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Dana White has addressed Paulo Costa’s frustration with the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Costa recently slammed UFC exec Hunter Campbell after he was seemingly offered a short-notice five-round bout for the final fight of his current contract. While the former title challenger is open to accepting a five-rounder, he wants to be compensated accordingly and have ample time to prepare for a 25-minute bout. The Brazilian has even repeatedly requested his release from the promotion.

Paulo Costa says he wants his final UFC fight as Dana White points to offers he turned down When asked about Costa’s comments following Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series, White acknowledged the fighter’s frustration but revealed that “Borrachinha” has turned down several fights.

“Oh, yeah. [Paulo is] frustrated, yeah,” White said. “He's been offered fights and turned them down. We don't just say, 'f*ck Paulo Costa,' and, 'you're not going to get a fight,' and 'no, we're not going to p…

Mauricio Ruffy showcased improved takedown defense against Arman Tsarukyan, but didn’t anticipate the fight-ending blow at the end of the first round.

Tsarukyan stopped Ruffy with an elbow at 4:56 of the opening round on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The result strengthened Tsarukyan’s position in the lightweight title picture, while Ruffy suffered his second loss in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Pedro Rizzo and Renato “Money” Moicano recently reflected on the fight.

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Mauricio Ruffy frustrated Arman Tsarukyan’s wrestling before the clinch attack produced the finish Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Rizzo praised Ruffy’s ability to thwart Tsarukyan’s wrestling before highlighting how the latter’s adjustment ultimately made the difference.

“When you start worrying too much about defense, you become too defensive and stop attacking,” Rizzo said. “You have to give their strategy credit. That combination of the clinch and the e…

Gable Steveson has broken his silence following his stunning 12-second knockout loss.

Steveson was handed his first pro defeat by Sean Sharaf, who pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Ultimate Fighting Championship history. In his post-fight statement, the Olympian addressed both the defeat and sexual assault allegations stemming from his college years that resurfaced during fight week.

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Gable Steveson addresses Sean Sharaf upset and fight-week allegations Steveson and his teammate were arrested in connection with a sexual assault allegation in 2019, but no criminal charges were ultimately filed because of a lack of evidence. Sharaf repeatedly referenced the allegations during fight week, turning fans against him, and Steveson addressed those comments in a statement.

“This statement is for my family, my friends, my fans and the people who truly know me and know the kind of man I am,” Steveson wrote. “I know there are people who will never support…

Joshua Van studies footage of fellow fighters who have a style similar to his.

Van recently revealed that he used to flip tape of Dustin Poirier to pick up techniques. He explains that he used to flip the footage because he is orthodox while Poirier is a southpaw. Van studies tape of other elite fighters like Ilia Topuria, who have a boxing-based style like him. However, Van’s favorite fighter to study is fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Petr Yan.

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Joshua Van explains how Dustin Poirier, Petr Yan and Ilia Topuria influence his striking Van defended his title for the second time at UFC 331, putting his renowned boxing on display to defeat Alexandre Pantoja in their rematch. “The Fearless” revealed in a recent interview that he actively studies Yan’s hands and incorporates what he can into his own arsenal.

“He’s got my style of fighting,” Van told Ariel Helwani. “He’s a boxing-based fighter, kind of like Petr Yan, Ilia. I like to stud…

Sean Sharaf is planning on getting a financial advisor after making several terrible decisions.

Sharaf (5-2) was a massive underdog going into his Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight bout against Gable Steveson at UFC 331, where he recorded a 12-second knockout in a historic upset. He revealed before the bout that he was in heavy debt.

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Sean Sharaf discusses ‘crazy’ ways he blew up money to end up in debt Sharaf earned a $50,000 promotional bonus from Paramount+ for his win over Steveson. Dana White added $50,000 of his own to double Sharaf’s bonus, while revealing that the UFC heavyweight was $600,000 in debt.

Sharaf recently revealed how he gradually came under massive debt. The former U.S. Marine admits to making terrible financial decisions like buying a truck he couldn’t afford. Sharaf also started gambling when he first moved to Las Vegas in the hope of meeting White, who frequents casinos.

Sharaf eventually had to borrow money fr…

Marlon Vera’s house was broken into while he was getting ready to challenge Sean O'Malley for the title.

Vera made an unsuccessful Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title bid against O’Malley in 2024 in Miami. He recently revealed that his house in California was broken into the night before the fight. When the cameras went off at night, Vera’s wife thought it was due to a power cut. The next morning, the police informed Vera that his house had been robbed.

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Marlon Vera says his watch collection was stolen from his California home before UFC 299 Vera wasn’t happy to hear the news just hours before the biggest fight of his career. Vera’s watch collection, worth approximately $200,000, was stolen. While someone informed Vera about a suspect, the police never caught the culprit. Vera also believes it could be someone who knew him, as they entered, found the watch collection without rummaging through the house and exited within five minutes.

“…

Merab Dvalishvili believes he has identified the key mistake he made in his rematch against Petr Yan.

Dvalishvili put his Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title on the line for the fourth time within a year in a rematch against Yan last December. While Dvalishvili was a sizable favorite, considering how their first bout played out, Yan put on a technical masterclass to piece up the Georgian en route to a unanimous decision victory.

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Dvalishvili plans to change his approach against Yan in their UFC 333 trilogy Dvalishvili recently said that he made the mistake of fighting Yan’s fight in their rematch. “The Machine” believes it wasn’t wise of him to trade on the feet against an elite boxer like Yan. However, Dvalishvili is confident that he has made the necessary improvements to reclaim the title from the Russian in their trilogy fight.

“I think the second fight I was fighting his fight,” Dvalishvili told MMA Fighting. “I was in front of hi…

Six Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts were handed out on Week 7 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026 despite few finishes.Dana White awards UFC contracts to Damian Piwowarczyk, Piero Guaylupo, Callum Connor, Marcos Degli, Alvi Dasuyev and Jaden OrtegaDamian Piwowarczyk (12-4) and Emilio Quissua (8-1) started the action with a light heavyweight clash. While Quissua came out strong, Piwowarczyk handed him his first pro loss late in the first round with a vicious flurry. UFC CEO Dana White awarded Piwowarczyk a UFC contract for the finish.

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“Damian, great first round,” White said. “Emilio is a tough guy. He was putting it on you in that first round. And what did you do? Knock him out with less than 10 seconds left in the first round. Congratulations, you’re in the UFC.”

Piero Guaylupo (13-0) and Callum Connor (8-1) put on a barnburner in their lightweight tilt. The bout would have broke the UFC lightweight record for the most significant strikes l…

Sean Sharaf knew Gable Steveson was looking past him before their clash.

Sharaf was a massive underdog going into his Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight bout against Steveson at UFC 331. He knocked Steveson out cold in 12 seconds in a monumental upset and has since revealed that he knew the Olympian was underestimating him, which only motivated him further.

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Sharaf says Steveson's RAF 12 wrestling match during UFC camp lit a fire under him Sharaf recently revealed that a specific moment made it certain that Steveson was looking past him. Steveson (4-1) defeated Anthony Cassioppi in a wrestling match at RAF 12, less than a month before his fight against Sharaf. When Sharaf saw Steveson doing side quests during fight camp, he knew that the Olympic gold medalist was overconfident.

“He did a [Real American Freestyle] match,” Sharaf told TMZ Sports. “He did a wrestling match like the month prior, and that’s when I knew. He’s in fight camp and he’…

Sean Strickland continues to be reckless with vehicles.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder was recently involved in yet another accident. Strickland claims his friend was driving when their ATV flipped over and rolled six times. He wasn’t wearing a helmet, leading to minor scratches on his head and shoulders.

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Sean Strickland escapes major injury after six-roll ATV accident While the two-time champ didn’t suffer any major injuries, he admitted he was in a “bad place” after the accident.

“Guys, I’m in a real bad place,” Strickland said on Instagram. “Aw, f*ck. I let my buddy drive; he rolled us going, like, 60. We rolled, like, six times. That was from my head smacking the ground while going 60; I did not have a helmet on. I’m an idiot. [Shows scrapes on shoulder and head] That was just from rolling and smacking the concrete and the dirt. F*ck, I’m in a real bad place right now. I think I’m just going to lay here and take a nap for a litt…

The Professional Fighters League is undergoing another major change.

PFL CEO John Martin announced Tuesday that he’s stepping down. Martin’s decision comes hardly a month after PFL merged with Most Valuable Promotions. Martin had assumed the role of CEO of the merged brand.

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John Martin steps down as PFL-MVP CEO and backs Nakisa Bidarian to lead next Martin also said MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian is likely to take over after him.

“After an incredible year and the successful combination of PFL and MVP, I’ve made the decision to step down as CEO of the combined company,” Martin announced on Instagram. “I’m enormously proud of what this team has accomplished and couldn’t have more confidence in what comes next. Nakisa and I worked closely together to bring these companies together, and I believe he is the natural person to lead this next chapter. I’m grateful to the entire team and Board for their partnership, and I’ll be cheering for MVP as both a f…

Chuck Liddell says the use of wrestling in modern mixed martial arts by some fighters doesn’t sit well with him.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer has no problem with wrestling itself. What bothers him is how fighters use it to stall, rather than inflict damage or progress towards submission attempts.

Chuck Liddell takes issue with control-heavy wrestling that doesn't pursue a finish During a recent livestream with N3on, Liddell was asked whether there’s a current fighter he doesn’t enjoy watching. Rather than name an active UFC fighter, the former champ singled out a style that has become increasingly common in MMA.

“I don’t like the guys who try to wrestle and hold,” Liddell said.

Liddell explained that his issue isn't with grappling, but with fighters who use wrestling primarily to control their opponents without actively pursuing a finish.

“They’re not trying to finish. I’ve got nothing against wrestling. I like wrestling,” Liddell added.…

Colby Covington believes Gable Steveson needs to make changes after suffering his first defeat in mixed martial arts.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship interim titleholder singled out Steveson training under Jon Jones as one of the changes the Olympian needs to make following his 12-second knockout loss to heavy underdog Sean Sharaf at UFC 331.

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Covington says Steveson should find a new camp and return to his Olympic wrestling roots In an interview with Submission Radio, “Chaos” said Steveson has moved too far away from the wrestling that made him an Olympic champion, arguing that the heavyweight should return to his roots rather than focusing on his striking.

“I definitely saw this coming,” Covington told Submission Radio. “You know, he was over-hyping himself, overlooking other competitors and he just thought he was invincible. You don't see him try to wrestle in any fights; he's just going straight into striking. But when you forget about…

Real American Freestyle has signed a five-year partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and the UAE Wrestling Federation, with the agreement beginning Nov. 14 at Etihad Arena.

Khamzat Chimaev will headline RAF’s debut event in the Middle East, with his opponent to be announced in the coming weeks. Arman Tsarukyan, Henry Cejudo, Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Snyder and Abdulrashid Sadulaev are also set to compete, with their matchups still to be revealed.

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Real American Freestyle signs five-year partnership with Abu Dhabi Chimaev has become one of RAF’s crossover attractions since joining the promotion. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder made his RAF debut against Dillon Danis before facing Tyron Woodley in Moscow and Gilbert Burns at RAF 13.

The Abu Dhabi event marks RAF’s third international show in its first year, following events in Tbilisi and Moscow. The new partnership will establish Abu Dhabi…

Shavkat Rakhmonov’s recovery and rehabilitation from multiple leg injuries is seemingly moving in the right direction.

The undefeated welterweight recently shared footage on his Instagram stories, in which he’s seen doing some light wrestling work. Rakhmonov hasn’t competed since December 2024, with multiple injury setbacks preventing a return to competition. However, the recent video he and his coach shared online could be a sign of good things to come.

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Shavkat Rakhmonov continues recovery after calling for Islam Makhachev matchup Rakhmonov (19-0) was working on his clinch work in the video shared on Instagram. He appears to be in good spirits and, notably, didn’t have a protective boot on his leg as he did in a recent interview.

While speaking to AFL Global in an interview posted on Sept. 6, the Kazakh was wearing a full protective boot. He’s now boot-free and gunning for an Octagon return, evidenced by his comments in said interview, wherein he s…

Michael Morales and Ian Garry appear to have reached an agreement.

Garry came up short in his maiden title bid in the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 330, losing to Islam Makhachev via decision. The Irishman is now looking to re-enter the title mix by beating unbeaten welterweight Morales, who’s open to the matchup.

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Michael Morales accepts Ian Garry’s Nov. 28 proposal for a UFC fight in Saudi Arabia Morales has shared a screenshot of his DMs with Garry wherein they agree to fight in November. The latter initially questioned the former’s availability claims, speculating that he’s avoiding the matchup.

“I wanna fight before the end of the year and I’m being told you’re not available,” Garry wrote. “You were able to be the back up for the world title fight but not able to take a fight with me now? You’ve also asked to be a back up for the next title fight, but still not available to fight with me? Looks like someone is avoiding me. Talk all that…

Demetrious Johnson claims Arman Tsarukyan put a lesson from their training session together to good use in his recent bout.

Tsarukyan further bolstered his case for a title shot in the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 331, knocking out Mauricio Ruffy with an elbow at 4:56 of the opening round. The technique he used to deliver the knockout was among the positions he worked on alongside Johnson when they trained together.

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Arman Tsarukyan put Demetrious Johnson's clinch advice to use against Mauricio Ruffy Johnson broke down the finish and highlighted Tsarukyan’s decision to remain aggressive in close range rather than immediately looking for another takedown when he had Ruffy up against the Octagon wall.

“Now, instead of just wrestling here, like I said, you don’t have to wrestle here,” Johnson said in a video posted to his YouTube channel. “Look, he’s already here. That’s one of the things I showed him. Usually people want to wrestle here, but …

Magomed Ankalaev is willing to fight Paulo Costa despite considering it a lose-lose scenario.

Costa is currently amidst a falling-out with the Ultimate Fighting Championship over the last fight on his current contract. The Brazilian has repeatedly called out the promotion online while campaigning for a fight. Former champ Magomed Ankalaev has now offered a solution.

Ankalaev offers to serve as Costa’s final fight under his current UFC contract Costa’s latest gripe with the UFC involved being offered a short-notice five-round fight for no additional pay. While Costa is willing to accept a five-round fight, he wants to be compensated accordingly and have ample time to prepare for a 25-minute bout. Furthermore, he’s taken shots at UFC exec Hunter Campbell and asked for his release multiple times.

Ankalaev has offered to be the last fight on Costa’s current contract. The former light heavyweight champ believes Costa has nothing to lose, as his stock will skyrocket with a w…

Valter Walker believes his compromised feet might be a hurdle on his way to an Ultimate Fighting Championship title.

While Walker is a feared leg lock submission artist, he isn’t an elite striker. “The Foot Hunter” recently admitted that his striking isn’t up to the mark due to bad footwork caused by his compromised feet. Walker revealed that his footwork is poor as his toes are curled, limiting his ability to be light on his feet.

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Valter Walker says childhood shoe problems left him with curled toes and poor footwork Coming from a poor background, Walker didn’t have money to buy new shoes as his feet grew. Wearing undersized shoes did long-term damage to his toes, which is now showing its effects. He claims that this issue is the biggest stumbling block towards him becoming a champion.

“I really have a big problem with my footwork,” Walker told Full Mount MMA. “My foot is not really good because when I was young, I didn’t have money to buy new shoe…

Patricio "Pitbull" Freire believes reconnecting with a longtime boxing coach, Edelson Silva, played a major role in getting his career back on track.

Freire recently returned to winning ways in the final bout of his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract, finishing Doo Ho Choi by first-round technical knockout at UFC 331.

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Patricio Freire credits reunion with Edelson Silva for Doo Ho Choi finish After his victory over Choi, Freire spoke about his reunion with Silva, which he credited as the primary factor in reviving his career. Talking to UFC Brazil’s Evelyn Rodrigues as he left the Octagon, the former Bellator champ said the reunion allowed him to fight more freely.

“I wasn’t letting myself go in the previous fights, but thank God I was able to find myself again in this one,” Freire said after the victory. “Edelson worked with me from 2000 to 2015. Unfortunately, we drifted apart for 11 years, when he worked on 10 of Anderson Silva’s camps. But w…

Manel Kape is making his case for the next Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title shot.

Joshua Van (18-2) successfully defended the 125-pound championship in a rematch against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 331 on Sept. 19. Top-ranked flyweight Manel Kape, seemingly the frontrunner for a shot at UFC gold, can’t wait to fight Van as he favors the matchup stylistically.

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Manel Kape sees UFC champion Joshua Van’s striking style as an ideal matchup Van has faced wrestling-heavy fighters in his two title defenses so far, finishing Tatsuro Taira and going the distance with Alexandre Pantoja in a five-round war. Kape, one of the best strikers in the division, can’t wait to dissect Van’s boxing-centric fighting style and he claims he’ll make it look effortless.

“The perfect style for me to paint a masterpiece,” Kape posted on X. “You’re all going to be surprised by how easy I make this fight look.”

The California State Athletic Commission released the…

Sean Strickland wants to test himself in boxing.

The two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder recently revealed that while he loves mixed martial arts, he wants to try his hand in the squared circle at some point down the line.

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UFC champion Sean Strickland prefers a future boxing fight under Zuffa Strickland foresees boxing fights in his future. He recently took to social media to reveal his desire, eyeing a boxing fight under the Zuffa banner.

“I love MMA but I want to box,” Strickland wrote on X. “Prefer Zuffa but if they can't make that happen…”

Strickland is known for his boxing-heavy approach inside the Octagon. He reclaimed the 185-pound championship in May by defeating Khamzat Chimaev and is rumored to be defending his title in a rematch against Nassourdine Imavov next.

I love MMA but I want to box.. Prefer Zuffa but if they cant make that happen.....

— Sean Strickland (@SStrickla…

Charles Jourdain had a terrifying reason for waving off his recent bout with Marlon Vera.

Jourdain and Vera squared off on the prelims of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s recent numbered event in Los Angeles. In the third round, Jourdain signaled that he didn’t want to take any more damage after being knocked down. While this isn’t the first time the Canadian has been dropped in a fight, he has revealed that the final knockdown against “Chito” compromised his vision.

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Charles Jourdain explains why he waved off his UFC 331 fight against Marlon Vera After Jourdain hit the canvas and signaled that he didn’t wish to continue, the referee stepped in, handing Vera his first finish in four years. While there was initially confusion about Jourdain’s gesture, “Air” has now revealed why he was done fighting after the third-round knockdown, as he couldn’t see anything.

“Lost my eyesight in the third,” Jourdain wrote on Instagram. “I waved the fight ‘cause …

Joshua Van entered his second flyweight title defense with a significant shoulder injury.

Van retained his Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight belt on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, defeating former champion Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 331. “The Fearless” has revealed that he had a less-than-ideal training camp for the rematch.

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Joshua Van says shoulder injury kept him from sparring for most of Alexandre Pantoja camp At the post-fight press conference, Van said he injured the AC joint in his right shoulder following the pre-fight presser in August in Philadelphia and was unable to spar normally for much of camp, relying primarily on cardio training.

“Coming into this fight after the press conference in Philly, I tore my AC joint in my right shoulder and I couldn't even spar,” Van said. “So, the last two weeks was my first time sparring, and this camp we did nothing but cardio. Just running and …