Martial Arts News

Mauricio Ruffy enters the biggest fight of his career as a sizable underdog, but the Brazilian’s former and current team are confident he has the tools to spring an upset.

Ruffy will meet Arman Tsarukyan in the co-headliner of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming event in Los Angeles. His former coach, Fighting Nerds’ Pablo Sucupira, and his new teammate, UFC featherweight champ Alexander Volkanovski, view the matchup as the perfect opportunity to make a statement.

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Pablo Sucupira backs Mauricio Ruffy to score a statement knockout against Arman Tsarukyan Sucupira claims the odds might reflect an overemphasis on Ruffy's loss to Benoit St. Denis, in which the former was taken down and finished. The Brazilian coach explained that the loss to St. Denis was an outlier and that the likes of Michael Chandler and Rafael Fiziev failed to secure takedowns against Ruffy.

“I don’t just think Ruffy is going to win; I think he’s going to send a message …

Dana White’s Contender Series returns on Sept. 15 for Week 6 of Season 10, with five more matchups set to go down at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.Dana White’s Contender Series Week 6 is official with Zevan Hunt vs. Mayton Perea The Week 6 lineup features fights across the featherweight, middleweight, lightweight and welterweight divisions, with Zevan Hunt (170) and Mayton Perea (171) set to headline the card. Additionally, Oscar Ravello (184.5) takes on Igor Cavalcanti (184.5) and Akbar Abdullaev (155) meets Ednilson Barros Santos (156).Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 Week 6 weigh-in results Mayton Perea (171) vs. Zevan Hunt (170)Igor Cavalcanti (184.5) vs. Oscar Ravello (184.5)Akbar Abdullaev (155) vs. Ednilson Barros Santos (156)Luis Hernandez (185) vs. Hugo Guillon (185)Tyshawn Williams (146) vs. Antonio Monteiro (145.5)

Bare Knuckle Boxing will make its Mexico debut on Sept. 19, with a pair of world championship fights topping the promotion’s BKB 59 card in Tijuana.

The event, which is being held in partnership with Zanfer Boxing, will feature seven bouts on the main card and five additional matchups on TikTok Live.

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BKB 59 features Julian Fernandez vs. Dan Podmore and two world title fights Julian “El Guerrero Mexicano” Fernandez will defend the BKB super cruiserweight championship against former three-division titleholder Dan “Big Pod” Podmore in the main event at Auditorio Municipal. The vacant BKB super flyweight championship will be contested in the co-main event when Cecy Ulloa meets Andy “The CrAsian” Nguyen.BKB 59: All the fights BKB 59 Main Card BKB super cruiserweight world championship main event: Julian Fernandez vs. Dan PodmoreBKB super flyweight world championship co-main event: Cecy Ulloa vs. Andy NguyenSuper middleweight: Romario Ovalle vs. Marco Chino…

Khamzat Chimaev could take another hiatus from the Octagon if the Ultimate Fighting Championship fails to offer him a fight by the end of the year.

The former UFC middleweight champion had initially targeted a return in October in Abu Dhabi. Chimaev now says he’s reached a point where he may take time away from competition to address several lingering health issues.

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Khamzat Chimaev says lingering injuries could force a break from UFC competition Speaking to Adam Zubayraev, Chimaev revealed that he might take a break if he doesn’t get a fight by the end of 2026 to address some niggling health issues. “Borz” doesn’t want to compete compromised again, having done so several times previously.

“If nothing happens in October or December, I think I’ll take a little break,” Chimaev said. “I have a lot of injuries that I need to get treated. I’ve been putting off my surgeries, putting them off, putting them off, and I go into every fight with some kind of p…

Conor McGregor is making progress in his recovery from the knee injury that forced an anticlimactic end to his Octagon return.

McGregor ended a five-year hiatus from action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 329, where a knee injury prompted a referee stoppage just 69 seconds into the bout. He damaged his ACL and meniscus, having recently undergone surgery to commence his recovery and rehabilitation.

Conor McGregor continues recovery from knee injury suffered at UFC 329 McGregor was spotted using crutches, with a fresh scar on his knee, by TMZ. The Irishman was photographed leaving Gravitas, a members-only spot in Beverly Hills.

The former two-division champion has one fight left on his current UFC contract. He’s eyeing his Octagon swansong for the summer of 2027, previously revealing on social media that next year’s International Fight Week is his targeted return date.

Conor McGregor Spotted Using Crutches, No Brace After ACL Sur…

Jean Silva claims his victory over Jose Delgado unfolded almost exactly as his team predicted.

Silva made a statement in his second Ultimate Fighting Championship headliner, submitting Delgado in the main event of Noche UFC 4 on Sept. 12 in Glendale, Arizona. The Brazilian later revealed that he and his team prepared specifically for the sequence that ultimately ended the fight.

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Fighting Nerds prepared Jean Silva for the sequence that submitted Jose Delgado Silva locked in a one-arm rear-naked choke to force the tap from Delgado in the third round of their clash. “Lord” says his Fighting Nerds coaches had him ready for all the threats Delgado poses and identified the route to victory long before fight night.

“It’s crazy to say this, but it went just as we rehearsed back at home,” Silva said in a post-fight interview. “We knew exactly what was going to happen, the way that he was going to charge, the position that he was going to have and the way …

Carlos Prates’ preparation for his first Ultimate Fighting Championship title bout is underway.

Prates is seemingly set to challenge Islam Makhachev for the welterweight championship next. Makhachev, who recorded his first title defense at 170 pounds against Ian Garry in August, has singled out Prates as his next opponent. The Russian recently revealed when he’ll return to action and Prates is training hard to give the pound-for-pound king a rough outing.

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Carlos Prates predicts Islam Makhachev will fall to 29-2 in potential UFC title fight Makhachev (29-1) claims he’s looking to return to the Octagon before Ramadan, eyeing late 2026 and early 2027 for his second title defense. Prates (24-7) shared a message for Makhachev on social media, confirming that he’s already training for the Dagestani.

“Yes, Makhachev… Whatever I’m going through here at this gym, somebody is going to pay for it,” Prates said on his Instagram stories. “And guess who’s going …

Tom Aspinall's lengthy absence could force the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title to be vacated.

Aspinall has not competed since October last year, when his fight with Ciryl Gane ended in a no contest after illegal eye pokes left him unable to continue. The heavyweight champion suffered injuries to both eyes that required surgery and there is still no firm confirmation of his return. UFC CEO Dana White recently weighed in on what’s next in the heavyweight title picture.

Dana White says the UFC will discuss Tom Aspinall’s heavyweight championship status amid his injury absence With Valentina Shevchenko recently vacating the UFC women's flyweight championship after an injury, White was asked whether Aspinall would do the same during the Ryan Garcia vs. Conor Benn post-fight presser.

“We’ll definitely be talking about that,” White told reporters. “It’s one of those – like, Valentina doesn’t want to tie up the division. And I’m assuming Tom feels the same way…

Sean O'Malley had an unexpected incident with a fan while on cornering duty.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight titleholder was in teammate Tommy McMillen’s corner for his featherweight bout against Marwan Rahiki at Noche UFC 4, marking the fan favorite’s first time cornering in an arena. O’Malley recently detailed his experience, including his reaction to a heckling fan.

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Sean O’Malley details bizarre fan encounter while cornering Tommy McMillen at Noche UFC 4 O’Malley recalled an exchange with a heckling fan during McMillen’s walkout in a video posted to his YouTube channel. He claims the fan was hurling expletives at McMillen just before the walkout, prompting the former champ to roll his cap into a ball and throw it at him.

“This one f*cking drunk cowboy guy was shouting, ‘F*ck you Tommy, you f*cking p*ssy,’ for like two minutes,” O’Malley said. “I grabbed my hat and rolled it into a ball and I got it into a nice ball and ri…

Jose Delgado thoroughly enjoyed the experience of fighting Jean Silva, regardless of the outcome.

Delgado headlined for the first time in the Ultimate Fighting Championship against Silva on Sept. 12 in front of a home crowd at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Delgado was a massive underdog going into the toughest matchup of his career so far, and while he had his moments, he ultimately came up short.

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Jose Delgado reflects on his submission loss to Jean Silva at Noche UFC 4 Delgado (12-3) gave early hope of an upset as he dropped Silva (18-3) in the first round with a clean cross-hook combo. However, Silva, who had unusually low output in the first round, managed to survive. The Brazilian started gaining momentum in the second stanza as Delgado struggled to find his range, before locking in a slick one-arm rear-naked choke to force a tap in the third period.

Addressing his loss to Silva at Noche UFC 4, Delgado says he enjoyed every moment…

Merab Dvalishvili didn’t rejoice in Umar Nurmagomedov’s knockout loss despite their rivalry.

Nurmagomedov took on Yadong Song in a pivotal bantamweight clash in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Shanghai, China, in August. The latter perfectly timed an uppercut to knock Nurmagomedov out cold, marking the first stoppage defeat of the Dagestani’s professional career.

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Dvalishvili praises Yadong Song and eyes a future fight after the UFC Shanghai upset While Dvalishvili (21-5) has always been vocal about his dislike for Nurmagomedov (20-2), he claims he wasn’t happy to see his former foe get knocked out so viciously at UFC Shanghai. However, the former champ was happy for Song and is excited by a future matchup with the Chinese 135-pounder.

“Song Yadong’s performance was impressive,” Dvalishvili said in a recent interview. “I always know that guy is dangerous. When I see Umar lose that way, I was not happy because I never wish somebody to lose or …

Arman Tsarukyan is reportedly taking his collaborations with streamers to the next level.

Tsarukyan (23-3) is scheduled to fight Mauricio Ruffy (14-2) on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Streamer Mikyle Rafiq, aka N3on, claims he will be cornering Tsarukyan for the fight along with former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder Khamzat Chimaev.

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N3on says he and Khamzat Chimaev will corner Arman Tsarukyan against Mauricio Ruffy Apart from walking out with the top-ranked UFC lightweight, N3on also claims that Tsarukyan will be walking out to his track, “She wanna hang with an Indian.” N3on is very confident that he will be in Tsarukyan’s corner at UFC 331, allegedly having sent in his corner kit size to the UFC.

“It is a 100% locked in,” N3on said on his Kick stream. “I’ll be in Arman Tsarukyan’s corner for his fight on the 19th. He’s gonna be walking out to ‘She wanna hang with an Indian.’ I’m gonna be standing right next…