Martial Arts News

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.”

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.

Advertisement

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.”

Advertisement

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…

Dana White’s Contender Series concluded Season 10 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Four fighters earned Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts on Week 10 to close out the season.

Advertisement

Smilla Sundell joins Gregory Foster, Douglas Lapa and Luis Francischinelli as UFC contract winners; Erick Visconde misses out Gregory Foster (9-1) and Jason Asher (5-1) opened the card with a back-and-forth clash. Each fighter scored a knockdown, and Foster earned a unanimous decision after three rounds.

“Greg, happy birthday to Barbara and hope she gets well soon,” UFC CEO Dana White said. “The pace you set tonight, the shots you landed, the shots you took, you opened the show the way I love the show to be opened. And I’ve never been this excited to see a 34-year-old come into the UFC. Congratulations.”

Douglas Lapa (7-0) faced Davi Cabral (7-1) in a middleweight matchup. Both fighters hurt each other in the opening round before Lapa took control in the secon…

Charles Oliveira is targeting a shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title after his next bout.

Oliveira is scheduled to defend his BMF title against Diego Lopes at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While preparing for that matchup, “do Bronxs” has weighed in on the lightweight title picture and the future of reigning champion Justin Gaethje, whom he previously defeated.

Advertisement

Charles Oliveira sees Arman Tsarukyan as possible vacant-title opponent if Justin Gaethje retires after UFC 335 Oliveira acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding Gaethje’s future in an interview with Sherdog. He said the UFC needs to establish whether “The Highlight” intends to defend his title. Gaethje has discussed retirement and a potential bout against Conor McGregor.

“The first step is for the UFC to sit down with Gaethje and find out exactly what he plans to do,” Oliveira told Sherdog’s Marcelo Alonso. “He says he won’t fight this year, but …

Petr Yan welcomes the challenge of Merab Dvalishvili’s pressure.

Yan (20-5) is scheduled to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title against Dvalishvili (21-5) at UFC 333. Having already shared the Octagon with his challenger for 10 rounds, the champion recognizes Dvalishvili’s strengths and is eager to demonstrate his own improvements.

Advertisement

Petr Yan says 'diamonds are made under pressure' as he prepares for Merab Dvalishvili trilogy in Abu Dhabi Dvalishvili is known for relentless pressure that often frustrates his opponents. Yan, however, views it as a test of his abilities.

“I cannot really be annoyed with [Merab’s pressure] because it’s part of his game plan,” Yan told Paramount+. “Every MMA fighter has their own game plan. This is his. To keep moving forward, to keep pressuring. But as we know, diamonds are made under pressure. So, we will find out who we really are when that pressure keeps coming at you and see if you are that…

Merab Dvalishvili says he realized early in his rematch against Petr Yan that he was going to lose.

Dvalishvili (21-5) defeated Yan (20-5) in their first meeting in 2023 and won the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title in September 2024. The Georgian was a heavy favorite when he defended his belt in their rematch at UFC 323 last December.

Advertisement

However, Yan thwarted Dvalishvili’s takedown attempts and outstruck him to earn a unanimous decision. Ahead of their trilogy bout, “The Machine” has revisited the rematch, saying he knew as early as the second round that he wasn’t going to win.Merab Dvalishvili explains how Petr Yan's takedown defense changed their UFC 323 rematch ahead of UFC 333 trilogy Yan is scheduled to defend his title against Dvalishvili at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The challenger said a failed takedown in the second round left him doubting his chances of winning their previous encounter.

Once he realiz…

Cris Cyborg (left) faced several disadvantages against Ketlen Vieira at PFL Tampa. | 📷: PFL MMA

Nearly two months after her 30th mixed martial arts victory, Cris Cyborg considers the circumstances surrounding her Aug. 22 bout with fellow Brazilian Ketlen Vieira in Tampa, Fla., to be "extremely unusual."

Vieira missed weight by more than seven pounds, turning the final fight of Cyborg’s Professional Fighters League contract into a non-title contest.

Those circumstances now include a positive test for a steroidal substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, according to Mike Mazzulli, director of the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation.Ketlen Vieira missed weight by more than seven pounds before Cris Cyborg bout; regulator confirms banned steroidal substance in A and B samples Mazzulli told Sherdog.com that analysis of Vieira’s A and B samples from her in-competition collection returned the same adverse analytical finding.

Mazzulli declin…

Julianna Pena is returning to competition in a wrestling match.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s bantamweight titleholder will face Diana Avsaragova at Real American Freestyle’s Abu Dhabi event on Nov. 14 at Etihad Arena. The promotion announced the matchup Monday.

Advertisement

Julianna Pena to face Diana Avsaragova at RAF Abu Dhabi on Nov. 14 in first competition since Kayla Harrison defeat Pena hasn’t competed since losing her title to Kayla Harrison in June 2025. Harrison submitted her with a second-round kimura to capture the belt. Pena has served as a color commentator for RAF since the promotion’s launch and will now transition from the broadcast team to the mat.

Avsaragova has competed for Bellator and the Professional Fighters League. She lost by technical fall to reigning middleweight champion Kennedy Blades at RAF 13 in September.

RAF Abu Dhabi will be headlined by a cruiserweight crossover championship match between former UFC…