Martial Arts News

Joe Rogan has renewed his partnership with Spotify through a multiyear licensing agreement.

The streaming platform announced Thursday that it had reached a new agreement with Rogan for his podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience.” New episodes will continue to be released each week on Spotify and other platforms.

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Joe Rogan's new Spotify deal follows previous agreement with reported $250 million potential value Spotify did not disclose the financial terms of its new deal with the longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship commentator. However, The Wall Street Journal reported that the agreement has terms similar to Rogan’s previous deal, which had an estimated potential payout of $250 million.

“The partnership with Spotify has been an amazing fit, and they’re incredible to work with,” Rogan said. “I’m extremely happy and excited to continue with them for years to come.”

The podcast has more than 18 million followers on Spotify and is the platform’s mo…

The Professional Fighters League has added a featherweight matchup to its upcoming event in Lyon, France.

Brandon Brachet will face Adam Meskini on Dec. 19 on the undercard of PFL Lyon.

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Brandon Brachet brings seven-fight winning streak into PFL debut Brachet (9-1) and Meskini (11-3) will meet at LDLC Arena in the promotion’s final event of the year, headlined by Taylor Lapilus vs. Mitchell McKee for the bantamweight championship.

Brachet enters on a seven-fight winning streak, with his latest victory coming against Kevin Robledo in June 2025. The Frenchman will make his PFL debut after an extended layoff, facing Meskini, who is 3-1 in the promotion.

The PFL Lyon card as of Oct. 7:

Taylor Lapilus vs. Mitchell McKee (bantamweight title fight)

Bryan Battle vs. Boris Mbarga Atangana (middleweight)

Abdoul Abdouraguimov vs. Andreeas Binder (welterweight)

Fabian Edwards vs. Ilian Bouafia (middleweight)

Baris Adiguzel vs. Lia…

Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis are set to meet for the third time after two bouts in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Real American Freestyle announced Wednesday that Cerrone and Pettis will compete in a wrestling match at RAF 15 on Nov. 28 at NOW Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. Both former UFC fighters will make their RAF debuts.

Pettis enters third Cerrone meeting with two UFC victories Pettis won both previous meetings in the Octagon. “Showtime” stopped Cerrone with a first-round knockout in 2013 and earned a unanimous decision in their 2020 rematch.

Cerrone retired from mixed martial arts after a submission loss to Jim Miller in 2022. Pettis last competed professionally in MMA in August 2022, when he lost a unanimous decision to Stevie Ray in the Professional Fighters League.

COWBOY VS SHOWTIME 🔥 MMA legends Donald Cerrone and Anthony Pettis face off at #RAF15 in Chicago on NOV 28 Tickets in bio. Watch on @foxnation https://t…

Natalia Silva has responded to Cong Wang’s eye-poke claim, Dana White’s assessment of their title fight and Valentina Shevchenko’s warning.

Silva captured the vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight title by defeating Wang by unanimous decision in the UFC 332 main event on Oct. 3 in Salt Lake City, extending her UFC winning streak to nine and her overall run to 15 consecutive victories. She plans to make her first title defense in 2027.

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Natalia Silva disputes Cong Wang's eye-poke claim and Dana White's UFC 332 assessment Speaking to Sherdog, Silva addressed several post-fight developments. In a video posted on social media after the bout, Wang claimed an eye poke early in the fight affected her performance. Silva disputed the Chinese flyweight’s account, insisting that her hand was closed.

“I saw what she said after the fight. She said my finger brushed against her eye, but my hand was closed,” Silva said. “It wasn’t an illegal eye …

Esteban Ribovics has described his victory over King Green as the most satisfying of his career.

Ribovics (17-3) stopped Green (36-18-1, 1 NC) in the first round of their Ultimate Fighting Championship catchweight bout at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 in Salt Lake City, knocking down the veteran three times before referee Herb Dean stopped the fight.

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Esteban Ribovics details heated confrontation with King Green and Arnold Barboza Jr. Tensions between the fighters escalated after Ribovics narrowly missed weight. The Argentine lightweight’s team then clashed with Green’s entourage, including professional boxer Arnold Barboza Jr., before the ceremonial weigh-ins.

Speaking to Hablemos MMA in Spanish, Ribovics said the prefight tension made the victory particularly rewarding.

“Yeah, you can say it's the most satisfying victory of my career because this was the first time they tried to bully me and treat me disrespectfully,” Ribovics said. “So yeah, at that mo…

Johnny Walker already has his next potential opponent in mind.

The Brazilian made his UFC heavyweight debut at UFC 332, knocking out Mick Parkin with a knee at 3:35 of the opening round. Walker has now asked the Ultimate Fighting Championship for a bout against divisional veteran Marcin Tybura.

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Johnny Walker targets Marcin Tybura for December UFC fight Walker told talkSPORT that he wants to face Tybura in December, preferably at UFC 335 in Las Vegas.

“I’ve asked for Marcin Tybura for my next fight. If he’s ready for December, I would like to fight him,” Walker said.

The 40-year-old Tybura has lost three straight bouts, dropping unanimous decisions to Tyrell Fortune and Aleksandar Rakic after being knocked out by Ante Delija in September 2025. His last victory came against Parkin in March 2025.

Walker wants more experience at heavyweight before facing the division’s elite. He said Tybura’s decade in the UFC makes him an ideal opponent. Read more

Christian Leroy Duncan acknowledges that Brendan Allen has the edge in experience ahead of their main event in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Duncan (15-2) will headline a UFC card for the first time when he faces Allen at UFC Vegas 122 on Oct. 10 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The Englishman believes his hunger to climb the middleweight ranks and his improving skills will serve him well against a seasoned contender like Allen (27-7).

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Christian Leroy Duncan on the experience gap with Brendan Allen Duncan believes his development over the past few years will play a key role against Allen. He says his technical understanding of mixed martial arts is catching up to his raw talent and athleticism.

“As much as I've been here now, three, three years, I still say I'm quite… I came into the UFC quite green and I'm still refining, you know? I'm definitely becoming a mature fighter,” Duncan said in a prefight interview. “My IQ and my knowledge of the game …

Chris Leben is set to return to mixed martial arts nearly 13 years after his last Ultimate Fighting Championship appearance.

Black Combat announced Wednesday that Leben will face Yoshihiro Akiyama at its Black Combat 17: Vantablack event on Nov. 21 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea. The bout will serve as Akiyama’s retirement fight, according to the promotion.

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Chris Leben and Yoshihiro Akiyama first fought at UFC 116 in 2010 Leben (22-12) and Akiyama (16-7) first met at UFC 116 in 2010. Leben accepted the matchup on short notice and rallied to submit Akiyama with a triangle choke in the third round.

Leben, 46, hasn’t competed in MMA since December 2013, when he lost to Uriah Hall. The UFC veteran announced his retirement from MMA in January 2014, with plans to focus on coaching. He later signed with Bellator in 2016, but his comeback was halted after medical tests revealed a serious heart condition.

Leben eventually competed in bare-k…

Dricus Du Plessis is open to fighting Roberto Soldic again.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder recently discussed a potential trilogy bout against Soldic after the Croatian made a successful UFC debut at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 in Salt Lake City. The two are 1-1 against each other, having traded finishes in a pair of bouts under the KSW banner in 2018.

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Dricus du Plessis welcomes a potential middleweight trilogy with Roberto Soldic Soldic lost the KSW welterweight title to du Plessis in April 2018, suffering a second-round technical knockout defeat. “Robocop” reclaimed the belt nearly six months later, knocking out du Plessis in the third round of their rematch.

While du Plessis joined the UFC after his stint in KSW, Soldic competed in One Championship before signing with the UFC earlier this year. He made his Octagon debut at welterweight against Kalinn Williams, winning by unanimous decision.

When asked about Soldi…

Sean Strickland and Nassourdine Imavov had a heated confrontation in Las Vegas.

Imavov (17-4) confronted Strickland (31-7) as the middleweight champion was leaving the Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance Institute in Las Vegas. Imavov questioned Strickland about their potential title bout before security intervened as tensions escalated.

Nassourdine Imavov demands answers from Sean Strickland at UFC Performance Institute Imavov asked Strickland why he had yet to sign a contract to fight him. The Frenchman even offered to pay the champion to face him. Strickland, who is known for his confrontational demeanor, appeared reluctant to engage and tried to walk away. Imavov continued to taunt Strickland and attempted to pursue him as a UFC staff member tried to calm him down.

“What is your problem? You not sign contract?” Imavov said. “Where’s the problem? Money? I have money. The problem is that he talks sh*t every time on social media. I’m here now, he’s going. He’s …

Brendan Allen believes he will dominate Christian Leroy Duncan unless he gets caught with a lucky shot.

Allen (27-7) and Duncan (15-2) are scheduled to clash in an Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight main event at UFC Vegas 122 on Oct. 10 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Allen acknowledges that Duncan's explosive style gives him a puncher's chance but remains confident in his technical superiority in all aspects of mixed martial arts.

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Brendan Allen believes Christian Leroy Duncan must catch him clean at UFC Vegas 122 While Allen acknowledges that Duncan might be more athletic, he believes he is more durable than the Englishman. “All In” predicts a one-sided beating unless Duncan catches him with a clean shot.

“I think just his flashy style; the only way he wins is to catch me,” Allen said during media day. “I don’t think anywhere else he can beat me. I don’t think he can wrestle better than me. We know his jiu-jitsu is not better than mine. I th…

A lightweight bout scheduled for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming trip to New York City has been scrapped after both fighters suffered injuries.

Nazim Sadykhov and Jefferson Nascimento were scheduled to square off at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. However, Nascimento withdrew due to an injury. Sadykhov subsequently revealed that he also decided to pull out and asked the UFC not to seek a replacement opponent.

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Nazim Sadykhov explains withdrawal after Jefferson Nascimento injury Sadykhov said he suffered an injury early in training camp and has been dealing with it for more than five weeks. He and his team initially planned to work around the issue but decided to withdraw after learning that Nascimento was out of the matchup.

“Salam guys. Good news and bad news,” Sadykhov wrote on Instagram. “Bad news is I won’t be fighting in MSG. I suffered an injury on the first days of camp and have been dealing with th…