Martial Arts News

Adam Livingston believes he can sell out Madison Square Garden.

Livingston (8-1) opened Week 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026 with a lightweight matchup against Hunter Smith (8-2). He went toe-to-toe in a slugfest against Smith for three rounds, earning an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract in his second DWCS opportunity.

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Adam Livingston targets UFC’s November MSG card after earning his contract on DWCS Livingston says he wasn’t in his best shape when he came up short in his first DWCS appearance last year. The 25-year-old believes he is gradually coming into his prime now. Livingston also aimed high by calling for a main card opener spot at the UFC’s Madison Square Garden card in November. The New Yorker believes he has enough fans to sell out MSG by himself.

“This is my f*cking time, guys,” Livingston said in his post-fight interview. “I’m 25 years old now, I’m growing into my body, I’m a f*cking man now. Last time I was 23, coming …

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholders recently shared their negative experiences with USADA.

Chris Weidman, Jorge Masvidal and Dustin Poirier had plenty of stories to tell when a recent discussion on the “Deep Waters” turned toward their experiences with the UFC’s former drug-testing partner.

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Chris Weidman, Jorge Masvidal and Dustin Poirier recount surprise USADA testing encounters The former UFC stars shared tales of surprise visits, missed testing windows and some very inconvenient restroom situations in the latest edition of “Deep Waters.” Weidman recalled one occasion when testing agents tracked him down during a round of golf.

“I was golfing one time and so they had to come to the golf course and they waited for me at the turn,” Weidman said. “I had to go take pee and blood and my boys had to wait for me to do it, because once they see you, you can’t leave their eyesight.”

The former UFC middleweight champion also recalled rec…

Caio Borralho has weighed in on how the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title picture could play out.

“The Natural” is targeting a return for November or December after recovering from a rib injury that forced him out of his scheduled bout with Joe Pyfer at UFC 330. Ahead of his return, he broke down the championship mix at 185 pounds and how he believes it’ll unfold.

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Borralho backs Nassourdine Imavov to challenge Sean Strickland next Borralho has revealed that he is already back to full training and expects to begin another fight camp in the coming weeks. He believes he needs one or two more victories before challenging for the championship.

“I think one or two more on the way to the belt,” Borralho told MMA Fighting. “I’m just waiting for the name. But we have Pyfer, we have Brendan Allen. Both of them I can fight. They can fight between two of them, or I can fight both of them. I think we’re in the top of the division, so anyone that…

Javier Mendez was left stunned by Yadong Song’s knockout victory against Umar Nurmagomedov in their recent Ultimate Fighting Championship main event clash.

Mendez, who wasn’t in Nurmagomedov's corner at UFC Shanghai, revealed his immediate reaction to the finish. The veteran coach also pointed out his pupil’s error before reiterating his stance that the Dagestani bantamweight will eventually claim UFC gold.

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Javier Mendez explains the takedown error that left Umar Nurmagomedov vulnerable to Song Yadong Mendez was shocked by Song’s uppercut knockout, opening up about his raw reaction to the finish in an interview with Submission Radio.

“When it happened, my mouth just dropped,” Mendez said. “I'm like, ‘What the hell happened?’ And I was in shock myself because I love him so much.”

The American Kickboxing Academy head coach then broke down what led to the finish, claiming that Nurmagomedov's head placement was incorrect as he shot for a takedo…

Arman Tsarukyan was originally preparing for a different opponent before Mauricio Ruffy stepped up.

Tsarukyan recently revealed how his matchup with Ruffy came together during an appearance on the “Deep Waters” podcast. According to the lightweight contender, he had already agreed to face former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Charles Oliveira in a rematch and had begun his training camp in Armenia when he was informed of the change.

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Tsarukyan says Charles Oliveira was originally lined up for a UFC 331 rematch Tsarukyan explained that the tragic death of Oliveira’s teammate, Allan Nascimento, prompted the change of opponent for the UFC 331 co-headliner.

“I said yes, versus Oliveira,” Tsarukyan said. “I said yes and then I started my training camp in Armenia. And then Oliveira’s friend died and then they said, we’re looking for the new one. Then Ruffy came up and I said, yeah. Because already in the camp and I need one fight, because this…

Carlos Prates has a rather unconventional prediction for how a showdown with Islam Makhachev will unfold.

Prates claims that if he fights Makhachev, who recently defeated Ian Garry to retain his title, he would spend the early portion of the fight getting dominated by the Russian's wrestling before turning the tables late and claiming the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title via knockout.

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Carlos Prates explains why UFC 330 made him more confident against Islam Makhachev Prates, the frontrunner for the next title shot at 170 pounds, expects Makhachev's grappling to create problems early, but believes he can weather the storm and find a late finish.

“I think I’m going to start by getting smashed and the first time I manage to get back to my feet and start hurting him, I’m going to knock him out somewhere around the fourth or fifth round,” Prates told Gilbert Burns.

UFC 330’s main event between Makhachev and Ian Garry has further so…

Umar Nurmagomedov isn't dwelling on his first-ever knockout loss.

Nurmagomedov was finished by Yadong Song in the second round of their main event clash on Aug. 29, marking his second defeat in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Despite now being out of title contention and likely taking an extended break before his next bout having been slept by Song, the Dagestani isn’t letting the result discourage him.

Umar Nurmagomedov is already back in the gym after UFC Shanghai loss to Yadong Song After his loss to Song at UFC Shanghai, Nurmagomedov assured fans that he’s alright and revealed that he’s already back in the gym. He claims that he won’t let the result affect his mentality.

“Stay strong and thankful to God always,” Nurmagomedov wrote in an Instagram post. “I have no plans to lose heart or withdraw into myself. I got up and shook off the dust. I’m back in the gym and getting back to work.”

Nurmagomedov also reiterated that fans shouldn’t feel sorry for him, …

Muhammad Mokaev is campaigning for a return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Mokaev (17-0) recently took to social media to remind UFC CEO Dana White of a challenge the latter issued following the former’s controversial exit from the promotion. The unbeaten flyweight has racked up several wins across different disciplines since leaving the UFC in 2024 and now wants another shot in the premier mixed martial arts organization.

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Muhammad Mokaev points to championships outside the UFC in message to Dana White Mokaev recently added yet another win to his resume with a decision victory over Moris Boleian to claim ACBJJ’s 60kg division title. He has won four MMA fights since departing the UFC, capturing the Brave CF flyweight championship in November before picking up another finish in the Spanish promotion, WOW. He has also competed in Karate Combat last year, securing a second-round stoppage victory.

After his jiu-jitsu win over Boleian at ACBJJ 2…

Javier Mendez doesn't agree with Dana White's assessment of Ian Garry's performance against Islam Makhachev.

Makhachev retained the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title with a unanimous decision win over Garry in the UFC 330 main event on Aug. 15. White later criticized the Irish challenger for being too passive and overly respectful, which he believes cost him the fight.

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Javier Mendez praises Ian Garry’s strategy in UFC 330 loss to Islam Makhachev Mendez has a different take on Garry’s strategy against Makhachev. While he understands the UFC CEO’s point of view, the American Kickboxing Academy head coach commended Garry’s approach.

“From that perspective, I get where he [Dana White] is coming from, but he doesn't understand the mentality of a fighter and what Ian pulled off,” Mendez said. “If he understood that, then he'd have a different outlook on it like I do.”

Mendez acknowledged that the fight was lackluster, but Garry’s s…

Frank da Silva Castro’s luck has seemingly deserted him, as a second chance on Dana White’s Contender Series has now fallen apart.

Castro (8-0-1) was originally scheduled to fight An Tuan Ho on DWCS last year. However, he withdrew for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Eduardo Henrique. He maintained his undefeated record with a win on the regional circuit earlier this year to earn another shot at an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

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Frank da Silva Castro is reportedly out of DWCS Week 5 against Colton Loud Castro was scheduled to face Colton Loud (7-1) in Week 5 of DWCS 2026 on Sept. 8 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. However, he has reportedly been forced out of the matchup due to visa issues.

Still just 22 years old, the unbeaten Brazilian bantamweight has plenty of time to make it to the UFC, but will likely need to return to the regional scene and pick up more wins while his visa issues get sorted out.

Castro will now be replaced…

Aboubakar Younousov blames his surname for a missed opportunity to make an Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

Younousov (8-0) claims he was willing to step up on short notice to fight Nathaniel Wood (23-6) at UFC Paris after the Englishman’s original opponent withdrew from the upcoming event. He claims Wood allegedly turned down the matchup, viewing it as a risky move.

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Aboubakar Younousov says Nathaniel Wood rejected short-notice UFC Paris fight Younousov, the Ares FC bantamweight champion, was even willing to move up a weight class to face Wood. He believes Wood turned down the matchup as certain surnames, primarily those that originate from the Caucasus regions, are feared across mixed martial arts.

“As you know, another fighter ultimately stepped in as a replacement because Nathaniel Wood refused to face me,” Younosov wrote on Instagram. “Yet, the odds were stacked in his favor: weight, training camp, and experience. Honestly, I’m actually p…

Former Professional Fighters League tournament champion Timur Khizriev will return to competition at PFL Chicago in October, more than a year after he was injured in a shooting.

Sources close to the promotion confirmed to Sherdog that Khizriev will compete for the first time since defeating Brendan Loughnane to win the 2024 PFL featherweight tournament. He will face former tournament finalist Gabriel Braga.

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Timur Khizriev faces Gabriel Braga in PFL Chicago rematch after year-long absence Khizriev remains undefeated with an 18-0 record. The Dagestani survived being shot five times during an alleged robbery in his homeland, an attack that kept him out of action for more than a year.

The matchup will also be a rematch. Khizriev edged Braga by split decision in a closely contested 2024 PFL tournament semifinal.

A flyweight title fight headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in on Saturday, Oct. 16 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Braga will make his second appe…