Martial Arts News

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has signed one of the most sought-after bantamweights in mixed martial arts, Asaf Chopurov.

Beyond his stellar pro record of 11-0, he went 34-1 as an amateur. The 24-year-old is now set to join the premier MMA promotion, with his debut set for October against a fellow prospect on the undercard of his training partner’s title bout.

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Asaf Chopurov expected to face Colby Thicknesse in UFC 333 debut Chopurov is a training partner of UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan. He is expected to make his UFC debut at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi against Colby Thicknesse (9-1). Yan will put his title on the line in a trilogy bout against Merab Dvalishvili on the same card.

Chopurov has finished 10 of his 11 career wins so far. The undefeated Azerbaijani won the vacant UAE Warriors bantamweight title last year and has defended it twice.

In the caption of his Instagram post announcing the signing, “Honey Badger” made it c…

Petr Yan isn't impressed with fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweights.

The 135-pound champ returns at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 against Merab Dvalishvili in a trilogy bout. Yan recently shared his assessment of the division and its top-ranked contenders, claiming that not a single bantamweight stands above the rest. Nevertheless, he’s open to whoever he’s offered by the UFC matchmakers.

Petr Yan assesses Yadong Song, Umar Nurmagomedov and the UFC bantamweight title picture Yan hasn’t competed since defeating Dvalishvili by unanimous decision in December last year to reclaim the championship. The Russian subsequently underwent lumbar surgery in January and has spent the ensuing months recovering.

While Yan has been sidelined, the pecking order at bantamweight has shifted, especially after Yadong Song knocked out Umar Nurmagomedov. Yan, however, already has a win over Song.

“To be honest, I’ve been watching the division and nothing really impresses me because…

Mehemmedali Osmanli targets “easy” matchup against Sean O'Malley.

Osmanli (11-1) is scheduled to make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut on Sept. 26 against fellow promotional debutant Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu (9-3). He hopes to make quick work of his Kyrgyz opponent and return to action at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi before breaking into the Top 15 at bantamweight.

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Mehemmedali Osmanli wants Sean O'Malley after his UFC debut against Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu The Azerbaijani prospect, who’s riding a nine-fight winning streak with six finishes since 2022, made his intentions clear ahead of his Octagon debut. He’s looking to finish Uulu and then fight closer to home, in Abu Dhabi, when the UFC heads to the United Arab Emirates on Oct. 24.

“I hope I finish him easily,” Osmanli said at media day ahead of UFC Vegas 121. “And then I want to fight Abu Dhabi card, October 24. Maybe Top 15 someone…”

Osmanli was then asked who he would like to fight in the Top 15…

Raul Rosas Jr. wants to retire early.

Rosas Jr. became the youngest fighter to sign with the Ultimate Fighting Championship when he was just 17 years old in 2022. “El Nino Problema” previously claimed that he wants to hang up his gloves by the age of 25. He recently revealed that he’s still open to the idea of retiring in his mid-20s after having accomplished the goals he set for himself.

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Raul Rosas Jr. wants a UFC title, multiple defenses and moves up in weight before retiring Rosas Jr., who’s on a five-fight win streak, returns to action in his first main event on Sept. 26 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas, headlining UFC Vegas 121 opposite Brazilian veteran Raoni Barcelos.

The bantamweight prospect wants to win a UFC title, defend it and move up a weight class or two before riding off into the sunset.

“If by 25 I’ve accomplished everything I want, I’m just gonna step back from the sport,” Rosas Jr. told Full Send MMA. “The goal is to get the belt…

Eddie Hearn didn’t hold back after Dana White’s name was featured in Netflix’s press release for Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua.

Fury and Joshua are set to clash on Dec. 11 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, with the matchup streaming on Netflix. The fight’s location had been a major talking point during negotiations, with Hearn pushing for the United Kingdom while Fury’s side campaigned for Madison Square Garden in New York.

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Netflix’s Fury-Joshua announcement puts Dana White at center of dispute with Eddie Hearn Netflix’s announcement described the bout as a co-promotion between Turki Alalshikh’s The Ring and White, but did not mention Hearn or Matchroom Boxing, who represent Joshua, or Frank Warren and Queensberry, who represent Fury.

Hearn, speaking with IFL TV, immediately disputed White’s involvement while pointing to the agreement surrounding the fight.

“Dana White cannot be involved in this fight,” Hearn said. “Netflix clearly didn…

Mickey Gall’s return to competition has fallen through.

Gall was scheduled to return to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Las Vegas against Sedriques Dumas at UFC Vegas 121 after nearly two years away. However, he has been pulled from the fight due to an undisclosed medical issue. Recent Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Luis Hernandez has now stepped up to face Dumas on short notice.

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Mickey Gall says a pre-fight medical issue made him ineligible to face Sedriques Dumas Gall claims the UFC pulled him from the fight. He said the UFC informed him on Sept. 24 that something on his pre-fight medical tests made him ineligible to fight. Gall is disappointed as he was looking forward to giving his fans a win, having not won since 2021. The 34-year-old vows to be back once he has got the situation sorted.

“I have been pulled back from this fight by the UFC,” Gall said on Instagram. “I was contacted this morning. Something came back on …

The most anticipated boxing matchup in recent history has been confirmed.

Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua are set to clash for the WBA super heavyweight title on Dec. 11 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The fight will air live on Netflix. It will be promoted by Turki Alalshikh’s Ring Magazine in collaboration with Ultimate Fighting Championship and Zuffa Boxing head Dana White. Both Alalshikh and White confirmed the booking on social media.

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Fury vs. Joshua will stream live on Netflix with the WBA super heavyweight title at stake While the matchup has been a decade in the making, it kept falling through repeatedly for various reasons. Fans’ hopes soared when both Fury and Joshua signed deals with Alalshikh earlier this year.

Fury defeated Mariusz Wach in his July tune-up fight. Meanwhile, Joshua defeated Kristian Prenga that same weekend in his bout. However, the contest was further delayed due to disagreements over the location. Netflix…

Justin Gaethje has yet to decide the next step of his career.

Gaethje became the undisputed Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king with a massive upset win over Ilia Topuria, making the latter quit on his stool at UFC Freedom 250 this past June. Amid recent developments in the division, there’s growing speculation about his future.

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UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje details injuries and weighs his fighting future Arman Tsarukyan further solidified his case for a long-overdue title shot with a knockout win over Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331. While Gaethje acknowledges that Tsarukyan deserves a shot at gold, he’s unsure about how long he’ll continue fighting as he enters the twilight of his career.

“Everyone's like, 'You f*cking fight Arman…’ I don't know what the f*ck,” Gaethje said on the “Flagrant” podcast. “I have injuries I have to take care of. I haven't made a decision – but I am 37 years old. My first fight was in 2008. I've had 40…

Mauricio Ruffy has reflected on his recent defeat in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Ruffy took on Tsarukyan in the co-main event of UFC 331. The Brazilian rocked Tsarukyan early, leaving him with a swollen eye in the first round. The latter survived the early scare and knocked Ruffy out with an elbow from the clinch in the dying seconds of the round.

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Mauricio Ruffy explains why he relaxed his defense in the final seconds against Arman Tsarukyan Ruffy on Wednesday addressed his loss to Tsarukyan. While Ruffy is one of the most feared strikers among active UFC lightweights, he isn’t really known for his ground game. He wanted to silence his doubters and also prove to himself that he could handle the wrestling exchanges against Tsarukyan.

To Ruffy’s credit, he defended every takedown attempt from Tsarukyan. Ruffy says he could gradually feel Tsarukyan’s grip become weaker as he kept defending takedowns. He was confident that he would finish off t…

Ciryl Gane recently went off on Tom Aspinall.

Gane challenged Aspinall for the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title in October last year. The fight ended in an unfortunate no-contest after a double-eye poke from Gane left Aspinall unable to continue. The Frenchman has now slammed his English counterpart, labeling him “mentally fragile.”

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Ciryl Gane criticizes Tom Aspinall’s response to their controversial UFC no-contest Gane believes Aspinall had every right to stop fighting after getting poked in the eye. However, “Bon Gamin” says it wasn’t wise of the Brit to keep whining about it publicly after the fight. He also claims that he kept fighting despite having compromised vision after suffering an eye poke in his stoppage win over Derrick Lewis in 2021.

“Tom Aspinall was seen as a monster really, like a freak of nature, but when you look at the numbers, it’s a different story, you know?” Gane said on the “Zack En Roue Libre” podcast. “The…

Raul Rosas Jr. isn’t intimidated going into his first five-round fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Rosas Jr. is scheduled to headline UFC Vegas 121 against Raoni Barcelos on Sept. 26 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Rosas Jr. is particularly excited to test himself in the fourth and fifth rounds as it will prepare him for potential title fights in the future.

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Raul Rosas Jr. embraces 25-minute test against Raoni Barcelos at UFC Vegas 121 Rosas Jr. also wants 25 minutes to try and finish his wily veteran opponent, who has been knocked out and submitted only one time each in his entire career.

“It’s different managing a five-round fight for sure,” Rosas Jr. said on Wednesday. “And I’m excited to go in there for the first time for five rounds. It makes me more excited if it does go to the fourth and fifth round. Because I’m starting to get used to this as the championship fights are coming [closer]... I want to have five rounds to try to finish h…

Norma Dumont’s rivalry with Ailin Perez goes way beyond the Octagon.

Dumont (13-3) and Perez (13-2) are set to meet in an Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight bout at UFC Vegas 121 on Sept. 26 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. There is serious bad blood between Dumont and Perez leading up to the fight.

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Dumont explains the personal issues fueling her UFC Vegas 121 fight with Ailin Perez Perez posted a video last month accusing Dumont’s boyfriend, UFC middleweight Marco Tulio, of checking her out while training at the UFC Performance Institute.

While Dumont understands Perez’s style of mental warfare, she vows not to be affected. The Brazilian plans to stay unfazed by Perez’s gimmicks and focus on letting her fists do the work this weekend. Dumont is just glad to have the opportunity to legally beat up someone she truly hates.

“It’s a fight that literally has a personal anger, a personal issue, that the two of us have against each other,” Dumo…