Martial Arts News

One last matchup announcement! (for now)

Team São Paulo's @FabricioWerdum steps into the GFL cage with Team LA's @thefrankmir in a Heavyweight bout! pic.twitter.com/iuSouahE1o

— Global Fight League (@mmagfl) February 14, 2025

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Two fights recently announced by the fledging Global Fight League immediately drew the attention of mixed martial fans.

Fabricio Werdum (Team Sao Paulo) is expected to face Frank Mir (Team Los Angeles), while it was also revealed that Mauricio Rua (Team Sao Paulo) would meet Yoel Romero (Team Miami). No dates and locations have been formally announced for any GFL events at this point in time. When Sherdog spoke to Werdum and Rua, they offered differing points of view on their respective bouts.

"I already started my physical preparation here in Florianopolis,” Werdum said. “It looks like this confrontation between Los Angeles and Sao Paulo will take place on May 11. My plan is to go to Curi…

Justin Gaethje says Khabib is the toughest opponent he’s ever faced, and his dream fight is against Islam Makhachev 👀

“[Islam] is the champ, and I do believe that is a better matchup for me than Khabib.”

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🎥 @Justin_Gaethje #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/NvMALCtqE4 — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 17, 2025

While both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev rank among the best fighters in MMA history, Justin Gaethje believes he has a better chance of beating the current UFC lightweight champion.

Gaethje suffered a failed lightweight title bid against Nurmagomedov via submission at UFC 254 in 2020. During a recent Q&A session posted on his YouTube channel, “The Highlight” named Nurmagomedov as his toughest test ever. According to Gaethje, he probably couldn’t have beaten “Eagle” at UFC 254 even if he had performed better.

Nurmagomedov retired after UFC 254, citing the demise of his father and coach, Abd…

Alex Pereira is asked how he’s preparing for the Ankalaev fight:

“I’m training, honestly, as if I were fighting any other guy.

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I think the only thing that changes is that he’s left-handed, but that doesn’t make any difference.”

🎥 @markbouris #UFC313pic.twitter.com/zfk9wR7kJY

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 17, 2025 Alex Pereira (12-2) claims the preparation for the upcoming fight against Magomed Ankalaev (19-1) is just like any other.

Pereira will put his light heavyweight title on the line against Ankalaev in the main event at UFC 313 on March 8 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Despite being undefeated in 13 outings since 2018, the title shot has evaded Ankalaev up until now.

When Pereira last defended his title against Khalil Rountree Jr., Ankalaev accused the champ of ducking him. They have since been going back and forth, with Pereira claiming to have asked for an Ankalaev matchup and the D…

Austin Vanderford, who is perhaps best known for being the husband of Paige VanZant, will get his chance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship this weekend.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Tuesday that Vanderford will face Nikolay Veretennikov in a short-notice, 175-pound catchweight affair at UFC Seattle on Saturday. UFC Seattle — also known as UFC Fight Night 252 — takes place at Climate Pledge Arena and is headlined by a bantamweight showdown between Henry Cejudo and Yadong Song.

Vanderford began his professional tenure with 11 consecutive triumphs — including five wins under the Bellator MMA banner. During that stretch, he attempted to earn a UFC deal on Dana White's Contender Series in 2018 but didn’t receive a contract following a second-round submission of Angelo Trevino. He challenged for middleweight gold at Bellator 275, where he suffered a first-round TKO defeat to then champ Gegard Mousasi. “The Gentleman” parted ways with Bellator follo…

Nine-time Octagon veteran Joe Solecki is calling it a career. The UFC lightweight announced his retirement in an post via Instagram on Monday. The 31-year-old exits the sport with a 13-6 career mark. The Wenonah, New Jersey, native went 5-4 during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

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“Today, after chasing this dream for 10 years, I am officially retiring from the sport of MMA,” Solecki wrote.

“I started this endeavor as a kid with a dream of making it to the UFC. It then grew into so many more goals and dreams, some of which I achieved and others where I fell short. In a way, despite falling short at times (especially this past year), I ‘lived my movie.’ Competing at the highest level in the UFC and grinding it out on the regional circuit to make it to the top have taught me more life lessons and things about myself, hard work, and determination than I ever could’ve imagined. This avenue in life has helped me grow in so many ways as a ma…

Miesha Tate will return to action in a bantamweight bout against Yana Santos on May 3.

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Tate initially revealed the pairing in a post on Instagram, and it was subsequently confirmed by Santos. The UFC has not formally announced the fight. The UFC Fight Night event is expected to take place in Des Moines, Iowa.

“I’ve still got what it takes and if you doubt me, please stick around. Mark your calendars,” Tate wrote.

A former Strikeforce and UFC bantamweight queen, Tate hasn’t competed since defeating the recently-retired Julia Avila via third-round submission at UFC on ESPN 52 in December 2023. “Cupcake” initially retired following a loss to Raquel Pennington at UFC 205 in November 2016, but she returned to action in 2021. Tate has fought sporadically since then, posting a 2-2 mark within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Santos, meanwhile, snapped a three-bout skid in her last outing, when she outpointed Chelsea Chandler at UFC on ESPN 61 t…

Conor McGregor is living up to his vow to challenge the ruling that went against him in a civil lawsuit late last year.

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According to a report from BBC, McGregor filed an appeal of the verdict that found him civilly liable for sexual assault against Nikita Hand in Irish courts this past Friday.

In November, the Dublin High Court found that McGregor sexually assaulted Hand in 2018 and ordered the former two-division UFC champion to pay more than $250,000 in damages. Because it was a civil trial, McGregor did not face criminal charges in the case. He denied the sexual assault accusations during the trial and after the verdict, claiming that it was a consensual encounter.

“People want to hear from me, I needed time. I know I made mistakes,” McGregor wrote in a since-deleted post on social media. “Six years ago, I should have never responded to her outreaches. I should have shut the party down. I should never have stepped out on the woman I love…

[embedded content] The Professional Fighters League has business to conduct beyond the introduction of its new World Tournament format in 2025. Francis Ngannou, the most important fighter on the company’s roster, could take his combat sports career in a variety of directions, with a host of options available to him.

Ngannou ranks as the top attraction for the PFL and also serves as the chairman of PFL Africa, enhancing his long-term importance to the organization. With the PFL looking to find success and build new stars through its international leagues across the globe, Ngannou will have a significant impact—inside and outside the cage. “The Predator” made his long-awaited promotional debut at PFL “Battle of the Giants,” where he punched out Renan Ferreira in the first round of their Oct. 19 pay-per-view headliner. It afforded Ferreira, a rising star within the company, the opportunity to challenge one of the biggest names in the sport and drew plenty of attention.

A…

It was a big deal for Youssef Zalal to share the Octagon with Calvin Kattar.

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So much so that Zalal even needed a little reminder from his coach that he belonged in the cage with the accomplished featherweight before their fight in the UFC Vegas 102 co-main event in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

“I don’t think people realize how much pressure I put on myself in every single fight. I remember coach telling me before I walked out: ‘He’s just a face, remove the name.’ I’m still learning that,” Zalal said at the post-fight press conference. “I’m a fan of this sport, No. 1. Also, sometimes I go in there and forgot that I am that good. I am that exciting, I am that guy.”

Zalal relied on speed and mobility to cruise to a unanimous decision triumph over Kattar in their clash, earning his fourth consecutive UFC triumph — and seventh victory in a row overall. An accurate jab and solid leg kicks were the weapons of choice for “The Moroccan Devil” as he rac…

Belal Muhammad says he would never fight Islam Makhachev, and would rather move up to 185 and let Islam fight for the 170 title

“I think 185 is probably the easiest weight class, besides Khamzat. Bro, Strickland and Du Plessis suck.”

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🎥 @barstoolchicagopic.twitter.com/uwAKNSVHtk — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 16, 2025

Belal Muhammad would rather move up in weight than fight Islam Makhachev.

Like many UFC champs, Muhammad and Makhachev have recently expressed double-champ aspirations. However, Makhachev’s primary hindrance is Muhammad, as he is a good friend and training partner of the welterweight champ.

Muhammad also recently clarified that he isn’t willing to welcome Makhachev to welterweight under any circumstance. Muhammad would rather move up to middleweight and let the lightweight champ climb to 170 pounds. While Makhachev has defended his lightweight strap four times, Muhammad is yet to defend h…

A matchup of women’s bantamweights has been added to UFC 315.

Nora Cornolle (8-2) and Hailey Cowan (7-3) will trade leather at UFC 315 on May 10 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The matchup was first reported by MMAjunkie.com.

Both Cornolle and Cowan will attempt to return to the win column after losses in their previous outings. Cornolle looked to avenge a loss in her pro debut against Jacqueline Cavalcanti when they met in a rematch at UFC Paris in September 2024. However, the Frenchwoman dropped a split decision against Cavalcanti, the only opponent to beat her. That snapped an eight-fight winning streak for Cornolle, who had been victorious in her first two UFC outings.

Meanwhile, Cowan earned her UFC contract with a split-decision win over Claudia Leite on Dana White's Contender Series in 2022. “All Hail” suffered a unanimous decision loss against Jamey-Lyn Horth in her UFC debut in 2023. She has since seen bookings against Zarah Fai…

Even at 40 years old, Jared Cannonier isn’t here to be a steppingstone in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division.

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He proved that on Saturday night, when he rallied for a fourth-round technical knockout victory against Gregory Rodrigues in the UFC Vegas 102 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Rodrigues entered the bout having won five of his last six Octagon appearances, but “The Killa Gorilla” denied the Brazilian’s entry into the upper echelon of the division.

Cannonier balked at the notion that he was settling into a gatekeeper role at this point in his MMA career.

“I don’t think anybody’s put that tag on me. It’s just when I was doing all these interviews, the way I was answering the questions it sounded as if I was a gatekeeper,” Cannonier said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Because you guys kept saying ‘you’re fighting this up and comer, you’re fighting a second up and comer, you’re fighting another up…