Martial Arts News

We now have a date for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s next Noche UFC show.

Per MMA Junkie on Tuesday, the organization is putting together a top-10 heavyweight contest pitting Waldo Cortes-Acosta (17-3) against Curtis Blaydes (19-6, 1 NC). The two will tangle at Noche UFC 4, possibly also UFC 331, on Sept. 19 at a destination still to be determined. This pairing has since been confirmed by other outlets.

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Details still loom regarding UFC 331, Noche UFC dates and locations There remains ample confusion as to the scheduling of this Noche UFC 4 card, as the date of Sept. 19 is also reported to be UFC 331. It is possible that fights on this billing and/or the Sept. 12 show slated for Arizona could shift around depending on the nature of the Noche UFC 4 celebration. Early reports indicated this event could be held at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, but that has yet to be confirmed. Only one other bout is set for this billing, a bantamweigh…

Sherdog.com betting analyst Sean Sheehan has released his best bets for the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship event.

UFC 329, headlined by the long-awaited return of Conor McGregor in a rematch against Max Holloway, features several pivotal matchups across multiple divisions, including Benoit St. Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett in the co-headliner, Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista and Brandon Royval vs. Lone’er Kavanagh.

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McGregor returns, but this analyst is picking Holloway to finish him With UFC 329 fast approaching, there are multiple bouts to look forward to, including the headliner, McGregor vs. Holloway 2. Sheehan is backing Holloway to win inside the distance (+107), believing the former featherweight champion can overwhelm McGregor, who returns to the Octagon after a five-year hiatus.

He also believes there’s a good chance Benoit Saint-Denis (-122) defeats Paddy Pimblett. Sheehan picks Bautista (+125) to pull off an upset against Sandhagen…

Conor Benn has taken a shot at Ryan Garcia ahead of their proposed showdown in September.

Benn further escalated his war of words with Garcia via a taunt about his 2023 knockout loss to Gervonta Davis. The back-and-forth between the two continues to grow as rumors of a confirmed bout gather steam.

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Conor Benn, Ryan Garcia continue feud ahead of September fight Benn mocked Garcia by reminding him of one of the most painful moments of the latter’s career. The Brit posted a photo of Garcia’s knockout loss to Davis, in which he can be seen kneeling on one knee after a body shot from “Tank.”

Alongside the photo from Garcia's loss to Davis, Benn wrote on X, “One on One… you quit! I stand and fight, proven! Hope you’re ready to dig in deep kid.” This came in response to Garcia’s earlier X post targeting Benn, where he wrote, “Boxing is one-on-one, the reason I started boxing, no one to lean on. I’m ending you.”

The start of the pair’s online feud stem…

Ketlen Vieira (right) will toe the line with Cris Cyborg in the PFL. | 📷: Getty/UFC

Ketlen Vieira’s head coach, Andre Pederneiras, believes that she is up for one of the toughest tests of her career and is confident his pupil is preparing the right way.

Vieira faces Cris Cyborg on Aug. 22 in the Professional Fighters League. This fight serves as a retirement bout for the 40-year-old Cyborg. However, Pederneiras isn’t overlooking the former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder and mixed martial arts legend.

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Andre Pederneiras previews Ketlen Vieira vs Cris Cyborg matchup Pederneiras spoke to Sherdog's Marcelo Alonso ahead of the August 22 clash between Vieira and Cyborg.

“It will be a very tough fight for both; Cris' history speaks for itself -- she is undoubtedly one of the greatest of all time,” he said, before disclosing details of Vieira’s training camp. “I've had Ketlen training with some highly skilled talents from the gy…

Merab Dvalishvili has shared his predictions for the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship fight card.

The former bantamweight champion weighed in on the upcoming fights in a recent clip posted on X, giving his picks for four of the five UFC 329 main card bouts, including the main event between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway and the co-main event between Benoit St. Denis and Paddy Pimblett.

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In a recent video posted by UFC on Paramount+ on X, Dvalishvili made predictions for several key matchups at UFC 329.

Picking between flyweights Brandon Royval and Lone’er Kavanagh, Dvalishvili sided with Royval. For Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista, the former champion said, “It’s gonna be a great fight between Cory Sandhagen and Mario Bautista, but I have to go with Cory Sandhagen.” For the co-main event, the Georgian picked St. Denis to beat Pimblett.

“The Machine” was then asked about McGregor’s long-awaited return to the Octagon, which will be a …

Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson will make his Octagon debut at UFC 329. | 📷: Getty/UFC

Ahead of his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut, Gable Steveson has claimed that he can be the best at any sport he plays.

The Olympic gold medalist and former NCAA wrestling champion, who will face Elisha Ellison at UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, has opened up about what it feels like to be the “next big thing” in the sport.

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Gable Steveson explains confidence ahead of UFC 329 debut Steveson believes he could dominate any sport he undertakes. Already 3-0 in MMA, he is high in confidence heading into his UFC debut, which is reflected in his recent comments.

“I think it’s a huge way to go out there and have people say, ‘Man, he could be the next big thing,’” Steveson said in a recent interview. “But I think when you believe that you can be the next big thing, that is a different story. Because other people say, ‘You can b…

Ian Garry has been training with Georgian wrestlers ahead of UFC 330. | 📷: Getty/UFC

Ian Garry is pulling out all the stops in preparation for his maiden title bid in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The Irish welterweight recently revealed that he trained with elite Georgian wrestlers to better prepare for reigning champion Islam Makhachev's world-class grappling prowess. Garry and Makhachev are set to lock horns in the main event of UFC 330 on Aug. 15 in Philadelphia.

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Ian Garry explains wrestling preparation for Islam Makhachev at UFC 330 Garry has worked on bridging the skill gap between himself and Makhachev on the mat ahead of their bout. “The Future” even traveled to Georgia back in February to improve his wrestling skills.

“It was to feel elite, high-level wrestling, to feel a wrestling that Ireland does not have, that England does not have. That a lot of Europe does not have,” Garry told The Irish Sun when asked why he mad…

Eric Nicksick (pictured) discussed his public altercation with Ali Abdelaziz. | 📷: Getty/UFC

Eric Nicksick claims his brief feud with Ali Abdelaziz has been settled.

Abdelaziz and Nicksick reportedly got into an altercation shortly after Manel Kape’s win over Kyoji Horiguchi last month. Abdelaziz allegedly even threw a punch at Nicksick before being escorted out of the venue by security.

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Eric Nicksick explains his Ali Abdelaziz incident and apology Nicksick recently addressed the incident without divulging too many details. He claims that while he gets into a lot of arguments with Abdelaziz, the latest one came to the limelight since it happened in public.

“I told him Argentina was gonna beat Egypt. We’re brothers, man. You get arguing with your wife, it happens in the house. This happened more in front of people, so it became more out in public,” Nicksick told Ariel Helwani. “But we’ve been friends for 15 years. We argue, we fight, w…

Conor McGregor opened up on his prep for UFC 329 against Max Holloway. | 📷: Getty/UFC

Conor McGregor is taking extreme lengths in preparation for his return to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

McGregor (22-6) returns in a welterweight matchup against Max Holloway (27-9) in the main event of UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This will mark his first appearance inside the Octagon since breaking his leg in a trilogy loss against Dustin Poirier in 2021. The Irishman has left no stone unturned ahead of his comeback.

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Conor McGregor discusses his preparation for Max Holloway rematch McGregor recently revealed that he has abstained from all forms of “physical touch” while preparing for his upcoming fight. He claims this is the first time he has practiced abstinence of this form in the lead-up to a bout. The experience has admittedly been intense for the former two-division champion, who is waiting for his aggres…

Conor McGregor has always packed plenty of punch in his left hand. | 📷: Getty/UFC

Sean O'Malley predicts that the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship headliner will end quickly.

Conor McGregor (22-6) returns after a five-year hiatus to run it back with Max Holloway (27-9) in the main event of UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 11. While O’Malley’s heart is siding with McGregor, he sees a path to victory for Holloway as well.

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Sean O’Malley predicts McGregor’s path to victory at UFC 329 O’Malley is confident McGregor will land his signature left hand early. However, “Suga” isn’t sure if the Irish superstar’s left hand will be enough to knock out Holloway at welterweight, as “Blessed” will barely be cutting any weight.

“My heart’s telling me, Conor McGregor. My mind’s telling me Max Holloway goes in there, maybe gets cracked early, but at 170 I don’t know if he’s gonna be able to get put away,” O’Malley said …

Former UFC middleweight king Robert Whittaker has committed to a permanent move to 205. | 📷: Getty/UFC

Robert Whittaker acknowledges the “risk and threat” of moving up to light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Ahead of his fight with Nikita Krylov at UFC 329 on Saturday, July 11, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Whittaker reflected on how power is among the most important factors in the light heavyweight division, regardless of individual skill level.

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Robert Whittaker breaks down the dangers of light heavyweight move Whittaker, who has committed to a permanent move up to the light heavyweight division, spoke about the challenging aspects of the move ahead of UFC 329. The Australian highlighted that power is the equalizer and that, irrespective of technical ability, almost all strikes absorbed at 205 pounds will be damaging.

“You see, power is the ultimate equaliser, and I understand that,” the former UFC middleweig…

Paddy Pimblett took issue with the lightweight title case of Arman Tsarukyan (pictured). | 📷: Getty/UFC

Paddy Pimblett doesn't believe Arman Tsarukyan has done enough to deserve a title shot.

Pimblett recently criticized Tsarukyan's inactivity in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and urged him to stop “tickling people" in wrestling matches if he wants to stay relevant.

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Paddy Pimblett discusses Arman Tsarukyan’s lightweight title hopes Ahead of his upcoming fight in the co-main event of UFC 329 against Benoit St. Denis, Pimblett scoffed at the suggestion that Tsarukyan should be considered next for a title shot.

“He needs to fight,” Pimblett said at UFC 329 media day when asked about Tsarukyan. “He’s had like one fight in three years, and he beat an absolute bum. He needs to actually fight. Not go around in a singlet tickling people.”

Tsarukyan has competed in multiple RAF wrestling events lately, with his last appearance in …