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Sean O'Malley is well aware of the fact that some in the MMA community are less than pleased that he’s been granted an immediate rematch against Merab Dvalishvili.

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“Suga” lost the bantamweight title to Dvalishvili via clear-cut unanimous decision at UFC 306 this past September. O’Malley has been sidelined since then as he recovers from a hip surgery he underwent after that bout. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili successfully defended the strap against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January.

On Tuesday, UFC CEO Dana White announced that the Dvalishvili-O’Malley 2 would headline UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersay on June 7.

“The rematch is official,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. “‘Suga’ Sean vs. Merab 2 is happening, and I don’t think people are going to be too happy about it.”

While the booking was met with a lukewarm reception, O’Malley expects to be at full capacity now that the issues with his hip have been addressed.

“Las…

A lightweight showdown pitting Joel Alvarez against Benoit St. Denis has been added to the UFC 315 lineup.

Eurosport was first to report the bout. UFC 315 takes place on May 10 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and is headlined by a welterweight championship clash between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena.

Alvarez has been victorious in seven of his last eight Octagon appearances, with all of those triumphs coming inside the distance. Most recently, the Spaniard scored a first-round knockout of Drakkar Klose at UFC on ESPN 63 this past December.

After winning five straight contests from June 2022 to November 2023, St. Denis has been finished in back-to-back outings by Dustin Poirier and Renato Carneiro. “God of War” has finished all 13 of his professional victories.

This new deal with @meta is going to be incredible for UFC fans pic.twitter.com/hCAYed6q4m

— danawhite (@danawhite) April 2, 2025

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Wednesday announced a multi-year partnership with information technology giant Meta.

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According to a release, the agreement will help “leverage its leading technologies to deliver unprecedented engagement with hundreds of millions of UFC fans around the world.” Some of Metas most well-known properties include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.

While Meta will collaborate with the UFC to use its technology platforms to increase fan engagement, perhaps the most interesting note is that the partnership is expected to bring about an update to the promotion’s rankings process.

“I’ve had a lot of great partners over the years that have helped us grow this sport, but Mark (Zuckerberg) and his team at Meta are going to do things that will blow away UF…

🏆 Carlos Prates picks Belal Muhammad to beat Jack Della Maddalena, thinks it won't be a hard fight:

"I would like to see [JDM] as a champ because he is a striker, but I think Belal Muhammad is going to win. It's not gonna be a hard fight."

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🎥 @Home_of_Fight & @LynchOnSports pic.twitter.com/DLrrpWmY8o — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 1, 2025

While Carlos Prates would like Jack Della Maddalena to beat Belal Muhammad, he thinks it’s highly unlikely.

Maddalena challenges Muhammad for the welterweight title in the main event at UFC 315 on May 10 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Prates notes that Maddalena’s most high-caliber win came against Gilbert Burns in a fight which the Australian was losing until the last minute. While Maddalena has finished five of his seven UFC wins, Prates points out that he went to split decisions against Kevin Holland and Bassil Hafez. Meanwhile, Prates believes Muham…

🧠😣 Nathaniel Wood speaks about his OCD and how it 'helps' in his MMA career.

But still, if he could get rid off it with a snap of finger, he would do it.

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🎥 @Home_of_Fight & @JakeNoeckerMMA pic.twitter.com/mbzkjmE0Ej — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) April 1, 2025

Nathaniel Wood would prefer not having an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), although it has seemingly helped his MMA career.

Wood has never made any secret of the fact that he has suffered from OCD and anxiety for a long time. “The Prospect” admits that while it’s a “curse” for him in general, it has been a blessing for his MMA career. Wood believes he wouldn’t have scaled the heights that he has if it was not for the days that his OCD forced him to go to the gym. However, the Englishman made it clear that he would have cured his OCD long back had he had a choice.

“In my life in general it’s a curse,” Wood told Home of Fight. “But having it is…

Fabricio Werdum won’t be taking part in the Global Fight League after all.

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Initially scheduled to face Frank Mir in a heavyweight bout under the GFL banner, Werdum revealed Tuesday on the Mundo da Luta podcast that he will no longer be fighting for the fledgling organization.

“Frank Mir was a fight that motivated me to return. After he announced his withdrawal, I also lost my motivation,” Werdum said upon returning to Florianópolis and his normal routine.

“The atmosphere in Andre Dida’s academy in Curitiba is unbelivable. It was such a great experience to return do training routine with master Rafael, Wanderlei, Dida, Brunno Hulk and Blindado, but I have to feel the same motivation to return and that was not the case when Mir (was not an option).”

Werdum last appeared at Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA 5, where he lost a split decision to former UFC opponent Junior dos Santos. The GFL on Monday officially announced the full lineups for its …

UFC 316 will feature a pair of title bouts at the top of the bill.

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In the main event, Merab Dvalishvili will defend his bantamweight crown in a rematch against Sean O'Malley, while Julianna Pena will square off against Kayla Harrison in a women’s 135-pound title tilt in the evening’s co-headliner. UFC CEO Dana White announced the bouts on Tuesday. UFC 316 takes place on June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey and airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+.

Dvalishvili will take a 12-fight winning streak into his rematch against O’Malley. “The Machine” claimed bantamweight gold with a lopsided unanimous decision win over O’Malley at UFC 306 this past September. The Georgian wrestler then made a successful defense of the belt at UFC 311, where he took a five-round verdict over the previously undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov.

O’Malley will be competing for the first time since relinquishing the bantamweight strap to Dvalishvili. “Suga” underwent …

While Carlos Prates won’t be fighting at UFC 314 as originally planned, he has received an even bigger matchup a couple weeks later.

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The Las Vegas-based promotion announced Tuesday that Prates will lock horns with Ian Garry in the new UFC Kansas City headliner on April 26. A light heavyweight bout pitting Jamahal Hill against Khalil Rountree was the card’s original main event. No reason was given as to why that fight was scrapped.

Prates, who was slated to meet Geoff Neal at UFC 314, has been victorious in his first four Octagon appearances — all by way of knockout. Most recently, The Fighting Nerds representative stopped Neil Magny in the opening stanza in the UFC Fight Night 247 headliner this past November. “The Nightmare” has won his last 11 professional outings dating back to December 2019.

Garry, meanwhile, suffered his first loss in 16 pro bouts at UFC 310, when he dropped a narrow five-round verdict to Shavkat Rakhmonov on Dec. 7. Pr…

Jessica Eye isn’t done with combat sports just yet.

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The former Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight revealed on ”The Ariel Helwani Show” that she has signed a contract to compete for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship later confirmed the deal via social media. Eye is expected to make her promotional debut on May 10 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her current deal with BKFC is for one fight.

“After a long time of negotiation, I am signing with Bareknuckle Fighting Championship. I started out boxing,” Eye said. “… They finally came financially correct and motivated me enough to be like, ‘You know what?’ Maybe these guys will take care of me in a way that I wasn’t taken care of in my UFC fights and that’s financially rewarding.”

Eye announced her retirement from MMA following a loss to Maycee Barber at UFC 276 in July 2022. That was the fourth straight defeat and fifth in six outings overall for the 38-year-old Ohio native.

Eye went 5-1…

After Alex Pereira lost to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313Alexandre Pantoja was left as the only Brazilian holding a UFC belt.

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This week, the reigning flyweight king was in Brazil for the launch of the new UFC Fight Pass documentary “Long Story Short,” which stars Pantoja and middleweight contender Caio Borralho. The launch event will be closed to the press on Wednesday in Sao Paulo.

Before heading to São Paulo, however, Pantoja stopped by his hometown of Rio de Janeiro, where he spoke with Sherdog.com about his expectations for his return to the Octagon and also about the UFC return of his great friend and training partner, Kyoji Horigushi.

“I was really happy with Kyoji’s return. When they hired Kai Asakura, I even joked that they hired the wrong Japanese guy,” revealed the champion. “Jokes aside, I am a huge fan of Kyoji and very grateful because without him I would not have won the UFC belt. I will only fight him if it is for the belt, which…

👀🔥Cory Sandhagen breaks down how he would beat Merab Dvalishvili:

"Don’t run from him, and hit him when he comes in.

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Make your movement a lot smaller because it is all that footwork that really tires people out."

🎥 @lthomasnews ▫️ pic.twitter.com/7QDAWOl3fb

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 31, 2025

Cory Sandhagen believes he sees a path to victory for Umar Nurmagomedov against Merab Dvalishvili if they were to meet again.

Dvalishvili defended his bantamweight title against Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision at UFC 311 this past January. Sandhagen believes Nurmagomedov did an excellent job of countering Dvalishvili’s wrestling. However, Sandhagen thinks the Dagestani contender would have done better to control his footwork instead of tiring himself out. Sandhagen believes standing one’s ground instead of backing up is the key to victory against a pressure fighter like Dvalishvili.

“If I was Umar …

Proud to announce BRAWLER—a new fight film coming to life 🎬🥊

Partnering with the great director Zack Snyder and UFC to tell a story of struggle, sacrifice, and the road to UFC glory

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With The Ring Magazine behind it, this is more than a movie, it’s a legacy in the making 🔥 pic.twitter.com/khLiF7lJ1V — TURKI ALALSHIKH (@Turki_alalshikh) March 31, 2025

Zach Snyder’s latest project will be a UFC-themed movie.

According to a release, Snyder will co-write and direct the film “Brawler,” a film where a young fighter emerges from “the rough streets of Los Angeles” to get a shot at a UFC championship while “battling his inner demons as he fights for redemption.” Turki Alalshikh and UFC chief content officer Craig Borsari will serve as executive producers for the film.

"I've been a fan of Zack's work for years, his unique style from his iconic action sequences to his sweeping visuals and intensely emotional storytelli…

A lack of competitive drive and a new venture into fatherhood has prompted Jared Gooden to walk away from mixed martial arts.

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The seven-time Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran announced his retirement in a video on social media.

“I want to take this time to let everybody know my time has come. I’m walking away from the sport. Thank you to everybody who’s helped me along my journey,” Gooden said. “To be honest with you guys, I just don’t have the love or the passion I had for it anymore, like I did when I was younger. I keep everything pretty private, but me and this amazing woman brought a beautiful baby girl into this world, and my focus is on her now. I’m going to hang up my gloves for now, and I can’t wait to let you guys know what I’m going to do next in life.”

Thank you So Much to Everyone! 14 Amazing Years! Time to say GoodbyeAll Luv pic.twitter.com/QCoYxjjYku

— Jared Gooden (@JGNiteTrain23) March 31, 2025…

Hello Los Angeles 😎 pic.twitter.com/uC6PEAgEfw

— Global Fight League (@mmagfl) March 31, 2025

The Global Fight League has officially announced the lineups for its first two cards.

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The promotion, which utilizes a team-based format, will hold cards on May 24 and May 25 at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. GFL 1 will be headlined by a trilogy clash between Urijah Faber and Renan Barao, while Tony Ferguson vs. Dillon Danis will top the GFL 2 lineup one day later. As it currently stands, 31 bouts featuring athletes from all six GFL teams — Los Angeles, New York, London, Dubai, Sao Paulo and Miami — will be held over the two-day period.

Broadcast details and ticket information for the events are expected to be announced in April.

“We are thrilled to bring this innovative, team-based format, featuring both MMA legends and rising stars, to the Shrine Auditorium in May,” GFL founder Darren Owen said in a release. “Th…

Vince Morales recently opened up on his loss against Raul Rosas Jr.

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Morales and Rosas Jr. met in a bantamweight clash at UFC Mexico last weekend. Morales threatened some submissions but was mostly outwrestled by “El Nino Problema” en route to a unanimous decision loss.

Morales believes he could have done better and that the altitude had a part to play in that. While Morales thinks the altitude affected Rosas Jr. as well, he admits that the 20-year-old did enough to get the win. “Vandetta” also realises that he is now at a crossroads in his career in the UFC and remains unsure of his future. Morales plans to work on his “mental block” in close fights.

“So about last night, I’m upset… Didn’t do enough. I’m OK though,” Morales said on social media. “No real damage, nose opened up again. But day in a life. He did what he needed to do. I think we were both feeling the altitude a little bit or something. I just remember feeling heavy and slow… Cou…

Ilia Topuria responds to Charles Oliveira calling his comments 'disrespectful':

"I haven't dissed [Charles], I've told the truth. He has 10 losses...

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He says [lightweight] is the toughest division there is. When he was fighting at 145, Cub Swanson beat him up." 😳

🎥… pic.twitter.com/5tTvpuWTIQ

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 30, 2025 Ilia Topuria denies being disrespectful toward Charles Oliveira.

Topuria recently vacated his featherweight title and announced a move to lightweight. While “La Leyenda” is rallying for an immediate lightweight title shot, champ Islam Makhachev isn’t willing to give him one. Perennial contender Oliveira also said that he will only consider a matchup against Topuria once the latter proves himself at lightweight.

Topuria took a dig at Oliveira’s resume in response, pointing out the Brazilian’s losses. “Do Bronx” found Topuria’s comments to be disrespectful towards the entire…

🏆 Patricio Pitbull believes that with a good performance against Yair Rodriguez he can fight for the Featherweight title next:

"He [Rodriguez] is good, he is very dynamic, but I am better. I put pressure on him, put him down and smash him."

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🇧🇷 🇬🇧 Patricio Pitbull spoke the… pic.twitter.com/VYb9gR9blp — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 30, 2025

Patricio Freire believes he’ll be in the running for a title shot if he makes a statement in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

Freire will make his promotional debut against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314 on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The former Bellator MMA featherweight champ believes a good showing against Rodriguez puts him into immediate title contention. While “Pitbull” acknowledges Rodriguez’s skill set, he believes he’s better than the perennial UFC featherweight contender.

“[Fighting] against Yair Rodriguez puts me in a great plac…

Carlo, asked if he was aware that his opponent's brother is a UFC fighter?

"Not at all, but knowing that information, I'm thankful I'm not knocked out right now. So that's good to know, and I'll definitely do a little bit more research next time." https://t.co/OJSBhsoV15

— David Alter (@dalter) March 30, 2025

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UFC fighter Mike Malott has a brother who also shares his fighting acumen.

Surging Canadian welterweight Malott has been victorious in four of his first five Octagon appearances. Meanwhile, his brother Jeff plays left wing for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings.

Jeff was engaged in a standout scrap with Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Brandon Carlo at the Crypto Arnena in Los Angeles during last Saturday’s game. The duo took the gloves off and traded heavy blows for which they were penalized. The Maple Leafs eventually beat the LA Kings 3-1.

Mike congratulated his brother on the entertaining scrap over social media.…

The Professional Fighters League middleweight tournament has lost one of its biggest names.

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The promotion announced on Sunday that Fabian Edwards has withdrawn from a first-round bout against Impa Kasanganay. Edwards will be replaced by Jordan Newman in the April 18 bout, which will serve as the main event for that card. A reason for Edwards’ exit was not given.

PFL World Tournament 3 takes place at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, and will feature first-round matchups at middleweight and lightweight. The main card airs on ESPN and ESPN+ at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ at 4:30 p.m. ET/1: 30 p.m. PT.

Fighters only get one shot! Watch the PFL World Tournament LIVE at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Newman has compiled a 7-0 career mark while competing exclusively under the Bellator MMA banner. The 29-year-old Roufusport product last appeared at Bellator Champions Series San Diego, where he outpointed Imamshafi Aliev this past…

After fighting on home soil for the first time since 2017, Brandon Moreno wants to do it again in the near future.

“Hunter [Campbell], who really knows what I deserve? I don’t know what I deserve,” Moreno said in the Octagon after taking a five-round verdict over Steve Erceg in the UFC Mexico headliner on Saturday night. “But I really believe I can move the needle and let’s go for the pay-per-view in Guadalajara. Let’s f—ing go. Let’s f—ing do it!”

Moreno hadn’t fought in his home country since August 2017, when he fell to Sergio Pettis in UFC Fight Night 114 headliner. He became the first Mexican-born champion in promotion history when he defeated Deiveson Figueiredo in a flyweight title bout at UFC 263, and he remains one of the biggest MMA stars in Mexico despite having lost the belt on two separate occasions.

“I have so many emotions, man. The first time I fought here was 2017 against Sergio Pettis. It was a main event and I lost,” Moreno said at Satu…

Kyoji Horiguchi is headed back to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The Japanese standout announced during Rizin 50 on Sunday that he is vacating his Rizin Fighting Federation flyweight belt to sign with the Las Vegas-based promotion, where he previously fought from 2013 to 2016. A date for Horiguchi’s UFC return was not revealed.

“I’m going to the UFC,” Horiguchi said. “I’m going to become the first Japanese UFC champion.”

🚨 2 BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS! 🚨

1️⃣ RIZIN Flyweight Champion, Kyoji Horiguchi, will vacate the title and go to the UFC.

(continued) pic.twitter.com/irhoyQZmmQ

— RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) March 30, 2025

Horiguchi went 7-1 during his UFC tenure, with his only loss coming in a flyweight title bout against then champion Demetrious Johnson in April 2015. The 34-year-old American Top Team representative has gone 14-1 with one no contest under the Rizin banner, earning notable victories over the likes of Manel…

AND STILL!

A close fight, but Naoki Inoue is still your RIZIN Bantamweight Champion!

[ #RIZIN50 | https://t.co/SJYljaZ7L1 ] pic.twitter.com/HTu2J2B7pE — RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) March 30, 2025

Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight champion Naoki Inoue retained his title with a hard-fought victory against a familiar foe tonight in the main event of Rizin 50 in Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan. Inoue weathered a shaky final round and earned a split-decision win against challenger Yuki Motoya in a rematch from December 2020.

Inoue (19-4, 9-2 Rizin) needed only three minutes to submit Motoya (37-12, 1 NC; 12-8, 1 NC Rizin) when the pair first faced off at Rizin 26, but he had a much tougher fight on his hands against the veteran on Sunday. The first round was a good one for Inoue, who established his jab right away and used it to set up straight right hands that stifled Motoya’s movement and offense. Motoya took Inoue down with just over a minute…

Ilia Topuria claims the UFC has promised him a title fight next.

Topuria won the featherweight title by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 last year and defended it with a knockout over Max Holloway at UFC 308. “La Layenda” has since been contemplating a move to lightweight, which came to fruition last month.

While Topuria vacated his featherweight strap, his next matchup at lightweight is yet to be announced. Although the undefeated superstar has already proclaimed himself the lightweight king, champ Islam Makhachev is loathe to give him an immediate title shot. Even former champ and perennial contender Charles Oliveira is unwilling to fight Topuria before he proves himself at 155 pounds.

However, Topuria claims to have been promised a title fight next when he vacated his 145-pound belt.

“I’m not entirely sure what my next fight will be,” Topuria said during a recent press conference. “The only thing I’m sure of is that the UFC’s word is…

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Sean Brady isn’t even amused by the idea of a matchup against Colby Covington.

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Brady submitted former champ Leon Edwards in the main event at UFC London earlier this month. Covington subsequently called Brady an easy matchup, offering to derail his hype train. However, Brady seemingly isn’t even taking “Chaos” seriously. The Philadelphia native dismissed the idea of a matchup against Covington, claiming he would “kill” the former interim champ. Brady noted that he recently dominated “Rocky,” who has already beat Covington.

“Leon’s took you down multiple times. Beat the s—t out of you,” Brady said on the Brady Bagz Show. “Did you see what I just did to Leon? What would I do to you bro? I would f---ing kill him. He’s not even getting anyone in the Top 15. He might not even have a f---ing job. When was the last time that you won a fight? You f---ing suck. Colby you’re a p---y. How you get punched on by [Jorge] Masvidal in public and …