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Can we fast forward to Friday Night 👀🔜

2024 PFL Lightweight World Champion Gadzhi Rabadanov and Marc Diakiese wasted no time in letting each other know how they feel in their first faceoff ahead of Friday 🍿

[ #PFLWorldTournament | Friday, April 18th | 📺 7PM EST | ESPN ] pic.twitter.com/8f1ivtHE7W — PFL (@PFLMMA) April 16, 2025

There will be no shortage of fireworks heading into the Professional Fighters League lightweight and middleweight tournaments this weekend, two of the most anticipated divisions in this year’s tournament. In one of the premier lightweight tournament matchups, 2024 PFL lightweight champion Gadzhi Rabadanov will face Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Marc Diakiese, who signed with the promotion last year and made his debut with a victory over Tim Wilde at Bellator Champions Series.

Ahead of their first-round matchup this Friday in Orlando, Florida, the two met face-to-face for the first time and there w…

While the Cain Velasquez murder trial may have reached its conclusion, there are still other matters to resolve regarding the case.

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On Wednesday, judge Elizabeth C. Peterson granted a continuance of a restitution setting hearing, which will now take place on June 3. Velasquez was sentence to five years in prison in March after pleading no contest to attempted murder, felony assault and additional gun charges stemming from a February 2022 incident in which the former fighter fired a gun at a truck containing multiple people. During a high-speed chase, Velasquez shot at the vehicle containing Harry Goularte, who was accused of molesting Velasquez’s son. One of the shots hit and injured Goularte’s stepfather, Paul Bender.

Though Velasquez is currently in the midst of his sentence — which includes 1,283 days of credit for time served — the ex-UFC heavyweight champion will still be required to pay restitution, which is when “a convicted offender may be…

今日、5/31(土)に韓国・仁川にあるカジノリゾートホテルPARADISE CITYにて開催するRIZIN WORLD SERIES in KOREAの対戦カード発表記者会見を実施しました！いきなり11試合を発表しましたが、ビビって、たじろいでませんか？… pic.twitter.com/5zf4lEMe41

— 榊󠄀原信行 Nobuyuki Sakakibara (@nobu_sakakibara) April 16, 2025

Rizin Fighting Federation will hold what is shaping up to be a primarily Japan vs. Korea-themed card in South Korea next month.

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The Japanese promotion recently announced the event, entitled “World Series in Korea,” at a press conference. The event will take place at Paradise City in Incheon, South Korea on May 31. Not every bout on the card follows the country vs. country theme, as the evening’s featured pairing will see Rizin lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi de Souza lock horns with Gladiator lightweight king Won Bin Ki. However, the majority of the lineup does follow the aforementioned format.

Other MMA bouts confirme…

Movsar Evloev isn’t letting anyone jump the featherweight title queue ahead of him.

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Evloev is riding a nine-fight winning streak in the UFC with wins over the likes of Dan Ige, Arnold Allen, Diego Lopes and Aljamain Sterling. However, Evloev is still not the most obvious contender at 145 pounds, which he thinks is due to lack of finishes on his resume.

Meanwhile, the featherweight title picture changed drastically at UFC 314 last weekend when Alexander Volkanovski won the vacant title against Diego Lopes in the main event. Evloev has no doubt that Volkanovski will agree to fight him, which the champ has already admitted. However, the undefeated Russian isn’t sure if the UFC wants the matchup.

Meanwhile, Yair Rodriguez is calling for a title shot after foiling Patricio Freire’s promotional debut at UFC 314. Previously unranked Jean Silva is also rallying for a gold bid after five straight finishes in the UFC. While Evloev is unsure of his tit…

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Khabib Nurmagomedov prefers that Islam Makhachev fights Arman Tsarukyan instead of Ilia Topuria.

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While Tsarukyan is the No. 1 lightweight contender, former featherweight champ Topuria recently vacated his belt to move up to lightweight. Topuria is calling for an immediate title shot at 155 pounds, but Makhachev doesn’t think he deserves the opportunity yet. Nurmagomedov believes Tsarukyan is a more competitive matchup than Topuria for his prodigy.

“In my opinion, not necessarily dangerous, let’s say more competitive, I think it’s Tsarukyan,” Nurmagomedov told Adam Zubayrav. “I think Arman is a more serious fighter than Topuria. Topuria is a good fighter at 145, but we haven’t seen him at 155. I believe Arman is more competitive for Islam.”

Nurmagomedov further explained why a matchup against Topuria isn’t very tempting for Makhachev. Makhachev has already defended his lightweight title twice against Alexander Volkanovski whi…

With Amanda Nunes’ comeback all but official, the former two-division champion will likely be the most interested of all observers when the women’s bantamweight title is up for grabs in June.

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Nunes was in attendance at UFC 314 in Miami, where it was announced that “Lioness” would be enshrined in the promotion’s Hall of Fame this summer. Nunes gave multiple interviews during the weekend, and she often indicated that her UFC return was imminent.

If all goes as planned, Nunes will face the winner of the Julianna Pena-Kayla Harrison championship clash slated for UFC 316 on June 7 in Newark, New Jersey. Nunes already has history with Pena, but a fight with Harrison might be even more intriguing for the Brazilian.

“Kayla or Julianna, I want my belt back, and I’ll fight for it,” Nunes said on UFC Fight Pass Brasil (translation via MMAFighting.com). “I’m driven by challenges. I like to fight for something. Kayla is strong as hell, that’s the one I wa…

The UFC 316 lineup continues to grow, as a couple more bouts were made official for the June 7 event.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Tuesday that Marlon Vera vs. Mario Bautista will square off at bantamweight, while Johnny Walker will face Azamat Murzakanov on the upcoming card. UFC 316 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and is headlined by a bantamweight championship rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley. Vera vs. Bautista was originally scheduled for UFC Des Moines on May 3, but it is unclear why the booking was moved.

Vera has lost three of his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, he dropped a unanimous verdict against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC on ABC 7 this past August. Prior to that, he fell to Sean O’Malley via unanimous decision in a 135-pound title bout at UFC 299.

Bautista, meanwhile, will take a seven-bout promotional winning streak into the match with Vera. He is coming o…

Marvin Vettori is mourning the death of his younger brother following his death in a fire in Italy.

According to a report from TGCom24, a fire broke out at Patrick Vettori’s apartment in Mezzocorona, which is in the northern Italian province of Trento. Patrick died of smoke inhalation before firefighters could arrive on the scene. He was 30 years old.

You were and always will be [No. 1] my little brother! You left a void that cannot be filled, I will love you until my last breath,” Marvin Vettori wrote on Instagram. “I don’t think I’ll be the same after today because maybe I never told you but you’ve always been my strength. You were the smartest and smartest of the [two], you were creating a wonderful future for yourself and I can’t get over it.

“It is said that Jesus calls back the most beautiful souls prematurely to have them with him in heaven and then I hope that you are there with him looking and watching over us with that goodness that has always …

😳Jean Silva said he can KO Volkanovski in 2 rounds:

"I like him very, very much, but I think this would be a good fight for me. I could probably go for a knockout in the 1st or 2nd round."

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🎥 @arielhelwani ▫️ pic.twitter.com/nCNw9IHKO9 — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 14, 2025

Rising Brazilian standout Jean Silva is the latest to join the list of aspiring title contenders at featherweight.

While Silva isn’t among the most highly-ranked featherweights just yet, “Lord” is aiming for the stars by calling for a title shot next. The Brazilian now wants to challenge Alexander Volkanovski, whom he admittedly likes a lot.

“I actually believe that between me and Volkanovski, we would have a fantastic fight,” he told Ariel Helwani. "I like him very, very much, but I think this would be a good fight for me. I could probably go for a knockout in the first or second round.”

Silva submitted Bryce Mitchell in th…

🥵🤕 Chris Gutierrez was brutally honest about the struggles of his extremely long 21 week training camp ahead of his #UFCKansasCity fight

Certainly not your typical “best camp of my life” story that many fighters claim 🤯

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🎥 @LynchOnSports x @Home_of_Fight pic.twitter.com/DLcGK4OPTv — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 14, 2025

Preparing for a postponed fight can be really tasking, as Chris Gutierrez recently found out.

Gutierrez was originally scheduled to fight John Castaneda at UFC 313 on March 8 in Las Vegas. However, Castaneda was forced out due to an illness just hours before the fight. The fight has now been rescheduled for UFC Kansas City — also known as UFC on ESPN 66 — which goes down at the T-Mobile Center on April 26.

Having been in camp longer than planned, Gutierrez has had to overcome certain problems. “El Guapo” revealed that at one point it felt like nothing was working out for him despite g…

Movsar Evloev is making his case for the next UFC featherweight title shot.

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Evloev has long been one of the most deserving contenders at 145 pounds, although the title shot has evaded him so far. Meanwhile, Alexander Volkanovksi won the vacant title at UFC 314 last weekend with a unanimous decision win over Diego Lopes, an opponent Evloev has already beaten. Evloev believes he is now undeniable for the next title shot at 145 pounds.

“I beat Diego Lopes, Aljamain Sterling, Arnold Allen, Dan Ige. No one has a better resume than me in 145 pounds except for the champion,” Evloev wrote. “I have the longest winning streak in the featherweight division. Me vs [Alexander Volkanovski] end of June [International Fight Week]”

I beat

Diego LopesAljamain SterlingArnold AllenDan Ige

No one has a better resume than me in 145lbs except for the Champion.

I have the longest winning streak in the Featherweight Division.<…

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Beneil Dariush doesn’t think Belal Muhammad will be at a striking disadvantage against Jack Della Maddalena.

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Muhammad puts his welterweight title on the line against Maddalena in the main event at UFC 315 on May 10 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. While Muhammad was initially expected to face the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov, “Nomad” reportedly couldn’t accept the matchup due to an injury.

While Muhammad’s grappling skill is well known, some believe Maddalena can outstrike the champ on the feet. However, Dariush, an ace grappler himself, disagrees. The Assyrian-American believes Muhammad’s skill set is still generally underestimated. According to Dairush, “Remember the Name” not only has a huge wrestling advantage over Maddalena but can also stand up with the Australian for as long as he wants.

“Belal is so good. I think people need to start recognizing his skillset,” Dariush told Submission Radio. “I think he…

When Dominick Reyes began his current winning streak a little less than a year ago, it was a feel-good moment in the Octagon.

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Now that he’s been able to string three consecutive finishes together, Reyes is more than just a heartwarming redemption story — he’s a genuine light heavyweight contender once again.

“Every opportunity in the Octagon is its own little universe. It really is,” Reyes said in a backstage interview with the UFC. “The losses are completely devastating. The wins are everything. In this organization, every single win means everything — whether you’re barely working your way up the ladder or not — because once you get knocked down a couple rungs it’s really hard to build back up.

“I’m literally on my second UFC run, and the first one felt really good but this one feels just a little bit better because I did fall all the way down. And now I’m on the rise. One away from the title.”

Reyes secured arguably his most impressive vic…

Patricio Freire’s highly-anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship debut didn’t go as planned, but the Brazilian is already looking forward to his next Octagon appearance.

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The former Bellator MMA two-division champion struggled to pull the trigger against Yair Rodriguez, as he lost a clear-cut unanimous decision in a featured featherweight bout at UFC 314 on Saturday night. “Pitbull” has lost three of his last four professional outings overall.

“Congratulations to [Yair Rodriguez] we’ll see each other again. I’m injury free and ready to go at any time. Thank you to all the fans, I’ll make you all proud, you can count on that,” Freire wrote.

Congratulations to @panteraufc, we’ll see each other again. I’m injury free and ready to go at any time @ufc. Thank you to all the fans, I’ll make you all proud, you can count on that. #UFC314

— Patricio Pitbull (@PatricioPitbull) April 13, 2025

Since he is healthy, Freire h…

While Movsar Evloev might not be a favorite of UFC brass, Alexander Volkanovski seems more than willing to give the Russian his championship opportunity.

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Volkanovski began his second reign as featherweight king when he defeated Diego Lopes via unanimous decision in the UFC 314 headliner to capture the vacant belt at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday night. The 36-year-old Aussie defied age and survived a couple perilous moments to outduel a game Lopes, who had won five straight Octagon appearances entering the bout.

“I feel like he was there to be hit. I feel like I could’ve done a lot more. I just didn’t pull the trigger as much as I’d like – even though there were shots, I just stick out the jab, and it was right there. I could’ve done a lot more, but I’m my hardest critic,” Volkanovski said at the post-fght press conference.

“I’ll watch it back, and then we’ll see, but obviously everyone kind of counting me out, ‘Oh, is he done?’ Obvio…

The lineup for PFL Europe Belfast is now complete.

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The promotion on Monday announced the full card for the event, which takes place at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Ireland on May 10. In addition to a previously-confirmed headliner between Paul Hughes and Bruno Miranda, PFL Europe 1 will also see Lewis McGrillen-Evans square off against Alan Philpott in a bantamweight co-main event.

PFL Europe 1 will also feature the first four bouts of the eight-man lightweight tournament. The card will be broadcast via DAZN in Ireland and the U.K.

Additionally, several other showcase fights were announced on Monday: John Mitchell vs. Lorenzo Parente at lightweight; Haider Khan vs. Sean McCormac at middleweight; Gemma Auld vs. Sammy Jo Luxton at women's flyweight; Eoin Sheridan vs. Malichi Edwards at welterweight and Corey McLaughlin vs. Nahom Wedi at featherweight.

Hailing from Manchester, England, McGrillen has lost just once in 11 professional outings.…

Arman Tsarukyan is trying to maintain composure as his immediate future hangs in the balance.

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Tsarukyan was originally scheduled to challenge Islam Makhachev for the undisputed lightweight title at UFC 311 earlier this year. However, Tsarukyan was forced out due to a back injury a day before the fight and replaced by Renato Carneiro, who went on to suffer a first-round submission loss against Makhachev.

Dana White expressed his frustration with Tsarukyan and confirmed that “Ahalkalakets” wouldn’t getting the next lightweight title shot. There are also rumors that Tsarukyan pulled out on his own accord, and the UFC doctors didn’t suggest that he do so.

Currently at an unsure juncture about his immediate future, Tsarukyan is trying to stay patient and focus on training. The Russian also hinted that he was dealt an unfair hand, which he has accepted as a part of life. Having not fought in over a year now, Tsarukyan just wants to be ready when t…

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Paddy Pimblett has put himself on quite the pedestal in terms of fight IQ.

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Pimblett scored the biggest win of his career so far by mauling Michael Chandler en route to a third-round TKO win at UFC 314 on Saturday. “The Baddy” believes he and his team’s game plan had a big role to play in the way he decimated Chandler. Pimblett considers his fight IQ to be comparable to Jon Jones, one of the greatest to have ever graced the Octagon.

While many believed Chandler could knock Pimblett out, the Liverpudlian also outstruck “Iron” on the feet. Pimblett said that he is so confident about his grappling that he has been solely focusing on his stand-up game for a while now.

“Me and my team, we got the best game planners that you can get. We’ve got the best fight IQ,” Pimblett said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “And the only other person that I can compare to us with game plans as good as we do is Jon Jones. We do the best gam…

Upgraded to five rounds! 🫡@GilbertDurinho vs Michael Morales is now your #UFCVegas106 main event! 👏 pic.twitter.com/4plVqAfxwh

— UFC (@ufc) April 13, 2025

Gilbert Burns and Michael Morales will now have five rounds with which to work.

The welterweight bout, which was originally scheduled for UFC 315 on May 10, has been moved to the main event of UFC Vegas 106 on May 17. The promotion announced the change during the UFC 314 broadcast on Saturday night. UFC Vegas 106 — also known as UFC Fight Night 256 — takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and also includes a light heavyweight tilt pitting Paul Craig against Rodolfo Bellato.

Burns is coming off successive losses to Belal Muhammad, Jack Della Maddalena and Sean Brady in his last three Octagon appearances. The Brazilian grappling ace is a former welterweight title challenger who owns notable wins over the likes of Demian Maia, Tyron Woodley, Stephen Thompson, Neil Magny and Jorge M…

While Yair Rodriguez was focused on a featherweight title shot after beating Patricio Freire at UFC 314, he’s well aware that another potential opponent has plenty of intrigue within the MMA community after events of this past week.

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During the UFC 314 pre-fight press conference, Rodriguez and Lopes were involved in a shouting match in Spanish. While the bad blood is believed to have involved Rodriguez training partner Marco Beltran and potentially, the Lobo Gym MMA team — where Lopes trains — the exact nature of the feud is unknown. Rodriguez acknowledged that a bout with Lopes, who lost a unanimous decision to Alexander Volkanovski in the UFC 314 main event, might have more interest within the MMA fanbase at the moment.

“In the eyes of the fans, of course, but if you ask me, if you’re in my position right now, the beef can stay aside for now,” Rodriguez said at the post-fight press conference. “The only thing that I’m looking for right now is figh…

It got heated backstage between Colby Covington and Paddy Pimblett at #UFC314 👀 pic.twitter.com/4ag6DQ1uEK

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 13, 2025

After earning the biggest win of his career to date, Paddy Pimblett found himself in a confrontation with an outspoken critic from another weight class.

As Pimblett was conducting an interview backstage at the Kaseya Center in Miami, he was approached by UFC welterweight Colby Covington, who blasted the Englishman’s level of competition in the Octagon.

“You’re fighting scrubs,” Covington said in a video captured by ESPN. “Guys who are 2-6. You’re a bum. You beat guys who are 2-6, remember that. Remember that, you’re a scrub. ... You’re a fraud.”

Pimblett secured his seventh straight triumph on Saturday night, defeating Michael Chandler via third-round technical knockout in the UFC 314 co-main event. After the victory, “The Baddy” targeted matchups against the likes of Charles Oliveira, Just…

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Alexander Volkanovski was admittedly in danger in his title fight against Diego Lopes.

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Volkanovski and Lopes clashed for the vacant featherweight title in the main event at UFC 314 on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. While Lopes had his moments, Volkanovski appeared to be in his prime at 36 years of age while cruising to a unanimous decision win.

However, Volkanovski admitted that it wasn’t exactly an easy night at the office for him. “The Great” lost vision in his left eye due to a from a punch by Lopes. While Volkanovski isn’t sure when it happened, it was most likely an uppercut from Lopes in the fourth round that had the Australian clutching his eye.

“I completely lost vision in my left eye,” Volkanovski told Main Event TV. “It was a good shot and I just could not see. I was trying to get it back and it was completely gone. Slowly come back a little bit… I could at least see a little blur, which helped. S…

👰‍♀️ 🇧🇷 Dana White is down to be the best man at Jean Silva's wedding and to pay for the Brazilian singer that is out of Jean's pocket.

🎥 @ufc pic.twitter.com/Zya0eULoSk

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 13, 2025

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Dana White seems to be on board for the Jean Silva hype train.

Silva is one of the most electrifying fighters on the UFC roster today. “Lord” submitted Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314 on Saturday, marking the Brazilian’s fifth finish in as many UFC outings.

Known to always put on a display, Mitchell celebrated his win with his signature barking while hanging on to the Octagon. However, Silva’s antics didn’t stop with his Octagon celebration. Silva passed on a message to White through a reporter. Silva offered White to be the best man at his wedding, provided the UFC CEO pays for the wedding singer. And White will likely oblige. While he is still waiting for a few more details, White admitted that he is up…

Alexander Volkanovski’s second coronation as UFC featherweight champion didn’t come without a couple of scares along the way.

Volkanovski and Diego Lopes received “Fight of the Night” honors and $50,000 apiece for their spirited duel in the UFC 314 headliner at the Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday night. While Lopes dropped his opponent in Round 2 and had him reeling in the fourth frame, Volkanovski landed with superior volume throughout to claim a unanimous decision triumph.

Elsewhere, Paddy Pimblett garnered a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a dominant victory against Michael Chandler in the evening’s lightweight co-main event. The former Cage Warriors champ put his adversary on the defensive with a leaping knee that busted Chandler open before sealing his victory with ground-and-pound to force the stoppage at the 3:07 mark of Round 3.

Finally, surging featherweight contender Jean Silva secured the evening’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Nig…