Martial Arts News

Tom Aspinall says recovering from multiple eye surgeries was more painful than anything he has experienced, including a vasectomy.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king discussed the aftermath of his bout against Ciryl Gane during a recent podcast appearance, where he revealed the extent of pain and inconvenience he faced due to his eye surgeries.

Tom Aspinall’s eye surgeries and Ciryl Gane fight aftermath explained Aspinall's UFC 321 bout against Gane ended in a no contest after multiple accidental eye pokes left the heavyweight champion unable to continue.

“I’ve had three [eye] surgeries,” Aspinall said on the “Great Company with Jamie Lang” podcast. “I had one on the left and two on the right. By the way, I’ve had the snip, right? I’ve had a vasectomy, and I was thinking that has got to be the worst surgery ever. Mate, compared to eye surgery, it is nothing. Honestly.”

Aspinall further revealed that he had to remain awake while doctors operated …

Islam Makhachev is leaving no stone unturned in preparation for his first welterweight title defense, roping in fighters with a similar build to Ian Garry.

Makhachev is scheduled to put his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title on the line against Garry in the main event of UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The Russian has reportedly brought in Alvarez from Spain to help him get familiar with his upcoming Irish foe’s frame.

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Joel Alvarez helps Islam Makhachev prepare for Ian Garry’s height, range and distance game While Makhachev is a heavy favorite going into UFC 330, a lot has been made of Garry’s defensive savviness and distance management. Alvarez stands at 6-foot-2 and is also adept at fighting at a distance and using his range as an advantage, which is likely why he’s been summoned to assist Makhachev. The Dagestani’s teammate, Professional Fighters League champion Usman Nurmagomedov, has also been mimickin…

Nassourdine Imavov is confident about his next opponent in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The French middleweight recently revealed on Jaiden Cable’s YouTube channel that UFC officials have assured him he’ll receive the next crack at the 185-pound title following Sean Strickland's championship-winning victory over Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 328.

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Nassourdine Imavov says UFC middleweight title fight with Sean Strickland is next after UFC 328 Imavov wants to avenge his 2023 loss to Strickland, especially considering he doesn’t like the outspoken and polarizing American.

“I don’t like him. It’s personal between me and him,” Imavov said of Strickland. “The UFC told me my next fight would be for the belt.”

Imavov revealed that he was initially willing to remain active by accepting a bout against former champion Dricus Du Plessis before the promotion informed him to wait for a title opportunity instead. If those plans remain intact, Imavov expects…

Jessica Andrade is not above working a regular job to make ends meet.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight titleholder has been sidelined for nearly a year while recovering from a shoulder injury. During her hiatus from competition, the Brazilian has turned to working as a delivery driver.

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Jessica Andrade explains why she's working as a delivery driver during her UFC injury layoff Andrade, who has fought 30 times in the UFC, winning the 115-pound title and also challenging for the flyweight belt, has been away from action for almost a year now. However, it hasn’t stopped her from finding alternate paths of income.

“Thank God I managed to save some money, so things are going well,” Andrade said in an interview with Ag Fight. “But whenever I need to, I work as a delivery driver. I deliver meals and things like that. I just pick up orders through an app and make the deliveries. I do whatever it takes. I’m not afraid of hard work. I ca…

Islam Dulatov likes to keep his fights short.

Dulatov (12-1) is scheduled to take on Wellington Turman (18-8) in his second appearance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship since winning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. He returns in a welterweight matchup at UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25 at Etihad Arena in Yas Island.

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Islam Dulatov says his UFC Abu Dhabi game plan doesn't require studying Wellington Turman Dulatov isn’t bothered by the fact that there isn’t much footage available on Turman. "The Ripper" is confident that he doesn’t need to see Turman’s film to execute his game plan.

“Not that much footage of him,” Dulatov said in a recent interview. “But he is the same person, he has the same chin, and he has the same style he had before. If he learned some stuff it’s good for him. But at the end of the day, for what I want to do with him, I don’t need to see footage. I just want to knock him out.”

Dulatov vows to look for a first-rou…

Four straight victories have Fatima Kline chasing elite competition. | 📷: Dave Mandel/Invicta FC

Fatima Kline is aiming high after her latest win in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Kline earned a dominant unanimous decision win over Tabatha Ricci at UFC Oklahoma City. She is now eyeing either former strawweight champion Weili Zhang or former title challenger Tatiana Suarez. While Kline has had only five UFC fights, "The Archangel" believes her dominant performance against Ricci warrants a high-profile matchup against Weili or Suarez next.

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Fatima Kline believes she's ready for Weili Zhang right now While Kline admits that Zhang and Suarez have more experience, she believes she can compensate with her skills. The 26-year-old is confident that she can hold her own against the best in the world.

“It seems like everybody thinks my greatest challenge would be Weili,” Kline told Ariel Helwani. “I think I can beat the best in the world,…

Ryan Garcia won’t be bound by guidelines if he ever signs with Zuffa Boxing.

Garcia is scheduled to put his WBC welterweight title on the line against Zuffa Boxing’s Conor Benn on Sept. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While the particulars of the bout are unknown to Garcia, he believes it will be co-promoted. Furthermore, Garcia is certain that he will not be wearing Zuffa fight gear and claims he will never wear a Zuffa uniform even if he signs with the promotion.

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Ryan Garcia explains why he would refuse Zuffa Boxing gear while praising Dana White’s new promotion Garcia explains that he likes to express himself by designing his own outfit and walkout music. He vows to never sign with Zuffa Boxing if they don’t allow him to express himself the way he wants. However, Garcia complimented Dana White for the way he is building up Zuffa Boxing.

“Even if I ever signed with Zuffa, I will make sure that I never wear a Zuffa outfit,” Garcia told Ariel Hel…

Johnny Eblen (above) says a Sean Strickland fight would be different outside the gym. | 📷: PFL MMA

Johnny Eblen and Sean Strickland never go easy on each other.

Eblen and Strickland have developed a strong friendship despite training at different gyms. Moreover, Strickland frequently campaigns for Eblen to get a Ultimate Fighting Championship contract in the future. The reigning UFC titleholder recently said that he wouldn’t mind putting his middleweight belt on the line against Eblen and the latter would happily oblige.

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Johnny Eblen explains why friendship would not stop a fight with Sean Strickland Eblen recently explained why he doesn’t mind fighting Strickland even though they are friends. He says he’d rather fight Strickland for money since they anyway do it for free in the gym. Eblen revealed that they go hard against each other in sparring sessions and often use big gloves as they are both looking to land damage.

However, Ebl…

Bogdan Guskov considers Magomed Ankalaev the best light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Guskov (18-3) is scheduled to fight Ankalaev (20-2) in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. Guskov stepped up to accept the fight on 14 days’ notice after Ankalaev’s original opponent, Khalil Rountree, pulled out due to an injury.

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If he comes out on top, Guskov is eyeing championship gold.Guskov breaks down Ankalaev’s standing after Alex Pereira rematch loss Despite Ankalaev not being the current champion, Guskov still considers the Russian the best 205-pounder. The surging Uzbek contender believes Ankalaev just had a “bad night at the office” in his rematch against Alex Pereira, in which he lost the title. As such, a win over the former champion warrants a title shot, according to the 33-year-old. “For me, Magomed is the strongest guy in our division,” Guskov told MMA Junkie. “Second fight with Pereira is j…

Jay Alderete doesn’t regret his celebration following his win over former Ultimate Fighting Championship athlete Cameron Smotherman.

Alderete took on Smotherman in a bantamweight matchup at Fury FC 121 in Houston. Alderete dropped Smotherman with a head kick before putting him to sleep with a brabo choke in the second round. He followed up with a crotch grab celebration and chirped away at his counterpart, who had to be held back by security.

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The undefeated Fury FC prospect says Smotherman's corner provoked his post-fight taunt Alderete recently revealed the details of their verbal exchange after the fight. Smotherman had claimed to have never heard of Alderete before their bout. The latter made sure to remind the former UFC fighter that he would never forget the name.

“He said he doesn’t know nothing about me,” Alderete told MMA Fighting. “He doesn’t understand the hype… I ran up, and I told him, ‘I told you you were going to remember the name to…

Magomed Ankalaev ignored his team's calls for him to pull out of the Alex Pereira rematch.

Ankalaev won the Ultimate Fighting Championship 205-pound title against Pereira in their first matchup at UFC 313 in March 2025 in dominant fashion. The Russian then put his title on the line against Pereira in their immediate rematch at UFC 320 in October. "Poatan" knocked out Ankalaev in just 80 seconds to reclaim his strap.

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The Russian has now divulged the obstacles he overcame ahead of the rematch.Magomed Ankalaev says health issues led his team to urge him to withdraw from UFC 320 against Alex Pereira Ankalaev’s team and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, claimed that he was not fully fit going into the rematch against Pereira. Abdelaziz said that Ankalaev had decided to go ahead with the fight despite being advised otherwise by his team. Ankalaev recently admitted that he was dealing with health issues going into UFC 320. The former light heavyweight champion …

Dana White told the story behind UFC’s failed negotiations with Fedor Emelianenko. | 📷: Bellator MMA

Dana White doesn’t regret Fedor Emelianenko's failed move to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Emelianenko is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time who never fought in the UFC. White recently revealed that he wanted to make a fight between the Russian and Brock Lesnar. However, they failed to sign Emelianenko despite offering him a lot of money.

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Dana White discusses the failed UFC negotiations with heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko White claims that the offer was so massive that he and Lorenzo Fertitta were relieved that Emelianenko turned them down. The UFC head honcho doesn’t regret the failed negotiations.

“We never got a deal done with Fedor,” White said on "The Pivot" podcast.

“When me and Lorenzo got on the plane and left wherever we were, we looked at each other and said, ‘Thank God they said no,’ becau…