Martial Arts News

Darren Till is disappointed with the UFC's recent state of affairs. 

Till slammed the UFC over lackluster cards, which he claims he doesn’t even watch anymore. “The Gorilla” believes his former boss, Dana White, is no longer focused on the UFC. Till further went off on Dana White for his handling of the media. White recently snapped at a reporter who brought up criticism against AI use in UFC promotional videos. Till says White needs to put his ego aside and respond sincerely to questions.

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Lacking Intrigue “I do like Dana,” Till said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “But I just think Dana’s ego is getting a little bit out of control. I think he’s totally switched off from the UFC. I don’t even watch the UFC anymore. I couldn’t tell you half the people who fight there. The events aren’t juicy no more. I’m pissed off, to be honest, with the media side of things. Every time Dana’s in a scrum, it’s like these reporters are scared to say the real thing. …

Jean Silva knocked Charles Jourdain back into his senses by knocking him out. 

Jourdain (18-8) is coming off a unanimous decision win in a “Fight of the Night” battle against Kyler Phillips in front of his home crowd at UFC Winnipeg last weekend. This was Jourdain’s third consecutive bonus-winning performance in as many outings since he moved to bantamweight from featherweight in 2024. “Air” credits the impressive streak to a knockout loss against Silva, which prompted the move to bantamweight. Weeks following the knockout loss, Jourdain’s wife informed him that she was pregnant. Jourdain had to make a choice between giving up his dreams and turning his life around, and he took the tougher path.

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“I have to thank Jean Silva,” Jourdain said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “Ever since I got knocked out, he put sense into me—going to 135, three in a row, three bonuses in a row. Jean Silva changed my life with that uppercut… I had no hope anymore for mys…

Renato "Moicano" Carneiro is not a fan of the UFC using artificial intelligence for promotional videos. 

As AI takes over various forms of content across different spheres, the UFC also hasn’t been spared from its influence. The UFC has recently faced backlash from fans over use of AI in their content. 

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“Moicano” is also critical of the UFC about using AI for promotional content. Being a fan himself, the UFC lightweight thinks it's disrespectful to fans, who can clearly see through the lack of effort. With two of the UFC’s biggest stars, Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria, set to compete at the White House in June, “Moicano” doesn’t think it should be a big deal to fly them down to Washington to shoot some content. While Carneiro is also a content creator, he tries to avoid the use of AI as he considers it “brain rot.”A Sign of Disrespect “UFC is not going to be very happy for me to say that, but I didn’t like it,” Carneiro said on “The Ariel He…

Jasmine Jasudavicius’ fight against Karine Silva was mostly uninteresting, barring a brief moment. 

Jasudavicius (15-4) took on Silva in front of a home crowd at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on Saturday. Jasudavicius picked up a unanimous decision win in a lukewarm bout mostly marked with inaction. However, a moment in Jasudavicius’s corner captured fans’ attention. The 37-year-old was seen fiddling with something behind her lips, which fans suspected was a nicotine pouch. 

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However, Jasudavicius denies using a nicotine pouch in her fight. Jasudavicius finds the accusations even funnier as she claims to be among the very few fighters from her gym who don’t use Zyn, a popular brand of nicotine pouches used under the lip. Jasudavicius claims that she usually uses chewing gum during workouts and warm-up, and forgot to spit one out before walking into the Octagon at UFC Winnipeg.

Looks Can Be Deceiving “It’s so …

Sean Strickland confirms that not all the best fighters in the world are a part of the UFC roster. 

Strickland recently shared high praise for his training partner Johnny Eblen. Following a sparring session with Eblen, Strickland joked that the UFC should never sign “Pressure.” Strickland wants Eblen to stay put in the Professional Fighters League because he would be a threat to the entire UFC roster. Strickland believes Eblen would be competing for a UFC title if the promotion signed him.

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Championship Talent “Never let this man come to the UFC,” Strickland said on his Instagram Stories. “Keep his ass where he’s at. F—-ing savage, bro. If this man was in the UFC, he’d be fighting for the belt.” 

Eblen (17-1) is widely considered one of the best fighters in the world outside of the UFC. The former Bellator MMA middleweight champion also continued his reign at PFL when the promotion took over Bellator. Eblen was a massive -550 favorite goi…

Brian Ortega claims he knew that he had made a mistake early into his relationship with Tracy Cortez. 

Ortega met Cortez in 2020 shortly after he left his previous wife Stephanie Ortega and their two sons. Shortly after getting into a relationship with Cortez, Ortega knew that he had made a mistake. However, Ortega’s ego was too big to leave Cortez and return to his family as he was afraid of being laughed at.

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“Shortly into that, I was like ‘Damn, I f—d up.’ But because I already left the kids, left the family, I was like, ‘If I dump her right now, everyone’s gonna laugh at me.’ So it was the ego again,” Ortega told Dominick Cruz on the "Love & War” podcast. “I thought I can’t let people laugh at me, so I’m gonna put up with all the craziness… I knew it four months in.”

Ortega (16-5) and Cortez (12-3) finally broke up amidst public drama in 2023. Ortega claims his mother had warned him about Cortez in the beginning of their relationship. Wh…

Gilbert Burns is eyeing a new chapter in MMA after he retired from professional competition. 

Burns (22-10) recently revealed that he plans to become a fighter manager after having recently retired from fighting. While Burns had long been considering a career in management, the plan was on hold while he was active as a fighter. Burns believes he can help several fighters sign with the UFC with a good body of work behind them. According to “Durinho,” many managers don’t extend their help to fighters beyond securing matchups in the Octagon. However, the Brazilian legend wants to help fighters with their social media, relationships, and build their brands. Burns also believes he will have a better understanding of matchups, where he can ensure a purse befitting the difficulty of the fight.

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Inside Knowledge “I think now another cycle of my life will begin where I will also give my all,” Burns said. “I will dedicate myself. I already have a plan to b…

Darren Till has a dance partner for his first BKFC foray.

The former UFC title challenger will square off against Aaron Chalmers at BKFC 90 on May 30 in Birmingham England. Till announced the bout during an appearance on "The Ariel Helwani Show” on Tuesday. Till also revealed that he signed a “massive,” three-fight contract with the organization.

Earlier this month, Till announced that he was parting ways with Misfits Boxing, with an announcement regarding his next move coming soon. “The Gorilla” went 3-0 while capturing a title during his stint under the Misfits banner. Till emerged as a star early in his UFC career thanks to victories over welterweight stalwarts such as Donald Cerrone and Stephen Thompson. After suffering a second-round submission defeat against Tyron Woodley in a 170-pound title bout in September 2018, the Liverpool native was never the same, ending his promotional tenure with losses in four of his next five appearances.

Reality TV Meets Combat S…

Bryce Mitchell will make his second bantamweight appearance in June. | Getty/UFC

The UFC Fight Night 278 lineup appears to be nearly complete, and the card includes one of the promotion’s most controversial athletes.

The promotion confirmed 12 bouts for the June 6 event on Tuesday — including a newly-announced bantamweight showdown pitting Bryce Mitchell against Victor Henry. UFC Fight Night 278 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight clash between Belal Muhammad and Gabriel Bonfim. The card airs in its entirety on Paramount+.

Mitchell, who is notorious for his outspoken nature, made his 135-pound debut last July, when he outpointed Said Nurmagomedov at UFC on ABC 9. Prior to that, “Thug Nasty” went 8-3 in the featherweight division, falling only to Ilia Topuria, Josh Emmett and Jean Silva.

Henry, a well-traveled veteran with experience in promotions such as Pancrase and Rizin is 4-2 with one no contest during h…

Cory Sandhagen will try to improve to 2-0 against Mario Bautista at UFC 329 | Getty/UFC

Cory Sandhagen and Mario Bautista are going to run it back this summer.

The bantamweight contenders will square off in a rematch at UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from from MagicM on social media. Sandhagen defeated Bautista via first-round submission in their initial meeting at UFC Fight Night 143 on Jan. 19, 2019.

Part 2, Higher Stakes Sandhagen is coming off a failed championship bid at UFC 320, where he dropped a five-round verdict to former title holder Merab Dvalishvili this past October. The 35-year-old “Sandman” has earned victories against the likes of Deiveson Figueiredo, Rob Font, Marlon Vera, Yadong Song, Frankie Edgar and Marlon Moraes during his promotional tenure.

Bautista is 11-2 in the Octagon since falling to Sandhagen in his UFC debut. After having an eight-bou…

Jiri Prochazka says he lost focus after Carlos Ulberg got injured at UFC 327. | Getty/UFC

Jiri Prochazka is standing by his claim that Carlos Ulberg’s injury caused him to let up in the UFC 327 headliner.

Prochazka and Ulberg squared off for the vacant light heavyweight belt on April 11 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. Ulberg appeared to be in a dire situation after injuring his knee early in the bout, but “Black Jag” was able to claim 205-pound gold with an improbable first-round knockout of Prochazka. In the aftermath of the defeat, Prochazka lamented showing mercy on his opponent when he realized Ulberg was injured. That stance has caused the Czech standout to receive some backlash in the MMA community.

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In a recent video post on Instagram, Prochazka only slightly altered his position, stating that the moment caused him to lose focus in the fight. As a result, “BJP” believes he was competing at roughly half of his capabilities against a …

Paulo Costa is ready to move up to heavyweight to fight Josh Hokit. 

Josh Hokit is currently scheduled to fight Derrick Lewis on June 14 at the White House. However, Costa claims he has informed the UFC that he is ready to fight Hokit at the White House if Lewis pulls out of the fight.

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I just let ufc knows if Derek Lewis gets out his fight for some reason I will step in at White House as heavyweight . No bullshit , ain’t lying.

— Paulo Costa (@BorrachinhaMMA) April 20, 2026

While Costa has only fought at middleweight and light heavyweight so far, “Borrachinha” believes he weigh in heavier than Hokit without having to cut any weight. Considering Lewis was booked for the White House at President Donald Trump’s behest, Costa suggests that “The Black Beast” be matched up with someone else.

Right now, I think practically all the fans would like to see how I, who was perhaps the biggest midd…