Martial Arts News

Alexander Volkanovski believes Arman Tsarukyan didn’t make a wise decision by not weighing in as the backup fighter for the main event of the UFC White House card. 

Tsarukyan (23-3) was officially the backup fighter for the lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 last weekend at the White House. However, Tsarukyan had previously clarified that he would only weigh in as the backup fighter if he saw some serious chance of someone pulling out. “Ahalkalakets” eventually chose not to weigh in as the backup and wrestled Tony Ferguson at RAF 10 instead. Meanwhile, Diego Lopes, who was already scheduled to fight Steve Garcia in a featherweight matchup at the White House, also weighed in as the backup for the main event between Topuria and Gaethje.

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Volkanovski believes Tsarukyan hurt his chances in the UFC by choosing not to weigh in as the backup. According to the UFC featherweight champion, the UFC likes comp…

“The back of the head” is a tricky area in MMA, according to Herb Dean. 

Cyril Gane (14-2) and Alex Pereira (13-4) clashed for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House. Gane hurt Pereira with a jab early in the second round and swarmed him with punches. As Pereira dropped to the canvas, Gane landed multiple blows to the back of the head without any warning from Dean, who was the referee. While Pereira got back to his feet, Gane finished him soon after with a vicious flurry. 

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Dean has faced severe backlash for allowing Gane’s shots to the back of Pereira’s head, which have been widely deemed illegal. Pereira also holds Dean partly accountable for his loss, especially after emphasizing illegal blows to the back of the head during the rules meeting before the fight. 

Dean has now defended his stance while elaborating on the rule. According to Dean, the rule should actually be called illegal blows to “the nape of the neck.” Dean…

Justin Gaethje entered the White House as the UFC's biggest underdog and left as the biggest winner of the night. After ending Ilia Topuria's undefeated streak, Gaethje took home his belt and two bonuses.

The American's ground coach, Jorge Santiago, spoke with Sherdog.com on Monday about the victory and revealed interesting details about what went on behind the scenes at UFC White House. Having won belts in organizations such as Sengoku and Strikeforce, the Brazilian revealed that he was moved by the show.

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"It was a unique experience. There will never be a show like this. I never imagined seeing the political capital of the USA closed to our sport. Everything was approved by the Secret Service. After all, they had already tried to assassinate the president twice, so it was an impressive level of care. We would pass through a gate and there was an FBI clearance; when we got in the car we couldn't talk to the agents or we would have to go back and do …

Conor McGregor is set for his long-awaited return at UFC 329. | Getty/UFC

Conor McGregor apparently has a timeframe in place for his next two UFC bouts.

McGregor is scheduled to return for the first time since July 2021 when he faces Max Holloway in a welterweight contest at UFC 329 on July 11. In an interview on "The Ariel Helwani Show," the former two-division champion revealed that he has two fights left on his current deal — and the date for his final bout is also tentatively in place. However, McGregor isn’t necessarily pleased by the potential layoff between those two bookings.

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"Right now, I am contracted, and I have both dates," McGregor said. "I have both dates for my fights. I have July 11 and I have – where would you think they would put me back in? When would you think they would put me back in? April 2027. It's almost a year later. That's ridiculous to me. No? This is the way the contract was done. I have my second dat…

It was a frustrating night for "Poatan" at UFC White House. | Getty/UFC

While Alex Pereira admits that Ciryl Gane rocked him in their UFC White House matchup, the Brazilian star also believes what followed deserved some closer examination.

“Poatan” was on the defensive after being hurt by a Gane jab in their interim heavyweight title bout on Sunday, but during the ensuing salvo, “Bon Gamin” appeared to land multiple 12-to-6 elbows to the back of his opponent’s head. While Pereira did return to his feet, Gane ultimately finished the job with more powerful punches at the 1:27 mark of Round 2.

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In a video on YouTube, Pereira addressed the loss as well as Dean’s officiating in the heat of the moment.

“Putting myself in the referee’s shoes, my opponent’s there and catches me, I drop, he starts striking,” Pereira said. “The ref is watching that they are illegal shots, but he thinks like this, ‘How am I going to stop this fight?’ It’s illegal,…

The FBI revealed on Tuesday that it was able to halt a potential terrorist threat that targeted the UFC White House event and its attendees this past Sunday.

According to Fox News, the alleged plan included using explosive-laden drones to force an evacuation, where crowds would be directed toward an area with snipers in place. The group included a “second wave,” which planned to storm the White House gate, per the report.

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As of Monday, five people were in custody — with 23 in total identified as part of the alleged terrorist plot. One of those arrested was 19-year-old Tycen Proper, of Danville, Ohio, who according to the Columbus Dispatch, is charged in U.S. District Court in Columbus with conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States, attempted murder of any officer or employee of the United States, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and receipt or transfer of a firearm used to commit a felony.

Proper has be…

Anthony Smith believes Ilia Topuria should return quickly to recover from the loss against Justin Gaethje. 

Topuria (17-1) put his lightweight title on the line against Gaethje (28-5) in the main event at UFC White House on Sunday. While Topuria was a massive favorite, Gaethje bloodied up “El Matador” in the first round. Topuria briefly rebounded in the second round but apparently exhausted himself hunting a finish. Gaethje unleashed brutal punishment in the third round. However, Topuria showed immense heart in getting off the stool for the fourth round, where he absorbed even more damage. Topuria’s corner had seen enough to throw in the towel at the end of the fourth round. Gaethje shocked the world by winning the undisputed title in his third attempt in one of the greatest upsets in UFC history. 

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Smith believes the best way for Topuria to mentally recover from his first career loss is to return to competition as soon as he can. According …

Arman Tsarukyan believes no one in the lightweight division can beat him right now. 

Justin Gaethje (28-5) challenged Ilia Topuria (17-1) for the undisputed lightweight title at UFC White House last weekend. Gaethje handed Topuria a brutal beating, forcing a corner stoppage at the end of the fourth round. “The Highlight” became the undisputed lightweight champion in one of the greatest upsets in UFC title fight history. 

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Currently rallying for the next lightweight title shot, Tsarukyan (23-3) believes he is equipped to beat both Gaethje and Topuria. If Tsarukyan is champion by the time Topuria recovers, “Ahalkalkets” would like to hand him a beating worse than Gaethje did. Tsarukyan currently doesn’t see any threat in the lightweight division since former champ Islam Makhachev moved up to welterweight.Supremely Confident “I want to beat Justin Gaethje. I want to beat everybody,” Tsarukyan said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “And when Ilia is …

Ciryl Gane’s penchant for landing illegal blows undoubtedly has his opponents concerned. 

Gane (14-2) faced Alex Pereira (13-4) for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main event at UFC White House on June 14. Gane rocked Pereira with a jab early in the second round and followed up with vicious shots, forcing “Poatan” to turtle-up. Gane then dropped multiple 12-to-6 elbows at the back of Pereira’s head, which are officially illegal blows. However, there was no acknowledgement from referee Herb Dean that any of the blows landed by Gane were illegal. While Pereira still managed to return to his feet, Gane, smelling blood, followed up with a vicious flurry to secure a standing technical knockout. 

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Foreshadowing? Sean O'Malley knocked out Aiemann Zahabi in the second round of their bantamweight matchup on the same card. “Suga” revealed that Pereira was specifically reminding the referee about illegal back of the head shots during the rules …

Arman Tsarukyan believes Justin Gaethje has found the proverbial second wind in his career. 

Gaethje (28-5) reached the pinnacle of his career by dethroning Ilia Topuria (17-1) to win the undisputed lightweight title at UFC White House last weekend. “The Highlight” survived an onslaught in the second round, while battering Topuria for the rest of the fight, forcing his corner to throw in the towel after the fourth round. 

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There were speculations about Gaethje retiring if he lost to Topuria at the White House. However, the 37-year-old announced that he had promised his mom not to decide on retirement immediately after winning the title. Tsarukyan (23-3) urges Gaethje not to retire. Tsarukyan believes Gaethje still has a couple of years left in him, judging by how good he looked last weekend. Tsarukyan notes that Gaethje looked almost unscathed despite taking hard shots from Topuria. Tsarukyan is considered the frontrunner for the next lightw…

Daniel Cormier claims the now-deleted screenshots of alleged chats with Eric Trump were not shared by him. 

The alleged screenshots were shared from Cormier’s X account on Sunday before promptly being deleted. The posts showed President Donald Trump’s eldest son asking Cormier for insider information regarding fights at UFC White House which went down at the White House on Sunday. Eric Trump even allegedly asked “DC” if any of the fights were rigged. While posting the screenshots, Cormier wrote that he wouldn’t be silenced. Eric Trump later dismissed the alleged texts as fake and AI-generated. 

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‘Why Would I Do That?’ Cormier has also subsequently denied posting the screenshots. The former UFC double champ turned commentator claims they were “not real.” Cormier says his social media was hacked.

“Not real,” Cormier said (via Nicolas Ballasy). “I can’t believe you guys believed that. Who believes that?... I got hacked or something like tha…

Arman Tsarukyan believes Ilia Topuria will take a lot away from his loss to Justin Gaethje. 

Topuria was a massive favourite going into his lightweight title defense against Gaethje at UFC White House on Sunday at the White House. “El Matador” also exuded a level of confidence bordering on cockiness going into the fight. 

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However, Gaethje brutally beat up Topuria, forcing his corner to throw in the towel at the end of the fourth round. “The Highlight” handed Topuria his first-ever professional loss in a monumental upset. Tsarukyan believes Topuria’s lesson in humility will teach him to avoid overconfidence. According to “Ahalkalakets,” Topuria was more focused on his media obligations than his training, going into the fight against Gaethje.A Lesson in Humility “I think this loss is going to teach him a lot of lessons — not to be overconfident and to respect your opponent,” Tsarukyan said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “And keep grinding. I th…