Martial Arts News

Islam Makhachev was struggling in a street fight when Khabib Nurmagomedov stepped in to change the outcome. 

Makhachev (28-1) and Nurmagomedov (29-0) grew up together in the mountains of Dagestan, which are known for a tough upbringing. Both UFC stars have repeatedly mentioned how they had to stand their ground in street fights to avoid being bullied. 

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Makhachev recently recalled a massive fight involving rival schools with around 500 guys on each side. Makhachev’s side was struggling as the other side had older guys. It was then that Nurmagomedov, three years older than Makhachev, stepped in with some of his friends. The tide swayed, and the other side took heel, which boosted the confidence of Makhachev and his friends.‘We Needed Some Fire’ “Once we had a scuffle 500 vs. 500, school vs. school,” Makhachev told Red Corner MMA. “And we were too young, but on the other side they had older guys, so we struggled against them. We needed some fi…

Tom Aspinall and Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden are both not in the United States, which is currently hosting major events in their respective sports. 

UFC heavyweight champion Aspinall (15-3) is currently sidelined due to an eye injury suffered in his first title defense against Ciryl Gane last year. Meanwhile, Gane is scheduled to fight Alex Pereira for an interim heavyweight title in the co-main event of the iconic UFC White House card on Sunday. While the champion of the division is typically present in the interim title fights, Aspinall has not been invited to the White House. 

Meanwhile, Foden has failed to make it to the English national soccer squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026 in America. Aspinall recently met Foden, finding common ground over not being in the U.S. during crucial events in their respective sports.

Uncertain Future The winner of the fight between Gane and Pereira should ideally fight Aspinall in a title unifier. However…

Diego Lopes is always ready to save the day for the UFC.

Lopes is scheduled to open the iconic UFC White House card in a featherweight clash against Steve Garcia on Sunday. Lopes successfully made the non-title limit of 146 pounds for his matchup against Garcia. 

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However, Lopes reappeared at the weigh-ins to step on the scale for another weight class. Lopes later successfully weighed in at 154 pounds as the backup fighter for the lightweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. The Brazilian reveals that he contacted Hunter Campbell when he heard that the originally planned backup fighter, Arman Tsarukyan, wouldn’t be weighing in. Campbell gave the green light to Lopes, who stands a chance at a lightweight title shot if any of the main event fighters are forced out for some reason. 

Diego Lopes officially comes in at 145lbs…AND 155lbs for tomorrow’s #UFCWhiteHouse card!

[ 8pmET | LIVE on @Para…

Josh Hokit claims he is trying to help Justin Gaethje by getting Ilia Topuria riled up. 

Hokit has recently developed animosity with Topuria leading up to their respective fights at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday at the White House. Hokit went off on Topuria at the pre-fight press conference at the  Lincoln Memorial. Hokit briefly praised Topuria and apologized for previous comments before insulting the lightweight champion’s ex-wife. Dana White shut down the presser immediately after Hokit’s comments about Topuria’s ex-wife. 

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Hokit claims he was trying to get Topuria riled up. While Hokit fights at heavyweight, he believes the fighters in the lower weight classes were in a foul mood as they were already enduring weight cuts during the press conference. Hokit hopes he got under Topuria’s skin enough to affect his performance against Gaethje in the main event.Necessary Assistance “You wanna be a weight bully? That’s the consequence,” Hokit t…

#UFCWhiteHouse main event is official!@Topuriailia weighs in at 155lbs 💪

[ SUN JUN 14 | LIVE on @ParamountPlus | Title Fights Presented by @Cryptocom ] pic.twitter.com/NkIs2vyo9W

— UFC (@ufc) June 13, 2026 The Ultimate Fighting Championship's historic card is officially set for Sunday following the UFC White House weigh-ins.

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Headlining the first professional sporting event to take place on the White House lawn is a lightweight title unification fight between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, while Alex Pereira vs. Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight championship serves as the co-main event. All four fighters successfully made the championship weight without any issue. Now, all seven bouts on the monumental event are officially moving forward after no fighters on the card had issues on the scale. Additionally, Diego Lopes came back a second time to make lightweight championship weight of 154 pounds to qualify as a re…

Official #PFLNigeria Decision: Nacho Campos def. Wasi Adeshina via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:45 of Round 1!

Nacho Campos makes a statement on African soil. 🇪🇸🔥#PFLNigeria | LIVE | Eko Convention Centre | Live on SuperSport pic.twitter.com/pLPtV8i8DD

— PFL Africa (@PFLAfrica) June 13, 2026

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Ignacio Campos silenced the home crowd as he finished the local favorite in the first round at PFL Nigeria.

Campos (8-2, 2-1 PFL) locked horns with Wasi Adeshina (10-4, 3-1 PFL) in an intriguing featherweight clash. After a brief feeling-out process where both fighters alternated between wrestling phases against the fence and exchanges in the center of the cage, “Nacho” landed a perfectly timed knee that dropped his opponent. The Spaniard followed up with several heavy punches from half-guard before taking his opponent’s back as Adeshina was looking to escape. Once Campos gained the favorable position, it was only a matte…

Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight ace Islam Makhachev believes a win over Michael Morales adds more to his legacy than a win over Ian Garry.

Makhachev (28-1) is expected to defend his welterweight title in August, although an opponent has yet to be finalized. While the division is teeming with contenders, Makhachev recently admitted that Garry is the frontrunner. However, Makhachev would prefer to defend his title against Morales (19-0) rather than Garry (17-1). Makhachev believes a win over Morales would add more to his legacy, as the Ecuadorian is undefeated, unlike Garry.

Makhachev was initially looking to defend his title against former champion Kamaru Usman. Everyone, including Usman himself, has counted him out of the race for the title shot. However, Makhachev still believes that “The Nigerian Nightmare” beats both Morales and Garry.

“If we pick between Morales and Ian, to be honest with you, in terms of my legacy, I would go with Morales,” Makh…

Dillon Danis is making some bold predictions about Conor McGregor.

McGregor (22-6) is set to return to action in a welterweight matchup against Max Holloway (27-9) in the main event at UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor has opened as a +300 underdog, with fans and pundits expecting Holloway to dominate the former double champ.

However, McGregor’s training partner, Danis, believes otherwise. Danis believes McGregor’s dedication is getting underestimated before his return. McGregor’s fight against Holloway marks his return to action after five years. However, Danis believes ring rust is a mindset that McGregor can definitely beat. Danis predicts that “Notorious” will knock Holloway out within three rounds. “El Jefe” even predicts that McGregor will fight Islam Makhachev after beating Holloway.

“He’s always been a dedicated guy… Him not going to the White House card… He is living in the gym,” Danis told MMA Fighting. “He is bringing in tough…

Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight king Islam Makhachev doubled down on his claims of having accepted a fight against Ilia Topuria.

Topuria is scheduled to defend his lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje in the UFC White House: Freedom 250 main event on Sunday. According to reports, the original plan was for Topuria to challenge Makhachev for the welterweight title.

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Topuria (17-0) initially blamed Makhachev (28-1) for the matchup falling through. Even Dana White said that Makhachev was out with a hand injury. However, Makhachev has thoroughly denied being injured or turning down a fight against Topuria. Makhachev recently reiterated that he had accepted the offer without any hesitation. However, Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, called him the very next day to inform that the booking was off. Makhachev claims negotiations failed when Topuria’s manager, Malki Kawa, demanded an insane fight purse. The Dagestani champ al…

Steve Garcia is hoping that an eight-fight win streak after prevailing at the White House will be enough to punch his ticket to gold.

Garcia opens the UFC White House card against two-time title challenger Diego Lopes on Sunday. Residing in the No. 3 and No. 12 spots at featherweight, respectively, on Sherdog’s Official Rankings, Garcia believes an upset over the top-ranked Brazilian immediately makes him relevant in the 145-pound title picture.

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Garcia plans to dominate Lopes from the opening bell. While “Mean Machine” doesn’t want to divulge much, he advises fans not to blink. Garcia said in an interview with the UFC:

“Having an opponent like Diego Lopes, knowing where his ranking is at. Having the opportunity to fight someone that high, challenging myself, but also being able to put myself in a position where I could challenge for the title… I’m just gonna go out there and dominate him. Dominate him from the start of the bell to the end of the b…

Josh Hokit believes he is not leaving the Ultimate Fighting Championship anytime soon.

Hokit (9-0) is scheduled to fight Derrick Lewis (29-13) in a heavyweight tilt at UFC White House: Freedom 250 on Sunday. Meanwhile, Alex Pereira (13-3) fights Ciryl Gane (13-2) for the interim heavyweight title in the co-main event.

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Hokit has launched an unprovoked tirade on Pereira, targeting “Poatan” verbally during press conferences and run-ins at the fighter hotel. Pereira recently said Hokit’s UFC career might be in jeopardy. According to Pereira, while it is too late to boot Hokit from the White House card, it could be his last fight in the UFC. However, Hokit has shut down Pereira’s claims. “The Incredible Hok” says he recently signed an eight-fight deal with the UFC. Hokit believes he is not going anywhere, and Pereira is just being hopeful, as is scared.

“Pereira can say whatever,” Hokit said on UFC Embedded. “When you put on a fight like I put on last …

Sherdog's live PFL Nigeria coverage will begin Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Women’s Strawweight Showcase Bout:Shelda Chipito (116) vs. Haidy Ahmed (116) Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Ben Duffy scores the round:Tudor Leonte scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Bantamweight Tournament First Round Bout:Boule Godogo (133.6) vs. Dauda Rajabu (133) Round 1 Sherdog Scor…