneth Cross with punches at the 4:18 mark of the opening round. Parnasse is riding a five-fight winning streak, including a victory over UFC veteran Marcin Held.

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Octagon veteran Hooker (24-14, 14-10 UFC) looks to bounce back after consecutive losses to Benoit St. Denis and Arman Tsarukyan. On both occasions, "The Hangman” has been finished in Round 2, with elbows and punches by St.…

Ready to impress 💪@AnkalaevM weighs in at 205.5 lbs

[ #UFCAbuDhabi | SAT JULY 25 | 12pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/V2ZbKcGmiz

— UFC (@ufc) July 24, 2026 The Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to Abu Dhabi is now official following the UFC Abu Dhabi weigh-ins.

Headliners Magomed Ankalaev and Bogdan Guskov both successfully made light heavyweight for their upcoming five-round fight. All other fighters also successfully hit their marks in what was an uneventful weigh-in from a drama perspective. Saturday's card will feature 13 fights in total.

"Big Ank" returns to the promotion for the first time since losing the light heavyweight championship back to Alex Pereira. The Russian lost the belt via TKO in just 80 seconds. Prior to the setback, Ankalaev (20-2-1, 1 NC) hadn't lost a fight since 2018 and put together wins over Pereira, Aleksandar Rakic, Anthony Smith and more. Ankalaev officially weighed 205.5 pounds for th…

This sport always seems to find a way.

With outlet Happy Punch in conjunction with MMA matchmaker Dean Toole and newly created organization Duel, they released a fight poster on Friday announcing an MMA event in August. Atop the “Duel: Arena” billing, one where there is but a single bout announced thus far, will see Mike Perry (15-8) throw down with Dillon Danis (2-0) at 170 pounds. The organization, formed by online crypto casino Duelbet, has indicated that there will be MMA matches alongside kickboxing and boxing. It will all be contained in a ring at the Kia Arena in Orlando on Aug. 29.

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Reaction to the fight itself has been overwhelmingly negative, with Ultimate Fighting Championship cutman Brad Tate as well as fighters Philip Rowe, Charles Johnson and Jorge Masvidal all responding quickly to the Instagram announcement post. Some have already campaigned to either join the card themselves or push for their friends or training partners to get involv…

⚖️ #PFLDC Official Weigh Ins

PFL Welterweight World Title is official!Thad Jean: 169.2 lbsErnesto Rodriguez: 169.8 lbs#PFLDC | Saturday, July 25th | 📺Prelims 8PM EST on the ESPN App | Main Card 10PM EST on ESPN pic.twitter.com/XBkybqUk8L

— PFL (@PFLMMA) July 24, 2026 The Professional Fighters League welterweight championship will be on the line this Saturday after the PFL DC weigh-ins made it official today.

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Headlining the eight-fight mixed martial arts event is the title fight between welterweight king Thad Jean and late-notice challenger Ernesto Rodriguez. Both men made weight for the fight, which came together after would-be challenger Shamil Musaev bowed out due to weight-cutting issues. All other fighters on the card also successfully made weight.

The undefeated Jean has a perfect 11-0 record as a pro. Just 28, "Silverback" already has seven wins inside the promotion. The American most recently beat Logan Storl…

As it turns out, one victory in MMA outside of the Ultimate Fighting Championship can be enough to earn a call to come back.

Management team First Round Management announced on Friday that their client, Robelis Despaigne (6-2), has been re-signed to the UFC. The soon-to-be 38-year-old ex-kickboxer has no return date announced, nor an opponent selected for his first appearance back.

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Despaigne ran the table in Karate Combat in one year The Cuban appeared once in MMA following his UFC release, punching out Junior dos Santos in May at the inaugural MVP MMA event. This gave the 6-foot-7 striker his sixth first-round knockout across his six victories. On the way, Despaigne joined the striking-only Karate Combat league at the end of 2024 and punched out Dominik Jedrzejczyk in four seconds. Subsequent foes Marcos Brigagao and Roggers Souza could only survive a combined 20 seconds in the pit against him.

On the heels of those three speedy knockouts totaling …

THE FINAL FACE OFF! IT ALL GOES DOWN TOMORROW NIGHT! ??

?? Buy #JoshuaPrenga NOW at https://t.co/FoiaUucafv | July 25 | Danger Before Destiny ?? pic.twitter.com/c9oaZBBXQU

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) July 24, 2026

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Anthony Joshua and Kristian Prenga both made weight for their upcoming heavyweight clash. Joshua faces off against Prenga in a crucial tune-up fight before a potential blockbuster showdown with Tyson Fury.

Joshua (251) returns to action for the first time since stopping Jake Paul in December 2025. The former unified heavyweight champion enters the contest looking to build momentum ahead of a proposed clash with fellow Englishman Fury later this year.

Prenga, who weighed 261.4 pounds, steps into the biggest opportunity of his career. The Albanian veteran will look to spring a major upset and derail Joshua's plans for a blockbuster domestic clash. Prenga last won against Joe Jones in February.

The…

Spence returns after three years to face Tim Tszyu in his middleweight debut in Sydney Errol Spence Jr. (159) successfully made weight ahead of his long-awaited return to the ring as he prepares to face Tim Tszyu (159) in the middleweight main event on Saturday in Sydney.

Spence Jr. (28-1, 22 KOs) competes for the first time since suffering a technical knockout loss to Terence Crawford in their undisputed welterweight championship clash in July 2023. Following a three-year hiatus, the former unified welterweight champion returns with a new trainer in Ronnie Shields after ending his longtime partnership with Derrick James. Saturday's bout also marks his debut at the 160-pound middleweight limit.

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Tszyu (27-3, 18 KOs) enters the contest looking to score another signature victory as both veterans attempt to re-establish themselves among boxing's elite. The Australian will have home advantage as the bout takes place in Sydney.

The event is scheduled for …

A pivotal women's flyweight matchup has been removed from the next Ultimate Fighting Championship numbered event.

Erin Blanchfield's bout against Jasmine Jasudavicius has been scrapped from the Aug. 15 card at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia due to an injury on Blanchfield’s end, per MMA Junkie’s Nolan King. The promotion is reportedly looking to rebook the contest for a UFC Fight Night event on Oct. 17 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, instead.

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Erin Blanchfield injury forces UFC 330 card change as UFC targets Edmonton rebooking The withdrawal marks the first time Blanchfield has been forced out of a fight during her UFC tenure. She is on a two-fight win streak, beating Rose Namajunas and Tracy Cortez in her most recent Octagon appearances.

Meanwhile, Jasudavicius was looking to build on a unanimous decision win over Karine Silva in April. With her clash with Blanchfield now being targeted for the next UFC event in Canada, she’ll h…

After 15 years, Darren Elkins is set for his final UFC bout. | 📷: Getty/UFC

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has finalized the lineup for its next Fight Night at Meta Apex in Las Vegas, including Octagon veteran Darren Elkins’ final appearance in the promotion.

The card, headlined by Mateusz Gamrot and Quillan Salkilld, is scheduled for Aug. 8.

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UFC Fight Night lineup features Darren Elkins vs. Yadier Del Valle and Gamrot vs. Salkilld Elkins (29-12) will square off against Dana White’s Contender Series alum Yadier Del Valle.

The 42-year-old has been on the UFC roster since 2010, earning memorable victories over the likes of Mirsad Bektic, Michael Johnson, Dennis Bermudez and Luiz Eduardo Garagorri. Furthermore, Elkins has shared the cage with several former champions and fan favorites, albeit in losing efforts, against Alexander Volkanovski, Charles Oliveira, Chad Mendes and UFC Hall of Famer Cub Swanson.

New matchups added …

Mateusz Gamrot (right) has reupped with the UFC. | 📷: Getty/UFC

Mateusz Gamrot has extended his stay in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Gamrot recently announced on X that he has signed a new multi-fight deal with the promotion, ensuring that his tenure will continue beyond his upcoming main event assignment.

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Mateusz Gamrot signs a new UFC contract before facing Quillan Salkilld in the UFC Fight Night 284 main event. While he didn’t divulge the exact number of bouts on his new deal, Gamrot is ecstatic to continue fighting in the promotion. The Polish lightweight claims he’s “grateful” for the new contract and is excited for what lies ahead.

“I’ve signed a multi-fight deal with UFC! Another step begins in just two weeks, let’s gooo,” Gamrot wrote on X. “I’m grateful to the UFC for the trust and for recognizing my hard work. Thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to keep proving myself on the biggest stage in …