Martial Arts News

Alessandro Costa attacked the body with intention, and that work made him $100,000 richer.

The Lobo Gym MMA product received a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his second-round stoppage of Stewart Nicoll in their preliminary flyweight contest at UFC Vegas 115 on Saturday night. A left hook to the liver sent Nicoll to his knees and Costa polished off his victory with one follow-up punch at the 4:56 mark of the period.

A Knee KO and a Furious Round Elsewhere, Alice Pereira also earned a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a spectacular knockout of Hailey Cowan in a preliminary bantamweight affair. The 20-year-old Brazilian prospect rendered Cowan unconscious with a leaping left knee to the chin 4:24 into the second stanza to secure her first UFC triumph.

Finally, Tommy McMillen and Manolo Zecchini garnered “Fight of the Night” honors and $100,000 apiece for their frenetic featherweight encounter. While both men were on the offensive from the outset, McMille…

Renato "Moicano" Carneiro showed no mercy on his American Top Team training partner.

The Brazilian veteran authored a near flawless performance in the UFC Vegas 115 main event, as he submitted Chris Duncan with a face crank 3:14 into the second round of their lightweight bout at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night. “Moicano” returns to the win column after suffering back-to-back losses against Beneil Dariush and Islam Makhachev in his previous two Octagon appearances.

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Carneiro (21-7-1, 13-7 UFC) began methodically, tagging his Scottish foe with jabs while occasionally closing the distance for clinches and takedown attempts. “Moicano” picked up the pace in Round 2, sitting Duncan (15-3, 6-2 UFC) down with a left hook before quickly taking his adversary’s back. It was a miserable time for Duncan from there, as Carneiro peppered him with punches in hopes of creating an opening for a choke. A bloodied Duncan defended for as long as he could, but a…

Sherdog's live UFC Vegas 115 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 272. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Kamaka (-155); Hope (+130)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Barbosa (-145); Gatto (+125)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Tyler Tre…

Alice Pereira earned her first UFC victory in style.

The 20-year-old Brazilian prospect rendered Hailey Cowan unconscious with a flying knee 4:24 into the second round of their preliminary bantamweight clash at UFC Vegas 115 on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Cowan (7-5, 0-3), who suffered the first KO defeat of her professional tenure, has lost three straight Octagon appearances since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022.

“Golden Girl,” the youngest fighter on the UFC roster, was aggressive from the outset. Pereira bloodied Cowan with a variety of power shots— overhands, hooks, superman punches — in the opening stanza, but she didn’t truly put her stamp on the fight until Round 2. Cowan appeared to be taking control early, when she rocked Pereira with a left-hand counter before executing a powerful takedown. Cowan spent much of the period in top position, but when Pereira was able to return to her feet, she found the opening she neede…

Arman Tsarukyan is aiming shots at Colby Covington. 

Covington recently sued Jorge Masvidal over an incident from 2022. Tsarukyan took a shot at Covington, who used to call himself the “King of Miami.’”Tsarukyan proclaimed himself the “Real King of Miami,” while promising not to file lawsuits over fights.

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“The Real King of Miami. Don't worry, I don't sue when I get in a fight.”An Ongoing Saga Covington (17-5) defeated former training partner Masvidal (37-15) via unanimous decision in a grudge match at UFC 272 in March 2022. Masvidal attacked Covington just weeks later outside a Miami steakhouse. “Gamebred” accused Covington of crossing boundaries with his trash talk in the lead-up to their fight. Covington sued Masvidal, claiming to have suffered a broken tooth and damage to his luxury watch. Masvidal was found guilty of felony charges, which were later reduced to misdemeanor battery after he took a plea deal. Four years later, Covington has now …

Gable Steveson signing with the UFC seems just a matter of time now.

Stevenson (3-0) has clearly expressed interest in a future with the UFC ever since he transitioned to MMA. The former five-time NCAA champion and Olympic gold medallist recently hinted that he is close to signing with the UFC. While Stevenson has signed with Real American Freestyle, he emphasizes that MMA remains his priority. While Stevenson didn’t mention the UFC explicitly, he promised good news “any day now.” Considering the hype behind Stevenson and the ongoing chatter about a UFC signing, his recent comments most likely hint at the same.

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“I got a couple of matches with RAF. I told everybody I’m a full-time mixed martial artist and I would love to keep doing that,” Steveson told The Schmo . “But I got good news – any day now.” 

Steveson is scheduled to make his RAF debut on May 30 in Dallas, Texas, against an opponent to be decided. While an RAF title would be significan…

PFL Chicago will see Sergio Pettis stepping inside the cage for the first time without his longtime coach, Duke Roufus. 

Pettis and his elder brother, Anthony Pettis, have been longtime students of late coach Duke Roufus at Roufusport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Sergio and Anthony were left grief-stricken when Roufus passed away in his sleep at the age of 55  in October 2025 due to heart-related issues. 

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Sergio is scheduled to welcome undefeated debutant Mitchell McKee at PFL Chicago on April 11 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Pettis revealed that it’ll be the first time since the age of 14 that he will be fighting without head coach Roufus in his corner. Pettis admits that he was emotionally affected early in his camp. However, Roufus has left his pupils in safe hands under striking coach Scott Cushman and grappling coach Christopher Wright, who have also been with Pettis for a long time. Along with his brother, Anthony in hi…

Conor McGregor recently made a surprise appearance in an exhibition boxing match in his home country.

Video has surfaced of the former UFC two-division champion competing in a three-round bout at the Crumlin Boxing Club in Dublin, Ireland, on Friday. In the videos, McGregor enjoys success in exchanges, forcing a pair of standing eight counts during the match.

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Getting in Some Rounds

McGregor’s latest activity is sure to spark further speculation that his return to action could be imminent. The “Notorious” hasn’t competed since breaking his leg in a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. A scheduled return against fellow “The Ultimate Fighter 31” coach Michael Chandler at UFC 303 fell through when McGregor pulled out on the week of the fight due to a broken toe.

More recently, McGregor lobbied hard to be on the UFC card — at one point claiming his participation was a “done deal.” However, when the event was announced, McGrego…

Malcolm Wellmaker will attempt to get back on track at UFC Fight Night 276. | Getty/UFC

Malcolm Wellmaker will look to return to winning ways in May. 

Wellmaker is scheduled to welcome debutant Juan Diaz at UFC Fight Night 276 on May 16 in Las Vegas. Marcel Dorff was first to report the pairing.

Prospects Collide Wellmaker (10-1) gained early stardom as a welder who kept his full-time job despite earning a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in 2024. Wellmaker finally quit his job as a welder after earning a performance bonus with a first-round knockout win over Cameron Saimaan in his UFC debut last year. Wellmaker then made a quick turnaround to score another bonus-winning knockout over Kris Moutinho. Wellmaker was a massive favorite in his latest outing against UFC debutant Ethyn Ewing this past November. However, Wellmaker’s hype train was derailed as he suffered his first professional loss against Ewing in a huge upset. 

Me…

Marwan Rahiki enjoyed a successful UFC debut. | Getty/UFC

Marwan Rahiki will make a quick turnaround for his sophomoreUFC outing. 

Rahiki (8-0) will take on Jack Jenkins (14-4)  in a featherweight matchup at UFC Perth on May 2 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.  MMAFighting.com was first to report the bout.

Strong First Impression Rahiki made his debut against Harry Hardwick last month at UFC Fight Night 269 at the Apex in Las Vegas. While Rahiki put on a brutal beating on Hardwick, the latter showed immense grit in refusing to go out. However, Hardwick’s corner threw in the towel at the end of the second round after he revealed that he had a broken jaw. Rahiki has finished all eight of his wins so far. The undefeated Moroccan-Australian will make a quick turnaround of a month and a half for his sophomore clash against Jenkins. 

Meanwhile, Jenkins is 4-2 in the UFC since making his debut in 2023. The Australian striker is coming off…

Grant Dawson is 11-2 in the UFC. | Getty/UFC

The latest addition to the UFC 328 card has all the makings of a potential banger. 

Grant Dawson and Mateusz Rebecki are scheduled to trade leather in a lightweight tilt at UFC 328 on May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Dawson confirmed the booking via social media. 

Contrast in Styles While Dawson (23-3) is a well-rounded wrestler, Rebecki (20-4) is known for engaging in violent slugfests while also being technically sound. Dawson is 11-2 in the UFCwith six finishes and coming off a first-round knockout loss against hot prospect Manuel Torres.

Meanwhile, Rebecki has now dropped three of his last four after starting his UFC career on a three-fight winning streak. However, Rebecki’s last three bouts have all been brutal bloodbaths and a treat to fans. 

Always ready to put on a show 🤩@MoicanoUFC | 156 lbs

[ #UFCVegas115 is LIVE TOMORROW at 8pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/IwjbN5YHb5

— UFC (@ufc) April 3, 2026 The Ultimate Fighting Championship kicks off its busy April with a Meta Apex card, which is now official following the UFC Vegas 115 weigh-ins and two weight misses.

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Headlining the 13-fight card is a fight between lightweight veteran Renato Carneiro and prospect Chris Duncan. This is the fourth UFC main event for "Money Moicano," who had no issue making weight for the five-round fight, just like his opponent. However, three fighters weren't professional as Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev, Rafael Estevam and Darrius Flowers all missed weight for their respective bouts. Of the three, Yakhyaev returned to hit 206 pounds. The other two will be fined 20% of their purses.

Carneiro (20-7-1) enters the fight on a two-fight losing streak, as he went winless in 2025. L…