Martial Arts News

Khamzat Chimaev seemingly wants to make his first UFC middleweight title defense against Sean Strickland. 

Chimaev recently called for a wrestling match against Colby Covington at RAF.

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“Next RAF I will make American boy humble again colbiclown let’s go,” Chimaev wrote.

Next RAF I will make American boy humble again colbiclown let’s go 🦾😂

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) March 1, 2026 When a fan asked if Chimaev is currently injured, the middleweight champion said that he is waiting for Strickland. 

“No I waiting for [Strickland],” Chimaev replied.

No I waiting for strikiland

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) March 1, 2026 Grudge Match Brewing? Strickland responded with an American flag, expressing his interest in the booking.

👊🇺🇲 https://t.co/NcMepsZbts

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) March 1, 2026

Chimaev won the middleweight title against D…

Bad blood between Arman Tsarukyan and Georgio Poullas erupted into a post-fight brawl at Real American Freestyle 6 in Tempe, Arizona, on Saturday.

pic.twitter.com/GucttN4zpk

— ً. (@C0MB4TT) March 1, 2026

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Tsarukyan defeated Poullas via decision in a wrestling match that featured a number of chippy moments, including a backhanded slap from the UFC lightweight. When the match concluded, Tsarukyan shoved Poullas down and landed a right hand and a knee before he was separated from his opponent. At that point, chaos ensued as people rushed the mats.Poullas, Tsarukyan React “Unfortunately, I was jumped,” Poullas said on social media. “But as you guys saw my 62-year-old dad and both my brothers came to my rescue. That’s the way we were brought up. To fight for each other no matter what. We were outnumbered by like 12 Armenians and they came out running, fighting with me, fighting for me. So that’s f—king love. That’s how we were rai…

Jon Jones' last Octagon appearance came in November 2024. | Getty/UFC

Jon Jones may still get his wish of fighting at the UFC’s White House event before all is said and done.

During a meet and greet at the Brook Casino in New Hampshire, the former two-division champion revealed he was in still talks with the promotion to compete on the highly-anticipated card.

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”I’m in negotiations with the UFC about this White House thing, as well,” Jones said (video via Championship Rounds). “I’m a very, very, very proud American, and I cannot wait to represent one more time. So, we’ll see what happens.”

🚨 Jon Jones reveals he's in talks to fight on the UFC White House card 👀

"I'm in negotiations with the UFC about this White House [fight] as well. I'm a very proud American, and I cannot wait to represent one more time." pic.twitter.com/5dySHjvDc4

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 1, 2026

Jones hasn’t foug…

Francis Marshall is reaping the harvest of his hard work. 

Marshall faced Erik Silva in a featherweight matchup on the prelims at UFC Mexico on Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. Marshall justified his heavy favorite status by submitting Silva with a rear-naked choke in the very first round. Marshall revealed that while he originally planned to spend some more time on his feet, his opponent’s wild haymakers caught him off guad. When Marshall heard his corner calling for a double leg, he didn’t hesitate.

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“I would have liked to stay on the feet a little bit more but he was throwing some wild stuff at me that I wasn’t really expecting,” Marshall said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “So safe bet, heard coach from the corner saying, ‘Jab-double leg.’ Listened to what coach said, jab-double leg, and from there I know my grappling is very high level. So I was just able to secure the finish there.”Singular Focus Marshall (9-3) w…

Regina Tarin is not to be judged by her baby face. 

Ernesta Kareckaite was originally scheduled to face Sofia Montenegro in a flyweight bout at UFC Mexico. However, Montenegro pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Mexico’s Tarin on three days’ notice. “Kill Bill” made her UFC debut against Kareckaite in a 130-pound catchweight bout. A sizeable underdog going into the fight, Tarin outstruck her opponent to earn a unanimous decision victory. 

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The 21-year-old Tarin is now the second youngest fighter on the current UFC roster. Tarin warns her future opponents not to judge her by her looks. While Tarin knows she looks like a little girl at 21, she says her Octagon persona, “Kill Bill,” is a whole different person.Another Person in the Octagon “I know I look like a little girl,” said in a post-fight interview. “I am a girl, I’m 21, but I’m ready. I’m training all the day. So my face is not me. Regina is here, but ‘Kill Bill’ i…

Fighting in Mexico almost feels like fighting in his home country of Colombia for Javier Reyes. 

Reyes faced Douglas Silva de Andrade in a featherweight matchup at UFC Mexico on Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. The 40-year-old Andrade (29-7) made his featherweight debut, moving up from bantamweight. Reyes paid the price early for keeping his hands low as Andrade dropped him. However, “Blair” survived the scare and came from behind to secure a finish via ground-and-pound with a second remaining in the first round. 

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Reyes says he wants to be a crowd favorite by being different.

“I just want to be different,” he said in his post-fight Octagon interview. “I just want that the crowd notices me and they realize that a Colombian fighter is doing very different things in order to win the championship.”

A Familiar Feeling While Mexico City’s elevation is a test for some fighters, Colombia’s Reyes feels right at home there. Wi…

Ryan Gandra was out to have fun at his UFC debut on Saturday. 

Gandra made his debut against Jose Medina in a middleweight matchup at UFC Mexico on Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. Gandra barely took a punch as he dropped Medina with a flurry of punches and finished him in just 41 seconds. 

Gandra (9-1) earned his UFC contract with a first-round knockout win over Trent Miller on Dana White's Contender Series last year. Gandra admits he was way more nervous for his Contender Series appearance than for his UFC debut. The 30-year-old explains that there is a lot more at stake on the Contender Series, as it is an opportunity to make or break one’s career. Having secured a UFC contract, Gandra was just out to have fun on his debut on Saturday.

“To tell you the truth, I was way more nervous in the Contender Series,” Gandra said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “Because if you think about it, the nerves kick in because that’s the opportun…

Ailin Perez says this is the best time for Tracy Cortez to fight her. 

Perez took on women’s bantamweight veteran Macy Chiasson at UFC Mexico on Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. After dropping the first round, Perez bounced back to earn a unanimous decision win, which is her sixth straight win. Perez subsequently called out archenemy Tracy Cortez. 

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Perez later elaborated on her callout of Cortez. Perez says this is the best time for Cortez to fight her, as “Fiona” won’t give her the opportunity when she is the champion. Perez says that while Cortez is always beefing with her, she is nowhere to be found after the callout.Looking for a Fight “I already conquered the bantamweight division,” Perez told the UFC. “All the girls in the weight class are scared of me. And the time to fight Tracy is now. Because when I’m the champion, I’m not going to give her that opportunity. So the fight is now. Tracy Cortez is always trying to …

Santiago Luna recognizes the mistake that led to the end of his finishing streak. 

Luna (8-0) took on fellow newcomer Angel Pacheco (7-4) in a bantamweight tilt at UFC Mexico on Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. Being a former Mexican wrestling champion, Luna was expected to dominate Pacheco on the ground. But Pacheco showed impressive defense in getting back to his feet every time he was taken down. However, Luna outstruck Pacheco on the feet to earn a unanimous decision win. 

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Luna’s win over Pacheco was the first time he saw the judges’ scorecards. Luna believes he could have kept his finishing streak intact if he hadn’t gone head hunting against Pacheco. The undefeated 21-year-old believes he instead should have targeted the body of a durable fighter like Pacheco.Work the Body “I couldn’t keep up with my streak of finishes but I think I did quite a good performance for the people to enjoy… I don’t believe anyone has the …

Daniel Cormier called up his protege mid-interview after a successful UFC debut. 

Cormier student Imanol Rodriguez (7-0) made his UFC debut in a flyweight booking against Kevin Borjas (10-5) at UFC Mexico on Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. The undefeated Rodriguez was a massive -470 favorite going into his UFC debut. But Borjas dropped Rodriguez twice early in the first round, in what appeared to be the makings of a huge upset. However, Rodriguez managed to take Borjas down and survive the first round. Rodriguez repeated his dominance on the mat in the second round before knocking Borjas out with a barrage late in the round. Rodriguez says he recognised that Borjas was tired enough from the grappling to go for the finish.

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Huge undefeated favourite Imanol Rodriguez for dropped TWICE in round one, but survived.#UFCMexico

pic.twitter.com/vKKfawwbVE

— Verdict (@VerdictMMA) March 1, 2026

&nb…

Imanol Rodriguez enjoyed a memorable UFC debut in Mexico City. | Getty/UFC

It was a night for new blood when it came to post-fight bonuses at UFC Mexico .

Octagon newcomer Imanol Rodriguez earned a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his stoppage of Kevin Borjas in a flyweight tilt. Rodriguez survived being floored twice in the opening stanza before dropping his foe with an overhand right near the fence in Round 2. A barrage of follow-up shots sealed his victory at the 4:21 mark of the period.

An Upset and a Short-Notice Slugfest Elsewhere, British prospect Lone'er Kavanagh garnered a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his upset of Brandon Moreno in the main event. Kavanagh relied on his jab, leg kicks and solid takedown defense to earn a unanimous decision triumph over the two-time flyweight champion.

Finally, Regina Tarin and Ernesta Kareckaite received “Fight of the Night” honors and $100,000 apiece for their three-round battle at…

Damian Pinas wants Dana White’s eyes on him after a spectacular debut at UFC Mexico City. 

Pinas (9-1) took on Wesley Schultz (8-3) in a middleweight tilt to start the action at UFC Fight Night 268 on Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. “Baba Yaga” dropped his opponent with an uppercut before flatlining him with a 1-2 combo midway into the first round. 

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Pinas had also scored a first-round knockout on the Dana White's Contender Series last year to earn his UFC contract. However, since Pinas didn’t get a performance bonus for the Contender Series win, the Aruban is hoping for some extra cash after his impressive UFC debut. Pinas dedicated the knockout to Dana White and wants to be on the UFC head honcho’s watch. Pinas says he can be a company man for the UFC and the future of the middleweight division.‘Everybody is Gonna Watch Me’ “I have a news for Dana White,” Pinas said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “This KO is for h…