Martial Arts News

Joaquin Buckley wants to go back to the early days of the UFC. 

Buckley recently proposed an open-weight tournament for the BMF title. Buckley suggests that the only requirement to compete in the tournament should be to sign up for it.

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“I think they should keep [the BMF title],” Buckley said on Instagram. “But the only thing about the BMF title, you gotta run it tournament-wise, open weight class. Any person that wants to sign up for it, you can fight for it. But you can fight heavyweight, you can fight flyweight, it don’t matter… But you really prove that you’re the baddest motherf—-er.”BMF Bracket Buckley played matchmaker, suggesting matchups for the quarterfinals:

Max Holloway vs. Islam Makhachev Kevin Holland vs. Joaquin Buckley

Jon Jones vs. Jiri Prochazka
Alex Pereira vs. Paulo Costa

The significance of the BMF title has always been vague. The idea was proposed by Nate Diaz, and Jorge Masvidal defeated him to win the ti…

Alexander Volkanovski says that the BMF title is not like any other UFC belt. 

Charles Oliveira (37-11) defeated Max Holloway (27-9) to win the BMF title in the main event at UFC 326 last weekend. Oliveira dominated Holloway on the ground for over 20 minutes en route to a unanimous decision win. While Oliveira threatened submissions, he didn’t land any significant damage on Holloway. 

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Despite the dominant win, Oliveira’s performance received mixed reactions from fans and pundits. While some defended the lopsided win, others didn’t see it as befitting of the BMF title.Something Completely Different Volkanovski understands that one must do everything to win in a fight. However, the featherweight champion notes that the BMF title is not like other UFC titles of the champions of different weight classes. Volkanovski notes that the title was created in the first place for fighters willing to put on a show. While Volkanovski lauds Oliveira’s inc…

Francis Ngannou wants UFC fighters to push for the sunset clause in their contracts. 

The sunset clause means a fighter’s contract with the UFC expires after a certain time period, regardless of whether they fight or not. The sunset clause is what allowed Ngannou to leave the UFC in 2023 after yearlong failed contract negotiations.  

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UFC fighter pay and contracts are once again making headlines after the announcement of the White House card. Despite having rallied for a spot on the card for a year, Jon Jones has been left out. Jones has since publicly called for his release from the UFC. Ngannou advises UFC fighters to include the sunset clause in their contracts, to allow them the freedom to leave after a certain period if they want.‘I’m Not Signing My Life Off’ “The sunset clause. Because we have to understand, the key here is the freedom, it’s not the money,” Ngannou said at media scrum. “You can convert your freedom to money,…

Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions’ doors are open to Jon Jones. 

Jones is currently having a bitter falling out with the UFC over a White House card snub. Amidst Jones publicly calling for his UFC release, Paul welcomes “Bones” to MVP. “The Problem Child” promises to pay Jones what he deserves.

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The Allure of a Proper Payday “100%. Jon, you’re always welcome to come over to MVP,” Paul told Netflix. “We’ll get it popping, and we’ll get you paid what you deserve.”

Jones kept the UFC heavyweight division hanging for over a year, while Dana White promised that he would fight interim champion Tom Aspinall. However, Jones unceremoniously retired in June 2025 without fighting Aspinall. Plans for the White House card were announced weeks following Jones’ retirement. The former two-division champion immediately returned to the drug testing pool and has since been rallying for a spot on the UFC White House card. 

While White always sounded…

Josh Emmett believes his upcoming opponent has been matched up against him too soon. 

Emmett (19-6) will headline the fifth UFC Fight Night of his career against Kevin Vallejos (17-1) at UFC Fight Night 269 on Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas. Emmett is 17 years older than the 24-year-old Argentinian, who goes into the first UFC headliner of his career.

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Emmett believes experience will be a deciding factor in his upcoming fight against Vallejos. Having shared the Octagon with some of the best in the sport, Emmett believes Vallejos has nothing to offer that he hasn’t seen yet. While Emmett respects Vallejos, he believes “El Chino” is being pushed too fast up the rankings.Experience Counts “It’s gonna be a huge difference,” Emmett told the UFC on Paramount. “I’ve been in there with some of the best fighters there are. And there’s nothing that he’s gonna do or show me that I haven’t already seen. I give him all the respect in the world, tough kid.…

Michael Morales claims to have beaten Ian Garry in the race for the next welterweight title shot. 

Morales recently shared a morphed image of himself signing the contract opposite welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.

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“Sorry, Ian... Dana knows who really deserves the shot,’ Morales wrote in the caption.A Rising Star Sean Brady at UFC 322 last November. Makhachev also dominantly dethroned Jack Della Maddalena to win welterweight gold on the same card. Meanwhile, Garry defeated former champ Belal Muhammad a week later at UFC Qatar to make a claim for the next title shot. 

Garry was originally being considered the frontrunner for the next title shot against Makhachev. However, Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently claimed that the UFC was considering a big matchup without Garry in the mix. The most anticipated matchup in the UFC is currently Makhachev vs. Topuria. However, the White House card was announced last weekend, with Topur…

Brazilian fans who braved traffic and rain to reach Barra da Tijuca and see UFC stars like Arman Tsarukyan, Carlos Prates, Jean Silva and Valter Walker up close at the Hype FC Brazil press conference on Tuesday witnessed an absolutely chaotic scene.

Guided by masters of ceremonies Prates and Walker, the fighters who came to Rio de Janeiro for the event were divided between engaging in fights and feeling embarrassed. Athletes such as Edson Barboza, Sharabutdin Magomedov, Tsarukyan and Muhammad Mokaev, laughed off the melee.

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Silva and Bryce Mitchell, who will grapple in co-main event, started by feigning animosity and pushing each other during a previous face-off in a front of famous local beach. This time in the arena, amid the chaos that ensued during the altercation between Joilton Peregrino and Lev Sarkisyan, they ended up laughing while embracing.

😅 Hype FC basın toplantısında kavga çıkıyor. Prates, Arman ve Jean Silva du…

Islam Makhachev says he will fight Ilia Topuria for free someday. 

UFC fans have been eagerly waiting for a matchup between Makhachev (28-1) and Topuria (17-0) for a while now. When Dana White promised one of the biggest possible matchups at the White House, fans inevitably thought of Makhachev and Topuria. 

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However, Justin Gaethje is now scheduled to challenge Topuria in a lightweight title unifier in the main event at UFC White House on June 14. Soon after the card was announced, rumours surfaced that the original plan was to book Makhachev vs. Topuria for the welterweight title at the White House. Makhachev allegedly withdrew from the matchup a day before the card was announced. Dana White refuted the rumor that Makhachev vs. Topuria was the original plan. However, the UFC head honcho says that Makhachev is injured. ‘We’ll Do It For Free’ Meanwhile, Topuria recently accused Makhachev of making an excuse to duck him. “El Matador” cl…

RAF 7 certainly has the makings for some high-voltage drama.

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Colby Covington will face Dillon Danis in a wrestling match at RAF 7 on March 28 in Tampa, Florida. Covington is known as one of the most ruthless trash talkers in UFC history, often dragging in his opponents’ families. Meanwhile, Danis has gained notoriety over the years by stirring up trouble at combat sports events with his mere presence. Danis originally rose to fame as a grappling partner of Conor McGregor. While the two seemingly have drifted apart over time, “El Jefe” managed to stay relevant by regularly getting into brawls. 

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Danis competed twice in MMA from 2018 to 2019, winning both bouts via submission under the Bellator banner. Danis fought Logan Paul in a boxing match in 2023, which ended in a massive brawl after “El Jefe” caught Paul in a headlock. Danis recently became the Misfits MMA light heavyweight champion with a submission …

If the timing had been right, Ronda Rousey would have made her return to mixed martial arts under the UFC banner.

During a press conference to promote her upcoming bout with Gina Carano, Rousey said that the initial plan was to book the bout as part of the UFC’s last pay-per-view event under the ESPN broadcast deal this past December. However, that timeline didn’t work for Carano, and when the UFC moved away from a pay-per-view model as a result of its new media rights deal with Paramount, the fight moved to a new platform. Now, Most Valuable Promotions will stage Rousey vs. Carano, and the bout will mark the first MMA event on Netflix on May 16.

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“I knew that we could promote this on our own and probably be the most lucrative way to go about it for us, but I have such love and respect for Dana that I wanted to bring this to him first,” Rousey said at the presser. “I said, ‘I know I can do this on my own, but I would rather fight for you than to fig…

Though he has other business to attend to first, Francis Ngannou is already looking ahead to a future showdown with Jake Paul.

Ngannou will face Philipe Lins in the co-main event of the Ronda Rousey-Gina Carano card staged by Most Valuable Promotions on May 16 at the Intuit Center in Los Angeles. During a press conference on Tuesday, Ngannou addressed the possibility of fighting Paul down the road.

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“No, I’m not interested in fighting Jake Paul,” Ngannou said. “I’m interested in beating his ass. Not fighting him.”

Paul, the former YouTube personality who has fashioned a career as professional boxer, is also the MVP co-founder and was in attendance at the presser. Paul didn’t back down from the challenge when given the microphone, though it appears “The Problem Child” would prefer the fight take place in boxing rather than MMA.

“I’m down. I’ve always been down. You were the option before Anthony Joshua, and you ran like a duck,” Paul said. “And I…

Ilia Topuria is gearing up for his fight at the White House. | Getty/UFC

According to Ilia Topuria, there is some truth to the rumor that he was initially supposed to face Islam Makhachev at the UFC White House card.

Since that champion vs. champion bout didn’t come to fruition, Topuria will instead face Justin Gaethje in the UFC White House main event on June 14. “El Matador” gave his account of how the booking unfolded in a social media post on Tuesday.

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“Once again Islam comes up with an excuse. This time it’s an injury,” Topuria wrote on X. “I always knew I would be part of the White House event. Even when the UFC told me at one point that they wouldn’t count on me for the event, I knew it was part of the negotiation. When they finally told me I would be on the White House card, they mentioned Islam and I didn’t hesitate for a second to accept the fight. Even though the fight hadn’t been officially confirmed yet, the White House card…