Martial Arts News

Ryan Spann put Marcus Almeida to sleep. | Getty/UFC

Ryan Spann seems to be acclimating nicely to the heavyweight division.

“Superman” earned a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his knockout of Marcus Almeida in a featured heavyweight bout at UFC Vegas 116 on Saturday night. Spann rendered his grappling-minded opponent unconscious with a two-punch combination at the 2:10 mark of Round 2, the second consecutive stoppage victory for the converted light heavyweight.

Meanwhile, Jackson McVey garnered the evening’s other $100,000 “Performance of the Night” award by securing the card’s only other finish. McVey put opponent Sedriques Dumas on the defensive with some heavy punches on the feet, powered into top position and eventually created an opening for a brabo choke — bringing an end to the middleweight bout 2:14 into the opening stanza.

Getting Better with Age Finally, Davey Grant and Adrian Luna Martinetti received “Fight of the Night” honors…

Aljamain Sterling can still stand on business with the best of them.

The “Funk Master” inched closer to his goal of becoming a two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder and cleared his latest hurdle with room to spare, as he took a unanimous decision from Youssef Zalal in their five-round UFC Fight Night 274 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Scores were 49-45, 49-45 and 49-45.

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Sterling (26-5, 18-5 UFC) seemed to catch the Factory X standout off-guard with his aggression, particularly on the feet. Zalal’s moments were few and far between, though he had his counterpart in real danger with a guillotine choke in the third round. Sterling waded through the adversity and found another gear. He did some of the best work of his career in Round 4, where he punched into takedown range, dragged Zalal (18-6-1, 8-4-1 UFC) to the mat and progressed to the back. Sterling secured his position with a body triangle, hammered “The Moro…

Sherdog's live UFC Vegas 116 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 274. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Polastri (-225); Alencar (+190)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Valenzuela (-140); Griffin (+115)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Resu…

Eric McConico followed a tried-and-true recipe to the winner’s circle in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division.

Crisp combination punching, superior cardio and outstanding defensive grappling carried the John Crouch disciple to a unanimous decision over five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Rodolfo Vieira in the featured UFC Fight Night 274 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. McConico (11-4-1, 2-2 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 29-28 marks from the cageside judges.

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Vieira (11-5, 6-5 UFC) missed his chance. He rattled McConico with a sweeping right hook in the first round, jumped to his back and transitioned from an attempted rear-naked choke to an armbar. McConico kept his cool, freed himself from danger and withstood a pair of takedowns from the Brazilian. Vieira appeared to have little fuel left in the tank for the second and third rounds. McConico picked him apart with clean two- and three-punch vol…

Paulo Costa isn’t buying Jiri Prochazka’s “mercy” narrative for his title loss against Carlos Ulberg. 

Prochazka (32-6) and Ulberg (14-1) clashed for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 327 earlier this month in Miami. Ulberg visibly injured his right knee early in the first round, and it seemed Prochazka’s victory was only a matter of time. However, Ulberg caught Prochazka flush with a combination and finished him in one of the biggest come-from-behind wins of recent times. 

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Prochazka later claimed that he was showing mercy after he saw that Ulberg’s knee was compromised. Costa thinks Prochazka chose the wrong word to describe his demeanor. “Borrachinha” believes Prochazka got emotional when he saw Ulberg’s injured leg and started playing around. According to Costa, the Czech wasn’t taking the fight seriously when he noticed Ulberg’s compromised leg. However, Costa doesn’t think Jiri was being merciful as he was clearly trying to fini…

Jack Della Maddalena believes he will finish Carlos Prates in deep waters. 

Maddalena will face surging contender Prates in front of a home crowd in the main event at UFC Perth on May 2 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Maddalena notes that both he and Prates look to get into a flow state, which will ensure action from the opening bell. The Australian believes fans will get more than 20 minutes of action as he will finish Prates late in the final round.

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'A Violent Flow “We both sort of get into a flow… Both of us get into a violent flow,” he told MMAjunkie.com. “I think it’s gonna be fireworks. There’s definitely not gonna be much dancing around. I think the first minute we’re definitely gonna engage. We’re gonna engage and see who’s the better fighter and then build into the five rounds… I think I’m gonna take him out fifth round. I’m gonna get the finish deep in the fight.” 

Maddalena (18-3) earned a sort of wild-card title shot agai…

Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier won’t be burying the hatchet any time soon.

Jones and Cormier are currently starring as rival coaches on ALF Global, popularly known as the Russian version of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Two of the fiercest rivals in UFC history, Jones and Cormier continue to beef even after hanging up their gloves. 

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Cormier recently slammed Jones during reality show filming for using PEDs for their rematch at UFC 214 in 2017. Cormier mocked Jones for using steroids despite being taller and 8 years younger than him.

“200 centimers height, 8 years age difference, still so insecure that he stuck a needle in his ass,” Cormier said.

Cormier’s (22-3) rivalry with Jones (28-1) extends beyond the Octagon. Even years after his retirement, Cormier says that he doesn’t want the “negative” energy of Jones around him. Jones successfully defended his light heavyweight title against Cormier via unanimous decision in their first clash at UFC 18…

Ian Garry isn’t giving up on his title shot aspirations any time soon. 

Garry is considered among the frontrunners for a UFC welterweight title shot against Islam Makhachev. “The Future” has aimed multiple shots at Makhachev since the Dagestani star became the champion last year. Garry continues to callout Makhachev at regular intervals, while also slamming him for inactivity. Garry recently called out the champion for “princess” behavior while rallying for a title shot.

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“First you say you have a hand injury, Dana said August, you’re saying July - I’ve been ready since you last turned me down in May,” Garry wrote on Instagram. “We’re all waiting on you princess.” Ready and Willing Makhachev is seemingly open to defending his title against Garry. The champion hinted that he is healthy and waiting for a contract.

“Don’t worry about my injuries,” Makhachev responded. “I’m ready at any time. I’m waiting for the contract.”

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Jorge Masvidal and Chael Sonnen are involved in an unexpected beef. 

Sonnen (31-17) recently accused Masvidal (35-17) of promoting a false narrative about a potential return to the UFC. Masvidal responded by mocking Sonnen for his history of PED use. Masvidal says Sonnen’s greatest achievement is nearly ending Anderson Silva’s spectacular title run at UFC 117 in 2010 before getting submitted by “The Spider” in the last round. Masvidal also notes that Sonnen was caught using PEDs for the fight against Silva. While Sonnen has failed drug tests three times in his career, Masvidal proudly boasts his clean record.

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A Clean History “This motherf—-er has some nerve,” Masvidal said on the "Death Row MMA” podcast . “He’s transitioning into a woman; he’s talking s—t to me… Now that he’s a lesbian, he thinks I can’t slap him. I’ll still slap the f—k out of you, Chael… I can’t take this guy seriously. The greatest thing he did was fight Anderson Silva, still…

Paulo Costa is eager to welcome Khamzat Chimaev to light heavyweight. 

Chimaev (15-0) won the middleweight title against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 last year. “Borz” is now scheduled to defend his title against Sean Strickland at UFC 328 on May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Chimaev has clearly expressed his interest in moving up to light heavyweight soon after. 

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Chimaev’s longtime foil Costa is waiting with open arms to welcome him at light heavyweight. While a fight between the two is yet to come to fruition, Costa and Chimaev have traded barbs with each other on several occasions over the years. Costa believes a light heavyweight clash against him with be even worse for Chimaev than a middleweight bout would be. Having recently moved up to 205 pounds, Costa considers himself even more dangerous there. “Borrachinha” notes that he doesn’t have to lose any muscle mass for light heavyweight. The Brazilian vows to make Chi…

The Funk Master is ready 🤝@FunkMasterMMA | 146 lbs

[ #UFCVegas116 | APRIL 25 | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/Qem9FGk3Ii

— UFC (@ufc) April 24, 2026 Friday's UFC Vegas 116 weigh-ins were little more than a formality as all 26 athletes properly made weight.

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Former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will return to the Octagon this Saturday. Taking on "Funk Master" in the five-round headliner is Youssef Zalal. Both men successfully made the featherweight limit without issue. All other fighters on the card also hit their marks, so UFC Fight Night 274 will move forward with 13 official matches. As a note, Nevada decided to change its weigh-in policies once again, allowing for a two-hour weigh-in window for this event and all events in the state going forward.

The main event marks the first fight of 2026 for Sterling (25-5). The former 135-pound champion is coming off a unani…

The Professional Fighters League is making its first trip to the city discovered by the Germans in 1904, one named after a whale’s [redacted].

Initially claimed by Spain in the 1500s with a mission built there in the 1700s, the Californian city was admitted along with the rest of the state to the U.S. in 1850. That would San Diego, the staging ground of the PFL card on June 27. Fights will play out inside of the Pechanga Arena in the organization’s first jaunt to California since PFL 9 2018. The promotion confirmed this date for the first June date it has marked on the calendar, as well as one fight on its billing.

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A world class welterweight clash headlines PFL Sioux Falls: Tune in Saturday, May 2 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Serving in the main attraction of PFL San Diego is a potential featherweight title eliminator—the division has no champion, so the victor may be in line for the next crack at gold. Former Bellator MMA champ A.J. McKee (24-2) will c…