Martial Arts News

Ethyn Ewing has made a habit of knocking off highly-touted opponents. | Getty/UFC

Ethyn Ewing will look to hand another undefeated fighter his first professional loss next month. 

Ewing is set to face Farid Basharat at a UFC Fight Night event on June 20 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The bout was announced by the promotion on Tuesday. 

Building a Reputation Ewing (10-2) has built a career out of derailing undefeated opponents’ hype train. Ewing is currently undefeated in 10 straight outings since dropping his first two professional fights. “The Professor Finesser” was a massive +550 underdog when he made his UFC debut on 48 hours’ notice against then-unbeaten prospect Malcolm Wellmaker last year. Ewing put on a clinic to earn a massive upset win via unanimous decision. Ewing repeated his success this past April by handing Rafael Estevam his first professional loss in another upset. 

Meanwhile, Basharat (15-0) has six UFC wins to his name s…

Francis Ngannou recently crossed paths with his first promoter, Stephane Chafourier. 

Ngannou (19-3) knocked out Philipe Lins in the first round of their heavyweight clash at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" card last weekend in Los Angeles. Chafourier was there to manage his fighter, Salahdine Parnasse, who also scored a first-round knockout win over Kenneth Cross. 

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Blast from the Past Ngannou came across Chafourier backstage at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Ngannou revealed that Chafourier was his first promoter. Ngannou recalls not being paid anything for his first fight, which was a free tournament. However, “The Predator” was thrilled when he received 2,000 euros ($2,323) for his second fight. Ngannou recalls going to a corner and immediately counting his money.

“Mr. Chafourier. This is my first promoter,” Ngannou said while talking to Chafourier. “First fight, free tournament. Second one, I won 2,000 euros. I was so ha…

Carlos Prates does not plan on fighting for much longer. 

Prates recently revealed that he ideally plans to retire by the age of 35 or 36. The Brazilian welterweight contender claims to have nearly 140 bouts on his resume in his amateur and professional career combined. Prates further revealed that his body has sustained a lot of wear and tear over the years. “The Nightmare” has to wait for 20 minutes after waking up everyday before he can move normally. Prates claims his feet, back and neck are all somewhat damaged. However, Prates won’t rule out the idea of competing even later if the fight purse is lucrative enough.

Pain Every Day “I want to leave before [40]. Maybe 35 or 36,” Prates said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I have almost 140 fights. When I wake up and get out of my bed, I cannot walk well. I need to wait 20 minutes for my back to stop [hurting], my feet. Everyday. Both my feet, my back and neck are also bad… Let’s see how many zeros they’re gonna put on…

Salahdine Parnasse is dreaming big after his win last Saturday. 

Parnasse took on Kenneth Cross in a lightweight tilt at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" last weekend in Los Angeles,. Parnasse put on a beating on Cross before knocking him out in the final minute of the first round. 

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Aiming High The Moroccan-French fighter subsequently expressed interest in signing with the UFC. However, Parnasse seemingly wants to keep all his options open. Parnasse’s team recently posted a photo of him with Dustin Poirier on an MVP fight poster.

“Open season. He’s the one we want. Respectfully,” the caption read. “The hunt is on.”

Parnasse (23-2) is currently riding a five-fight winning streak. The 28-year-old has amassed an impressive record at Polish promotion KSW, where he became a two-division champion. Meanwhile, Poirier (30-10) retired following a loss to Max Holloway last July. “The Diamond” has made it clear that he will only …

Fatima Kline believes she can leapfrog up the rankings with a finish in her next fight. 

Kline is scheduled to fight Amanda Ribas in a strawweight clash at UFC Oklahoma City on July 18 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Kline is keen on stopping Ribas inside the distance. “The Archangel” believes she won’t be very far from the title picture with a finish over Ribas. The 25-year-old wants to start calling out Top 5-ranked strawweight contenders if she finishes Ribas.

Looking to Make a Statement “I want to finish Amanda… Finishing Amanda puts me very close [to the title],” Kline told Home of Fight. “I know Tatiana [Suarez] just won her fight, I know Gillian Robertson just won her fight. This division is wide open for me to take it and run with it. And that’s exactly what I plan on doing. I really want to get close to the Top 5, and I want to start taking out names and showing people that this is my division.”

Kline (9-1) suffered her lone professional loss against Jasmine J…

Carlos Prates believes Mauricio Ruffy is capable of doing well even after parting ways with The Fighting Nerds team. 

Prates, Ruffy, Jean Silva and Caio Borralho quickly rose to success in the UFC as the Fighting Nerds, sporting the nerd glasses as their symbol. The team grew under the tutelage of head coach Pablo Sucupira in São Paulo, Brazil. 

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However, Ruffy briefly parted ways with the team following his first UFC loss against Benoit St. Denis last year. Ruffy joined City Kickboxing in New Zealand for his last fight against Rafael Fiziev, whom he knocked out this past January. Ruffy has since officially parted ways with the Fighting Nerds team. Prates harbors no hard feelings towards Ruffy despite the latter leaving the team. Ruffy is scheduled to fight Michael Chandler at UFC White House on June 14. Prates believes Ruffy will defeat Chandler and eagerly awaits the fight.Cheering on His Former Teammate “He has his own team,” Prates sai…

There were plenty of eyes on Most Valuable Promotions’ MMA debut on Neftlix.

According to a release from MVP, viewership peaked at 17 million for the featherweight headliner between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano while drawing an average of 12.4 million viewers globally. In the United States, the fight card averaged 9.3 million viewers with a peak of 11.6 million for the evening’s headliner, making it “the most watched MMA event ever in the U.S,” per a release.

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In addition to Rousey vs. Carano, MVP’s debut card featured a marquee co-main event between Mike Perry and Nate Diaz as well as a heavyweight showdown between former UFC champ Francis Ngannou and Philipe Lins. Both Rousey vs. Carano and Ngannou vs. Lins ended inside of a round, while Perry forced a corner stoppage against Diaz after two frames.

"The event also generated over 410 million impressions across MVP’s owned social channels, a live gate exceeding $2.2 million, and saw terrific commer…

Logan Storley was arrested in Florida on Monday. | PFL MMA

Logan Storley was arrested for sexual battery in Florida a little more than two weeks after his most recent Professional Fighters League appearance.

According to the Miami Herald, Storley was arrested in Key West early Monday morning after he sexually assaulted a woman in an alley. Storley was booked into Monroe Country’s (Florida) jail before being released on $50,000 bond.

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A police report states that Storley met the woman at a three-story establishment called the Bull and Whistle, which includes a third level rooftop bar known as the Garden of Eden where clothing is optional.

Storley tried to dance with the woman on the second story bar, but she told detectives she “wanted to get away.” The fighter then invited the woman to the third story to “get naked,” an offer she initially declined. However, the woman eventually did go to the third floor, where she danced with another …

After a rough UFC stint, Robelis Despaigne may have found new life in MMA this past Saturday. | Getty/UFC

Netflix's MMA debut, with a number of big stars, stole a good portion of the UFC's audience last Saturday.

Retired ex-UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum was rooting for former foe Junior dos Santos against Robelis Despaigne at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano,” but he believed the Cuban striker deserved to be favored. Despaigne defeated dos Santos via first-round KO on Saturday’s main card.

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“I had a great rivalry with ‘Cigano,’ but after our last fight we became friends. When I saw the Cuban's fights in Karate Combat, I commented in the WhatsApp group where Rafael Cordeiro, Lyoto and Wanderlei are. All the support is for daddy ‘Cigano,’ but I don't think it's going to happen,” said Werdum, who after having his expectation confirmed made a point of calling his friend at the end of the fight.

“I sent him a message…

The lineup is set for Professional Fighters League’s first event in Lagos, Nigeria.

The promotion announced the 13-bout card on Tuesday. PFL Africa: Nigeria takes place at the Eko Convention Center on June 13 and is headlined by featherweight showcase pitting Nigeria’s own Wasi Adeshina against Spain’s Nacho Campos. In the co-main event, Patrick Ocheme will lock horns with Ayinda Octave in a first-round lightweight matchup.

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THE MAIN EVENT | ADESHINA VS CAMPOS 🇳🇬🇪🇸

PFL Africa 2025 Featherweight Champion Wasi “The Nigerian Jaguar” Adeshina (10-3) takes on Spain’s lethal tactical threat Ignacio “Nacho” Campos (7-2) under the Lagos lights.

This is a massive Main Event, the kind of fight you don’t just… pic.twitter.com/1L9d1EVjek

— PFL Africa (@PFLAfrica) May 19, 2026

The rest of the card includes first-round tournament matchups at bantamweight and lightweight as well as showcase bouts at middleweight, light …

Image: Ares FC

The French mixed martial arts scene is entering a new era as the investment fund behind Ares Fighting Championship has acquired a controlling stake in Hexagone MMA.

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According to French newspaper L’Equipe, investment fund Slam is now controlling the two major MMA promotions in France, Ares and HXMMA. Described as a fund dedicated to investment opportunities “at the intersection of sport, luxury, art, and music,” Slam is managed by European investment firm Trail. For the moment, Ares and HXMMA will not merge, as the two promotions will continue operating as separate entities.

"Today, we are clearly the number one in France. The next step will be Europe,” (translation by the author) Trail founder and CEO Xavier Marin told L’Equipe, setting a three-year timeline to become Europe’s leading MMA organization. While it has held events outside Paris, Ares has historically been tied to the French capital. Its origins are closely…

The lineup is nearly complete for Professional Fighters League’s upcoming trip to Jeddah, Saudia Arabia.

The promotion confirmed eights for the upcoming card on Tuesday. PFL MENA: Jeddah takes place on June 19 at King Abdullah Sports City Indoor Arena and is headlined by Hattan Alsaif making her professional MMA debut against Dania Ouhachi in a 110-pound catchweight clash. In the co-feature, Malik Basahel will face Imad El Azami in a flyweight showcase bout.

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هتان السيف تخوض أول نزال احترافي في مسيرتها، ومالك باسهل يعود من جديد أمام الجمهور السعودي، في ليلة "لا خوف… لا رحمة" المليئة بالمواجهات القوية في جدة 🇸🇦

التذاكر متاحة الآن 🎟️ الرابط في البايو 🔗#PFLMENA10 | الجمعة ١٩ يونيو | جدة pic.twitter.com/x22V4Z89Wc

— PFL MENA (@PFLMENA) May 19, 2026

PFL Mena: Jeddah will also include opening round tournament action at both featherweight and welterweight. More bouts are expected to be announced soon, per a release.<…