Martial Arts News

Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Edson Barboza has made it clear that his retirement is final and he has no plans to reverse his decision.

Just days after announcing the end of his 17-year professional mixed martial arts career, the Brazilian has a message for managers and promoters who might try to entice him back into competition.

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Barboza rules out an MMA comeback after ending his 17-year fighting career Barboza announced his retirement after suffering a fourth consecutive defeat, getting finished by Esteban Ribovics at UFC 330 in Philadelphia. The 39-year-old then removed his gloves inside the Octagon as the crowd gave him a standing ovation and chanted his name.

For Barboza, having his children beside him made the moment particularly emotional.

“The entire arena spontaneously chanting ‘Barboza,’ with my kids by my side inside the Octagon — they had never been to one of my fights before,” Barboza told Sherdog. “Definitely, that was t…

Edson Barboza sees plenty of himself in Mauricio Ruffy and believes the surging Brazilian has become an “improved version” of him.

Barboza, who recently retired from the Ultimate Fighting Championship, claims Ruffy is one of his favorite fighters to watch. Ruffy is set to face Arman Tsarukyan in the UFC 331 co-main event on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles and Barboza recently broke down the matchup, having trained alongside Tsarukyan at American Top Team.

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Barboza compares Mauricio Ruffy to Anderson Silva ahead of Arman Tsarukyan fight Barboza gave his assessment of the matchup in an exclusive interview with Sherdog. He claims Ruffy reminds him of UFC legend Anderson Silva before drawing a comparison between Tsarukyan and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“Ruffy is one of my favorite fighters right now,” Barboza said. “He’s extremely creative and skilled, and he reminds me of Anderson Silva. He just needs one opportunity to finish a fight. I’d say he’s the improved ver…

Jordan Burroughs has called for a wrestling match against Georges St. Pierre, revealing that the Ultimate Fighting Championship legend is his top choice.

The Olympic gold medalist recently called out the UFC Hall of Famer for a freestyle wrestling match under the Real American Freestyle banner, proposing a meeting at RAF 14 in Las Vegas on Oct. 3.

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Burroughs names GSP his top choice and proposes an Oct. 3 showdown at RAF 14 Burroughs discussed a potential match with St. Pierre during an appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show” after his recent RAF victory over Sean Brady on Aug. 22. When the Canadian’s name came up as a possible opponent, Burroughs made his interest clear.

“Yeah, Georges, if you're out there, I would love to compete against you,” Burroughs said. “I'd love to wrestle you. I honor you. I honor your legacy. And I don't want to embarrass you. I don't want to humiliate you. I just would love to share the stage with you. And so, he's No. 1.…

Colby Covington took shots at Ian Garry and Bo Nickal in a recent interview.

Covington offered harsh assessments of Garry and Nickal while speaking to Submission Radio. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship interim titleholder addressed Garry’s unsuccessful title bid against Islam Makhachev and Nickal’s recent wrestling defeat under the Real American Freestyle banner.

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Covington reacts to Ian Garry’s UFC 330 defeat and writes off a potential Bo Nickal wrestling matchup When asked about Garry's defeat at UFC 330, Covington took the opportunity to poke fun at the Irishman, referencing the controversy and online discourse surrounding his marriage.

“I don't know. I didn't really pay attention, so I didn't really care about it,” Covington told Submission Radio. “But the one thing fitting that I did see is now, you know, the wife got to sit in a corner and watch him get dogged out for once. So, at least the roles got reversed for once. You know, the w…

Former football player Anthony Wint recently opened up about the moment he realized mixed martial arts was his next career path.

Wint, who emerged victorious in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut at UFC Sacramento, recently reflected on his transition from football to MMA after the Covid-19 pandemic during an appearance on the “Deep Waters” podcast.

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Anthony Wint explains how early grappling success convinced him to commit to fighting Wint recalled working with veteran manager Malki Kawa before transitioning to MMA. Kawa manages several prominent fighters and Wint remembers seeing a picture of Jon Jones in his office.

“I didn't know Malki did fighting,” Wint said. “I remember going up his stairs and seeing the picture of Jon Jones. I was like, damn, you know Jon Jones? He's like, I manage Jon Jones.”

Wint was initially headed toward the CFL, but the 2020 season was canceled because of the Covid-19 pandemic. During that period, Kawa encour…

Jiri Prochazka has shut down ongoing rumors about his return to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion recently addressed rumors linking him to an interim title fight against Paulo Costa while reigning champion Carlos Ulberg recovers from injury. While Prochazka is staying consistent with his training regimen, he’s yet to lock in a fight.

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Prochazka says his next UFC fight is not confirmed amid Paulo Costa speculation Prochazka last competed at UFC 327, suffering a first-round knockout loss to Ulberg in a bid for the vacant light heavyweight championship. Ulberg suffered an ACL injury in the bout and is expected to return next year, paving the way for an interim title.

Amidst rumors linking him to an interim title bout with Costa, Prochazka took to social media to clear the air, claiming that his next bout is unconfirmed.

“Strong week, great rounds and teamwork,” Prochazka wrote on Instagram. “…

Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer Michael Bisping believes the rule under which Paddy Pimblett’s purse is being withheld is extremely unreasonable.

Pimblett scored a first-round submission win over Benoit St. Denis at UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in July. “The Baddy” hasn’t yet received his purse for the fight due to a highly criticized rule. Pimblett’s purse is being withheld because he celebrated his win by jumping on the cage. Max Holloway and Gable Steveson, who also celebrated their respective wins at UFC 329 by jumping on the cage, are also under investigation.

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Paddy Pimblett's UFC 329 purse remains withheld over his post-fight cage celebration Bisping believes this rule needs to change for good. The former UFC middleweight champion believes it is absolutely justified to climb on the cage after a win.

“It all goes back to when Paddy beat Benoit St. Denis. What did he do? He celebrated. He jumped on the cage as a lot of f…

Paulo Costa claims the Ultimate Fighting Championship is “lost” without Dana White being more actively involved.

With one fight remaining on his UFC contract, the Brazilian voiced his frustration in an interview with Sexto Round, saying White is “greatly missed” in the matchmaking process.

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Costa criticizes UFC matchmaking with one fight remaining on his current contract Costa said he was ready to compete again shortly after his April victory and reached out to the UFC in June about potential fights in July or August. According to the former title challenger, the promotion told him it had not yet made a decision. “Borrachinha” believes that the promotion is making mistakes and is failing to capitalize on key matchups.

“Dana White is greatly missed,” Costa said. “The UFC is lost. They’re making a lot of mistakes because of fear and a lack of timing. If I said, ‘OK, I don’t mind being tied down, being undervalued and getting paid less than I deserve,’…

Even elite athletes should leave certain jobs to medical professionals.

Just one week after defending his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title against Ian Garry at UFC 330, Makhachev was in the corner of a longtime teammate, Professional Fighters League athlete Magomed Magomedov.

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Makhachev tried to pop Magomedov’s shoulder back in place after an apparent in-fight dislocation, drawing a reaction from a real doctor online.Dr. Brian Sutterer critiques Makhachev’s response to Magomed Magomedov’s apparent shoulder injuryMagomedov faced former UFC bantamweight Daniel Marcos in the latter's promotional debut at PFL Tampa. The Russian seemingly suffered a shoulder dislocation and during the break between rounds, Makhachev attempted to put it back into position.

Despite the attempt, the shoulder remained a problem for Magomedov going into the third round and Makhachev ultimately had to call for the fight to stop, throwing in the towel. The U…

The Costello van Steenis vs. Johnny Eblen rematch is the biggest fight in Professional Fighters League history, according to the promotion's CEO.

In an interview posted by the PFL on X, John Martin reflected on the rivalry between Eblen and van Steenis, revealing his disappointment with the injury that forced their scheduled rematch to be postponed. He also recalled the chaotic scene that followed Eblen's interim title victory over Impa Kasanganay.

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John Martin points to the bad blood behind Johnny Eblen and Costello van Steenis’ postponed title rematch After Eblen won his fight against Kasanganay, van Steenis unexpectedly entered the cage, setting the stage for a dramatic title unification showdown. Martin's comments suggest the promotion still sees the matchup as a major attraction.

“That was a skirmish in the cage afterwards when Costello unexpectedly climbed in,” Martin said. “And I got a little nervous.” The PFL CEO also recalled Eblen telling …

Professional Fighters League CEO John Martin had nothing but praise for Cris Cyborg after her victory in Tampa, Florida.

Martin hailed Cyborg's performance against Ketlen Vieira at PFL Tampa and called the Brazilian superstar the most accomplished women's MMA fighter in history. Despite the fight being closely contested, Martin believes Cyborg did enough to earn the victory. He also claims a switch to boxing is possible amidst the promotion’s merger with Most Valuable Promotions.

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Cris Cyborg vs. Claressa Shields in boxing is certainly a possibility with PFL-MVP merger Martin did not hold back on his appreciation for Cyborg after her PFL win against Vieira.

“If you've never seen Cris Cyborg fight before, hopefully you can get an appreciation and an understanding of what a legend this fighter is,” Martin said in a post-fight interview. “The most accomplished women's MMA fighter in history. She had a really tough fight tonight, but for five rounds, …

Chris Padilla already has an opponent in mind for his next Ultimate Fighting Championship bout.

Padilla (18-6-1) submitted Nasrat Haqparast with an arm-triangle choke at 4:59 of the third round on the UFC Sacramento undercard, extending his UFC record to 5-0-1. He now wants to face veteran UFC star Jim Miller.

Padilla wants to test himself against Miller after submitting Nasrat Haqparast at UFC Sacramento “I need Jim Miller, man,” Padilla told Heidi Androl after his win. “You know, it's a veteran, man. He's been in the game for a really long time. I watched him growing up as a little maggot. So, I just want that, you know what I'm saying? I want fights that are going to give me that little tingle. I got to live my dream, and here I am. The new generation is coming up and I'm here to slaughter every one of them.”

Miller, who debuted in the UFC back in 2008, is coming off a submission victory over Jared Gordon in May, which saw the 42-year-old further extend the record …