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UFC CEO Dana White Indicates Plan is for Jon Jones to Return ‘This Summer’

There appears to be a tentative timeline in place for Jon Jones’ next fight.

During an appearance on "The Jim Rome Show” on Wednesday, UFC CEO Dana White hinted that Jones’ return to the Octagon might be sooner than most expected.

“The plan is to fight Jon this summer,” White said. “Obviously, when, where and all that stuff is being determined. My goal this year is to make that fight [with] Aspinall.”

Shortly after Jones defended his title at UFC 309 in November, White guaranteed that he would eventually put together a championship unification bout between “Bones” and Aspinall. However, Aspinall recently claimed that while both he and the UFC are on board for the fight, Jones is the one holding up negotiations. With that being said, Jones has made it clear that it would take a lucrative offer for him to accept a fight against the British heavyweight.

White also hinted that Saturday’s UFC 313 headliner could have an effect on the heavy…

Magomed Ankalaev Had to Break Ramadan Fasting to Ensure Successful Weight Cut

With a title fight on the horizon, Magomed Ankalaev hasn’t been able to strictly adhere to his normal religious practices.

This year, Muslims are observing Ramadan from Feb. 28 through March 29. Part of that observance involves abstaining from food or drink during that 30-day period from sunrise to sunset. Ankalaev, who faces Alex Pereira for the light heavyweight championship in the UFC 313 main event on Saturday, admitted that he had to break his fast during fight week — but only slightly.

“I have been following the fast strictly except for this week, where I will have to break it a few times because I need to make sure I drink water to have a successful weight cut,” Ankalaev told Ag.Fight. “But apart from that, I started with Ramadan. I have been fasting. And after the fight, I will obviously also follow the rules of religion as it has to be.”

The 32-year-old Ankalaev is unbeaten in his last 13 Octagon appearances and is coming off a 2024 …

Grappling Coach: Manon Fiorot ‘Bringing Some Surprises’ for Valentina Shevchenko

French standout Manon Fiorot will take a seven-fight promotional winning streak into her title bout against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 315.

Fiorot’s grappling coach, Flávio “Peroba” Santiago, revealed to Sherdog.com that the No. 1 flyweight contender has evolved a lot on the ground in recent years.

“Manon's work ethic is really impressive,” said the Luta Livre black belt, who has been living in France since 2001. “Since I started training her on the ground in December 2022, she only stopped to have surgery on her knee. Seven months later, she started the camp to fight Rose [Namajunas]. Ten months after the surgery she fought. After the fight with Rose, she stopped for a month and then started training for [Erin] Blanchfield.”

According to the Brazilian coach, the five rounds against Blanchfield were important preparation for this long-awaited fight against the champion.

"I believe Valentina will come to exchange punches but with the go…

PFL Announces Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight Rosters for 2025 World Tournament

One Shot to WIN. One Shot to ADVANCE. One Shot at a WORLD TITLE

Get to know the Heavyweights set to compete in the #PFLWorldTournament

[ #PFLWorldTournament | Thursday , May 1st |

10PM EST | ESPN 2 | B2YB @Valrenergy ] pic.twitter.com/uAHVEMqpV9 — PFL (@PFLMMA) March 5, 2025

The entire lineup for the 2025 Professional Fighters League World Tournament is now in place.

On Wednesday, the promotion announced the rosters for the eight-man brackets at heavyweight and light heavyweight. Two alternates were also set for the 205-pound field. Alternates at heavyweight were not provided.

The heavyweight lineup includes the Oleg Popov, who fell to Denis Goltsov in the 2024 PFL finals and Alexander Romanov, who went 7-3 in the UFC before being released from the Las Vegas-based organization. Former Bellator MMA interim heavyweight king Valentin Moldavsky will also be a participant.

Read more about PFL Announces Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight Rosters for 2025 World Tournament

Dana White, Turki Alalshikh Join Forces for TKO Boxing Promotion

BOOOOOOM!!!!! Boxing here we come pic.twitter.com/XBRBT5mr3P

— danawhite (@danawhite) March 5, 2025

It isn’t exactly Zuffa Boxing, but after years of speculation, UFC CEO Dana White is finally getting directly involved with the Sweet Science.

The new boxing promotion comes from a partnership between TKO Group Holdings — the parent company of the UFC and WWE — Turki Alalshikh and entertainment congomerate Sela.

“We have just done a deal to start a new boxing league with Turki, who absolutely loves the sport of boxing,” White said in a video on social media.

“The model is proven to deliver the fights that the fans want to see. The best will fight the best and the fighters will continue to move up the rankings and become world champions. We will continue to make announcements on where you can watch and all the rest of the details on the business as we get closer to the launch.”

“I am very happy today,” Alalshikh said…

Ronny Markes, Bruno Cappelozza Support Magomed Ankalaev Ahead of UFC 313

Not everyone from Brazil will be on Alex Pereira’s side this Saturday.

After a meteoric rise that saw him capture UFC belts in two divisions, “Poatan” has become perhaps the biggest idol of MMA in Brazil today. When he steps into the Octagon to make his fourth title defense against Dagestan’s Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313, Pereira will certainly have the gigantic Brazilian audience behind him.

Two Brazilians, however, are exceptions and will certainly be on Ankalaev’s side: UFC veteran and Porrada Training Center leader Ronny Markes, and former Professional Fighters League heavyweight champion Bruno Cappelozza. Both Markes and Cappelozza recently signed with the Global Fight League.

Markes recently explained how the partnership with Ankalaev began.

“The first time Ankalaev trained with us here at Porrada TC was in 2021,” Markes told Sherdog.com. “But he also trained at Xtreme [Couture]. For this fight, however, he trained the last three…

Alex Pereira Responds to Ankalaev, Addresses Past Battles with Alcoholism

Alex Pereira reacts to Magomed Ankalaev claiming he goes to UFC events for “free alcohol”

“I know the pain of the people. He is playing with the feelings of the fans, feelings of the people who go through that.”

@AlexPereiraUFC #UFC313pic.twitter.com/G1yDUWOrNi — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 4, 2025

Alex Pereira overcame a significant obstacle in his life to become a Ultimate Fighting Championship title holder.

A former Glory kickboxing champ, Pereira’s career might have ended if not for a taunt from Israel Adesanya. While Adesanya had gone on to become a UFC champ, he once said that the only man to beat him twice in kickboxing must be drinking in a bar in Brazil. That motivated Pereira to start training and transition to MMA. The rest is history.

Pereira is scheduled to defend his light heavyweight title against Magomed Ankalaev in the main event at UFC 313 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Ve…

Video: Colby Covington Avoids Ex-Teammate Themba Gorimbo at UFC PI

Colby Covington nearly ran into former teammate Themba Gorimbo at UFC PI

@ColbyCovMMA pic.twitter.com/tZEjFHD3eL

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 4, 2025

Colby Covington recently went out of his way to avoid crossing paths with former teammate Themba Gorimbo.

Gorimbo and Covington were once teammates at the MMA Masters gym in Florida. Gorimbo previously defended Covington, saying that the outspoken fighter was often misunderstood. Gorimbo admittedly had $6 left in his bank account leading up to his second UFC outing. The Zimbabwean later revealed that Covington used to bring him food when he was broke.

However, the two have since fallen out, allegedly due to a misconduct by Covington. According to Gorimbo, Covington threw him out of the UFC Performance Institute while “Chaos” was cutting weight for a title fight against Leon Edwards in 2023. What hurt “The Answer” even more was that Covington sent someon…

Movsar Evloev Eventually Wants Lightweight Fight Against Ilia Topuria

Movsar Evloev wants to go after Ilia Topuria to Lightweight division even if the title is not on the line.

Adds that it's nothing personal, he just wants to prove that he is the best Featherweight since Ilia beat everyone. @Home_of_Fight pic.twitter.com/qTHKtoQWYK

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 3, 2025

Movsar Evloev wants to prove himself against Ilia Topuria, regardless of whether there’s a title on the line.

Topuria won the featherweight title against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 last year and defended it by knocking out Max Holloway for the very time in his career at UFC 308. While Evloev and Diego Lopes were the frontrunners for the next featherweight title shot, Topuria recently vacated the belt in favor of a move to lightweight. Lopes is now scheduled to fight Volkanovski for the vacant title at UFC 314 on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.

Meanwhile, Evloev has an unfulfille…

Alex Pereira Eager to Show Grappling Against Magomed Ankalaev

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Alex Pereira believes he can hold his own on the ground against Magomed Ankalaev.

Pereira puts his light heavyweight title on the line against Ankalaev in the main event at UFC 313 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Many expect it to be the toughest test yet for Pereira, who hasn’t faced a grappler of Ankalaev’s caliber in the UFC. However, “Poatan” promises to display his wrestling skills, which he has been honing under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, former champ Glover Teixeira.

Pereira recently posted a video of himself grappling with Teixeira in the snow. Ankalaev, who sounds supremely confident going into the fight, wondered aloud in the comments whether Pereira could do that for five rounds. Responding to Ankalaev, Pereira retorted back with the same question. Pereira believes if Ankalaev can’t grapple him for 25 minutes, the fight will take place on the feet, where the Brazilian expects to have a massi…

Caio Borralho Calls Out Robert Whittaker for International Fight Week Clash

Caio Borralho is looking to move up the middleweight rankings.

Borralho recently issued a callout to former 185-pound champion Robert Whittaker for a summer matchup. While Whittaker had recently called out Sean Strickland, Borralho urged “The Reaper” to stop calling out higher ranked opponents after a loss. “The Natural” wants to fight Whittaker at UFC 317 during the International Fight Week in June.

“Hey [Robert Whittaker], stop calling guys ahead of you in the rankings after [you] lose a fight bro!” Borralho wrote. “Let’s fight UFC 317 June [28] on International Fight Week! What do you think? What do you all fans think?”

Hey @robwhittakermma stop calling guys ahead of you in the rankings after u lose a fight bro!

Let’s fight UFC 317 June 29 on International Fight Week!

What do you think?What do you all fans think?

— Caio Borralho (@BorralhoCaio) March 3, 2025

The co-founder of The Fighting Nerds tea…

Movsar Evloev: Magomed Ankalaev Can Beat Alex Pereira Without Wrestling

Movsar Evloev doesn't think that Magomed Ankalaev needs to wrestle to beat Alex Pereira this weekend.

He also added about Pereira:"Pereira doesn't defend himself very well. He just believes in his power." @Home_of_Fight pic.twitter.com/NzoFWJYI0j

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 3, 2025

Movsar Evloev has a bold prediction for the upcoming title fight between Alex Pereira (12-2) and Magomed Ankalaev (19-1).

Ankalaev challenges Pereira for the light heavyweight title in the main event at UFC 313 on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Many expect Ankalaev’s wrestling to pose the biggest threat to knockout artist Pereira. However, Evloev believes Ankalaev doesn’t have to wrestle to beat the former Glory Kickboxing champ. According to Evloev, Pereira’s striking defense has enough holes for Ankalaev to exploit and get the win.

“Even if [Ankalaev] do not use his wrestling, I think he have enough ski…

Jean Silva Takes Shot at Movsar Evloev: ‘Staying Undefeated Without Action is Easy’

Jean Silva recently took a dig a Movsar Evloev for mocking Diego Lopes.

Ilia Topuria recently vacated the featherweight title to move up to lightweight. Lopes is now scheduled to fight Alexander Volkanovski for the vacant title in the main event at UFC 314 on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. This matchup didn’t go over well with Movsar Evloev, who is expected to be the next contender at featherweight. Evloev called Lopes his “chicken,” predicting Volkanovski to beat the Brazilian.

“[Alexander Volkanovski] good luck for your next fight,” Evloev wrote on X. “I know you’re gonna beat this guy. He’s my chicken.”

@alexvolkanovski good luck for your next fight. I know you’re gonna beat this guy. He’s my chicken.

— Movsar Evloev (@MovsarUFC) March 1, 2025

Silva, a surging force in the division, hit back at Evloev for his comments. “Lord” blamed Evloev’s inactivity for Lopes surpassing him for the title s…

Raul Rosas Jr. to Lock Horns with Vince Morales at UFC Mexico City

Raul Rosas Jr. will return to action against Vince Morales at UFC Mexico City.

Multiple outlets confirmed the bantamweight pairing following an initial report from ESPN Deportes. UFC Mexico City — also known as UFC on ESPN 64 — takes place at Arena CDMX on March 29 and is headllined by a flyweight scrap pitting Brandon Moreno against Steve Erceg.

The 20-year-old Rosas Jr. has been victorious in four of five Octagon appearances since earning a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in September 2022. In his last outing, “El Nino Problema” went the distance in victory for the first time during his promotional tenure, taking a unanimous verdict against Qileng Aori at UFC 306.

Since beginning his second UFC stint last year, Morales has dropped back-to-back decisions agianst Taylor Lapilus and Elijah Smith. Morales went 3-5 during his first go-round in the promotion before winning five straight bouts on the regional circuit to earn another shot in the …

UFC 313 Update: John Castaneda Steps in to Face Chris Gutierrez in Las Vegas

Chris Gutierrez will get to remain on the UFC 313 card after all.

After originally being booked against Jean Matsumoto, Gutierrez will instead lock horns with John Castaneda on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Matsumoto was pulled from the event to face Rob Font at UFC Seattle on Feb. 22. Castaneda, meanwhile, was supposed to face Douglas Silva de Andrade at UFC Vegas 103 this past Saturday before the bout was scrapped. Multiple outlets confirmed the new matchup, which will take place at 145 pounds, following an initial report from Eurosport NL.

Gutierrez fought just once in 2024, taking a unanimous decision against Quang Le at UFC on ESPN 61 this past August. The Factory X product is 9-3-1 during his tenure with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Castaneda last appeared at UFC on ESPN 57, where he dropped a three-round verdict against Daniel Marcos this past June. The longtime Combate Americas veteran is 4-3 in the Octagon.

UFC…

UFC Vets Diego Sanchez, John Makdessi to Meet in Boxing Match on April 12

A boxing match between Ultimate Fighting Championship veterans Diego Sanchez and John Makdessi is on tap for the ICS Mania Boxing event scheduled for April 12.

The promotion recently announced the booking, which has also been confirmed by both Sanchez and Makdessi. ICS Mania Boxing takes place at The Pit in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is headlined by a clash between former UFC foes Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson. The card, which is co-promoted by Albuquerque’s Tapia Promotion’s and Florida’s Signature Punch Promotions, will feature a number of local boxers from New Mexico.

Sanchez, 43, was one of the winners on “The Ultimate Fighter 1.” He last competed in MMA at Eagle FC 46 in March 2022, where he lost a unanimous decision to Kevin Lee. More recently, “The Nightmare” fought under the BKFC banner in February 2023, when he suffered a fourth-round stoppage loss to pro boxer Austin Trout.

The 39-year-old Makdessi will be making his boxing de…

Alex Pereira Issues $200K Charity Challenge to UFC 313 Foe Magomed Ankalaev

Alex Pereira wants Magomed Ankalaev to put his money where his mouth is.

Ankalaev has been a consistent presence on social media leading up to his title opportunity against Pereira in the UFC 313 headliner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night. This past weekend, the Dagestani issued another strong statement regarding the upcoming light heavyweight bout.

“CHAMA is a dead man walking. I’m going to drown this man,” Ankalaev wrote on X.

CHAMA is a dead man walking I’m going to drown this man

— Magomed Ankalaev (@AnkalaevM) March 2, 2025

Ankalaev’s confidence hasn’t gone unnoticed by the reigning 205-pound king. Pereira recently issued a challenge to Ankalaev, urging his opponent to put up a significant amount of cash for a good cause.

“Since you are so confident you will win, $200,000 to the winner’s charity of choice,” Pereira wrote on X. “Win or lose, this will help those in need. It’s in y…

Light Heavyweights Modestas Bukauskas, Ion Cutelaba to Clash at UFC 315

A pair of light heavyweights coming off quick finishes at UFC Seattle will square off in Montreal this spring.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Monday that Modestas Bukauskas will meet Ion Cutelaba in a 205-pound bout at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on May 10. UFC 315 is headllined by a welterweight title tilt pitting Belal Muhammad against Jack Della Maddalena, while Valentina Shevchenko will defend the flyweight crown against Manon Fiorot in the evening’s co-main event.

After going 1-3 during his first UFC stint, Bukauskas has been victorious in four of his last five Octagon appearances. Most recently, “The Baltic Gladiator” defeated Raffael Cerqueira via first-round knockout at UFC Fight Night 252 on Feb. 22.

Cutelaba also had a short night at UFC Seattle, as the Moldovan veteran tapped Ibo Aslan with an arm-triangle choke 2:51 into Round 1. The 31-year-old known as “The Hulk” has won three of his last four UFC outings after en…

Leon Edwards Claims UFC London Fight Against Sean Brady is Title Eliminator

Leon Edwards says he wanted to step in and fight Belal Muhammad but it wouldn’t make sense to take him off the London card

He also says the UFC told him the winner of the fight between him and Sean Brady will fight for the title

@Leon_edwardsmmapic.twitter.com/fLDLZTb5W3 — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 2, 2025

Leon Edwards is looking forward to a title shot with a win over Sean Brady.

Edwards lost the welterweight title to Muhammad via unanimous decision at UFC 304 in July 2024. The Englishman was originally supposed to return to action against Jack Della Maddalena on March 22 at the O2 Arena in London. Meanwhile, Muhammad was expected to defend his strap against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 315 on May 10 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. However, Maddalena replaced Rakhmonov, who couldn’t accept the matchup due to an injury. Meanwhile, top contender Sean Brady replaced Maddalena on the UFC L…

Manel Kape Details Potential Path to Victory Against Alexandre Pantoja

Love this. Manel Kape actually breaking down Alexandre Pantoja’s flaws instead of giving the usual ‘He’s going to find out’ response.

These two respect each other and it seems like the next Flyweight title fight @ufc pic.twitter.com/ClM99mvUft

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 2, 2025

Manel Kape (21-7) recently laid down his gameplan to beat Alexandre Pantoja (29-5) in a potential title fight.

Kape took on Asu Almabayev in the main event at UFC Vegas 103 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday. “Starboy” put on a striking masterclass, beating down Almabayev to force the finish in the third round. The Kazakh had not been beaten in 17 outings since 2017. However, it must be noted that two eye scrapes from Kape went unpenalized, including one that started the finishing sequence.

Regardless, Kape’s stock skyrocketed after the entertaining win, leading to his name being pitched as the next flyweight title cont…

Tom Aspinall Willing to ‘Fight Absolutely Anyone’ if Undisputed UFC Title at Stake

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Tom Aspinall isn’t exactly moving on from Jon Jones just yet, but he is willing to consider the possibility of facing other opponents.

Jones returned from hiatus at UFC 309, where he defeated Stipe Moicic to retain the heavyweight title this past November. “Bones” implied that it would require a significant payday to entice him to face Aspinall, the reigning interim heavyweight king, in a championship unification bout. UFC CEO Dana White has expressed optimism that the fight would eventually happen, but thus far, there have been no significant updates on that front.

According to Aspinall, any delay is coming from Jones’ side.

“Where we’re at right now is, I have spoke to the UFC on multiple occasions on this fight,” Aspinall said on his YouTube channel. “I’m chasing it. I want the fight. I’ve been on record and said that I want the fight. I’ve been on the phone with the UFC saying, ‘I want the fight. When’s it happening?’ …

Manel Kape: The Flyweight Division Needs a Champion Like Me

Don’t tell Manel Kape that his latest victory was marred by a few uncalled fouls.

“Starboy” won for the sixth time in his last seven outings, defeating Asu Almabayev via stoppage at the 2:16 mark of the third round in the UFC Vegas 103 headliner on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. While Kape was sharp throughout the contest, replays showed that that Almabayev suffered multiple eye rakes prior to the finish. However, despite Almabayev’s protests, none of those were acknowledged by referee Mike Beltran. According to Kape, it was up to the veteran official to step in if a foul was committed.

“That’s not my job,” Kape said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “I didn’t see nothing. I think the [referee] should be more attentive. I’ve suffered so [much] stuff in the Octagon, so I don’t know. It was clear, for what I’ve seen, it was good. [He] could see me good. If he was not able to fight, if I think he was really stopping, so he was c…

UFC Vegas 103 Bonuses: Four Walk Away With Additional $50,000

UFC Vegas 103 was an entertaining affair with four fighters earning bonuses.

Manel Kape (20-7) earned an extra $50K Performance of the Night bonus for a stoppage over Asu Almabayev (21-3) in the flyweight headliner. Kape thoroughly outstruck Almabayev from the opening bell, never allowing the Kazakh to implement his wrestling. “Starboy” eventually delivered too much damage on Almabayev, forcing the referee to step in at 2:16 of the third round, ending his undefeated streak that dated back to 2017. However, the Angolan seemingly scraped Almabayev twice in the left eye, which went unpenalized.

The second POTN bonus went to undefeated heavyweight debutant Mario Pinto (10-0) for his knockout win over Austen Lane (13-6). Pinto got dropped by Lane in the opening frame before rallying back to put the former football defensive end to sleep with a left hook-straight right combo early in the second round.

Meanwhile, Morocco’s Nasrat Haqparast (18-5) and Argentina’s Esteba…

Manel Kape Turns Back Asu Almabayev in UFC Vegas 103 Main Event

Manel Kape may have cleared the final obstacle between him and a long-sought shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight crown.

The former Rizin Fighting Federation titleholder was awarded an anticlimactic technical knockout over Asu Almabayev in the third round of their UFC Fight Night 253 main event on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Referee Mike Beltran stepped in to wave it off 2:16 into Round 3, even though Almabayev (21-3, 4-1 UFC) seemed to be lucid and defending himself.

Kape (21-7, 6-3 UFC) was the aggressor from the start. He unleashed lightning-fast punches from odd angles and called upon bulletproof takedown defense against the Kazakhstani grappler. Almabayev—who entered the cage on a 17-fight winning streak—emerged for the second round clearly bothered by the damage he sustained to his left eye. Kape zeroed in on it, sometimes with punches and sometimes with what appeared to be clear fouls—replays showed he raked the eye…

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