Blog

Aspen Ladd has firsthand experience with Kayla Harrison inside the cage, so she wasn’t surprised when the two-time Olympic gold medalist enjoyed a dominant Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

Advertisement

While Ladd went the distance in a unanimous decision loss to Harrison in a 150-pound catchweight bout at the 2023 PFL Championships, Holly Holm had a much rougher night, as she absorbed a beating from Harrison en route to a second-round submission defeat at UFC 300 on April 13. Making the victory more impressive was the fact that the two-time Professional Fighters League lightweight champion successfully made the cut to 135 pounds for the first time without issue.

Ladd, who will meet Katerina Shakalova at Bellator Champions Series Paris on Friday, expected Harrison to be successful in her first Octagon forway.

“Kayla Harrison did exactly what I thought she was gonna do, especially when I heard the matchup. Obviously people think that’s a tough fight, …

A pivotal strawweight clash pitting Virna Jandiroba against Amanda Lemos has been booked for the UFC’s July 20 card.

Jandiroba confirmed the pairing on social media following an initial report from MMA Melotto. UFC Fight Night is expected to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and also includes a women’s flyweight showdown between Tracy Cortez and Miranda Maverick and a middleweight scrap between Brad Tavares and Jung Yong Park. A headliner has not been confirmed for the event.

A former Invicta FC champion, Jandiroba has been victorious in her last three Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 35-year-old Brazilian outpointed Lupita Godinez at UFC on ESPN 54 on March 30. She has also earned decision wins over Marina Rodriguez and Angela Hill during her current winning streak.

After coming up short in a 115-pound title bid against Weili Zhang at UFC 292 last August, Lemos returned to the win column in her last outing, as she took a unanimous verdict aga…

City of Love, we're coming BACK! 👊

See you in September! #UFCParis

Advertisement

More information: https://t.co/WvN9Cd6bHr pic.twitter.com/0v2hRRhu5Y — UFC (@ufc) May 14, 2024

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is set to return to Paris this fall.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Tuesday that it will hold an event at Accor Arena in Paris on Sept. 28. This will be the third consecutive year that the UFC will travel to France. No bouts were announced for the card.

“We are returning to Paris for the third straight year,” said UFC CEO Dana White in a release. This is another one of those destinations that I would have to tell fans if you’ve never been to a fight in Paris, you should probably order your tickets now. See you there in September!”

The promotion made its inaugural trip to Paris on Sept. 3, 2022 for UFC Fight Night 209. In the main event, Ciryl Gane defeated Tai Tuivasa via third-round TKO, while …

Tracy Cortez will meet Miranda Maverick in a flyweight bout at a UFC Fight Night event in July.

Cortez (11-1) and Maverick (13-5) will trade leather on a UFC Fight Night card scheduled for July 20 at the promotion’s Apex in Las Vegas. The matchup was confirmed by both competitors on their social media accounts.

Cortez hasn’t lost a fight since her pro debut in August 2017 and is undefeated in five promotional outings — all decision wins. In her most recent clash, the 30-year-old earned a unanimous decision win over Canadian standout Jasmine Jasudavicius at Noche UFC in September 2023.

Meanwhile, Maverick is riding a two-fight win streak that saw her bounce back from a unanimous decision loss against Jasudavicius. Maverick will enter the Octagon fresh off a unanimous decision win over Andrea Lee in her most recent outing at UFC 298 this past February.

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

Ramiz Brahimaj’s recovery from a grievous spinal injury is truly inspirational.

Advertisement

Brahimaj hasn’t competed since a first-round submission win over Michael Gilmore in February 2022. Brahimaj was scheduled to fight Carlston Harris in February 2023 but was forced out due to a neck injury. The 31-year-old is now finally slated to return to action against Themba Gorimbo at UFC Fight Night 241 on Saturday. Brahimaj recently detailed his injury in an interview with MMAMania.com.

“I had a brachial plexus injury and an injury to my C-5 from spinal stenosis and disc injuries. It set me back a lot, man. I dealt with a lot of different things, and it’s pretty messy when that stuff happens. So, for about two to three months, I really had limited function and ability in my arm, and it kept happening. So, it sucked, but I’m here, I’m happy.”

Brahimaj suffered the injury during wrestling drills. While most…

Colby Covington is frequently shifting focus when it comes to deciding his next potential opponent.

Advertisement

Covington is seemingly not interested in a fight against welterweight up-and-comer Ian Garry, who has been calling “Chaos” out for a considerable amount of time now. The former interim champ has instead called out Belal Muhammad, who is expected to be next in line for a 170-pound title shot.

Covington argued against Muhammad’s case for a title shot, citing “Remember the Name’s” inactivity since a lopsided decision win over Gilbert Burns in May 2023.

“I would like [to fight] Belal; he's talked a lot of smack…He’s out there saying that I only got my title shot cause of [Dana] White privilege… Now he's squatting on his ranking, guys; he should have to come out and fight,” Covington recently told Submission Radio. “I think we should fight; I think that’s the fight that should be next. He doesn’t deserve a title fight, guys. How long’s he sat out? H…

Seasoned middleweights Brad Tavares and Jun Yong Park are slated to trade leather in July.

Tavares (20-9) and Park (17-6) will meet at UFC Fight Night on July 20 at the promotion’s Apex facility in Las Vegas. The matchup was first announced by Park’s representatives, First Round Management Asia, on social media.

Tavares is currently 1-3 in his last four and will enter the Octagon fresh off a technical knockout loss to Gregory Rodrigues in February. Tavares will make his 25th UFC appearance against Park.

Meanwhile, Park is coming off a controversial split-decision loss to Andre Muniz in February that snapped a four-fight winning streak that included three submissions. Prior to that, “The Iron Turtle” suffered a Round 2 knockout loss against the aforementioned Rodrigues in 2021.

There has been some reshuffling among recent bookings in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s flyweight division.

Advertisement

As a result of those changes, Alex Perez will now square off against Tatsuro Taira in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card on June 15. Perez was originally scheduled to face Tagir Ulanbekov at the event, while Taira was supposed to face Joshua Van at UFC 302 on June 1. Now, Ulanbekov and Van will lock horns on June 15. Multiple outlets confirmed the new 125-pound pairings following an initial report from Marcel Dorff.

Perez snapped a three-bout skid in his last outing, as he knocked out Matheus Nicolau in the second round of the UFC on ESPN 55 headliner. The former title challenger is 7-4 during his stint with the Las Vegas-based promotion.

The 24-year-old Taira has kicked off his Octagon tenure with five consecutive triumphs to raise his overall professional mark to 15-0. The Okinawa, Japan, native capped off a 3-0 campaign …

A women’s flyweight bout with No. 1 contender implications has been targeted to headline an Ultimate Fighting Championship event on July 13.

Former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas is expected to face Maycee Barber in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card in Denver. Multiple outlets confirmed that the bout is in the works following an initial report from Ariel Helwani. A venue for the event has not been announced.

Namajunas is 1-1 since moving to 125 pounds following a successful stint at strawweight that included two title reigns. After dropping a unanimous verdict against Manon Fiorot in her flyweight debut at UFC Fight Night 226, “Thug” Rose rebounded with a five-round decision triumph over Amanda Ribas in her last outing in the UFC on ESPN 53 main event.

Barber, meanwhile, enters the matchup on a six-bout winning streak within the Las Vegas-based promotion. The 25-year-old Dana White's Contender Series alum earned her most significant victory t…

🚨 We're very excited to announce that one of the most exciting young fighters in the game, #TeamIridium beast @JaySquabbles (8-1), is taking his talents to the @PFLMMA cage ✍🏾 #TheDarkside pic.twitter.com/5fuJidi5iZ

— IridiumSportsAgency (@TeamIridiumISA) May 13, 2024

Cage Fury Fighting Championships featherweight king Jose Perez is taking his talents to Professional Fighters League.

Advertisement

Perez’s management, Iridium Sports Agency, announced the signing on Monday, and Sherdog.com later confirmed the news with PFL officials. According to the event page of PFL broadcast partner ESPN, Perez is slated to face Tyler Diamond at PFL 6 on June 28.

The 29-year-old Perez has compiled an 8-1 mark as a professional, with all but one of his appearances coming under the CFFC banner. He last appeared at CFFC 123 this past September, when he took a unanimous decision against Chris Vasil. Perez has earned four of his career triumphs via …

Ryan Bader won’t be in action for at least a few more months after joining the cast of "The Smashing Machine.”

Advertisement

The Bellator MMA heavyweight champion recently announced on social media that he has landed a role in the biopic on UFC and Pride Fighting Championships veteran Mark Kerr, who will be played by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

“Putting the MMA game on pause a bit as I head to Vancouver for about three months,” Bader wrote on Instagram. “Excited to be part of an amazing project by [director] Benny Safdie. Giving ode to a couple legends of the sport, Mark Kerr and Mark Coleman. The highs and lows that come with this crazy ass sport.”

Produced by A24, “The Smashing Machine” will also star Emily Blunt and is expected to be released sometime in 2025. It is currently unknown exactly what role Bader will play in the film, which is based on a 2002 documentary of the same name. According to imdb.com, the movie will be “based on the true events su…

UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. LouisCredit: Getty/UFC UFC St. Lou…

The UFC Apex has been a staple of the Las Vegas-based promotion’s calendar since the COVID-19 pandemic.

While those events were born out of necessity early on, the Apex shows haven’t gone anywhere even with pandemic restrictions being lifted in recent years. The atmosphere at the UFC’s home facility is lacking compared to cards in various cities, which was once again evident during UFC on ESPN 56 in St. Louis on Saturday night.

Advertisement

According to UFC CEO Dana White, the event gate of $2.47 million was a Fight Night record, surpassing the previous mark set for a card in Austin, Texas, this past December, and those in attendance at the Enterprise Center gave it a big-fight feel — particularly when hometown favorites such as Joaquin Buckley, Sean Woodson and Charles Johnson were in action.

“Even if you were watching on ESPN, I’m sure you guys were getting texts too. They’re like, ‘Jesus Christ, it’s like a pay-per-view there right now.’ And when you think a…

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗗𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗜𝗦 𝗦𝗘𝗧 💰🏆

Get ready for the 2024 #PFLPlayoffs 🔜

Advertisement

For more information 👇🔗https://t.co/eCMG4faqPw pic.twitter.com/fg4uduzfup — PFL (@PFLMMA) May 13, 2024

The Professional Fighters League playoffs are on the horizon.

The organization on Monday announced the dates and locations for its three postseason events. Heavyweights and women’s flyweights are set for Aug. 2 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee; light heavyweights and lightweights will be in action at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida on Aug. 16 and welterweights and featherweights will take center stage at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 23.

“PFL playoff action is second to none, with the best athletes in the sport vying for a chance to continue their million-dollar championship journeys,” said PFL CEO Peter Murray in a release. “The PFL is excited to bring the 2024 PFL global season playoff…

[embedded content]

Bryce Mitchell and Sean Woodson are seemingly on a collision course to meet in the Octagon.

Advertisement

Woodson recently put on a striking masterclass to earn a unanimous decision win over featherweight veteran Alex Caceres at UFC on ESPN 56. “The Sniper” subsequently called out Mitchell in his post-fight Octagon interview.

“I just beat a Top 15-ranked guy,” Woodson said. “He wasn’t [Top] 15 right now, but when we signed the fight he was Top 15. I feel like I should be Top 15 next. Next I want Bryce Mitchell. I want No. 10, then I want No. 5 and then I want a title shot.”

Mitchell took almost no time in accepting the challenge in a video uploaded to social media.

“When and where, dude? When and where? I’m sitting here watching this s—t,” Mitchell said. “I’m ready. I need some money. I’m ready to fight you. Tell me where.”

Woodson hasn’t lost in has last six UFC outings since falling to Julian Erosa in 2020. His current winn…

Sharabutdin Magomedov blames Michel Pereira for disrupting his upcoming fight.

Advertisement

Magomedov was originally scheduled to fight Ihor Potieria at UFC Saudi Arabia on June 22. However, Potieria replaced an injured Makhmud Muradov against Michel Pereira at UFC 301 on May 4. Potieria was submitted by Pereira in under a minute, which also resulted in a medical suspension for the Ukrainian middleweight until August.

The fight was not without controversy, as Pereira came dangerously close to landing an illegal knee against his opponent after he backflipped into top position. After a review, it was determined that Pereira did not commit a foul in that moment. However, “The Duelist” has since protested the outcome.

“Hey everyone… Friends, thank you very much for your support, I appreciate it and am very grateful to you. I’m also very grateful to the haters for not forgetting and supporting me as much as possible, I appreciate that too. It’s a shame that I c…

Dustin Poirier doesn’t miss the opportunity to jump a guillotine, something coach Mike Brown knows all too well.

Advertisement

Poirier is infamous for attempting the guillotine choke, even though it lands him in a compromised bottom position more often than not. Most recently, “The Diamond” repeatedly jumped the guillotine without any success against Benoit St. Denis at UFC 299 in March, even though his corner advised him against it.

Brown, Poirier’s coach at American Top Team, recently revealed what transpired in their corner in between the rounds during that bout. According to Brown, Poirier blatantly ignored his corner’s advice to avoid the guillotine and went on to attempt another immediately afterward.

“They actually didn’t play it in between the rounds, after the first round I said, ‘No more guillotines,’ and then they switched to the other corner,” Poirier told MMAFighting.com. “But right after I said that, Dustin said, ‘No, but I can hit it! I can h…

A heavyweight clash pitting Andrei Arlovski against Martin Buday will take place two weeks later than originally expected.

Advertisement

The bout, which was slated for UFC Fight Night on June 15, has been moved to UFC 303 on June 29 for undisclosed reasons. Buday announced the shift on social media, and it has been confirmed by multiple outlets. The heavyweight combatants will now have a considerably larger stage for their bout, as UFC 303 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight scrap between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler.

The matchup with Buday will mark Arlovski’s 42nd Octagon appearance — the second most in UFC history behind Jim Miller. After winning four straight contests from April 2021 to April 2022, the 45-year-old Belarusian has dropped his last three promotional outings. Most recently, “The Pit Bull” suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC Fight Night 234 on Jan. 13.

A win…

Derrick Lewis got the job done against Rodrigo Nascimento a little earlier than he anticipated in the UFC on ESPN 56 main event.

Advertisement

After engaging his Brazilian opponent in the clinch in the first two rounds, “The Black Beast” shifted gears in the third stanza, flooring Nascimento with an overhand right and pounding away with follow-up punches until the bout was halted at the 49-second mark.

“I was really waiting for the fifth round then explode on him, but the opportunity was there,” Lewis said at the post-fight press conference. “He didn’t let me catch my breath, so that’s why I had to finish him. I was trying to catch my breath, then wait it out.”

In the aftermath of his latest victory, Lewis removed his fight shorts and threw his cup at press row. He also briefly mooned the crowd at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. It’s all in a day’s work for the popular heavyweight, though there was a playful message behind the cup toss.

“You know, beca…

Joaquin Buckley gave his best effort to get a finish against Nursulton Ruziboev in the third round of the UFC on ESPN 56 co-main event, but it wasn’t meant to be.

Advertisement

Despite a dominant third round where Buckley dropped his foe and outlanded him by a 64-to-16 count in significant strikes, Ruziboev was able to make it to the final horn. Still, there was no doubt about the final verdict, as “New Mansa” emerged with a clear-cut unanimous decision triumph on Saturday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis for his fourth consecutive UFC victory.

“I ain’t gonna lie. I guess (referee Keith) Peterson had his money on somebody else, because he should have stopped the fight a long time ago,” Buckley said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “But it is what it is. He’s a tough guy. He had a lot of motivation to try to win so he stayed in there. His will was strong.”

The performance was especially significant for Buckley, a St. Louis native who had campai…

According to UFC CEO Dana White, Conor McGregor’s return will set an all-time gate record for the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Advertisement

McGregor will face Michael Chandler in the UFC 303 main event at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 29 as the culmination of International Fight Week. It will be the first fight since July 2021 for the UFC’s biggest star, and ticket sales seem to reflect a high level of interest in the former two-division champion.

“It’s already way over $20 million,” White said at the UFC on ESPN 56 post-fight press conference on Saturday.

To put that figure in perspective, the UFC has never held an event that produced a live gate of more than $20 million. However, McGregor has been attached to several of the promotion’s largest gates, including the previous record of $17.7 million set at UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden in New York. At that event, McGregor defeated Eddie Alvarez in the headliner to capture the lightweight crown.…

The lineup for Rizin 47 continues to grow, as the Japanese promotion announced four new bouts for the June 9 card over the weekend.

Advertisement

The new bookings will include a few Ultimate Fighting Championship veterans, as Spike Carlyle meets Kyung Pyo Kim; Kazuki Tokudome faces Sho Patrick Usami and Johnny Case takes on Noah Bey — all at lightweight. Additionally, Mikio Ueda will lock horns with Przemyslaw Kowalczyk in a heavyweight affair.

Rizin 47 takes place at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo and features a bantamweight clash between Kyoji Horiguchi and Sergio Pettis. In another featured contest, Kleber Koike Erbst will meet Juan Archuleta at 145 pounds.

Carlyle, a three-time UFC veteran, has lost his last three fights. Most recently, he dropped a three-round verdict against Yoshinori Horie at Rizin 44. A former Road to UFC competitor, South Korea’s Kim is coming off back-to-back finishes of Tural Ragimov and Usami under the Rizin banner.

Read more about Four Bouts Added to Rizin 47 Lineup on June 9

Two epic performances came to STL 🙌@UlbergCarlos and @DiegoUFCTX earned tonight's POTN! #UFCStLouis pic.twitter.com/5KLOCayJbZ

— UFC (@ufc) May 12, 2024

Carlos Ulberg padded his bank account at Alonzo Menifield’s expense.

The City Kickboxing standout earned a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for a 12-second technical knockout victory in a featured light heavyweight pairing at UFC on ESPN 56 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on Saturday. Ulberg took advantage of his opponent’s reckless approach, ultimately sealing his victory with a clean left hand during a furious exchange.

Elsewhere, Diego Ferreira garnered the card’s other $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his come-from-behind triumph against Mateusz Rebecki at lightweight. After getting dropped in the opening stanza, Ferreira gradually took control, ultimately finishing his Polish adversary with ground-and-pound at the 4:51 mark of Round 3.

Finally, T…

Derrick Lewis made sure his UFC on ESPN 56 main event against Rodrigo Nascimento didn't last the full 25 minutes.

In a surprising change of pace, Lewis (28-12, 1 NC) came out looking to clinch with the Brazilian at first but wasn't able to do much in the position. Instead, Nascimento (11-2, 1 NC) secured a takedown and took the fight to the floor. Lewis would survive the frame but ate a number of elbows. Lewis would have more success in the second frame, landing some heavy uppercuts while dirty boxing. "The Black Beast" would then be fully unleashed in Round 3 as a huge overhand right floored Nascimento, and Lewis kept throwing until the fight was stopped 49 seconds into the stanza.

Advertisement

With the win, Lewis has now won 19 fights inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight division.Buckley Tears Through Ruziboev The co-main event saw welterweights Joaquin Buckley and Nursulton Ruziboev clash. Buckley (19-6) took an early advantage by taking t…