Martial Arts News

Ray Lewis could be the latest prominent crossover athlete to grace the Real American Freestyle mat.

RAF co-founders Chad Bronstein and Izzy Martinez recently revealed that discussions are underway for the Hall of Famer to compete for the promotion before the end of 2026.

Ray Lewis is in discussions to compete for Real American Freestyle before the end of 2026Lewis, who has a legitimate background in wrestling, may soon make his debut in RAF, as there are ongoing discussions between the former professional football linebacker and the wrestling promotion. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder Tyron Woodley, who has competed twice for RAF, is helping facilitate the crossover.

He was a state wrestling champion in high school and has credited the sport for aiding his National Football League career.

According to MMA Fighting, a deal hasn’t been finalized, but the two sides are moving in a positive direction.

Muhammad Mokaev was offered an opportunity to compete under the Ultimate Fighting Championship banner again, but declined.

Mokaev, who controversially exited the UFC in 2024, has revealed that he was offered a UFC BJJ title match against Mikey Musumeci. He recently detailed turning down the matchup as he continues to campaign for a return to the promotion’s flyweight mixed martial arts division.

Advertisement

Muhammad Mokaev says UFC BJJ title fight against Mikey Musumeci came without MMA return Speaking to BBC Sport, Mokaev said that the issue wasn’t with the opponent he was offered. Instead, he objected to the UFC's reluctance to link the grappling appearance to a full return to the roster.

According to Mokaev, he was offered $10,000 to compete against Musumeci in UFC BJJ and was prepared to accept the matchup if it came with a UFC contract afterward. When the promotion indicated that the grappling appearance was separate from its MMA plans, “The Punisher” dec…

Islam Makhachev and Jon Jones are going back and forth online.

Makhachev recently discredited Jones’ title run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship because of repeated drug-testing violations. Jones fired back at Makhachev, claiming the UFC’s drug-testing partners at the time had dismissed his failures as unintentional and not performance-enhancing.

Advertisement

Jon Jones invokes Islam Makhachev's lone loss before the UFC pound-for-pound king targets Jones' past In addition to defending his run-ins with USADA, “Bones” further boasted his near-perfect record while reminding Makhachev of his lone career loss against Adriano Martins in 2015. Jones listed several reasons why he considers his legacy superior to that of Makhachev, referencing praise he once received from Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, before taking a shot at Daniel Cormier.

Jones wrote on X:

“Let’s start this week by dispelling rumors that have been spread by people chasing me: 1. If you believe USADA…

Adrian Yanez looks set to return to action at Madison Square Garden.

Yanez (18-6-1) is booked to face Juan Diaz (16-1-1) in a bantamweight matchup on Nov. 14 at MSG in New York City, per Marcel Dorff. This marks the third matchup tied to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s next event in the Big Apple, UFC 334.

Advertisement

Adrian Yanez reportedly set to face Juan Diaz at Madison Square Garden Yanez enters the matchup after returning to the win column with a knockout victory over former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt in July, marking just his second win over the last three years.

Meanwhile, Diaz submitted Malcolm Wellmaker in his Octagon debut in May after earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. He’s riding a nine-fight win streak and has never been finished.

The UFC has yet to officially announce any fights for UFC 334. So far, apart from Yanez vs. Diaz, the only other reported matchups for the card are Bilal Hasan v…

Luis Hernandez upheld his perfect record with an impressive finish on Week 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10.

The Dade County police officer submitted Hugo Guillon via rear-naked choke at 1:01 of the second round of their clash on Sept. 15 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas to earn an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

Advertisement

Luis Hernandez submits Hugo Guillon to improve to 8-0 on DWCS Week 6 The middleweight matchup between Hernandez and Guillon kicked off with Hernandez closing the distance and taking his opponent down. The latter worked back to his feet before throwing Hernandez to the canvas with a judo throw.

The pace remained high throughout the opening round and intensified in the second frame. Hernandez survived a submission attempt by Guillon and soon found himself in a dominant position. He then took Guillon's back and locked in a rear-naked choke, forcing the tap.

“Feels surreal,” Hernandez, now 8-0, said in his post-fight inte…

Igor Cavalcanti made his second Ultimate Fighting Championship opportunity count.

The Brazilian middleweight stopped Oscar Ravello via technical knockout at 1:38 of the opening round when they clashed at Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Week 6 of DWCS 2026, earning the 14th victory of his professional career and a UFC contract.

Advertisement

Igor Cavalcanti earns UFC contract in second DWCS appearance In his second appearance on DWCS, the action began at a chaotic pace, with both fighters immediately looking to land damaging strikes. Cavalcanti eventually found the mark with a powerful right hand that sent Ravello to the canvas.

Ravello managed to survive the initial onslaught and continued firing back while attempting to stay in the bout. Cavalcanti, however, maintained the pressure and repeatedly connected with ground strikes. Referee Kevin MacDonald eventually stepped in to halt the bout after 98 seconds. The victory gave Cavalcanti his first DWCS win after falling…

Mayton Perea is officially headed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The Ecuadorian earned his UFC contract in emphatic fashion, stopping Zevan Hunt in just 45 seconds in the main event of Week 6 of Dana White’s Contender Series at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

Advertisement

Mayton Perea reacts to UFC contract after stopping Zevan Hunt at DWCS The fight moved at a frantic pace from the opening exchange. Hunt (7-1) found himself in mount in the early exchanges before Perea (9-3) worked his way back to his feet. The latter then landed a big punch. Hunt scrambled for a leg, but Perea responded with a series of elbows and follow-up strikes to force the referee stoppage.

The victory marked Perea's fourth consecutive win, earning a spot on the UFC roster after impressing UFC CEO Dana White. In his post-fight interview, he opened up about what it means to join the premier mixed martial arts promotion.

“I have been waiting my entire life; I have been manifesting t…

Alexander Volkanovski has shared the cage with some of the world's best mixed martial artists, but his latest opponent presented a very different challenge.

The two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight titleholder recently squared off with fellow Australian Jordan Mailata, the Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman and Super Bowl winner, in a series of unconventional challenges. For Volkanovski, this meant facing the much larger Mailata, who stands at 6-foot-8.

Advertisement

Alexander Volkanovski submits Philadelphia Eagles lineman Jordan Mailata in UFC-NFL challenge The matchup began with Volkanovski and Mailata testing their punching power on a machine before the NFL star volunteered to absorb body shots from the UFC veteran.

Volkanovski then managed to take the much larger athlete off his feet before eventually securing a choke. Mailata was able to lift Volkanovski off the ground at one point, showcasing the obvious size difference between the pai…

Scott Coker believes his latest mixed martial arts venture can produce a new generation of stars.

Coker recently unveiled Ki MMA during a press conference in New York, officially introducing the promotion he first announced was in development in May. The project will launch in 2027. The promotion's name comes from the Japanese concept of “ki,” referring to spirit, mind and energy. Ki MMA will also adopt a format rarely seen in modern MMA, with all fights taking place in a ring.

Advertisement

Scott Coker explains how Ki MMA's 32-fighter Grand Prix will build its first champion Coker plans to use tournaments as the foundation for building new stars. The inaugural competition will feature a 32-fighter featherweight Grand Prix divided among North America, South America, Asia and Europe.

Each region will have an eight-man tournament, with the four continental champions advancing to a final event. The remaining fighters will then compete in two bouts on the same night …

Alexandre Pantoja is fully focused on his upcoming rematch with Joshua Van.

Pantoja (30-6) will look to reclaim the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title against Van (17-2) at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Rather than stoking the flames of their rivalry in the lead-up to their rematch, the former champ is solely thinking about the fight.

Advertisement

Alexandre Pantoja says his sole focus is beating Joshua Van at UFC 331 Pantoja says the lead-up to his rematch against Van will be different than their first encounter. The Brazilian has no room in his mind to sell this fight by building up the rivalry and isn’t even interested in the press conference or other pre-fight customs. While Pantoja knows fans like some pre-fight antics, he believes he gave them their fair share last time around.

“Now it’s gonna be a little bit different than last time,” Pantoja told Full Send MMA. “I don’t try to sell this fight anymore; I’m here to fig…

Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van both claim to have tricks up their sleeves for their rematch.

Pantoja (30-6) will look to reclaim the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title from Van (17-2) in their rematch at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Both 125-pounders have identified holes in each other’s games that they’re looking to exploit.

Advertisement

Alexandre Pantoja's coach breaks down their UFC 331 flyweight title rematch Pantoja’s muay thai coach at American Top Team, Anderson Franca, says the Brazilian has some surprises in store for his Octagon return. He believes Van will try to keep the fight standing as he will be concerned about Pantoja’s ground game. However, Franca claims Pantoja can surprise Van on the feet as well and predicts a precise fourth-round finish.

“Van’s fight with Taira gave us a lot of elements to study in terms of how he might approach this fight,” Franca told Sherdog. “We have Plan A and Plan B. We’re br…

American Top Team muay thai coach Anderson Franca believes Arman Tsarukyan presents a tricky stylistic challenge for Mauricio Ruffy.

Tsarukyan will meet Ruffy in the co-main event of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming event in Los Angeles. Franca, who has previously cornered Tsarukyan, won’t be in the Armenian’s corner at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena, but was instrumental in creating the game plan.

Advertisement

Anderson França breaks down Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 In a recent interview with Sherdog, Franca broke down the Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy matchup. The coach revealed changes Tsarukyan has made to his camp in preparation for Ruffy, who he considers the best striker in the 155-pound division.

“Arman always trains with me when he has his camp at ATT, but for this particular camp he brought Petrosyan, who is a high-level fighter who competed in K-1,” Franca told Sherdog. “Arman is an athlete who never gives up and is will…