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Ilia Topuria was in a celebratory mood following Spain’s win against Argentina in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Just five weeks after losing the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250, the former champion was spotted celebrating Spain's victory while wearing sunglasses.

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Spain's World Cup celebration sparks questions about Ilia Topuria's recovery Spain captured its second World Cup title with a 1-0 victory over Lionel Messi’s Argentina, completing an impressive tournament run in which the European champions conceded just one goal across eight matches. Spain dominated possession against the former world champions as Argentina failed to create any meaningful opportunities of their own.

Topuria, who is of Georgian descent but was raised in Spain, joined supporters at a watch party, where he can be seen celebrating the victory with his son on his shoulder and many other Spanish fans.

Another …

Damian Pinas continues to generate buzz following his latest knockout victory in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Nova Uniao head coach Andre Pederneiras believes the surging middleweight is unlike anyone he has coached before.

Pinas bagged another UFC victory with a first-round knockout of Cesar Almeida at UFC 329. The Aruba native has now recorded nine knockouts in 10 professional victories, with one submission.

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Andre Pederneiras discusses Damian Pinas after UFC 329 knockout Pederneiras, who has spent more than three decades developing elite mixed martial artists, told Sherdog’s Marcelo Alonso that he immediately recognized Pinas' potential when he arrived at Nova Uniao for a tryout in 2024.

“I've held pads for a lot of heavyweights, including elite strikers, and I've never seen anyone hit as hard as he does,” Pederneiras said. “Right away I realized he was a special talent, and from that moment on he started training with us ... Besides …

Oleksandr Usyk says plans are beginning to take shape for what he expects will be the final fight of his storied professional boxing career.

The former undisputed heavyweight champion is targeting one final marquee bout before calling time on his career. Deontay Wilder has emerged as the leading candidate, while Dana White's Zuffa Boxing is reportedly among the promotional options.

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Oleksandr Usyk says his retirement fight could take place in the United States against Deontay Wilder as Zuffa Boxing emerges as an option Speaking on Daily Mail’s "The Hook" podcast, Usyk revealed that his farewell bout is expected to take place in the United States against a high-profile opponent. He added that his last fight will either take place at the year-end or in early 2027.

“Maybe in New York, [in a] stadium. It’s going to be against a big name,” Usyk said. “This could be maybe early next year, or at the end of this year, maybe December.”

The Ukrainian was…

Dustin Poirier is concerned for Michael Chandler.

Poirier has openly expressed his dislike for Chandler previously, which ramped up in the aftermath of their 2022 clash in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. "The Diamond" slammed the former Bellator champion for the repeated use of illegal moves like fish-hooking. While they’ve since buried the hatchet, Poirier wants to see Chandler hang up the gloves.

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Michael Chandler’s UFC future questioned by former rival Dustin Poirier Chandler is 2-6 in the UFC, with wins over Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson, and his last victory came all the way back in 2022. He is on a four-fight skid and recently teased a move up to welterweight following a first-round knockout loss against Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Freedom 250.

Poirier believes moving up a weight class is a terrible idea for Chandler considering the damage he is already taking at lightweight.

“With all due respect, we've buried the hatchet and shook hands,…

Ian Garry believes defeating Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Islam Makhachev at UFC 330 would make his greatness "undeniable."

The Irish welterweight challenges Makhachev for the 170-pound title in the UFC 330 headliner on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Considering the Dagestani champion’s accolades, taking the title off him is a monumental feat, according to Garry.

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Ian Garry views UFC 330 clash with Islam Makhachev as a career-defining fight Ahead of their fight, Garry acknowledged the magnitude of the challenge, calling Makhachev the best fighter in mixed martial arts today.

“I know how good Islam Makhachev is,” Garry told High Performance. “I know how talented he is. He’s 29-1 in the sport. He’s a two-weight division champion. He’s the most successful lightweight champion of all time and had the most lightweight defenses of all time. He is the current welterweight champion of the world. He came up a division and won …

Ian Garry's recent comments comparing himself to Conor McGregor haven’t gone over well with Islam Makhachev's camp.

After "The Future" compared his upcoming fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship against Makhachev to McGregor's iconic featherweight championship victory over Jose Aldo, Makhachev's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, responded with a series of sharp posts on social media.

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Ali Abdelaziz addresses Ian Garry’s McGregor comparison ahead of UFC 330 Garry recently claimed that defeating Makhachev at UFC 330 would elevate him to the top of the sport, comparing the opportunity to McGregor's featherweight title win over Aldo in 2015.

Abdelaziz, however, dismissed those comparisons and questioned the Irishman's accomplishments inside the Octagon.

“I've been listening to Islam's opponent talking,” Abdelaziz wrote on X. “Here are the facts: He's 2-1 in his last three fights. He was almost knocked out by Prates and got saved by the bell. He has 10 w…

Paddy Pimblett has taken his rivalry with Ilia Topuria in the Ultimate Fighting Championship to a new level.

Pimblett (24-4) recently claimed to have bought the stool that Topuria (17-1) used in his corner during his loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250.

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Paddy Pimblett turns his Ilia Topuria rivalry into a headline-making UFC moment The stool holds significant meaning given what happened in the fight. Topuria was a massive favorite when he put his lightweight title on the line against interim champion Gaethje at the White House. "El Matador" had even celebrated the day before the fight, as he’s done ahead of previous bouts as well.

However, Gaethje put on a brutal beatdown on Topuria in the third and fourth rounds, forcing his corner to stop the bout at the end of the penultimate frame. While it is unlikely that Topuria wanted the fight to end in a corner stoppage, Pimblett repeatedly claimed that the Georgian-Spaniard quit on the stool.

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Conor McGregor expects to return to action in the Ultimate Fighting Championship next year.

McGregor (22-7) shared an update on the injury he picked up in his recent loss to Max Holloway at UFC 329. "Notorious" suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee. The Irishman claims the injury is nearly identical to the one he suffered on his left leg in his first fight against Holloway in 2013, which he won via unanimous decision.

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Conor McGregor says his Max Holloway injury mirrors his first UFC meeting with Holloway Considering McGregor had taken less than a year to recover from his injury in 2013, he expects to return even sooner this time. The Dubliner also revealed that he can walk without crutches and do leg extension exercises.

“Update: It was ACL and meniscus,” McGregor wrote on X. “It is the same injury as the first Holloway fight, only this time the opposite leg. Quite shocking. I returned to competition within 9 months to fight Diego Bra…

Christian Leroy Duncan claimed the biggest victory of his Ultimate Fighting Championship career at UFC Oklahoma City, where he beat former title challenger Jared Cannonier.

Duncan extended his winning streak to five with a unanimous decision victory over Cannonier to further ascend the rankings. The Englishman landed several significant strikes against the 42-year-old veteran, who managed to make it all three rounds.

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Christian Leroy Duncan’s UFC Oklahoma City victory over Jared Cannonier strengthens his middleweight contender case Duncan put on a show with his striking arsenal in the UFC Oklahoma City co-main event and was especially effective with his spinning attacks, dropping Cannonier and rocking the American a few times.

“I knew Cannonier was tough, but for him to take some of the shots and keep fighting, it surprised me,” Duncan said in a post-fight interview, praising his counterpart's ability to absorb heavy shots. “He’s called 'The Gorill…

Kamaru Usman is disappointed with one of the judges’ scorecards in his loss to Dricus Du Plessis.

Usman (21-5) faced fellow former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion du Plessis (24-3) in a middleweight tilt in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City. The latter landed more significant strikes from the onset, with barely any wrestling success for Usman. While the former welterweight king found a second wind in the later rounds, it was too little too late, and du Plessis earned a lopsided unanimous decision victory.

Usman explains why he disagrees with Sal D'Amato's scorecard against Dricus Du Plessis While he accepts the result, "The Nigerian Nightmare" is bewildered by one of the scorecards. Judges David Sutherland and Mike Bell scored the fight 49-46 in favor of du Plessis, while judge Sal D’Amato had it 50-45 for the former middleweight champ.

Usman finished strong in the final round and had a strong showing in the third frame as well. He can’t comprehend what D’A…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Dricus Du Plessis returned to winning ways at UFC Oklahoma City.

Nearly a year after losing his middleweight belt to Khamzat Chimaev, du Plessis returned to action in a five-rounder against former welterweight champ Kamaru Usman, earning a lopsided unanimous decision win. The South African’s return made him realize how much he loves and belongs in the sport.

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UFC champion Dricus Du Plessis explains his mindset after beating Kamaru Usman "Stillknocks" was clearly on top in the opening two rounds, with Usman finding his range in the third frame before du Plessis regained his momentum in the fourth. Usman found a second wind in the final round, but it was too little too late for "The Nigerian Nightmare,” who was on the wrong end of a 50-45, 49-46, 49-46 scorecard.

Having spent 11 months on the sidelines coming off a loss, du Plessis believes that one can forget what it’s like inside the Octagon during a l…

Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad's long-running feud finally boiled over at RAF 11.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Muhammad defeated Ben Askren on points in the latter's retirement wrestling match before calling out Covington. Later that evening, "Chaos" defeated Arman Tsarukyan to capture the inaugural RAF crossover championship.

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They had to be separated after the wrestling promotion’s Saturday event in Milwaukee after a heated exchange at the post-fight press conference escalated into a physical confrontation.Former UFC stars Colby Covington and Belal Muhammad clash at RAF 11 Following their wins at RAF 11, both Covington and Muhammad attended the presser, where the former UFC welterweight titleholder attempted to diminish the headliner’s victory over Tsarukyan. “He went against a lightweight!” Muhammad said of Covington. “Tell him to go against a welterweight, somebody his size! Cleveland's right around the corner! Let's go!”

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Alexandre Pantoja is eager to reclaim the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight title.

The former 125-pound champion has been sidelined since suffering an arm injury in his title defense against Joshua Van at UFC 323 last year. "The Cannibal" has now fully healed and believes he is ready to run it back with Van.

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Alexandre Pantoja says he's fully recovered and wants another shot at UFC flyweight champion Joshua Van. Pantoja suffered an arm injury very early into his fight with Van, who caught his kick and forced him backwards before the Brazilian awkwardly posted up on his hand. The referee stopped the bout at 26 seconds, with Pantoja clearly in pain, clutching his arm. His recovery is now complete and he’s targeting an Octagon return.

“I'm ready,” Pantoja told MMA Fighting. “After December, what happened to my arm, two days after that, I went to the gym, started training with just one arm. That's who I am. I'm not done. I'm not done. I have so …

Valter Walker believes one of his teammates is going to be an Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder soon.

Walker’s friend and teammate, Bogdan Guskov, is scheduled to face Magomed Ankalaev in a light heavyweight outing, the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25. Guskov took the fight on 14 days’ notice after Ankalaev’s original opponent, Khalil Rountree, pulled out due to an injury.

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Walker backs Gor MMA teammate ahead of short-notice fight with Magomed Ankalaev Guskov is a big betting underdog going into the fight against Ankalaev, who is a massive -500 favorite on some sportsbooks. However, Walker is backing his friend to pull off a huge upset win over the former light heavyweight champion. The Brazilian heavyweight predicts that Guskov will knock out Ankalaev in the second round. He also believes Guskov will go on to become the first UFC champion from their gym, Gor MMA.

“Bogdan is certainly a talent,” Walker told Red Corner MMA. “He’s sim…

Cain Velasquez has heaped praise on Islam Makhachev.

Velasquez considers Makhachev an extraordinary athlete who has reached the pinnacle of the sport. From conversations with his coach, Javier Mendez, Velasquez knows that the Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight king is a hard worker in the gym.

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Cain Velasquez explains why Islam Makhachev continues to dominate under Javier Mendez Having been honed into a champion himself by Mendez, Velasquez knows that Makhachev is in good hands with the American Kickboxing Academy coach. The Hall of Famer and former UFC heavyweight champion believes the Dagestani will continue his dominant title run.

“[Islam] is a special type of athlete,” Velasquez told Red Corner MMA. “He’s one of the guys at the pinnacle of this sport. I talk with Javier all the time, and Islam and those guys are always doing great. They are in great hands. Javier is the one who builds champions… I see Islam continuing to do what he’s b…

Sean Strickland recently listed sports in terms of what he considers masculine.

According to Strickland (31-7), mixed martial arts is the manliest sport in the world, followed by other combat sports. The two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion believes the striking arts of kickboxing and boxing follow MMA on the list. He considers wrestling less masculine than the striking arts but manlier than all other sports.

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Strickland went off on the world’s most popular sport in the aftermath of the FIFA World Cup final, shaming soccer players for faking injuries and their dramatic reactions to contact.

“How are you a grown a** man faking being hit? Are there any soccer players out there? Do you feel no shame when you fake being injured?”

Furthermore, he sees swimming as the least masculine sport. Notably, he had hockey, American football, baseball, lacrosse and tennis ahead of soccer.

Strickland dethroned Khamzat Chimaev in …

Dana White no longer considers his production crew the worst in sports.

White recently slammed the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s production crew for confusing Shakur Stevenson with NBA player Jalen Williams at UFC 329. He labeled them the worst across sports in terms of showing celebrities at events. However, members of the UFC production team have now told White that soccer production crews are even worse when it comes to celebrities.

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UFC president Dana White reacts to FIFA World Cup final celebrity identification mistakes White believes the words of his production team after Saturday’s FIFA World Cup final, where Spain beat Argentina 1-0. He now considers the FIFA production crew the worst in sports when it comes to showing celebrities.

“The guys responsible for the production of the World Cup, for you guys to hit a Grand Slam home run,” White said on his Instagram Stories. “Even though everybody on my team was arguably saying that you are th…

A slick exchange in RD3 🙌

[ #UFCOKC is LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/pP0dA8O1qJ

— UFC (@ufc) July 19, 2026 Four fighters pocketed an extra $100,000 after earning UFC Oklahoma City performance bonuses.

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While 12 mixed martial artists got their hands raised during the event, the Ultimate Fighting Championship made sure that four fighters will be smiling going into next week. To the surprise of no one, the main event secured fight of the night honors for Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman. The back-and-forth main event, which saw Usman never stop coming forward despite taking the best punches of Du Plessis, earned both headliners an extra $100,000. "Stillknocks" took home an unanimous decision victory, moving his professional record to 24-3.

Fans also predicted that Tommy McMillen would take home a performance of the night bonus for his TKO win over Alberto Montes, which is exactly what happened. The bre…

Getty Images/UFC

It was a matchup of former champions who could ill afford another loss in the division, and Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman fought like it.

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Former middleweight titleholder Du Plessis (24-3; 10-1 UFC) and welterweight counterpart Usman (21-5; 16-4 UFC) met in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City on Saturday at Paycom Center, and while du Plessis showed his resourcefulness and champion’s grit, Usman made him work for every bit of it. The early action was characterized by tense, awkward pocket exchanges as the ex-champs tried to figure one another out, but the balance of things appeared to be going towards du Plessis, who caught Usman with several powerful flush right hands to the head in the first few minutes. Usman weathered them well, however, and never stopped throwing back, leading to a competitive but clear first frame for the South African. After a first round that was nearly all boxing, “Stillknocks” came out ki…

Sherdog's live UFC Oklahoma City coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 281. Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Ben Duffy scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry…

Sherdog's live PFL Austin coverage will begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m. ET.

A middleweight title fight headlines PFL Austin: Tune on Saturday, July 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.

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Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 The Official Result Interim PFL Middleweight Title Fight:Johnny Eblen (184.2) vs. Impa Kasanganay (183) Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 The Official Result

From grinder to showstopper: Danny Sabatello made a statement on Saturday in Japan. | 📷: Rizin FF

Seeking to shake off his reputation as a one-dimensional wrestler, Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight champion Danny Sabatello put forth one of the most entertaining performances of his career in his main event victory Saturday at Rizin Fighting Federation: Landmark Vol. 15 in Hiroshima, Japan. Sabatello outstruck and outgrappled challenger Jinnosuke Kashimura before brutally knocking Kashimura out in the third round.

Sabatello (19-4-1, 5-0 Rizin) did face some adversity early in the first round. Kashimura (12-6, 2-2 Rizin) struck first with a head kick and a left hook, but his attempt to take Sabatello down led to the American reversing into top position. Kashimura quickly scrambled and trapped Sabatello in an inverted triangle choke, but the champion was unfazed and he worked his way free. On the feet, the Bellator MMA and Professional Fighters League vete…

The Nigerian Nightmare at middleweight 🇳🇬@Usman84kg weighs in at 186lbs!

[ #UFCOKC | LIVE JULY 18 at 8pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/HEThuZ1dMw

— UFC (@ufc) July 17, 2026 The Ultimate Fighting Championship will look to put on a more satisfying main event than last week, as the UFC Oklahoma City card is now official following the official weigh-ins.

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The UFC OKC main event will see two former champions clash, as former welterweight king Kamaru Usman takes on ex-middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. Both men successfully made weight for the five-round middleweight main attraction. As for the rest of the card, lightweight Chase Hooper and featherweight Ezra Elliott missed weight by 1.5 pounds for their respective fights. As a result, they'll each be fined 20% of their purses.

"The Nigerian Nightmare" enters his latest headlining bout after outwrestling Joaquin Buckley last year. That unanimous decision victor…

⚖️ #PFLAustin Official Weigh Ins

Interim PFL Middleweight World Title Main Event is official!

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Johnny Eblen: 184.2 lbsImpa Kasanganay: 183 lbs#PFLAustin | Saturday, July 18th | 📺Prelims 5:30 PM EST on the ESPN App | Main Card 8PM EST on ESPN 2 pic.twitter.com/CY1YR1q6MZ — PFL (@PFLMMA) July 17, 2026 Johnny Eblen looks to win an interim Professional Fighters League middleweight championship on Saturday following the PFL Austin weigh-ins.

Originally set to face middleweight champ Costello van Steenis in a rematch of their 2025 fight, Eblen (17-1) will now take on Impa Kasanganay for a second time instead. Both men made weight for the rematch, which originally took place in 2024 during the PFL vs. Bellator event. All fighters made weight with the exception of Jesus Pinedo, who came in .8 pounds over for his featherweight contest against Joey Ruquet. He'll be fined a percentage of his purse as a result.

Eblen is 3-1…