Martial Arts News

Claressa Shields is banned from all Most Valuable Promotions events until further notice. 

Shields was in attendance at MVP’s first MMA event last Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. The three-division women’s boxing world champion confronted fellow boxer Alycia Baumgardner backstage and slapped her. 

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🚨‼️Claressa ShieldsCONFRONTS & SLAPSALYCIA BAUMGARDNER LAST NIGHT‼️🚨👋👀👀#Boxing🥊🥊🥊🥊🥊 pic.twitter.com/rY0C43ha9T

— Dan The Boxing Man (@dantheboxingman) May 18, 2026

Shields didn’t show any regret and accused Baumgardner of disrespecting her. Meanwhile, Baumgardner said that she showed restraint as a professional. “The Bomb” also accused Shields of displaying repeated hostility against fellow women and instigating fights.

“When your purpose is to elevate, there will always be people who attempt to pull you down to the level from which they operate,” Baumgardner wrote on X. “…

Junior dos Santos will be sidelined indefinitely following a brutal knockout loss at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano” this past Saturday.

The former UFC heavyweight king was stopped by Robelis Despaigne 2:59 into the opening round of their main card bout at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. It was dos Santos’ first appearance since winning the Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA heavyweight crown with a stoppage of Alan Belcher in March 2024. As a result of the knockout, “Cigano” will need neurological clearance before he can return to active competition. At a minimum, he is suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact.

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Robelis Despaigne JUST SLEPT Junior dos Santos IN ROUND 1 🔥#RouseyCarano is LIVE now only on Netflix 👊 pic.twitter.com/07RpIS7wSQ

— Netflix Sports (@netflixsports) May 17, 2026

The California State Athletic Commission recently released a full list of medical suspensions from the event. Everyone on the …

Colby Covington was a controversial figure during his UFC tenure. | Getty/UFC

Colby Covington appears to be calling it a career — at least in MMA.

Multiple outlets confirmed that “Chaos” has informed the UFC of his retirement after the promotion listed the former welterweight title challenger as “retired” on its official website. Social media account UFC Roster Tracker was first to bring word that Covington was no longer part of the UFC roster.

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Covington hasn’t competed in MMA since December 2024, when he suffered a third-round TKO defeat to Joaquin Buckley at UFC on ESPN 63. The 38-year-old Springfield, Oregon, native lobbied hard for a spot on the UFC White House but was ultimately not included in the June 14 event. After the fight card was announced, Covington admitted that his relationship with the UFC had gone downhill in recent months and claimed that fighters typically have “no say” in negotiations.Shifting Focus Covington has …

Nate Diaz still has plenty of fight left in him. | Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix

Nate Diaz ended first MMA fight in nearly four years covered in blood.

After two fairly lopsided rounds in the Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano"co-main event, Diaz’s corner waved off the fight against Mike Perry, giving the BKFC “King of Violence” an emphatic TKO victory against a man who emerged as biggest stars of the sport over the past decade-plus.

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While the bout wasn’t especially competitive, the Stockton, California, native remains defiant regarding his fighting future. When Diaz is ready to retire, he vows that it won’t be a public spectacle — and that day doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon.

"The show goes on," Diaz said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. "I felt the same way as when I lost when I was younger and the same as the last time. I don't have a checkout time, you know what I'm saying? That s—t’s forever.

…

Gina Carano's MMA return didn't last as long as she would have liked. | Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix

Gina Carano’s first mixed martial arts appearance in nearly two decades was abbreviated, to say the least.

The Strikeforce and EliteXC veteran was quickly taken down and submitted by Ronda Rousey just 17 seconds into the MVP MMA main event this past Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Considering Rousey’s penchant for quick victories — she had eight previous wins in less than a minute — it shouldn’t have been all that surprising.

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Carano reflected on the experience during her post-fight interview.

"I wanted that to last longer. I felt like I was so ready. I felt so good. I've never felt that good, but I haven't been here for 17 years. I wanted to hit her,” Carano said. “I’ll probably feel [unfulfilled] later, but right now getting in the cage was a victory. Getting here after 17 years was a victory. Fighting a legend was…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to Abu Dhabi this summer.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Monday that a Fight Night event will take place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on July 25. Fights will be announced in the coming weeks for a card that will air in its entirety on Paramount+.

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The UFC’s partnership with Abu Dhabi dates back to 2010. The country gained attention for its “Fight Island” moniker when the promotion held events there during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it typically remains an annual Octagon destination.Recent HistoryLast year, UFC on ABC 9 took place at Eithad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 9 and saw Reinier de Ridder defeat Robert Whittaker via split decision in the main event. More recently, UFC 321 took place at the same venue, where the main event ended in controversy when a Ciryl Gane eye poke rendered Tom Aspinall unable to continue in the first round of their heavyweight title bout.

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Considered one of the most popular UFC fighters in Brazil today Carlos Prates was recently invited to appear on one of Brazil's most popular podcasts: Podpah, a YouTube channel with almost 10 million subscribers.

In a two-hour conversation, Prates drank four beers and smoked two cigarettes, reminiscing about his entire journey and eliciting laughter from both hosts with his usual candor. According to The Fighting Nerds product, his entry into fighting was an alternative found by his mother due to his difficulties at school.

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“My mother is a teacher, and since I was very difficult and had learning difficulties, she decided to take me to a psychologist when I was 8 years old, where I was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder),” Prates said. “Once she saw me engrossed in watching a DVD of Wanderlei Silva fighting Yuki Kondo in Pride, and noticed my interest in fighting, [she] decided to enroll me in a muay thai school.”

In mar…

Ilia Topuria believes his altercation with Josh Hokit could have turned physical without the presence of security. 

Topuria puts his lightweight title on the line against interim champion Justin Gaethje in the main event at UFC Freedom 205 on June 14 at the White House. Meanwhile, Hokit is scheduled to fight Derrick Lewis in a heavyweight tilt on the same card. 

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Topuria and Hokit got into an altercation during a promotional presser for the event earlier this month in Newark, New Jersey. Hokit launched an unprovoked tirade on Alex Pereira, who fights Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title on the same card. Pereira and Topuria had traveled together to visit President Donald Trump just ahead of the presser. Topuria, who was sitting next to Pereira, stood up to defend “Poatan” against Hokit’s rant. Things heated up when Topuria threw a glass of water at Hokit. However, security personnel intervened before things could escalate. ‘I Co…

Jon Jones thinks the UFC has serious competition. 

Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions hosted their first MMA card on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. The card was promoted as a genuine threat to the UFC’s monopoly at the top tier of MMA. 

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Jones, who attended the event, believes it was better than UFC cards. Despite having been champion in two weight classes in the UFC, Jones claims he never attended an event like the one hosted by MVP.‘Absolutely Unbelievable’ “I think the MVP promotion was absolutely unbelievable,” Jones said. “I think it was actually better than the UFC. I've never been at such a promotion. I mean they had the fog machines and TVs absolutely everywhere. Great fighters.” 

While the MVP card had some up-and-coming talent, the major fights certainly didn’t have the best fighters in the world. A 39-year-old Ronda Rousey submitted 44-year-old Gina Carano in the main event of the night. Meanwhil…

Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili believe their training partner, Phumi Nkuta, was robbed on the MVP MMA card.

Nkuta (11-1) took on Adriano Moraes (22-6) in a bantamweight outing at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. While Nkuta picked apart Moraes on the feet, the former ONE Championship champion had the edge on the ground. The highly competitive fight met with a controversial ending in the final round. 

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Moraes secured a rear-naked choke in the final second of the fight. While Nkuta seemed to be in his senses till the final bell, Moraes held on to the choke even for a few seconds, even after the bell, despite referee Herb Dean intervening. Nkuta was choked out unconscious, and it was declared a submission win for Moraes. 

The fight gave Dvalishvili immediate flashbacks of his controversial loss against Ricky Simon in 2018. While “The Machine” was dominating the fi…

The Conor McGregor-Nate Diaz rivalry was one of the UFC's best. | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Conor McGregor still hasn’t dismissed the idea of a trilogy fight against Nate Diaz.

Diaz (21-14) took on Mike Perry at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. Diaz had barely anything to offer while suffering a one-sided beatdown against Perry. Diaz was so bloodied up by the end of the second round that his corner decided to throw in the towel. 

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Diaz was originally in talks with the UFC for a return to MMA in a trilogy fight against McGregor. After Diaz’s performance against Perry, McGregor says he knows why his former foe didn’t accept the trilogy matchup. However, “Notorious” hasn’t completely given up on a potential rubber fight against Diaz.

“I see why [Nate Diaz] didn’t take the fight lol,” McGregor wrote on X. “Anyway here’s to when I get my hands on you, you lanky strea…

Most Valuable Promotions’ first MMA card is getting mixed reactions from fans and pundits. 

While Jon Jones called it better than the UFC, the card failed to impress fellow UFC veterans Daniel Cormier and Ben Askren. Askren found the card full of lopsided matchups. While Askren understands the importance of highlight reels, the former Bellator MMA and ONE Championship champion believes competitive fights are what matchmakers should aim for.

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“Incredibly one-sided is the biggest thing that comes to mind,” Askren said on a podcast with Cormier. “You know, there wasn't a singular fight that was moderately competitive on the card. And, you know, we need the highlights, we need the knockouts, we need these spectacular things, but the best thing we can get is a back-and-forth fight.” No Star Building Cormier noted that one-sided matchups don’t work for MMA unlike boxing, where stars are built by letting them walk through a plethora of underskille…