Martial Arts News

Maycee Barber had a seven-fight winning streak snapped on Saturday. | Getty/UFC

It appears to be a reasonably optimistic prognosis for Maycee Barber after a scary knockout loss to Alexa Grasso at UFC Seattle on Saturday night.

Barber was rendered unconscious by a Grasso left hand and follow-up strike before her opponent locked in a tight rear-naked choke to secure a victory at the 2:42 mark of Round 1 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Though Barber conscious as referee Mike Beltran stepped in to wave off the fight, she remained motionless on the canvas for several minutes. Eventually the UFC flyweight standout left the Octagon under her own power, and she was reportedly transported to a local hospital.

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Barber’s team posted updates on her condition, which the fighter shared to her Instagram Stories on Sunday. That included a positive statement from her boyfriend, Oscar Herrera.

“Part of the game,” Herrera wrote. “Congrats to Alexa, …

Movsar Evloev continues to stack wins in the UFC. | Getty/UFC

If in the first 20 years of the UFC Brazil and the United States alternated in the position of greatest MMA powerhouse, from 2025 onwards Russia and countries from the former Soviet Union have changed this picture.

Even with a much smaller percentage of representatives on the roster, these fighters today hold five of the 11 UFC belts: Petr Yan (Russia), bantamweight; Ilia Topuria (Georgia), lightweight; Islam Makhachev (Dagestan), welterweight; Khamzat Chimaev (Chechnya), middleweight and Valentina Shevchenko (Kygistan), flyweight). Meanwhile, today Brazil has one belt (Alex Pereira) and the United States two (Mackenzie Dern and Kayla Harrison).

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In the opinion of American Top Team head coach Conan Silveira, the trend is that this Russian dominance will expand in 2026 with Movsar Evloev winning the featherweight belt.

“Jean [Silva] can do whatever he wants, but he won’t ge…

Navajo Stirling feels the time is perfect for a clash against Ion Cutelaba. 

Stirling took on Bruno Lopes (14-3) in a light heavyweight tilt at UFC Seattle on Saturday. The Kiwi punished Lopes on the feet and left him a bloodied mess to earn a technical knockout win in the second round. Stirling subsequently called out light heavyweight veteran Cutelaba. Stirling notes that the Moldovan is known for derailing the hype trains of several prospects. With both of them on the cusp of breaking into the rankings, Stirling feels it’s the perfect time to fight Cutelaba.

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 I feel like [Ion] Cutelaba is a big name,” Stirling said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “He’s been in the UFC for a long time. He’s been killing all the prospects that are being put forward to him. And I think that’s our meeting point. That’s where he’s at, and that’s where I’m at. He seems like the perfect guy to fight. He’s at the top outside of the top 15, and so am I. So, l…

Tyrell Fortune wants to follow in the footsteps of his teammate Waldo Cortes-Acosta and knock out Derrick Lewis. 

Fortune made his debut against Marcin Tybura at UFC Seattle on Saturday. Fortune stepped in on two weeks’ notice after Tybura’s original opponent, Valter Walker, pulled out. Fortune clearly outclassed the veteran on the feet, although he couldn’t secure a finish. However, the scores were initially read out in favor of Tybura, as an angry Fortune marched out of the Octagon. Bruce Buffer then returned to the Octagon and corrected himself, announcing Fortune the winner via unanimous decision. 

Fortune believes he could have done better against Tybura with a full camp. The 35-year-old vows to show a different version of himself in his next outing.

“I was just a little frustrated with myself that I didn’t get the performance I knew I could,” Fortune said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “Some of the positions I should have probably disengaged a…

Chael Sonnen is worried about Tom Aspinall being caught in the crossfire between Dana White and Eddie Hearn. 

Aspinall’s relationship with White has been strained since his first heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 320 this past October. The fight ended in a no contest after Gane eye poked Aspinall, leaving him unable to continue. Dana White hinted that he was unimpressed by Aspinall’s decision to stop fighting, saying that the Englishman didn’t look like he wanted to be in there with Gane. Aspinall didn’t hide his disappointment with White’s comments. While Aspinall underwent multiple surgeries, White further downplayed the injury, saying they were likely injections. 

Aspinall (15-3) recently escalated things by signing with the management of Eddie Hearn, considered a longtime rival of White. Hearn has since taken multiple digs at Aspinall’s UFC contract, calling it a disgrace. Sonnen says he was supporting Aspinall when “Honey Badger” was c…

Yousri Belgaroui had already experienced every threat possible in his training camp for UFC Seattle. 

Belgaroui (10-3) faced a previously undefeated Mansur Abdul-Malik (9-1-1) in a middleweight matchup at UFC Seattle. Belgaroui battered Abdul-Malik’s lead leg from the onset, while maintaining his distance with a clean jab. Even when Abdul-Malik managed to take Belgaroui down, the 6’5” former kickboxer got back to his feet in seconds. While Belgaroui nearly finished Abdul-Malik in the second round, he was saved by the bell. Belgaroui maintained composure and gradually broke Abdul-Malik down to get a stoppage in the third round. 

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While this was only Belgaroui’s second UFC fight, “Baby Faced Assassin” has a ton of experience competing in Glory Kickboxing. However, Belgaroui believes Abdul-Malik didn’t lose to him due to a lack of experience. Belgaroui credits his training camp for handing Abdul-Malik his first career loss. The Turkish-Dutch p…

Valentina Shevchenko and Khabib Nurmagomedov will never agree about women in MMA. 

Nurmagomedov has always been vocal about the fact that he is not a fan of women fighting in MMA. The UFC Hall of Famer recently reiterated his sentiments, even explicitly calling women weaker than men. Nurmagomedov believes both genders have designated roles in society, and men take on the bigger responsibilities. While duties for men and women are overlapping with time, “The Eagle” prefers both genders to stick to their conventional duties.

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“Every person in life has a mission,” Nurmagomedov said at a recent press conference. “For a man, it’s to raise children, take care of the family, take care of loved ones, neighbors, relatives. There are very few women who take on big responsibilities; it’s very hard for them. It’s not without reason. Even God created it that way: a woman is weaker, a man is stronger. People want to change all this and mix it. I like it when a…

Former ACA welterweight champion Abubakar Vagaev has signed with the UFC. 

Vagaev recently confirmed the UFC signing with a contract in his hands. The 32-year-old thanked Khamzat Chimaev for playing a pivotal role in his UFC signing. Vagaev also expressed his gratitude to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who is a close ally of Chimaev.

One Era Ends, Another Begins“Assalamu alaikum, friends. Now that I have a contract with the UFC in hand, I can announce – I'm joining the UFC,” Vagaev wrote on Instagram. “My time in the ACA League has come to an end. I'm relinquishing my championship reign. It's been an exciting 12 years and nearly 30 fights. I've won the belt three times, and that's our legacy. Thank you to the organization for understanding my situation and being accommodating. I've always been accommodating to my beloved League. Now it's time to move in a different direction. I express my sincere gratitude to Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov for his constant support thro…

Israel Adesanya had his moments against Joe Pyfer at UFC Seattle. | Getty/UFC

Although he suffered his fourth consecutive loss in the UFC Seattle headliner, Israel Adesanya hasn’t lost his competitive fire.

The former middleweight champion started well but was gradually overwhelmed by Joe Pyfer in a second-round technical knockout loss in Saturday’s main event at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. It was the third consecutive outing in which “The Last Stylebender” has been finished inside the distance.

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Despite those discouraging circumstances, Adesanya currently has no designs on calling it a career.

“You keep going. Again and again and again and again and again,” Adesanya said during a post-fight interview in the Octagon.

“I’m not f—-ing leaving. You’ll never stop me. I might get beat, but I’ll always remain undefeated.”

Adesanya is regarded as one of the top middleweight champions in UFC history. He claimed the 185-po…

Arman Tsarukyan left no room for debate with his win over Georgio Poullas at RAF 7. 

Tsarukyan and Poullas first clashed in a wrestling match at RAF 6 last month. Wrestler-turned-influencer Poullas was accused of multiple fouls and penalized on points. Tsarukyan eventually won the chaotic affair on points and punched Poullas, leading to a brawl. 

While they were scheduled to meet in a submission-grappling rematch at Hype FC, Poullas pulled out, citing his preference to compete at RAF. Tsarukyan and Poullas finally met in a grudge rematch at RAF 7 on Saturday at the Yuengling Center in Tampa, Florida.

An End to the Rivalry? It was a much cleaner bout than their first meeting, and Tsarukyan was leading 1-0 in the first round. A delay in the break due to Poullas getting his hands taped had Tsarukyan worked up. While Poullas managed to take down Tsarukyan in the third round, the UFC lightweight sealed the victory with a four-point throw to win 9-3. 

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Michael Chiesa had a fairytale retirement.

Chiesa (20-7) took on Niko Price (16-11) in his last Octagon outing at UFC Seattle on Saturday. “The Maverick” took Price down, locked in a rear-naked choke, and earned the tap in hardly over a minute. The 38-year-old hung up his gloves on a four-fight winning streak with three finishes. Chiesa says he is glad to ride off into the sunset while he is still winning. The fighter-commentator loves the sport too much to stick around after he is washed up. While he retires from competition, the UFC veteran plans to be a part of the sport for the rest of his life.

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“I want to go out feeling like I can still win fights,” Chiesa said in a post-fight interview. “I don’t want to go down face down in the mud… I have too much respect for the sport to stick around and just end up letting it get the best of me. So I’m gonna get the best of it. I’m gonna go out on my terms and walk away from the sport of MMA as a competitor.…

Alexa Grasso made a statement against Alexa Grasso. | Getty/UFC

Alexa Grasso authored one of the most memorable finishes in recent memory in the UFC Seattle co-main event.

The former flyweight queen dropped Maycee Barber, then applied a rear-naked choke to her already unconscious foe, earning an emphatic stoppage victory at the 2:42 mark of Round 1 on Saturday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. As a result, Grasso was the recipient of a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus.

Meanwhile, Joe Pyfer garnered the evening’s other $100,00 Performance of the Night” award for his finish of ex-middleweight ruler Israel Adesanya in the evening’s headliner. Pyfer weathered a slow start, then shifted momentum by rocking his opponent with power punches on the feet in the second round. From there, “Bodybagz” landed a takedown and eventually put Adesanya away with ground-and-pound at the 4:18 mark of the period.

Preliminary Barnburner Earns $100K Finally, Tofiq…