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🏆 Bo Nickal gives the edge to Khamzat Chimaev in a title fight against Dricus Du Plessis:

"I think the striking is pretty even. Khamzat has obviously massive advantage in grappling.

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You just don't get strong grapplers like that competing. Dricus is not gonna have a gameplan… pic.twitter.com/A2nN53YvGf — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 27, 2025

Bo Nickal favors Khamzat Chimaev in a potential clash against Dricus Du Plessis.

Chimaev is likely to be the next title challenger at middleweight against Du Plessis. Nickal believes they are both even on the feet, while the champ might even have better cardio. However, Nickal believes it is Chimaev’s wrestling prowess that will give him an edge of “Stillknocks.”

Nickal claims that nothing can prepare Du Plessis for the skillset that “Borz” brings to the table. The former three-time NCAA Division I champ believes on he is on the same level as Chimaev when it comes…

First to the scale 💪

Brandon Moreno weighs in at 125 pounds ahead of tomorrow's #UFCMexico main event! pic.twitter.com/JftZLOAOmK

— UFC (@ufc) March 28, 2025 The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns south of the border with 13 fights that are now official following the UFC Mexico weigh-in results.

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Headlining the event is a flyweight main event featuring former titleholder Brandon Moreno going up against Steve Erceg. Both men successfully made weight for the fight, which could have major implications for the division moving forward. As for the rest of the card, the only fighter to miss weight was Ronaldo Rodriguez, who came in a pound over the flyweight limit for his fight against Kevin Borjas. As a result, Rodriguez will be fined 20% of his purse.

Moreno (22-8-2) got back into the win column in his last outing after winning a unanimous decision over Amir Albazi. Prior to the win, "The Assassin Baby" had lost his t…

Just like that, the Bader era for Bellator MMA and the Professional Fighters League is over.

On Wednesday, Ariel Helwani reported that Ryan Bader had parted ways with his organization, despite the heavyweight having one more fight on his deal. The departure was amicable, and Bader will now become a free agent. He confirmed this news on social media on Thursday, thanking both organizations for his time with them while pitching his upcoming film “The Smashing Machine.”

“Just an update…officially a free agent,” Bader wrote. “PFL and our team came up with terms we were both happy agreeing on with one fight remaining on contract. The Bellator run was one for the books. What a blast, and being surrounded by great people running that org. I’m still open to different opportunities in the fight game. The Smashing Machine movie will be released somewhat soon and it will be an exciting year for sure. Big thanks to [Bellator matchmaker] Mike Kogan for always treating the fight…

[embedded content] Gilbert Burns plans on digging deep into his bag of tricks to eject Michael Morales from the ranks of the unbeaten.

While Burns (22-8) enters his match with Morales (17-0) on a three-fight skid, the vaunted grappler still remains a ranked welterweight. The two 170ers plan on crossing swords at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, as part of UFC 315 on May 10. The 38-year-old told Sherdog that he has shaken some issues that plagued him in recent camps, and that his training partners have made him a more complete fighter as of late. He also weighed in on the landscape of his division and gave his thoughts on a few key matchups the Ultimate Fighting Championship is planning.

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“I had some problems in the previous camps,” Burns admitted, “but now, I’m doing very well, and there are still six weeks until the fight. He has a [two-meter, or 79-inch] reach, and in my gym, I have a lot of sparring partners helping me with similar characteris…

𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙄𝙎… 𝙒𝙀’𝙍𝙀 𝘽𝘼𝘾𝙆 𝘼𝙂𝘼𝙄𝙉! 🇫🇷

The PFL returns to Paris for the fourth time on Saturday 24th May, with a STACKED card planned for the French fans!

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Mansour Barnaoui meets the undefeated American standout Archie Colgan in a high stakes lightweight matchup, with… pic.twitter.com/EqtncKYb1x — PFL Europe (@PFLEurope) March 27, 2025 The Professional Fighters League has officially started populating its return to France this May.

At PFL Europe 2, which will take place at the Accor Arena in Paris on May 24, the organization has announced a pair of non-tournament tilts to take place on the billing. The bout order is still in flux, given that this event will also contain the league’s bantamweight bracket of four fights plus an alternate match at least. A key encounter on the billing sees Paris native Mansour Barnaoui (22-6) take on Archie Colgan (11-0) in a lightweight matchup outside of tournament parameters.

The well-trave…

A flyweight clash pitting Joshua Van against Bruno Silva has been rescheduled for UFC 316.

Marcel Dorff was first to report the pairing. Van and Silva were intially slated to meet at UFC 313 on March 8 before Silva withdrew from the event due to injury. UFC 316 takes place on June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. A headliner has not been announced for the card.

Van remained on the UFC 313 card, where he defeated replacement foe Rei Tsuruya via unanimous decision. The 23-year-old Myanmar native has been victorious in six of his seven Octagon appearances overall, with his only defeat coming to Charles Johnson in July 2024.

Silva, meanwhile, had a four-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he fell to Manel Kape via third-round TKO at UFC Tampa. “Bulldog” had finished all four of his previous UFC opponents inside the distance.

今日の会見で追加のワンマッチも4試合発表させていただきました！どのカードも、男祭りに相応しいド派手な闘いが繰り広げられると思いますよ！何れにしても今週末のRISEさんの大会とRIZIN香川大会の試合の結果も踏まえて、未来の相手と、更なる追加の対戦カードをマッチアップします！… https://t.co/aqpjhUvcwW pic.twitter.com/Non1oW40Qs

— 榊󠄀原信行 Nobuyuki Sakakibara (@nobu_sakakibara) March 26, 2025

Several new bouts have been announced for Rizin Fighting Federation’s upcoming event on May 4.

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At flyweight, current BKFC champ and former UFC title challenger John Dodson will lock horns with Takaki Soya, while outspoken Bellator MMA veteran Danny Sabatello will face Shinobu Ota at bantamweight.

Rizin "Otoko Matsuri" takes place at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo and features a featherweight title tilt pitting Kleber Koike Erbst against Rajababil Shaidullaev. The event will also include a heavyweight grand prix.

A handful of other bouts have b…

PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE LLEGA A FOX SPORTS 🔥

*La PFL iniciará el jueves 3 de abril con la Primera Ronda de PFL World Tournament 2025...

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👇MÁS DETALLES👇https://t.co/XdcfDudFC3 — FOX Sports MX (@FOXSportsMX) March 26, 2025

Fight fans South of the Border will now be able to get their Professional Fighters League fix in Spanish.

The PFL on Wednesday announced a multi-year broadcast partnership with Fox Sports Mexico to air all of the organization’s franchises: PFL World Tournament, Champions Series, PFL Europe, PFL MENA, PFL Africa and the PFL fight library. Fox Sports Mexico will also carry PFL programming such as pre- and post-fight shows, press conferences and weigh-ins. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. All content will be broadcast in Spanish.

Fox Sports Mexico airs a variety sporting events including soccer, NFL, MLB, UFC and Formula 1 racing. According to PFL CEO Peter Murray, the agreement could…

Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC Credit: Getty/UFC

Former Alex Pereira rival Artem Vakhitov isn’t going to join the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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Vakhitov is among the few men in the world who can boast a victory over Pereira. The Russian beat “Poatan” via majority decision under the Glory kickboxing banner in 2021, avenging a split-decision loss from earlier that year.

Following in Pereira’s footsteps, Vakhitov transitioned to MMA in 2023 and earned a UFC contract with a first round knockout on Dana White's Contender Series last year. However, Vakhitov the rare fighter who is going to pass on his contract from the Contender Series. Vakhitov revealed that the UFC has a standard pay structure for all contracts earned through the Contender Series. While Vakhitov understands the UFC’s strictness with protocols, he couldn’t turn down a much more lucrative contract that Glory offered. The former champ is now going to fight he…

Charles Oliveira believes Ilia Topuria needs a lesson in humility.

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Topuria recently vacated his featherweight title and announced a move up to lightweight. While “La Leyenda” has always exuded confidence, he has never failed to back it up with action. Topuria continues the same with his lightweight move, recently proclaiming himself the champion of the division.

Since Topuria might not get an immediate title shot at 155 pounds, the Georgian-Spaniard’s name has been linked to a potential matchup against former champ Oliveira. However, “do Bronx” made clear that he isn’t willing to fight Topuria until he has proved himself at lightweight.

Topuria was recently honored in Spain with a street being named after him. Topuria was also asked about Oliveira’s comments and if he would take a walk with the Brazilian on the newly-named street.

“Actually yes, to give him a bit of culture and teach him something,” Topuria said. “I’m sure I would, because it…

👀🔥Kamaru Usman names ideal opponents for his return fight

"If I had to pick in order I would say Brady, Shavkat and Buckley. That what makes sense."

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🎥 @pound4poundshow ▫️ pic.twitter.com/mqImUypRnh — Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) March 25, 2025

Kamaru Usman recently listed potential opponents in order of preference for his next fight.

Usman would like to fight either Sean Brady, Shavkat Rakhmonov or Joaquin Buckley when he returns to action. Usman’s first preference would be Brady, who submitted Leon Edwards at UFC London last weekend. While Usman doubts Brady will be able to get past him, “The Nigerian Nightmare” believes the Philadelphia native’s title shot will be undeniable if he does.

“Honestly, what would make sense would be – If I had to pick the order, I would say Brady, Shavkat, Buckley,” Usman recently said on the “Pound4Pound” podcast. “That’s what makes sense. Because, winner of Brady and I, we …

Magomed Ankalaev is willing to defend his title against absolutely anyone.

Ankalaev dethroned Alex Pereira via unanimous decision at UFC 313 earlier this month. However, color commentator Joe Rogan recently noted that Pereira’s team claimed that he was not 100% going into the fight. “Poatan” allegedly had nororvirus and a broken hand.

While Ankalaev believes no fighter goes into a fight 100%, he is willing to give Pereira another shot. The Russian claims to have already accepted a rematch against Pereira in August. However, Ankalaev is willing to defend the light heavyweight throne against anyone if Pereira isn’t ready in August.

“Joe Rogan mentioned his team said that Alex fought with a broken hand and Norovirus. When fighters step in the cage nobody is 100%,” Ankalaev wrote on X. “I was offered a rematch with him in August and I said yes, but if he is not ready I will fight whoever is next. It doesn’t matter.”

Joe Rogan mention…

Jan Blachowicz’s Octagon return didn’t end in victory, but there were at least some observers who thought the Polish light heavyweight deserved the nod on the scorecards.

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After being sidelined for nearly 20 months due to multiple shoulder surgeries, Blachowicz dropped a closely-contested unanimous decision to Carlos Ulberg in the UFC London co-headliner this past Saturday. Four of the 12 unofficial media scorecards tracked by MMADecisions.com saw the contest in favor of Blachowicz. While Ulberg held a 75-to-59 advantage in significant strikes landed, his favored offense in the fight was leg kicks, where he outlanded his foe 50 to 32.

Blachowicz reacted to the ruling in a recent post on his Instagram account.

“More controversy on the record, as it turns out the approach to significant strikes doesn’t align with the actual meaning,” Blachowicz wrote. “I’ll leave the verdict for discussion. What happened in the stands after the announcement, and w…

Two UFC veterans at the center of a gambling scandal involving Glory MMA & Fitness coach James Krause have been officially suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

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During an NSAC meeting on Tuesday, Darrick Minner was suspended for 29 months and fined $235.56 in prosecution fees for failing to disclose a knee injury he suffered prior to a bout against Nuerdanbieke Shayilan at UFC Fight Night 214 on Nov. 5, 2022. The suspension is retroactive to that date, so Minner will be eligible to return on March 26.

Jeff Molina, meanwhile was suspended for 36 months and must pay $232.56 in prosecution fees for failing to inform the commission of his Minner’s injury and then placing a significant bet on his teammate’s fight. Molina’s suspension, which is also retroactive to the date of the Minner fight, will end on Nov. 5.

Minner was released from the UFC shortly after the loss to Shayilan and has not fought since then. Molina had been susp…

A women’s flyweight bout pitting Erin Blanchfield against Maycee Barber will serve as the main event for an Ultimate Fighting Championship card on May 31.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the pairing on Tuesday. The UFC Fight Night event is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, though a location and venue have not been officially confirmed. Blanchfield and Barber were initially slated to meet in December 2021 before Barber withdrew from the contest.

Blanchfield has been victorious in seven of her first eight Octagon appearances, with her lone defeat coming at the hands of top contender Manon Fiorot at UFC on ESPN 54 in March 2024. “Cold Blooded” rebounded from that loss in her most recent outing, when she took a five-round verdict over Rose Namajunas at UFC Edmonton this past November. The New Jersey native owns other notable triumphs over the likes of Taila Santos, Jessica Andrade and Molly McCann.

Barber is in the midst of a six-fi…

Ilia Topuria hinted that a change in moniker would accompany his move to a new weight class. Now that update has become a reality.

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“‘El Matador’ has been my ally in every fight,” Topuria recently wrote on X. “But next time, I’ll step into the Octagon with a new identity.’”

During an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Topuria revealed that his new nickname will be “La Leyenda,” which translates to “The Legend” in English. Topuria was attending a ceremony in Toledo, Spain, where a street was named in his honor.

“‘El Matador’ is something that has accompanied me throughout my entire sporting career, throughout my entire trajectory, and it’s something that’s led me to the new nickname,” Topuria said. “It’s always what I say: You need to believe. You need to see to believe. I believe it first, and then I see it. So the nickname that will accompany me in my next fights is going to be ‘La Leyenda.’”

Topuria began his UFC tenure with eight consec…

Sean Brady goes OFF on ‘salty’ Leon Edwards 😬

“Personally, f*** Leon. F*** him and his whole team. That's how I feel about the whole situation.

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He's just salty... I wish I was even f***ing meaner to this dude.”

🎥 @arielhelwani #UFC #MMA

pic.twitter.com/MUCUjYqqep — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 24, 2025

Sean Brady didn’t like Leon Edwards’ attitude before and after their UFC London fight.

Brady and Edwards headlined UFC Fight Night 255 at the O2 Arena in London last weekend. Brady mostly ragdolled Edwards before submitting the Englishman in front of his home fans in the fourth round.

Brady recently revealed that he didn’t appreciate Edwards’ behavior in the lead-up to the fight. Brady claims Edwards initially made fun of his height during their first face off, which he took in good humor. However, he didn’t like Edwards’ team chiming in shortly thereafter. While Brady is not one talk much trash…

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Vince Morales (16-9) is working among the best bantamweights in the world leading up to his fight against Raul Rosas Jr. (10-1).

Morales will be looking for his fourth UFC win as he takes on Rosas Jr. at UFC Mexico City at the Arena CDMX on Saturday. “Vandetta” is currently training in Las Vegas under the tutelage of John Wood at Syndicate MMA, which is also home to current bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili. While former champ Aljamain Sterling also shows up intermittently, Morales’ cousin, UFC bantamweight veteran Ricky Simon, will be cornering him in his upcoming fight. Morales believes he is getting better by the day in the star-studded camp and plans to exhibit that come fight night.

“Literally, I got the bantamweight champion in the room,” Morales told Home of Fight. “I’m getting countless rounds on him. Aljo comes through, I’m getting rounds on him. I got my cousin Ricky Simon that came through, he’s going out there with me as part o…

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Roman Dolidze prefers Israel Adesanya over Robert Whittaker as a potential opponent.

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Dolidze scored a unanimous decision over Marvin Vettori in the UFC Vegas 104 headliner earlier this month. “The Caucasian” subsequently called out Whittaker, who has since turned down the matchup, saying he has nothing to gain from it. “Bobby Knuckles” also called the bout between Dolidze and Vettori a bar fight.

Dolidze believes Whittaker isn’t in a position to talk in that manner while noting that the former champion has been finished multiple times in his career.

“This is a talking guy who got knocked out a couple of times and he got destroyed in his last fight… You’re speaking too loud,” Dolidze told Home of Fight. “You need to prove that you’re so tough… Too loud for him to speak like that. We already saw what he is capable to do and how many times he was stopped, he tapped.”

Considering Whittaker’s reluctance to accept a fight a…

After a memorable walkout, Alexia Thainara secured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus by submitting Molly McCann in the first round of her Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

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A training partner of popular Octagon veteran Amanda Ribas, Thainara was joyful after winning at UFC London on just seven days’ notice.

“The first time I traveled out of Brazil was when Amanda fought [Rose] Namajunas. I still can't believe that my second trip abroad was to fight on a main card in London,” Thainara told Sherdog.com. “Maybe Molly thought she would get a beginner not ready to brawl, but I train at Ribas Family. We have more than 30 tough girls training there, and Amanda Ribas is ranked in two divisions.”

Thainara took an interest in martial arts at an early age, but those pursuits weren’t always well received in her family.

“I started capoeira when I was 8 years old. When I was 15 I fell in love with jiu-jitsu, but as my mother didn't like it, I …

🚨 Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez is entering the court room to receive his sentence for attempted murder.

He already plead no contest.

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Prosecutors asked for 25 years to life. Defense asked for no prison time. pic.twitter.com/vvG06F0cT3 — Combat Casuals (@Combat_Casuals) March 24, 2025

Former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was sentenced to five years in prison during a hearing at the Santa Clara County Hall of Justice in San Jose, California, on Monday, according to a report from NBC Sports Bay Area.

Velasquez was present in court Monday 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 a…

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Heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk’s main focus is a rematch against Daniel Dubois, but he is keeping his options open beyond that.

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“Dubois is our priority, because he has the belt,” said childhood friend and Team Usyk member Sergey Lapin in an interview with OLBG. “We are waiting for the date of the fight with Dubois. We assume it will take place in Riyadh or London, one of the world capitals of boxing and Usyk will once again prove that he is the best fighter of our generation.”

Widely regarded as one of the top pound-for-pound boxers in the world, Usyk currently holds heavyweight titles with the IBO, WBC and WBO sanctioning bodies. The 38-year-old Ukrainian owns a 23-0 career record in the Sweet Science and is coming off back-to-back triumphs over Tyson Fury. He previously defeated Daniel Dubois via ninth-round knockout in August 2023. Dubois currently holds the IBF heavyweight crown.

What might interest combat spor…

Tom Aspinall was in attendance when Sean Brady submitted Leon Edwards at UFC London.

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Edwards and Brady headlined the card at the O2 Arena in London this past weekend. Brady was all over Edwards throughout their fight en route to a fourth-round guillotine submission victory. Aspinall recorded his reaction to the fight right in the moments leading up to the submission.

Aspinall and Edwards are friends after having honed their skills on the English MMA scene. While Aspinall was sad to see “Rocky” get dominated, he couldn’t help but acknowledge Brady’s elite skillset. Like a large number of fans, “Honey Badger” also felt like leaving the venue as Edwards was submitted. For Aspinall, the fight played out very similar to Edwards’s unanimous decision title loss against Belal Muhammad at UFC 304 last year.

“[Leon’s] on his back again, half guard again. This is Sean Brady’s bread and butter, man. This is Sean Brady 101,” Aspinall said. “Bad, really …

Mayra Bueno Silva has seemingly given up on her flyweight title aspirations.

While Silva started herUltimate Fighting Championship career at flyweight, she soon moved up to bantamweight, where she had a lot of success. However, “Sheetara” dropped backed to flyweight for her last outing against Jasmine Jasudavicius this past February. Silva suffered a unanimous decision loss against the Canadian at UFC Saudi Arabia, which put her on a three-fight slump.

Silva revealed that the UFC advised her against moving down to flyweight for her last outing. Having failed to deliver the show she had promised, Silva has now decided to move back to 135 pounds for good. The Brazilian has already called for a matchup against Irene Aldana, who is seemingly down with an injury at the moment. Silva hopes to trade leather against Aldana at Noche UFC in September or sometime later this year.

“I have a dream [of] fighting flyweight for the belt but it’s not for me… I’m back at my…