Martial Arts News

Two Ultimate Fighting Championship-inspired crossover title bouts are officially headed to Real American Freestyle.

Rivalries involving Colby Covington, Belal Muhammad, Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo are set to headline the promotion's next two events. RAF recently announced that Dvalishvili will meet Cejudo in the main event of RAF 12 on Aug. 22 in Cleveland, while Covington will defend his cruiserweight crossover championship against Muhammad at RAF 13 on Sept. 19 in Miami.

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Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad bring UFC rivalry to Real American Freestyle RAF 13 Both Dvalishvili vs. Cejudo and Muhammad vs. Covington will be contested for crossover championships, a division created to allow active and former UFC fighters to compete on the wrestling mats.

Covington became the inaugural cruiserweight crossover champion with a victory over UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 11 in July. Muhammad confronted Covington during the post-event press co…

Zuffa Boxing founder Dana White hopes to add Gervonta Davis to the promotion's growing stable before potentially matching him up against Shakur Stevenson.

Following Zuffa Boxing 9 in New York, White addressed the possibility of booking a blockbuster showdown between Stevenson and Davis, revealing that he has already held discussions with the latter, having already signed the former.

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Zuffa Boxing’s Shakur Stevenson deal could lead to talks with Gervonta Davis White admitted that he has spoken to Davis and he’s definitely interested in working together in the future.

“I don’t know [about booking Tank vs. Shakur],” White said. “I do love Tank Davis. I’m actually a fan and we’ve talked to them. I don’t want to speak for him or whatever, but I have talked to him and I’m a fan.”

Stevenson recently signed a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing, immediately fueling speculation about potential marquee matchups under the promotion's banner. A clash with D…

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White has shared a timeline for Conor McGregor’s recovery following the Irish star’s anticlimactic return at UFC 329.

McGregor’s long-awaited comeback lasted just 69 seconds as the former two-division champion suffered a knee injury in his rematch against Max Holloway with the first kick he threw. With one fight remaining in his contract, “Notorious” has begun his rehabilitation and has his sights set on his Octagon return. White has now weighed in on when McGregor will be back.

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Dana White updates Conor McGregor’s UFC return after ACL and meniscus injury Days after losing to Holloway, McGregor revealed that he suffered an ACL and meniscus injury. The Irishman later claimed that he’s targeting a return for the summer of 2027. Speaking to reporters following Zuffa Boxing 9, White revealed that McGregor is expected to be sidelined for a year.

McGregor recently shared a video on Instagram of his rehabilitation, …

Ilia Topuria and his brother Aleksandre were in attendance for Guram Kutateladze’s engagement party.

Kutateladze recently got engaged to his partner, Erika Nielsen. Ilia and Aleksandre were seen rejoicing and congratulating their longtime friend and teammate. This is one of the few occasions the former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder has been spotted without sunglasses since his title loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250.

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Ilia Topuria's latest public appearance comes at Guram Kutateladze's celebration Kutateladze was a highly touted prospect going into his UFC debut in 2020 and lived up to the hype with a split decision win over Mateusz Gamrot. However, “Georgian Viking” endured an inconsistent UFC stint thereafter, going 3-3 in the promotion. He was released from the UFC following a loss to Kaue Fernandes last year and has since scored a first-round knockout win over fellow UFC veteran Victor Hugo on the regional circui…

Navajo Stirling doesn’t think he’s on a collision course with his training partners in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Stirling (10-0) is scheduled to face his biggest step up in competition so far in Jan Blachowicz at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1 in Serbia. Stirling accepted the fight on less than three weeks’ notice, after the former light heavyweight champion’s original opponent, Bogdan Guskov, accepted another short-notice booking.

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A win over Blachowicz moves the Kiwi closer to the title, which is currently held by his teammate, Carlos Ulberg (14-1). Despite former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker also being in the mix at 205 pounds, Stirling doesn’t see himself fighting either one of his teammates.Navajo Stirling discusses Carlos Ulberg, Robert Whittaker and the UFC 205-pound title picture Whittaker (28-9), who has been training at City Kickboxing lately, enjoyed a successful move up to the light heavyweight division, finishing Nikita Kryl…

Navajo Stirling believes Khamzat Chimaev is a one-dimensional fighter.

After Chimaev suffered the first loss of his professional career, the hype surrounding the former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion has dampened. Stirling recently called him a “one-trick pony” and wants Chimaev to move up to light heavyweight so they can fight.

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Why Navajo Stirling Believes Khamzat Chimaev Isn't a Complete Fighter While Stirling acknowledges that Chimaev would bring much attention to the 205-pound division, the unbeaten Kiwi wants to expose how “Borz” isn’t a well-rounded fighter.

“I think he’s a bit of a one-trick pony,” Stirling told Full Send MMA. “I would love to fight him. I want to test my theory against someone like that. I would love for some bigger names to come to the division that could bring some hype.”

Chimaev was undefeated and a massive betting favorite going into his first middleweight title defense against Sean Strickland at UFC 328…

Conor McGregor wanted to put on a “generational beating” against Max Holloway, but is now set for another year sidelined with injury and rehabilitation.

McGregor’s return to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship from a five-year hiatus ended disastrously, as he injured his knee with the first kick he threw. An anticlimactic stoppage soon followed, bringing an unfortunate end to the penultimate bout on his current UFC contract.

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The Irishman has now outlined when he’ll return to the Octagon.Conor McGregor targets summer 2027 for comeback “Notorious” recently posted a reel on Instagram, where he can be seen practicing his kick moments before making the walk at UFC 329, further addressing claims that he entered the bout with a pre-existing injury. The caption of his post revealed the timeline of his return, eyeing International Fight Week next year. “What was to be a generational beating is now to be reset,” McGregor wrote. “IFW 2027 The Last Dan…

Edgar Berlanga overcame an early scare to score a statement victory, while Richardson Hitchins impressed in his welterweight bout at Zuffa Boxing 9.

Zuffa Boxing graced The Big Apple on July 26, putting on an event at Infosys Theater in Madison Square Garden.

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Zuffa Boxing 9 Results: Edgar Berlanga stops Steven Butler, Richardson Hitchins wins side Berlanga rallied following a knockdown to stop Steven Butler via technical knockout in the seventh round of a super middleweight bout. Berlanga responded with relentless pressure after being dropped, gradually breaking Butler down before scoring a knockdown of his own in Round 6.

In the co-main event, Hitchins turned in a dominant performance, cruising to a unanimous decision over Ricardo Salas. Using his superior speed, reach and jab, the New Yorker outboxed Salas from bell to bell, earning identical 100-90 scores on all three judges' cards.

Elsewhere on the card, Jalil Hackett earned a unanimous de…

Valter Walker has issued a warning to his heavyweight peers in the Ultimate Fighting Championship for when the fight hits the mat.

The Brazilian submission specialist continued his remarkable streak at UFC Abu Dhabi, forcing a tap from Thomas Petersen with a rare calf slicer in the first round. This marked only the fourth successful calf slicer in Octagon history and extended Walker's streak of sub victories to five straight.

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Valter Walker says he has an answer when opponents defend his heel hook. Walker (16-1) secured four consecutive wins via heel hooks going into UFC Abu Dhabi and added yet another leg-based submission conquest to his record with his victory over Petersen. “The Foot Hunter” later explained that the finish came after his American counterpart successfully defended the heel hook.

“If you’re ready for the heel hook, I have a variation to find a way to win the fight,” Walker said in a post-fight interview. “If the fight is on the gr…

Professional Fighters League CEO John Martin saw several fighters make a statement at PFL Washington D.C.

The PFL put on a show at CareFirst Arena in the American capital, where Thad Jean (12-0) and Ernesto Rodriguez (11-2) fought for the vacant welterweight title in the main event. Rodriguez accepted the matchup on 48 hours’ notice after Jean’s original opponent, Shamil Musaev, pulled out due to weight cut issues.

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The PFL CEO believes Shamil Musaev deserves the next title shot Jean survived a knockdown scare in the second round and pounded out an exhausted Rodriguez to earn a stoppage win in the third period. Martin appreciates Rodriguez for stepping up to save the main event, although the Cuban was originally supposed to fight Aaron McKenzie on the same card. Martin also praised Jean for accepting a sudden change of opponent and would like to see him defend his title against Musaev next.

“Let’s start with Ernesto… 48 hours ago, he was preparing …

Rizvan Kuniev bagged his second win in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, getting his hand raised at UFC Abu Dhabi, but he isn’t entirely content with his performance.

Kuniev secured a finish against Tyrell Fortune at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The back-and-forth heavyweight clash was later awarded Fight of the Night, with both heavyweights having their moments before the third-round stoppage.

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Rizvan Kuniev reflects on mistakes after Tyrell Fortune stoppage at UFC Abu Dhabi Fortune (18-4) proved to be a solid test for the Russian, who eventually landed two back-to-back knees to prompt the referee to intervene. Despite finding a finish, Kuniev (14-3) later admitted that he expects more from himself moving forward, especially considering his championship aspirations.

“Of course I made some mistakes,” Kuniev said in a post-fight interview. “Because I rushed sometimes too fast into the fight, but we will work it out and as my coach said, I’m on top n…

Ramazonbek Temirov has highlighted what separates himself from the rest of the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division.

Temirov delivered a resounding statement against former title challenger Steve Erceg at UFC Abu Dhabi. The Uzbek prospect secured a first-round knockout, taking his professional record to 20-3. In a post-fight interview, he discussed the X-factor he possesses at 125 pounds.

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Ramazonbek Temirov’s knockout ability stands out after UFC Abu Dhabi win over Steve Erceg Temirov put his Australian counterpart to sleep with a crushing right hand in the co-main event of UFC Abu Dhabi, extending his UFC record to 3-0 and earning a Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts. Speaking after the victory, he explained why he feels he's different from the rest of the division, emphasizing how flyweights rarely pull off one-shot knockouts as he did against Erceg.

“I haven’t seen all the fighters just fighting like me. Just striking p…