Martial Arts News

It was always a question of when, not if, the Professional Fighters League would hold a fight card in Saudi Arabia this year.

Via press release on Thursday, the organization announced that June 19 would be the date of the next Saudi Arabian fight card run by the PFL. The event, which is currently listed as PFL MENA 10, does not currently have a headliner or billing set. Fights will go down at the King Abdullah Sports City Indoor Arena in Jeddah. The promotion announced that a pair of local athletes would be competing at the event, with one of the two making their professional debuts.

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Currently 3-0 as a professional, the PFL has indicated that Jeddah native Malik Basahel will absolutely be part of the lineup. He does not yet have an opponent announced, with that news coming soon. A longtime amateur, Basahel dabbled in the PFL three times as an unpaid athlete until he flipped the switch in May 2025 to enter the professional ranks. Over the course of …

Despite not winning a performance bonus for his victory over Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327, Paulo “Borrachinha” Costa has nothing to complain about regarding the fruits of his labor.

With a long history at middleweight and now ranked No. 7 by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the light heavyweight division, Costa feels he has a real chance of competing for the 205-pound interim belt soon with champ Carlos Ulberg recovering from a serious knee injury. He has also been called out by former champion Jiri Prochazka.

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And the Brazilian's range of possibilities doesn't end there. After challenging Josh Hokit for “stealing his bonus” at UFC 327 and receiving a positive response from the American, a match at heavyweight has also become an option for Costa.

“I have one more fight on my UFC contract and thank God there are plenty of options,” Costa said. “I can fight in all three divisions.”

When asked who he would select between Hokit, Prochazka and m…

Johnny Eblen has waited patiently, and will now get his shot at redemption 364 days after losing his crown.

That moment will come on July 18 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas, as the Professional Fighters League on Wednesday revealed its plans for a rematch pitting PFL middleweight champion Costello van Steenis against the man he dramatically upset almost a year ago to the day.

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“This is the fight that fans have been asking for since the moment Costello secured the rear-naked choke in the final seconds of their first world championship fight,” PFL CEO John Martin stated in a news release. “There were a lot of opinions about how that fight ended, and both fighters have something to prove. Now we have a massive rematch with everything on the line, validation for ‘The Spaniard,’ or redemption for ‘Pressure.’ I can’t wait to see how it plays out on July 18.”

Eblen (17-1) was widely considered to be one of the best middleweights in the world before…

Khamzat Chimaev has shared a glimpse of his sparring with Sean Strickland.

Chimaev will put his middleweight title on the line against Strickland in the main event at UFC 328 on May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. There is some serious beef between Chimaev and Strickland from their time training together.

Chimaev (15-0) briefly trained with Strickland (30-7) at the Xtreme Couture MMA in Las Vegas. Things allegedly went sour between the two after Strickland made insensitive comments about Chimaev’s homeland of Chechnya. Strickland claims Chimaev didn’t show up when invited to settle things like men. Meanwhile, Chimaev says those who saw them train together know what went down.

Chimaev also made Strickland tap out in sparring, which the American admitted in a previous interview with “The Schmo.” However, Strickland has since dismissed it as a situational grappling session.

Strickland has recently accused Chimaev of bullying lesser fighters in …

While both are known for their trash talk, Sean Strickland is not a fan of Josh Hokit.

Hokit has quickly risen to stardom in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, cutting pro wrestling-style promos. “The Incredible Hok” also toes the boundary at times, like saying Curtis Blaydes’ parents knew the exact position of coitus to have ugly offspring.

Strickland, who is known for his controversial trash talk, believes Hokit’s style is fake and fabricated. Strickland claims he instantly shuts off clips of Hokit whenever they pop up on his feed. Strickland is also not a fan of Hokit interviewing random people on the streets. However, Strickland has nothing personal against Hokit and even likes him as a person. Strickland further admits that while he may not like it, Hokit’s style is seemingly working as it has landed him a spot on the UFC White House: Freedom 250 card.

“I respect him for doing it,” Strickland said on UFC on Paramount. “To me, it’s too much. It’s so fake …

Khamzat Chimaev is unfazed by Sean Strickland’s trash talk days before their UFC 328 clash.

Chimaev (15-0) will look to defend his middleweight title against Strickland (30-7) in the main event at UFC 328 on May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. While Strickland’s trash talk is bordering on sinister, Chimaev has an unusually calm aura heading into the fight.

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Strickland recently said that he would confront Chimaev in the hotel lobby if both the teams are treated unfairly by the UFC. However, Chimaev claims he has been waiting in the lobby for three days with no sign of Strickland. UFC head honcho Dana White said there will be no face-off between Chimaev and Strickland and that security will be increased for safety. Chimaev believes the extra security is for Strickland’s safety, not his own.

Strickland also threatened to shoot Chimaev and his team if they try to jump him. Responding to Strickland’s death threats, Chimaev says he is not sc…

Carlos Prates should not count himself out of the next Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title shot just yet.

Prates, Michael Morales, Ian Garry and Kamaru Usman are all in the running for the next welterweight title shot against Islam Makhachev (28-1). Prates dominantly beat down Jack Della Maddlena en route to a third-round stoppage win at UFC Perth last weekend and subsequently claimed that Makhachev is set to defend his title against Garry in August. “The Nightmare” said that he is willing to wait for the winner of that bout, which was allegedly confirmed. However, Makhachev says no one from the UFC has said who his next opponent will be. According to Makhachev, there are still four contenders in the running for the next title shot, including Usman, who himself admitted that he is out of the race.

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“The UFC haven’t informed me yet, but there’s been a lot of rumors about me fighting Ian Garry next,” Makhachev told Red Corner MMA. “Yet, I…

Dricus Du Plessis’ opinion certainly holds water when it comes to Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland.

Chimaev is set to put his middleweight title on the line against Strickland in the main event at UFC 328 on May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Having shared the Octagon with both Chimaev and Strickland, Du Plessis recently broke down how the fight might play out.

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While Du Plessis doesn’t doubt that Strickland will be taken down, he believes the American is physically stronger than Chimaev and has the skills to return to his feet. While Chimaev hits hard, Du Plessis believes he is too predictable to catch someone like Strickland, who is known for his defense, with a lucky shot. According to Du Plessis, if Strickland gets up more than a couple of times in the first two rounds, the fight won’t go Chimaev’s way. However, Du Plessis thinks Chimaev will dominate if he can control Strickland on the ground throughout the first round.

“I kno…

Sean Strickland is getting the same accusations hurled at him that he aimed at Khamzat Chimaev.

Strickland (30-7) will challenge Chimaev (15-0) for the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title in the main event at UFC 328 on May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. There is serious bad blood between Strickland and Chimaev from their days training together at Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts.

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Strickland recently accused Chimaev of bullying average fighters in the gym. Strickland claims he always wants to test himself against the best fighters he’s surrounded by. However, Strickland says that Chimaev picks an average fighter and tries to establish himself as a bully.

However, Chimaev’s training partner, Luke Rockhold, accuses Strickland of the same. Rockhold recently minced no words while expressing his dislike for Strickland. According to Rockhold, he knew the kind of person Strickland was when he first joined him in training du…

Criticism won’t deter Dana White from using artificial intelligence for Ultimate Fighting Championship promotional material.

White recently revealed that the latest UFC White House: Freedom 250 promo was entirely made with AI. White further elaborated that even his voiceover was done with AI, without him having to visit the sound booth even once. White clarified that the only real footage in the promo are clips from previous fights.

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“The White House promo that we just did is AI,” White said on the Katir Miller podcast. “The whole promo is AI, even my voice isn’t my real voice. My guys put together the whole promo for the White House without one guy going into the sound booth; filming or anything. The only thing that’s real is the fight footage… It’s not the future, it’s now. It’s already happening.”

The UFC has been facing backlash from fans and fighters for using AI for its promotional videos. UFC lightweight Renato “Money” Moicano considers it …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship Baku card is shaping up to be a fan-friendly spectacle.

Lightweights Rafael Fiziev and Manuel Torres will headline UFC Baku on June 27 at National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan.

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Fiziev (13-5) racked up a six-fight winning streak after suffering his first pro loss in his Octagon debut in 2019. However, Fiziev has since dropped four of his last five, although all the losses came against elite opponents. “Ataman” most recently suffered a brutal knockout loss against Mauricio Ruffy in January.

Meanwhile, Torres (17-3) has finished all five of his UFC wins inside the first round. Torres’ lone UFC loss came against Ignacio Bahamondes, who lost to Fiziev. “El Loco” has since rebounded with wins over Drew Dober and Grant Dawson. While the Mexican was scheduled to face Beneil Dariush at UFC 327 last month, he was forced out due to injury.

The co-main event at UFC Baku will feature middleweight strikers Shara…

Conor McGregor will be keeping a keen eye on the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title fight.

Khamzat Chimaev will put his middleweight title on the line against Sean Strickland in the main event at UFC 328 on May 9 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. McGregor expressed excitement about the fight on X, formerly known as Twitter, while laying claim to the middleweight belt.

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“Very excited for the Newark, New Jersey @ufc card, with my 185lb @ufc title on the line! TUNE IN ON @UFConParamount 💰”

Considering McGregor (22-6) started his UFC career at featherweight, a middleweight move will be a massive jump for the Irishman. While McGregor won the featherweight and lightweight titles, he defended neither. “Notorious” won his last UFC fight at welterweight against Donald Cerrone in 2020. McGregor then suffered consecutive stoppage losses against Dustin Poirier, suffering a leg injury in his most recent outing in 2021. While M…