Martial Arts News

Carlos Prates has clapped back at claims that he is scared of a fellow 170-pound contender.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight responded to Michael Morales after the Ecuadorian allegedly suggested that Prates was avoiding a fight with him. The Brazilian insists he has no issue facing Morales but believes his position as the higher-ranked contender warrants a title shot next.

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Carlos Prates denies ducking Michael Morales and predicts a first-round knockout Shortly after Morales allegedly claimed that Prates was afraid to fight him, “The Nightmare” responded in a video posted online.

“If the guy has two arms and two legs like me, bro, I can fight him,” Prates said.

Prates then addressed Morales directly, making it clear that he would welcome the matchup if the UFC offered it.

“You say I am scared to fight you. I am not scared of a fight with you… I am the No. 1 contender, so I want to fight for the belt,” Prates said. “The UFC never…

Arman Tsarukyan believes fighters without exciting fighting styles need to somehow find a way to draw attention.

Tsarukyan recently emphasized the importance of building a profile outside the Ultimate Fighting Championship for fighters who are unable to find regular finishes or have control-heavy styles.

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Arman Tsarukyan discusses controversy, UFC promotion and building a profile outside the cage Tsarukyan, who returns to the Octagon on Sept. 19 against Mauricio Ruffy in the UFC 331 co-main event, believes controversy can help fighters who don't naturally attract fans with their performances.

“If you’re a boring fighter inside the cage, controversies are important for you,” Tsarukyan said in an interview with Russian YouTube channel Vpiska. “Because if you’re not here, you’re not there; you get cut from the game fast. But if you’re a great fighter and you knock people out and show that, you don’t even need to talk English.”

The Armenian lightw…

Gillian Robertson has addressed her recent defeat and comments from longtime coach and mentor, Din Thomas.

Robertson suffered a unanimous decision loss to Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight queen Mackenzie Dern in her failed title bid at UFC 330 in Philadelphia.

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Thomas later announced on the UFC 330 post-fight show that he’s stepping away from cornering fighters, saying he had taken Robertson as far as he believes she can go. The timing of the announcement subsequently drew criticism from both fans and fighters. Robertson has now finally weighed in on the same.Gillian Robertson says Din Thomas’ comments made her question his apology Robertson, giving a statement to Ariel Helwani, says she had no indication before the post-show broadcast that Thomas planned to make the announcement. “Prior to the broadcast, I didn’t see any sign of what was to be said,” Robertson said. “After the broadcast, he had said, ‘I will address this in the morning,’ fo…

Week 2 of the 10th Season of Dana White’s Contender Series exceeded expectations.Historic night in DWCS history as UFC signs six new fighters, including one in defeat Roman Puga (6-1) and Taner Trembley (7-1) kicked off the card in a featherweight clash. It was one of the most memorable fights in DWCS history, with both fighters repeatedly rocking each other. While Puga walked away with a unanimous decision victory, Trembley’s toughness was on full display.

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Dana White was walking out to award Puga an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract when Sean Shelby insisted that Trembley be given one as well.

“It takes two to make a great fight,” White said while awarding both Puga and Trembley UFC contracts. “And this fight was absolutely incredible. And because it was such a great fight, I got to see so much well-roundedness and toughness from both guys. As soon as this fight was over, I said, ‘Send both these guys to the hospital right now.’ So Puga -- it’s …

Joshua Van hasn't forgotten the night Charles Johnson handed him the first loss of his Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

Over two years after being stopped by Johnson, Van has gone from prospect to UFC flyweight champion. The 24-year-old will return to the Octagon on Sept. 19, when he rematches former champion Alexandre Pantoja in the UFC 331 main event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

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Joshua Van details how KO loss to Charles Johnson ‘humbled’ him Van was stopped by Johnson via a third-round knockout in July 2024, a setback that remains the second and most recent loss of his professional career. He has since won seven straight fights and captured the flyweight championship from Pantoja before defending it against Tatsuro Taira.

Speaking to Paramount+, Van explained how the defeat changed his approach to training and discipline.

“Oh, for sure. I want to stay active,” Van said. “Like I say, that loss kind of humbled me in a way. So, I …

The lineup for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s next trip to Utah is taking shape.

Four bouts have been added to UFC 332, scheduled for Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. Notably, no championship bouts have been announced for the card as yet, despite the title fights for UFC 333 already locked in and made public.

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Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Payton Talbott and Johnny Walker vs. Mick Parkin join UFC 332 Payton Talbott (11-1) will look to build on the biggest win of his career after defeating former two-division champion Henry Cejudo by unanimous decision in December last year. The 27-year-old will take on another former UFC champ, Deiveson Figueiredo (25-7-1), in his next bout. Talbott has won his last two fights since suffering the lone defeat of his career to Raoni Barcelos.

Meanwhile, Figueiredo will attempt to halt a two-fight skid. The former 125-pound champion has dropped four of his past five bouts, with his lone victory in that stretc…

Khamzat Chimaev could finally return to action in Abu Dhabi.

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White indicated that the middleweight is being considered, like many fighters, for UFC 333, although no bout has been finalized.

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Khamzat Chimaev pushes for UFC return as Dana White weighs UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi Chimaev recently took to social media, seemingly eager to return to the Octagon.

“What are we waiting for? I want to fight,” he wrote on X while tagging the UFC boss.

White addressed Chimaev's future following Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026 after being asked about the X post from the former champion calling for a return to action.

“I didn't see it,” White said. “Yeah, I mean, he's always in conversation to fight. The whole roster is. I mean, everybody, in a perfect world, everybody fights three times a year.”

Chimaev lost the middleweight title to Sean Strickland earlier this year, suffering the first loss of his pr…

Dana White isn't interested in getting dragged into the latest round of Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua negotiations and has little patience for Eddie Hearn’s comments.

Reports recently surfaced claiming Fury and Joshua have agreed to meet Nov. 20 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. When asked about the reported date and venue, the Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO offered a noncommittal response before turning his attention to Hearn.

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UFC CEO Dana White brushes off Eddie Hearn during Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua negotiations Speaking after Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026, White responded to reports of Joshua-Fury negotiations and recent comments from Hearn.

White was asked about reports that Hearn still wants the fight staged in the United Kingdom and had raised the possibility of legal action if Joshua were booked without a contractual agreement. The UFC boss said he has largely stopped paying attention to Hearn's public comments. Read more

Kaik Brito had some tricks up his sleeve in his fight against Namo Fazil.

Brito (20-6) took on a surging Fazil in a welterweight matchup in the main event of Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026. While Brito looked dangerous early in the fight, Fazil’s pressure put him on the back foot as the bout progressed.

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However, Brito shut Fazil’s lights off with a vicious right hand early in the third round to earn an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. He notably planned to pull off the finish right in front of UFC CEO Dana White.Kaik Brito details Namo Fazil knockout that secured UFC contract Brito knows that it looked like he was leaving everything in the Octagon in the back-and-forth bout. However, the Brazilian claims he was waiting for the right moment.

In the final round, when his back was against the cage, Brito noticed he was fighting close to White. That’s when he decided to launch the missile of a right hand that flattened Fazil. He…

Trent Miller earned an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract with the first Von Flue (shoulder) choke submission win of his career.

Miller (10-3) was a massive +280 underdog going into his middleweight matchup against Douglas Henrique Rodrigues on Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10. Miller controlled Rodrigues on the ground in the first round before putting him to sleep with a Von Flue choke in the second frame.

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Trent Miller earns UFC deal with historic DWCS submission Miller was awarded a UFC contract after securing the second-ever Von Flue choke in DWCS history. “The Terminator” also revealed it was the first time that he finished with a Von Flue choke in his career.

“He hits hard; he has good striking,” Miller said in his post-fight interview. “I’m definitely feeling him, my lips a little busted open. But so thankful for the win. I knew in the first round, once I got on top of him, I controlled. So that was the plan: second ro…

The next crop of Ultimate Fighting Championship hopefuls are ready for Week 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10.

DWCS returns for Week 2 with five bouts scheduled as fighters look to impress UFC CEO Dana White and the promotion’s matchmakers. UFC contracts are up for grabs for those who stand out.

Full Dana White’s Contender Series Week 2 weigh-in results

All 10 fighters made weight for the card. The action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on Paramount+.

Here are all the weigh-in results ahead of DWCS Week 2:

Welterweight Featured Bout: Namo Fazil (170.5) vs. Kaik Brito (169.5)Middleweight: Douglas Henrique Rodrigues (183.5) vs. Trent Miller (185.5)Lightweight: Logan Paxton (155) vs. Cristian Perez (155)Light Heavyweight: Alik Lorenz (205) vs. Mahamed Aly (205.5)Featherweight: Roman Puga (144.5) vs. Taner Trembley (145)

The fighters of #DWCS Week 2 have weighed in to make it official for Tuesday.

Weigh-In R…

Conor McGregor has several options once he fulfills his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

The former two-division champion has one fight remaining on his current UFC deal, although an ACL and meniscus injury suffered in his recent rematch with Max Holloway is expected to keep him sidelined well into 2027. Once that obligation is fulfilled, BKFC chairman Dave Feldman believes McGregor could make the move to bare-knuckle boxing.

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Conor McGregor could join BKFC after completing final UFC fight McGregor underwent surgery earlier this month and will have to complete his recovery before returning to the Octagon. Once he’s out of contract and enters free agency, the head of BKFC claims the Irishman wants to compete in the promotion.

“He’s really looking forward to coming back and getting that last fight under his belt,” Feldman told SunSport. “So that way it clears him up for the ability to fight in the BKFC. And I really do think you see that happe…