Martial Arts News

Magomed Zaynukov couldn't have asked for a better start to his Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

The unbeaten Dagestani prospect earned a unanimous decision over Damian Rzepecki in his Octagon debut at UFC Abu Dhabi, neutralizing his opponent's grappling while showcasing the polished striking that saw him earn a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last year.

Advertisement

Magomed Zaynukov breaks down his unanimous decision victory over Damian Rzepecki in his UFC debut Following his victory over Rzepecki, Zaynukov shed light on the preparation that went into his UFC debut.

“I thought they liked me only that much in America, but they also like me in Abu Dhabi as well,” Zaynukov said in a post-fight interview. “And I really wanted to show a good performance. I know a lot of people were counting on me, a lot of people were waiting for me to debut. I worked really, really hard. I had a crazy hard camp. I had really good sparring. Good sparring partners. …

Carlos Ulberg isn't rushing his return to the Octagon.

The reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder provided an update on his recovery from an ACL injury following UFC Abu Dhabi, revealing that he is targeting an early 2027 return to action.

Advertisement

Carlos Ulberg discusses ACL recovery and UFC light heavyweight title plans Ulberg suffered the injury in his title-winning knockout victory over Jiri Prochazka earlier this year. He recently emphasized that he does not want to risk any further injury and hence plans to take his time. In a recent interview with UFC's Charly Arnolt, “Black Jag” gave an update on his injury.

“I’m just making sure I do everything I need to keep on task with my injury, but then also just been working closely with the UFC PI and make sure I can get back in there as quickly as possible, but also as safely as possible,” Ulberg said. “We’re looking at early next year, so 2027 if we’re being smart, so we don…

The lineup for the opening two weeks of the 10th season of Dana White’s Contender Series has been unveiled.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship announced the bout order during the UFC Abu Dhabi broadcast, confirming 10 fights across the first two episodes of the annual prospect series, which returns to Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Aug. 11. Each event will stream live on Paramount+ beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Advertisement

DWCS Season 10 opening fights feature Anthony Wint vs. Matthew Adams and 10 UFC hopefuls Dana White's Contender Series has become one of the UFC's primary talent pipelines, producing numerous ranked contenders and champions, including current light heavyweight king Carlos Ulberg.

The upcoming season opener is headlined by a heavyweight clash between Anthony Wint and Matthew Adams, while lightweight prospects Fabrizio Escarrega and Abe Alsaghir meet in the co-main event. The second episode’s headliner sees Namo Fazil taking on Kaik Brito, wi…

Jean Silva won’t desert his teammate out of fear of getting embroiled in controversy.

Silva’s Fighting Nerds teammate Ilay Barzilay (7-1) is from Israel, and like some athletes from the country, Barzilay is facing backlash amidst the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. Barzilay is scheduled to fight Lucas Almeida (15-5) at Gordon Fight Nights 1 on July 27 at Menorah Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv and Silva is set to corner Barzilay for his upcoming fight.

Advertisement

A fan recently noted that Silva being in the Israeli capital will likely see him be labeled a ‘Zionist’ in Brazil. However, the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight refused to part ways with his longtime teammate. “Lord” also says that he had to go to Israel as none of their other Fighting Nerds teammates could make it. The Brazilian also believes a win over Almeida could earn Barzilay a spot on Dana White’s Contender Series.

“I'm here 100% because of the fight of the Fighting Nerds fighter…

Carlos Ulberg has a pitch for how the Ultimate Fighting Championship should handle the light heavyweight title mix.

The reigning champion believes none of the division's top-ranked contenders have done enough to earn a title shot, so he proposed a solution, essentially laying out a four-man tournament to determine his next opponent.

Advertisement

Carlos Ulberg’s UFC matchmaking idea targets Magomed Ankalaev, Jiri Prochazka and more Ulberg took on the role of a matchmaker and offered some suggestions for how the top of the division should be matched up to determine the next title challenger in a new Instagram post. This came shortly after Magomed Ankalaev's win at UFC Abu Dhabi, where the Kiwi was in attendance.

"After last night's fights, here's my thoughts," Ulberg wrote on Instagram. "Ankalaev vs. Jiri. Give them both full camps. It's a fight the division deserves, and stylistically, it's one the fans would love to see. Costa vs. Rountree. That's a wildcard. …

THAD JEAN GAVE 110% 🔋

WHAT A BATTLE#PFLDC | Main Card LIVE NOW on ESPN pic.twitter.com/iTAj3uzkjn

— PFL (@PFLMMA) July 26, 2026

Advertisement

Thad Jean overcomes late replacement Ernesto Rodriguez after Shamil Musaev withdraws to capture the PFL welterweight championship Carefirst Arena in Washington, D.C., was the venue for Professional Fighters League's latest “Summer Series” fight night on Saturday, July 25.

In the main event, two of the top welterweights in the world were due to battle it out as 2025 tournament champion Thad Jean was set to fight 2024 tourney king Shamil Musaev, but the latter had complications with his weight cut and was replaced by Ernesto Rodriguez.

We were initially scheduled to an incredible fight on paper, but what we got in practice was somehow even more special as Jean and Rodriguez went to war from the bell. Jean was rattled by Rodriguez right hands multiple times in the opening frame, but gave a…

Getty Images/UFC

It wasn’t especially compelling viewing, but Magomed Ankalaev (21-2-1) showed beyond a doubt that he is simply too much for the vast majority of light heavyweights to handle.

Advertisement

In the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday at Etihad Arena, the recently dethroned champ faced Bogdan Guskov (18-4-1), who was promoted from next week’s Belgrade card to headliner duty when Khalil Rountree withdrew from the fight last month. Guskov had the opportunity to jump the line to a title shot if he could defeat Ankalaev, but there never appeared to be even the slightest chance, as the Dagestani dominated virtually every moment of the fight.

The first round was a tense affair, as Ankalaev employed his usual methodical approach on the feet while Guskov constantly switched stances and moved in and out of range, looking for an opportunity to land one of his trademark power shots. The haymaker never came, but Guskov landed enough kicks to…

Sherdog's live UFC Abu Dhabi coverage will begin Saturday at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 281. Round 1 Good morning, Vietnam Abu Dhabi! Hey, this is not a test. This is rock and roll. Time to rock it from the Nile delta to the UAE. Is that me, or does that sound like an Elvis Presley movie? Viva Yas Island. Yas Island me, Yas Island me, why don’t they get a…anyway, it’s time for the breakfast of champions: fist fighting in the early morn. The show opens with a bantamweight battle that may make referee Mike Beltran relieved as it might end in the blink of an eye. Gibson (21-12, 3-7 UFC) has his back against the wall in his second UFC stint, while Hussein (15-2, 0-0 UFC) is going to try his utmost to make a good first impression. Solid sportsmanship from the two is on display as the athletes gladly touch ‘em up to begin our day. Hussein, the shorter man, comes out of his corner reaching out his jab. Gibson swats him back with hooks that are …

Sherdog's live PFL Washington D.C. coverage will begin Saturday at 8 p.m. ET.

A welterweight title fight headlines PFL Washington DC: Tune on Saturday, July 25 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Advertisement

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tyler Treese scores th…

Salahdine Parnasse has officially been announced as one of the headliners for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's upcoming trip to Paris.Salahdine Parnasse finally enters the UFC after championship run in KSW During the UFC Abu Dhabi broadcast, the promotion revealed that the highly-touted prospect will take on Dan Hooker at UFC Paris. A former Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki lightweight and two-time featherweight titleholder, Parnasse (23-2, 0-0 UFC) has long been regarded as one of the best fighters outside the UFC. In his most recent outing, under the MVP MMA banner, he stopped Kenneth Cross with punches at the 4:18 mark of the opening round. Parnasse is riding a five-fight winning streak, including a victory over UFC veteran Marcin Held.

Advertisement

Octagon veteran Hooker (24-14, 14-10 UFC) looks to bounce back after consecutive losses to Benoit St. Denis and Arman Tsarukyan. On both occasions, "The Hangman” has been finished in Round 2, with elbows and punches by St.…

Ready to impress 💪@AnkalaevM weighs in at 205.5 lbs

[ #UFCAbuDhabi | SAT JULY 25 | 12pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/V2ZbKcGmiz

— UFC (@ufc) July 24, 2026 The Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to Abu Dhabi is now official following the UFC Abu Dhabi weigh-ins.

Headliners Magomed Ankalaev and Bogdan Guskov both successfully made light heavyweight for their upcoming five-round fight. All other fighters also successfully hit their marks in what was an uneventful weigh-in from a drama perspective. Saturday's card will feature 13 fights in total.

"Big Ank" returns to the promotion for the first time since losing the light heavyweight championship back to Alex Pereira. The Russian lost the belt via TKO in just 80 seconds. Prior to the setback, Ankalaev (20-2-1, 1 NC) hadn't lost a fight since 2018 and put together wins over Pereira, Aleksandar Rakic, Anthony Smith and more. Ankalaev officially weighed 205.5 pounds for th…

This sport always seems to find a way.

With outlet Happy Punch in conjunction with MMA matchmaker Dean Toole and newly created organization Duel, they released a fight poster on Friday announcing an MMA event in August. Atop the “Duel: Arena” billing, one where there is but a single bout announced thus far, will see Mike Perry (15-8) throw down with Dillon Danis (2-0) at 170 pounds. The organization, formed by online crypto casino Duelbet, has indicated that there will be MMA matches alongside kickboxing and boxing. It will all be contained in a ring at the Kia Arena in Orlando on Aug. 29.

Advertisement

Reaction to the fight itself has been overwhelmingly negative, with Ultimate Fighting Championship cutman Brad Tate as well as fighters Philip Rowe, Charles Johnson and Jorge Masvidal all responding quickly to the Instagram announcement post. Some have already campaigned to either join the card themselves or push for their friends or training partners to get involv…