Martial Arts News

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Salt Lake City on Oct. 3.UFC 332 features Natalia Silva vs. Cong Wang for the vacant flyweight titleHere’s a brief rundown for those who intend to watch the event.

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How to watch UFC 332 in the United States UFC 332 takes place Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The early prelims will air live on UFC Fight Pass and Paramount+ beginning at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. Paramount+ will exclusively carry the remainder of the card in the U.S., with the prelims starting at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT, followed by the main card at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Natalia Silva (20-5) and Cong Wang (10-1) will clash for the vacant women’s flyweight title in the main event. Valentina Shevchenko recently vacated the title while sidelined due to injury. Silva is unbeaten in eight UFC appearances, while Wang is riding a four-fight winning streak. Wang also defeated Shevchenko in a kickboxing bout in 2015.

Deiveson Figueiredo (25-7) and …

BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing announced its 12-fight card for Bally’s Fightnight by BKB Biloxi, scheduled for Oct. 23 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Biloxi.

The co-main event features undefeated super featherweight Amado Vargas (1-0, 1 KO) against Colin Huntington, who will make his BKB debut. Vargas, a son of former boxing champion Fernando Vargas, won his BKB debut by first-round knockout at BKB 57 in July.

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Fernando Vargas’ son faces Colin Huntington at BKB Biloxi on Oct. 23 “I had a great debut, but I’m not satisfied with just one win. I want to keep building my name in BKB and show people what I’m capable of every time I step into the Trigon. I’m coming to Biloxi looking for another big performance, and Colin is going to find out very quickly what this sport is all about,” Vargas said.

The main event will feature former BKB lightweight world champion Jarod “Kid Gatti” Grant (8-3, 6 KOs) against Pantera Guerrero (1-1, 1 KO). Guerrero replaces Bekh…

Imanol Rodriguez already has another fight in mind beyond his upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship bout.

Rodriguez (7-0) will face Alden Coria (13-3) on Oct. 3 on the prelims of UFC 332 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The unbeaten Dana White’s Contender Series graduate wants to break into the Top 15 at 125 pounds by the end of 2026 and is targeting a ranked opponent later this year.

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Imanol Rodriguez plans to pursue Joshua Van after facing Alden Coria at UFC 332 In a pre-fight interview ahead of UFC 332, Rodriguez expressed his desire to face a ranked opponent if he defeats Coria. The 26-year-old wants to return to the Octagon in December and is targeting a “clean” performance Saturday that would allow him to make a two-month turnaround.

“I have a plan for this year and that's to fight again in December,” Rodriguez said. “So, this is a win that needs to be clean. And I want to call out some people on the rankings and see somebody up in the ra…

Damian Pinas believes his rapid rise in the Ultimate Fighting Championship has changed how opponents and fans view him.

Pinas returns to action on Oct. 3 at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City against Andrey Pulyaev. The middleweight prospect says he is treated differently after recording back-to-back finishes since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series.

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Damian Pinas says back-to-back UFC finishes changed how people view him Pinas (10-1) has finished all 10 of his professional victories, including nine by knockout and one by submission. However, Pinas believes his recent UFC success has brought him increased recognition. Ahead of his fight at UFC 332, “The Baba Yaga” discussed how expectations have changed following his recent performances.

“Yeah, since my last fight, everybody gave me more respect, more recognition; they didn't count me out anymore because before that they were counting me out, now they put it on my name because I've been wor…

Cong Wang has detailed her experience during sparring sessions at Team Alpha Male.

Wang (10-1) is on the verge of the biggest fight of her Ultimate Fighting Championship career. She faces Natalia Silva for the vacant women’s flyweight title at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Chinese flyweight says her training partners at the Sacramento-based gym quickly realized she could handle a more intense level of sparring.

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UFC 332 title challenger Cong Wang details sparring at Team Alpha Male Part of Wang’s preparation for UFC 332 included training at Team Alpha Male, where she said her sparring partners began going harder against her after experiencing her striking firsthand. According to Wang, teammates who might go easier when sparring with other women instead increase their intensity against her.

“Yes, that's true,” Wang said in a pre-fight interview. “They will go easy against the other girls, but when they spar with [me], they…

Esteban Ribovics has taken extra measures to prepare for his upcoming bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Ribovics (16-3) will face King Green (36-17-1) at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The Argentine lightweight detailed the measures he took to prepare for the city’s altitude ahead of his matchup with Green.

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Esteban Ribovics details his altitude preparation for King Green in Salt Lake City Ribovics said he slept in a chamber that simulated lower oxygen levels for several weeks as part of his preparation. He also arrived in Salt Lake City 10 days early and has been running in the mountains to help acclimate.

“When I found out that it was getting the fight, I actually slept for a couple of weeks in a hyperbaric chamber,” Ribovics said in a pre-fight interview. “I'm not sure if that's the name they use for it, but basically it simulates not having as much oxygen. I did really well with that, and also, I came in 10 days b…

Joshua Van and Manel Kape are trading barbs online.

Van successfully defended his Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title for the second time at UFC 331 on Sept. 19, earning a unanimous decision over former champion Alexandre Pantoja in their rematch. Kape, who is considered a potential challenger for Van’s next title defense, has responded after the champion took aim at him on social media.

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UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van and Manel Kape escalate their war of words Van mocked Kape in a recent post on X while teasing a fight between the two strikers.

“Yo fat f*ck,” Van wrote on X. “Start cutting now cuz u better make weight !! We don’t want another weight excuse. Let’s give the people what they want!!!”

Kape soon responded, vowing to finish the champion quicker than Charles Johnson did in Van’s most recent defeat.

“Finally came out of hiding, son?” Kape posted in response. “They told me you weren’t sure about facing your dad, but I gu…

A welterweight matchup between Rhys McKee and Ernesto Rodriguez has been added to the Professional Fighters League’s upcoming event in Dubai.

McKee will meet Rodriguez on Nov. 14 at PFL Dubai as the Northern Irish fighter looks to build momentum in the welterweight division. He made a successful PFL debut in April, while his Cuban-American counterpart is 1-1 in the promotion.

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Rhys McKee sees major stakes in his PFL Dubai fight against Ernesto Rodriguez McKee (15-7-1) endured two unsuccessful stints in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, going 0-2 and 1-3 on either side of a championship run with Cage Warriors.

He returned to the win column in his PFL debut at the promotion’s Belfast event in April, earning a decision victory over Alex Lohore. “Skeletor” is excited about the stakes of his upcoming bout and believes a victory could earn him a place in the rankings.

“I've seen how big an event is there and know it'll be a special night, havin…

Deiveson Figueiredo has been training in Thailand in preparation for his next bantamweight challenge.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight titleholder will face Payton Talbott at UFC 332 on Oct. 3 in Salt Lake City. After suffering four defeats in his last five fights, the Brazilian has spent his latest training camp in Thailand sharpening his muay thai.

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Deiveson Figueiredo sharpens Muay Thai and grappling for Payton Talbott Speaking to Sherdog, Figueiredo said the trip was initially intended as an opportunity to spend a month training and experiencing Thailand before the UFC presented him with the matchup against Talbott.

“Actually, I came here to spend a month sharpening my muay thai and experiencing Thailand, which had been a longtime dream of mine,” Figueiredo said. “When I got here, the UFC offered me this fight, so I decided to do my entire camp here.”

Figueiredo worked on his striking with Phuket Fight Club head coach Le…

Body language expert Inbaal Honigman believes Anthony Joshua appeared more composed than Tyson Fury during their first pre-fight faceoff.

Joshua and Fury are set to clash on Dec. 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The two came face-to-face for the first time ahead of their fight at a press conference Wednesday at Olympia Exhibition Center in London. Honigman offered her interpretation of the body language displayed by Joshua and Fury.

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Body language expert Inbaal Honigman points to several Tyson Fury behaviors during his first Anthony Joshua faceoff According to Honigman, both Fury and Joshua initially appeared confident while posing side by side. However, she interpreted changes in Fury’s behavior during the faceoff as possible signs of nervousness or insecurity. Honigman pointed to Fury standing on the tips of his toes, flexing his fingers and chewing while speaking as examples.

By comparison, Honigman characterized Joshua as calm and co…

Eddie Hearn isn’t buying Dana White’s explanation for missing the Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua press conference.

Fury and Joshua are set to clash on Dec. 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The first press conference for the fight took place Sept. 30 at Olympia Exhibition Center in London. White has repeatedly said he is involved in the fight alongside Turki Alalshikh. However, Hearn has disputed White’s characterization of his role, claiming contractual arrangements prevent White from being involved without his approval.

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Eddie Hearns calls Dana White situation ‘one of the greatest PR disasters in boxing’ The Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO did not attend the press conference in London, having cited his Dana White’s Contender Series obligations the previous day.

Hearn remains unconvinced by that explanation. The Matchroom Boxing chairman questioned whether White would miss a press conference for a fight of this magnitude because of h…

Federal agents questioned Alexander Hernandez after his fight against Michael Johnson fell through.

Hernandez, who returns to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 332 on Oct. 3, was scheduled to face Johnson at UFC 324 in January. However, the fight was canceled at the last minute amid suspicious betting-line movement.

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Alexander Hernandez recounts federal questioning after canceled Michael Johnson fight Hernandez opened as a sizable favorite, but money reportedly began pouring in on Johnson a day before the fight, shifting the odds in his favor. Hernandez said he was subsequently questioned by federal agents about whether he was planning to throw the fight.

Hernandez recently recalled the “embarrassing” episode. According to Hernandez, the agents asked whether he had any incriminating apps, a question he initially did not understand. At their request, Hernandez said he downloaded the Signal messaging app again on his phone.

He…