Martial Arts News

Francis Ngannou believes promotions are to blame for the downfall of heavyweight MMA in recent times. 

While the heavyweight division once used to be the crown jewel of MMA promotions, that is no longer the case. With barely any competition left at the highest level, the UFC is widely considered the biggest promotion. Even the UFC has been unable to get things working smoothly for its heavyweight division. 

Advertisement

Ngannou (18-3) believes “mismanagement” has led to the current plight of the heavyweight division. Ngannou clarifies that he is not blaming the managers of fighters, but rather the promotions. The former UFC heavyweight champion notes that current heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is not on the best terms with the UFC.

“I would say mismanagement,” Ngannou told The Schmo. “There is a lot of mismanagement that sometimes gets stuff screwed up. That’s where we’re at today… Like Tom Aspinall is having troubles… When I said mismanagement, I …

Boxing is not a priority for Tom Aspinall right now. 

Aspinall has long been teasing a transition to boxing. While Aspinall seemed really keen on a move to boxing until recently, the UFC heavyweight champion has now changed tune. Aspinall recently confirmed that he isn’t focused on boxing right now as he still has lots left to do in the UFC.

Advertisement

“To be honest, I’m not thinking about boxing that much right now,” Aspinall said in a recent interview (via unforgettable.mma). “I’ve got more stuff to do with the UFC.”Ongoing TensionsAspinall’s (15-3) potential move to boxing was highlighted even more during his ongoing rift with the UFC.. As the interim champion, “Honey Badger” kept waiting for a title unifier against Jon Jones, who retired last year after stalling the heavyweight division for more than a year. Aspinall was subsequently promoted to interim champion and booked to defend his title for the first time against Ciryl Gane at UFC 320 last year.…

A highly-anticpated heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is in the works for the end of this year.

Ring Magazine reported on Monday that Fury vs. Joshua is a “done deal” and will take place in the fourth quarter of 2026 on Netflix. Prior to that bout, Joshua will square off against Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Albania’s Prenga has won 13 consecutive bouts dating back to 2017. That tuneup fight will air on DAZN.

Advertisement

✅ DONE DEAL ✅

🥊 Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua📆 Q4, 2026📺 Netflix pic.twitter.com/tgxb9VDMQB

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) April 27, 2026 Don’t Call It a Comeback Fury (35-2-1), who is regarded as one of the sport’s all-time great heavyweights, returned from his latest retirement to take a clear-cut unanimous decision over Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11. He owns victories over the likes of Deontay Wilder, Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora, amo…

Coach Ben Vickers has high expectations for Tai Tuivasa.

Tuivasa (14-9) is scheduled to fight Louie Sutherland (10-5) in front of home fans at UFC Perth on Saturday at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Tuivasa had shifted his training base to Dubai in 2021. However, amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East, Tuivasa has returned to his home country to train with Vickers at Scrappy MMA in Perth. 

Advertisement

Vickers says that while people barely see beyond Tuivasa’s entertaining persona, “Bam Bam” is an exceptional fighter. Vickers believes Tuivasa still has a lot more to show, which will be evident at UFC Perth. According to Vickers, “Bam Bam” is currently in good shape and motivated. Vickers also believes Tuivasa still has it in him to make another title run despite his recent losing streak. Vickers expects a more technical version of Tuivasa at UFC Perth.‘He’s Blown My Mind’“People see this larger than life character… he is a phenomenal martial artist,” V…

After a short-notice win over Jafel Filho on Saturday, Cody Durden revealed that his next fight is already booked. 

Durden claims that he is scheduled to fight Ode Osbourne at UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Center in Las Vegas. However, that didn’t stop Durden from accepting a booking against Filho on four days’ notice at UFC Fight Night 274 on Saturday. A massive underdog against Filho, Durden earned a much-needed upset win via unanimous decision to snap a four-fight losing streak. 

Advertisement

After flying to Vegas from his gym in Florida, Durden even wondered why he took the fight despite having another booked. While he sometimes questions his decisions, Durden is willing to step up any time the UFC calls for him.Just a Call Away“After I signed the contract, I show up in Vegas, I’m like, ‘What the f—k am I doing with my life?’ What am I doing?” Durden said at his post-fight press conference. “Show up on four-day notice. I already have a fight s…

Hector Lombard has pulled out of his Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 10 headlining matchup against Yoel Romero.

As a result, Alex Nicholson will step in and face Romero in a light heavyweight bout on Friday at Unrivaled Arena in Miami. Jorge Masvidal recently announced the change via social media. The reason for Lombard’s exit is unclear. Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 10 will also see Luis Palomino square off against Darrell Horcher at lightweight in the evening’s co-main event. The card airs free via YouTube with prelims beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT followed by the main card at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Romero will be making his Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA debut, but he has competed in a number of different combat sports endeavors in recent years, including Dirty Boxing, BKFC and Real American Freestyle. Most recently, “Soldier of God” lost a controversial decision to Vagab Vagabov at IBA Bare Knuckle 4 in Russia on March 28. A former UFC middleweight title challenger, the 48-year-…

Youssef Zalal is in good spirits following his loss to Aljamain Sterling in the UFC Vegas 116 main event.

Zalal dropped a unanimous decision to the former bantamweight champ on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Sterling controlled the majority of the action with a blend of aggressive striking and dominant grappling, bringing an end to Zalal’s eight-fight professional winning streak.

Advertisement

Zalal reacted to the loss on social media, posting a photo of himself surrounded by loved ones on his Instagram account.

“Alhamdulillah!! Thank you guys for all the support,” Zalal wrote. “I’ll be back. Keep smiling.”

Sterling then replied with a message of his own in the comments.

"Always love my brotha! You pushed me to new limits and I hope I pushed you too! Wallahi you will be champion one day!” Sterling wrote.

After seeing mixed results during a 3-3-1 stint in his first go-round in the UFC, Zalal emerged as a featherweight contender wi…

Kayla Harrison had some choice words for Ronda Rousey. | Getty/UFC

Ronda Rousey attracted a lot of attention for a rant directed at Kayla Harrison during a recent Most Valuable Promotions press conference to promote her fight against Gina Carano.

Harrison drew Rousey’s ire by calling the fight between two female MMA pioneers “irrelevant.” Harrison, the reigning UFC women’s bantamweight queen, is expected to defend her title against Amanda Nunes when she recovers from neck surgery.

Advertisement

“If she thinks that her fight is the biggest women’s fight of all-time, why is she getting paid less now than I was 10 years ago?” Rousey said on April 16. “So riddle me this, bitch, are you overvalued or are you overpaid? What really pisses me off more than anything else is how small she thinks. This is not just the biggest women’s fight of all time; this is the biggest MMA fight of all time. It’s going to get the most views on the biggest platform on the …

Aljamain Sterling showed he still has plenty left in the tank on Saturday night. | Getty/UFC

Aljamain Sterling has no desire to hang around beyond his expiration date in mixed martial arts.

That’s why the former bantamweight champion was willing to look at his career realistically had he fallen flat against Youssef Zalal in the UFC Vegas 116 headliner. Instead, “The Funk Master” was in peak form as he overwhelmed his foe with agressive striking on the feet and dominant grappling on the mat en route to a unanimous decision triumph.

Advertisement

“I’m not going to lie to you, definitely thoughts of retirement and things like that crossed my mind. Depending on how I lost, if I were to lose, and just being realistic,” Sterling said on the post-fight show.

“If I can’t compete, I don’t want to do this anymore. It’s not that I don’t want to do it because there’s no future for it. It’s just if I can’t compete with these young guys, why are you sticking ar…

Victor Valenzuela got a second chance at a UFC career and made the most of it.

Valenzuela (14-4) made his UFC debut in a welterweight clash against Max Griffin (20-13) at UFC Fight Night 274 on Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas. Despite getting knocked down, Valenzuela fought back and earned a unanimous decision win in a violent affair. 

Advertisement

Valenzuela initially got a chance at a UFC career on Dana White's Contender Series last year. However, the Chilean prospect suffered a second-round stoppage loss against Michael Oliveira. Valenzuela recently revealed that he had nearly given up on a UFC career following his loss on the Contender Series. However, Valenzuela’s teammates assured him that more opportunities would come his way if he continued to work hard. “Psicosis” bounced back with a stoppage win over Yusaku Kinoshita on the regional circuit last month. Just weeks after his win over Kinoshita, Valenzuela was offered an opportunity to make his UF…

Cody Durden’s wife, Brittany Durden, has always been a huge support system for him. 

Durden faced Jafel Filho on a week’s notice at UFC Fight Night 274 at the Apex in Las Vegas. Durden was a massive +350 underdog going into his clash against Filho. However, Durden earned a huge upset win via unanimous decision in a closely-contested bout. 

Advertisement

Durden says that while most fans counted him out, his wife believed in him. While Durden flew down from his training camp at American Top Team in Florida, his wife traveled from Atlanta to join him in Vegas. “Custom Made” says that his wife is an integral part of his team, ready to share the wins and losses with him.

“A lot of people didn’t believe in me, 8-to-1 underdog,” Durden said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “But the only person that mattered, believed in me, and that was me and my beautiful wife. She packed her stuff up, came from Atlanta, I came from Florida from training camp and we j…

Jackson McVey has finally picked up his first UFC win. 

McVey (7-2) took on Sedriques Dumas (10-5) in a middleweight clash at UFC Fight Night 274 in Las Vegas. “The Moose” forced Dumas to tap with a brabo choke a little more than two minutes into the fight.

Advertisement

This marked McVey’s first win in the UFC. McVey had finished all six of his previous outings in the first round when he signed with the UFC last year. However, McVey’s success on the regional circuit did not translate into the UFC. McVey suffered his first professional loss against Brunno Ferreira via a submission in his UFC debut at UFC 318 last year. McVey went on to suffer another submission loss in his sophomore UFC outing against Zachary Reese this past November. Staying Focused McVey learned a big lesson from his early UFC losses. McVey notes that UFC, being the biggest platform, brings a lot of extra noise along with opportunities. McVey says that it is essential to cut out the n…