Martial Arts News

Aaron Pico picked up his first UFC win in Miami. | Getty/UFC

Aaron Pico looked every bit like a fighter who was once one of the sport’s most highly-touted prospects on Saturday night in Miami.

In a battle of former Bellator standouts, Pico (14-5, 1-1 UFC) shook off a slow start to pull away for a unanimous decision triumph against Patricio Freire (37-9, 1-2 UFC) in the featured UFC 327 preliminary bout. All three cageside judges scored the featherweight fight in favor of Pico: 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28. Pico rebounds from a first-round knockout loss to Lerone Murphy in his promotional debut at UFC 319 this past August.

The first round was competitive, but there were some nervous moments for Pico, who was buckled by a jab and stumbled by a counter right in the frame. The 29-year-old Californian kept his composure, however, and truly began to assert himself over the final 10 minutes of the bout.

During that period, Pico showcased his superior handspeed, taggi…

Sherdog's live UFC 327 coverage will begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Radtke (-185), Prado (+154)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Gastelum (-250), Luque (+205)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Dayne Fox scores the round:Scottie Smith scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Padilla (-180), Med…

Sherdog's live PFL Chicago coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.

A world class bantamweight clash headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, April 11 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

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Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round: Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. Kirven scores the round:Mike Pendleton scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Brian Knapp scores the round:J.L. K…

Yoel Romero’s father was concerned about him getting hurt in boxing. 

Still an athletic specimen at 48, Romero has made a career in bare-knuckle boxing since his most recent MMA bout in February 2024. However, the former UFC title challenger recently revealed that his father never wanted him to try boxing, even though he loved it. Romero’s father was concerned about the potential damage his son could suffer in boxing. However. “Soldier of God” went to try his hand at pugilism regardless.

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Difference in Opinion “I wanted to try boxing, but my father said no,” Romero told Red Corner MMA. “He said, ‘I don’t want you to do boxing because it’s very hard. Punches in the face, punches in the head.’ He told me many times, ‘Son, you don’t need to do this.’ I said, ‘Dad, I love boxing.’ When I see bareknuckles, I see it like boxing. The only thing is there are no gloves. He said, ‘No, my son, don’t do that.’ But doesn’t matter. My father said no, but now I…

Jon Jones' retirement from fighting was unceremonious to say the least. 

While Jones (28-1) was teasing a return to fighting until recently, the former UFC double champ is no longer considering it. “Bones” recently confirmed that he is now focused on his business ventures and won’t fight again.

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“No bare-knuckle. My gloves are hung up,” Jones said at an IBA bare-knuckle boxing event in Russia last month. “I’m chilling these days. You got business Jon Jones. No more fighter Jon Jones. The businessman.” 

Jones initially returned to action after a three-year hiatus in 2023 and made quick work of Ciryl Gane to win the UFC heavyweight title. Jones then insisted on defending the title against Stipe Miocic despite Tom Aspinall being the interim champ. Jones successfully defended the title against Miocic in 2024 and stalled the division, continuing to avoid Aspinall.

Failed Bid for the White House While Dana White kept promising that Jones woul…

Ilia Topuria’s son is a curious learner. 

Topuria recently boasted about his son’s fighting skills. However, the UFC double champion claims he has never formally trained his son. Topuria just brings his son to the gym and asks him to figure things out by watching. Topuria claims his son is inquisitive enough to pursue him and other coaches for lessons. Topuria doesn’t want to pressure his son to choose any particular career. While “El Matador” will support his son if he wants to fight, the undefeated Georgian-Spaniard most importantly wants him to have a purpose in life.

Finding a Purpose “You have to see my son. You don’t know how good he is,” Topuria told Adam Catteral. “In my life, I never teach him anything. Everything he knows is because he saw it. I never ever put him in a class. Come [to the gym] and do something. He is the one who’s always asking me and the coaches. When we finish training, he goes, ‘Hey, do you mind to be with me and teach me something?’...…

Terrance McKinney has a few names in mind. 

McKinney recently listed potential opponents for his next fight. “T.Wrecks” is eyeing Lance Gibson Jr., Joaquim Silva and Alex Hernandez. However, McKinney notes that Hernandez is scheduled to fight Rafa Garcia at UFC Fight Night 274 on April 25. McKinney wants to take on one more fight before he starts calling for ranked opponents.

Keeping Options Open “Lance Gibson will be cool. Alex Hernandez got a fight, I wanted to fight him. We got a few other names in mind that I sent my coach,” McKinney told MMAjunkie.com. “Maybe Joaquim Silva as well… One more and then a ranked opponent.” 

McKinney (18-8) is one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC roster. McKinney has finished all of his eight UFC wins in the first round and has never seen the judges’ scorecards in his career. McKinney recently knocked out Kyle Nelson at UFC Seattle last month to rebound from a loss against Chris Duncan. 

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Jim Miller will make his 47th Octagon appearance at UFC 328. | Getty/UFC

Jim Miller is still eyeing 50 UFC fights. 

Miller is set to return to action against Jared Gordon at UFC 328 on May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. MMAjunkie.com was first to report the lightweight pairing.

A Goal in Sight Miller (38-19) has previously mentioned that he plans on having 50 UFC fights before retiring. Miller’s upcoming bout will be his 47th fight in the UFC, breaking his own record for the most outings in the promotion. The 42-year-old is 3-2 in his last five outings since 2023 and coming off a decision loss against Chase Hooper from last year. 

Meanwhile, Gordon (21-8) has alternated wins and losses in his last four outings and comes off a stoppage loss against Rafa Garcia. 

Only the Professional Fighters League could go to Nigeria.

Mere hours before the first PFL Africa event in 2026, PFL Pretoria, kicked off, the organization released some details about its second jaunt to the continent. For the first time in PFL history, the league will be traveling to Nigeria, posting up in Lagos at the Eko Convention Center on June 13 for the event that will be coined either PFL Nigeria or PFL Lagos. While only two fights have been revealed, the plan is for the opening round of the bantamweight and lightweight brackets to officially commence.

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Headlining the fight card is a non-tournament tilt pitting local athlete Wasi Adeshina (10-3) against Spain’s Nacho Campos (7-2) at 145 pounds. The former carved his way through the 2025 PFL Africa tournament, debuting with the organization in August and picking up three victories in the span of four-plus months to take home the $100,000 check and a shot at greater heights. In the tournament…

[embedded content] The vacant Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight title will be up for grabs this weekend after both title challengers made weight following the UFC 327 weigh-ins.

Competing for the vacant 205-pound crown are former champion Jiri Prochazka and the streaking Carlos Ulberg. Both men had no issue making championship weight for the five-round title fight. All other fighters also made weight for the card, with the exception of Chris Padilla, who came in two pounds heavy for his lightweight bout against MarQuel Mederos. The fight will continue with Padilla being fined 20% of his purse.

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A fan-favorite inside the Octagon, Prochazka (32-5-1) is coming off impressive knockouts of Jamahal Hill and Khalil Rountree. The former champ's only two defeats inside the UFC are to Alex Pereira. "BJP" will look to regain the belt he originally won in 2022 against Glover Teixeira and officially weighed 203 pounds, or two pounds under the limit…

⚖️PFL Chicago Official Weigh Ins are underway!

PFL Chicago Bantamweight Main Event:Sergio Pettis: 134.4Mitch McKee: 135.6

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PFL Chicago will air LIVE on ESPN 2 on Saturday, April 11th!#PFLChicago | Saturday, April 11th | Wintrust Arena | Chicago, Illinois | Early Card 6PM EST… pic.twitter.com/hDa408pPHk — PFL (@PFLMMA) April 10, 2026

A world class bantamweight clash headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, April 11 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

The Professional Fighters League returns to Illinois on Saturday with 11 fights, which are now all official following the PFL Chicago weigh-ins.

The PFL Chicago main event will see Sergio Pettis look to go 3-0 inside the promotion at the expense of the undefeated Mitchell McKee. Both men had no issue making bantamweight. Two fighters missed their marks as Shanna Young came in 2.2 pounds over for her fight against Viviane Araujo, and Dashiande Harris-Moore was three pounds …

WHAT A COMEBACK!! 🤯

JUSTIN CLARKE KO'S ABDOULAYE KANE OUT OF NOWHERE!!!#PFLPretoria | LIVE NOW on the PFL YouTube Channel pic.twitter.com/8XZZcL0Kqo

— PFL (@PFLMMA) April 10, 2026

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2025 PFL Africa bantamweight champion Nkosi Ndebele shined in his first fight since winning the tournament, beating Italy’s Michele Clemente by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).

The hometown hero Nedbele (12-3, 4-0 PFL) headlined Friday’s PFL Africa season opener at the Sunbet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa, and he left his countrymen signing with joy. Ndebele was too well-rounded for Clemente (7-2, 0-1 PFL). He outstruck the PFL debutant throughout the first two rounds before dominating his foe from side control throughout the third. Ndebele has emerged as the face of PFL Africa after a string of impressive performances and although he won’t be competing in the bantamweight tournament this season, fans were still excited to see t…