Martial Arts News

Chase Hooper doesn’t like the matchup between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.

Interim lightweight champion Gaethje will challenge the undisputed champion Topuria in a title unification bout at UFC White House on June 14. Hooper ideally wants Gaethje to win the undisputed title and put a fairytale ending to his glorious career. However, considering the run that Topuria has been on, Hooper doesn’t see that happening. Hooper notes that “El Matador” has made a habit of putting legends like Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira to sleep. Hooper claims he was depressed when Topuria fought Oliveira and immediately turned off the television after the knockout. “The Dream” would have rather preferred a matchup between Topuria and Islam Makhachev, which was allegedly the original plan for the White House. However, Hooper is now prepared to be depressed, just like he was in the matchup between Topuria and Oliveira.

“I love Justin and I want him to win. I want…

Jon Jones remains confident in his abilities. | Getty/UFC

Jon Jones is not to be counted out because of his arthritis. 

Jones recently reminded fans that while arthritis is painful, it hasn’t robbed him of his skills. Widely considered the greatest of all time, Jones believes he still runs through most fighters.

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“Random thought: Arthritis hurts, it doesn’t make you cripple,” Jones wrote on X. “I’m still smashing 99.47% of you out there.”

Random thought: Arthritis hurts, it doesn’t make you cripple. I’m still smashing 99.47% of you out there.

— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) March 20, 2026 Shattered Dreams Jones stalled the heavyweight division for over a year before retiring last year. However, “Bones” returned to the drug testing pool within weeks of his retirement after UFC White House plans were revealed. But Jones failed to land a spot on the card despite his best efforts. 

While there were talks …

The champ is here: Fresh off winning the Professional Fighters League middleweight title via a last-minute comeback, Costello van Steenis established himself as a true champion with a technical knockout of Fabian Edwards in the third round (1:48) on Friday at the Vistalegre Arena Palace in Madrid, Spain.

With his countrymen supporting him, van Steenis controlled the bout early at PFL Madrid and outstuck the dangerous Englishmen. As van Steenis (18-3, 3-0 PFL) established his leg kick, Edwards surprisingly looked to clinch and takedown the champion along the fence. With Edwards stuffed and van Steenis dropping his weight on top of his back, the Spaniard dropped elbows to the side of The Assassin’s head until Edwards body went limp and was saved by referee Blake Grice.

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For Edwards the loss is devastating; van Steenis was the first fighter to beat Edwards nearly six years ago and revenge was on his mind. Edwards won the 2025 PFL middleweight tournament…

Sherdog's live PFL Madrid coverage will begin Friday at 1 p.m. ET.

A Middleweight World Title Fight headlines PFL Madrid: Tune in LIVE, Friday, March 20 at 12 p.m. ET.

Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scor…

Before today, rumor had it that Death once had a near-Chuck Norris experience.

Famed martial arts black belt and former Air Force Airman first class Norris was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday, where he was treated for an unknown medical emergency. TMZ stated that Norris was still conscious at the time and that he was reportedly in “good spirits.” A day earlier, Norris was working out on the island of Kaua’i in Hawaii, where a friend of his said he was joking around and having a good time. He had even posted a video on Instagram days before, showing the 86-year-old hitting pads on his birthday.

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In his final video, Norris riffed, “I don’t age. I level up.” He continued, writing, “I’m 86 today! Nothing like some playful action on a sunny day to make you feel young. I’m grateful for another year, good health and the chance to keep doing what I love. Thank you for all being the best fans in the world. Your support through the years has meant more to m…

FROM MANCHESTER TO LONDON 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿@LeroneMurphy comes in at 145lbs!

[ #UFCLondon | TOMORROW 4pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/AUhcuok8Jo

— UFC (@ufc) March 20, 2026 The Ultimate Fighting Championship's featherweight title eliminator is now set following the UFC London weigh-ins, which also featured a fighter missing weight by 8 pounds.

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Headlining the UFC's return to London is a No. 1 contender bout between Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy. The winner will be in pole position for a shot at Alexander Volkanovski's championship later this year. All other fighters successfully made weight for the 14-fight card, with the glaring exception of Luana Carolina. The Brazilian unprofessionally missed the bantamweight mark by 8 pounds and came in at 144 pounds for her fight against Melissa Mullins, which has been canceled as a result.

The undefeated Evloev is 9-0 inside the promotion. Recent wins over Diego Lopes, Arnold…

The gruesome, heartbreaking ordeal of Aniah Blanchard, stepdaughter of former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Walt Harris, is about to come to a close.

Earlier in March, the trial of Ibraheem Yazeed, the man suspected of killing Blanchard in 2019, began. On Thursday afternoon, the jury came back with two verdicts of guilty for the charges of murder and felony murder—that is, the unlawful killing of a person during the commission of a felony like kidnapping or robbery. Both Class A felonies come with sentences no less than 10 years imprisonment with a maximum of life in prison. The verdict of capital murder, which would have made Yazeed eligible for the death penalty in Alabama, was not guilty.

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The sentencing hearing will take place on May 7—Yazeed has six weeks to appeal the verdict—and the prosecutors are seeking life in prison without the possibility of parole. Per local outlet WSFA, Yazeed elected not to testify during the trial, and his …

The first pair of bouts booked for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Azerbaijan share a common theme.

Brazilian outlet Ag. Fight broke the news on Thursday about the first two matches set for UFC Baku, which will be held at the Baku Crystal Hall in Azerbaijan’s capital city on June 27. Both fights will be held at 185 pounds, featuring one Brazilian against a Russian adversary. The first will see Michel Pereira (32-14, 2 NC) take on Sharabutdin Magomedov (16-1) in a collision that may have rankings implications at 185 pounds. Pereira confirmed this fight by sharing an AI-generated video of him in pirate captain garb forcing Magomedov to walk the proverbial plank.

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“Demolidor” put a three-fight skid behind him by claiming a split decision in a bloody thriller with Zachary Reese at UFC Houston in February. Before getting his hand raised, the high-flying Brazilian had succumbed to strikes from Anthony Hernandez and Kyle Daukaus that bookend …

At the tender age of 42, “Stitch ‘em Up” Joe Schilling is going to test himself in the confines of the Professional Fighters League in May.

A Middleweight World Title Fight headlines PFL Madrid: Tune in LIVE, Friday, March 20 at 12 p.m. ET.

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After over six years away from the sport of MMA, former Glory kickboxing standout Schilling (4-6) will be coming back to compete in a cage again. The PFL released the news of his next fight on Thursday, which will take place at PFL Brussels on May 23. There, he will square off inside of the ING Arena with fellow former kickboxer Donegi Abena, who will be making his professional debut.

The one-time welterweight will be taking this match in Brussels, Belgium, at 205 pounds, in what will be his first MMA bout since October 2019. At Bellator 229, Schilling saw his lone career win streak come to a crashing halt when Tony Johnson put him away with one punch. This also spelled the end to his time with Bellator MMA, a…

⚖️ #PFLMadrid Official Weigh Ins are underway

PFL Middleweight World Title is official! 🏆

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🇪🇸Costello van Steenis: 184.7 lbs🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿Fabian Edwards: 184.7 lbs

PFL Madrid is streaming LIVE on the ESPN app this Friday, March 20th#PFLMadrid | Fri, March 20th | 📍Palacio Vistalegre… pic.twitter.com/7aTOpSW8AZ

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 19, 2026 A Middleweight World Title Fight headlines PFL Madrid: Tune in LIVE, Friday, March 20 at 12 p.m. ET. The Professional Fighters League's middleweight championship will be on the line tomorrow, as the PFL Madrid card is now official following the weigh-ins.

The 11-fight card will be headlined by middleweight champion Costello van Steenis, looking to defend his belt against Fabian Edwards. Both men successfully made weight for the five-round fight. Two competitors came in heavy for the PFL's first European event of 2026: Kevin Cordero (136.6), who clocked in .6 pounds above the bant…

This seemingly insignificant detail will be crucial in the operation of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s fight card at the White House.

On Monday, the promotion encountered a major regulatory snafu when the District of Columbia Combat Sports Commission weighed in on the fight card. As the UFC White House: Freedom 250 event is to be held on federal land and not under a state’s jurisdiction, the UFC can technically serve as its own commission in running it—a la the upcoming UFC Macau show, for example.

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The drama all came down to a $100 permit that at the time the UFC was refusing to acquire. The D.C. commission and its head, Andrew Huff, stated that any fight card run without this permit would be considered unsanctioned and may not be eligible for records. Huff’s overarching concern is that any other event would receive this same permit that would allow the commission to be involved in the regulatory process, including the use of commission med…

Lerone Murphy thought he'd clinched a title shot by knocking out Aaron Pico. | Getty/UFC

Last summer in Chicago, Lerone Murphy thought a title shot was all but inevitable.

After all, he had just knocked out highly-regarded Bellator MMA signee Aaron Pico with a spinning back elbow in the first round at UFC 319. Not only was it a “Knockout of the Year” candidate, but it extended the Englishman’s promotional winning streak to nine. The performance also caught the attention of reigning UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

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However, Murphy did not get the championship opportunity he anticipated. Instead, it went to Diego Lopes, who only needed to earn one victory to earn a rematch with Volkanovski at UFC 325.

“To be completely honest, it was rough,” Murphy told the UFC. “After the fight in Chicago, I thought I’d done enough. Everyone thought I’d done enough. I go out there, co-main event, step in on short notice and get a KO…