Martial Arts News

It's been more than a decade since Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira first squared off. | Josh Schaefer/Sherdog.com

Since their first fight in 2015, Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway have followed parallel paths in different divisions.

While Holloway continued his winning streak at featherweight, defeating Jose Aldo by technical knockout at UFC 212 to take the belt from the fighter considered to be the GOAT of the division, Charles migrated to Chute Boxe, moved up to lightweight, restarted his career and after a sequence of eight victories, won the division’s belt by knocking out Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in 2021.

Advertisement

In 2026, the two legends will face each other again in the UFC 326 headliner, disputing the BMF belt that the Hawaiian has held since 2024 after beating Justin Gaethje and Dusin Poirier. Holloway has been pointed out as a slight favorite in the odds, but the only certainty is a very exciting fight. At least that is the opini…

Arman Tsarukyan believes the UFC shouldn’t be disappointed about his brawl with Georgio Poullas. 

Tsarukyan has been accused of unruly behavior more than once. The UFC lightweight contender faced Poullas in a wrestling match at RAF 6 last weekend. Poullas tried to slap Tsarukyan, poke his eyes, and grab his fingers, all of which are considered illegal moves. Tsarukyan eventually beat Poullas by points and landed one clean punch on the ground. The entire place erupted in absolute chaos as members of both teams flooded the mats. While security was quick to intervene, the brawl took a while to subside. 

Advertisement

While the UFC has accused Tsarukyan of poor discipline in the past, “Ahalkalakets” believes they won’t be unhappy about the RAF brawl. Tsarukyan argues that he maintained his calm throughout the match while Poullas repeatedly tried to provoke him. Tsarukyan believes the UFC should be happy that he refused to get beaten up by a freestyle wrestle…

Paulo Costa is ready to fight Khamzat Chimaev in any weight class. 

Costa (15-4) will face Azamat Murzakanov (16-0) in a light heavyweight clash at UFC 327 on April 11 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. While Costa is unsure whether he will continue at light heavyweight, “Borrachinha” is confident that he can still make middleweight whenever he wants.  

Advertisement

Costa believes he can call for a middleweight title shot against Chimaev with a convincing win over undefeated Murzakanov. The former middleweight title challenger also doesn’t mind waiting for Chimaev at light heavyweight.‘I Can Fight Him in Both Divisions’ “[Khamzat] is the champion right now,” Costa said on "The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I think after a good victory against Azamat on April 11, I get back at middleweight to be in line to fight him. Or I can wait for him at 205. I can fight him in both divisions.” 

Chimaev dominantly defeated Dricus Du Plessis to win the middleweight tit…

Merab Dvalishvili is determined to fight Petr Yan next, regardless of how long it takes. 

Dvalishvili (21-5) put his bantamweight title on the line for the fourth time in a year in a rematch against Yan (20-5) at UFC 323 this past December. Yan outclassed Dvalishvili in every aspect to earn a huge upset win via unanimous decision. Dvalishvili claims the UFC has guaranteed him a trilogy fight against Yan. However, Yan underwent lumbar surgery this past January, and his return timeline currently remains uncertain. 

Dvalishvili defeated Yan in their first outing in 2023. Dvalishvili is now 1-1 head-to-head against “No Mercy” after losing his title in their rematch. Dvalishvili wants to settle the trilogy against Yan in his next outing, no matter when the champion might return. “The Machine” believes the matchup is worth the wait and doesn’t want to fight anyone else in the meantime.

‘It’s Worth the Wait’ “I’m waiting for Petr Yan because this fight makes se…

Jiri Prochazka ideally wouldn’t have fought so close to the expected date of the birth of his first baby. 

Prochazka is set to fight Carlos Ulberg for the light heavyweight title in the main event at UFC 327 on April 11 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. Meanwhile, Prochazka and his girlfriend are expected to have their first baby, a girl, between April 13 and April 15. 

Advertisement

Prochazka recently revealed that the originally expected date for him to fight was on May 11. However, Prochazka’s girlfriend gave him permission to fight on that date only for a massive matchup. Prochazka then started negotiating with the UFC for a title fight, which is now scheduled even closer to the expected date of the birth of his girl.It Has to Be a Big Fight “I would like to rather fight later, in June or whenever,” Prochazka said on "The Ariel Helwani Show.” “One month after the birth [of my baby] will be the best. My girlfriend told me, ‘If you have the title …

Ben Askren didn’t mince his words while reacting to Georgio Poullas’ wrestling match against Arman Tsarukyan. 

Poullas is a former collegiate wrestler who rose to fame by offering random people $1,000 to take him down. Poullas faced Tsarukyan, who is considered among the best wrestlers in the UFC, in a freestyle wrestling match at RAF 6 last weekend. 

Advertisement

Poullas started slapping Tsarukyan, poking his eyes, and grabbing his fingers from the beginning of the match. Askren, a former Olympian, expressed his thoughts while watching the match live. Askren thinks Poullas is an average wrestler who was afraid of getting exposed against Tsarukyan. “Funky” predicted that Poullas’ best chance to win was to make Tsarukyan angry enough to get him disqualified.Average at Best “Georgio is a very average wrestler,” Askren said. “If you look at his college record, it’s not very good. And I think he’s afraid of getting exposed. And I think his best way to win i…

Ian Garry is taking shots at Islam Makhachev and his team. 

Garry is considered to be among the frontrunners for the next welterweight title shot against Islam Makhachev. However, Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently claimed that the UFC is considering another massive matchup for the champion not involving Garry.

Advertisement

“This is, I can tell you, the UFC working on a big fight Islam Makhachev  and [Ian’s]  name is not involved,” Abdelaziz wrote on X. “Much bigger. One of the biggest fight in the UFC right now they can make. Stay tuned.”

This is, I can tell you, the UFC working on a big fight Islam Makhachev and ian name is not involved. Much bigger. One of the biggest fight in the UFC right now they can make. Stay tuned.😉

— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) March 2, 2026 Garry refuted Abdelaziz’s statement. 

“No they’re not.”

Many Options

Abdelaziz then slightly changed tune, saying Garry is st…

Khamzat Chimaev was allegedly ready to back up Arman Tsarukyan on a moment’s notice after the brawl at RAF 6.  

Chimaev and Tsarukyan have long been training partners and friends. Tsarukyan faced Georgio Poullas in a wrestling match at RAF 6 last weekend. Tsarukyan repeatedly accused Poullas of playing dirty, and the social media wrestling star was even penalized on points. Tsarukyan defeated Poullas by points and proceeded to punch him, which led to a brawl on the mats. Chimaev, who was watching the match on television, was seen quietly smiling as the arena erupted in chaos. 

Tsarukyan revealed that Chimaev immediately called him and offered to fly to Tempe, Arizona, to back him up. However, Tsarukyan turned down the idea and urged Chimaev to calm down. Tsarukyan admits that he and Chimaev together in a brawl is a bad idea. Tsarukyan claims “Borz” is the crazier of the two. According to “Ahalkalakets,” Chimaev is not seen engaging in brawls, as people are mo…

Arman Tsarukyan was disappointed with the overall officiating at RAF 6. 

Tsarukyan faced Georgia Poullas in the co-main event at RAF 6 last weekend. Tsarukyan repeatedly accused the social media wrestling star of using dirty tactics. While the referee penalized Poullas on points, he wasn’t disqualified. Tsarukyan eventually defeated Poullas and punched him, leading to a massive brawl. 

Advertisement

Tsarukyan was not only disappointed with the refereeing in his fight, but also with the judges. “Ahalkalakets” says the judges did a terrible job throughout the night, especially in the matchup between Mahamedkhabib “Kadik” Kadzimahamedau and Evan Wick. A four-time Division I All-American, Wick defeated the Belarusian Olympic silver medalist via tech fall (13-2). Tsarukyan accuses the judges of awarding Wick points unfairly.

“Maybe 20 times he was trying to poke my eyes, break my fingers, and I showed it to the referee, the referee shouldn’t do that,” Tsaruk…

Charles Oliveira doesn't expect Max Holloway to pose much of a submission threat at UFC 326. | Getty/UFC

Eleven years after their first encounter in the main event of UFC Fight Night 74 in Canada, Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway will face each other again on Saturday.

This time the fight will take place in Las Vegas in UFC 326 main event, and the BMF title will be at stake. Shortly before boarding a plane at São Paulo airport with his team on Sunday, Charles Oliveira spoke with Brazilian journalist Laerte Viana and assured him that he is arriving for this rematch in the best condition of his career.

Advertisement

“Renting a house 800 meters from Chute Boxe made all the difference,” Oliveira said. “When I came from my house in Guarujá, I had to wake up at 6 a.m. to get to training at 11 a.m. Living next to the gym, I could wake up at 10 a.m. to get to training at 11 a.m. In other words, I was able to rest more and recover better for the training ro…

Patrick Habirora is a star on the rise in PFL. | PFL MMA

Undefeated Professional Fighters League prospect Patrick Habirora will look to add a significant feather to his cap when he returns to action in his home country.

The promotion announced on Monday that Habirora will lock horns with former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson in the PFL Brussels main event at ING Arena in Brussels, Belgium, on May 23. Henderson will be returning to active competition for the first time since March 2023. Habirora vs. Henderson will be contested at 170 pounds.

Advertisement

Prospect vs. Veteran Habirora has been victorious in his first eight professional outings, finishing all but one via knockout or technical knockout. In 2025, he scored first-round KO victories against UFC veterans Danny Roberts and Kevin Jousset in his two PFL appearances.

A former UFC lightweight champion, Henderson hasn’t competed in MMA since March 2023, when he suffered a first-ro…

Lone'er Kavanagh earned the biggest win of his career on Saturday in Mexico City. | Getty/UFC

Lone'er Kavanagh was originally supposed to face Bruno Silva on March 14, but when the UFC came calling to offer a former champion in hostile territory on short notice, the British prospect didn’t hesitate.

The gamble paid off, as Kavanagh took a five-round verdict over Brandon Moreno in the UFC Mexico headliner at Arena CDMX in Mexico City on Saturday night. In victory, Kavanagh was able to rebound from a knockout loss to Charles Johnson in his last outing at UFC Shanghai this past August.

Advertisement

“Sometimes you’ve just got to say f—k the fear and do it,” Kavanagh said told the UFC. “Believe in yourself, believe in the people behind you and let the rest write itself.”

Kavanagh outworked Moreno on the feet behind his jab and impactful low kicks, and he stuffed all eight of his opponent’s takedown attempts over the course of the 25-minute affair. St…