Martial Arts News

The UFC Abu Dhabi card keeps getting more stacked. 

Former flyweight title challenger Steve Erceg will take on Ramazonbek Temirov at UFC Fight Night 282 on July 25 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The promotion recently announced the pairing.

Erceg (14-4) started his UFC journey with three consecutive wins to earn a wild card title shot against Alexandre Pantoja in 2024. However, Erceg came up short against Pantoja, which also marked the beginning of a three-fight slump for the Australian. “Astro Boy” has since rebounded with victories over Ode Osbourne and Tim Elliott. 

Back from SuspensionMeanwhile, Temirov (19-3) is unbeaten in 11 straight outings since 2021. Temirov scored a first-round knockout win over C.J. Vergara in his UFC debut in 2024 and followed it up with a decision win over flyweight veteran Charles Johnson. “Temurlan” was suspended last year after testing positive for the banned substance Trimetazidine (TMZ). However, Temirov pres…

Usman Nurmagomedov doubts Conor McGregor will turn up at UFC 329. 

McGregor is scheduled to return to action after five years in a welterweight matchup against Max Holloway (27-9) at UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. However, Nurmagomedov doesn’t think McGregor will show up on fight night. In case McGregor does show up, Nurmagomedov believes he will lose to Holloway. The PFL lightweight champion believes five years is too long of a layoff for McGregor. However, Nurmagomedov believes MMA will benefit if McGregor manages to win. According to Nurmagomedov, McGregor will bring more fans to the sport with his exceptional mic skills.

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Good for the Sport “First of all, I don’t believe he is gonna come,” Nurmagomedov told Home of Fight “If he will, I don’t believe he’s gonna beat [Holloway]. Because five years he stayed away from the sport, this is too much, very long. If [Conor] beats [Holloway], it will be good for MMA. He will begi…

Justin Gaethje is going to have his whole family attending his fight at the White House. 

Gaethje (27-5) challenges Ilia Topuria (17-0) for the lightweight title in the main event at UFC White House on June 14. With seating arrangements being sparse for the special card, fans are wondering if the fighters’ family and friends will be allowed inside the White House. 

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Gaethje recently revealed that he has eight tickets for his parents and his three siblings, along with their partners, to attend the event. However, Gaethje is not sure if his family will be able to attend the entire event or whether they will only be allowed to attend his fight. Gaethje will also have his personal assistant, barber, strength and conditioning coaches, camera person, and some training partners watching the event on giant screens at the nearby Ellipse.A Family Affair “I’m going to have my parents there. I’m going to have my three siblings there, along with their hu…

Justin Gaethje isn't a fan of personalities like Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria. | Getty/UFC

Justin Gaethje is getting personal as his fight with Ilia Topuria draws near.

In a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia, the interim lightweight champion expressed his distaste for Topuria’s personality while also taking a thinly veiled shot at Topuria’s divorce from Giorgina Uzcategui.

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"All that guy is, is a gimmick," Gaethje said when asked about a Topuria video where the Georgian-Spaniard places a rose next to a mural of Gaethje. "He calls himself the king. He thinks he's a God. What an annoying little bastard. I couldn't imagine being in a room with him for 30 minutes listening to him talk about himself.

"And I can say this: I would leave him. That's all I'm saying. I would leave him. No way I would put up with his s—t.”

Topuria’s split from his ex-wife led to the undisputed 155-pound champion taking a hiatus until he was able t…

Daniel Marcos ended his UFC tenure on a high note. | Getty/UFC

Daniel Marcos didn’t take long to land on his feet.

The 33-year-old Peruvian bantamweight has signed with Professional Fighters League following his surprising release from the UFC. While the promotion has not announced the roster addition, Marcos did confirm the news on social media.

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Top notch featherweights headline PFL San Diego: Tune in Saturday, June 27 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.

“Grateful to God for this new phase. Thanks to [PFL] for the trust and [Jason House] for the work that makes these moments possible,” Marcos wrote on Instagram (via Translate) “The signing is just the beginning. My language has always been the same: discipline, pressure and violence. The rest is just words. See you all soon.”

A Successful UFC Run After appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2022, Marcos went 5-1 with one no contest in UFC competition. He last appeared at UFC …

“Chama” will be hitting the big screen later this year.

Former UFC two-division champion Alex Pereira plays the role of a geneticallly enhanced soldier in the upcoming A24 release “Onslaught,” which is slated for a Sept. 4 release. The film, which includes Adria Arjona as a primary star, is described as an action/horror/thriller. Pereira is in the role of “The Butcher,” one of the movie’s primary villains.

The plot synopsis, via IMDb, is as follows: “When a rogue squad of genetically engineered super soldiers break loose in the desert, a badass Army sniper must unleash hell to protect her young daughter.”

Pereira currently has more pressing matters to attend to, as he will square off against Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title in the UFC White House co-main event on June 14.

Watch the ‘Onslaught’ Trailer:[embedded content]

Scott Coker is proud of the executive team he has assembled. | Christian Stein/Sherdog.com

Some familiar faces will be on board when Scott Coker’s new mixed martial arts promotion launches in 2027.

Coker, who announced plans for a new organization set to debut next year, revealed on Wednesday the addition of six new executives to his leadership team. One noteworthy member of that group is Rich Chou, who served as matchmaker under Coker during their tenures in Bellator MMA and Strikeforce. Chou’s official title is executive vice president, athlete relations, and he will be “central to the league’s competition strategy and its commitment to building authentic relationships with fighters and fight teams,” per a release.

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Coker’s Executive Team: -Kevin Kay, chief content officer (Paramount Network, Spike TV)-Tom Fox, chief operating officer (Gatorade, NBA Properties, Arsenal)-Rich Chou, executive vice president, athlete relations (Strikefor…

Islam Dulatov is set to return to action after a year. 

Dulatov (12-1) is scheduled to take on Wellington Turman (18-8) at UFC Fight Night 282 on July 25 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The promotion announced the welterweight pairing via social media.

A Different Kind of Work History Dulatov has previously modeled for renowned brands like Versace and Gucci and also shared the stage once with Bella and Gigi Hadid. However, the Chechen-born German left modeling to pursue MMA. Since suffering a loss in his MMA debut in 2019, Dulatov has finished 12 straight fights, going past the first round on only one occasion. “The Ripper” earned his UFC contract with a first-round KO on Dana White's Contender Series in 2024, and lived up to his hype with another first-round KO over Adam Fugitt in his UFC debut last year. 

Meanwhile, Turman is 3-6 in the UFC since his promotional debut in 2019. The 29-year-old’s contract will probably be on the line as he looks to r…

Arman Tsarukyan doesn’t think coach Sam Calavitta is to blame for Khamzat Chimaev’s loss against Sean Strickland. 

Chimaev lost his middleweight title to Strickland in a huge upset at UFC 328 last month. Chimaev look visibly fatigued after a sloppy takedown attempt in the second round and wasn’t nearly as dominant with his wrestling thereafter. “Borz” also had a terrible weight cut, with many even accusing him of missing weight. 

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Chimaev (15-1) was doing his strength and conditioning training under coach Calavitta at The Treigning Lab aka the Garage in California. Chimaev’s close friend Tsarukyan and other fighters like Khalil Rountree also joined him in camp at the Garage. The team, including athletes from different sports, were seen undergoing gruelling training sessions under coach Cal. Calavitta has faced severe backlash from fans and pundits following Chimaev’s first professional loss. Calavitta is being accused of overtraining Chimaev …

Ben Askren has an interesting take on the upcoming wrestling match between Colby Covington and Arman Tsarukyan. 

Covington (17-5) and Tsarukyan (23-3) will headline RAF 11 on July 18 at the UWM Panther Arena in Milwaukee. While Tsarukyan is considered to be in his prime, Askren believes Covington will give him a close contest. Askren notes that Tsarukyan will be going up in weight against Covington, who has wrestled at even heavier weight classes before. Regardless, Askren believes Tsarukyan will edge out Covington by a single point.

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A Tough Call “It’s interesting because Arman is going up in weight,” Askren said on "The Ariel Helwani Show." “I believe they’re wrestling at 185 [pounds], while Colby has wrestled a couple of his matches at 200 pounds… Colby's clearly the larger person. I don't know. I'm very split on it. I think it's kind of a coin flip. Colby – Weidman was a fun one… Arman did have some close matches against Georgio Poullas, who w…

Georges St. Pierre wisely spent his first UFC earnings, which were not much. 

St. Pierre (26-2) faced Karo Parisyan in his UFC debut in 2004. While it was a long time ago, St. Pierre made a surprisingly small amount of money from the fight. As per the UFC’s show/win structure, “Rush” was paid $3,000 to show and $3,000 to win. St. Pierre won the fight via unanimous decision and wisely spent his earnings from the fight. Instead of spending on luxury, St. Pierre spent money on essentials like a mortgage. The Canadian also spent money on trips to New York, Thailand, and Brazil to develop his skills. 

Invest Wisely St. Pierre also notes that many young fighters waste their early earnings on luxuries. The former UFC double champ advises young fighters to reinvest their earnings in developing themselves instead.

“In UFC, it was 3+3, $3,000 to show and $3,000 to win. Karo Parisyan… I reinvested in myself,” St. PIerre said on Demetrious Johnson’s podcast “I didn’t use…

Ilia Topuria has a strong response to Justin Gaethje’s father’s latest comments.

Interim champion Gaethje (27-5) will challenge Topuria (17-0) for the lightweight title in the main event at UFC White House on June 14. Gaethje’s father, John Ray Gaethje, acknowledges it as one of the biggest fights of his son’s life. However, with this being Gaethje’s third challenge for an undisputed title, his father recalls thinking the same about several past matchups. 

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Gaethje’s father believes it’s just another fight for “The Highlight” against a “short guy,” the likes of whom he has previously beaten. Gaethje Sr. believes his son will beat Topuria just like he beat Michael Chandler, Rafael Fiziev, and other short guys.

“This is the biggest fight of his life. But we’ve said that three or four other times… He’s fighting another little short guy, and he's done really well against Chandler, Fiziev, and a few others,’ Gaethe’s father said on YouTube. “I just …