Martial Arts News

Matt Brown believes the newly announced merger between the Professional Fighters League and Most Valuable Promotions is a sensible business move, but still no match for the industry leader.

Brown’s comments echo Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White’s remarks about the merger.

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PFL, Most Valuable Promotions and UFC compete for MMA’s biggest stage Brown suggested that the new company could find more success by avoiding making the UFC their primary competition. In a recent interview, the retired fighter discussed where the PFL-MVP union stands in comparison to the UFC.

“I certainly think it’s a smart thing for both of those companies to do,” Brown said on the latest episode of The Fighter vs. The Writer. “Come together, join forces, try to build something big. Unfortunately, they’re in a space where they’re still just going to be No. 2.”

Brown largely agreed with White’s comments days earlier, where the UFC CEO dismissed the new merger a…

Mateusz Gamrot is looking to feed off Dustin Poirier’s energy in his upcoming bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Gamrot (26-4) is scheduled to headline UFC Fight Night 284 against Quillan Salkilld (12-1) on Aug. 8 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. The Polish lightweight’s American Top Team teammate, Poirier, will serve as a desk analyst for the event.

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Mateusz Gamrot explains why Dustin Poirier’s energy could help against Quillan Salkilld Gamrot recently recalled his conversation with Poirier about his teammate attending the upcoming Fight Night. He claimed that having his teammate in attendance will only boost his performance.

“[Poirier brings] energy, crazy energy, every day attitude,” Gamrot told Full Send MMA. “He texted me and said he wants to come to my fight this Saturday in Las Vegas. I texted him back, ‘Bro, if you come, you give me 100% more power.’ If Dustin comes to this fight, I’ll be immortal.”

Notably, this will be Poirier’s…

Dana White’s recent Instagram Stories blunder has drawn the ire of Renato “Money Moicano” Carneiro.

White, on one of his stories, paid tribute to late Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Allan Nascimento, who tragically passed away in his sleep at just 34 years of age due to a heart attack. The UFC CEO’s next story showed him smoking a cigar, with the caption reading, “Great Day.”

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‘Dana messed up this one’: Renato Carneiro calls out UFC CEO’s insensitive post While the posts are clearly unrelated, fans subsequently pointed out White’s insensitive order of posts on Instagram, catching the attention of Carneiro, who previously mourned his compatriot after hearing the tragic news.

“Damn, man… Dana messed up on this one, posted the kid's photo and then the cigs and we're just enjoying we're just enjoying!!??” The UFC lightweight wrote on X. “We really are just passing through this cruel big world! Only Jesus saves.”

Carneiro returned to winn…

Robert Whittaker recently listed matchups he’s interested in while dismissing others.

Whittaker (27-9) has a new range of opponents available after moving up to light heavyweight. “The Reaper” is eyeing fellow former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Magomed Ankalaev, who defeated Bogdan Guskov at UFC Abu Dhabi last month.

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Robert Whittaker discusses Magomed Ankalaev, Paulo Costa and UFC light heavyweight matchups While Whittaker admits Guskov would have been an exciting opponent as well, he also would have been interested in Jan Blachowicz if not for the Polish 205-pounder’s loss to Navajo Stirling at UFC Belgrade. While Paulo Costa has momentum behind him, Whittaker would rather fight others, having already beaten “Borrachinha” in a middleweight bout in 2024.

Whittaker also clarified that he will not fight his teammates Stirling and Carlos Ulberg, the current champion.

“I’d love to get in there with like Ank. Jan just had a loss but …

Bare Knuckle Boxing has made another splash signing to its ever-growing roster, with a former Ultimate Fighting Championship and Professional Fighters League women's contender joining the promotion.

BKB announced Tuesday that Aspen Ladd, who most recently competed in BKFC last November and earned a first-round victory, has signed with the promotion and will make her debut Aug. 29 in Miami.

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Ladd's experience across several of combat sports' top promotions also includes bouts against high-level opponents such as Kayla Harrison, Germaine de Randamie and Raquel Pennington. In 17 professional fights, Ladd has compiled a 12-5 record and will look to add another victory at BKB 58 when she faces Bianca Daimoni in the final event of the "Summer of BKB" series.

Daimoni is a BKB veteran, having made her debut at BYB 36 in early 2025 with a split-decision victory over Ashley Brace. However, she dropped her most recent appearance, losing a unanimous decision …

The mixed martial arts world is mourning the sudden death of Allan Nascimento.

Nascimento (22-7) was reportedly found unresponsive on Monday, Aug. 3. The Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight suffered a heart attack in his sleep and was pronounced deceased at the scene by medical responders.

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UFC and Chute Boxe pay tribute after flyweight Allan Nascimento dies at age 34 The UFC posted a condolence message on social media.

“This morning, Monday, Aug. 3, our beloved flyweight fighter, Allan Nascimento, was found unresponsive after suffering an apparent heart attack in his sleep. Despite the efforts of the responding medical team, he was pronounced deceased at the scene. Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Allan's family, friends, teammates, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”

His team, Chute Boxe, also took to social media to share a message.

“Today, our team loses much more than an athlete; we have lost a warrio…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship took a significant financial hit by staging UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

Despite the loss, the promotion's parent company still posted strong overall growth in the second quarter of 2026.

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TKO details the financial impact of UFC Freedom 250 and Q2 2026 earnings TKO Group Holdings recently released its latest financial results, revealing that the White House event resulted in an estimated $30 million loss for the company. Notably, the event didn’t generate any ticket revenue because it was invite-only. The promotion recouped some of the cost through sponsorships and other commercial partnerships.

“With regards to UFC Freedom 250, we incurred significantly higher than normal costs, which we partially offset with sold-out global partnerships inventory,” TKO chief financial officer Andrew Schleimer said during a call with investors. “As a reminder, we did not sell tickets and therefore did not record any live e…

BJJ icons gathered in Rio de Janeiro to honor Murilo Bustamante. | 📷: Marcelo Alonso/Sherdog

Murilo Bustamante’s latest Brazilian jiu-jitsu milestone became a gathering of the sport’s past, present and future.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion and longtime BJJ figure was promoted to 8th-degree black belt, receiving the red-and-white coral belt. This was celebrated at the AABB club in Lagoa, Rio de Janeiro, with many legends in attendance.

Several Brazilian legends attended Murilo Bustamante’s belt promotion Bustamante's promotion was witnessed by major figures from both the grappling and mixed martial arts world.

Among those in attendance were Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Ricardo Arona, Ricardo Liborio, Ricardo De La Riva, Fernando Pinduka, Carlos Rosado and Bebeo Duarte. Former rivals from other academies also gathered to honor Bustamante, including Ralph Gracie, Leonardo Castello Branco, Sergio Zveiter, Hélio Soneca and Vini …

Jonah Hill’s comments about jiu-jitsu have drawn a reaction from Cub Swanson.

Hill, who trains jiu-jitsu, said that he would “annihilate” anyone who challenges him. Swanson, who competed in the featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship for nearly 15 years, now wants to test the Hollywood star’s skills.

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Cub Swanson had a playful response after Jonah Hill's confident Brazilian jiu-jitsu comments. Hill’s physical transformation has garnered much attention lately. The actor was known for playing characters on the heavier side, but his weight loss over the past few years hasn’t gone unnoticed. He recently revealed that jiu jitsu has played a major role in his fitness journey and positively benefited his confidence as well.

“I love Brazilian jiu-jitsu, except my body is begging me not to love it,” Hill said during his appearance on SiriusXM’s Smartless. “My wife is often like, ‘You’re not going to become a professional fighter. You kno…

Cain Velasquez has reflected on how life has changed since his release from prison.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion was incarcerated after targeting an individual he accused of molesting one of his young relatives. He was released earlier this year, but has stayed away from the limelight. Velasquez has now opened up about his time in prison and the changes that have followed.

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Former UFC champion Cain Velasquez reveals how life changed after prison Back in 2022, Velasquez pursued Harry Goularte, a man he accused of molesting one of his young relatives in San Jose, California. He even shot at Goularte’s vehicle, but he came away uninjured. Velasquez was later sentenced to five years in prison for the incident.

After being released in February upon serving 11 months, Velasquez has been focused on rebuilding his life. He is currently mentoring fighters at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose.

“I've always been a teacher eve…

Two Dutch heavyweight combat sports legends are reportedly in talks to meet.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Alistair Overeem and longtime Glory heavyweight champion Rico Verhoeven are in negotiations for a boxing match in Amsterdam, per a new report.

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Alistair Overeem and Rico Verhoeven reportedly negotiating heavyweight boxing showdown in Amsterdam Black Book PR, which represents Overeem, shared a post from popular boxing news outlet Boxing.media on their Instagram stories, drawing attention to the potential matchup. The post claims Overeem and Verhoeven, who were scheduled to square off on two previous occasions, could finally lock horns in a boxing match at Johan Cruijff ArenA in Amsterdam.

The post further claims that the boxing clash will be the first of three bouts, with the two heavyweights then competing in MMA and kickboxing.

Overeem hasn’t competed in the UFC since his 2021 loss to Alexander Volkov. He fought …

Islam Makhachev is settling in nicely at welterweight, which gives him even more confidence.

Makhachev (28-1) recently revealed that his training camp for his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight debut was challenging and that he’s better adjusted to the higher weight class going into his first title defense at 170 pounds. The former lightweight champ takes on Ian Garry (17-1) in the main event of UFC 330, which takes place Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

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Islam Makhachev details his transition from lightweight champion to UFC welterweight titleholder Makhachev was focused primarily on securing the belt rather than chasing a finish against Jack Della Maddalena last year. The Russian claims to be more comfortable going into his second welterweight outing, as he isn’t lifting weights during camp.

“Now, I feel more comfortable, honestly,” Makhachev told MMA Junkie. “The first camp, so hard. I just tried to gain weight, do a lot …