Martial Arts News

Gilbert Burns believes Khamzat Chimaev's weight cut played a big part in his struggles at UFC 328. | Getty/UFC

Gilbert Burns had a pretty good idea of how the UFC 328 main event would play out.

Widely regarded as Khamzat Chimaev’s first difficult test in the Octagon in their UFC 273 bout, Burns released a video on YouTube last week breaking down the middleweight title bout between “Borz” and Sean Strickland. Burns predicted that Chimaev would have a difficult weight cut and also revealed that Strickland had impressed some Brazilian jiu-jitsu aces with his high skill level on the ground.

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"He trained with some aces of UFC BJJ like Vagner Rocha and his son Aquile, that couldn't submit him, and I don’t believe Chimaev will,” Burns said in the video. "When I saw a video from Arman Tsarukyan saying that [Chimaev] lost 20 kilograms [44 pounds] I knew [the weight cut] would be hard.”  

After Strickland upset Chimaev to recaptur…

Jiri Prochazka wants fighters to walk the talk. 

Khamzat Chimaev put his middleweight title on the line against Sean Strickland in the main event at UFC 328 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. There appeared to be serious bad blood between the two leading up to the fight. However, Chimaev and Strickland surprised fans by touching gloves and exchanging smiles before the opening bell. 

While Chimaev (15-1) dominated Strickland (31-7) on the ground in the first round, the tide turned in the second round. Chimaev completely discarded his wrestling following a failed shot in the second round, while Strickland gradually took over. Although Chimaev held his own on the feet, Strickland did enough in the judges’ eyes to earn a split decision victory in a huge upset. Strickland and Chimaev also showed mutual respect after the fight. 

A Warrior's Duty Prochazka called out Chimaev for failing to back up his trash talk with action. While Chimaev had promised to be …

Athletes competing on the upcoming UFC White House card will be wearing some special fight gear for the event.

The promotion announced on Monday that all fighters will wear red, white and blue-themed gear for the June 14 card, which is also known as UFC Freedom 250. The special uniforms are created in colaboration with Venum, the UFC’s official outfitter. Complex Sports provided a first look at the fight kits via Instagram.

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A description of the commemorative fight kits, via a release, is as follows:

A bold red, white, and blue palette is brought to life through dynamic, flowing linework that conveys movement, intensity, and the energy of competition at the highest level on the world’s biggest stage.  A defining element of the design is a bespoke badge featuring the official White House logo, an unmistakable mark of the occasion. More than a detail, it anchors the kit in history and elevates it into a true commemorative artifact.

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Jean Silva had to issue a quick clarification after his post about Alex Pereira was misinterpreted by fans. 

Sean Strickland challenged Khamzat Chimaev for the middleweight title at UFC 328 on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Strickland earned a hard-fought unanimous decision win, handing Chimaev his first professional loss. Strickland has now pulled off two of the biggest upsets in his two title fight wins against Chimaev and Israel Adesanya. 

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Silva subsequently shared a post of Pereira knocking Strickland out cold in 2022. Silva wrote in quotes: "Fast tracked to a title.”

"Fast tracked to a title" https://t.co/Y1myWIdZ7v

— Jean "Lord" Silva (@Jeansilvamma96) May 10, 2026 A Simple Misunderstanding Silva immediately faced backlash from fans who failed to understand the sarcasm. Silva then explained that he was sarcastically mocking those who accused “Poatan” of being favored by the UFC. Read more

Nothing appeared to be amiss with Sean Brady at UFC 328. | Getty/UFC

The betting odds shifted drastically just hours before Sean Brady’s UFC 328 clash against Joaquin Buckley. 

Brady (19-2) took on Buckley (21-8) in a welterweight tilt at UFC 328 on Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Brady had opened as a -250 favorite on the sportsbooks against Buckley, a +210 underdog. However, the odds started shifting bizarrely just hours before the fight, with Brady closing as a +220 underdog and Buckley a -180 favorite. Fans and pundits immediately started suspecting foul play due to the shifting odds. However, Brady allayed all fears by dominating Buckley on the ground for three rounds to earn a unanimous decision win.

Unless a fighter knowingly takes a dive, odds usually shift drastically if news leaks from camp about an injury. Brady revealed that the UFC contacted him hours before the fight to ask about his health. While Brady’s wife…

Joe Pyfer doesn’t want to fight in his hometown if he is not in the main or co-main event.

The UFC returns to Philly with UFC 330 on August 15 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Pyfer (16-3) was born in Philadelphia and has trained there at Balance Studios to this day. Coming off a huge win in the main event of UFC Seattle against Israel Adesanya, Pyfer expects to be the main event in his hometown. However, rumors are circulating that Islam Makhachev could put his welterweight title on the line against Ian Garry in the main event at UFC 330. Pyfer says he doesn’t even want to be on the card if he is not in the main event. 

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No Hometown Love Since numbered UFC main events are usually title fights, “Bodybagz” is willing to settle for the co-main event. However, there has been radio silence from the UFC with hardly a couple of months left for UFC 330.

“I'm pissed... I should be the main event of Philly... I have no interes…

It was a rough night at the office for Joaquin Buckley at UFC 328. | Getty/UFC

Joaquin Buckley’s words are coming back to bite him after his UFC 328 loss against Sean Brady. 

Buckley took on Brady in a welterweight matchup at UFC 328 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. It was complete domination from Brady for three rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory. 

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Former foe Kevin Holland isn’t above kicking Buckley when he is down. Often known for being brash, Buckley was oozing confidence with his trash talk in the lead up to the fight. Holland posted a clip of Buckley saying that Brady is the easiest stylistic matchup of his career. “New Mansa” even went as far as saying that he wouldn’t even need to train properly for Brady.

“Brady Butch easy money. I ain’t gonna train for him,” Buckley said. “I’ll do whatever for this fight camp, I ain’t gonna lie to you. Stylistically, this is the best fight I ever had. I ain’t gotta do…

Josh Hokit claims Sean O'Malley missed an opportunity that he had set up for “Suga.”

Hokit and O’Malley are both a part of UFC Freedom 250 scheduled for June 14 at the White House. Hokit and O’Malley recently shared the dais during a UFC Freedom 250 pre-fight press conference at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. 

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Hokit, who is playing the UFC ’s latest heel, targeted Derrick Lewis and Alex Pereira at the press conference. Ilia Topuria stood up in Pereira’s defense and ended up having a back-and-forth with Hokit, who was then escorted out of the media event. Meanwhile, O’Malley sat through it all unfazed right between Hokit and Topuria. Missed Opportunity Hokit claims he had set up a perfect opportunity for O’Malley to plot a future matchup against Topuria. However, Hokit accuses the fellow American of missing the opportunity by playing “too cool.” “The Incredible Hok” hopes O’Malley doesn’t regret the missed opportunity.

“Imag…

Paulo Costa has aimed a barrage of shots at Khamzat Chimaev after UFC 328. 

Chimaev put his middleweight title on the line against Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on Saturday in Newark, New Jersey. While Chimaev dominated the first round on the ground, Strickland found his momentum in the second and third rounds. After closely-contested championship rounds, Strickland roped in a split-decision victory in a monumental upset. 

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Costa, who has had beef with Chimaev in the past, issued multiple callouts to “Borz” after his first professional loss. Costa posted an AI-generated video of himself knocking out Chimaev in a sauna room. The video also contains a glimpse of Costa and Chimaev’s altercation at the UFC Performance Institute, dating back to 2022.

“Gourmet Chechen, next time nobody will stop me from ripping your skin off!” Costa wrote.

Costa was training with the UFC PI in 2022 when Chimaev walked out of the sauna with his gang and allegedly…

Joshua Van silenced the doubters at UFC 328. | Getty/UFC

For some, Joshua Van’s injury-shortened victory over Alexandre Pantoja last December was always going to be accompanied by an asterisk.

After all, the flyweight title fight barely had a chance to unfold before Pantoja suffered an arm injury 26 seconds into Round 1 at UFC 323. While Van celebrated becoming a champion, he still had something to prove heading into his first title defense against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 on Saturday. Van delivered in that regard, weathering some early adversity en route to a fifth-round technical knockout victory over the Japanese standout in the evening’s co-headliner at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

“I feel great. I think I have proof that I am a world champion, you know,” Van said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “Shout out to [Taira], nothing but respect to him. He’s a tough motherf—er.

While Taira was able to impose his will on the ground in…

Dricus Du Plessis just re-entered the UFC middleweight championship picture almost by default.

The South African suffered a lopsided decision loss to Khamzat Chimaev in their title clash at UFC 319 last August, so one could excuse him if he was cheering for Sean Strickland on Saturday night. Strickland delivered in a big way, upsetting Chimaev via split decision to reclaim the 185-pound belt in the UFC 328 headliner at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

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Du Plessis, of course, is 2-0 against Strickland. “Stillknocks” captured 185-pound gold with a split-decision triumph over Strickland at UFC 297 in January 2024, and he successfully defended the strap with a more convincing five-round verdict in their rematch at UFC 312 in February 2025.Just As He Expected Du Plessis reacted to Strickland’s win on the UFC’s Instagram account, claiming that he expected his rival to perform the way he did against the Chechen grappler.

“Fight went exactly t…

The lineup is official for Most Valuable Promotions first mixed martial arts event.

The organization recently unveiled the bout order for Saturday’s card, which takes place at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. One notable change to the original lineup is that Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry has been elevated to the evening’s co-main event, while Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins will now be the third from last fight on the card.

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Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" is headlined by a five-round featherweight clash pitting Ronda Rousey against Gina Carano. The main card airs on Netflix at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on the MVP YouTube channel and Tudum at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.

Rousey, 39, was one-half of the first-ever women’s bout in the UFC, when she claimed the bantamweight crown with a first-round submission of Liz Carmouche at UFC 157 in February 2013. That was part of a 12-fight winning streak by Rousey to begin her MMA career, as …