Martial Arts News

Ultimate Fighting Championship employee Salhahuddin Everett is now on the promotion’s roster.

Everett entered Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 on Tuesday with a perfect 4-0 record. He faced fellow unbeaten prospect Ozzy Martin at Meta Apex in Las Vegas and earned a knockout at the 1:57 mark of the first round.

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Salhahuddin Everett knocked out Ozzy Martin to earn a UFC contract at DWCS Week 9 Everett initially joined the UFC through a third-party security agency before eventually becoming a full-time runner for UFC CEO Dana White. “Bundy” secured four straight finishes to begin his pro career and earn a shot at a UFC contract on DWCS.

He unleashed a barrage of punches on Martin, knocking him out to punch his ticket to the roster. Everett then issued a warning to UFC welterweights, saying he won’t back down from any challenge.

“Hey boss, I am ready to be in the UFC,” Everett said in his post-fight interview. “The whole divisio…

Alexander Volkov predicts a hilarious press conference exchange between Alex Pereira and Sergei Pavlovich.

Pereira and Pavlovich are scheduled to collide in an Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight matchup at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Given both fighters’ limited English, Volkov jokingly previewed the back-and-forth between the Brazilian and the Russian.

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Volkov believes Sergei Pavlovich’s power makes him a dangerous stylistic matchup for Pereira Jokes aside, Volkov believes Pavlovich is a bad stylistic matchup for Pereira. He predicts that his countryman’s power will be too much for “Poatan” to handle.

“It will be a very awesome press conference with both of them,” Volkov told Helen Yee. “One of them will say, ‘We’ll see,’ and the other one will say, ‘Chama.’ But I see Alex Pereira going on a losing streak because it’s a very hard matchup for him. Pavlovich punches very hard. Considering [Pereira’s] style, it is a very…

Shavkat Rakhmonov’s return fight could be a welterweight title eliminator.

After being sidelined by recurring knee injuries since December 2024, Rakhmonov has teased a fight against an undefeated opponent with the same record. While he didn’t reveal a name, he appears to be hinting at top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Michael Morales.

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Shavkat Rakhmonov’s clue points to undefeated UFC contender Michael Morales Rakhmonov hasn’t fought since a win over Ian Garry nearly two years ago. “Nomad” was seen in a protective boot as recently as this past summer but now appears to have a potential opponent in mind.

“19-0 vs 19-0,” Rakhmonov wrote in a TikTok caption.

The only UFC welterweight with the same record as Rakhmonov is Morales, who also recently hinted at a fight booking. Rakhmonov was on the cusp of fighting for a title before his injury setbacks and was subsequently removed from the official welterweight rankings after und…

Dana White is irked with the media for repeatedly bringing up Eddie Hearn during his press conferences.

White and Hearn’s rivalry has been heating up ahead of the long-awaited bout between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, scheduled for Dec. 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. While White claims he’s involved in promoting and producing the fight alongside Turki Alalshikh, Hearn repeatedly says the Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO isn’t.

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Dana White guarantees he will produce and promote Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua According to Hearn, White cannot get involved in the fight without his approval because of contractual restrictions. The Matchroom Boxing chairman recently said Sela, one of the companies promoting the fight, gave him White’s number to arrange a meeting. While Hearn claims to have texted White, he said White didn’t reply.

Responding to Hearn at the Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 Week 9 press conference, the Zuffa Boxi…

Islam Makhachev has finally found a serious candidate for one of his Dagestan training offers.

Makhachev’s iconic line, “Send two-three years to Dagestan and forget,” was first used by him to encourage Daniel Cormier to send his son to Russia for wrestling training. While the line has since become part of mixed martial arts folklore, Makhachev has rarely found any serious takers. Unbeaten Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight Navajo Stirling, however, is waiting for an invite.

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Navajo Stirling says he is serious about training in Dagestan if Makhachev extends an invitation Stirling posted a picture of himself wearing a papakha, a traditional wool hat associated with the Caucasus, and wrote on Instagram:

“Islam Makhachev, our saviour, send me 2-3 year Dagestan and forget.”

Stirling has since reiterated that he’s serious about going to Dagestan to train. He noted that while Makhachev has been inviting veterans like Demetrious Johnson,…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship added four new fighters to its roster Tuesday, including a UFC employee.

Week 9 of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 went down Oct. 6 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas, where four finishes resulted in as many contracts.

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Dana White signs Mateus Soares, Roque Conceicao, Salhahuddin Everett and Preston LaGrange Alivia Bierley (6-1) and Summer Onley (6-1) kicked off the action, going the distance in their bantamweight bout. Bierley walked away with a unanimous decision win in a lackluster affair, and Dana White didn’t see enough to grant her a UFC contract.

“I had it 1-1 going into the third round,” White said. “And I felt like neither girl tried to really get in there and impose their will and really show they wanted to win that fight. I didn’t see that in that third round, and that’s what made me make my decision. So unfortunately, not tonight.”

While White was disappointed with the first fight, the second gave …

Islam Makhachev finally found a sport that tests his limits.

Makhachev recently played the traditional horseback sport of kok boru in Kyrgyzstan. The Kyrgyz game involves two teams on horseback trying to carry a goat carcass and put it in the opposing team’s goal.

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Islam Makhachev discovers how demanding Kyrgyzstan’s kok boru really is Makhachev revealed that he initially thought he would adapt to the sport with ease while watching it on tape. However, the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder was surprised by how difficult it really is.

While Makhachev’s team won the match, he credited his teammates for the victory. He found lifting the goat carcass to be one of the toughest parts of the game.

“To be honest, it seemed to be a bit easier on tape,” Makhachev said. “But it is very hard. A very intense and physical sport. I would say a very energy-consuming one. When I was watching it on tape, it seemed like I would play it with e…

Alexander Volkanovski sympathizes with Movsar Evloev.

Volkanovski is scheduled to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against Evloev at UFC 333 on Oct. 24. The Australian champion felt bad for his Russian counterpart after fans booed him at their press conference in September.

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Alexander Volkanovski says he felt bad as UFC fans booed Movsar Evloev Volkanovski and Evloev squared off at a press conference in Los Angeles during UFC 331 fight week to promote their upcoming title clash. Evloev was showered with boos while the crowd cheered for Volkanovski throughout the press conference.

Volkanovski recently revealed that he felt bad when the crowd booed Evloev. While Volkanovski understands why Evloev’s fighting style might not appeal to some fans, he noted that the undefeated contender has paid the price for it. “The Great” believes Evloev has long deserved a title shot and has been held back by his lack of finishes in the UF…

Ultimate Fighting Championship star Alex Pereira’s coach, Plinio Cruz, has a new opponent for his upcoming Misfits Boxing appearance.

Cruz was initially scheduled to face Chase DeMoor, who previously made headlines by beating Andrew Tate at Misfits Mania: The Fight Before Christmas in Dubai. However, DeMoor has withdrawn from the matchup due to an eye injury. Instead, DeMoor’s coach, Gary Olive, is set to step into the ring to face Cruz.

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Gary Olive replaces Chase DeMoor against Plinio Cruz at Misfits Boxing After DeMoor’s withdrawal, Olive will face Cruz in what Misfits Boxing has dubbed a “battle of the coaches.”

“When an opportunity comes knocking, I’ll answer that door,” Olive wrote on Instagram. “I’m forever grateful to Chase DeMoor for putting me in these positions because without him none of this is possible.”

Misfits Boxing announced the change on social media. The matchup is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10, at Copper Box Arena in Lond…

Alex Pereira and Sergei Pavlovich have reacted to their newly confirmed heavyweight matchup.

The former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder and the Russian heavyweight will meet in the co-main event of UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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Pereira and Pavlovich react to their UFC 335 heavyweight matchup Both Pereira (13-4) and Pavlovich (21-3) took to Instagram to react to their confirmed matchup at UFC 335. Pereira shared an AI-generated video following the announcement, captioning the post: “See you soon.”

“Poatan” enters the matchup after suffering a second-round technical knockout loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Freedom 250 in June in his UFC heavyweight debut.

Pavlovich responded on his own Instagram account with a similarly brief message: “Back in action soon.”

Pavlovich enters the matchup on a three-fight winning streak. The Russian most recently knocked out Tallison Teixeira in 39 seconds at UFC Macau…

The Professional Fighters League continues to bolster its upcoming event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

A lightweight matchup between Alexei Pergande (8-0) and Akhmed Magomedov (10-2) has been added to the PFL Dubai card, scheduled for Nov. 14 at Coca-Cola Arena and set to air on ESPN2.

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Alexei Pergande faces Akhmed Magomedov at PFL Dubai on Nov. 14 Pergande, 25, is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Julio Arce in March. The PFL prospect has competed exclusively under the promotional banner since turning professional and will make his first appearance outside the United States at PFL Dubai.

"I love this matchup because it’s another good name to have in my record," Pergande said about the fight.

Meanwhile, Magomedov returns to action after suffering a unanimous decision loss to A.J. McKee in July 2025.

PFL Dubai will be headlined by Vadim Nemkov vs. Sergey Bilostenniy for the heavyweight championship. Other bouts on the card i…

Cris Cyborg looks set to continue her mixed martial arts career after confirming that she intends to compete again following her final fight under the Professional Fighters League banner.

Cyborg made the revelation during a recent interview. When asked whether she would return to mixed martial arts, the combat sports veteran offered a straightforward answer.

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Cris Cyborg says Ketlen Vieira win proved she can still compete with MMA's best Cyborg most recently fought Ketlen Vieira at PFL Tampa on Aug. 22 in what was initially believed to be her final MMA outing. She defeated Vieira via unanimous decision to improve her professional record to 30-2.

In an interview with MMA Sucka, the Brazilian revealed that she plans to fight again and isn’t done with MMA, pointing to her performance against Vieira as evidence that she can still compete at a high level.

“Yes, I will fight MMA again,” Cyborg said. “I think my performance against Ketlen Vieira pro…