Martial Arts News

The Professional Fighters League and Rizin Fighting Federation are set to make history with a fight that will have two titles on the line.

PFL and Rizin just announced a cross-promotional championship fight for Super Rizin 5 on Sept. 10 at Kyosera Dome Osaka in Japan.

Rajabali Shaidullaev and A.J. McKee will fight for both the PFL and Rizin featherweight championships in Osaka Rizin Featherweight Champion Rajabali Shaidullaev (19-0) will face A.J. McKee (25-2) with both the Rizin and PFL featherweight titles on the line. Shaidullaev has finished all 19 of his career wins so far, 13 of them in the first round. The undefeated Kyrgyz champion has won and defended his title thrice in less than a year. Meanwhile, McKee is currently riding a three-fight winning streak.

“There have been several occasions in the past when a fighter has entered another organization and challenged for that promotion’s championship,” Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara said in a statement. “This time…

Thad Jean is confident that he can land a fight-ending blow in his upcoming bout against Shamil Musaev on July 25.

The undefeated 2025 Professional Fighters League welterweight tournament champion will challenge former tourney winner Musaev for the vacant PFL welterweight championship in the main event of PFL Washington D.C. at CareFirst Arena.

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Thad Jean discusses his strategy against Shamil Musaev ahead of the PFL welterweight championship bout Jean enters the title fight with an unblemished 11-0 record, while Musaev has an 18-1-1 slate and captured the 2024 PFL welterweight tournament before falling short in his bid for the inaugural divisional crown earlier this year. Ahead of their championship bout, Jean explained how he plans to make a statement against Musaev.

When asked if he has a prediction for the bout, Jean claimed he’ll take advantage of the fact that Musaev is coming off his first pro defeat.

“I think after his last loss, he wi…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Ben Askren says his body simply ran out of gas in the final wrestling match of his decorated career.

Just over a year after surviving a life-threatening bout of pneumonia that resulted in a double lung transplant, the former UFC welterweight contender returned to the mat at RAF 11 in Milwaukee, where he dropped a 6-3 decision to ex-UFC champion Belal Muhammad.

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Ben Askren explains final wrestling loss to Belal Muhammad Askren had a dream start after taking a lead through the opening two periods. However, Muhammad rallied in the third, scoring a takedown and reversal before pulling away late. Reflecting on the match, Askren told FloWrestling that his body could not keep up.

“The match was going relatively well,” he recalled. “At the end of the second period, when I walked over to my corner, I’m like, ‘sh*t! My legs have nothing left.’ I’m gonna have a hard time being in my stance. I’m gonna have a hard ti…

One of kickboxing's fastest-rising talents appears ready to test himself in a new arena.

K-1 cruiserweight champion Thian de Vries revealed via Instagram Stories that he plans to transition to mixed martial arts after completing two more kickboxing bouts following his latest win in Japan.

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Thian de Vries on what’s next after kickboxing: ‘MMA is the future’ The Dutchman, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise in kickboxing, recently announced that he plans to move to MMA soon. While de Vries did not reveal when or with which promotion he intends to make his MMA debut, he indicated that he first intends to fulfill two remaining kickboxing commitments before making the switch.

“I am so f*cking happy and grateful guys,” the 25-year-old wrote in a new Instagram story. “It's been a tough year for me with injuries, a mental struggle sometimes. King of the Jungle is back, 2 more kickboxing fights and afterwards full focus on MMA, MMA is the future.”

He’ll loo…

Ilia Topuria was in a celebratory mood following Spain’s win against Argentina in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Just five weeks after losing the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250, the former champion was spotted celebrating Spain's victory while wearing sunglasses.

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Spain's World Cup celebration sparks questions about Ilia Topuria's recovery Spain captured its second World Cup title with a 1-0 victory over Lionel Messi’s Argentina, completing an impressive tournament run in which the European champions conceded just one goal across eight matches. Spain dominated possession against the former world champions as Argentina failed to create any meaningful opportunities of their own.

Topuria, who is of Georgian descent but was raised in Spain, joined supporters at a watch party, where he can be seen celebrating the victory with his son on his shoulder and many other Spanish fans.

Another …

Damian Pinas continues to generate buzz following his latest knockout victory in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Nova Uniao head coach Andre Pederneiras believes the surging middleweight is unlike anyone he has coached before.

Pinas bagged another UFC victory with a first-round knockout of Cesar Almeida at UFC 329. The Aruba native has now recorded nine knockouts in 10 professional victories, with one submission.

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Andre Pederneiras discusses Damian Pinas after UFC 329 knockout Pederneiras, who has spent more than three decades developing elite mixed martial artists, told Sherdog’s Marcelo Alonso that he immediately recognized Pinas' potential when he arrived at Nova Uniao for a tryout in 2024.

“I've held pads for a lot of heavyweights, including elite strikers, and I've never seen anyone hit as hard as he does,” Pederneiras said. “Right away I realized he was a special talent, and from that moment on he started training with us ... Besides …

Oleksandr Usyk says plans are beginning to take shape for what he expects will be the final fight of his storied professional boxing career.

The former undisputed heavyweight champion is targeting one final marquee bout before calling time on his career. Deontay Wilder has emerged as the leading candidate, while Dana White's Zuffa Boxing is reportedly among the promotional options.

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Oleksandr Usyk says his retirement fight could take place in the United States against Deontay Wilder as Zuffa Boxing emerges as an option Speaking on Daily Mail’s "The Hook" podcast, Usyk revealed that his farewell bout is expected to take place in the United States against a high-profile opponent. He added that his last fight will either take place at the year-end or in early 2027.

“Maybe in New York, [in a] stadium. It’s going to be against a big name,” Usyk said. “This could be maybe early next year, or at the end of this year, maybe December.”

The Ukrainian was…

Dustin Poirier is concerned for Michael Chandler.

Poirier has openly expressed his dislike for Chandler previously, which ramped up in the aftermath of their 2022 clash in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. "The Diamond" slammed the former Bellator champion for the repeated use of illegal moves like fish-hooking. While they’ve since buried the hatchet, Poirier wants to see Chandler hang up the gloves.

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Michael Chandler’s UFC future questioned by former rival Dustin Poirier Chandler is 2-6 in the UFC, with wins over Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson, and his last victory came all the way back in 2022. He is on a four-fight skid and recently teased a move up to welterweight following a first-round knockout loss against Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Freedom 250.

Poirier believes moving up a weight class is a terrible idea for Chandler considering the damage he is already taking at lightweight.

“With all due respect, we've buried the hatchet and shook hands,…

Ian Garry believes defeating Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Islam Makhachev at UFC 330 would make his greatness "undeniable."

The Irish welterweight challenges Makhachev for the 170-pound title in the UFC 330 headliner on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Considering the Dagestani champion’s accolades, taking the title off him is a monumental feat, according to Garry.

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Ian Garry views UFC 330 clash with Islam Makhachev as a career-defining fight Ahead of their fight, Garry acknowledged the magnitude of the challenge, calling Makhachev the best fighter in mixed martial arts today.

“I know how good Islam Makhachev is,” Garry told High Performance. “I know how talented he is. He’s 29-1 in the sport. He’s a two-weight division champion. He’s the most successful lightweight champion of all time and had the most lightweight defenses of all time. He is the current welterweight champion of the world. He came up a division and won …

Ian Garry's recent comments comparing himself to Conor McGregor haven’t gone over well with Islam Makhachev's camp.

After "The Future" compared his upcoming fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship against Makhachev to McGregor's iconic featherweight championship victory over Jose Aldo, Makhachev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, responded with a series of sharp posts on social media.

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Ali Abdelaziz addresses Ian Garry’s McGregor comparison ahead of UFC 330 Garry recently claimed that defeating Makhachev at UFC 330 would elevate him to the top of the sport, comparing the opportunity to McGregor's featherweight title win over Aldo in 2015.

Abdelaziz, however, dismissed those comparisons and questioned the Irishman's accomplishments inside the Octagon.

“I've been listening to Islam's opponent talking,” Abdelaziz wrote on X. “Here are the facts: He's 2-1 in his last three fights. He was almost knocked out by Prates and got saved by the bell. He has 10 w…

Conor McGregor expects to return to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship next year.

McGregor (22-7) shared an update on the injury he picked up in his recent loss to Max Holloway at UFC 329. "Notorious" suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee. The Irishman claims the injury is nearly identical to the one he suffered on his left leg in his first fight against Holloway in 2013, which he won via unanimous decision.

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Conor McGregor says his Max Holloway injury mirrors his first UFC meeting with Holloway Considering McGregor had taken less than a year to recover from his injury in 2013, he expects to return even sooner this time. The Dubliner also revealed that he can walk without crutches and do leg extension exercises.

“Update: It was ACL and meniscus,” McGregor wrote on X. “It is the same injury as the first Holloway fight, only this time the opposite leg. Quite shocking. I returned to competition within 9 months to fight Diego Bra…

An American boxer, who challenged for the World Boxing Council women’s featherweight title in June, died Saturday morning after being hit by a motorist in Texas.

Hannah Rapp, 26, was on her bicycle when she was struck by the vehicle. Investigators have reportedly arrested a 31-year-old man identified as Charles Medina in connection with her death.

What police say about Hannah Rapp's death and the manslaughter chargeAccording to the Brazos County Sheriff's Office, the incident occurred on Saturday, July 18, in the morning when Rapp was riding along a highway. Authorities allege that a vehicle passed her before suddenly stopping, reversing and striking her. She was transported to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Brazos deputies said they charged Medina with manslaughter. Under Texas law, manslaughter is defined as recklessly causing another person's death. The sheriff’s office has not provided additional details, stating that the case is under active inve…