Martial Arts News

Gina Carano's MMA return didn't last as long as she would have liked. | Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix

Gina Carano’s first mixed martial arts appearance in nearly two decades was abbreviated, to say the least.

The Strikeforce and EliteXC veteran was quickly taken down and submitted by Ronda Rousey just 17 seconds into the MVP MMA main event this past Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Considering Rousey’s penchant for quick victories — she had eight previous wins in less than a minute — it shouldn’t have been all that surprising.

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Carano reflected on the experience during her post-fight interview.

"I wanted that to last longer. I felt like I was so ready. I felt so good. I've never felt that good, but I haven't been here for 17 years. I wanted to hit her,” Carano said. “I’ll probably feel [unfulfilled] later, but right now getting in the cage was a victory. Getting here after 17 years was a victory. Fighting a legend was…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will return to Abu Dhabi this summer.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Monday that a Fight Night event will take place at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on July 25. Fights will be announced in the coming weeks for a card that will air in its entirety on Paramount+.

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The UFC’s partnership with Abu Dhabi dates back to 2010. The country gained attention for its “Fight Island” moniker when the promotion held events there during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it typically remains an annual Octagon destination.Recent HistoryLast year, UFC on ABC 9 took place at Eithad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 9 and saw Reinier de Ridder defeat Robert Whittaker via split decision in the main event. More recently, UFC 321 took place at the same venue, where the main event ended in controversy when a Ciryl Gane eye poke rendered Tom Aspinall unable to continue in the first round of their heavyweight title bout.

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Considered one of the most popular UFC fighters in Brazil today Carlos Prates was recently invited to appear on one of Brazil's most popular podcasts: Podpah, a YouTube channel with almost 10 million subscribers.

In a two-hour conversation, Prates drank four beers and smoked two cigarettes, reminiscing about his entire journey and eliciting laughter from both hosts with his usual candor. According to The Fighting Nerds product, his entry into fighting was an alternative found by his mother due to his difficulties at school.

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“My mother is a teacher, and since I was very difficult and had learning difficulties, she decided to take me to a psychologist when I was 8 years old, where I was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder),” Prates said. “Once she saw me engrossed in watching a DVD of Wanderlei Silva fighting Yuki Kondo in Pride, and noticed my interest in fighting, [she] decided to enroll me in a muay thai school.”

In mar…

Ilia Topuria believes his altercation with Josh Hokit could have turned physical without the presence of security. 

Topuria puts his lightweight title on the line against interim champion Justin Gaethje in the main event at UFC Freedom 205 on June 14 at the White House. Meanwhile, Hokit is scheduled to fight Derrick Lewis in a heavyweight tilt on the same card. 

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Topuria and Hokit got into an altercation during a promotional presser for the event earlier this month in Newark, New Jersey. Hokit launched an unprovoked tirade on Alex Pereira, who fights Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title on the same card. Pereira and Topuria had traveled together to visit President Donald Trump just ahead of the presser. Topuria, who was sitting next to Pereira, stood up to defend “Poatan” against Hokit’s rant. Things heated up when Topuria threw a glass of water at Hokit. However, security personnel intervened before things could escalate. ‘I Co…

Jon Jones thinks the UFC has serious competition. 

Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions hosted their first MMA card on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. The card was promoted as a genuine threat to the UFC’s monopoly at the top tier of MMA. 

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Jones, who attended the event, believes it was better than UFC cards. Despite having been champion in two weight classes in the UFC, Jones claims he never attended an event like the one hosted by MVP.‘Absolutely Unbelievable’ “I think the MVP promotion was absolutely unbelievable,” Jones said. “I think it was actually better than the UFC. I've never been at such a promotion. I mean they had the fog machines and TVs absolutely everywhere. Great fighters.” 

While the MVP card had some up-and-coming talent, the major fights certainly didn’t have the best fighters in the world. A 39-year-old Ronda Rousey submitted 44-year-old Gina Carano in the main event of the night. Meanwhil…

Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili believe their training partner, Phumi Nkuta, was robbed on the MVP MMA card.

Nkuta (11-1) took on Adriano Moraes (22-6) in a bantamweight outing at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. While Nkuta picked apart Moraes on the feet, the former ONE Championship champion had the edge on the ground. The highly competitive fight met with a controversial ending in the final round. 

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Moraes secured a rear-naked choke in the final second of the fight. While Nkuta seemed to be in his senses till the final bell, Moraes held on to the choke even for a few seconds, even after the bell, despite referee Herb Dean intervening. Nkuta was choked out unconscious, and it was declared a submission win for Moraes. 

The fight gave Dvalishvili immediate flashbacks of his controversial loss against Ricky Simon in 2018. While “The Machine” was dominating the fi…

The Conor McGregor-Nate Diaz rivalry was one of the UFC's best. | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Conor McGregor still hasn’t dismissed the idea of a trilogy fight against Nate Diaz.

Diaz (21-14) took on Mike Perry at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. Diaz had barely anything to offer while suffering a one-sided beatdown against Perry. Diaz was so bloodied up by the end of the second round that his corner decided to throw in the towel. 

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Diaz was originally in talks with the UFC for a return to MMA in a trilogy fight against McGregor. After Diaz’s performance against Perry, McGregor says he knows why his former foe didn’t accept the trilogy matchup. However, “Notorious” hasn’t completely given up on a potential rubber fight against Diaz.

“I see why [Nate Diaz] didn’t take the fight lol,” McGregor wrote on X. “Anyway here’s to when I get my hands on you, you lanky strea…

Most Valuable Promotions’ first MMA card is getting mixed reactions from fans and pundits. 

While Jon Jones called it better than the UFC, the card failed to impress fellow UFC veterans Daniel Cormier and Ben Askren. Askren found the card full of lopsided matchups. While Askren understands the importance of highlight reels, the former Bellator MMA and ONE Championship champion believes competitive fights are what matchmakers should aim for.

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“Incredibly one-sided is the biggest thing that comes to mind,” Askren said on a podcast with Cormier. “You know, there wasn't a singular fight that was moderately competitive on the card. And, you know, we need the highlights, we need the knockouts, we need these spectacular things, but the best thing we can get is a back-and-forth fight.” No Star Building Cormier noted that one-sided matchups don’t work for MMA unlike boxing, where stars are built by letting them walk through a plethora of underskille…

Most Valuable Promotions’ contracts are seemingly not lucrative enough for everyone. 

Salahdine Parnasse is eyeing a UFC contract after an impressive win at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" on Saturday. Parnasse took on Kenneth Cross in a lightweight matchup on the card. Parnasse picked apart Cross before finishing him in the first round.

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Parnasse’s team has since expressed interest in a UFC contract. Parnasse’s manager, Stephane Chaufourier, wrote on an Instagram post tagging Dana White and the UFC: “We've done our part. The ball is in your court…”

Parnasse has amassed impressive experience on the regional circuit at just 28 years of age. The former KSW two-division champion has finished 15 of his 23 pro wins so far, while just conceding two losses. 

A Significant Gap Parnasse reportedly earned $70,000 for his fight against Cross, which is a huge discrepancy compared to main event fighters Ronda Rousey’s $2.2 million…

Jon Jones believes he would surprise people with his boxing skills. 

Jones attended Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano” on Saturday in Los Angeles, California. Francis Ngannou knocked out Philipe Lins in a heavyweight matchup on the card and subsequently called out Jones. While Jones expressed interest in the matchup, he noted that he needs to be released from the UFC first. 

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Jones is optimistic about his UFC release if he goes through the right channels. Jones recently revealed that he wants to transition to boxing.A Chance to Show Other Skills? “I think getting out of my UFC contract is very very possible,” Jones said.”I need to find the right people and go through the right channels… I really wanted to box. If I put all of my energy into my hands, my combinations, my punching power, I think I would surprise a lot of people. I would love to box.”

Jones (28-1) is currently having a falling out with the UFC. Jones retired as the…

Jean Silva got the better of Kevin Vallejos on the Contender Series. | Getty/UFC

Kevin Vallejos believes he can avenge his loss against Jean Silva in a rematch. 

Vallejos suffered his lone professional loss against Silva in his first Dana White's Contender Series opportunity in 2023. While Silva quickly rose to stardom in the UFC, Vallejos finally earned his UFC contract in his second Contender Series outing in 2024. 

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Silva finished his first five UFC opponents before suffering a loss in a featherweight title eliminator against Diego Lopes last year. Silva has since rebounded with a win over fellow contender Arnold Allen this past January. Making a Name for Himself Meanwhile, Vallejos has racked up four UFC victories with three finishes. The 24-year-old Argentinian prospect established himself as a star in his own right with a first round knockout win over Josh Emmett in his first UFC main event this past March. Vallejos…

The UFC did its best to steal the thunder from Most Valuable Promotions on Saturday night.

As Francis Ngannou was making his walk to the cage at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Saturday night, UFC CEO Dana White went live to announce that Conor McGregor would return to face Max Holloway in the UFC 329 headliner. The timing wasn’t surprising to those in the MMA community, many of whom predicted that the UFC would do something along those lines to take away from the Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano” card.

Ronda Rousey gave her thoughts on the UFC’s decision to announce the McGregor fight when it did during Saturday’s MVP post-fight press conference. Rousey defeated Gina Carano with an armbar 17 seconds into the opening round of the MVP main event on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

"I mean, it's kind of catty," Rousey said. "But it also shows that they see MVP MMA as a threat, that they would, you know, do it in that moment and do it at that ti…