Martial Arts News

Islam Makhachev’s next title defense is seemingly set. 

Makhachev’s strength and conditioning coach, Seifulla Magomedov, was recently seen training the UFC welterweight champion. Magomedov also confirmed that Makhachev is now officially in camp for his next fight. While the camp started a few days back, Makhachev joined on Monday.

Advertisement

Back to Work “The camp began a few days ago, but for Islam, it has really started today,” Magomedov told Red Corner MMA.

Makhachev (28-1) moved up from lightweight after defending the title four times, the most in the division’s history. Makhachev dethroned Jack Della Maddalena to win the welterweight title at UFC 322 this past November. Ian Garry and Michael Morales are currently jostling for the next title shot against Makhachev. Makhachev even expressed interest in Garry’s latest callout, claiming that he is just waiting on a contract. Meanwhile, Morales has hinted that he is not out of the picture yet by posting …

After his first scheduled Real American Freestyle appearance fell through, Merab Dvalishvili has been booked to face another accomplished former UFC champ on May 30.

The organization announced on Monday that Dvalishvili will face Frankie Edgar at RAF 9 on May 30 in Dallas. Dvalishvili was originally supposed to meet Henry Cejudo in the RAF 8 headliner before Cejudo suffered an injury just prior to their match. RAF 9 is headlined by a matchup between Gable Steveson and Alexander Romanov, while Colby Covington will square off against Chris Weidman in the co-main event. The event airs on Fox Nation.

Advertisement

Dvalishvili, who is known for his relentless pace and grappling in the UFC, relinquished the bantamweight crown to Petr Yan in the UFC 323 headliner this past December. “The Machine” is expected to be granted a rematch against the Russian champion in the near future.

Edgar wrestled collegiately at Clarion University before transitioning to an MMA career. …

Two prominent names will grace the cover of EA Sports’ latest UFC game.

The company announced on Monday that former two-division champion Alex Pereira and ex-featherweight king Max Holloway will get featured billing for “UFC 6,” which marks the first release since the fifth version in 2023. The game is slated for a June 12 release — two days before the UFC White House card.

Advertisement

Two ways to be dangerous ⚠️@AlexPereiraUFC on the Standard Edition.@BlessedMMA on the Ultimate Edition.#UFC6 preorders are now live 🎮 https://t.co/OKmxT2IWCI

Full reveal coming soon 👀 pic.twitter.com/BmTHOJOSxb

— EA SPORTS UFC (@EASPORTSUFC) April 27, 2026 Star Power on the Box Pereira, a former 185- and 205-pound champ, will make his bid to become a three-division title holder when he faces Ciryl Gane for interim heavyweight gold in the UFC White House co-main event. “Poatan” has emerged as one of the promotion’s biggest stars since coming t…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship will break new ground later this summer.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Monday that the Octagon will head to Belgrade, Serbia for an event on Aug. 1. A venue and headlining attraction were not revealed for what is expected to be a UFC Fight Night card.

Advertisement

The UFC currently has a pair of Serbian fighters under contract: Uros Medic and Dusko Todorovic. Medic made a passionate plea for the organization to head to his home country following a first-round knockout of Geoff Neal at UFC Houston on Feb. 21.Calling His Shot"Belgrade, Serbia. UFC this summer. Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards if he’s available,” Medic said in his post-fight interview. Let’s get this work in. I’m gonna knock him out — and a guy after him and a guy after him. I’m knocking everybody out.”

Just what The Doctor ordered 🇷🇸 🥼@Urketaraketa spoke #UFCBelgrade into reality 👏 👊 pic.twitter.com/Xwsui6V1kp

— UFC Europe (@UFC…

Raoni Barcelos earned his fifth straight UFC win on Saturday. | Getty/UFC

After taking a split-decision victory over Montel Jackson at UFC Fight Night 274 on Saturday, Raoni Barcelos is confident that he will finally enter the bantamweight rankings on the heels of his fifth consecutive triumph.

“I knew that would be a war,” Barcelos told Sherdog.com. “Montel was having good distance control, but I’m a complete fighter, so I used my wrestling to neutralize him. I finished two rounds with a choke on his neck. Unfortunately I wasn't able to submit him, but I got the ‘W.’ Since he was 14th in the rankings I know that from now on the challenges will be even harder.”

The son of legendary master Laerte Barcelos, who competed both in jiu-jitsu and wrestling, Raoni grew up competing since he was 8 years old in both styles and earned five national titles in wrestling, four national championships in BJJ and a silver medal in BJJ nationals as a black belt. Barcelos…

Artem Vakhitov doesn’t think Alex Pereira is naturally built for heavyweight. 

Pereria is scheduled to fight Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House on June 14. Vakhitov, the last man to beat Pereira in kickboxing, recently trained with Gane. While Vakhitov was previously skeptical about Gane, he has now changed his mind about “Bon Gamin.” Vakhitov is impressed with Gane’s overall skillset and favors the Frenchman to beat “Poatan.”

Advertisement

“Before I came to train with Ciryl Gane, I was a little suspicious regarding his style, his preparations,” Vakhitov told Standmeup. “But when I went there, I really felt that the guy is totally on a different level. When I saw his team, how he was preparing, how he did everything well, his timing, feeling the distance, stamina, his striking, he has everything. Now he has to work on his psychological and mental things. Now I’ve changed my mind, I think it’s 70-30, he really can get it.” Hea…

Conor McGregor is yet again doubling down on a UFC return. 

According to recent reports, McGregor (22-6) is likely to return for a fight against Max Holloway this summer. The former UFC double champ recently posted training pictures while assuring fans of a return.

“Legs still sharper than a guillotine. Training with the young wolves, sharpening the blade,” McGregor wrote on Instagram. “The return is coming whether they like it or not.”

A History of Broken Promises However, this is not the first time McGregor has teased a return to action. “Notorious” hasn’t fought since breaking his leg in a trilogy loss against Dustin Poirier in 2021. McGregor has since teased a return to the UFC on multiple occasions but failed to deliver. The Dubliner was even matched up against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in 2024, but pulled out due to a toe injury. McGregor was also rallying for a spot on the UFC White House card in June, which didn’t materialize. However, Dana White cu…

Paulo Costa and Josh Hokit have seemingly forged a new friendship. 

Hokit is making headlines in the UFC by cutting WWE-esque promos and backing it up with his performances. “The Incredible Hok” recently defeated Curtis Blaydes at UFC 327 to earn both “Performance of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” bonuses. The same card also saw Paulo Costa finish a previously undefeated Azamat Murzakanov in a massive upset. 

Advertisement

At President Donald Trump’s insistence, Hokit was immediately booked against Derrick Lewis for the UFC White House card on June 14. Costa subsequently offered to replace Lewis against Hokit. “Borrachinha” also accused Hokit of robbing him of a bonus at UFC 327. However, Costa has since seemingly dropped the idea of fighting Hokit. Hokit recently collaborated with Costa on an Instagram post. Hokit shared a clip of himself cutting a promo at the UFC 327 pre-fight press conference, where Costa can be seen laughing.Did We Just Become…

Carlos Ulberg is satisfied with his ongoing recovery.

Ulberg (14-1) traded leather with Jiri Prochazka for the vacant light heavyweight title at UFC 327 earlier this month in Miami. Ulberg evidently compromised his knee early in the fight, and victory seemed to be a mere inevitability for Prochazka. However, “Black Jag” caught Prochazka with a clean combo and finished him to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat. 

Advertisement

Six days later, Ulberg underwent surgery for a torn ACL in his right knee. This led to concern about Ulberg potentially having to vacate his title due to inactivity. However, the Kiwi is recovering impressively at the UFC Performance Institute, under the supervision of Dr. Heather Linden, UFC’s vice president of sports medicine. Ulberg is happy with the progress in his recovery. While Ulberg initially expected to take six to eight months to fully recover, he hinted that he might recover faster.Healing Fast “I've done the groundwork,…

Francis Ngannou believes promotions are to blame for the downfall of heavyweight MMA in recent times. 

While the heavyweight division once used to be the crown jewel of MMA promotions, that is no longer the case. With barely any competition left at the highest level, the UFC is widely considered the biggest promotion. Even the UFC has been unable to get things working smoothly for its heavyweight division. 

Advertisement

Ngannou (18-3) believes “mismanagement” has led to the current plight of the heavyweight division. Ngannou clarifies that he is not blaming the managers of fighters, but rather the promotions. The former UFC heavyweight champion notes that current heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is not on the best terms with the UFC.

“I would say mismanagement,” Ngannou told The Schmo. “There is a lot of mismanagement that sometimes gets stuff screwed up. That’s where we’re at today… Like Tom Aspinall is having troubles… When I said mismanagement, I …

Boxing is not a priority for Tom Aspinall right now. 

Aspinall has long been teasing a transition to boxing. While Aspinall seemed really keen on a move to boxing until recently, the UFC heavyweight champion has now changed tune. Aspinall recently confirmed that he isn’t focused on boxing right now as he still has lots left to do in the UFC.

Advertisement

“To be honest, I’m not thinking about boxing that much right now,” Aspinall said in a recent interview (via unforgettable.mma). “I’ve got more stuff to do with the UFC.”Ongoing TensionsAspinall’s (15-3) potential move to boxing was highlighted even more during his ongoing rift with the UFC.. As the interim champion, “Honey Badger” kept waiting for a title unifier against Jon Jones, who retired last year after stalling the heavyweight division for more than a year. Aspinall was subsequently promoted to interim champion and booked to defend his title for the first time against Ciryl Gane at UFC 320 last year.…

A highly-anticpated heavyweight clash between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua is in the works for the end of this year.

Ring Magazine reported on Monday that Fury vs. Joshua is a “done deal” and will take place in the fourth quarter of 2026 on Netflix. Prior to that bout, Joshua will square off against Kristian Prenga on July 25 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Albania’s Prenga has won 13 consecutive bouts dating back to 2017. That tuneup fight will air on DAZN.

Advertisement

✅ DONE DEAL ✅

🥊 Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua📆 Q4, 2026📺 Netflix pic.twitter.com/tgxb9VDMQB

— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) April 27, 2026 Don’t Call It a Comeback Fury (35-2-1), who is regarded as one of the sport’s all-time great heavyweights, returned from his latest retirement to take a clear-cut unanimous decision over Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11. He owns victories over the likes of Deontay Wilder, Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora, amo…