Martial Arts News

Ilia Topuria didn’t get pestered by a fan texting him 992 times. 

Topuria’s social media team recently informed him that a fan had texted him 992 times, trying to get a response. Topuria made a heartwarming gesture by surprising the fan with a video call.

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“This morning the team that runs social media came and told me that a person has written to me 992 times, trying to get me to answer,” Topuria said on YouTube. “That’s Juan Souto. So we’re going to make a video call to see if he answers.”

“How are you Juanito? Team told me today that you had written to me 992 times, and I said, who is this person that we’re going to call and say hello to? I just wanted to greet you and send you a hug.”

Common Rooting Interests Colombia’s Souto is not only a fan of Topuria, but also a fan of the UFC champ’s favorite soccer club Real Madrid.

  “I’m a huge fan of you and Real Madrid,” Souto said on the call. “Just before the fight against Volkanovski, …

Renato Carneiro admittedly has bad blood with Brian Ortega. 

Carneiro scored a dominant stoppage win over American Top Team teammate Chris Duncan at UFC Fight Night 272 on Saturday in Las Vegas. “Money Moicano” subsequently called out Brian Ortega, who handed him his first professional loss in 2017.

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“There is one motherf---er that I have bad blood with,” Carneiro said on the post-fight show. “And his name is Brian Ortega. He run the first time, I was beating him the first time. He got me. OK, fair enough. It was my first defeat. But now I want his head. I want to kill this motherf—-r.” Unfinished Business Carneiro (21-7) faced Ortega (16-5) early in his UFC career at UFC 214 in 2017. Carneiro put on an impressive performance, going toe-to-toe against Ortega for the most part. However, as Carniero started showing signs of fatigue in the final round, Ortega caught him in a sneaky guillotine and earned a quick tap, handing the Brazilian his f…

Jon Jones has shared his version of an alleged road rage incident that occurred in Albuquerque, New Mexico, over the weekend. 

Jones was recently filmed involved in a minor road rage incident with an Instagram user, Bryan Beltran. Beltran accused Jones of nearly hitting him thrice while driving a truck. Beltran admittedly flipped off Jones, who allegedly then followed him to a parking lot and confronted him. In the video, Jones can be seen asking Beltran to relax before flipping him off. 

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This guy got into a road-rage incident with Jon Jones 😳

🗣️ Jon Jones: “You gotta calm down bro. You gotta relax yourself bro.” 😬

(via IG / bryanbeltran06) pic.twitter.com/g8qOyUmwkK — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 5, 2026

Jones has since accused Beltran of chasing his car down for two blocks and revving the engine to intimidate him. “Bones” claims he is proud of standing up against the alleged bullying.

N…

Paulo Costa will be one-half of the new UFC 327 co-headliner. | Getty/UFC

After losing the flyweight title clash between Joshua Van and Tatsuro Taira, UFC 327 has an updated main card.

With Van vs. Taira headed to UFC 328 on May 9, a light heavyweight clash between Paulo Costa and Azamat Murzakanov has been elevated to the new UFC 327 co-headliner. Meanwhile, Cub Swanson’s expected farewell bout against Nate Landwehr will serve as the new main card opener. The promotion announced the revised bout order on Saturday night.

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UFC 327 takes place on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami and is headlined by a showdown for the vacant light heavyweight title between Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg. The main card airs on Paramount+ beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. The prelims begin on Paramount+ at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. A portion of the event will be simulcast on CBS from 8 p.m. ET to 10 p.m. ET.

The UFC 327 main draw will also include a heav…

Alessandro Costa’s latest win wasn’t by a fluke shot. 

Costa took on Stewart Nicoll in a flyweight clash at UFC Fight Night 272 in Las Vegas. “Nono” invested in Nicoll’s body throughout the fight, chipping away at the sides. Costa finally loaded up and landed a crushing shot to Nicoll’s liver, folding him with seconds left in the second round.  Costa revealed that he practices the fight-ending liver shot every day in training. The 30-year-old also couldn’t help a little “I told you so” call to his coach in Brazil. Costa was looking to maintain the distance against Nicoll, who was trying to crowd him. Costa planned to patiently wait for the perfect shot, which paid off.

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Not By Chance “I train that every day,” Nicoll said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “I just called my coach and I told him, ‘I told you remember.’ I train that every day, so it’s like my shot now… I was looking for some space. He was very tough in that fight. My plan …

Former UFC champion Jon Jones was involved in a brief confrontation with a fellow motorist following an alleged road rage incident in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

According to an Instagram post by Bryan Beltran, he was “almost hit three times” in a truck driven by Jones. Beltran claims he then “flipped him off” before Jones followed him into a parking lot and confronted him.

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A video shows that brief interaction, as Jones approaches Beltran with his left hand in his pocket. Beltran wrote that he wasn’t aware it was Jones until the fighter got out of his vehicle.

"You gotta calm down, bro. You gotta relax yourself, bro,” Jones says before flipping off Beltran and walking away.

This guy got into a road-rage incident with Jon Jones 😳

🗣️ Jon Jones: “You gotta calm down bro. You gotta relax yourself bro.” 😬

(via IG / bryanbeltran06) pic.twitter.com/g8qOyUmwkK

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 5, 2026 Coo…

Alice Pereira went to therapy after a setback in her UFC debut. 

Pereira (7-1) took on Hailey Cowan (7-5) in a bantamweight clash at UFC Fight Night 272 in Las Vegas. “Golden Girl” shut Cowan’s lights out with a flush flying knee late in the second round. The 20-year-old says her first win inside the Octagon feels like earning an A in her school test. 

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Pereira was undefeated going into her UFC debut against Montserrat Rendon at Noche UFC last year. Pereira suffered her lone professional loss against Rendon via a hard-fought split decision. Pereria recently revealed that he went to therapy to figure out what she was lacking that had led to the loss. However, as therapy progressed, Pereira realized that she already had the necessary skillset to win. Pereira says it is her renewed self-belief that led to her first UFC win on Saturday.Finding Self Belief   “After my last fight, I started seeing a therapist,” Pereira said in a post-fight i…

Tommy McMillen wants to establish himself as a fan-friendly fighter. 

McMillen made his UFC debut in a featherweight tilt against Manolo Zecchini at UFC Fight Night 272 in Las Vegas. It was a firefight from the very beginning, with McMillen landing the more consequential shots. While both fighters started showing signs of fatigue in the very first round, McMillen had an evident advantage on the feet. “Gun” finally dropped his beaten-down opponent with a knee to the body, and a few follow-up shots were necessary for the referee to step in. 

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With McMillen being an ace submission artist, the oddsmakers had him as a heavy favorite for a submission win. McMillen claims he could have submitted his opponent any time he wanted. However, the 28-year-old wanted to put on a show in his UFC debut. McMillen notes that he went toe-to-toe on the feet and came out victorious against the Italian, who has nine knockout wins to his name.Something to Prove “V…

Ethyn Ewing now has a reputation for spoiling undefeated records. 

Ewing took on the previously undefeated Rafael Estevam in a bantamweight matchup at UFC Fight Night 272 on Saturday in Las Vegas. While Ewing was a slight underdog going into the fight, the live odds drastically changed as the fight progressed. “The Professor” did justice to his moniker, putting on an absolute technical masterclass against Estevam, who looked at his wits end. Ewing gradually broke Estevam down before dropping him with a liver shot in the final round to hand him his first professional loss. Despite the near-perfect performance, Ewing sees room for improvement. The 28-year-old believes he could have finished the fight earlier and more dramatically if he wasn’t hesitant.

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“You guys are saying masterclass, I heard that thrown around a couple of times,” Ewing told the UFC. “And I will not disagree with you. But I’m a perfectionist. So, you see this bump on my eye, I do…

Tresean Gore has Jared Cannonier’s lifetime of experience on his side. 

Gore (6-4) took on Azamat Bekoev (20-5) in a middleweight outing at UFC Fight Night 272. The fight was a closely-contested affair for the most part until Bekoev appeared visibly exhausted in the last round. Gore snapped in a sneaky guillotine choke and choked his opponent out to secure the win in the final round. 

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Gore trains with veteran UFC middleweight contender Cannonier at the MMA Lab in Phoenix, Arizona. “Mr. Vicious” revealed that Cannonier taught him a specific “bubble fighting” style, which he expects to be out on DVD someday. Gore explains that the style is based on imaginary bubbles around a fighter and their opponent, with the focus being on maintaining range. Gore credits his submission win over Bekoev to the Cannonier’s bubble-fighting lessons.A Helpful Technique “Working with people like Cannonier – he helped me to realize the dangers that are there,” Go…

Sean Strickland tried to fight a UFC star when he was 9 to 10 years old. 

Strickland recently caused controversy again while meeting a fan. The former UFC middleweight champion tried to make a little girl flip the bird while posing for a photo with him.  Strickland subsequently said that every fan interaction reminds him of his first meeting with a UFC fighter. Strickland was a kid when he came across the legendary Tank Abbott at a bar. Abbott was just probably trying to figure out what Strickland, a kid, was doing at a bar. However, an angry Strickland, who has had a rough childhood, tried to pick a fight with Abbott. Strickland’s father, whom he is not a fan of, intervened and apologized to Abbott. Abbott got the gist of the situation and hung around with Strickland for the rest of the night.

‘It Was a Really Dope Night’ “Every time I meet a kid who’s a fan, I’m always reminded of the first time I met a UFC fighter,” Strickland said on Instagram. “I had to be…

Joshua Van will defend his flyweight crown about a month later than originally expected. | Getty/UFC

UFC 327 has lost a title fight. 

Joshua Van was scheduled to put his flyweight title on the line against Tatsuro Taira in the co-main event at UFC 327 on April 11 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. However, the fight has now been rescheduled to the already stacked UFC 328 card on May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The fight has reportedly been postponed due to a minor injury suffered by Van. The rescheduling was announced during the UFC Fight Night 272 broadcast on Saturday. 

One Month Down the Road UFC 327 will be headlined by a clash for the vacant light heavyweight title between Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg. Meanwhile, Khamzat Chimaev will put his middleweight title on the line against Sean Strickland in the main event at UFC 328. 

Van (16-2) won the flyweight title with an injury stoppage win over Alexandre Pa…