Martial Arts News

Most Valuable Promotions is pulling out all the stops for its first-ever mixed martial arts event.

MVP and Netflix on Wednesday announced the broadcast team for "Rousey vs. Carano" on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Perhaps the most intriguing revelation in the release was that Jon Jones and Cain Velasquez will be present for guest commentary and analysis. While Velasquez is expected to be on hand for weigh-in coverage on Friday, it is not specified what Jones’ role will be.

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Jones, a former UFC two-division champion, recently requested his release from the Las Vegas-based promotion after being excluded from the White House card on June 14. “Bones” hasn’t fought since defending the heavyweight crown against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November 2024. Though his fighting future is uncertain, Jones hasn't fully committed to retirement.

Velasquez, meanwhile, is a former UFC heavyweight champion who was recently released from prison after …

Rob Wilkinson will look to snap a three-fight skid at PFL San Diego. | PFL MMA

Rob Wilkinson will welcome Abraham Bably to the light heavyweight division at PFL San Diego.

An elite and undefeated welterweight prospect headlines PFL Brussels against a former UFC champ: Tune in Saturday, May 23 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

The promotion confirmed the bout following an initial report from Combat Evolved. PFL San Diego takes place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego and is headlined by a featherweight clash pitting A.J. McKee against Salamat Isbulaev.

Former Champs Collide A two-time UFC veteran, Wilkinson won the PFL light heavyweight championship under the old season format in 2022. After failing in drug test in relation to a bout against Thiago Santos in 2023, “Razor” has gone 2-3 in PFL competition. He has lost his last three outings, including a first-round submission defeat to Luke Trainer in his most recent appearance at PFL Dubai on Feb. 7.

Bably, meanwh…

Khamzat Chimaev doesn’t hold grudges after a fight. 

Chimaev (15-1) lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland (31-7) via close split decision at UFC 328 last weekend. While the rivalry seemed intense in the lead-up to the fight, Strickland and Chimaev squashed their beef immediately after the fight. Chimaev and Strickland have since faced backlash for building up a fake rivalry. 

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Chimaev recently explained why he decided to bury the hatchet with Strickland. Chimaev says that he doesn’t believe in keeping grudges after sharing the Octagon with his opponent. Chimaev gave his best inside the Octagon and came up on the short end of a decision. Strickland also apologized to Chimaev for crossing boundaries with his trash talk. “Borz” says he believes in forgiveness when someone asks for it.Forgive and Forget “And regarding that guy — he said a lot of unnecessary things,” Chimaev said on his Instagram Stories (translation via Home of Fight). “…

Kamaru Usman is questioning Khamzat Chimaev’s training strategy. 

Chimaev (15-1) lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland (31-7) via a narrow split decision at UFC 328 last weekend. Chimaev was visibly tired in the second round, and despite finding a second wind in the fourth, it was too little, too late from “Borz.”

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Usman, who has shared the Octagon with Chimaev, believes the latter needs an MMA head coach. While Chimaev certainly has coaches who are a regular presence in his corner, he doesn’t train with any renowned MMA coach. Chimaev’s friend, UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan, was seen taking an active role in his corner last weekend. Usman believes Chimaev has gotten this far by training himself for the most part. According to Usman, Chimaev needs a head coach to reach the next level.How to Reach the Next Level “I’m impressed by how far he’s gotten by just really training himself,” Chimaev said on the ”Pound4Pound” podcast. “Because in…

Darren Till wants the UFC to keep an eye on two undefeated prospects. 

Till recently shed light on Khamzat Chimaev’s undefeated teammates, Ansar Khamzaev and Said Magomed Esembaev. Till asked fans to follow both Chechnyan prospects, as they are the future of MMA. “The Gorilla” believes they can beat most Top 15 fighters in the world in their respective divisions. The former UFC fighter also asked the promotion to keep a close eye on Khamzaev and Esembaev.

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“If anyone wants to follow the future of MMA give [Ansar Khamzaev and Said Magomed Esembaev] a follow. They [probably] beat most of the Top 15 in their divisions right now. UFC take note…”

If anyone wants to follow the future of MMA give @khamzaev__ansar & @Esembaev170 a follow. They prob beat most of the top 15 in their divisions right now 🤣 UFC take note… https://t.co/9knDNGuKSP

— DT (@darrentill2) May 12, 2026

Till developed a close relationship with Chi…

Georges St. Pierre’s head coach, Firas Zahabi, promises that Khamzat Chimaev won’t have conditioning issues if the former middleweight champ joins his team. 

Chimaev (15-1) lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland (31-7) via split decision at UFC 328 last weekend. While Chimaev was a massive favorite, he visibly faded in the second round and was forced to give up his strongest skillset, wrestling. 

Zahabi, who is credited with shaping St. Pierre’s legendary career, is inviting Chimaev to train under him at Tristar Gym in Montreal. Zahabi promises that Chimaev will no longer face conditioning issues if he joins their camp. Zahabi, along with St. Pierre, vows to do everything in his capacity to make Chimaev return to the win column. Zahabi also welcomes Chimaev’s friend and training partner, Arman Tsarukyan.

Making His Case “Someone spread this around: Khamzat, come train with me,” Zahabi said on his YouTube channel. “Come to Montreal, work with me. I…

Belal Muhammad refuses to accept Sean Strickland’s apology to Muslims.

Strickland (31-7) has made Islamophobic comments on multiple occasions in the past. Strickland also targeted Khamzat Chimaev’s (15-1) religion ahead of their UFC 328 fight last weekend. However, Strickland apologized to Chimaev after dethroning him via split decision. Strickland also apologized to his fans across multiple religions. 

However, Muhammad isn’t buying the apology. A devout Muslim, Muhammad accuses Strickland of trying to justify his comments by making peace with Chimaev after the fight. While Muhammad competes at welterweight, and Strickland at middleweight, “Remember the Name” wants to share the Octagon with the fellow American and make him “bleed” someday. 

No Going Back “Even though the clown apologized, ‘I apologized to my Muslim fans, I was just promoting a fight.’ No, it’s not promoting a fight when you’re talking about religion,” Muhammad Said on YouTube. “He always …

Most Valuable Promotions is giving a lucrative deal to its MMA fighters. 

MVP will host its first MMA card in collaboration with Netflix on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles,. MVP co-founder and CEO Nakisa Bidarian recently revealed that the promotion has guaranteed a $40,000 purse to every fighter, avoiding the show/win model, which the UFC follows. Bidarian also revealed that there will be a performance bonus up for grabs for every fighter, which will vary depending on the fighter.

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Challenging the Status Quo “This event and anything we do going forward as MVP… [we plan] to have a minimum $40,000 for fighters to fight in MMA,” Bidarian said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “That’s guaranteed. And then every fighter has a performance bonus in addition to that, which there are different levels, depending on the fighter.”

MVP is making no secret of the fact that it is trying to emerge as the UFC’s strongest competitors. Ronda Rousey, who …

Sean O'Malley is not a fan of the UFC Freedom 250 fight kits. 

UFC Freedom 250 is a one-of-a-kind card that will go down at the White House on June 14. The card, which is a celebration of America’s 250th year of independence, also coincides with President Donald Trump’s birthday. To match the occasion, special fight kits have been designed in red, white and blue colors, featuring the official White House logo. 

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However, O’Malley found the kits ugly, at least his own white one. O’Malley believes the UFC did a shabby job on the kits and wonders if they put the contract out on Fiverr.Minimal Effort? “They are ugly; mine were ugly. I don’t like them,” O’Malley said on YouTube. “They’re not pink, which is fine, whatever, I’ve worn other colors… Did they go on Fiverr and say, ‘Hey, we got these guys getting to fight at the White House lawn. Can you just come up with something?’” 

Sean O’Malley DOES NOT like his UFC W…

Khamzat Chimaev struggled with his weight cut before losing to Sean Strickland. | Getty/UFC

Khamzat Chimaev was allegedly promised a fight at light heavyweight. 

Chimaev (15-1) had long been hinting at a move up to light heavyweight. However, Chimaev put his middleweight title on the line against Sean Strickland (31-7) at UFC 328 last weekend. Chimaev showed signs of fatigue early in the second round, completely abandoning his wrestling thereafter. Strickland outpointed Chimaev on the feet via a split decision, handing “Borz” his first professional loss. Chimaev had also looked completely drained at the weigh-ins, even getting accused of missing weight. 

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Chimaev’s brother, Artur Chimaev, recently revealed the former middleweight champion had a terrible weight cut. Chimaev’s body allegedly shut down with just over two pounds to cut. Artur claims even Khamzat didn’t know how he would go forward with the bout. 

Artur claim…

Sean Strickland recently took a moment to celebrate his championship victory with his teammates.

In a video posted on the Xtreme Couture Instagram account, Strickland brought the belt back to the Las Vegas-based gym and praised his training partners.

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“After every L I’ve got, the fact that I went back and came to the gym is why I have another one of these f—ers,” Strickland said.

“That being said, as always, I want to thank you guys. I’m pretty f----ed up; I’m going to take a few weeks off. But I wouldn’t be here without you guys, seriously. F----ing, all the coaches, would not be here without you. So, it’s not just my belt, it’s our belt. Thank you.”

Strickland upset Khamzat Chimaev via split decision in the UFC 328 headliner this past weekend to capture the middleweight crown. It’s the second championship win for Strickland, who initially shocked the world by ending Israel Adesanya’s championship reign at UFC 293 in September 2023.

Love A…

Ariane Lipski da Silva bested Sumiko Inaba in her PFL debut. | PFL MMA

Ariane Lipski da Silva has a date and venue for her second Professional Fighters League appearance.

The UFC veteran and former KSW champion will lock horns with Jena Bishop in a flyweight contest at PFL San Diego on June 27. The promotion confirmed the pairing following an initial report from MMAFighting.com. PFL San Diego takes place at Pechanga Arena in San Diego and is headlined by a featherweight showdown between A.J. McKee and Salamat Isbulaev.

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An elite and undefeated welterweight prospect headlines PFL Brussels against a former UFC champ: Tune in Saturday, May 23 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Lipski ended a three-bout losing streak in her promotional debut, as she outpointed Sumiko Inaba at PFL Pittsburgh on March 28. The 32-year-old Brazilian went 6-8 over the course of a UFC tenure that began in 2019.

Bishop, meanwhile, has been victorious in three of he…