Martial Arts News

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Azerbaijan has taken a hit.

On Thursday, perennial middleweight contender Vettori (19-10-1) posted on Instagram that he would no longer be competing at UFC Baku, also known as UFC Fight Night 280. The Italian suffered a rib injury that does not need surgery but will prohibit him from appearing on June 27. He was slated to face Ismail Naurdiev (25-8) at the National Gymnastics Arena in the capital city of Azerbaijan either as the main card opener or preliminary headliner.

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Vettori explained, “Unfortunately I’m here to tell you that a few days ago, I got hurt on my rib. I did an MRI and it came back today showing that the rib is broken, so I won’t be fighting June 27. I was really looking forward to this fight. I moved from Florida to California for this camp. I wanted to get back to my roots, train with Beneil [Dariush], train with Julian for my boxing, train with Chase for my conditioning.”

“The Itali…

Scott Coker is back.

Per a press release and post on social media on Thursday, the former head of Strikeforce and Bellator MMA announced himself as returning to run a new MMA organization yet to be named at this time. Based on the email correspondence, it may be coined some variation of “Strike MMA,” but that could be a working title. To garner support to put together a new MMA league, Coker has teamed up with several deep-pocketed investors and names familiar with the entertainment industry.

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Of note, Kevin Kay, former President of Paramount as well as Spike TV, will be on the investor and advisory group running this org. He has also gained the support of ex-Viacom chief financial officer Wade Davis, former Sony Pictures TV chair Steve Mosko, owner of D.C. United and a massive asset management company Steve Kaplan. In terms of household names, skateboarding icon Tony Hawk will also be chipping in. This promotion will be formed as a collaborative effo…

Khamzat Chimaev lost a split decision to Sean Strickland at UFC 328. | Getty/UFC

Dricus Du Plessis isn’t buying the notion that Khamzat Chimaev was hindered by a weight cut ahead of his championship defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 328.

Chimaev looked drained at weigh-ins ahead of the bout, and after the loss, both Arman Tsarukyan and his brother, Artur, claimed that the Chechen fighter’s performance was affected by the cut. “Borz” appeared to gas out significantly on a failed takedown in Round 2, though he recovered to make the fight compeitive in what was ultimately a split-decision defeat.

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Du Plessis, who lost the middleweight belt to Chimaev in a lopsided decision at UFC 319 last August, wasn’t swayed by the explanations.

“I think this whole weight cut excuse is ridiculous, to be honest with you,” Du Plessis said in an interview with Fight Forecast “I think Tsarukyan said he cut 12 pounds in the 24 hours. Those are rookie numbers…

Floyd Mayweather has a couple of pending fall dates. | Sean Michael Ham/Mayweather Promotions

Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson are still expected to square off this year, but the exhibition boxing match will take place later than anticipated.

That’s according to a press release from CSI Sport/Fight Sports, which claims to have secured agreements from both boxers. While previous reports had Mayweather vs. Tyson scheduled for April 25 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the release states that the bout was slated for May 30. However, the booking was postponed as Tyson recovers from a broken hand.

Mike Tyson Vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. Is Onhttps://t.co/xiKjv5BApV

— FIGHT SPORTS (@FIGHTSPORTS) May 20, 2026

A date, venue and broadcast plans are expected to be announced soon.

Complications Abound There could be a conflict with the exhibition, as Mayweather is also supposed to face Manny Pacquiao in a rematch this fall. That ma…

John Wood thinks it's possible he works with Gina Carano for another fight. | Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix

After nearly 17 years away, Gina Carano only got to spend 17 seconds in the cage in her mixed martial arts return.

Carano succumbed to a Ronda Rousey armbar in the main event of Most Valuable Promotions’ first MMA card this past Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. In her post-fight interview, Carano admitted that she would have liked a chance to show more in her first fight since Aug. 15, 2009. Coach John Wood, who led Carano’s camp, also believes that she might have more to prove before she walks away from the sport for good.

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"I do not believe that that itch has been scratched yet for Gina, but we'll see," Wood told Home of Fight. "There's a lot of things already coming at her. I could tell you, behind the scenes, there's a lot of activity already, so ultimately the decision is hers. It was never a need for money. …

Manel Kape will face Kyoji Horiguchi atop the UFC Fight Night 279 card. | Getty/UFC

The card for UFC Fight Night 279 appears to be nearing completion.

The Las Vegas-based promotion recently confirmed 11 bouts for the June 20 event, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a rematch between Manel Kape and Kyoji Horiguchi. The card will air in its entirety on Paramount plus beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

Kape has been victorious in seven of his last eight promotional appearances. “Starboy” is coming off a first-round knockout of former flyweight title challenger Brandon Royval at UFC on ESPN 73 on Dec. 13.

A former UFC flyweight challenger, Horiguchi has won back-back-to-back outings since returning to the Las Vegas-based organization. In his most recent outing, “Karate Kid” outpointed Amir Albazi at UFC Fight Night 266 on Feb. 7.

UFC Fight Night 279 Card Manel Kape vs. Kyoji HoriguchiFarid Basharat vs. Ethyn EwingKar…

Regardless of the outcome of the next welterweight title fight, Carlos Prates is confident that he will get a shot at the one after that. 

Rumors suggest that Islam Makhachev will put his welterweight title on the line against Ian Garry this summer. Prates is confident that he will get a title shot against the winner of that fight. However, it could mean a long period of inactivity for Prates if Makhachev wins, as the Dagestani champion doesn’t fight very often. Meanwhile, a win for Garry should ideally lead to an immediate rematch for Makhachev. 

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However, Prates doesn’t think that’s how it will play out. Prates had a conversation with the UFC brass, the details of which he refuses to divulge. However, the Brazilian firmly believes he will get the shot regardless of the winner of the fight between Makhachev and Garry.

“I don’t think they’re gonna do a rematch if Makhachev loses,” Prates said on "The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I talked with Da…

Ethyn Ewing has made a habit of knocking off highly-touted opponents. | Getty/UFC

Ethyn Ewing will look to hand another undefeated fighter his first professional loss next month. 

Ewing is set to face Farid Basharat at a UFC Fight Night event on June 20 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The bout was announced by the promotion on Tuesday. 

Building a Reputation Ewing (10-2) has built a career out of derailing undefeated opponents’ hype train. Ewing is currently undefeated in 10 straight outings since dropping his first two professional fights. “The Professor Finesser” was a massive +550 underdog when he made his UFC debut on 48 hours’ notice against then-unbeaten prospect Malcolm Wellmaker last year. Ewing put on a clinic to earn a massive upset win via unanimous decision. Ewing repeated his success this past April by handing Rafael Estevam his first professional loss in another upset. 

Meanwhile, Basharat (15-0) has six UFC wins to his name s…

Francis Ngannou recently crossed paths with his first promoter, Stephane Chafourier. 

Ngannou (19-3) knocked out Philipe Lins in the first round of their heavyweight clash at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" card last weekend in Los Angeles. Chafourier was there to manage his fighter, Salahdine Parnasse, who also scored a first-round knockout win over Kenneth Cross. 

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Blast from the Past Ngannou came across Chafourier backstage at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Ngannou revealed that Chafourier was his first promoter. Ngannou recalls not being paid anything for his first fight, which was a free tournament. However, “The Predator” was thrilled when he received 2,000 euros ($2,323) for his second fight. Ngannou recalls going to a corner and immediately counting his money.

“Mr. Chafourier. This is my first promoter,” Ngannou said while talking to Chafourier. “First fight, free tournament. Second one, I won 2,000 euros. I was so ha…

Carlos Prates does not plan on fighting for much longer. 

Prates recently revealed that he ideally plans to retire by the age of 35 or 36. The Brazilian welterweight contender claims to have nearly 140 bouts on his resume in his amateur and professional career combined. Prates further revealed that his body has sustained a lot of wear and tear over the years. “The Nightmare” has to wait for 20 minutes after waking up everyday before he can move normally. Prates claims his feet, back and neck are all somewhat damaged. However, Prates won’t rule out the idea of competing even later if the fight purse is lucrative enough.

Pain Every Day “I want to leave before [40]. Maybe 35 or 36,” Prates said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I have almost 140 fights. When I wake up and get out of my bed, I cannot walk well. I need to wait 20 minutes for my back to stop [hurting], my feet. Everyday. Both my feet, my back and neck are also bad… Let’s see how many zeros they’re gonna put on…

Salahdine Parnasse is dreaming big after his win last Saturday. 

Parnasse took on Kenneth Cross in a lightweight tilt at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" last weekend in Los Angeles,. Parnasse put on a beating on Cross before knocking him out in the final minute of the first round. 

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Aiming High The Moroccan-French fighter subsequently expressed interest in signing with the UFC. However, Parnasse seemingly wants to keep all his options open. Parnasse’s team recently posted a photo of him with Dustin Poirier on an MVP fight poster.

“Open season. He’s the one we want. Respectfully,” the caption read. “The hunt is on.”

Parnasse (23-2) is currently riding a five-fight winning streak. The 28-year-old has amassed an impressive record at Polish promotion KSW, where he became a two-division champion. Meanwhile, Poirier (30-10) retired following a loss to Max Holloway last July. “The Diamond” has made it clear that he will only …

Fatima Kline believes she can leapfrog up the rankings with a finish in her next fight. 

Kline is scheduled to fight Amanda Ribas in a strawweight clash at UFC Oklahoma City on July 18 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Kline is keen on stopping Ribas inside the distance. “The Archangel” believes she won’t be very far from the title picture with a finish over Ribas. The 25-year-old wants to start calling out Top 5-ranked strawweight contenders if she finishes Ribas.

Looking to Make a Statement “I want to finish Amanda… Finishing Amanda puts me very close [to the title],” Kline told Home of Fight. “I know Tatiana [Suarez] just won her fight, I know Gillian Robertson just won her fight. This division is wide open for me to take it and run with it. And that’s exactly what I plan on doing. I really want to get close to the Top 5, and I want to start taking out names and showing people that this is my division.”

Kline (9-1) suffered her lone professional loss against Jasmine J…