Martial Arts News

Petr Yan claims the UFC didn’t give Sean O'Malley a title shot against him because they didn’t want to see “Suga” take a beating at the White House. 

O’Malley took on Aiemann Zahabi in a bantamweight tilt at UFC White House last weekend. Despite taking some brutal inside leg kicks from Zahabi, O’Malley knocked out the Canadian in the second round. O’Malley then called for a title shot against Yan. 

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However, Yan claims he had already agreed to defend his title against O’Malley at the White House. “No Mercy” believes the UFC didn’t make the matchup because the promotion wanted to make sure that O’Malley won at the White House.Favorable Matchmaking? “The UFC were afraid for you!” Yan wrote on his Instagram Stories. “They needed to be sure that you would win in the White House! They didn't want you to get beaten in the White House! I gave my consent! That's why they gave you someone you can at least handle!”

O’Malley (20-3) defeated Yan (20-…

Arman Tsarukyan vows to back up his words with action. 

Justin Gaethje challenged Ilia Topuria for the lightweight title in the main event at UFC White House on Sunday at the White House. A massive underdog going into the fight, Gaethje handed Topuria a brutal beating, forcing his corner to throw in the towel at the end of the fourth round. 

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Tsarukyan had placed a massive $1 million bet on Gaethje for a payout of $5.7 million. “Ahalkalakets” had promised to buy Gaethje a RAM truck if he defeated Topuria. Tsarukyan now confirms he will honor his promise to Gaethje. Tsarukyan is scheduled to compete in a wrestling match against Colby Covington at RAF 11 on July 18 in St. Louis, Missouri. Tsarukyan says he will buy Gaethje a truck after his wrestling match.Reaping the Rewards “Of course,” Tsarukyan said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I just checked what color he wants... I'm competing on July 18 in St. Louis, and after St. Louis, I'm going to b…

Ilia Topuria has nothing but praise for Justin Gaethje after suffering his first career defeat.

“El Matador” relinquished the lightweight crown to Gaethje in the UFC White House headliner on Sunday night, falling to his American adversary via fourth-round technical knockout when his corner waved off the fight. After looking nearly invincible for the majority of his professional tenure, Topuria was bloodied and battered by one of the sport’s most respected veterans.

The Georgian-Spaniard acknowledged as much in a post on Instagram.

“Justin, congratulations. You said you’d leave your mark on my face… and you did,” Topuria wrote. “You took the sight from my right eye in the first round, and by the end of the second, from my left too.

“No excuses. I had one of the best camps of my life. I came in sharp, prepared, and ready. Last night was your night. That’s the nature of this game. Glory and pain walk side by side.”

Another Chapter Yet to Come? Topuria emer…

Josh Hokit's latest UFC victory was accompanied by some controversial post-fight comments. | Getty/UFC

Josh Hokit is making waves in the UFC’s heavyweight division, but some of his recent post-fight remarks aren’t scoring him any points with promotion officials.

Hokit improved to 4-0 in the Octagon with a second-round stoppage of Derrick Lewis at UFC White House on Sunday in Washington, D.C. Hokit, who has gained attention for his cringe-worthy pro wrestling schtick, took a different route when speaking with Joe Rogan following his latest victory. During the segment, Hokit praised President Donald Trump, gave thanks to God and continued his verbal assault toward former two-division champion Alex Pereira before shifting gears entirely.

“Lastly, Michele Obama is a man,” Hokit said. “Am I right, America?”

White House UFC fighter Josh Hokit just said:

“Michelle Obama is a man… am I right America?”

How are you enjoying Trump…

Jon Jones has reasserted his status as MMA GOAT after Alex Pereira’s loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC White House. 

Pereira (13-4) looked to win a title in a third weight class when he challenged Gane (14-2) for the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House. However, Pereira barely landed any significant damage while Gane’s jab was on point from the opening bell. “Bon Gamin” hurt Pereira early in the second round and unleashed vicious damage on him on the ground before securing a standing technical knockout on the feet. 

Still the Best in His Own Mind Jones reacted to Pereira’s loss by wearing a necklace of a GOAT in a video posted on social media, signifying the greatest fighter of all time. Jones is currently having a fallout with the UFC since he was denied a spot on the White House card. While Jones retired last year, he started rallying for a spot on the card as soon as it was mentioned.

When Jones missed out on a spot at UFC Fr…

Josh Hokit is open to fighting Alex Pereira even though “Poatan” lost at the White House. 

Pereira (13-4) aimed to create history by challenging Ciryl Gane (14-2) for the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House. Pereira never got his momentum going before Gane hurt him early in the second round and followed up with a barrage of shots to secure the finish. Meanwhile, Hokit (10-0) earned a lopsided stoppage win in a heavyweight clash against Derrick Lewis (29-14) on the same card.

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Hokit was watching Pereira getting finished during a post-fight interview. With the new interim champion Gane expected to face the champ Tom Aspinall in a title unifier, Hokit is eyeing a clash against Pereira next.Targeting ‘Poatan’ “I think Pereira gained a little too much weight,” Hokit said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “I think he weighed in at 251 [pounds], that’s not good. You’ve got to be light, something that you’re u…

Diego Lopes received game-changing advice from one of his cornermen at the White House.

Lopes opened UFC Freedom 250 against Steve Garcia (19-6) at the White House on Sunday. While the opening round was closely contested, Lopes believes he might have been behind on the scorecards. However, Lopes dropped Garcia with a massive left hand midway through Round 2 before finishing him with ground-and-pound. 

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Lopes subsequently revealed that he received the fight-ending advice from UFC flyweight Alessandro Costa, who was in his corner. Costa told Lopes to step back when Garcia landed on him the first time. Costa then told Lopes to stand ground on the second connection and counter with a three-punch combination. Lopes paid heed to Costa’s advice and dropped Garcia with the third punch of his combination.

“The whole credit I give to my brother, Alessandro,” Lopes said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “He told me, ‘Hey, he connects you, you step …

Mauricio Ruffy had a memorable night at the White House on Sunday.

Ruffy faced Michael Chandler in a lightweight tilt at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House. Ruffy beat Chandler down in style before making him fold with a spinning wheel kick late in the first round. Only a few follow-up shots were necessary for the referee to call a stop to the action. 

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Ruffy then made the victory even more special by proposing to his girlfriend, Nadine, for marriage. Ruffy said that while he had wanted to marry her soon after they met, they didn’t have the financial conditions to do so.The Ideal Time and Place “A while ago, when I met my wife Nadine. I really wanted to ask her to marry me, but we didn’t have the money, we didn’t have the condition,” Ruffy said in his post-fight interview. “And now, what better place, to ask my wife to get married. Nadine, I love you, would you marry me?”

While the cameras didn’t show Nadine, UFC commentator Joe Rogan…

Colby Covington believes Khamzat Chimaev’s Chechen squad was ready to pick a fight at RAF 10.

Chimaev faced Dillon Danis in a wrestling match in the main event at RAF 10 on Sunday in St. Louis, Missouri. Chimaev defeated Danis via fall in 45 seconds before all hell broke loose. 

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Chimaev appeared to kick Danis before the stage was swarmed in a wild scene. While Chimaev’s supporters tried to jump Danis, security intervened.

WILD BRAWL breaks out after Khamzat Chimaev PINS Dillon Danis at #RAF 10.

(Via @MikeHeck_JR) pic.twitter.com/Hl8a7AUevp — MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) June 14, 2026 Not a Good Look Covington, who attended the event, believes the brawl was pre-planned on the part of Chimaev’s team. Despite having rewatched the match, “Chaos” isn’t sure what instigated the brawl. Covington believes Danis might have caught Chimaev in a guillotine, which led to “Borz” retaliating with a kick. Having recently left the UF…

Ilia Topuria was humbled at UFC White House. | Getty/UFC

Islam Makhachev is enjoying Ilia Topuria’s humbling lesson at the UFC White House event. 

Topuria (17-1) put his lightweight title on the line against interim champion Justin Gaethje (28-5) in the main event at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House. “El Matador” repeatedly affirmed that he would knock Gaethje out in the very first round. Topuria also claimed that he had a video predicting how he would knock Gaethje out, which would be released after the fight. Topuria even celebrated his expected victory with friends and family a day before the fight. 

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However, Gaethje bloodied Topuria up in the very first round. While Topuria gained momentum in the second round, he seemingly spent up his energy trying to finish Gaethje. “The Highlight” busted up a visibly tired Topuria in the third round. While the cageside doctor even appeared to be calling the fight off due to …

Justin Gaethje had a performance for the ages on Sunday. | Getty/UFC

Justin Gaethje was the man of the hour at UFC White House.

By authoring an all-time upset and being one-half of a “Fight of the Year” candidate, the newly-crowned UFC lightweight champion earned a whopping $825,000 in post-fight bonuses on Sunday. Not only did Gaethje receive a $425,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his fourth-round stoppage of Topuria in the evening’s lightweight headliner, but he and his opponent shared “Fight of the Night” honors and $400,000 apiece.

UFC CEO Dana White announced the elevated bonus structure ahead of the landmark event.

Gaethje survived some serious adversity in the second stanza when Topuria landed multiple damaging body shots and later threatened with ground-and-pound and submissions after assuming full mount. Gaethje showcased his resolve and took control down the stretch, battering Topuria to a point where his corner waved off the b…

Sherdog's live UFC White House: Freedom 250 coverage will begin Sunday at 8 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Lopes (-175); Garcia (+140)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Mike Fridley scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Nickal (-350); Daukaus (+280)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Keith Shillan scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Ruffy (-7…