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Javier Mendez believes something was off with Conor McGregor before the Irishman’s Ultimate Fighting Championship return against Max Holloway.

The American Kickboxing Academy head coach claimed McGregor’s demeanor seemed “odd” before the fight and questioned whether the former two-division champion was already dealing with an injury before entering the cage.

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Javier Mendez breaks down Conor McGregor’s unusual demeanor before the Max Holloway fight McGregor injured his ACL and meniscus with the very first kick he threw at Holloway. He was unable to plant both feet while throwing strikes and repeatedly fell, prompting an anticlimactic referee stoppage. Since then, speculation has grown about whether McGregor entered the fight already compromised, with footage of him appearing hesitant while removing his shoes during the pre-fight inspection adding fuel to the debate.

Mendez recently weighed in, claiming that something about the Irish superstar’s walk…

Javier Mendez believes Ian Garry’s mental strength and confidence will be his biggest weapon when he challenges Islam Makhachev for the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title.

Garry is set to face Makhachev in the main event of UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, where he’ll look to produce a massive upset. While Makhachev’s elite grappling is widely regarded as the biggest X-factor in the matchup, Mendez believes Garry’s mindset makes him a legitimate threat.

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Javier Mendez explains why Ian Garry’s mental strength matters vs. Islam Makhachev at UFC 330 Mendez, the American Kickboxing Academy founder and coach to several former champions including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Luke Rockhold, Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier, has praised Garry’s confidence and mental toughness ahead of UFC 330.

“Ian’s Garry’s mental game is huge,” Mendez said in an interview with NewBettingSites. “That’s what my book is about. It is all ab…

Paulo Costa believes the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division will have a new champion before Carlos Ulberg returns to the Octagon.

Ulberg (14-1) won the vacant title this past April, knocking out Jiri Prochazka in the first round of their title clash. Currently recovering from an ACL injury he suffered in the bout, the Kiwi champion recently revealed that he plans to defend his belt in 2027. Ulberg even pitched some 205-pound matchups following Magomed Ankalaev’s win over Bogdan Guskov at UFC Abu Dhabi, pitting Ankalaev against Prochazka and Costa against Khalil Rountree.

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Costa, however, sees the divisional title picture playing out differently.Paulo Costa angles for title shot, shuts down Carlos Ulberg playing matchmaker Ulberg took to social media after former champion Ankalaev returned to winning ways in a lackluster bout in Abu Dhabi to pitch the aforementioned matchups. “After last night's fights, here's my thoughts: Ankal…

Charles Oliveira's camp has shut down speculation linking the former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion to a BMF title defense against Diego Lopes.

With Lopes making it clear that he’s looking to move up to lightweight after his knockout victory over Steve Garcia at UFC Freedom 250, rumors linking him to a fight against the BMF champ emerged. According to Chute Boxe coach and Oliveira’s manager, Diego Lima, their team’s goal remains the undisputed lightweight crown.

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Diego Lima shuts down Oliveira vs. Lopes, eyes Justin Gaethje rematch Lima recently broke down the lightweight title mix, revealing that current champion Justin Gaethje is expected to return to action next year. The veteran coach also acknowledged that Arman Tsarukyan, who’s beaten Oliveira, is ahead of “do Bronxs” in the pecking order at 155 pounds. However, Lima highlighted the fact that his pupil is a bigger star than Tsarukyan and, more importantly, boasts a win ove…

Bryan Battle has opened up about dealing with personal issues ahead of his Professional Fighters League debut.

Battle made his promotional debut against Johnny Eblen in Pittsburgh this past March. He looked completely out of his depth as Eblen repeatedly slammed him on the canvas before making him tap to a face crank in the opening round.

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Bryan Battle Opens Up On Divorce, UFC Release Before PFL Debut Battle claims he couldn’t give his 100% in training for the fight against Eblen. “The Butcher” revealed that issues like his divorce and exit from the Ultimate Fighting Championship were cluttering his mind going into his PFL debut. Battle believes the lopsided beatdown from Eblen has taught him the hard way to give maximum effort going forward.

“I learned lessons,” Battle told Ariel Helwani. “There was definitely a bit of a learning curve, once again, headlining and fighting a bona fide former world champion… And there's just things in life. Thought …

Michel Pereira is looking to appeal his loss to Sharabutdin Magomedov, which was followed by his release from the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Pereira took on Magomedov in a middleweight bout in the co-main event of UFC Baku. While Magomedov came away with a unanimous decision win, the fight was marred by controversy. The Russian pulled Pereira’s hair multiple times from bottom position in the first round. While referee Herb Dean warned Magomedov against committing any more fouls, he didn’t deduct any points when “Shara Bullet” accidentally eye-poked Pereira in the third round.

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Michel Pereira seeks overturned result after disputed UFC Baku fight with Sharabutdin Magomedov Pereira subsequently wasn’t offered a contract renewal and the Brazilian is now looking to overturn his last result to a draw. He is grateful for his UFC career, holds nothing against the promotion and is proud of some of the memorable moments he delivered to fans inside the Oct…

Darren Till is concerned about his life after fighting.

Several retired fighters have been embroiled in controversies since retiring from competition. The recent arrests of former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters Dustin Poirier and Anthony Smith have brought the issue to the limelight. This has prompted Till to speculate on what lies ahead for him if he doesn’t find a new “healthy obsession” after retiring.

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Darren Till reacts to recent fighter arrests and discusses life after MMA Poirier was arrested at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after threatening to fight a police officer and even using a racial slur while intoxicated. The former interim champion has since committed to sobriety indefinitely and apologized for his actions. On the other hand, Smith’s recent arrest was far more shocking, as he has been accused of trying to harm his wife, with witnesses even claiming to have heard gunshots from their house.

While Till admi…

Islam Makhachev sympathizes with Conor McGregor.

McGregor (22-7) returned to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship after a five-year hiatus against Max Holloway at UFC 329. However, the highly anticipated rematch ended anticlimactically as McGregor injured his knee with the first kick he threw. The Irishman could barely plant his leg after the injury, forcing the referee to step in at just 69 seconds of the opening round.

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Despite the longtime rivalry between their teams, Makhachev feels bad for the former two-division champ.Islam Makhachev says Conor McGregor's comeback ending in 69 seconds wasn't how he expected the fight to unfold While the Dagestani contingent aren’t fans of McGregor, Makhachev (28-1) commiserated with the fan favorite. While the reigning welterweight champion expected Holloway to win, he didn’t see the fight ending the way it did. Makhachev recently revealed that he was interested in seeing how McGregor would perform afte…

Navajo Stirling believes Ion Cutelaba didn’t give up on himself in their clash, offering a different perspective of the finishing sequence.

Stirling is coming off a second-round stoppage win over “The Hulk,” wherein the undefeated Kiwi reversed a takedown and unleashed a flurry of punches on a seated Cutelaba to secure the finish. However, Stirling notes that the finish was triggered by a knee to his opponent’s liver that he landed right before getting taken down.

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Navajo Stirling explains the liver shot and finishing sequence against Ion Cutelaba before UFC Belgrade Having hurt several of his opponents with body shots, Stirling knew he had damaged Cutelaba with the knee to the body. He revealed that Cutelaba let out a big gasp of air moments after landing the takedown, subsequently lost his hold on the takedown and Stirling went for the finish.

While it might’ve looked like Cutelaba just gave up after the takedown reversal to the untrained eye, Stir…

Ian Garry’s recent comments don’t sit well with Uros Medic.

Medic recently went off Garry, claiming that he isn’t a fan of the Irishman’s fighting style. While “The Doctor” gives Garry credit for accumulating wins, he isn’t a fan of the former Cage Warriors champion’s defense-first, evasive fighting style. Furthermore, Medic finds Garry’s opinions shared during a recent podcast appearance quite cringe.

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Uros Medic mocks ‘decision merchant’ Ian Garry’s marriage and opinions Medic has slammed Garry’s fighting style, claiming that the Irishman ascended the ranks by outpointing his opponents in lackluster bouts.

“Obviously, he is a decision merchant,” Medic told Full Send MMA. “He runs around and gets a split decision. I mean, he's done it against Geoff Neal. He's done it against like a lot of guys; he would just run around and try to score some kicks and then get a decision win, you know. And props to him. He gets to win really; you can't say nothing t…

Jan Blachowicz's journey back to title contention has taken another unexpected turn.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder was originally slated to rematch Bogdan Guskov at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1 in Serbia. However, those plans changed when Guskov was offered the UFC Abu Dhabi main event spot against Magomed Ankalaev following Khalil Rountree's withdrawal.

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As such, Blachowicz (29-11-2) will now square off against Navajo Stirling in the new co-main event in Belgrade and the Polish veteran is unfazed by the change.Jan Blachowicz prepares for UFC Belgrade fight against Navajo Stirling After Guskov accepted the short-notice bout against Ankalaev, Blachowicz was paired with Stirling. The former champion insists little has changed in his preparation. “I am doing this all my life,” Blachowicz said in a recent interview. “It’s a new opponent. I have a lot of respect for him, but it's just another fighter who I have to stop…

Jon Jones remains highly confident in his ability.

In a recent interview, the former Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight and light heavyweight titleholder weighed in on how he believes a fight against fellow former two-division king Alex Pereira and a wrestling match against longtime rival Daniel Cormier would unfold, backing himself in both scenarios.

Jon Jones explains why he sees grappling as the deciding factor in a hypothetical fight with Alex Pereira Jones and Pereira were seemingly on a collision course when the latter announced his move up to heavyweight for UFC Freedom 250. However, with Jones’ ongoing stalemate with the UFC regarding his future, a fight against “Poatan” has fallen through.

Nevertheless, Jones cites size as a key factor at heavyweight, claiming his former opponents Stipe Miocic and Ciryl Gane are bigger than Pereira, who previously competed at 185 pounds.

“I watched Pereira train,” Jones said in an interview with AFL Global. “I …

Arman Tsarukyan will return to competition this weekend, though not inside the Octagon.

The top-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight contender is set to face Indian fitness influencer Ankit Baiyanpuria in a submission-only grappling match at a Hype Fighting event in Armenia, the promotion announced on Instagram.

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Arman Tsarukyan faces Ankit Baiyanpuria in a submission-only grappling match at Hype Fighting in Armenia Hype Fighting announced a submission-only grappling match between Tsarukyan and Baiyanpuria for their upcoming event in Yerevan, Armenia, on Aug. 1.

Tsarukyan has not competed in mixed martial arts since November last year, when he submitted Dan Hooker. The victory marked his return following a lengthy hiatus after earning a decision win over former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in April 2024.

While his next UFC appearance remains unconfirmed, Tsarukyan has stayed active outside the promotion. The Ar…

Islam Makhachev's elite grappling continues to draw compliments.

Makhachev will look to defend his Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight title against Ian Garry in the UFC 330 main event on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Ahead of his first title defense at 170 pounds, Porrada Training Center coach Ronny Markes has hailed Dagestan’s ability on the mat.

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Islam Makhachev’s grappling advantage before UFC 330 welterweight title defense Markes has worked with numerous high-level athletes at his Las Vegas gym, including Johnny Walker, Jessica Andrade, Alexander Volkov, Magomed Ankalaev and Kelvin Gastelum. Speaking to Sherdog, he offered insight into Makhachev's grappling prowess.

“I watched him train here at the P.I. against an ADCC champion, a Brazilian more than 10 kilograms [22 pounds] heavier, under grappling rules,” Markes said. “It was an incredibly tough session and Islam only lost by two or three points in that grappling sp…

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The Professional Fighters League has finalized the lineup for its July 31 event at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, featuring an 11-bout card headlined by a lightweight title fight.

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PFL New York is headlined by Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Archie Colgan. The card also features several notable matchups across the main and preliminary cards.PFL New York: All the details PFL New York will see undefeated champion Nurmagomedov (21-0) defend his lightweight crown against unbeaten contender Colgan (13-0) in the main event. In the co-headliner, top-ranked women's flyweight Dakota Ditcheva (15-0) returns after more than a year on the sidelines against Denise Kielholtz (9-5) in a bout with significant title implications at 125 pounds.

The main card also includes a light heavyweight matchup between Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (26-8-1) and Simeon Powell (12-2), while unbeaten lightweight prospect Amru Magomedov (10-0) squares off against Angel …

Islam Makhachev can do it all.

Makhachev recently gave two young men a stylistic makeover. He started by taking off one’s necklace and the other’s bracelet. The Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champion then cropped off their curly locks of hair with a trimmer. The Dagestani assured them that the new hairdo suited them better.

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Islam Makhachev’s Dagestan team tradition returns ahead of UFC 330 The close crop hairstyle is mandatory in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team. The rule was laid down by the UFC Hall of Famer’s late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who initially honed the entire team in the mountains of Dagestan. Notably, Makhachev had once been thrown out of the gym for having long hair.

Makhachev took to his Instagram Stories to showcase the only hairstyle permitted in the team.

“Today, for these two brothers, we make good haircut. I swear you look better.”

Khabib also posted a video of his protege trimming their hair. Makhachev sh…

F1 star Lewis Hamilton was very disappointed with Jon Jones for an unexpected reason.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship double champ recently recalled an incident that led Hamilton to unfollow and block him on social media. Jones had joined Army Rangers on a hunting trip from a helicopter with rifles. He even managed to shoot a pig, which was donated to an underprivileged family. However. Hamilton was disappointed with Jones’ way of hunting.

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Jon Jones explains how Lewis Hamilton reacted to his helicopter pig hunt and why the F1 icon cut ties on social media Hamilton called Jones a “coward” for shooting the animal from a helicopter. The former F1 champ believes that animals should be hunted traditionally with spears or arrows, to give them a fighting chance.

“I went hunting years ago with a bunch of Army Rangers and we ended up hunting pigs from a helicopter using AR-15s,” Jones told ALF Global. “I was so proud of myself because I killed one…

Despite failing multiple drug tests, Jon Jones insists that he never used steroids.

Jones (28-1) is considered one of the greatest fighters in Ultimate Fighting Championship history. However, his legacy is marred by multiple anti-doping violations throughout his career. The former two-division champion recently reiterated past claims that he’s never taken performance-enhancing substances.

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Jon Jones’ UFC career remains tied to anti-doping controversies and GOAT debates Jones was stripped of the interim UFC lightweight heavyweight title after testing positive for clomiphene and letrozole following his win over Ovince St. Preux in 2016. He again tested positive for a turinabol metabolite in 2017, which led to his stoppage win over Daniel Cormier in their rematch being overturned to a no contest.

While Jones tested positive for the M3 metabolite of oral turinabol in 2018 following his win over Alexander Gustafsson, “Bones” wasn’t penalized as the subst…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Anthony Smith has been arrested on multiple charges.Anthony Smith remains in custody after his arrest in Nebraska on multiple criminal chargesSmith (39-22) was arrested in Sarpy County, Nebraska, on charges of terroristic threat, 1st degree false imprisonment and domestic violence causing serious bodily injury. The former UFC light heavyweight title challenger currently remains in police custody in Sarpy County.

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Terroristic threat and 1st degree false imprisonment carry a maximum of three years in prison, plus fines and post-release supervision. Meanwhile, the domestic violence charge can result in a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Smith left the UFC on a three-fight slump following a loss to Mingyang Zhang last year. “Lionheart” returned to competition this past April, scoring a submission win in Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA.

🚨 Anthony Smith was arrested in Nebraska yesterday on thre…

Paulo Costa wants to bring excitement back to the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division.

Costa (16-4) recently slammed former champions Jiri Prochazka and Magomed Ankalaev, calling Prochazka “dumb” for his loss to current champ Carlos Ulberg and labeling Ankalaev’s last bout “boring.” The former middleweight title challenger is now eyeing a title shot.

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Paulo Costa unloads on Magomed Ankalaev after UFC Abu Dhabi while making his case for a UFC light heavyweight title shot Following Ankalaev’s stoppage of Bogdan Guskov at UFC Abu Dhabi, Costa has taken repeated shots at the Russian. Despite Ankalaev securing a late finish, their recent bout was lackluster, primarily due to Guskov backtracking throughout. Costa now claims the former 205-pound king is closer to getting cut from the roster than the title.

Costa also slammed Prochazka for his lapse in judgment against Ulberg, wherein the latter clearly suffered a leg injury in the op…

Jon Jones has mixed feelings about Dana White.

When recently asked to describe the Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO in one word, Jones said White is an “asshole.” However, the former double champ made sure to emphasize that he describes White as such “right now” and clarified that he loves White for changing his life.

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Jon Jones explains why he called Dana White an 'asshole' after UFC split with Tom Aspinall The relationship between Jones and White soured amid the promotion’s efforts to book him against Tom Aspinall. “Bones” ultimately vacated the heavyweight championship, drawing the ire of the UFC head honcho. Nevertheless, White continues to proclaim Jones is the GOAT despite their past differences.

While their working relationship has seemingly hit a low point, Jones admits that he’ll always be grateful for the opportunities afforded to him by the UFC.

“Right now, I’ll say asshole,” Jones told ALF Global. “But I love him, no matter what.…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has a contingency plan in place for the UFC 330 main event.

Undefeated welterweight contender Michael Morales has been tabbed as the official backup for the championship bout between Islam Makhachev and Ian Garry, which headlines UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.

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Michael Morales becomes UFC 330 backup for Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Garry title fight Morales (19-0) has confirmed that he has been instructed to make championship weight (170 pounds) and remain on standby should either Makhachev (28-1) or Garry (17-1) be forced to withdraw due to injury, illness or any other unforeseen circumstance.

The assignment marks another significant milestone for the Ecuadorian prospect, who has rapidly emerged as one of the division's top contenders. Morales has remained unbeaten through seven Octagon appearances and secured the biggest victory of his career with a first-round knockout of Sean Brady in No…

Sean Strickland has slammed fighter compensation in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Strickland recently detailed the financial plight of newly signed UFC fighters. The outspoken reigning middleweight champion also hit out at a UFC matchmaker and some of the promotion’s practices that have rubbed him the wrong way.

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UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says aspiring fighters should understand the financial challenges of MMA During a recent appearance on the “Shawn Ryan Show,” Strickland offered a blunt assessment of the life of the average UFC athlete, arguing that entry-level contracts and the financial realities of competing in the Octagon leave many fighters struggling to make ends meet despite reaching MMA’s biggest stage.

“When you’re a fighter, you’re so f*cking poor,” Strickland said. “Even in the UFC. UFC guys, they’re signing guys at like, 10 and 10, [$10,000] to show, [$10,000] to win, $20 grand. So, then you pay off your manager, …

Dakota Ditcheva is trying to forget about her hand injury as she prepares to return to action in the Professional Fighters League.

The unbeaten British standout meets former Bellator kickboxing champion Denise Kielholtz on July 31 at UBS Arena on Long Island, New York, marking her return after suffering a broken hand against Sumiko Inaba in 2025, an injury that sidelined her for more than a year.

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Dakota Ditcheva discusses confidence struggles before PFL fight with Denise Kielholtz Despite a 100% physical recovery from her injury, Ditcheva still struggles with the mental aspect of returning to competition. She recently admitted that the biggest hurdle has been regaining complete confidence in her repaired hand, especially having undergone reconstructive surgery.

“You have to try and forget about it,” Ditcheva said about her recovery after the surgery. “I’m doing everything I was doing before it was broken, so for now, it’s just the mind. I don’t hav…