Martial Arts News

Arman Tsarukyan isn’t interested in remaining idle as he awaits word on his next UFC bout.

The lightweight contender has booked his fifth match under the Real American Freestyle banner, as he will square off against wrestling influencer Keelon Jimison — better known as “Mugzy” — at RAF 9 on May 30 in Dallas. The organization announced the pairing on Tuesday. RAF 9 is headlined by a heavyweight matchup pitting Gable Steveson against Alexander Romanov and airs via Fox Nation.

No UFC, No Problem Tsarukyan is 4-0 in RAF competition since January, earning victories over the likes of Lance Palmer, Georgio Poullas (twice) and Urijah Faber. Since his most recent Octagon appearance, a first-round submission of Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar this past November, the 29-year-old Russian has competed in a couple of grappling matches in addition to his prolific efforts in RAF.

“Mugzy” has competed twice for the wrestling promotion, losing to Poullas at RAF 5 while besting UFC veteran Clay…

Flyweight gold will be on the line at Rizin "Landmark Vol. 14.”

Hiromasa Ougikubo will defend his 125-pound crown against Makoto Takahashi in the evening’s main event on June 6 at Xebio Arena Sendai in Miyagi, Japan. The Japanese promotion recently announced the booking, along with several other bouts for the event.

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Ougikubo claimed the flyweight strap on New Year’s Eve, when he completed his run through the Rizin Fighting Federation grand prix with a unanimous decision triumph against Yuki Motoya. After suffering a three-bout losing streak from September 2022 to July 2023, the 39-year-old Japanese standout has rallied to win five consecutive outings — all via decision — under the Rizin banner.

Takahashi, meanwhile, has been victorious in four of his last five fights. The 25-year-old American Top Team representative kicked off his 2026 campaign with a first-round submission triumph against Nkazimulo Zulo at Rizin “Landmark Vol. 13” on April 12. Read more

Dustin Poirier considers Ilia Topuria among the top five UFC lightweights in history. 

Poirier recently listed his top five UFC lightweights of all-time on “Deep Waters.” The list is as follows:

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Khabib NurmagomedovIslam MakhachevB.J. PennIlia Topuria Frankie Edgar

Poirier (30-10) is also considered one of the greatest lightweights who never tasted UFC gold. Poirier made failed title bids against Nurmagomedov and Makhachev. While Nurmagomedov stopped “The Diamond” with a rear-naked choke in 2019, Makhachev did the same with a brabo choke in 2024. 

A Credentialed Group Makhachev holds the record for the most title defenses (4) in UFC history. Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov, Penn, and Edgar tie for the second spot with three defenses each. Meanwhile, Topuria (17-0) won the vacant lightweight title against Charles Oliveira last year and is scheduled to defend it for the first time against Justin Gaethje on June 14 at the White House. Topuria…

Aljamain Sterling thinks Youssef Zalal was almost looking past him. 

Zalal faced Sterling in the first UFC main event of his career last weekend at the Apex in Las Vegas. Despite Sterling being a former bantamweight champion, Zalal was a favorite going into the fight. However, Sterling thoroughly dominated Zalal on the ground, even landing the more damaging strikes on the feet, to earn a unanimous decision win. 

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For Sterling, Zalal’s confidence almost bordered on cockiness during fight week. Sterling believes Zalal felt that it was his time and started counting his chickens before they hatched. Despite having trained together in the past, Sterling thinks Zalal forgot what went down in the gym.The Wrong Aura “He had an aura about him – I didn’t know if it was cockiness or confidence,” Sterling said on his YouTube channel. “It’s always a very fine line with that… It almost felt like he was looking past me… He almost felt like it was his time,…

Jiri Prochazka is bothered about Carlos Ulberg’s latest comments. 

Ulberg (14-1) and Prochazka (32-6) fought for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 327 earlier this month in Miami. Ulberg compromised his knee early in the fight, and Prochazka looked to be en route to a sureshot win. However, “Black Jag” pulled out a slick combo out of thin air to knock Prochazka out clean. Prochazka subsequently said that he was going light after he saw Ulberg’s injured knee. 

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However, Ulberg isn’t buying Prochazka’s claims of being merciful. Ulberg even said that Prochazka’s samurai persona, built on the Bushido code, is mostly a facade. According to Kiwi, he could sense fear in Prochazka when they faced off ahead of UFC 327. 

Responding to Ulberg, Prochazka took a dig at his previous profession of stripping. According to “BJP,” he couldn’t properly fathom that the fight had become easy after Ulberg compromised his knee. As for Ulberg’s accusa…

Francis Ngannou believes his former foe Ciryl Gane is not a suitable matchup for Alex Pereira. 

Pereira (13-3) is set to face Gane (13-2) for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House on June 14. Pereira will look to create history by winning a UFC title in a third weight category. However, many, including Ngannou, consider Gane to be Pereira’s toughest test so far. 

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It will be a big move up for Pereira, who started his UFC career as a middleweight. Ngannou believes Gane is more well-round that Pereira. Gane is known for being unusually slick at heavyweight. Ngannou believes Pereira will find it difficult after moving up from light heavyweight to face a heavyweight striker who is faster than most light heavyweights.More Tools “I think Ciryl has more tools here,” Ngannou told Helen Yee. “Alex Pereira has his own style, Ciryl Gane has his own style. For me, it’s not a good matchup for Alex Pereira in terms of style. Basically, if he’s…

Davey Grant is brutally honest with himself. 

Grant (18-8) took on Dana White's Contender Series graduate Adrian Luna Martinetti at UFC Fight Night 274 last weekend. The highly touted Ecuadorian debutant was a sizeable favorite going into the bout against Grant. 

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However, Grant overwhelmed Martinetti with his decades of experience, turning it into an ugly slugfest. Grant walked away with a unanimous decision while both fighters earned an extra $100,00 each for the “Fight of the Night.” 

Grant recently opened up on the juncture he is currently at in his career. The 40-year-old isn’t very hopeful of making a title run in the UFC before he retires. While Grant might enter the title picture with a series of knockouts, he says he isn’t “delusional.” Grant is focused on making a legacy of being entertaining, which leaves a long list of opponents open to the Englishman.

Staying Realistic “I’m not delusional,” Grant said on “The Ariel H…

Sean Strickland is unhinged with his teammates. 

Strickland is known for his controversial takes on gun control. The former middleweight champion has a large collection of guns and advises people to carry guns as well. Strickland’s teammate, Francis Ngannou, once asked him why he always carries a gun. Strickland hilariously told him to look at himself in the mirror.

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“So Francis asked me once why I carry a gun,” Strickland said on MVP Uncut. “I told him, ‘Look in the mirror.’”

Ngannou, the former UFC heavyweight champ, certainly cuts an intimidating figure. However, Strickland has other reasons to carry a gun. Strickland was once seen holding a domestic abuse suspect at gunpoint outside his home in Las Vegas. Strickland also found himself on the wrong end of a gun during a road rage incident. 

Big Fights on the Horizon Strickland and Ngannou are both currently in camp at the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas. Strickland (30-7) will chall…

Aljamain Sterling is not one to create a ruckus if he can help it. 

Sterling (26-5) dominantly defeated Youssef Zalal at UFC Fight Night 274 last weekend. Something unusual occurred at the pre-fight press conference that captured the attention of fans and pundits. Sterling had placed two bottles of his “Funk Harbor” liquor in front of him at the presser. However, a UFC staff member suddenly asked Sterling to remove the bottles, and “Funkmaster” obliged without any fuss. 

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Sterling recently revealed that he had permission from UFC executive Hunter Campbell to display his bottles, which he had been doing for his past few fights. Sterling claims he has barely had any issues with the UFC staff, barring a stray incident when he was bantamweight champion. Sterling says the UFC staff member who recently asked him to remove the bottles later made it up to him. According to Sterling, he could have easily gotten confrontational, but decided not to, a…

Islam Makhachev’s next title defense is seemingly set. 

Makhachev’s strength and conditioning coach, Seifulla Magomedov, was recently seen training the UFC welterweight champion. Magomedov also confirmed that Makhachev is now officially in camp for his next fight. While the camp started a few days back, Makhachev joined on Monday.

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Back to Work “The camp began a few days ago, but for Islam, it has really started today,” Magomedov told Red Corner MMA.

Makhachev (28-1) moved up from lightweight after defending the title four times, the most in the division’s history. Makhachev dethroned Jack Della Maddalena to win the welterweight title at UFC 322 this past November. Ian Garry and Michael Morales are currently jostling for the next title shot against Makhachev. Makhachev even expressed interest in Garry’s latest callout, claiming that he is just waiting on a contract. Meanwhile, Morales has hinted that he is not out of the picture yet by posting …

After his first scheduled Real American Freestyle appearance fell through, Merab Dvalishvili has been booked to face another accomplished former UFC champ on May 30.

The organization announced on Monday that Dvalishvili will face Frankie Edgar at RAF 9 on May 30 in Dallas. Dvalishvili was originally supposed to meet Henry Cejudo in the RAF 8 headliner before Cejudo suffered an injury just prior to their match. RAF 9 is headlined by a matchup between Gable Steveson and Alexander Romanov, while Colby Covington will square off against Chris Weidman in the co-main event. The event airs on Fox Nation.

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Dvalishvili, who is known for his relentless pace and grappling in the UFC, relinquished the bantamweight crown to Petr Yan in the UFC 323 headliner this past December. “The Machine” is expected to be granted a rematch against the Russian champion in the near future.

Edgar wrestled collegiately at Clarion University before transitioning to an MMA career. …

Two prominent names will grace the cover of EA Sports’ latest UFC game.

The company announced on Monday that former two-division champion Alex Pereira and ex-featherweight king Max Holloway will get featured billing for “UFC 6,” which marks the first release since the fifth version in 2023. The game is slated for a June 12 release — two days before the UFC White House card.

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Two ways to be dangerous ⚠️@AlexPereiraUFC on the Standard Edition.@BlessedMMA on the Ultimate Edition.#UFC6 preorders are now live 🎮 https://t.co/OKmxT2IWCI

Full reveal coming soon 👀 pic.twitter.com/BmTHOJOSxb

— EA SPORTS UFC (@EASPORTSUFC) April 27, 2026 Star Power on the Box Pereira, a former 185- and 205-pound champ, will make his bid to become a three-division title holder when he faces Ciryl Gane for interim heavyweight gold in the UFC White House co-main event. “Poatan” has emerged as one of the promotion’s biggest stars since coming t…