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Chael Sonnen is worried about Tom Aspinall being caught in the crossfire between Dana White and Eddie Hearn. 

Aspinall’s relationship with White has been strained since his first heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 320 this past October. The fight ended in a no contest after Gane eye poked Aspinall, leaving him unable to continue. Dana White hinted that he was unimpressed by Aspinall’s decision to stop fighting, saying that the Englishman didn’t look like he wanted to be in there with Gane. Aspinall didn’t hide his disappointment with White’s comments. While Aspinall underwent multiple surgeries, White further downplayed the injury, saying they were likely injections. 

Aspinall (15-3) recently escalated things by signing with the management of Eddie Hearn, considered a longtime rival of White. Hearn has since taken multiple digs at Aspinall’s UFC contract, calling it a disgrace. Sonnen says he was supporting Aspinall when “Honey Badger” was c…

Yousri Belgaroui had already experienced every threat possible in his training camp for UFC Seattle. 

Belgaroui (10-3) faced a previously undefeated Mansur Abdul-Malik (9-1-1) in a middleweight matchup at UFC Seattle. Belgaroui battered Abdul-Malik’s lead leg from the onset, while maintaining his distance with a clean jab. Even when Abdul-Malik managed to take Belgaroui down, the 6’5” former kickboxer got back to his feet in seconds. While Belgaroui nearly finished Abdul-Malik in the second round, he was saved by the bell. Belgaroui maintained composure and gradually broke Abdul-Malik down to get a stoppage in the third round. 

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While this was only Belgaroui’s second UFC fight, “Baby Faced Assassin” has a ton of experience competing in Glory Kickboxing. However, Belgaroui believes Abdul-Malik didn’t lose to him due to a lack of experience. Belgaroui credits his training camp for handing Abdul-Malik his first career loss. The Turkish-Dutch p…

Valentina Shevchenko and Khabib Nurmagomedov will never agree about women in MMA. 

Nurmagomedov has always been vocal about the fact that he is not a fan of women fighting in MMA. The UFC Hall of Famer recently reiterated his sentiments, even explicitly calling women weaker than men. Nurmagomedov believes both genders have designated roles in society, and men take on the bigger responsibilities. While duties for men and women are overlapping with time, “The Eagle” prefers both genders to stick to their conventional duties.

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“Every person in life has a mission,” Nurmagomedov said at a recent press conference. “For a man, it’s to raise children, take care of the family, take care of loved ones, neighbors, relatives. There are very few women who take on big responsibilities; it’s very hard for them. It’s not without reason. Even God created it that way: a woman is weaker, a man is stronger. People want to change all this and mix it. I like it when a…

Former ACA welterweight champion Abubakar Vagaev has signed with the UFC. 

Vagaev recently confirmed the UFC signing with a contract in his hands. The 32-year-old thanked Khamzat Chimaev for playing a pivotal role in his UFC signing. Vagaev also expressed his gratitude to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who is a close ally of Chimaev.

One Era Ends, Another Begins“Assalamu alaikum, friends. Now that I have a contract with the UFC in hand, I can announce – I'm joining the UFC,” Vagaev wrote on Instagram. “My time in the ACA League has come to an end. I'm relinquishing my championship reign. It's been an exciting 12 years and nearly 30 fights. I've won the belt three times, and that's our legacy. Thank you to the organization for understanding my situation and being accommodating. I've always been accommodating to my beloved League. Now it's time to move in a different direction. I express my sincere gratitude to Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov for his constant support thro…

Discovered in a social project at age 11, Brazilian Rafael "Coxinha" Barbosa won the Pancrase lightweight belt on March 14 by knocking out Japanese champion Tatsuya Saika in his third fight in the organization.

At only 28 years old, Rafael already has 22 MMA fights (17-5) and even with a contract for three more fights with Pancrase, he already dreams of fighting in Rizin Fighting Federation or Dana White's Contender Series

"The Pancrase contract allows me to fight in these two events and return to defend the belt if I am not signed. So I would really like this opportunity," Barbosa told Sherdog.com.

A black belt in karate and a brown belt in jiu-Jjtsu, Barbosa has lived in Los Angeles since 2023 and trains at California Mixed Martial Arts.

“I first came to the USA in 2021, invited by Lyoto Machida to teach at his academy, but I had to return. In 2023, Eddie Soares got me a fight with Mairon [Santos] at LFA in New York. I barely had time to study who Mairon was…

Jack Della Maddalena believes he should have been more aggressive against Islam Makhachev. 

Maddalena put his welterweight title on the line for the first time against Makhachev at UFC 322 last November. While it was one of the most anticipated matchups in the UFC, the fight turned out to be lopsided. Makhachev dominated Maddalena on the ground for five rounds to earn a unanimous decision win. 

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Reflecting on his loss, Maddalena admits that he should have been more active on the ground. The Australian also believes he should have been aggressive instead of focusing on his defense.

“No excuses. He was the better man… Obviously, what went wrong was being stuck on my back for 25 minutes,” he told Australian MMA. “Honestly, it was a bit of laziness, a bit of opportunities I didn't pounce on. I should've been more aggressive, not so defensively minded.”

No Poker Face Maddalena appeared to be at his wits end in the latter rounds against Makha…

Quillan Salkilld has set timeline for himself to fight for a UFC title. 

Salkilld made his UFC debut in 2024 and has fast-tracked his way towards the top. Salkilld has finished three of his four UFC outings, knocking out the likes of Nasrat Haqparast and Jamie Mullarkey in his last two outings. However, the consistent upgrade in Salkilld’s circumstances has also come by luck. Salkilld got the opportunity to fight Mullarkey after the latter’s original opponent, Jimmy Crute, pulled out. And luck has struck once again for Salkilld in his upcoming bout. The Australian is scheduled to face his steepest step up in competition in Beneil Dariush at UFC Perth on May 2. Salkilld once again got a short-notice opportunity after Dariush’s original opponent, Manuel Torres, pulled out.

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'Speed Running This S--t' “I’m speed running this s—t,” Salkilld told Australian MMA. “I didn’t expect it to go this quick, but we could be ranked real real soon. I literally wi…

Alexander Volkanovski’s coach, Joe Lopez, doesn’t consider Jean Silva deserving of a title shot yet. 

Volkanovski (28-4) has long been calling Movsar Evloev (20-0) the most deserving featherweight title contender. Evloev further cemented his position by handing Lerone Murphy his first career loss at UFC London earlier this month. Evloev followed it up by calling out Volkanovski, who verbally accepted without hesitation. 

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However, Silva (17-3), who was in attendance at UFC London, is jostling for the next title shot against Volkanovski. Known for his knockout power, Silva deemed Evloev’s majority decision win over Murphy boring. While “Lord” is trying his best to provoke Volkanovski to fight him, the champion doesn’t think he deserves the next title shot over Evloev. Volkanovski’s coach, Lopez, recently reiterated his fighter’s thoughts. Lopez took a dig at Silva’s signature celebration of barking like a dog. Lopez says that barking, or maki…

Colby Covington didn’t mince his words about his recent falling out with the UFC.

Covington has always projected himself as a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. However, despite having tried for over a year, Covington failed to land a spot on the UFC White House card, which takes place on Trump’s birthday, June 14. Covington is now scheduled to wrestle Dillon Danis at RAF 7 on Saturday. 

Covington admits that his relationship with the UFC has been strained over the past few months. Covington accuses executive Hunter Campbell of stringing him along after making hollow promises. Covington says that he will now go about his business, reminding the UFC that he is an independent contractor and not an employee.

“I think the last couple of months, they just kind of went sour, probably like the last six months,” Covington told Helen Yee. “They were making some promises, and they weren’t fulfilling the promises. [Hunter Campbell] was kind of stringing me a…

⚖️#PFLPittsburgh Weigh Ins Underway!

Middleweight Main Event:🇺🇸Johnny Eblen: 185.8 lbs🇺🇸Bryan Battle: 186 lbs

PFL Pittsburgh will air LIVE this Saturday, March 28th on ESPN 2#PFLPittsburgh | Saturday, March 28th | UPMC Events Center | Pittsburgh, PA | 10PM EST pic.twitter.com/3RRmcjjvzZ — PFL (@PFLMMA) March 27, 2026

A high-stakes middleweight clash headlines PFL Pittsburgh: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, March 28 at 10 p.m. ET.

The Professional Fighters League's second event in March is now set following the PFL Pittsburgh weigh-ins.

The main event of the 12-fight card will see former middleweight king Johnny Eblen take on fellow contender Bryan Battle. Both men will be looking to earn a title shot and had no issue making weight. All other fighters also made weight for the event.

Eblen (16-1) is coming off suffering the first defeat in his career to Costello van Steenis. "Pressure" tapped to a rear-naked choke in the fifth …

Making weight in style 🤩@Stylebender weighs in at 186lbs!

[ #UFCSeattle | TOMORROW 8pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/S6bwvXMtCF

— UFC (@ufc) March 27, 2026 The Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to Washington is now official after the UFC Seattle weigh-ins took place on Friday.

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Headlining the 13-fight card is a bout between former champ Israel Adesanya and middleweight prospect Joe Pyfer. Both men successfully made weight for the five-round fight without issue. All other fighters on the card were also professionals, as everyone made weight.

Adesanya (24-5) is in desperate need of a win as he's on a three-fight losing streak. Surprising losses to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis saw the reign of "The Last Stylebender" come to an end. Now 36, and coming off a TKO defeat to Nassourdine Imavov, the City Kickboxing product will look to show that he still has more left in the tank by taking a slight ste…

Ultimate Fighting Championship legend Diego Sanchez has not received jail time for his offenses last year.

In July 2025, Sanchez was arrested for firing a pistol out of his window while riding past an automobile accident on an Albuquerque, New Mexico, highway. The arrest reports verified the weapon in question and identified recently spent bullet casings, while the driver, friend Derrick Montoya, admitted to the arresting officer that Sanchez had discharged his weapon and laughed about it.

The prosecutors sought a sentence of two years in prison based on the fourth-degree felony charge of discharging a firearm at or from a motor vehicle. He was also charged with a misdemeanor of negligent use of a deadly weapon, but per MMAJunkie, the latter was dismissed when Sanchez agreed to a guilty plea for the former.

The price I have to pay Per local outlet KRQE, Sanchez was ultimately sentenced with five years of supervised probation, while he also will be required to co…

A high-stakes middleweight clash headlines PFL Pittsburgh: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, March 28 at 10 p.m. ET.

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Jack Cartwright wants to build on his momentum in the Professional Fighters League.

The former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder will do battle with Allan Begosso at a 140-pound catchweight in the featured PFL Pittsburgh prelim on Saturday at the UPMC Events Center. Cartwright has prepared himself for long-term success, and seeing fellow countrymen like Brendan Loughnane excel inside the PFL only spurs his motivation. He liked what he saw from the company in his promotional debut, as he bested Caolan Loughran by unanimous decision at PFL Champions Series 3 on Oct. 3 in the United Arab Emirates.

[embedded content] “It was really good, and I really enjoyed it,” Cartwright told Sherdog.com. “It was really nice, as you can imagine. Everything was professionally run. Everyone treated me really nice. I hit the ground running, th…

Only a few more grains of sand remain in the Cristiane “Cris Cyborg” Justino hourglass.

The Brazilian icon will square off with Paulina Cardona for the vacant Women’s International Boxing Association super welterweight championship this Saturday in Curitiba, Brazil. Cyborg enters the ring with a perfect 7-0 record as a pro boxer, having stopped five opponents by knockout. Only Cardona stands between the decorated mixed martial artist and her first boxing title.

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“This belt will be special if I win it, God willing,” Cyborg told Sherdog.com. “It’s the belt that Laila Ali, Holly Holm and Amanda Serrano have held. They are legends of the sport.”

Cyborg, who turns 41 in July, has entered a period of reflection as she closes in on the end of her combat sports race. More than two decades have passed since she made her MMA debut.

“This whole time, I’ve always been at the top, or very near the top,” Cyborg said. “I feel a lot of gratitude. I never stopped…

It’s officially official: Professional Fighters League and Rizin Fighting Federation are co-promoting.

A high-stakes middleweight clash headlines PFL Pittsburgh: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, March 28 at 10 p.m. ET.

During a press conference on Thursday, Rizin officials announced that their former bantamweight champion, Naoki Inoue (20-5), would be departing its confines to take a match outside of Asia. The organization will now be working with PFL for the time being, lending Inoue to the former tournament-based league to take on a home-grown talent. Inoue will be squaring off with 2025 bantamweight tourney victor Marcirley Alves (15-4) at PFL Brussels in Belgium’s capital city on May 23.

Kill Cliff FC product Inoue saw his four-fight win streak come to a grinding halt when he lost a split decision to Danny Sabatello in December. First winning the strap by knocking out Soo Chul Kim in 2024, Inoue registered a pair of defenses against Yuki Motoya and Ryuya Fukuda in 2…

Cette différence de hauteur 👀

Premier face-à-face de la semaine du combat entre Sebastian Fundora et Keith Thurman🥸 pic.twitter.com/wqSf9bke4Y

— Boxing_Mma 74 (@DarlyMungo95043) March 26, 2026 Sebastian Fundora's third WBC super welterweight title defense is officially set.

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Both Fundora (23-1-1) and challenger Keith Thurman successfully made weight for their title clash. It will be Fundora's third title defense. Fundora came in at 153.6 pounds, while Thurman (31-1) weighed 152.6 pounds. While the weights are similar, Fundora will have an 11-inch reach difference and stands six inches taller.

Fundora has held the WBC's super welterweight title for a second time since March 2024 after he won a split decision over Tim Tszyu. A TKO win over Chordale Booker followed before a rematch against Tszyu, who retired after the seventh round of their 12-round title fight. His only defeat came in 2023 to Brian Mendoza, who knocked …

A high-stakes middleweight clash headlines PFL Pittsburgh: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, March 28 at 10 p.m. ET.

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A long-awaited return may soon reveal whether or not the whole absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder proverb rings true for Natan Schulte.

The two-time Professional Fighters League lightweight tournament winner will climb into the cage for the first time in almost three years when he confronts the undefeated Jakub Kaszuba in a featured PFL Pittsburgh prelim on Saturday at the UPMC Events Center. Schulte rose to prominence when he was the company’s last man standing at 155 pounds in 2018 and 2019, resulting in two seven-figure paydays.

“The PFL wasn’t that well known, even by professional fighters,” Schulte told Sherdog.com. “After I was the champion in both of those years, I went from being just another fighter outside the UFC to being recognized internationally. The main change for me was being able to dedicate myself full-time to trainin…

A high-stakes middleweight clash headlines PFL Pittsburgh: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, March 28 at 10 p.m. ET.

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Bryan Battle could not ask for more in terms of a promotional debut.

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 winner and Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran will draw his first assignment under the Professional Fighters League flag when he meets former Bellator MMA titleholder Johnny Eblen in the PFL Pittsburgh main event on Saturday at the UPMC Events Center. It signals a new chapter in Battle’s life and career.

“I’ll tell you what, it feels so good to be with the PFL,” he told Sherdog.com. “I wish I could’ve fought sooner. I’m happy to be here, and I’m ready to rock and roll. I’m ready to compete. I’m hungry. I’m ready to get after it. I’m happy that the first fight is here.”[embedded content] After departing from the UFC on the heels of a tumultuous, up-and-down tenure with the company, Battle found a new home in the PFL. His only mission…

A high-stakes middleweight clash headlines PFL Pittsburgh: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, March 28 at 10 p.m. ET.

Sumiko Inaba already tested herself against the best the Professional Fighters League women’s flyweight division has to offer, and she hopes to learn from those lessons.

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Inaba will welcome Ultimate Fighting Championship castoff Ariane Lipski da Silva to the promotion when they collide in a featured PFL Pittsburgh attraction on Saturday at the UPMC Events Center. Armed with a Top 5 ranking at 125 pounds, she plans to break through to the top of the weight class. Inaba last appeared at PFL Champions Series 2, where she dropped a three-round unanimous decision to budding superstar Dakota Ditcheva on July 19. Though she fell short in her bid to upset the undefeated American Top Team export, the insight the bout provided was invaluable.[embedded content] “It was an amazing experience to fight someone at that level, to test myself at that level. I …

Relatively new Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Patricio Freire is looking to pay someone back for their harsh words about his previous organization.

Freire (37-8) spoke to Sherdog this week, who explained his current plan as a member of the UFC roster. The former Bellator MMA great has seen mixed results since coming over in 2025, losing in his debut to Yair Rodriguez but outpointing Dan Ige in July 2025 to earn his first UFC triumph.

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The ranked featherweight will be returning to the Octagon at UFC 327 in April, where he will face fellow former Bellator 145er Aaron Pico (13-5). The American, on a three-fight win streak, fell short in his own organizational debut in August 2025 when Lerone Murphy smashed him with a spinning back elbow. Despite the crushing knockout loss for Pico, Freire is taking him seriously and gives him credit for his initial performance.

“Pico is a very tough guy,” the Brazilian remarked. “From what I’ve heard, if he h…

Ariane Lipski da Silva’s long tenure in the Ultimate Fighting Championship did not end as she had hoped, but it certainly did not prevent her from pursuing opportunities elsewhere.

The former Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki champion will make her Professional Fighters League debut when she meets Sumiko Inaba in a PFL Pittsburgh women’s flyweight feature on Saturday at the UPMC Events Center. Lipski da Silva enters the cage on a three-fight losing streak. She closed out her UFC run with a 6-8 record but sounds like a woman with few regrets.

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[embedded content] “I stayed busy, always accepting every challenge, believing I could reach a higher spot in the UFC,” Lipski da Silva told Sherdog.com. “I always gave my best, despite any physical or mental challenges. I made it a point not to turn down any opponents and to always be fighting. My team and I always gave everything. Looking back, half of my career was in the UFC. I managed to make it to the Top 12 posi…

Vaunted kickboxer Orlando Wiet may have only picked up a single win in the sport of MMA, but it could not have come at a more opportune time.

At the age of 60, Wiet, a champion in multiple kickboxing and muay thai organizations and a competitor on the second-ever Ultimate Fighting Championship event, died after a lengthy battle with an undisclosed illness. As a professional, Wiet’s record stood at a lone win opposite five defeats, but that only accounts for his time as a mixed martial artist. French outlet Les Infos du Fight broke the news on Thursday.

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Born in Suriname and trained in the ways of Dutch kickboxing alongside legendary names like Ramon Dekkers, Bas Rutten and Fred Royers, Wiet officially represented kickboxing at UFC 2 in 1994. Inside of the Mammoth Gardens in Denver, “The Gladiator” picked up his sole career triumph when he beat far larger fellow kickboxer Robert Lucarelli so badly that his team had to throw in the towel. This brutal w…

After he fell short of the mark in the 2025 Professional Fighters League World Tournament middleweight final, Dalton Rosta seeks new opportunities amid the company’s changed landscape.

The American Top Team standout will look to get back in the win column when he meets Impa Kasanganay in the PFL Pittsburgh co-main event on Saturday at the UMPC Events Center, not far from where he was born and raised in western Pennsylvania. Both men are ranked near the top of the middleweight division. One of the more polarizing competitors on the PFL roster, Rosta went on a run to remember in 2025, inside and outside the SmartCage. While a Fabian Edwards head kick stopped him in his tracks, he has a chance to climb right back into contention.

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“I’ve got a hell of an opponent in front of me in Impa Kasanganay, and it’s going to be a good fight,” Rosta told Sherdog.com. “I’m expecting him to come out and bring it. I plan on just being ready for everything that he has…

Levi Rodrigues' recent Contender Series victory has been overturned. | Getty/UFC

Former Dana White's Contender Series winner Levi Rodrigues will have to wait to make his Octagon debut.

Rodrigues was suspended nine months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Wednesday after testing positive for metabolite of nandrolone, which is a banned anabolic steroid. He was also fined $1,000.60. Rodrigues will be eligible to return on July 14.

The 29-year-old Brazilian earned a UFC contract thanks to a first-round stoppage of Freddy Vidal on the Contender Series on Oct. 14. Rodrigues’ drug test was flagged after the bout. He had not been booked for a UFC debut prior to the NSAC’s sanctions. It’s currently unclear if Rodrigues will remain on the UFC roster.

Injury Recovery? As a result of the failed drug test, Rodrigues’ victory against Vidal has been overturned to a no contest. Rodrigues’ management revealed to MMAjunkie.com that the fighter used nandrolone…