Martial Arts News

Lone'er Kavanagh earned the biggest win of his career on Saturday in Mexico City. | Getty/UFC

Lone'er Kavanagh was originally supposed to face Bruno Silva on March 14, but when the UFC came calling to offer a former champion in hostile territory on short notice, the British prospect didn’t hesitate.

The gamble paid off, as Kavanagh took a five-round verdict over Brandon Moreno in the UFC Mexico headliner at Arena CDMX in Mexico City on Saturday night. In victory, Kavanagh was able to rebound from a knockout loss to Charles Johnson in his last outing at UFC Shanghai this past August.

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“Sometimes you’ve just got to say f—k the fear and do it,” Kavanagh said told the UFC. “Believe in yourself, believe in the people behind you and let the rest write itself.”

Kavanagh outworked Moreno on the feet behind his jab and impactful low kicks, and he stuffed all eight of his opponent’s takedown attempts over the course of the 25-minute affair. St…

While Charles Oliveira catches crabs for fun now, that was not always the case. 

Oliveira recently revisited the coastal town of Guaruja, Brazil, where he was raised. Oliveira also went crab hunting, an activity he initially started for fun as a kid. However, “Do Bronx” gradually started catching crabs to make money to help his family and his MMA career. Oliveira recalls that he would also give his grandmother some crabs. The former UFC lightweight champion now has the luxury of going crab catching as a hobby. As Oliveira digs in the mud for crabs, he says he is in his “natural habitat.” 

A Way of Life“Right now we’re at Claudevan’s ranch,” Oliveira said in a UFC Countdown video. “I have been coming here since I was a kid. This is where we go fishing, catch crabs, and reconnect with nature a bit. At first, I’d just do it for fun with my friends and uncles when I lived here. Later on, I started doing it to make some money to help with competitions and my family…

Merab Dvalishvili wants to see a fair wrestling match between Georgio Poullas and Arman Tsarukyan. 

Tsarukyan and Poullas met in a wrestling match at RAF 6 on Saturday. The match was chaotic from the onset, with Tsarukyan accusing Poullas of repeatedly slapping him. Tsarukyan defeated Poullas on points and decided to take revenge by punching him. Members of both teams immediately spilled onto the canvas as the whole place erupted into a massive brawl 

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Dvalishvili, who was also attending the event, wants to see a rematch against Tsarukyan and Poullas. While Dvalishvili admits that the drama was fun to watch, he wants to see the winner between Tsarukyan and Poullas in a fair match. Dvalishvili urged Poullas to make peace with Tsarukyan and book a rematch.

“First, I want you and Arman to shake hands and make this rematch again,” Dvalishvili told Poullas. “I know you guys were slapping each other, it was fun to watch, but now I want to see th…

Dana White believes money is not the key to happiness. 

White recently shared some life advice with viral street photographer Peter Fouad, who goes around asking for life advice from famous personalities. White says if someone is unhappy when they are broke, they will likely be unhappy even when they are rich. White advises people to find something they like doing and try to be happy doing it every day. The UFC head honcho claims some of the happiest times of his life were when he was broke.

‘Money Changes Everything’“If you’re miserable when you’re broke, you’re gonna be really miserable when you make some money,” White said. “The key to life is be happy. Figure out what you like to do, get up and do it every day, and be as happy as you can possibly be. Some of the happiest times of my life was when I was broke. Money changes everything, I think. Not always [for the better]. If you’re happy when you’re broke, you should be happy when you have some money.”

White …

Aljamain Sterling claims he never gets opponents of his choice. 

Sterling defeated former UFC champion Benson Henderson in a wrestling match via fall at RAF 6 on Saturday. The former UFC bantamweight champion is now calling for a featherweight title shot against Alexander Volkanovski. Sterling also slammed Diego Lopes’ performance in his title rematch against Volkanovski at UFC 325 this past January.

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“I’ve been with the company since 2014, been calling my shot, defending the belt the most in the bantamweight division,” Sterling said at the said at the RAF post-fight press conference. “Give me my f——ing shot. I deserve a shot at the title, OG vs OG. I’m smarter than all these dumb motherf—-ers out there… Diego Lopes gets a f—-ng rematch, and he goes out there and fights worse after actually doing decent in the first fight. He can’t figure out how to do a lateral step to cut the cage.” ‘I’ve Never Turned Down Anybody’ Sterling is also ready …

Bobby Green wants a shot to compete at the UFC’s White House card. 

Green was a sizeable underdog going into his lightweight matchup against an up-and-coming Daniel Zellhuber at UFC Mexico on Saturday. Green led the dance from the opening bell and completely outstruck Zellhuber before knocking him out late in the second round in front of his home fans. 

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When asked about his next potential opponent, Green called for Nate Diaz to be re-signed to the UFC. However, Green later changed tune and called for a matchup against Michael Chandler at the White House in June.‘I’m a Great American’ “Michael Chandler at the White House, that would be dope,” Green said in an interview with the UFC. “I’d love to be on the White House lawn. I’m a great American. I want to show for the Black folks and say, ‘Hey America, this is what a standup Black American looks like.’ I’m showing the example to America and saying, ‘Hey, this is who I am. I represent America…

Dana White isn’t shy about his political alignment. 

White is an avid supporter of President Donald Trump and even actively campaigned for him in the 2024 elections. White’s relationship with Trump goes way back to when the UFC was on the verge of bankruptcy. While the sport was being condemned as “human cockfighting,” Trump opened the doors of his casino to host UFC fights. Trump has since been closely associated with White and has become a regular at major UFC events. 

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White’s unabashed political tie with Trump inevitably poses the question of whether it will affect the UFC fan base. However, White isn’t one to take the road to safety by being non-political. The UFC president and CEO says that people with opposing political opinions can just be authentic without agreeing with each other.‘Just Be Authentic’“How about you be authentic and just be yourself? Just be authentic,” White told CBS Sunday Morning. “You don’t have to agree with me …

Khamzat Chimaev seemingly wants to make his first UFC middleweight title defense against Sean Strickland. 

Chimaev recently called for a wrestling match against Colby Covington at RAF.

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“Next RAF I will make American boy humble again colbiclown let’s go,” Chimaev wrote.

Next RAF I will make American boy humble again colbiclown let’s go 🦾😂

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) March 1, 2026 When a fan asked if Chimaev is currently injured, the middleweight champion said that he is waiting for Strickland. 

“No I waiting for [Strickland],” Chimaev replied.

No I waiting for strikiland

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) March 1, 2026 Grudge Match Brewing? Strickland responded with an American flag, expressing his interest in the booking.

👊🇺🇲 https://t.co/NcMepsZbts

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) March 1, 2026

Chimaev won the middleweight title against D…

Bad blood between Arman Tsarukyan and Georgio Poullas erupted into a post-fight brawl at Real American Freestyle 6 in Tempe, Arizona, on Saturday.

pic.twitter.com/GucttN4zpk

— ً. (@C0MB4TT) March 1, 2026

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Tsarukyan defeated Poullas via decision in a wrestling match that featured a number of chippy moments, including a backhanded slap from the UFC lightweight. When the match concluded, Tsarukyan shoved Poullas down and landed a right hand and a knee before he was separated from his opponent. At that point, chaos ensued as people rushed the mats.Poullas, Tsarukyan React “Unfortunately, I was jumped,” Poullas said on social media. “But as you guys saw my 62-year-old dad and both my brothers came to my rescue. That’s the way we were brought up. To fight for each other no matter what. We were outnumbered by like 12 Armenians and they came out running, fighting with me, fighting for me. So that’s f—king love. That’s how we were rai…

Jon Jones' last Octagon appearance came in November 2024. | Getty/UFC

Jon Jones may still get his wish of fighting at the UFC’s White House event before all is said and done.

During a meet and greet at the Brook Casino in New Hampshire, the former two-division champion revealed he was in still talks with the promotion to compete on the highly-anticipated card.

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”I’m in negotiations with the UFC about this White House thing, as well,” Jones said (video via Championship Rounds). “I’m a very, very, very proud American, and I cannot wait to represent one more time. So, we’ll see what happens.”

🚨 Jon Jones reveals he's in talks to fight on the UFC White House card 👀

"I'm in negotiations with the UFC about this White House [fight] as well. I'm a very proud American, and I cannot wait to represent one more time." pic.twitter.com/5dySHjvDc4

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 1, 2026

Jones hasn’t foug…

Francis Marshall is reaping the harvest of his hard work. 

Marshall faced Erik Silva in a featherweight matchup on the prelims at UFC Mexico on Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. Marshall justified his heavy favorite status by submitting Silva with a rear-naked choke in the very first round. Marshall revealed that while he originally planned to spend some more time on his feet, his opponent’s wild haymakers caught him off guad. When Marshall heard his corner calling for a double leg, he didn’t hesitate.

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“I would have liked to stay on the feet a little bit more but he was throwing some wild stuff at me that I wasn’t really expecting,” Marshall said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “So safe bet, heard coach from the corner saying, ‘Jab-double leg.’ Listened to what coach said, jab-double leg, and from there I know my grappling is very high level. So I was just able to secure the finish there.”Singular Focus Marshall (9-3) w…

Regina Tarin is not to be judged by her baby face. 

Ernesta Kareckaite was originally scheduled to face Sofia Montenegro in a flyweight bout at UFC Mexico. However, Montenegro pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Mexico’s Tarin on three days’ notice. “Kill Bill” made her UFC debut against Kareckaite in a 130-pound catchweight bout. A sizeable underdog going into the fight, Tarin outstruck her opponent to earn a unanimous decision victory. 

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The 21-year-old Tarin is now the second youngest fighter on the current UFC roster. Tarin warns her future opponents not to judge her by her looks. While Tarin knows she looks like a little girl at 21, she says her Octagon persona, “Kill Bill,” is a whole different person.Another Person in the Octagon “I know I look like a little girl,” said in a post-fight interview. “I am a girl, I’m 21, but I’m ready. I’m training all the day. So my face is not me. Regina is here, but ‘Kill Bill’ i…