Martial Arts News

Anthony Pettis will face Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat in a six-round bout on Jan. 23, 2027.

Most Valuable Promotions announced the matchup Wednesday. The 154-pound contest will headline “Goyat vs. Pettis: The Indian Uprising,” presented by IPBL Boxing and sanctioned by the Indian Boxing Council. Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Chennai are under consideration as host cities, with a decision expected in November.

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Anthony Pettis seeks family redemption after Sergio Pettis' boxing loss in India Goyat (21-4-2, 9 KOs), 34, is a former WBC Asia champion who has competed internationally for more than a decade. He joined MVP in 2024 and defeated Brazilian influencer Whindersson Nunes by unanimous decision on the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson undercard.

Pettis captured the WEC lightweight championship in 2010 before winning the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title in 2013. He also defeated Roy Jones Jr. by majority decision in his professional boxing debut at …

Jairzinho Rozenstruik has signed with Fight Nation Championship.

FNC announced Tuesday that the former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight will make his promotional debut at FNC 37 on Feb. 6, 2027, in Munich. No opponent has been announced for “Bigi Boy.”

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Former UFC heavyweight Jairzinho Rozenstruik signs with Fight Nation Championship for Feb. 6 return Rozenstruik, 38, parted ways with the UFC in February 2025 after a unanimous decision loss to Sergei Pavlovich. His UFC victories include wins over Tai Tuivasa, Shamil Gaziev, Junior dos Santos, Alistair Overeem and Andrei Arlovski.

Following his UFC departure, Rozenstruik (16-6) won two bouts in Dirty Boxing Championship, capturing its inaugural heavyweight title in August 2025.

His scheduled MMA return will end a two-year absence from the sport.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship continues to build its final numbered card of 2026, adding two matchups to UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Carli Judice will face Maycee Barber at women’s flyweight, while unbeaten Quentin Pasley will make his promotional debut against Junior Tafa at light heavyweight. The UFC announced the additions Wednesday.

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Quentin Pasley, compared to Jon Jones by Dana White, makes UFC debut against Junior Tafa Judice (7-2) has won four consecutive fights and faces a significant step up in competition against Barber (15-3). The 27-year-old stopped Jeisla Chaves with a front kick to the body and follow-up punches in August, improving her UFC record to 4-1.

Barber will look to rebound from her March knockout loss to Alexa Grasso, which ended a seven-fight winning streak. The 28-year-old’s victories include wins over Karine Silva, Katlyn Cerminara and Amanda Ribas.

Pasley (4-0) earned his UFC contract on …

Callum Bisping, the son of Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer Michael Bisping, has suffered his first amateur mixed martial arts defeat.

The 25-year-old lost to John McCain by second-round technical knockout at Sundown 2 in Los Angeles last weekend. Footage of the finish has prompted comparisons to his father’s knockout losses.

Callum Bisping loses to John McCain at Sundown 2 as fans recall Michael Bisping's UFC 100 defeat Callum’s amateur record fell to 2-1. The former NCAA Division II wrestler debuted with a unanimous decision victory in December, then earned a first-round technical knockout in April.

Footage of his latest bout has circulated online, with fans comparing the finish to Michael’s loss to Dan Henderson in their first meeting at UFC 100.

Michael has previously expressed reservations about Callum’s ambition to become a professional fighter, saying his eldest son has the intelligence to succeed in other fields. Nevertheless, “The Count” has …

Paddy Pimblett believes Ilia Topuria’s loss to Justin Gaethje will have a lasting impact on the former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division titleholder.

Pimblett predicts Topuria will struggle to regain his previous form after his first professional defeat. The Englishman says losses early in his own career strengthened him mentally, while “El Matador” must navigate that experience in his prime on the sport’s biggest stage.

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Paddy Pimblett doubts Ilia Topuria will recover mentally from first MMA defeat to Justin Gaethje Topuria lost the lightweight championship to Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 in June when his corner stopped the bout after four rounds. Pimblett, a longtime rival of the Georgian-Spanish fighter, believes the defeat at the White House will permanently affect him.

Speaking to All Out Fighting, the former Cage Warriors champion acknowledged Topuria’s skills but maintained that he would beat him.

“I respect him; he’s a very g…

Dana White has addressed speculation about the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title picture.

Unbeaten contenders Shavkat Rakhmonov and Michael Morales have hinted at a potential matchup, while Carlos Prates is considered the front-runner to challenge champion Islam Makhachev next. The UFC CEO stopped short of confirming either bout but said more announcements were coming.

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Dana White addresses 19-0 Shavkat Rakhmonov and Michael Morales as UFC welterweight title picture takes shape Both Rakhmonov and Morales have fueled speculation on social media. Asked about their rumored matchup and the welterweight title picture after Week 10 of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10, White offered few details.

“Could be, could be… If it was done, we would announce it, but yeah, we actually have a lot of cool stuff going on right now that we went over yesterday,” White said. “Yeah, we got a lot of good announcements coming up.”

Rakhmonov has…

Liz Carmouche says she got the better of Jena Bishop before their first professional meeting.

Carmouche (26-8) and Bishop (11-3) will fight for the inaugural Professional Fighters League women’s flyweight world title on Oct. 16 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Carmouche defeated Bishop in the 2025 PFL World Tournament final and says she previously submitted her during sparring.

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Liz Carmouche recalls emotional sparring session with Jena Bishop ahead of PFL Chicago title rematch According to Carmouche, Bishop visited her gym as a guest sparring partner when both were training in San Diego. Carmouche said she welcomed the challenge of grappling with Bishop, an established jiu-jitsu black belt.

Carmouche described Bishop as initially reluctant to engage but aggressive once the session began. She said Bishop cried after being submitted, a reaction that surprised her given the intensity of the sparring.

A flyweight title fight headlines PFL Chicago: T…

Josh Hokit isn’t interested in being a role model.

Hokit’s controversial remarks have drawn criticism from prominent figures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, including CEO Dana White and veteran Octagon announcer Bruce Buffer.

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Josh Hokit defends UFC Freedom 250 remarks after Bruce Buffer calls for more class Buffer recently criticized Hokit’s postfight comments about former first lady Michelle Obama at UFC Freedom 250.

“I don’t like what he talks about,” Buffer told Kick streamer N3on. “He’s disrespectful. It’s like, show some class. The things he said at the White House, I didn’t appreciate that. Young people today don’t have a lot of role models. We live in a decaying society; the way people are acting.”

Hokit responded by questioning whether fighters should be viewed as role models. He contrasted his trash talk with what he described as criminal records and charges involving other UFC fighters.

“I talk trash in the Octagon, bu…

Paulo Costa has praised Ultimate Fighting Championship interpreter Fabiano Buskei for his work during Brazilian fighters’ interviews.

Buskei interprets for Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking fighters in the UFC. After Chael Sonnen commended his intelligence, Costa echoed the UFC Hall of Famer’s praise.

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Fabiano Buskei earns praise from Paulo Costa and Chael Sonnen for his UFC translations Responding to a social media post about Buskei, Sonnen praised his approach to the job.

“He downplays it well but that dude is a secret weapon,” Sonnen posted on X. “Very smart. Always has a plan.”

Costa agreed, saying Buskei’s word choices help fighters express themselves more effectively. “Borrachinha,” who speaks Portuguese and English, said understanding both languages gives him a greater appreciation for Buskei’s work.

“He really makes the fighter sound much better by choosing more appropriate words than the low-IQ fighter originally used,” Costa wro…

Mike Malott believes he is the main attraction at the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Canada.

Malott faces Joaquin Buckley in the main event of UFC Edmonton on Oct. 17 at Rogers Place. Buckley says he feels at home in Canada and has a larger fan base than Malott. The Canadian disagrees, viewing his higher-ranked American opponent as an opportunity to climb the welterweight rankings.

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Mike Malott disputes Joaquin Buckley's Canadian fan-base claim ahead of UFC Edmonton Malott noted that he has already headlined a UFC event in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he stopped Gilbert Burns in April. He believes Buckley would not headline a UFC card in Canada without him.

“He’s a great fighter, Top 10 in the world for a reason, but as far as my name and notoriety in Canada, I’ve main-evented in Canada without him,” Malott told Full Send MMA. “He would never main event in Canada without me. He is in the main event because I’m the main event for this…

Asaf Chopurov credits Khabib Nurmagomedov with inspiring his interest in mixed martial arts.

Chopurov said Nurmagomedov’s discipline motivated him as a teenager. He later traveled to Dagestan for a training camp with Khabib’s father, the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

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Asaf Chopurov credits Khabib Nurmagomedov and recalls Abdulmanap's Dagestan camp ahead of UFC 333 debut Chopurov is scheduled to make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Colby Thicknesse at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Ahead of the bout, he discussed what inspired him to pursue MMA.

“When I was 14-15, first of all, I saw Khabib Nurmagomedov and how disciplined he was,” Chopurov told Ariel Helwani. “Then I also went to Dagestan and did a training camp with Abdulmanap, and this was really good motivation for me. After that, I just enjoying fighting. That's why I'm here.”

Chopurov (11-0) defended the UAE Warriors bantamweight title twice before sign…

Tanner Boser is questioning the qualifications of mixed martial arts judges.

While the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight acknowledges that judges usually score fights correctly, he says mistakes can have significant consequences for fighters’ careers.

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Tanner Boser questions MMA judging qualifications ahead of Jhonata Diniz fight at UFC Edmonton Boser faces Jhonata Diniz on Oct. 17 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. Ahead of the bout, he questioned whether judges without fighting experience are equipped to score MMA.

“They get way more right than they do wrong,” Boser said at UFC Edmonton media day. “But it’s just that when they get something wrong, it affects somebody’s life in a very, very significant way. It is what it is. It’s just an imperfect system… Who are the judges? Were they fighters? Because if they are not, you don’t really know your logic. Were they boxers? Because that’s kind of different too… But a lot of the time the ju…