Martial Arts News

Ki MMA is considering adopting elements of Pride’s rules as the new promotion looks to distinguish itself from other mixed martial arts organizations.

Rich Chou, the promotion’s executive vice president of athlete relations, discussed the possibility on “Bowks Talking Bouts,” saying officials are exploring ways to make competition more exciting for fighters and fans.

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Rich Chou discusses Pride-inspired rules for Ki MMA's 32-fighter featherweight Grand Prix Chou said Ki MMA is examining existing rule sets alongside other ideas as it develops its approach to competition.

“That is in the discussion,” Chou said. “We’ve said Pride quite a bit. Yeah, who didn’t love Pride, right? Some of my favorite fights, some of the greatest fights in the history of the sport. There really was no greater spectacle for MMA and for us, it was the same kind of adoration and love for K1 on the kickboxing side. We’re looking at all those options and then some. Some that I t…

Manel Kape views Joshua Van as an easy matchup.

Kape is a leading contender for a title shot against the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight champion. “Starboy” is confident he would dominate Van, claiming he has beaten tougher opponents than the reigning 125-pound titleholder.

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Manel Kape predicts Joshua Van will be too slow, citing Anderson Silva's knockout of Forrest Griffin In a recent interview with Daniel Cormier, Kape said he would have a speed advantage against Van. He predicted their bout would resemble Anderson Silva’s first-round knockout victory over Forrest Griffin at UFC 101.

“I know the power that I possess, I know the skill I possess,” Kape said. “When I say this fight is going to be too easy, it's going to be too easy. He's going to be very slow. The way he throws punches is going to be slow to me. This fight is going to be like Anderson Silva against Forrest Griffin. I apologize: I love Forrest Griffin, but it's going to be li…

Valter Walker has escalated his war of words with Alex Pereira.

Walker has responded to the former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division titleholder’s sparring offer. Pereira is scheduled to fight Walker’s Gor MMA teammate Sergei Pavlovich next.

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Valter Walker asks Alex Pereira for a Las Vegas ticket after foot-submission wager Walker previously predicted that Pavlovich would knock out Pereira when they meet at UFC 335 in Las Vegas on Dec. 12. Pereira subsequently challenged Walker to spar and offered to pay him the equivalent of Walker’s last fight purse if he could submit Pereira.

In an Instagram video alongside his coach, Gor Azizyan, Walker questioned whether Pereira had followed through on his offer to arrange travel to Las Vegas.

“Poatan, I’m still waiting for that ticket,” Walker said. “Buy it, and I’ll head straight to Las Vegas to get a hold of your foot. If you don’t want me grabbing your foot at the Performance Institute, no p…

Farid Basharat has addressed his departure from the Ultimate Fighting Championship in a statement on social media.

Basharat (16-0) completed his contract with a victory over John Garza in July and wasn’t offered a new deal despite going unbeaten in the promotion. In his statement, Basharat reflected on his UFC tenure and questioned the organization’s direction.

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Farid Basharat says the UFC never offered a new contract after his unbeaten seven-fight run Basharat went 7-0 in the UFC after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, with six of those victories coming by decision. He confirmed his departure on Instagram, saying he competed under unfavorable circumstances and never declined a fight.

“The news is confirmed, I am no longer with the UFC,” Basharat wrote on Instagram. “I’ve had an incredibly successful time in the organization. I’m proud and happy with what I’ve accomplished inside the Octagon. I leave with a stainless record. Hold…

Paulo Costa has renewed his criticism of fighter pay in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

A resurfaced clip shows UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland asking former light heavyweight champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson about his biggest UFC payday. Jackson said he earned $7 million, including pay-per-view compensation, for fighting Chuck Liddell. Costa contrasted that figure with his estimate of what a current UFC fighter earns.

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Paulo Costa compares Rampage Jackson's claimed $7 million payday with estimated Raoni Barcelos earnings Jackson attributed the payday to a contract he signed with World Fighting Alliance, where he said his manager also had a promotional role. According to Jackson, the deal included lucrative pay-per-view terms that the UFC inherited when its parent company acquired WFA assets in December 2006.

“$7 million, Chuck Liddell, that was pay-per-view, though,” Jackson told Strickland. “I left Pride. My manager, he became lik…

Henry Cejudo believes Alex Pereira needs more heavyweight victories before challenging for another Ultimate Fighting Championship title.

Pereira is scheduled to face Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However, he believes he deserved a title rematch against Ciryl Gane, who will instead defend his heavyweight championship against Josh Hokit at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

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Henry Cejudo wants Alex Pereira to win two or three heavyweight fights before another UFC title shot Cejudo believes Pereira (13-4) received preferential treatment in reaching title contention in two divisions. “Triple C” pointed to Pereira’s opportunity to fight Gane for the interim heavyweight championship in his divisional debut at UFC Freedom 250. He argues that Pereira must now build a winning record at heavyweight before receiving another title shot.

“It’s a part of him being spoiled too,” Cejudo said on the “Po…

Henry Cejudo doesn’t want families to be involved in his ongoing feud with Brendan Allen.

Cejudo and Allen are both married to Brazilians. However, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division titleholder has previously criticized Allen for representing Brazil in the Octagon. Cejudo also slammed Allen for playing it safe when asked about fighter pay, leading the latter to label the former’s podcast “trash.” Their wives are now seemingly involved in the back-and-forth.

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Henry Cejudo says Brendan Allen’s wife sent ‘nasty’ messages to his wife After Sean Strickland’s latest outburst about UFC fighter pay, Allen was asked about the same after his win over Christian Leroy Duncan at UFC Vegas 122. Allen opted against criticizing the promotion, drawing a strong response from Cejudo, who now claims the UFC middleweight’s wife has gotten involved in the feud.

Cejudo claims his wife received a “nasty” message from Allen’s wife. The Olympic gold med…

Kayla Harrison says she probably would not have returned to competition without the opportunity to face Amanda Nunes.

Harrison is scheduled to defend her Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight title against Nunes at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Harrison, who goes to great lengths to reach the 135-pound championship limit, says the matchup makes the weight cut worthwhile.

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Kayla Harrison prepares to defend UFC bantamweight title against Amanda Nunes after neck surgery Nunes is widely regarded as the greatest female mixed martial artist of all time. Harrison said she might not have fought again if Nunes were not her opponent.

"I mean, just to be honest, yeah,” Harrison told Ariel Helwani when asked if the Nunes fight is the only reason she’s returning to action.

Harrison (19-1) won two Professional Fighters League lightweight championships before joining the UFC in 2024. She submitted Julianna Pena to wi…

Raoni Barcelos says medical testing has yet to determine why he lost consciousness during his Ultimate Fighting Championship headliner against Raul Rosas Jr.

Barcelos faced Rosas Jr. in the main event of UFC Vegas 121 last month. The Brazilian led on the judges’ scorecards entering the fifth round but lost consciousness during a grappling exchange against the fence. Rosas Jr. was awarded a technical knockout victory, and the 39-year-old Barcelos was transported to a Level 1 trauma center.

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Raoni Barcelos undergoes medical tests after losing consciousness against Raul Rosas Jr. at UFC Vegas 121 Barcelos said he is undergoing tests in Las Vegas to determine what happened. He hopes to continue fighting but has not ruled out retirement.

“Unfortunately, we don’t know what happened,” Barcelos told MMA Fighting. “It was a sudden illness. I fell ill and I felt my whole body really starting to go numb. After that, I don’t remember anything. I only remember …

It’s never a boring day on fight week

Get a behind the scenes look to the PFL Chicago Weigh Ins from today ⚖️

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PFL Official Weigh Ins | B2YB @gorillaenergy #PFLChicago | Friday, October 16th | Early Card 6PM EST on ESPN App | Main Card 11 PM EST on ESPN 2 pic.twitter.com/j6vf4ZiQlt — PFL (@PFLMMA) October 15, 2026 The Professional Fighters League’s women’s flyweight title will be on the line following the PFL Chicago weigh-in.

Both reigning champion Liz Carmouche and top contender Jena Bishop made weight without fail for their upcoming title fight. It’s a rematch of last year’s championship fight that saw Carmouche notch a knockout victory in the third round. All 13 fights on the card are set after all fighters hit their official marks.

Carmouche (26-8) is a legend of women’s mixed martial arts and hasn’t tasted defeat since Taila Santos beat her in 2024. Prior to the rematch, “Girl-Rilla” won a one-sided unani…

Former world title challenger Hank Lundy will make his bare-knuckle boxing debut against Jairo Santos in the main event of Bally’s Fightnight by BKB on Nov. 20 in Dover, Delaware.

BKB announced the welterweight matchup Thursday. The five-round contest will take place at Bally’s Dover Casino Resort, marking the promotion’s first event in Delaware.

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Hank Lundy faces Jairo Santos in professional bare-knuckle debut at BKB Fightnight on Nov. 20 Lundy compiled a 32-14-1 professional boxing record with 14 knockouts and challenged Terence Crawford for the WBO junior welterweight championship in 2016.

“I’ve been in some big fights throughout my boxing career, but making my BKB debut is a new challenge that I’m excited to take on,” Lundy said. “I’ve always been a fighter who comes forward and looks to put on a show, and that’s exactly what I plan to do inside the Trigon.”

Santos, 29, will also make his professional bare-knuckle boxing debut. The South Ca…

The betting odds for the two title bouts headlining the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming Abu Dhabi card suggest competitive matchups.

UFC 333 takes place Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Alexander Volkanovski will defend his featherweight title against Movsar Evloev in the main event, while bantamweight champion Petr Yan faces Merab Dvalishvili for the third time in the co-main event.

Alexander Volkanovski and Movsar Evloev share identical odds; Petr Yan favored over Merab DvalishviliBetOnline Sports & Casino listed Volkanovski and Evloev at -110 apiece as of Oct. 14. Yan was a -180 favorite against Dvalishvili (+155).

Alexander Volkov (-130) was favored over Rizvan Kuniev (+110), while Azamat Murzakanov (-205) was favored over Dominick Reyes (+175). Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev (-450) was the largest favorite among the nine listed matchups, with opponent Nikita Krylov at +355.

UFC 333 odds as of Oct. 14:Alexander Volkanovski (-110) vs…