Martial Arts News

Jasmine Jasudavicius wants to fight for an Ultimate Fighting Championship title on home soil.

Jasudavicius will have the Canadian crowd behind her when she faces Erin Blanchfield on Oct. 17 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. She views the matchup as a women’s flyweight title eliminator. With UFC 336 reportedly targeted for Toronto next year, Jasudavicius hopes a victory over Blanchfield will earn her a quick turnaround and a title shot in Canada.

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Jasmine Jasudavicius sees Erin Blanchfield fight at UFC Edmonton as path to Natalia Silva title rematch Valentina Shevchenko relinquished the 125-pound title because of injury, and Natalia Silva won the vacant championship at UFC 332 by defeating Cong Wang by unanimous decision. Jasudavicius believes beating Blanchfield on Saturday would warrant a rematch with Silva, calling the opportunity to challenge for the belt in Canada an “honor.”

“I think whoever wins this fight does expect a title shot,” Jasuda…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has reportedly declined to renew another undefeated fighter’s contract.

Farid Basharat (16-0) has been removed from the UFC roster, according to MMA Fighting. He earned a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022 and went 7-0 in the promotion.

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Farid Basharat exits UFC after 7-0 Octagon run as promotion reportedly declines to renew contract Basharat completed his contract with a victory over John Garza in July and wasn't offered a new deal. The Afghan-born British fighter also defeated Da’Mon Blackshear, Jean Matsumoto and Chris Gutierrez. Six of his seven UFC victories came by decision.

Basharat joins Muhammad Mokaev and Michael Page among fighters whose UFC contracts were not renewed despite winning streaks.

His brother, Javid Basharat, also left the UFC in February and has since joined the Professional Fighters League. Javid won his final UFC appearance, though he went 1-2 with one no contest in …

Luis Francischinelli has joined the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s welterweight division.

Francischinelli stopped William Rentz in the opening round on Week 10 of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Oct. 13.

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Luis Francischinelli earns UFC contract with first-round TKO of William Rentz at DWCS Week 10 Rentz (8-3) immediately closed the distance, taking the 6-foot-6 Francischinelli (7-1) down with a body lock. Francischinelli threatened a heel hook and landed elbows from his back before returning to his feet.

Rentz secured another takedown, but Francischinelli quickly stood again. As Rentz pressed forward, the Brazilian dropped him with a counter left hook. Francischinelli followed him to the canvas and landed ground strikes to force the stoppage at 2:18 of Round 1.

UFC CEO Dana White praised Francischinelli’s performance, describing the 30-year-old as a “fun” addition to the 170-pound division.

“Luis,…

Gregory Foster outworked Jason Asher in a back-and-forth lightweight bout on Week 10 of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10.

Foster (9-1) and Asher (5-1) each scored a knockdown in the opening round Tuesday at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Foster prevailed by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28 in his favor. Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White awarded the 34-year-old a contract.

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Gregory Foster defeats Jason Asher at DWCS as Dana White wishes hospitalized mother Barbara a speedy recovery Foster started fast, dropping Asher with a right hand before Asher answered with a spinning backfist that floored him. After a competitive second round, Asher took Foster down in the third and landed ground strikes that opened a cut above Foster’s right eye.

Despite the difficult final round, Foster was thrilled with his performance.

“Super happy, very proud of myself, very proud of my team,” Foster said in a postfight i…

Smilla Sundell defeated Aline Pereira to earn an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract at Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Week 10 of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10.

Sundell (3-0) outstruck Pereira (3-3) over three rounds in their women’s bantamweight matchup, earning a unanimous decision with three 29-28 scores.

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Smilla Sundell beats Aline Pereira at DWCS as Mick Maynard backs 21-year-old's UFC signing A former One Championship muay Thai titleholder, Sundell pressed forward from the opening bell, mixing her strikes to keep Pereira on the defensive. Her Brazilian opponent found success with counters and scored a takedown in the third round, but Sundell returned to her feet and resumed applying pressure until the final horn.

Sundell earned a contract despite UFC CEO Dana White’s reservations about her readiness. White initially wanted the 21-year-old to gain more experience outside the promotion, but matchmaker Mick Maynard persuaded him to sig…

The Professional Fighters League has updated the card for its return to Chicago.

Levan Khabalaev (6-0) will face Brock Hamer (5-1) after Morquez Forest (8-2) withdrew from PFL Chicago. The promotion announced the change on social media ahead of the Oct. 16 event at Wintrust Arena. Hamer will make his promotional debut against the unbeaten Khabalaev.

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A flyweight title fight headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in on Friday, Oct. 16 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The card will be headlined by a rematch between Liz Carmouche (26-8) and Jena Bishop (11-3) for the inaugural PFL women’s flyweight world championship. Unbeaten featherweight Timur Khizriev (18-0) will face Gabriel Braga (17-3) in the co-main event.

Updated PFL Chicago fight card: Liz Carmouche vs. Jena Bishop 2 headlines Oct. 16 event Liz Carmouche vs. Jena Bishop — Women’s flyweight championshipTimur Khizriev vs. Gabriel Braga — FeatherweightSarvarjon Khamidov vs. Rafael do Nascimento — BantamweightOua…

Douglas Lapa earned an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract with a technical knockout of Davi Cabral on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Lapa (7-0) faced Cabral (7-1) in a middleweight matchup in the DWCS Season 10 finale at Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday. After a competitive opening round, Lapa took control in the second and stopped Cabral 19 seconds into the third.

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Douglas Lapa, 27, earns UFC contract with third-round TKO of Davi Cabral at DWCS Season 10 finale Lapa entered as the betting favorite, but Cabral tested him early with powerful strikes and a guillotine attempt before Lapa worked his way back into the fight.

Lapa increased the pressure in the second round, landing combinations and thwarting Cabral’s takedown attempts. He carried that momentum into the final frame, dropping Cabral with a two-punch combination before follow-up ground strikes forced the stoppage.

“That man is a great jiu-jitsu guy,” Lapa said at the DWCS Season 1…

Josh Barnett is questioning Misfits’ financial strategy after Michael "Venom" Page described his lucrative new contract with the promotion.

Page said his three-fight deal with MF Sports’ Misfits will pay him more than he earned across his six bouts in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The Englishman claims he will earn seven figures per fight after the UFC opted against renewing his contract despite his 5-1 promotional record.

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Josh Barnett questions Michael 'Venom' Page's seven-figure Misfits contract claim, cites past MMA promotion failures Barnett responded on social media, questioning the accuracy of Page’s claims. The former UFC heavyweight champion warned that such spending could exhaust Misfits’ capital and jeopardize its future.

“Either Page is telling a very bold lie for publicity sake...” Barnett wrote on X. “Or [Misfits] has decided to run the same old formula of: jumping into the MMA market, overspending like mad, burning through all t…

Kayla Harrison believes her résumé surpasses Ronda Rousey’s.

Harrison (19-1) made the comparison on the “Deep Waters” podcast when asked how she would fare against Rousey in her prime. While the reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight titleholder acknowledges Rousey’s contribution to the growth of women’s mixed martial arts, she believes she would beat “Rowdy.”

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Kayla Harrison doubts Ronda Rousey could submit her, cites two Olympic judo gold medals ahead of Amanda Nunes fight Harrison questioned the level of competition Rousey faced during her rise in MMA. Rousey won six UFC title fights.

“We learned the armbar at the same gym together,” Harrison said. “You think she's going to armbar me? Don't be disrespectful now. She did [so much for women’s MMA], but dominating women who picked up gloves three years ago at a cardio-kickboxing class and said, ‘I think I'm going to try this.’ She paved the way. I'm standing on her shoulders, a…

Dana White has dismissed Sean Strickland’s latest complaints about fighter pay.

Speaking to reporters after the final episode of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10, the Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO addressed Strickland’s comments amid negotiations for his next title defense.

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Dana White disputes Sean Strickland's earnings claim, says UFC middleweight champion signed a new contract in May Strickland has expressed frustration over his proposed purse for a middleweight title rematch against Nassourdine Imavov. The champion recently said he was considering vacating the belt, moving to light heavyweight and fighting out his contract to pursue a boxing bout against Jake Paul.

Asked about Strickland at the DWCS 2026 Week 10 postfight news conference, White characterized the fighter’s public complaints as routine.

“I haven’t personally [spoken to Strickland], I’ve just heard through social media and stuff,” White said. “But when isn’t Sea…

Jean Silva is confident his teammate will become the next Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champion.

Carlos Prates is expected to challenge Islam Makhachev for the 170-pound title next year. His teammate Silva predicts a knockout victory for the Brazilian.

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Jean Silva says Carlos Prates' knockout power makes him a dangerous opponent for Islam Makhachev Despite Makhachev’s wrestling prowess, Silva pointed to his willingness to trade strikes with Ian Garry in his last title defense. He believes the Russian cannot afford to do the same against Prates, whose UFC victories have all come by knockout or technical knockout.

“[Makhachev] stood to trade with Ian Garry because Ian Garry doesn’t have the kind of knockout power that Prates does,” Silva told MMA Fighting. “He’s not going to stand and trade with Prates. That’s a huge advantage for Carlos Prates, because he knows that the moment he lands his hand, the fight is over. It’s five rounds. I d…

Daniel Cormier hopes a disagreement with fellow former Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division titleholder Alex Pereira won’t damage their friendship.

Pereira (13-4) is scheduled to fight Sergei Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Josh Hokit (10-0) will challenge Ciryl Gane (14-2) for the heavyweight title at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Pereira accused Cormier of promoting Gane vs. Hokit at the UFC’s direction, prompting a response from “DC.”

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Daniel Cormier denies UFC instructions to promote Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit and clarifies Alex Pereira GOAT conversation Pereira believes he deserved a title rematch against Gane despite being stopped by the Frenchman at UFC Freedom 250 in June. “Poatan” accused Cormier of helping build support for Gane vs. Hokit before the matchup was announced. Cormier denied that the UFC had instructed him to promote it.

“Alex Pereira and I have…