Martial Arts News

Count recent UFC heavyweight pickup Danylo Voievodkin among those who popped before getting to fight.

According the UFC and Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) on Thursday, Voievodkin tested positive for meldonium, a substance banned at all times. This test failure took place following his win on Dana White's Contender Series, where he throttled Bailey Schoenfelder in 73 seconds to claim a UFC contract. As a result, Voievodkin has been handed a two-year suspension from competition. Per MMA Fighting, he has since been released by the organization.

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Due to the nature of the substance and that it was taken after his DWCS win, CSAD issued the full-length two-year ban. There is no therapeutic use to make it exempt, and the CSAD did not indicate that Voievodkin cooperated with the investigation to potentially reduce his sentence. Meldonium is used to treat heart conditions, but there is no indication that the Ukrainian suffers from any of them to need its use…

Ex-UFC star Nate Diaz is no longer facing charges for an alleged incident in a Las Vegas nightclub in 2024.

Last year, Diaz was cited for battery—a misdemeanor that could have sent Diaz to prison for six months while hitting him with a nominal fine—after an alleged fracas at the Omnia nightclub in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. On Aug. 25, he and his friends were reportedly in line for something when security approached them, and Diaz was caught on camera shoving a guard and striking one in the face with an open hand. He then flexed several times and went on to leave the scene before police arrived.

Per ESPN on Thursday, charges against Diaz have been dropped as the case against him has been dismissed by the local Las Vegas court. According to Diaz’ attorney Ross Goodman, the video that spread showing Diaz striking the security guard was missing key details.

“The selected portion of the video that went viral omitted the prelude that Nate pushed back the security …

“The Hulk” has Dagestan fever, and his only prescription is a knee to the face.

The resurgent Brunno Ferreira, fresh off a submission victory over Armen Petrosyan at UFC 313, is keen on looking ahead in the tumultuous middleweight division. His victory was the second in two weeks inside of the Octagon, as teammate Brendson Ribeiro tapped Diyar Nurgozhay at UFC Fight Night 254 this past week. When speaking to Sherdog on Tuesday about his recent success, he attributes part of it to a special training camp set up by coach Andre “Dida” Amado that he was able to enjoy for a few weeks.

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“Two weeks and two wins by submission for Brazilian TKO,” Ferreira celebrated. “Cris Cyborg mounted a kind of CT House for fight teams with all the structure, ring, octagon, pool, sauna…and Master Dida inaugurated it, renting it for us for two weeks. It couldn’t have been better, we were locked in that bubble with all the necessary infrastructure, and the results came.”

The…

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There appears to be no lingering bad blood between bantamweight standouts Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley.

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The two recently crossed paths at the UFC Performance Institute, where O’Malley praised the reigning champion’s performance in a successful title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 this past January.

“Your last fight was impressive, you looked good,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. “That was a fun fight to watch. That was very fun.”

Prior to facing Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili claimed bantamweight gold with a unanimous decision triumph over O’Malley at UFC 306 this past September. While nothing has been confirmed, UFC CEO Dana White recently hinted that a rematch between the two could be in the making.

“They want to fight each other,” White said following UFC Seattle. “I think people want to see it.”

Dvalishvili also seemed to indicate that a return date was likely during their conversation.

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Charles Oliveira is among the many Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes who has pursued a potentially lucrative fight with Conor McGregor over the years.

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These days, however, “do Bronx” isn’t holding out much hope for the 36-year-old Irishman to return to the Octagon in any fashion. McGregor hasn’t fought since July 2021, and his scheduled return against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 last June was scrapped during fight week when “Notorious” pulled out of the event due to a broken toe. McGregor continues to make headlines outside of the cage — most recently for a meeting with President Donald Trump on St. Patrick’s Day — but there has been no word on a potential fight booking.

“To be honest, I don’t know why people are still talking about Conor McGregor. He’s done everything he wanted to do in the sport and now he chooses to live his life the way he’s living it,” Oliveira said in a recent interview with Oddspedia.

“We’ve been waiting for him…

A light heavyweight matchup has been added to an Ultimate Fighting Championship card scheduled for May 17.

Veteran Paul Craig (17-9) will face Rodolfo Bellato (12-2) at UFC Vegas 106 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Bellato confirmed the pairing after an initial report from MagicM_MMABets on social media.

While Craig’s UFC career has seen its share of highs and lows, the Scot has been on a steady downward slope in recent times. Craig moved down to middleweight in 2023 after back-to-back losses at 205 pounds. However, that stint didn’t work out well, as “Bearjew” dropped three in a row against top-tier competition after a win against Andre Muniz in his middleweight debut.

Meanwhile, Bellato got his first shot on Dana White's Contender Series in 2022, when he suffered a knockout loss against Vitor Petrino. The Brazilian racked up two wins on the regional circuit for another Contender Series opportunity and earned a contract by finishing Murtaza Talha Ali. “Tr…

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Alex Pereira’s loss at UFC 313 seems to have limited his options in regards to fights at other weight classes.

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Prior to facing Magomed Ankalaev on March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, there were rumblings about “Poatan” moving up to heavyweight for a potential matchup with Jon Jones, or moving down to middleweight for a clash against Dricus Du Plessis.

After the Brazilian relinquished his crown to Ankalaev in a unanimous decision loss, UFC CEO Dana White quickly shut down the possibility of a superfight against Jones. Meanwhile, Du Plessis, the UFC’s reigning 185-pound champion, also seems to have lost interest in a showdown with the Brazilian.

“Thanks Ankalaev, for taking the biggest payday of my life,” Du Plessis said on Jackson O’Doherty’s video blog. “It’s nothing personal.”

The sentiments were quite different following Du Plessis’ victory over Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, when Pereira hinted at an eventual r…

Ian Garry didn’t get the nod in his title eliminator bout against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310, but he believes he should have been the next man in line for a shot at welterweight gold.

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However, when Shavkat Rakhmonov was unable to accept a fight against reigning 170-pound champ Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 in May, the promotion instead tabbed Jack Della Maddalena to receive the opportunity.

“I had a chat with my agent. I rang him when I heard, when they told me this news, and I was livid. Still am to this day,” Garry said in a video on Instagram. “I had a No. 1 contender’s fight where the guy now has to get knee reconstruction and is out for a year. But you know, it’s not my fault. I didn’t stab his knee 20-something times and boot the leg off. I’m not fighting for a world title, because I’m coming off a loss, and they’re giving it to a guy who’s been injured for a year and they think that’s more exciting, but they’re wrong.

“The world title figh…

تعود بطولة "PFL MENA" في 9 مايو، والانطلاقة ستكون جزء من موسم جدة! 💥 موسم حافل بالنزالات ينتظركم.

من مستعد ليشهد من يصعد من المقاتلين للقمة؟ 👀🔥#نصنع_التاريخ #السعودية pic.twitter.com/iXgojVnQhb

— PFL MENA (@PFLMENA) March 18, 2025

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PFL MENA will begin its second season this spring.

The promotion announced on Tuesday that PFL MENA Season 2 will kick off on May 9 at the Onyx Arena in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. According to a release, “PFL MENA will be partnering with Jeddah Season to elevate the sport of MMA in the Middle East by integrating world-class fights into one of Saudi Arabia’s biggest cultural and entertainment festivals.”

While no bouts were officially announced for the first event, PFL MENA is expected to highlight fighters from the area such as experienced amateur talent Malik Basahel and Ahmad Makki, who will be competing in his final professional bout on an upcoming card. Further details regarding PFL MEN…

Alexander Volkanovski wants to fight Diego Lopes, Movsar Evloev and Patricio Pitbull all in one year 👀

“I’m happy to fight 3 times this year… the beauty of having me a champion again, they can all have their title fight.”

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🎥 @ufcontnt #UFC314

pic.twitter.com/x6xLEwj5s2

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 17, 2025 Alexander Volkanovski is ideally looking at a hectic 2025.

Alexander Volkanovski is scheduled to fight Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight title at UFC 314 on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The same card also features former Bellator champ Patricio Freire making his UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez.

When asked about a future potential matchup against Freire, Volkanovski says he is game if the UFC wants it. However, undefeated contender Movsar Evloev is already waiting in the wings for the next title shot at 145 pounds. Volkanovski is up for that challenge as well, all withi…

Jeremy Stephens is taking another gamble late in his combat sports career.

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Stephens is returning for his second Ultimate Fighting Championship stint after a successful run in BKFC. Stephens’ name was the biggest surprise addition to the upcoming UFC Des Moines card. Stephens will take on Mason Jones in front of home fans at the Wells Fargo arena in Des Moines, Iowa, on May 3.

Stephens was visiting his parents in Iowa when his wife advised him to reach out UFC CEO Dana White. Stephens had to wait for a week before White responded. A call from UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell followed and Stephens’ return was set up. Stephens revealed that his new UFC contract is a one-fight deal. While he is always up for any opportunities that present themselves in the UFC, Stephens mostly sees himself returning to BKFC following UFC Des Moines.

“It’s just a one-and-done, dude. Again, I’m betting on me, I can really set myself up for an opportunit…

Bryce Mitchell says he’s been having ‘demonic dreams’ since the #UFC314 press-conference, and believes Jean Silva is possessed by “a legion of demons” 😳

“When I said the name Jesus he was provoked to maliciousness, and he started barking like a dog.”

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🎥 @ThugnastyMMA #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/L0sBH4Vevs — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 17, 2025

Jean Silva believes Bryce Mitchell’s demonic dreams stem from fear.

Silva and Mitchell are scheduled to fight at UFC 314 on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The two already traded barbs at a promotional press conference, where Silva successfully started “F--k Bryce Mitchell” chants.

Mitchell, who is an avid flat-earther, is known for his absurd and often controversial opinions. “Thug Nasty” now claims he has been unable to get sound sleep since the press conference. According to Mitchell, demons appear in his dreams, who then turn into beautiful women…