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Justin Gaethje has revealed that a showdown with Conor McGregor is his top choice for his next bout.

Gaethje, who won the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title by beating Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250, prefers the McGregor matchup over getting revenge against Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira.

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Justin Gaethje favors Conor McGregor over rematches with Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira In a recent interview, Gaethje explained why he has little interest in revisiting fights with Holloway and Oliveira, who previously finished him in title bouts. Holloway scored a buzzer-beater KO against Gaethje at UFC 300 to win the BMF title, while Oliveira submitted him in his second attempt at undisputed lightweight gold.

Nevertheless, with Topuria finishing both “Blessed” and “do Bronxs,” Gaethje isn’t interested in rematches. Rather, he’s eyeing a bout with former two-division champ McGregor.

“Damn, there’s really no one,” Gaethje said. “It wou…

Eddie Hearn is standing firm amid the ongoing Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua saga.

Hearn has pushed back after Dana White recently addressed the ongoing discourse surrounding the heavyweight matchup. The head of Matchroom Boxing discussed the involvement of the Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO and Zuffa Boxing in putting together the fight and clarified Joshua’s stance on the same.

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Anthony Joshua's stance on Dana White and Zuffa Boxing complicates Tyson Fury fight talks Hearn was asked about the highly anticipated Fury-Joshua bout after the Katie Taylor vs. Flora Pili press conference in Dublin, Ireland, and reiterated that, as per Joshua’s contract, there’s no need for Zuffa to get involved.

“No, or else there will be no fight and we’ll just keep going,” Hearn said at a media scrum captured by Bloody Elbow. “You have to understand, right? AJ is one of my closest friends; AJ is a shareholder of Matchroom. So, I know the narrative run by Tyson Fury is,…

Salahdine Parnasse believes Dan Hooker is the “perfect” matchup for his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

Parnasse will make his Octagon debut against Hooker in the UFC Paris main event on Sept. 5. The former two-division KSW champion claims the UFC veteran is the ideal opponent to showcase his skills against.

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Salahdine Parnasse expects his aggressive style to mesh with Dan Hooker at UFC Paris Parnasse (23-2) enters the UFC with a ton of hype. While he sees his upcoming opponent as a “big challenge,” given Hooker’s 12-year run in the UFC, the French fighter likes the stylistic matchup, especially considering his Kiwi counterpart’s aggressive fighting style.

“Dan Hooker is very strong, very experienced,” Parnasse said at UFC Paris media day. “That's why he is at the top of the UFC and I think he is a big challenge and I love this challenge. I think he is a very explosive guy who likes to do a lot in his fights. And I think that with me, it's a…

Aline Pereira could join her brother, Alex Pereira, in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Pereira is reportedly set to face Smilla Sundell in a bantamweight matchup on the final episode of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 on Oct. 13 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

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Aline Pereira reportedly draws Smilla Sundell for DWCS Week 10 Aline, 35, is the younger sister of Alex, a former two-division UFC champion. In her last outing, she defeated Jade Masson-Wong at Most Valuable Promotions’ inaugural mixed martial arts event. Although Aline (3-2) has limited professional MMA experience, she has established herself in kickboxing (6-2) and Karate Combat (3-0).

Meanwhile, Sundell (2-0) has recorded both her pro MMA victories via technical knockout under the Tuff-N-Uff banner. The 21-year-old Swede was previously a standout in One Championship, where she won and defended the muay thai strawweight title.

The matchup, slated for Week 10 of DWCS 2026, wa…

Andre Lima has addressed Bilal Hasan’s callout, slamming the new Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight.

Hasan recently earned a UFC contract with a 45-second knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series. He made an 18-day turnaround for his UFC debut in Shanghai, China, where he knocked out Nilson Rojas in the second round.

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Hasan then called out Lima, who picked up a third-round submission win over Namsrai Batbayar at UFC Shanghai, after beating Rojas.Andre Lima fires back at Bilal Hasan after their UFC Shanghai wins In his post-fight interview, Hasan said he wasn’t impressed with Lima’s performance while watching the fight in the locker room ahead of his bout. Responding to Hasan, Lima says the Indonesian-American only called him out once he had the microphone. Lima claims Hasan didn’t make eye contact with him whenever they crossed each other at the fighter hotel.

“Some clown called me out after his fight,” Lima wrote on X. “I responded, an…

Sean Sharaf questions the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s selective promotion of fighters.

Sharaf (4-2) is scheduled to fight Gable Steveson (4-0) at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Steveson recently did a collaboration on Instagram with UFC content creator Nina Marie Daniele, aka Nina Drama, drawing the ire of his upcoming foe.

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Sean Sharaf questions UFC treatment ahead of Gable Steveson fight Sharaf questioned the UFC over the influencer’s repeated collaborations with Steveson. Sharaf, an ex-Marine, wonders if he’s unworthy of promotion and slammed the organization for allegedly pushing Steveson, who has been accused of sexual assault.

“This is like the 4th collab they do with him, what’s up with that UFC guess Marines aren’t worthy of interviews just r**ists,” Sharaf wrote in the comments section of Nina Drama’s video.

Steveson and his teammate Dylan Martinez were arrested on charges of sexual assault in 2019. Howev…

Anthony Wint says his toughest opponent was his gambling addiction.

Wint was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Jets in 2018 and waived the next year. He desperately started preparing for a comeback to the NFL, which never materialized. Having spent all his savings, Wint used to live out of his car when a serious gambling addiction emerged. He recently detailed how it came about.

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Anthony Wint says staying away from gambling in Las Vegas tested him more than Matthew Adams or Terrance Chatman It all started back in college when Wint made $1,000 out of $300 that his friend’s father had given him. He claims this sparked a habit that he took eight years to resolve.

“When that [NFL comeback] didn’t happen, I was sitting there broke, homeless, hungry… In college, my teammate’s dad gave me and my teammate both $300 to gamble with. I turned that $300 into $1,000, and in my head a switch went off,” Wint told Ariel Helwani. “I was like, ‘I’ve be…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s annual Madison Square Garden card is taking shape.

Nazim Sadykhov is set to square off against Jefferson Nascimento in a lightweight bout at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at MSG in New York City. While the UFC has yet to officially announce the bout, Sadykhov took to Instagram to reveal the booking. They last competed on the same card earlier this year.

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Nazim Sadykhov says he will face Jefferson Nascimento at UFC 334 in New York Nascimento (13-1) was a highly touted undefeated prospect going into his UFC debut against fellow promotional debutant Tahir Abdullayev this past June at UFC Baku. However, he was booed in enemy territory for coasting throughout the first two rounds.

Abdullayev finally hurt Nascimento late in the third round and referee Jim Perdios called a highly questionable stop to the contest. While Nascimento made his UFC debut at welterweight, the former LFA lightweight champ will drop back down to 155 pound…

Chute Boxe is honoring Allan Nascimento.

Nascimento (22-7) died in his sleep in early August, reportedly due to a cardiac arrest. The Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight’s coach has now paid tribute to his late friend and pupil.

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Diego Lima renames his institute after longtime student and UFC flyweight Allan Nascimento Chute Boxe head coach Diego Lima recently revealed that the Diego Lima Institute has now been renamed the Allan Nascimento Institute in honor of “Puro Osso.”

“Allan has been my student since he was 14 years old,” Lima told MMA Fighting while tearing up. “So, we have been together for 20 years. It’s almost been a month. There hasn’t been a single day when I haven’t cried. Our institute today, the Diego Lima Institute, is not going to be called the Diego Lim Institute anymore. It’s going to be called the Allan Nascimento Institute. As long as I live, I will honor his name. As long as I live, I will say his name because he was my s…

Gregory Rodrigues has dismissed Anthony Hernandez’s cheating claims.

Rodrigues recently defeated Hernandez by decision in a five-round middleweight bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which earned Fight of the Night honors. Hernandez later accused Rodrigues of grabbing his gloves during grappling exchanges in the UFC Sacramento headliner. Rodrigues, however, claims it was inadvertent and had no bearing on the outcome.

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Gregory Rodrigues says his glove grab against Anthony Hernandez was inadvertent and had no impact on the fight Rodrigues spoke to Sherdog about the cheating allegations that emerged in the aftermath of his last bout. While ‘Robocop’ admits that he mistakenly grabbed Hernandez’s glove in one instance in the heat of the moment, he says he immediately let it go when his opponent pointed it out.

“There was no cheating,” Rodrigues said. “It happened in the heat of the moment while we were against the fence and as soon as he pointe…

Michael Page grew tired of waiting around at welterweight.

The former Bellator star recently explained his reasoning for accepting fights at middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship ahead of his Octagon return against Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris.

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Michael Page explains why UFC welterweight title-shot tactics pushed him toward middleweight Page is 4-1 in the UFC, with his lone defeat in the promotion coming against the last challenger for the 170-pound title, Ian Garry. However, odd bookings followed the loss to Garry, with the Englishman taking on middleweights Sharabutdin Magomedov and Jared Cannonier before dropping back down to welterweight to fight unranked compatriot Sam Patterson in a lackluster bout.

Page claims top-ranked welterweights would rather wait around for a title shot than fight him, prompting the move back up to 185 pounds.

“Everyone at welterweight is, I'm trying to be polite here,” Page said in a recent intervi…

Marlon Vera doesn’t want to live with regret, but admits his coaching change was a tough decision.

Vera (23-12-1) is scheduled to fight Charles Jourdain (18-8) on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The former title challenger recently revealed that he is no longer working with his longtime striking coach Jason Parillo. He claims the split was amicable, but something had to change to halt his losing streak in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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Marlon Vera explains why he left Jason Parillo before UFC 331 Vera says it was hard to part ways with Parillo as they didn’t have any problems with each other since initially linking up in 2018. “Chito” didn’t want to get to the end of his career and wonder whether it would've played out differently if he had made the change.

“I was trying to figure out what I need, what is not getting me to win these close decisions,” Vera told Ariel Helwani. “It was a pretty hard decision because we didn’t have a …

Dana White was quick to check on Bella Mir after she failed to secure an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

White shared details of his interaction with Mir during the latest Dana White’s Contender Series post-fight press conference, revealing that the heavily favored prospect was taking the defeat well and vowed to return stronger.

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Bella Mir told the UFC CEO she will “come back stronger” after losing to Alex Apodaca The UFC CEO revealed that he called Mir immediately after her loss to Alex Apodaca on Week 3 of DWCS Season 10.

“She was in a good place,” White said during the DWCS Week 4 post-fight press conference. “She's like, ‘Listen, I've lost before. I've lost jiu-jitsu matches. I've lost wrestling matches. You know, I've lost before; I know what it feels like to lose and I'm good. I'll be back and I'll come back stronger.’”

White was also asked whether Mir could return to DWCS later this season. He left the possibility open, say…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Los Angeles on Sept. 19 for UFC 331 and the early odds have been unveiled.

In the main event, Joshua Van will look to defend the UFC flyweight title against former champion Alexandre Pantoja in their rematch. In the co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan takes on Mauricio Ruffy in a key lightweight clash with championship implications. The card also features Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf, Patricio Freire vs. Doo Ho Choi and Brian Ortega vs. Renato Carneiro 2.

UFC 331 betting odds favor Alexandre Pantoja over Joshua Van in their title rematchPer BetOnline Sports, UFC flyweight champion Van is a slight underdog at -105 against former champion Pantoja, who enters at -115. Tsarukyan is a much heavier favorite in the co-main event at -380 against Ruffy (+305).

Steveson is the biggest favorite on the card at -1500 against Sharaf (+600), while Robelis Despaigne is also a sizable favorite at -700 against Tai Tuivasa (+505). Notably, Carn…

Alex Apodaca pulled off the biggest upset in Dana White’s Contender Series history, but refuses to put down her opponent.

Apodaca entered the matchup as a massive underdog against the highly touted Bella Mir. She emerged victorious via decision to earn an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. Mir has since drawn criticism for her performance, but Apodaca believes the backlash isn’t warranted.

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Alex Apodaca says Bella Mir is still a ‘good fighter’ after historic DWCS upset While Apodaca laughed off the fact that some viewed her as a “sacrificial lamb” going into the bout, she admits she occasionally doubted herself given the pre-fight betting odds.

“I didn’t find the actual [odds] out before the fight, but I knew what was happening,” Apodaca told TMZ. “I’m just like the sacrificial lamb being thrown in is kind of the thought that people are thinking, which I was like, that’s insane. Nothing points to the fact that I’m just going to go out there a…

Dan Hooker admits that distractions outside the Octagon affected the habits he carried for most of his career.

The veteran lightweight explained that as his profile grew, so did the demands away from fighting. Between his businesses, his own fight show, various deals, travel and meetings, Hooker found it increasingly difficult to maintain the singular focus he once had. He claims he has since regained his focus and is prepared for his upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship main event against Salahdine Parnasse.

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Dan Hooker says lost focus affected his recent UFC performances Hooker is set to return to the Octagon on Sept. 5 at UFC Paris against Parnasse. Ahead of the bout, “The Hangman” discussed the impact of not putting his all into competition.

“Obviously, with success and you get to the higher moving up, you get pulled in a million different directions,” Hooker said in a recent interview. “I got my own fight show, you know, you got your own bu…

Justin Gaethje believes he has already accomplished what he set out to do in the fight game.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder recently opened up about his last win and the respect he has earned in the sport. Gaethje is content with his career, irrespective of what happens in the future.

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Justin Gaethje explains why losing to Max Holloway made his Ilia Topuria win more meaningful Gaethje emerged victorious in his third attempt at undisputed UFC gold at UFC Freedom 250, where he pulled off a major upset to finish Ilia Topuria and claim the lightweight title. He’s now satisfied with what he’s accomplished.

“I do feel like I have fulfilled my legacy,” Gaethje said in a recent interview.

Gaethje pointed to the respect he has earned from fans as well as the way he has conducted himself throughout his career, in victory and defeat. "The Highlight" credited losing the BMF title to Max Holloway as a key moment in his career, …

Tommy McMillen firmly believes he is the top prospect in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division.

The undefeated 145-pounder will meet fellow unbeaten prospect Marwan Rahiki at Noche UFC 4 on Sept. 12 in Glendale, Arizona, and McMillen believes the matchup is exactly what he wants at this stage of his career.

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Tommy McMillen welcomes the Marwan Rahiki matchup at Noche UFC McMillen (11-0) has 10 finishes on his record, with his lone decision win coming in his contract-winning effort on Dana White’s Contender Series. When asked about facing a dangerous prospect in his third UFC outing rather than a less-challenging matchup, McMillen said he welcomes the challenge.

“Yeah, you know I like to fight,” McMillen said in a recent interview. “I want to fight the toughest guys to prove that I'm on a different level.”

Rahiki (9-0) has earned finishes in all nine of his professional victories and, like McMillen, is 2-0 in the UFC. The l…

Glover Teixeira wants to see the bad blood between Alex Pereira and Josh Hokit come to a head inside the Octagon.

Just hours after defeating Mauricio “Shogun” Rua by unanimous decision in an eight-round boxing match at Spaten Fight Night 3 in Sao Paulo, the former champ offered his thoughts on Pereira's future. Teixeira believes Hokit is the ideal next opponent for “Poatan” in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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Glover Teixeira wants Alex Pereira to settle his rivalry with Josh Hokit in the UFC When asked about Pereira vs. Hokit, Teixeira laid out his prediction for how the bout will play out.

“Personally, I would love to see him against Hokit,” Teixeira said in an interview with journalist Laerte Viana. “I think this guy speaks a lot of bullsh*t and I believe ‘Poatan’ would knock him out in the first round.”

Teixeira also indicated that Pereira is training regularly and simply waiting for his next assignment. The rivalry between the Brazilia…

Brendan Allen and Christian Leroy Duncan are set to headline an Ultimate Fighting Championship card.

The pair will meet at UFC Vegas 122 on Oct. 10 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Allen enters the matchup on a three-fight winning streak, including victories over Edmen Shahbazyan and Marvin Vettori, both of which earned Fight of the Night honors. Meanwhile, Duncan is on a five-fight win streak and hasn’t lost in over two years.

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Christian Leroy Duncan gets his first UFC main event against Brendan Allen The matchup gives Allen an opportunity to extend his win streak to four. The American was previously on a seven-fight winning streak before suffering back-to-back decision losses to Nassourdine Imavov and Anthony Hernandez. This marks his fifth main event in the UFC.

On the other hand, England's Duncan will headline a UFC card for the first time on Oct. 10. The former Cage Warriors middleweight champion is coming off the biggest win of his career, a victo…

Adam Darby predicted his Ultimate Fighting Championship signing eight years ago.

Darby (8-1) took on Patrick Rivera (13-5) in the main event at Week 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series on Sept. 1. Darby masterfully broke Rivera down till referee Kerry Hatley called in the cageside doctor, who saw enough damage to stop the fight midway into the third round. Darby earned a UFC contract for his striking clinic.

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Adam Darby fulfills eight-year UFC prediction with DWCS contract Darby had posted a photo on Instagram last week showing a screenshot from the notes app on his phone. He had written down his dream of being a UFC fighter while he was still an amateur in 2018. Darby believes his UFC contract is just a small step towards his final goal of becoming a UFC champion.

Darby wants to kickstart his UFC career as soon as possible, preferably at UFC Paris on Sept. 5.

“This has been in the making for 10 years,” Darby said. “In my notes app on my pho…

Modestino Rodrigues’ hard work and sacrifices paid off on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Rodrigues (8-1) took on Brandon Holmes (6-2) in a middleweight outing in Week 4 of DWCS 2026. Rodrigues took just 15 seconds to drop Holmes and finish him with follow-up shots. However, the stoppage was not without controversy, as referee Chris Tognoni stepped in while Holmes was still conscious and actively defending.

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While Dana White called it one of the most controversial stoppages in DWCS history, he saw enough to give Rodrigues an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.Modestino Rodrigues stopped Brandon Holmes in 15 seconds at DWCS Week 4 Rodrigues says he never imagined he would be on the biggest stage in MMA. “The Slanderman” thanks the sport for changing his life and credits sheer hard work for his success. The 22-year-old has been away from his family for nine months to train for his DWCS bout.

“This team, we train so hard. Coaches are always pushi…

Silvestre Sanchez says the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Performance Institute in Mexico is filled with talent.Silvestre Sanchez scores a knockout at DWCS 2026 Week 4 to earn a UFC contract Sanchez (10-1) took on Liam McCracken (8-2) in a lightweight matchup in Week 4 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026. Sanchez and McCracken delivered an instant classic, with both fighters having their moments.

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Sanchez ultimately knocked McCracken out cold in the final round with a left hook to earn a UFC contract.Silvestre Sanchez touts Mexico P.I. as home to UFC’s next wave of talent Sanchez is among those training at the Performance Institute in Mexico City. He has finished nine of his 10 career wins and claims that fighters from the Mexico P.I. are always hunting finishes. “Gorilla” promises that the UFC needs to look no further than the Mexico P.I. for fresh talent.

“We train a lot at the P.I. in Mexico and we say that we’re finishing fights,” Sanchez said. …

All five winners once again earned Ultimate Fighting Championship contracts on Week 4, Season 10 of Dana White’s Contender Series.Dana White signs Adam Livingston, Gabriel Lourenco, Silvestre Sanchez, Modestino Rodrigues and Adam DarbyWeek 4 of DWCS 2026 went down on Sept. 1 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Adam Livingston (8-1) and Hunter Smith (8-2) kicked off the action in a lightweight bout. Livingston edged out a split decision victory after a back-and-forth slugfest, earning a UFC contract in his second DWCS appearance after a failed attempt last year. Dana White said that he had no idea who won the fight before the result was announced.

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“Great fight. I had it 1-1 going into the last round,” White said. “Me and the matchmakers had no idea who won. Split decision announced. Congratulations, we’re bringing you [Livingston] into the UFC.”

Gabriel Lourenco (8-1) took on Charlie Cleveland (6-2) in a heavyweight matchup on Week 4 of DWCS 2026. Lourenco look…