Martial Arts News

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…

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…