Martial Arts News

Sherdog's live PFL Africa 1: 2026 First Round coverage will begin Friday at 12 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 Women’s strawweights kick off festivities in South Africa, as Mugo (5-2-1, 0-0 PFL) toes the line against Kiiza (3-1, 0-0 PFL) to open the event. Ferdinand Basson draws the officiating assignment. Kiiza refuses to touch gloves, and they get to work. Kiiza throws in combination, both with kicks and punches, but fails to control distance. Mugo clinches and secures a takedown, moving immediately to the back. Kiiza rolls but winds up in full mount. She sweeps into top position and drops ground-and-pound, mostly right hands. Mugo sets off a scramble and maneuvers into full mount once more. She transitions to the back. Absolutely frenetic pace here. Mugo flirts with a face crank and moves to full mount. They scramble to their feet. Mugo clinches and s…

[embedded content] Former heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury's return from his fifth retirement is officially set after the Fury vs. Makhmudov weigh-ins took place on Friday.

Fury (34-2-1) is getting a softer touch in his comeback fight after back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024 saw him lose the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship and fail to regain it in a rematch. Prior to the duo of setbacks, Fury had been undefeated with only a draw to Deontay Wilder, who he would go on to beat twice in rematches, being his only blemish. Fury became a household name in 2015 after winning a decision over Wladimir Klitschko for multiple heavyweight belts. For his comeback fight, "The Gypsy King" weighed 267.9.

Meanwhile, Arslanbek Makhmudov is looking to cause a monumental upset at Fury's expense. Makhmudov (21-2) recently lost via TKO to both Agit Kabayel and Guido Vianello. Since the defeat to Vianello, he won two fights in 2025 by picking up a first-round TK…

After a four and a half-year stint in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and two appearances in the Professional Fighters League, Rodrigo Nascimento wants to hit the reset button against a familiar face in the PFL.

The 6-foot-4, 265-pound Brazilian will rematch Alexander Romanov when their heavyweight prelim buoys the PFL Chicago undercard this Saturday at Wintrust Arena. Nascimento was cut by the UFC after he lost a unanimous decision to the hulking Moldovan in 2024.

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

“We learned a lot from that,” he told Sherdog.com. “We’re always learning and innovating. After I left the UFC, I came to understand that being an athlete wasn’t only about fighting in the UFC’s Octagon. Being an athlete requires interactions with the public and finding other means to stay in touch with the fans. Now, I’m always posting videos and having live sessions. I’m…

One of the Professional Fighters League’s highest-ranked flyweights will be welcoming a new fighter to the roster next month.

Per sources close to the situation, the PFL has booked a women’s flyweight tilt pitting Taila Santos (22-4) against Qihui Yan (25-5) for the upcoming PFL Sioux Falls event. The two ladies will battle it out inside of the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on May 2. Local athlete Logan Storley will serve in the main attraction as he takes on Florim Zendeli.

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

After six-month suspension for oxandrolone and clenbuterol metabolites—anabolic agents prohibited both in and out of competition—knocked her out of competing in 2025, Santos will return to action for the first time since late 2024. The Brazilian saw her PFL tournament season come to a crashing halt as she suffered her first career stoppage loss to the…

MAIN EVENT FACE OFF IN PRETORIA!@nkositheking1 and @micheleclemente_thearrow lock horns ahead of their explosive Bantamweight showcase this Friday!

South Africa vs Italy.. Who you got?

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🎟️ TICKETS ALMOST SOLD OUT —SECURE YOUR SPOT NOW: https://t.co/fHRFuKTnRa#PFLPretoria |… pic.twitter.com/ELTw1QRgng — PFL Africa (@PFLAfrica) April 7, 2026 The Professional Fighters League returns to South Africa for its first PFL Africa event of 2026, which is now official following the PFL Africa: Pretoria weigh-in results.

Headlining the card is a bantamweight fight between Nkosi Ndebele and Michele Clemente. Both main event fighters made weight, as did all eight of the welterweight tournament participants. However, two strawweights didn't hit their marks as both Felista Mugo and Jane Osigwe came in overweight for their respective prelim fights, which will move forward with each woman being fined a percentage of their purse.

N…

If there is any consolation, no Ultimate Fighting Championship title will be tied up this season.

The latest season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” its 34th numbered season, will commence this summer. The first episode will launch on June 14, the date of the UFC White House event, with the rest of the episodes coming out via Paramount+ on Tuesdays until it concludes. The UFC issued a press release regarding this latest season of the reality show, one that has served as the catalyst for many a high-level career ranging from T.J. Dillashaw and Rose Namajunas to Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans. It has not yet indicated the Finale date.

Season 34 will be titled “Team Cormier vs. Team Bisping” because of its coaches, Daniel Cormier and Michael Bisping. The former coached Season 33 against Chael Sonnen in 2025 and his team ended up winning the welterweight bracket, while Sonnen and pupil Joseph Morales took home the six-figure contract for their side. This season will feature …

All those who purchased tickets for this now rescheduled Professional Fighters League event will be given full refunds.

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

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Per a release from the organization on Thursday morning, the PFL has been forced to reschedule its PFL MENA event that was booked for May 8. It was to have commenced the third MENA tournament, as pertaining to the Middle East/North Africa region, at the Dhahran Expo in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. No reason has been given at the time, with the PFL promising details at a later date.

The promotion states that it plans on rescheduling all of the fights booked for the May 8 show to the newly established date, one that has not been announced. It does not indicate whether this PFL MENA season opener will be staged in Khobar, and instead noted that it will return to the city later this year. As mentioned earlier, all tickets will be …

[embedded content] A bantamweight world title fight headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, April 11 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Aureo Cruz believes he was built for the main stage.

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The 29-year-old Angolan lightweight will make his Professional Fighters League debut when he faces Abdoul Razac Sankara as part of the 2026 PFL Africa 1 undercard on Friday at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa. Cruz took something of a roundabout route to mixed martial arts.

“I was influenced by various schoolmates who already practiced a variety of martial arts,” he told Sherdog.com. “It piqued my interest. I started in karate at 11 years old. That didn’t last too long. By age 17, I started training for self-defense. My self-defense teacher was also my Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach. I started competing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and became the national vice champion.”

One of Cruz’s coaches, Shido Boris Esperanca, introduced him to full-contact fighting.

“I starte…

Defeating Cody Garbrandt was one of the high points of Pedro Munhoz's UFC career. | Getty/UFC

Pedro Munhoz is ready to move on to the next phase of his career.

The 39-year-old UFC bantamweight veteran revealed via Instagram that he has requested his release from the Las Vegas-based promotion. “The Young Punisher” hasn’t competed since November 2024, when he dropped a unanimous verdict to Aiemann Zahabi at UFC Fight Night 246.

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A New Direction “Since 2014, I’ve been part of the UFC, building my name, proving myself, and showing what I’m capable of inside that octagon. After 32 fights, I can proudly say I’ve never been submitted or knocked out. I’ve always stepped in there with heart, discipline, and respect for the game,” Munhoz wrote.

“There comes a point in life when you don’t just stay comfortable, you take control of what’s next. Right now, I feel it’s time to take a new direction, explore different opportunities, and focus on othe…

Curtis Blaydes is the UFC's all-time leader in takedowns at heavyweight. | Getty/UFC

When Curtis Blaydes initially got the offer to fight Josh Hokit at UFC 327, he admittedly didn’t know anything about his opponent.

“My thoughts were: ‘Who is this guy?’” Blaydes told UFC.com. “Also, I’ll take the money. I knew otherwise I’d have to wait a little longer and we’re trying to make some moves this year.”

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Hokit has combined performance in the cage — he’s 8-0 with two first-round finishes in the UFC — with a pro-wrestling style schtick that has drawn plenty of attention, though not all of it has been positive. Most recently, “The Incredible Hok” had a verbal confronation with Jiri Prochazka before unveiling his latest personalat UFC 327 media day.

It’s nothing new, according to Blaydes, who adds that Hokit’s ability to promote pales in comparison to some of his more celebrated predecessors.

“There’s Chael Sonnen, he’s like the OG, then…

Dana White normally won’t entertain holding a fight card outdoors. However, he will make an exception for a once-in-a-lifetime UFC card at the White House.

The UFC White House card will take place on June 14 on the South Lawn and is headlined by a lightweight title clash between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje. In the co-main event, Alex Pereira will face Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight crown.

If the weather doesn’t cooperate, the card will move forward — with one exception.

“[If it rains] we're fighting," White told Adin Ross. "If it f—ing snows, we're fighting. Nothing will stop this show going that night. It can f—ing rain – Lighting is the only thing. We'd have to wait it out. We'd have to wait the lightning out and then do the fight.

"This is why I don't like doing things outside. Rain would suck. Heavy winds will suck. If it's muggy and bugs. All this kind of sh— is the stuff you have to deal with when you do it outside, but we're going through al…

Demetrious Johnson couldn’t overcome a significant size disadvantage during a recent grappling session with Khamzat Chimaev.

The former UFC flyweight champion posted a video on Instagram of the two fighters training together on the mats. “Mighty Mouse” began the encounter sounding confident.

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“Did Arman [Tsarukyan] tell you I was good? Arman tell you I was strong?” Johnson said.

“Maybe for him, yeah,” Chimaev replied.

It didn’t take long for Chimaev, the reigning UFC middleweight champion, to lock in a brabo choke to force a tap from Johnson. The time of the submission was 47 seconds.

Being Realistic “You guys are like ‘man, why did he pull guard?’” Johnson said. “Do you think I’m going to shoot a f—-ing takedown on Khamzat Chimaev?”

Johnson will be enshrined in the UFC Hall of Fame as part of International Fight Week this July. In addition to a lengthy reign as UFC flyweight king, “Mighty Mouse” was also a 135-pound title holder in O…