Martial Arts News

Islam Makhachev says he will fight Ilia Topuria for free someday. 

UFC fans have been eagerly waiting for a matchup between Makhachev (28-1) and Topuria (17-0) for a while now. When Dana White promised one of the biggest possible matchups at the White House, fans inevitably thought of Makhachev and Topuria. 

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However, Justin Gaethje is now scheduled to challenge Topuria in a lightweight title unifier in the main event at UFC White House on June 14. Soon after the card was announced, rumours surfaced that the original plan was to book Makhachev vs. Topuria for the welterweight title at the White House. Makhachev allegedly withdrew from the matchup a day before the card was announced. Dana White refuted the rumor that Makhachev vs. Topuria was the original plan. However, the UFC head honcho says that Makhachev is injured. ‘We’ll Do It For Free’ Meanwhile, Topuria recently accused Makhachev of making an excuse to duck him. “El Matador” cl…

RAF 7 certainly has the makings for some high-voltage drama.

Former UFC welterweight title challenger Colby Covington will face Dillon Danis in a wrestling match at RAF 7 on March 28 in Tampa, Florida. Covington is known as one of the most ruthless trash talkers in UFC history, often dragging in his opponents’ families. Meanwhile, Danis has gained notoriety over the years by stirring up trouble at combat sports events with his mere presence. Danis originally rose to fame as a grappling partner of Conor McGregor. While the two seemingly have drifted apart over time, “El Jefe” managed to stay relevant by regularly getting into brawls. 

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Danis competed twice in MMA from 2018 to 2019, winning both bouts via submission under the Bellator banner. Danis fought Logan Paul in a boxing match in 2023, which ended in a massive brawl after “El Jefe” caught Paul in a headlock. Danis recently became the Misfits MMA light heavyweight champion with a submission …

If the timing had been right, Ronda Rousey would have made her return to mixed martial arts under the UFC banner.

During a press conference to promote her upcoming bout with Gina Carano, Rousey said that the initial plan was to book the bout as part of the UFC’s last pay-per-view event under the ESPN broadcast deal this past December. However, that timeline didn’t work for Carano, and when the UFC moved away from a pay-per-view model as a result of its new media rights deal with Paramount, the fight moved to a new platform. Now, Most Valuable Promotions will stage Rousey vs. Carano, and the bout will mark the first MMA event on Netflix on May 16.

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“I knew that we could promote this on our own and probably be the most lucrative way to go about it for us, but I have such love and respect for Dana that I wanted to bring this to him first,” Rousey said at the presser. “I said, ‘I know I can do this on my own, but I would rather fight for you than to fig…

Though he has other business to attend to first, Francis Ngannou is already looking ahead to a future showdown with Jake Paul.

Ngannou will face Philipe Lins in the co-main event of the Ronda Rousey-Gina Carano card staged by Most Valuable Promotions on May 16 at the Intuit Center in Los Angeles. During a press conference on Tuesday, Ngannou addressed the possibility of fighting Paul down the road.

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“No, I’m not interested in fighting Jake Paul,” Ngannou said. “I’m interested in beating his ass. Not fighting him.”

Paul, the former YouTube personality who has fashioned a career as professional boxer, is also the MVP co-founder and was in attendance at the presser. Paul didn’t back down from the challenge when given the microphone, though it appears “The Problem Child” would prefer the fight take place in boxing rather than MMA.

“I’m down. I’ve always been down. You were the option before Anthony Joshua, and you ran like a duck,” Paul said. “And I…

Ilia Topuria is gearing up for his fight at the White House. | Getty/UFC

According to Ilia Topuria, there is some truth to the rumor that he was initially supposed to face Islam Makhachev at the UFC White House card.

Since that champion vs. champion bout didn’t come to fruition, Topuria will instead face Justin Gaethje in the UFC White House main event on June 14. “El Matador” gave his account of how the booking unfolded in a social media post on Tuesday.

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“Once again Islam comes up with an excuse. This time it’s an injury,” Topuria wrote on X. “I always knew I would be part of the White House event. Even when the UFC told me at one point that they wouldn’t count on me for the event, I knew it was part of the negotiation. When they finally told me I would be on the White House card, they mentioned Islam and I didn’t hesitate for a second to accept the fight. Even though the fight hadn’t been officially confirmed yet, the White House card…

Alex Pereira received a special tribute on Brazilian TV this past Sunday. | Getty/UFC

Scheduled to face Ciryl Gane in the co-main event of the UFC White House card on June 14, Alex Pereira received a tribute this past Sunday on one of Brazil's highest-rated programs.

During an appearance on "Domingao com Huck" on TV Globo, “Poatan” was welcomed by host Luciano Huck, who, through testimonials from family members and videos of the most important fights of his career, recalled the entire history of the Brazilian idol. This included his impoverished childhood, the loss of his murdered brother, his battle with alcoholism and working at the tire shop. There were dozens of emotional testimonials from his children, brother, mother, friends from the tire shop, manager Jorge Guimarães and children from his social project.

But without a doubt, what moved “Poatan” the most were the words of his father, Antonio, who spoke about the pride he feels for his son.

“…

Max Holloway is making no excuses for his BMF title loss against Charles Oliveira. 

Holloway put his BMF title on the line against Oliveira in the main event at UFC 326 last weekend. Oliveira took Holloway down early and dominated him on the ground throughout the fight. “Do Bronx” controlled Holloway for over 20 minutes, while threatening submissions, to earn a unanimous decision win. To his credit, Holloway displayed impressive submission defense in going the distance despite a specialist like Oliveira being all over him. 

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Holloway recently released a statement addressing his loss against Oliveira. Holloway apologized to his supporters while lauding Oliveira on the win. “Blessed” isn’t making any excuses for the loss and vows that he is “far from done.”‘Far From Done’ “The highest of highs and the lowest of lows,” Holloway wrote on Instagram. “Saturday night was not my night. Sorry to all my family, friends and fans that I have let down. S…

Jorge Masvidal will bet the house on Sean Strickland if he fights Khamzat Chimaev. 

Masvidal is absolutely confident that Strickland will defeat the undefeated middleweight champion. Masvidal doubts Chimaev will even fight Strickland after having trained together in the past. Having trained with Strickland himself, Masvidal has seen the former champion defend himself excellently against elite wrestlers. While Strickland doesn’t use his wrestling offensively, Masvidal believes his defensive work takes a toll on the gas tank of wrestlers like Chimaev.

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A Bad Style Matchup “I’m dumping the house on Strickland on that one… I don’t think Chimaev even fights him because they have trained a lot,” Masvidal said on the "Death Row MMA” podcast. “Strickland beats him. It’s a bad style for [Chimaev]. I’ve seen Sean go with good wrestlers over at American Top Team, guys that have wrestled their whole lives, All-Americans, national champions, and, dude, this gu…

Paddy Pimblett knows better than to count out former foe Justin Gaethje. 

Interim lightweight champion Gaethje will challenge Ilia Topuria in a title unifier in the main event at UFC White Houseon June 14. Topuria has opened as a massive -600 favourite on the sportsbooks against Gaethje, a +425 underdog. 

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However, Pimblett warns fans against counting out Gaethje, who has been an underdog for most of his UFC career. Pimblett has a “sneaky suspicion” that Gaethje might pull off a huge upset against “El Matador” at the White House. “The Baddy” further notes that, as an American, Gaethje will have added motivation fighting in front of the American President on his birthday, on a card celebrating America’s 250th year of Independence.Added Motivation “That’s a scrap,” Pimblett said on YouTube. “They’re gonna come out, and they’re gonna try to take each other’s heads off. Everyone’s already been counting Gaethje out. And we’ve already learned we …

Sean O'Malley wants to be in the UFC’s good graces.

O’Malley (19-3) is scheduled to fight Aiemann Zahabi (14-2) at UFC White House on June 14. A company man through and through, O’Malley is honored to have the opportunity to fight at the White House in a one-of-a-kind event. “Suga” will look to capitalize on the opportunity and build his brand so he can earn more outside the Octagon. 

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O’Malley believes it’s not a good idea to make enemies with the UFC. Speaking of which, O’Malley doesn’t think Tom Aspinall was wise to sign with the management of Eddie Hearn, who isn’t exactly a friend of Dana White.Building a Relationship “I have a good relationship with the UFC,” O’Malley said on "The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I am honored that they asked me to be on the White House card, it’s gonna be huge for me. I’m gonna go out there, make some money. But I’m gonna go out there and build the ‘Suga’ brand. I’m gonna go out there and put on a beautiful performan…

Jorge Masvidal doesn’t think a matchup between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria will be closely contested. 

According to Masvidal, a matchup between Makhachev and Topuria will be a lopsided affair — one way or another. Masvidal believes Makhachev will either dominate Topuria on the ground or get knocked out clean by “El Matador.” While Masvidal considers Topuria faster than Makhachev, he believes that the Dagestani welterweight champion is ruthless on the ground. Masvidal also highlights Makhachev’s dominant welterweight title win over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322, which he saw in person. Makhachev ragdolled Maddalena, whom “Gamebred” ranks among the best strikers in the sport with decent wrestling defense.

‘It Could Go Both Ways’ “The way I see it, it’s non-competitive, but it could go both ways,” Masvidal said on the ”Death Row MMA” podcast. “I could see Islam taking him down and making his day very, very long at the office or Ilia getting in there, using his ha…

Georgio Poullas allegedly refused to grapple against Arman Tsarukyan at Hype FC despite being offered a massive contract. 

Tsarukyan and Poullas met in a freestyle wrestling match at RAF 6 last month. Poullas was accused of multiple fouls, penalized, and lost the match by points. Tsarukyan maintained his composure until the end of the bout and then punched Poullas as the whole arena erupted in a massive brawl. 

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Days later, Tsarukyan and Poullas were booked in a rematch, this time in submission-only grappling, at Hype FC on March 11 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. However, the booking fell through within hours as Poullas pulled out, citing his preference to compete in freestyle wrestling at RAF. Tsarukyan and Poullas will now meet in a rematch at RAF 7 on March 28 in Tampa. 

Hype FC CEO Armand Martirosian claims he was turned down by Poullas despite offering a lucrative contract. According to Martirosian, he offered Poullas $2.6 million fo…