Martial Arts News

Brendan Allen plans to apply pressure when he faces Christian Leroy Duncan.

Allen (27-7) will headline Saturday’s Ultimate Fighting Championship card against Duncan (15-2) at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The American hopes to overwhelm his English opponent, who will compete in his first UFC main event at UFC Vegas 122.

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Christian Leroy Duncan faces first five-round UFC main event as Brendan Allen targets sustained pressure Allen is on a three-fight winning streak and welcomes the chance to extend it against an aggressive opponent.

“I love guys that want to come kill,” Allen said in a pre-fight interview. “But the question with him is, are you willing to be killed? I am. I'm willing to be killed. That's just how I fight. That's all I know how to do. When those lights come on, and they say, ‘Are you ready? Are you ready?’ That's all I know how to do is just go try to kill.”

Duncan is riding a five-fight winning streak but has never reached a fourth …

Malcolm Wellmaker believes his recent losses in the Ultimate Fighting Championship have helped him become a more complete fighter.

Wellmaker (10-2) will look to snap a two-fight losing streak when he faces Otari Tanzilovi (10-2) at UFC Vegas 122 on Saturday at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

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Malcolm Wellmaker says he underestimated Ethyn Ewing before changing camps and preparing for Otari Tanzilovi Wellmaker suffered his first professional loss to Ethyn Ewing last November. He was then submitted by Juan Diaz in May, dropping his UFC record to 2-2 after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024.

Wellmaker said the losses exposed shortcomings in his game and prompted him to seek a new training environment. He subsequently joined American Top Team, where he has worked with experienced fighters and coaches to refine his skills.

“I never had to deal with the loss part until recently, and fortunately those words stuck with me,” Wellmaker…

The Professional Fighters League has added a welterweight matchup between Khamzat Abaev and Leon Hill to its upcoming Dubai card.

The bout is scheduled for Nov. 14 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

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Khamzat Abaev returns after knockout win as Leon Hill brings four-fight streak to PFL Dubai Abaev (6-1) returns following a knockout victory over Luca Poclit at PFL Brussels in May. He stopped Poclit at 2:56 of the first round to rebound from his first professional defeat, a July 2025 loss to Chequina Noso Pedro.

Hill (9-2) enters the PFL Dubai matchup on a four-fight winning streak. The Irish welterweight most recently stopped Aldo Pereira in February under the Cage Warriors banner. His last defeat came against Ieuan Davies in October 2023.

PFL Dubai will be headlined by a heavyweight title bout between reigning champion Vadim Nemkov and Sergey Bilostenniy.

𝘿𝙐𝘽𝘼𝙄 𝙆𝙀𝙀𝙋𝙎 𝙂𝙀𝙏𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙀 𝙎𝙏𝘼𝘾𝙆𝙀𝘿 🔥 Khamzat Abaev returns to the …

Glover Teixeira believes Sergei Pavlovich is a more favorable matchup for Alex Pereira than Ciryl Gane.

Pavlovich and the former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder are scheduled to meet in the co-main event of UFC 335 on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas. Pereira’s coach and mentor, Teixeira, believes the Russian’s more stationary style makes him a less challenging opponent than reigning heavyweight champion Gane.

Glover Teixeira explains why Sergei Pavlovich presents a better stylistic matchup than Ciryl Gane “Poatan” is coming off a second-round technical knockout loss to Gane in his heavyweight debut at UFC Freedom 250 in June. Teixeira believes his protégé will fare better against Pavlovich, who lacks Gane’s footwork and evasiveness.

Speaking to Sherdog, Teixeira welcomed the matchup, which he predicts will end before the fifth round. The former light heavyweight champion also outlined Pereira’s path to victory and reiterated his goal of becoming the first…

Real American Freestyle has announced five additional matchups for its first Abu Dhabi event, scheduled for Nov. 14 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island.

Arman Tsarukyan will face Neiman Gracie in a catchweight crossover bout, while Kyle Dake and Kennedy Blades will defend their RAF titles against Alp Arslan Begenjov and Bella Mir, respectively.

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Arman Tsarukyan faces Neiman Gracie as Zabit Magomedsharipov meets Giga Chikadze under freestyle wrestling rules Tsarukyan (24-3), one of the top contenders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division, will meet Gracie under freestyle wrestling rules. He has become a regular on the RAF circuit while remaining active in mixed martial arts. Gracie (13-6), a Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist, previously competed in Bellator and the Professional Fighters League.

Dake will defend his RAF cruiserweight title against Begenjov, while Blades will defend her women’s middleweight title against Mir. The card will…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Tim Kennedy was reportedly wounded in an ambush in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to MMA Weekly, Kennedy was part of a three-man team that came under fire last month. The outlet reported that he sustained multiple gunshot wounds before being evacuated to the United States for treatment. It described his condition as stable.

Tim Kennedy reportedly shot three times in Congo attack that killed Justin ConaglenKennedy, who competed professionally in mixed martial arts from 2001 to 2016, was reportedly shot during an operation in the Central African country, according to The New Zealand Herald. The purpose of his reported presence there remains unclear.

The outlet cited speculation linking the operation to a private security company associated with Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a possible confrontation with Russia’s Africa Corps. Neither claim has been confirmed.

MMA Weekly reported that the atta…

Jake Paul has been medically cleared to return to boxing after recovering from the broken jaw he suffered in his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua last year, according to his promoter.

Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian announced Thursday that Paul had been cleared to return to the ring. The YouTuber-turned-boxer also shared a list of potential fights spanning boxing and mixed martial arts, including matchups with several current and former Ultimate Fighting Championship athletes.

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Jake Paul names Conor McGregor, Sean Strickland and Francis Ngannou as possible opponents Paul hasn’t competed since Joshua stopped him in the sixth round in December 2025. The defeat left “The Problem Child” with a broken jaw that required surgery, followed by a second procedure in February.

“Jake Paul has been cleared to return to the boxing ring,” Bidarian wrote on X.

Paul’s list included Canelo Alvarez, Ryan Garcia and Francis Ngannou. He also name…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will host another card at Meta Apex in Las Vegas this Saturday.How to watch Brendan Allen vs. Christian Leroy Duncan in the US and UKHere’s a brief rundown for those who intend to watch the event.

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How to watch UFC Vegas 122 in the United States UFC Vegas 122 goes down at Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Oct. 10. The card airs live in the U.S. on Paramount+ with the prelims starting at 5 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m. PT, followed by the main card at 8 p.m. ET/ 5 p.m. PT.

Surging middleweight contenders Brendan Allen (27-7) and Christian Leroy Duncan (15-2) will headline the card. Allen is coming off wins over Marvin Vettori, Reinier de Ridder and Edmen Shahbazyan. Meanwhile, Duncan is riding a five-fight winning streak, topped off by victories against Roman Dolidze and Jared Cannonier.

How to watch UFC Vegas 122 in the United States Fans in the U.K. and Ireland can watch the UFC Vegas 122 prelims on TNT Sports and UFC Fight Pass at 10 p…

Christian Leroy Duncan believes a win over Brendan Allen would warrant a shot at Ultimate Fighting Championship gold or a matchup with a former titleholder.

Duncan (15-2) is scheduled to headline UFC Vegas 122 against Allen (27-7) on Saturday at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The Englishman has defeated Roman Dolidze and Jared Cannonier in his last two outings and hopes a victory over Allen will earn him one of those opportunities.

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Christian Leroy Duncan targets former champion as next step after Brendan Allen Duncan is 8-2 in the UFC and has won five straight fights. He believes an impressive performance against Allen could propel him past other middleweight contenders or put him one step closer to a title shot.

‘I don’t see why not [a title shot next],” Duncan told MMA Fighting. “We get a good performance this weekend, I don’t see why not… Brendan Allen being Top 4, it puts us in that title contention section where we’ve got Strickland and Imavov who a…

Josh Hokit believes Alexander Volkov will never get a chance to fight him.

Hokit (10-0) is scheduled to challenge Ciryl Gane (14-2, one no contest) for the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Volkov has criticized Hokit since the title fight was announced, and the American has responded.

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Josh Hokit says Alexander Volkov will never get his chance, mocks heavyweight résumé Volkov considers Hokit an easy matchup and predicts that Gane will defeat the unbeaten contender. In response, Hokit compared their records, noting that he defeated Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes, both of whom beat Volkov.

“Drago” has won consecutive decisions over Jailton Almeida and Waldo Cortes-Acosta and is scheduled to face Rizvan Kuniev at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi. Hokit added that Blaydes defeated both Almeida and Kuniev. “The Incredible Hok” claims he will already be dominating the light heav…

Colby Covington has brought Daniel Cormier into his latest feud with Jon Jones.

Jones’ protégé, Gable Steveson, was knocked out by Sean Sharaf in a major upset at UFC 331 in September in Los Angeles. Covington subsequently blamed Jones’ “bad energy” for Steveson’s loss. Jones responded by saying that Covington, his former college roommate, hasn’t achieved even a fraction of what he has in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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Colby Covington tells Gable Steveson to leave Jon Jones for Daniel Cormier Covington responded by citing domestic abuse allegations against Jones. “Chaos” said Jones’ professional achievements don’t excuse his alleged conduct outside the cage. The former interim welterweight champion then suggested that Steveson train with Daniel Cormier, Jones’ longtime rival.

“The things I say only bother you because they’re true,” Covington wrote on X. “You’re a narcissistic abusive sociopath. Your achievements inside the Octagon don’t make y…

Brendan Allen has criticized Dricus Du Plessis for allegedly avoiding a fight with him.

A matchup between Allen and du Plessis was reportedly in the works in January. According to Allen, the bout fell through after he was told du Plessis was injured. Du Plessis went on to face former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Kamaru Usman in July, winning by unanimous decision.

Brendan Allen explains why he believes he was a tougher opponent than Kamaru Usman Allen has accused du Plessis of avoiding him in favor of an easier fight against Usman. “All In” acknowledges that the 39-year-old former welterweight champion remains a bigger draw. However, Allen believes he presents a tougher matchup, prompting du Plessis to take the “easier fight.”

“I know he’s had the opportunity to fight me and he took the easier route,” Allen told UFC on Paramount+. “He can say whatever he wants; it’s a fact. We were supposed to fight. And somehow it got worked that Kamaru’s name got thrown…