Martial Arts News

Repeated fouls cost Long Xiao the most important win of his career.

The “Road to UFC” Season 2 finalist was penalized two points for three low blows and took a major step back in the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight division with a unanimous decision defeat to Cody Garbrandt in their featured UFC 326 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Garbrandt (15-7, 10-7 UFC).

Advertisement

Xiao (27-11, 1-3 UFC) battered the Ohio native’s body, legs and head with kicks through much of the first two rounds. He then ran aground. Xiao connected with three low blows—the second resulted in Garbrandt dry heaving and ultimately vomiting into a bucket in the center of the cage—in the third round and lost two points. Garbrandt stayed on his bicycle and pot-shotted the Xin-Du Martial Arts Club export after the deductions to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Meanwhile, Gnosis Combat Sports prospect…

Daniel Cormier doesn’t want to share accommodations with Jon Jones at ALF Reality.

Cormier and Jones are currently starring as rival coaches on ALF Reality, also known as the unaffiliated Russian version of “The Ultimate Fighter.” While filming for the show in Thailand, Cormier asked for a villa as far away from Jones’ as possible.

Advertisement

“My relationship with Jon Jones is nothing. I don’t have a relationship with Jon Jones… Make sure his house is as far away from mine as can be,” Cormier said. “I don’t need his energy around me.”

Jones vowed to defeat Cormier as a coach in the competition. “Bones” understands Cormier’s demand for a separate villa as there won’t be anyone to intervene if they get into a physical altercation.

“I’m a fierce competitor,” Jones said. “I’m here to win. I’m here to get my third victory against Daniel Cormier. I’m here to show the world that I’m a better fighter and a better coach… I understand. We can’t [allow] anything ba…

Tom Aspinall believes that merely talking about fighter pay won’t help fighters.

Aspinall recently made headlines by signing a management deal with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, who is now considered Dana White’s rival. Aspinall addressed issues about Ultimate Fighting Championship pay, especially regarding the discrepancy with Zuffa boxing. While UFC fighters have been complaining about their purses for years, White's latest venture, Zuffa Boxing, recently signed Conor Benn for $15 million.

Advertisement

However, Aspinall argues that there is no point in fighters complaining about their salaries, as they signed a contract they agreed upon. The UFC heavyweight champ is instead looking for avenues outside the Octagon to earn more money.

“They like to complain about the money that we’re getting paid,” Aspinall said at a press conference to reveal his signing with Matchroom Talent Agency. “That’s the contract that we all signed. We’re not gonna get more than that. I…

The fighting woes continue for former Bellator MMA kingpin Patrick “Patchy” Mix.

Just one day before his 20th birthday, Kyoma Akimoto earned the biggest victory of his burgeoning MMA career in Friday’s Rizin Fighting Federation 52 main event in Tokyo. Akimoto clobbered -450 betting favorite Mix early in the second round of their featured featherweight clash.

Advertisement

In the opening seconds of the fight, Akimoto (12-1, 7-1 Rizin) stuffed a takedown attempt from Mix (20-4, 1-1 Rizin), and the fighters traded jabs until Akimoto stunned Mix for the first time with a crisp combination that backed him to the corner. Mix recovered, but Akimoto attacked his body with more punches and then dropped him with a salvo to the face.

During the final 30 seconds of the round, Akimoto notched two more knockdowns and punished Mix with knees and soccer kicks on the ground. Mix narrowly made it to the bell, but his cornermen delayed the start of the second round by not leaving …

Heavyweight powerhouses will collide at UFC 328.

Alexander Volkov and Waldo Cortes-Acosta will collide at UFC 328 on May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Leo Guimaraes first reported the booking on X.

Volkov is coming off a controversial split decision win over Jailton Almeida that saw him rebound from a split decision loss against Ciryl Gane. While Almeida controlled Volkov on the ground throughout the contest, he was barely able to land any damage. Volkov was riding a four-fight winning streak before his loss against Gane in 2024.

Meanwhile, Cortes-Acosta is on an impressive run as the most active UFC heavyweight. “Salsa Boy” has fought six times since March 2025, losing only to Sergei Pavlovich via decision. The Dominican is currently on a three-fight knockout streak and coming off a stoppage of Derrick Lewis.

EXCLUSIVO: pude apurar que Alexander Volkov assinou contrato para enfrentar Waldo Cortes-Acosta em 9 de maio, …

Arman Tsarukyan and Georgio Poullas will compete in freestyle wrestling again.

Tsarukyan and Poullas initially locked horns in a wrestling match at RAF 6 last month. Poullas was accused of repeated fouls and penalized on points. Tsarukyan won the match by points and punched Poullas at the conclusion of the match, leading to a massive brawl involving several members of both teams.

Days after their brawl, it was announced that Tsarukyan and Poullas would meet in a rematch at Hype FC on March 11, this time in submission-only grappling. However, the booking fell through within hours as Poullas pulled out, citing his preference to compete in freestyle wrestling under RAF.

A rematch between Tsarukyan and Poullas has now been scheduled for RAF 7 on March 28 in Tampa.

Conor McGregor continues to tease a return at the White House.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will host a one-of-a-kind event at the White House on June 14. A plethora of fighters, including McGregor, have been rallying for a spot on the card. UFC CEO Dana White recently leaked a covered photo of the planning board for the lineup. The White House bill will be billed as “Freedom Fights 250,” a tribute to the 250th year of U.S. independence. Two title fights will grace the marquee.

McGregor immediately reacted to the news, saying, “freedom,” hinting that he hasn’t given up hope of a return at the White House.

McGregor hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a trilogy loss against Dustin Poirier in 2021. While “Notorious” recovered within 12 months, he spent most of the year travelling around Europe in his yacht. While McGregor has been teasing a return for years now, it hasn’t come to fruition. The Dubliner was even booked to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 303 …

[embedded content] The Ultimate Fighting Championship kicks off March with a "BMF" title fight, which is now official following the UFC 326 weigh-ins.

The five-round "championship" main event is now set as reigning "BMF" Max Holloway will look to defend his belt against former lightweight king Charles Oliveira. Both men successfully made weight without any issue. As for the rest of the card, all fighters made weight with the exception of Jeong Yeong Lee, who had "weight management issues," and the fight against Gaston Bolanos has been canceled as a result.

Advertisement

Holloway (27-8) comes into the fight having defended his BMF title, which he won against Justin Gaethje, against Dustin Poirier. After falling short against Ilia Topuria to recapture the featherweight championship, "Blessed" looks to make a second defense. The 34-year-old is 4-1 in his last five fights and will look to beat Oliveira for a second time as the two previously clashed in 2015. Holloway …

Khurshed Kakhorov believes Oktagon 85 has the potential to deliver one of the most violent headliners in the promotion’s history.

With the vacant bantamweight title on the line live from the Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany, “The Killer” has been tasked with taking out former Ultimate Fighting Championship prospect Igor Severino.

Advertisement

Severino (9-1) went viral two years ago after he infamously bit Andre Lima midway through the second round of his UFC debut. “The Hannibal” was instantly cut by the promotion but found a home with Oktagon MMA, where he’s rebranded himself after the legendary film villain and cannibal Hannibal Lecter. But Kakhorov isn’t amused by Severino’s mind games and promises to make the 22-year-old pay if he even considers chewing his way out of a defeat Saturday night.

“I can kill him, like I will kill him and put an end to this Hannibal stuff,” Kakhorov warned while sitting down with Sherdog.com. “He’s strong and dangerous. Very e…

Professional Fighters League made groundbreaking news in 2023 when it signed former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight king Francis Ngannou to a contract.

After signing with PFL and the nearly unprecedented career flexibility it offered, Ngannou competed in two high-level marquee boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua before making his mark inside and outside of the SmartCage.

Advertisement

Helping launch the PFL Africa brand, which has given opportunities to top talent on the continent, Ngannou served as chairman. Now, after setting the table for a new generation, PFL and Ngannou are headed separate ways.

On Friday morning, PFL released a statement announcing it has released Ngannou, who competed once for the league, picking up a first-round technical knockout of Renan Ferreira:

“The Professional Fighters League has made the decision to part ways with Francis Ngannou,” a PFL representative said in a release. “We have great respect f…

A matchup of former UFC talents has been added to the PFL Brussels card.

The promotion announced on Wednesday that Taylor Lapilus will take on Jake Hadley in a bantamweight matchup on May 23 at ING Arena in Brussels, Belgium. PFL Brussels is headlined by a lightweight showdown pitting undefeated Belgian prospect Patrick Habirora against ex-UFC kingpin Benson Henderson.

Advertisement

Continuing One Streak, Ending Another Lapilus boasts a five-bout winning streak that dates back to his UFC tenure. The 33-year-old Frenchman has been victorious in his first three Professional Fighters League appearances, notably ending a multi-fight decision streak with a third-round TKO of Kasum Kasumov in his last outing at PFL Dubai. Lapilus went 6-2 across two separate UFC stints.

England’s Hadley split a pair of PFL bouts last year, submitting Matheus Mattos with a twister in April before dropping a unanimous verdict against Macirley Alves in June. Prior to that, the Dana Wh…

Mauricio Ruffy is hinting that the UFC has big plans in store for him. | Getty/UFC

A month after his important victory over Rafael Fiziev, Mauricio Ruffy provided some insight into his UFC future.

Ruffy revealed that his next fight, while still under negotiation, should guarantee his spot as the next challenger for the belt.

Advertisement

“If it’s not at the White House, it will be five rounds,” Ruffy told Sherdog.com.

Ruffy added that he has already returned to physical training following his win over Fiziev at UFC 325 on Jan. 31.

“I had surgery on my right hand after the fight, but it’s already fine,” he said. “I’ll go back to [punching] next week, but in the meantime, I’m keeping in shape and preparing the rest of my body. [Alexander] Volkanovski told me a lot not to stop training, and we’ll see each other again soon,” said the Brazilian, who made a point of praising all the treatment he received in Australia.

"It was really cool how Vol…