Martial Arts News

PFL MENA 9 is now official, but the card did undergo one significant change during Saturday’s weigh-ins.

According to a video posted by PFL MENA on social media, Zakaria Bichi did not make weight for his lightweight tournament bout against Basel Ahmed Shalaan. As a result Shalaan (155.6 pounds) will lock horns with Abdullah Saleem (155.6). Shalaan vs. Saleem was originally supposed to be a showcase bout at PFL MENA 9 before the card underwent other changes. Now it will be part of the 155-pound bracket.

Advertisement

Bichi’s weight was not revealed. In the aforementioned video, a promotion official simply stated that he was “way heavier” and “cannot fight in the lightweight division.”

🚨 تحديث جديد على بطولة اللايت ويت

بعد سلسلة تغييرات في آخر لحظة… باسل شعلان أصبح رسميًا داخل البطولة وسيواجه عبدالله سليم في ربع النهائي

الفيديو يوثق لحظة إبلاغه بالخبر من فريق عمليات النزالات 📋

[#PFLMENA9 | الأحد، ٢٤ مايو | كوكاكولا أرينا، دبي | …

Absolute chaos between Khamzat Abaev and Luca Poclit at the #PFLBrussels weigh-ins on Friday! pic.twitter.com/McCxfBtsw1

— Sherdog (@sherdogdotcom) May 22, 2026 While Professional Fighters League's early PFL Brussels weigh-ins proved relatively uneventful, the ceremonials had a bit of a brouhaha.

Headlining the Belgian event is a welterweight fight between mixed martial arts legend Benson Henderson and undefeated rising star Patrick Habirora. Both men had no issue making weight for the five-round main event. There was also one late adjustment to the card as Movsar Ibragimov will no longer face Youssouf Binate at bantamweight and will now take on Shane Campbell in a 140-pound catchweight fight.

Advertisement

During the ceremonial weigh-ins, Khamzat Abaev and Luca Poclit squared off despite bad blood practically boiling over between the two. Earlier in the week during the faceoffs, the welterweights nearly engaged in fisticuffs. This…

World Boxing Council heavyweight titlist Oleksandr Usyk will be the lighter man in his championship defense against kickboxing legend Rico Verhoeven.

Both heavyweights weighed in on Friday ahead of tomorrow's championship clash. Ukraine's Usyk is the much smaller man, as he only weighed 233.3 pounds, while the challenger came in at 258.7 pounds. That's a 25-pound difference in favor of Verhoeven. All other boxers on the card successfully made weight.

The undefeated Usyk (24-0) is widely considered the best heavyweight in boxing and is coming off recent wins over Daniel Dubois, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, each of whom he defeated twice. Also a former cruiserweight standout, he's one of the few boxers to have become undisputed in multiple weight classes. Meanwhile, Verhoeven is just 1-0 as a professional boxer and is 12 years removed from his debut. The former Glory heavyweight champion is considered one of the best kickboxers of all-time and has an impressive 66-…

Keweny “Leao” Lopes was born into deep poverty in the interior of Brazil. It’s not a rare scenario, but through hard work, belief in a higher power and maybe a little luck, the fighter finds himself in the Professional Fighters League with a chance to impress fans around the world.

He shared his personal history with Sherdog.com:

Advertisement

“I’ve had every kind of job, except for trafficking or selling my body. I’ve never experimented with my health by taking drugs. I’ve been a cook, did laundry, was a janitor, a juice vendor, a stone smith, mechanic and factory worker. Thankfully I met some people who broadened my horizons and, through studies, I was able to improve my standard of living. It’s necessary to understand logistics and prepare well, so every mission can be accomplished.”

By age 20, Lopes moved to Rio de Janeiro to join the world-famous Nova Uniao team.

“I lived there until 2022. That’s when I moved to Zurich, Switzerland, to live with my son…

This departing Ultimate Fighting Championship talent is sticking to his guns of title or bust.

Surprising fans and media with a sudden announcement on Thursday, UFC welterweight Themba Gorimbo (14-7) has decided to hang up his gloves. The Zimbabwe-born Gorimbo last competed mere weeks ago, dropping a split call to Jonathan Micallef to lose his third straight. Posting on Instagram giving his thanks to supporters and farewell to the sport, Gorimbo declared that if he could not be a champion, he would not continue.

Advertisement

Gorimbo made waves in the community by declaring after his first UFC victory—a decision over Takashi Sato in 2023—that he was flat broke, with a mere $7.49 in his bank account. This garnered the attention of pro wrestling superstar-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who explained that hearing Gorimbo’s story reminded him of his own difficulties coming up as an athlete, right down to seven-dollar similarity. Johnson surprised Gorimbo by …

Ahead of what could be its largest show to date, the Ultimate Fighting Championship has worked with its broadcast partner on some special programming.

Via a release on Thursday from the UFC’s broadcasting partner of Paramount, a documentary focusing on part of Ilia Topuria’s fighting career will be releasing on its streaming platform. The doc will drop on June 1 on Paramount+, a couple weeks before the UFC White House event which is headlined by Topuria against Justin Gaethje for the unified lightweight throne.

Advertisement

This specific documentary, titled “Topuria Matador,” will cover two major fights of Topuria. The spotlight will first shine on his match with Josh Emmett, which marked only the second time he had gone the distance as a pro. After beating Emmett, “The Matador” claimed a featherweight title shot and cashed it by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski—this is what the documentary will lead to as it progresses.A man of many upbringingsIn addition to…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Azerbaijan has taken a hit.

On Thursday, perennial middleweight contender Vettori (19-10-1) posted on Instagram that he would no longer be competing at UFC Baku, also known as UFC Fight Night 280. The Italian suffered a rib injury that does not need surgery but will prohibit him from appearing on June 27. He was slated to face Ismail Naurdiev (25-8) at the National Gymnastics Arena in the capital city of Azerbaijan either as the main card opener or preliminary headliner.

Advertisement

Vettori explained, “Unfortunately I’m here to tell you that a few days ago, I got hurt on my rib. I did an MRI and it came back today showing that the rib is broken, so I won’t be fighting June 27. I was really looking forward to this fight. I moved from Florida to California for this camp. I wanted to get back to my roots, train with Beneil [Dariush], train with Julian for my boxing, train with Chase for my conditioning.”

“The Itali…

Scott Coker is back.

Per a press release and post on social media on Thursday, the former head of Strikeforce and Bellator MMA announced himself as returning to run a new MMA organization yet to be named at this time. Based on the email correspondence, it may be coined some variation of “Strike MMA,” but that could be a working title. To garner support to put together a new MMA league, Coker has teamed up with several deep-pocketed investors and names familiar with the entertainment industry.

Advertisement

Of note, Kevin Kay, former President of Paramount as well as Spike TV, will be on the investor and advisory group running this org. He has also gained the support of ex-Viacom chief financial officer Wade Davis, former Sony Pictures TV chair Steve Mosko, owner of D.C. United and a massive asset management company Steve Kaplan. In terms of household names, skateboarding icon Tony Hawk will also be chipping in. This promotion will be formed as a collaborative effo…

Khamzat Chimaev lost a split decision to Sean Strickland at UFC 328. | Getty/UFC

Dricus Du Plessis isn’t buying the notion that Khamzat Chimaev was hindered by a weight cut ahead of his championship defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 328.

Chimaev looked drained at weigh-ins ahead of the bout, and after the loss, both Arman Tsarukyan and his brother, Artur, claimed that the Chechen fighter’s performance was affected by the cut. “Borz” appeared to gas out significantly on a failed takedown in Round 2, though he recovered to make the fight compeitive in what was ultimately a split-decision defeat.

Advertisement

Du Plessis, who lost the middleweight belt to Chimaev in a lopsided decision at UFC 319 last August, wasn’t swayed by the explanations.

“I think this whole weight cut excuse is ridiculous, to be honest with you,” Du Plessis said in an interview with Fight Forecast “I think Tsarukyan said he cut 12 pounds in the 24 hours. Those are rookie numbers…

Floyd Mayweather has a couple of pending fall dates. | Sean Michael Ham/Mayweather Promotions

Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson are still expected to square off this year, but the exhibition boxing match will take place later than anticipated.

That’s according to a press release from CSI Sport/Fight Sports, which claims to have secured agreements from both boxers. While previous reports had Mayweather vs. Tyson scheduled for April 25 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the release states that the bout was slated for May 30. However, the booking was postponed as Tyson recovers from a broken hand.

Mike Tyson Vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Is Onhttps://t.co/xiKjv5BApV

— FIGHT SPORTS (@FIGHTSPORTS) May 20, 2026

A date, venue and broadcast plans are expected to be announced soon.

Complications Abound There could be a conflict with the exhibition, as Mayweather is also supposed to face Manny Pacquiao in a rematch this fall. That ma…

John Wood thinks it's possible he works with Gina Carano for another fight. | Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix

After nearly 17 years away, Gina Carano only got to spend 17 seconds in the cage in her mixed martial arts return.

Carano succumbed to a Ronda Rousey armbar in the main event of Most Valuable Promotions’ first MMA card this past Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. In her post-fight interview, Carano admitted that she would have liked a chance to show more in her first fight since Aug. 15, 2009. Coach John Wood, who led Carano’s camp, also believes that she might have more to prove before she walks away from the sport for good.

Advertisement

"I do not believe that that itch has been scratched yet for Gina, but we'll see," Wood told Home of Fight. "There's a lot of things already coming at her. I could tell you, behind the scenes, there's a lot of activity already, so ultimately the decision is hers. It was never a need for money. …

Manel Kape will face Kyoji Horiguchi atop the UFC Fight Night 279 card. | Getty/UFC

The card for UFC Fight Night 279 appears to be nearing completion.

The Las Vegas-based promotion recently confirmed 11 bouts for the June 20 event, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a rematch between Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi. The card will air in its entirety on Paramount plus beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

Kape has been victorious in seven of his last eight promotional appearances. “Starboy” is coming off a first-round knockout of former flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval at UFC on ESPN 73 on Dec. 13.

A former UFC flyweight challenger, Horiguchi has won back-back-to-back outings since returning to the Las Vegas-based organization. In his most recent outing, “Karate Kid” outpointed Amir Albazi at UFC Fight Night 266 on Feb. 7.

UFC Fight Night 279 Card Manel Kape vs. Kyoji HoriguchiFarid Basharat vs. Ethyn EwingKar…