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Ilia Topuria is eyeing a longtime foe for his Octagon return.

The former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder recently said he plans to return to competition around April 2027. In a new interview, “El Matador” addressed his defeat to Justin Gaethje and revealed who he wants to fight next.

Ilia Topuria discusses retirement before calling out Paddy Pimblett Topuria labeled his loss to Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 the “worst day” of his career and even hinted at retirement before turning his attention to Paddy Pimblett. They have a long-running, bitter rivalry that began with Pimblett’s insensitive comments about Topuria’s home country, Georgia.

“I’ve been in the worst situation a fighter can be in,” Topuria told Spanish outlet ABC Diario. “I have seen the worst day of my job. What’s worse than that, dying? I've achieved everything, and after this fight, what else? Maybe I'll even retire. From April onwards is when we’re considering the return… Paddy, Pa…

Carlos Prates has opened up about his lucrative new Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

Prates recently signed a new eight-fight deal with the UFC. The Brazilian claims the new deal guarantees over $1 million per fight. While the welterweight contender isn't sure he’ll fight out his new contract, he’s delighted with the pay bump.

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Carlos Prates discusses his eight-fight UFC contract and retirement plans In a recent interview, Prates addressed speculation about how much his new contract pays per fight.

“It’s more [than $1 million per fight],” Prates told Fighters Weekly. “I’m really happy. I’m really happy.”

He then discussed how long he’ll continue fighting. The 33-year-old emphasized that winning UFC gold is his primary goal and that he’ll retire when he no longer feels the hunger to compete.

“I don’t know if I’m going to do all eight fights,” Prates added. “Or maybe two, or three, or one fight. I cannot say when I’m gonna stop fig…

Aiemann Zahabi is following in the footsteps of Georges St. Pierre, who was trained by his brother, Firas Zahabi.

Firas is largely credited with shaping St. Pierre's legendary Ultimate Fighting Championship career. “Rush” used to go backstage immediately after his fights to analyze his mistakes with Firas and Aiemann has continued this practice.

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GSP's post-fight film study is a tradition for the Zahabi brothers A clip recently resurfaced of St. Pierre heading backstage to watch back his fight after successfully defending his UFC welterweight title against Josh Koscheck in 2010. Aiemann says he still follows the same ritual with Firas, regardless of the fight's outcome.

“Firas and I have kept this alive, we go over my mistakes after each fight whether I won or lost!” Aiemann wrote in reaction to the video.

St. Pierre (26-2) defended his welterweight title nine times before vacating it in 2013. He then returned after a four-year hiatus in 2017 …

Christian Lee believes he would “dominate” the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s pound-for-pound king, Islam Makhachev.

The One Championship two-division titleholder recently said he wants to test his skills against Makhachev. Lee claims he’ll have his way against the Dagestani in a potential cross-promotional bout.

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Why Christian Lee believes he can beat Islam Makhachev While Lee acknowledges Makhachev’s accomplishments in the UFC, he claims he would outwrestle and knock out the reigning UFC welterweight champion if they fought.

“I feel very confident that I’m the best fighter in the world across any organization,” Lee told MMA Fighting. “So, my goal, if I could choose one fight, would be to fight Islam [Makhachev] right now. I would go for the welterweight belt. He is a double champ, just like me, but in the UFC. He is proven; he has fought everyone. But he has only fought everyone in the UFC. He hasn’t fought people outside. So, if I could line up…

“The Ultimate Fighter” finalist Mehemmedali Osmanli has reportedly locked in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut despite losing in the reality series’ final.

Osmanli will face Pavel Andrusca in a bantamweight clash at UFC Saudi Arabia on Dec. 5 in Riyadh, according to Nolan King.

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Mehemmedali Osmanli is reportedly set to face Pavel Andrusca in UFC debut in Riyadh Osmanli (11-2) took on Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu in the bantamweight finals of “TUF 34” this past September. He suffered a disqualification loss after landing an illegal knee to Uulu’s head while the latter was grounded. However, the finish was marred by controversy as Uulu initially appeared to be defending himself, but went limp as soon as the referee intervened.

Osmanli has finished nine of his 11 career wins and was on a nine-fight win streak before the disqualification loss on “TUF.”

Meanwhile, Andrusca (9-0) defeated Nathaniel Wood via unanimous decision in his short-notice UFC …

Israel Adesanya has switched up his training environment.

Adesanya trained at City Kickboxing in Auckland, New Zealand, since 2010. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion, now on a four-fight losing skid, parted ways with CKB this past May. Ahead of his Octagon return, Adesanya opened up about his new team.

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Israel Adesanya addresses City Kickboxing exit: ‘Best I’ve felt in a very long time’ Adesanya hasn’t disclosed why he left CKB, but claims he feels better than he has in a long time after leaving the gym and building his own team.

“I can truly say, with my departure from my old gym, CKB, and now building the team that I have and training specifically for me, this is the best I’ve felt in a very long time, for real,” Adesanya said on his YouTube channel.

Since losing the 185-pound title to Sean Strickland in 2023, Adesanya (24-6) has suffered stoppage losses to Dricus Du Plessis, Nassourdine Imavov and Joe Pyfer. H…

Shaqueme "Shem" Rock believes the Ultimate Fighting Championship didn’t repay the favors he did for the promotion.

Rock was released from the UFC after losing to Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady at UFC London this past March, taking his promotional record to 0-2. The Englishman admits he didn’t expect a UFC release and thought he would be offered at least one more bout, since he fought Al-Selwady injured.

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Why Shem Rock thought accepting the UFC London fight would earn him another opportunity Despite the injury, Rock accepted the Al-Selwady fight, hoping the UFC would repay him with another bout. However, he has now moved on as he understands it’s a cutthroat industry.

“I was surprised; I was thinking I was at least gonna get one more,” Rock told Home of Fight. “Especially the last one, I didn’t really want to do UFC London; I was injured. I felt like I went above and beyond. I felt like I should’ve just stayed on the bench; I thought it was a, ‘You scratch…

Dana White says he may have made Josh Hokit’s path to an Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title shot more difficult because he disliked some of the unbeaten contender’s comments.

Hokit (10-0) is now set to challenge Ciryl Gane (14-2) for the heavyweight championship in the main event of UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

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Dana White says Josh Hokit's comments may have influenced his matchmaking before the Ciryl Gane title fight at UFC 334 Speaking on “The Jim Rome Show,” the UFC CEO acknowledged that he had overlooked Hokit, who earned his title opportunity by beating every opponent put in front of him.

“Hokit (vs. Gane) was the fight to make,” White said. “Hokit has been overlooked the entire time, not only by the fans and media, but by me. I didn't like some of the things he said, so I might have threw some tough guys at him, and he passed every test, and here he is.”

“The Incredible Hok” has won three fights …

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is waiting for Justin Gaethje to decide whether he will continue fighting, with a potential champion-versus-champion matchup against Alexander Volkanovski among the options.

UFC CEO Dana White is open to the matchup after Volkanovski expressed interest in another lightweight title bid. Gaethje has yet to announce his plans after winning the undisputed 155-pound championship against Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 in June.

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Dana White says Justin Gaethje's future remains uncertain as Alexander Volkanovski eyes another UFC lightweight title shot Speaking on “The Jim Rome Show,” White praised the reigning featherweight champion but said Gaethje’s future remains unresolved.

“I would pretty much do anything for Alexander Volkanovski at this point in his career,” White said. “Great guy, great athlete, great champion. The big question is: what does Justin Gaethje wanna do?”

“Justin, coming off this unbelievable win…

Conor McGregor says he plans to move to bare-knuckle fighting after completing his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

The former two-division champion says he has one fight remaining on his deal and intends to make it his final UFC appearance.

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Speaking with Spitfire Gym Berlin while attending the Hype Italy event, McGregor expressed enthusiasm for competing without gloves.Conor McGregor says he has one UFC fight remaining and wants to compete in bare-knuckle boxing rather than retire “Bare knuckle; I really enjoy bare knuckle fighting,” McGregor said. “I don’t think there’s any chance of a boring fight in bare knuckle. Now, I am a mixed martial artist, maybe I’m just saying this because I had a bad time out the last time?” “Good MMA, really good MMA is hard to beat. But bare knuckle is very exciting, very dangerous, and it takes more courage for me, I think, to get in. So, I’m looking forward to a bare knuckle fight, myself,” he added.

“The N…

Carlos Calderon is reportedly set to make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut on four days’ notice.

Lucas Brennan was originally scheduled to face Austin Bashi in a featherweight bout at UFC Vegas 124 on Saturday at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. However, Brennan was forced out of the matchup after suffering a torn ACL. According to Marcel Dorff, Calderon has stepped up on four days’ notice to make his UFC debut against Bashi.

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Carlos Calderon reportedly replaces Lucas Brennan against Austin Bashi Calderon (11-4, 1 NC) is currently riding a three-fight winning streak. He won the Fury Fighting Championship featherweight title against former UFC fighter Damon Jackson this past May. “The Chief” then defended his title against Lorram Esteves in October.

Calderon lost to Alberto Montes on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024 and has gone 5-1 in Fury FC since.

Meanwhile, Bashi (14-2) was undefeated when he earned his contract on DWCS in 2024. Howe…

Tom Nolan says he’ll make quick work of Renato “Money” Moicano in a rematch.

Nolan (12-1) and Moicano (21-8-1) headlined an Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight Night at Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Oct. 31. Moicano controlled Nolan on the ground for most of the first two rounds. However, referee Dan Miragliotta controversially stood the fighters up in the second frame even though Moicano had Nolan’s back. Nolan then finished Moicano in the third round. Fighters and fans have since slammed Miragliotta’s call.

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What Tom Nolan said about a potential rematch with Renato Moicano Nolan is willing to give Moicano a rematch to settle the controversy from their UFC Vegas 123 headliner.

However, the Australian believes his Brazilian counterpart couldn’t have controlled him on the ground for the rest of the fight, even if the referee hadn’t intervened in the second round. Nolan is confident that he will finish Moicano sooner in a rematch.

“It's very unfor…

Conor McGregor denies laughing at Colby Covington’s submission defeat to Raul Rosas Jr.

Covington took on Rosas Jr. in a submission-grappling match at Hype FC in Rome, Italy, on Nov. 3. Rosas Jr. forced the tap in just 40 seconds with a rear-naked choke. The Dazn broadcast cut to McGregor as “El Nino Problema” celebrated his short-notice victory. The former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder was seen laughing and he’s now clarified that he wasn't taking pleasure in Covington’s loss.

What Conor McGregor said about the clip from Hype FC in Rome While it’s unclear what McGregor was guffawing at, the clip shows the Irishman laughing while Rosas Jr. embraced his team. However, McGregor says he was enjoying the event and claims the clip has been edited to time his laughter with Covington’s loss. “Notorious” took to social media to assert that he never laughs at competing athletes.

“This is false and fully edited,” McGregor wrote on X. “I had an amazing a…

Johnny Walker’s heavyweight run is going faster than he planned.

Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights Sean Brady and Gabriel Bonfim were originally scheduled to headline UFC Vegas 124 on Nov. 7 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. However, Brady pulled out because of a severe staph infection and the promotion didn’t book a replacement to keep Bonfim on the card. Walker then accepted the headlining matchup against Waldo Cortes-Acosta on nine days’ notice.

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What a victory over Waldo Cortes-Acosta could mean for Johnny Walker Walker (23-10, 1 NC) made his heavyweight debut against Mick Parkin in October, scoring a bonus-winning first-round knockout. The former light heavyweight recently revealed he originally wanted to take things slow in his new weight class.

“I was thinking to take small steps and go slow in the division,” Walker said at media day ahead of UFC Vegas 124. “See how I feel at heavyweight. That was my plan. God had different plans than me…

A bitter feud will reportedly come to a head at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s final numbered event of 2026.

Damian Pinas (11-1) and Baisangur Susurkaev (12-0) are reportedly scheduled to clash at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. VestnikMMA first reported the matchup.

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Damian Pinas and Baisangur Susurkaev's feud leads to reported UFC 335 fight Both Pinas and Susurkaev have traded barbs online. Susurkaev started the feud by claiming to not know who Pinas is. Pinas then called out Susurkaev after his win over Cesar Almeida in July. Pinas doubled down on his criticism of Susurkaev after finishing Andrey Pulyaev in October.

Pinas has secured stoppage victories in all his professional wins, with his lone loss coming via disqualification for an illegal kick on the Brazilian regional scene back in 2024. “The Baba Yaga” has finished all three of his UFC fights inside the first round since earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender…

Dana White has slammed Islam Makhachev's activity.

After defending his title against Ian Garry in August, Makhachev called for another title defense before Ramadan 2027. The Dagestani even singled out Carlos Prates as his next challenger. According to the Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO, the matchup was verbally agreed for UFC 336 on Jan. 30, 2027, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto before Makhachev changed his mind.

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Dana White claims Islam Makhachev vs. Carlos Prates was ‘verbally agreed’ While White doesn’t expect Makhachev to fight three times a year at this stage in his career, he would like him to fight at least twice a year.

“That was verbally agreed to… I like when guys fight a lot,” White said during a media scrum captured by TheMacLife. “Being a champion, I don't really expect you to fight three times a year. But twice would be nice. It backs up the division; there are many guys who would like a shot at the title.”

Makhachev (29-1) ha…

Dan Hooker was frustrated after his last defeat.

The New Zealander faced Ultimate Fighting Championship debutant Salahdine Parnasse in the main event of UFC Paris this past September and lost via technical knockout at 2:35 of the first round. Hooker is looking to make a quick turnaround and is now scheduled to fight Brian Ortega at UFC Qatar on Nov. 21. “The Hangman” recently opened up about why he’s returning to action just 77 days after his last bout.

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Dan Hooker says frustration after his Salahdine Parnasse loss prompted him to accept Brian Ortega at UFC Qatar Hooker said he was frustrated he couldn't show his improvements after a hard training camp for the Parnasse fight. He claims he would’ve taken more time in between fights if he had gone to war with the Frenchman for five rounds. While Hooker went down with the body kick from Parnasse in the opening frame, he didn’t suffer any serious injuries, hence the short turnaround.

“When you just ge…

Dana White has addressed veteran referee Dan Miragliotta’s controversial stand-up in the Renato “Money” Moicano vs. Tom Nolan bout.

Moicano suffered a third-round stoppage loss to Nolan at UFC Vegas 123 on Oct. 31. However, the fight was marred by controversy when Miragliotta stood the fighters up for inactivity while Moicano had Nolan’s back in the second round. While it’s very rare for a referee to intervene when a fighter has his opponent’s back, White defended Miragliotta’s call.

Why Dana White believes Dan Miragliotta made the right call The Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO says that, under the ruleset, damage is the key factor in stand-ups, not holding position. White notes that some grapplers can ride their opponent’s back for three rounds and says the referee is right to intervene if the fighter in a dominant position isn’t trying to land damage or advance position.

“I don’t think it’s about dominant position,” White said during a media scrum captured by The…

Rafael Cordeiro will honor Mike Tyson at the third edition of Kings Championship on Nov. 21 at the Mauro Pinheiro Multi-Sport Gymnasium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Tyson will receive a commemorative plaque marking 40 years since he became the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history.Rafael Cordeiro will honor Mike Tyson at Kings Championship 3 in Sao Paulo, marking four decades since his historic win over Trevor Berbick Tyson was 20 when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in Las Vegas on Nov. 22, 1986, to win the World Boxing Council heavyweight title.

“Honoring Mike Tyson in Brazil and at my event is an amazing honor for me. Being around him was a unique privilege that allowed me to know the man behind the legend,” Cordeiro, who has trained Tyson, told Sherdog.

Tyson is scheduled to attend the Kings Championship press conference on Nov. 20 and visit the Brazilian Boxing Confederation’s training center the next day to meet children taking part in a community program. He is…

Marcos Degli is targeting a finish and a performance bonus in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Mitch Raposo at UFC Vegas 124 on Nov. 7 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Speaking to Brazilian outlet Sexto Round on Tuesday, Degli pointed to the contrast between his finishing record and Raposo’s four UFC bouts, all of which went to a decision. The 26-year-old Brazilian flyweight enters the matchup with a 15-3 record, including nine knockouts and five submissions.

Marcos Degli brings 14 finishes in 15 wins into his UFC Fight Night 293 matchup with Mitch Raposo “All of his four UFC fights (two losses and two wins) went to a decision. I fight to finish,” Degli said. “Of my 15 MMA wins, nine are by knockout and five by submission. He better be ready, because my focus is to debut with both feet in the door, taking the bonus and asking for a big name in the Octagon.”

Degli said he plans to call out a prominent opponent if he wins. Long term, he wants to win the flyw…

Joaquin Buckley didn’t take Dustin Poirier’s airport incident as lightly as most did.

Poirier was arrested at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport this past June for public intoxication. “The Diamond” subsequently owned up to his actions and even tried to reach out to a police officer to apologize after threatening to fight and directing a racial slur at him.

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While most fans made light of the incident, Buckley is now calling out the retired Ultimate Fighting Championship star.What Joaquin Buckley said about Dustin Poirier's Atlanta airport incident Buckley recently went off on the former interim champion for disrespecting female staff during the airport altercation. The UFC welterweight also says Poirier’s demeanor softened as soon as a police officer arrived. “New Mansa” then challenged Poirier to confront him about his latest rant.

“It was a lot of you that came out that day and the frustration that you had,” Buckley said on Instagram…

Josh Hokit questions Gable Steveson’s training environment.

Hokit trains out of Jackson-Wink MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico. While Steveson is also associated with the renowned gym, Hokit claims the Olympian never trains there. According to Hokit, Steveson had the chance to train with him at the gym but hasn’t shown up.

Josh Hokit slams Gable Steveson for claiming Jackson-Wink association Hokit has now slammed Steveson for claiming to train at Jackson-Wink while actually privately training with Jon Jones.

“He claims it, he’s not here,” Hokit told Jorge Masvidal. “I gave him a chance to be here and train with me, but he ain’t here. He’s doing his own thing with Jon Jones and he’s got stretch marks around his mouth. My team is close-knit. He’s not here at Jackson-Wink. That’s why I don’t play tic-tac-toe. Cause I don’t want squares around my circle. And if he’s not a part of my circle, motherf**ker’s a square then.”

Jones was banned from Jackson-Wink MMA in 2021 af…

Bryce Mitchell believes mixed martial arts bouts should be more like street fights.

Mitchell has weighed in on the current ruleset amid recent discourse about banning sidekicks to the knee, also known as oblique kicks, in MMA. The Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight strongly opposes banning oblique kicks, which he considers one of his best weapons.

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Why Bryce Mitchell opposes an oblique kick ban and supports face stomps While oblique kicks can cause serious knee injuries, Mitchell notes that MMA is a brutal sport. If a rule change is needed, “Thug Nasty” believes stomps to the face of a grounded opponent should be legalized, like in the Pride era.

“They’re talking about taking away the oblique kick, which is really, really stupid,” Mitchell said on Instagram. “It’s a completely fair kick; anybody can do it. Yeah, you get your knees hurt. But guess what? It’s a fight… Who cares if you get kicked in your knee? It's a fight. I think if they sh…

Akbar Abdullaev will reportedly make his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against Mairon Santos.

Abdullaev (14-0) and Santos (17-1) will meet in a lightweight clash at UFC Saudi Arabia on Dec. 5 in Riyadh, Ag Fight reports. While Santos competes at featherweight, he will be moving up a weight class for this fight.

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Akbar Abdullaev vs. Mairon Santos reportedly set for UFC Saudi Arabia Santos has won all four of his UFC fights since joining the promotion in 2024. The Brazilian will be making his first walk to the Octagon this year against Abdullaev, who earned his UFC contract with a 19-second knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series in September.

The undefeated Kyrgyz, who previously competed in One Championship, boasts a 100% finishing rate. UFC CEO Dana White lauded Abdullaev, calling him “the greatest talent” to ever fight on DWCS.

“I’m going to call you possibly the greatest talent that’s ever been on this show in 10 years,” White…