Martial Arts News

The upcoming Professional Fighters League card has undergone a pair of changes just days before the event.

PFL New York, scheduled for July 31 at UBS Arena in Belmont, N.Y., will move forward with its two featured bouts intact, as Usman Nurmagomedov looks to defend his lightweight title against Archie Colgan in the main event, while Dakota Ditcheva faces Denise Kielholtz in the co-main event.

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However, two fights have been impacted during fight week, with one canceled altogether.PFL New York Card sees two late changesSimeon Powell was scheduled to face Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov in a light heavyweight bout on the main card, but the matchup has been canceled. Powell (12-2) announced the news on social media, though he did not disclose the reason behind the withdrawal. “It’s one of those ones that’s out of my control,” Powell said in an Instagram video. “It’s annoying, but we’ve just got to keep moving.”

The event also lost a light heavyweight bout f…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship debut of Jessie Rosas is set.

Jessie, the older brother of UFC bantamweight Raul Rosas Jr., has signed with the promotion and is expected to make his Octagon debut on Aug. 8 at UFC Fight Night 284. The Fight Night event is scheduled to take place at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

Raul Rosas Jr.’s older brother set for UFC debut against Miles JohnsJessie (8-1) joins the UFC following an impressive run on the regional circuit that included appearances for UWC, Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat, Fury FC and 559 Fights. The 23-year-old bantamweight has six finishes across his eight professional victories, with two wins coming by knockout and four by submission.

Jessie is two years older than Raul, who made his first appearance in the UFC at just 18. He will face Miles Johns (15-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC), a veteran fighter on a three-fight losing streak, in his promotional debut.

Meanwhile, Raul is on a stellar run, recording five straight victories since s…

Ronda Rousey believes the Ultimate Fighting Championship missed out on a major opportunity, singling out UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell in her criticism.

The former UFC women’s bantamweight champion resumed her criticism of Campbell after the success of the inaugural Most Valuable Promotions MMA event, which featured Rousey and Gina Carano in the main event on Netflix.

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Ronda Rousey slams ‘arrogant, stupid and chauvinist’ Hunter Campbell Rousey, who previously criticized the UFC for not pursuing the matchup between herself and Carano, accused Campbell of playing a major role. According to Rousey, the issue extends beyond how the UFC handles female fighters, arguing that Campbell has failed to recognize the value of several athletes.

“It was extremely validating, especially after Hunter Campbell told Gina he didn’t know how he was going to market a couple of 40-year-olds to her,” Rousey said while speaking to Fight Culture. “It’s not tha…

Javier Mendez believes something was off with Conor McGregor before the Irishman’s Ultimate Fighting Championship return against Max Holloway.

The American Kickboxing Academy head coach claimed McGregor’s demeanor seemed “odd” before the fight and questioned whether the former two-division champion was already dealing with an injury before entering the cage.

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Javier Mendez breaks down Conor McGregor’s unusual demeanor before the Max Holloway fight McGregor injured his ACL and meniscus with the very first kick he threw at Holloway. He was unable to plant both feet while throwing strikes and repeatedly fell, prompting an anticlimactic referee stoppage. Since then, speculation has grown about whether McGregor entered the fight already compromised, with footage of him appearing hesitant while removing his shoes during the pre-fight inspection adding fuel to the debate.

Mendez recently weighed in, claiming that something about the Irish superstar’s walk…

Javier Mendez believes Ian Garry’s mental strength and confidence will be his biggest weapon when he challenges Islam Makhachev for the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title.

Garry is set to face Makhachev in the main event of UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, where he’ll look to produce a massive upset. While Makhachev’s elite grappling is widely regarded as the biggest X-factor in the matchup, Mendez believes Garry’s mindset makes him a legitimate threat.

Javier Mendez explains why Ian Garry’s mental strength matters vs. Islam Makhachev at UFC 330Mendez, the American Kickboxing Academy founder and coach to several former champions including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Luke Rockhold, Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier, has praised Garry’s confidence and mental toughness ahead of UFC 330.

“Ian’s Garry’s mental game is huge,” Mendez said in an interview with NewBettingSites. “That’s what my book is about. It is all about mental strength a…

Paulo Costa believes the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division will have a new champion before Carlos Ulberg returns to the Octagon.

Ulberg (14-1) won the vacant title this past April, knocking out Jiri Prochazka in the first round of their title clash. Currently recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in the bout, the Kiwi champion recently revealed that he plans to defend his belt in 2027. Ulberg even pitched some 205-pound matchups following Magomed Ankalaev’s win over Bogdan Guskov at UFC Abu Dhabi, pitting Ankalaev against Prochazka and Costa against Khalil Rountree.

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Costa, however, sees the divisional title picture playing out differently.Paulo Costa angles for title shot, shuts down Carlos Ulberg playing matchmaker Ulberg took to social media after former champion Ankalaev returned to winning ways in a lackluster bout in Abu Dhabi to pitch the aforementioned matchups. “After last night's fights, here's my thoughts: Ankal…

Charles Oliveira's camp has shut down speculation linking the former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion to a BMF title defense against Diego Lopes.

With Lopes making it clear that he’s looking to move up to lightweight after his knockout victory over Steve Garcia at UFC Freedom 250, rumors linking him to a fight against the BMF champ emerged. According to Chute Boxe coach and Oliveira’s manager, Diego Lima, their team’s goal remains the undisputed lightweight crown.

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Diego Lima shuts down Oliveira vs. Lopes, eyes Justin Gaethje rematch Lima recently broke down the lightweight title mix, revealing that current champion Justin Gaethje is expected to return to action next year. The veteran coach also acknowledged that Arman Tsarukyan, who’s beaten Oliveira, is ahead of “do Bronxs” in the pecking order at 155 pounds. However, Lima highlighted the fact that his pupil is a bigger star than Tsarukyan and, more importantly, boasts a win ove…

Bryan Battle has opened up about dealing with personal issues ahead of his Professional Fighters League debut.

Battle made his promotional debut against Johnny Eblen in Pittsburgh this past March. He looked completely out of his depth as Eblen repeatedly slammed him on the canvas before making him tap to a face crank in the opening round.

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Bryan Battle Opens Up On Divorce, UFC Release Before PFL Debut Battle claims he couldn’t give his 100% in training for the fight against Eblen. “The Butcher” revealed that issues like his divorce and exit from the Ultimate Fighting Championship were cluttering his mind going into his PFL debut. Battle believes the lopsided beatdown from Eblen has taught him the hard way to give maximum effort going forward.

“I learned lessons,” Battle told Ariel Helwani. “There was definitely a bit of a learning curve, once again, headlining and fighting a bona fide former world champion… And there's just things in life. Thought …

Michel Pereira is looking to appeal his loss to Sharabutdin Magomedov, which was followed by his release from the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Pereira took on Magomedov in a middleweight bout in the co-main event of UFC Baku. While Magomedov came away with a unanimous decision win, the fight was marred by controversy. The Russian pulled Pereira’s hair multiple times from bottom position in the first round. While referee Herb Dean warned Magomedov against committing any more fouls, he didn’t deduct any points when “Shara Bullet” accidentally eye-poked Pereira in the third round.

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Michel Pereira seeks overturned result after disputed UFC Baku fight with Sharabutdin Magomedov Pereira subsequently wasn’t offered a contract renewal and the Brazilian is now looking to overturn his last result to a draw. He is grateful for his UFC career, holds nothing against the promotion and is proud of some of the memorable moments he delivered to fans inside the Oct…

Islam Makhachev sympathizes with Conor McGregor.

McGregor (22-7) returned to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship after a five-year hiatus against Max Holloway at UFC 329. However, the highly anticipated rematch ended anticlimactically as McGregor injured his knee with the first kick he threw. The Irishman could barely plant his leg after the injury, forcing the referee to step in at just 69 seconds of the opening round.

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Despite the longtime rivalry between their teams, Makhachev feels bad for the former two-division champ.Islam Makhachev says Conor McGregor's comeback ending in 69 seconds wasn't how he expected the fight to unfold While the Dagestani contingent aren’t fans of McGregor, Makhachev (28-1) commiserated with the fan favorite. While the reigning welterweight champion expected Holloway to win, he didn’t see the fight ending the way it did. Makhachev recently revealed that he was interested in seeing how McGregor would perform afte…

Jan Blachowicz's journey back to title contention has taken another unexpected turn.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder was originally slated to rematch Bogdan Guskov at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1 in Serbia. However, those plans changed when Guskov was offered the UFC Abu Dhabi main event spot against Magomed Ankalaev following Khalil Rountree's withdrawal.

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As such, Blachowicz (29-11-2) will now square off against Navajo Stirling in the new co-main event in Belgrade and the Polish veteran is unfazed by the change.Jan Blachowicz prepares for UFC Belgrade fight against Navajo Stirling After Guskov accepted the short-notice bout against Ankalaev, Blachowicz was paired with Stirling. The former champion insists little has changed in his preparation. “I am doing this all my life,” Blachowicz said in a recent interview. “It’s a new opponent. I have a lot of respect for him, but it's just another fighter who I have to stop…

Jon Jones remains highly confident in his ability.

In a recent interview, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight and light heavyweight titleholder weighed in on how he believes a fight against fellow former two-division king Alex Pereira and a wrestling match against longtime rival Daniel Cormier would unfold, backing himself in both scenarios.

Jon Jones explains why he sees grappling as the deciding factor in a hypothetical fight with Alex Pereira Jones and Pereira were seemingly on a collision course when the latter announced his move up to heavyweight for UFC Freedom 250. However, with Jones’ ongoing stalemate with the UFC regarding his future, a fight against “Poatan” has fallen through.

Nevertheless, Jones cites size as a key factor at heavyweight, claiming his former opponents Stipe Miocic and Ciryl Gane are bigger than Pereira, who previously competed at 185 pounds.

“I watched Pereira train,” Jones said in an interview with AFL Global. “I …