Martial Arts News

Israel Adesanya nearly fought twice in 2025. | Getty/UFC

If the stars had aligned, Israel Adesanya would have returned to the Octagon a little sooner than expected.

The former middleweight champion will face Joe Pyfer in the UFC Seattle headliner on March 28 at Climate Pledge Arena. “The Last Stylebender” hasn’t been in action since suffering a second-round technical knockout defeat against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia last February.

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On his YouTube channel, Adesanya revealed that he had been ready to accept a short-notice booking against Reinier de Ridder in October before an injury suffered in training removed him from consideration.

“I was going to fight last year, but then I got injured in the gym, and then that opportunity got taken away. It was a short-notice fight, as well. And I’ve never done one of those, so that would have been exciting,” Adesanya said.

De Ridder was scheduled to face fellow middleweight cont…

Alex Morono was spitting blood at Daniil Donchenko this past Saturday. | Getty/UFC

Alex Morono wants to exit the UFC on his own terms.

The 24-time Octagon veteran fought valiantly against “The Ultimate Fighter 33” winner Daniil Donchenko at UFC Fight Night 266 this past Saturday, making it to the final bell despite absorbing a tremendous amount of punishment over the course of three rounds. Donchenko won a clear-cut unanimous decision in the welterweight bout.

“If someone makes you bleed, spit it in their face and hit them as hard as you can,” Morono wrote on Instagram. “I got to make my 24th walk to the Octagon and, as always, had the time of my life. I always go in there to win, no matter what, no matter what it takes. They threw a young, hungry kickboxer my way and we got to throw down on the biggest stage in the world. Much respect to my opponent and his team. Despite the odds being stacked against me I was happy to accept the challenge and am beyon…

After a promising start, Jailton Almeida's run at heavyweight has fallen flat. | Getty/UFC

Jailton Almeida is done with the heavyweight experiment.

After consecutive losses against Rizvan Kuniev and Alexander Volkov, Almeida is planning to return to the light heavyweight division. The information was released by manager Leonardo Pateira during the Brazilian podcast "Connect Cast.” Sherdog subsequently contacted Pateira, who confirmed the information and added that UFC has already been informed of Almeida’s decision.   

Diminishing Returns “Maladinho” earned a UFC contract by winning a light heavyweight fight on Dana White's Contender Series in September 2021. He was successful in his Octagon debut at 205 pounds, finishing Danilo Marques in the opening stanza at UFC Fight Night 200 in February 2022. After one 220-pound catchweight victory, the Brazilian moved to the heavyweight division, where he has compiled a 5-3 record since 2023.

While Alme…

Two of the UFC’s most entertaining strikers might be on a collision course for a grappling match. 

Sharabutdin Magomedov recently claimed that he is in talks for a grappling match against Alex Pereira. “Shara Bullet’s” manager, Rizvan Magomedov also confirmed the same. Rizvan says that “Shara Bullet” is waiting for an event in the Middle East or somewhere else outside the U.S. for his next UFC fight since he is not licensed to fight in the U.S. In the meantime, Magomedov is keeping himself active by competing in grappling matches. Rizvan says negotiations are underway for a grappling match against Pereira.

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Staying Busy “I think Shara is quietly transitioning from a striker to a wrestler,” Rizvan told Sport 24. “Meanwhile, regarding his fight, we’re waiting for a date ideally. An event in the Middle East or somewhere else. Since for obvious reasons he can’t compete in the United States. And he’s filling this free time with these kinds of matches.…

Pride Fighting Championships veteran Don Frye recently lauded the Caucasian style of wrestling, and its torchbearer, Khabib Nurmagomedov. 

Frye believes Nurmagomedov was unbeatable and could have continued winning if he hadn’t retired. Frye thinks Nurmagomedov was never inclined to return as he never faced adversity in his career. Nurmagomedov was the torchbearer of a style of wrestling that originated in Dagestan, Chechnya and other areas of the Caucasus mountains. Champions like Islam Makhachev, Khamzat Chimaev and other elite grapplers are taking over the sport with the same kind of grappling that is often criticized for not being entertaining. However, Frye believes that, fan-friendly or not, the Dagestani/Chechen style of wrestling is superior to every other style in the sport today.

Bulletproof “I think Khabib was everybody’s match,” Frye said in a recent interview. “Nobody can beat that guy. He’s bulletproof, 10-foot-tall, bulletproof. [His wrestling] is phen…

Javier Mendez recently explained why he believes Khabib Nurmagomedov is the greatest MMA fighter of all time over Jon Jones. 

Nurmagomedov’s longtime coach, Mendez, recently picked him as the MMA GOAT. Mendez also explained that he would have certainly picked Jones as the GOAT if not for the multiple PED violations. Mendez notes that several Olympic medallists have had their medals taken away after they were found cheating. According to Mendez, Jones can’t be considered the GOAT if the same logic applies to MMA.

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Transgressions Should Be Punished “The GOAT for me is Khabib, and I would put Jon Jones in that category, but I can’t,” Mendez said on the Ahmed Mahmood show. “If you’re caught doing something you shouldn’t have been doing, how can you be considered at the top of the league? This is a true sport, and in a true sport you cannot put that person ahead. How many people have won Olympic gold medals and then they find out they cheated one way o…

Usman Nurmagomedov vowed to make referee Kerry Hatley’s night at PFL Road to Dubai a little easier. 

Nurmagomedov (21-0) put his lightweight title on the line against Davis in the main event at PFL Dubai on Saturday. The undefeated Dagestani looked nearly flawless while putting Davis to sleep with a reverse arm-triangle in the third round. 

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Recent footage has surfaced of Nurmagomedov taking pre-fight instructions from referee Hatley. Hatley was explaining that if Nurmagomedov was in the bottom position and wanted to be stood up, he had to stall the action. However, Nurmagomedov wasn’t very keen on listening to the rest of the instructions as he was confident that he would finish Davis.A Man of His Word “I’m gonna finish him,” Nurmagomedov said.

Hatley replied: “Yeah, good, make my job easy.”

However, Hatley did his duty by imparting the complete set of instructions to Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov kept his promise by finishing Davis to…

Mario Bautista had no trouble getting past Vinicius Oliveira. | Getty/UFC

Mario Bautista believes cutting excess weight made Vinicius Oliveira slow in their fight on Saturday. 

Bautista took on an up-and-coming Oliveira in the main event at UFC Vegas 113 on Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas. While some were counting Bautista out, he absolutely walked through Oliveira en route to a second-round submission win. 

While it was Oliveira’s first five-rounder, “LokDog” started looking sluggish early in the second round. Bautista revealed that he initially thought that Oliveira was playing possum to try to lure him into a knockout shot. However, Oliveira was just too slow for Bautista, who saw everything coming his way. Bautista believes that Oliveira weighing 165 pounds during fight week and cutting to bantamweight might have had something to do with his lack of speed.

Experience Pays Off “I wasn't sure if he was messing around, kind of trying to …

Daniil Donchenko has learned a lesson despite his win over Alex Morono on Saturday. 

Donchenko took on the battle-tested veteran in a welterweight matchup at UFC Vegas 113 on Saturday. The Ukrainian came out all guns blazing and started beating down Morono from the onset. However, Morono, sometimes considered too tough for his own good, refused to go down. While Donchenko eventually earned a unanimous decision win, he also suffered some damage from Morono. 

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While some fighters only learn from their losses, Donchenko has learned a lesson from his win against Morono. Donchenko found his performance “stupid” and vows not to repeat it in the future. While Donchenko doesn’t mind a brutal fight, he believes he could have been much smarter about it. The 24-year-old guarantees a brutal but smarter version of himself going forward.A Smart and Brutal Future “I learned a lot,” Donchenko said at his post-fight press conference. “Some people only learn …

Arman Tsarukyan has shared his pick for the UFC 326 headliner, whom he eventually wants to fight. 

Max Holloway will put his BMF belt on the line in a rematch against Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 on March 7 in Las Vegas. Tsarukyan is backing his former foe Oliveira to beat Holloway. While Tsarukyan thinks Oliveira isn’t the most technical sometimes, he believes “do Bronx” outperforms himself on good nights. Tsarukyan earned a split decision win over Oliveira in their matchup in 2024. However, Tsarukyan claims the scorecards didn’t do justice as he beat Oliveira convincingly. “Ahalkalakets” wants Oliveira to beat Holloway so that he can run it back with the Brazilian and show that he has always been better.

‘We Have a History’ “Sometimes Oliveira fights so bad, but sometimes he's unreal,” Tsarukyan said on Telegram. “You never know with him. I still lean towards him to win. I hope Oliveira wins, we have a history. We can rematch. People say I won via split decision, b…

Kyoji Horiguchi was in prime form against Amir Albazi. | Getty/UFC

More than 10 years ago, Kyoji Horiguchi wasn’t ready to become UFC champion.

The Japanese standout squared off against pound-for-pound great Demetrious Johnson at UFC 186, falling to “Mighty Mouse” via armbar in the fifth round of their April 2015 championship bout. Horiguchi would win three more UFC bouts before parting ways with the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2016. He enjoyed plenty of success in Rizin and Bellator before returning to the UFC late last year. On Saturday, he earned his second consecutive victory in the Octagon, as he cruised past Amir Albazi in the UFC Fight Night 266 co-main event.

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“I’m better at everything,” Horiguchi said of the difference between now and then at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Fighting fear, scared, everything, I learn. That’s why I’m strong right now.”

At 35 years old, Horiguchi appears to still be at the peak of his…

Vinicius Oliveira had a rough time in the UFC Vegas 113 main event. | Getty/UFC

Vinicius Oliveira took a step up in competition on Saturday, and things didn’t go as planned for the Brazilian prospect.

Oliveira was outclassed in the UFC Vegas 113 main event, as he fell to Mario Bautista via second-round submission at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. That snapped a four-bout promotional winning streak for “LokDog,” who had an opportunity to enter the upper echelon of the bantamweight division with a victory over the battle-tested Bautista.

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In the aftermath of his first UFC, defeat Oliveira revealed that he suffered multiple injuries leading up to the fight.

"Well, earthlings, things went wrong again," Oliveira wrote on Instagram. "I've lost count of how many times I've lost in my life, but every time I've gotten up and moved on. I'm sad for my team and for everyone who was cheering for me, but anyway, no sad stories, let's move on to anothe…