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Martin Kozak’s Ultimate Fighting Championship signing marks a huge moment for Slovakian mixed martial arts.

Kozak (7-0) beat Christian Echols (8-5) in a middleweight matchup on Week 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026 on Sept. 8 to earn a UFC contract.

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Martin Kozak becomes youngest Slovakian to earn a UFC contract Kozak looked nearly flawless as he dropped Echols with a flush head kick in the opening round. While it seeed like Kozak almost finished Echols in the final seconds of the round, the referee had stopped the fight due to a low blow from the Slovakian. Kozak took hardly over 90 seconds in the second round to finish the job with a vicious flurry. The 24-year-old became the youngest Slovakian to earn a UFC contract.

Kozak says he has a well-rounded arsenal, which he puts on display every time. Having his dream of a lifetime come true, he was at a loss for words.

“This is what I do,” Kozak said in his post-fight interview. “I’m con…

Isaac Moreno will walk down the aisle just hours after earning an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

Moreno (9-0) took on Reginaldo Geraldo Jr. (11-2) in a welterweight clash on Week 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series 2026. He edged a hard-fought unanimous decision over Geraldo Jr. to maintain his perfect record and earn a UFC contract before tying the knot.

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Isaac Moreno reveals same-night wedding after earning UFC contract on DWCS UFC CEO Dana White admitted that he fought with the promotion’s matchmakers to grant Moreno a contract. Moreno believes his range control gave him an edge over Geraldo Jr. and also revealed he had to make a quick game plan after accepting the fight on 10 days’ notice.

“My distance management, being able to enter and exit quickly,” Moreno said in his post-fight interview. “We had to game plan for this guy fast, because it was on 10 days’ notice. I had to battle the weight cut. That taken into consideration, I neve…

Robert Whittaker has plenty of respect for Michael Page, but admits he has trouble watching the Englishman fight.

Page picked up another unanimous decision win in the final bout of his Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. He beat Nursulton Ruziboev in a middleweight bout at UFC Paris, but was subsequently removed from the rankings and is set to enter free agency.

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While Whittaker commends Page’s skills, he finds it hard to watch the former Bellator standout fight.Robert Whittaker explains why Michael Page’s UFC fighting style is difficult to watch live Whittaker discussed Page's latest win on the “MMArcade Podcast.” The former UFC champ praised the Brit's ability while explaining why he sometimes prefers to watch his fights back later rather than tune in live. “I’m going to be honest with you, no,” Whittaker said. “No, I can’t, because I didn’t even want to watch it, and I have nothing but respect for MVP. His ability to do what he does at his ag…

Chris Weidman is reportedly set for his commentary debut.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight titleholder looks set to make his commentary debut on Week 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10.

Chris Weidman reportedly joins Laura Sanko and Dan Hellie for DWCS Week 5 Since he retired from mixed martial arts, Weidman has worked extensively as a desk analyst for UFC events. He’s been a fixture on pre-fight weigh-in shows and his profile further grew with the popularity of Paramount's "Deep Waters" podcast, where he discusses combat sports news alongside Dustin Poirier, Jorge Masvidal and Din Thomas.

According to MMA Junkie, Weidman will join Laura Sanko and play-by-play announcer Dan Hellie in the three-person booth for the five-fight card at Meta Apex in Las Vegas on Sept. 8.

Weidman, 42, last competed in December 2024, suffering a second-round TKO loss to Eryk Anders. The UFC Hall of Famer finished his MMA career with a 16-8 record, goin…

Michael Page may have reached the end of his Ultimate Fighting Championship run.

Page completed his current UFC contract with a unanimous decision win over Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris on Sept. 5. Despite the victory, the former Bellator standout has now been removed from the promotion's latest round of rankings eligibility, according to an email sent to ranking panelists.

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Michael Page removed from UFC rankings eligibility after UFC Paris win Longtime mixed martial arts reporter John Morgan shared an email he received from the UFC regarding the latest round of ranking updates.

“Dear Panelists, Michael Page has been removed from rankings eligibility effective immediately,” the email read. “If you ranked him in your middleweight division already, we ask that you please re-rank that division to make sure you have 15 athletes.”

This comes after Page himself acknowledged that he may not be offered another UFC contract after another lackluster de…

Eddie Hearn claims TKO Group Holdings is the reason behind the roadblocks in the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua saga.

Fury vs. Joshua was targeted for November, but the location remains a major sticking point. Joshua’s side wants the fight in Britain, while Fury’s camp has pushed for Madison Square Garden in New York City. This has left the sides deadlocked, with Hearn levying the blame on TKO.

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Hearn says TKO's New York push is keeping the Fury-Joshua fight from being finalized Speaking to DAZN following Katie Taylor's retirement fight Saturday, Hearn claimed TKO recently approached Joshua directly, encouraging him to accept the fight for New York City.

“Yesterday [Friday], TKO went around the back again to try and offer Joshua money to do the fight in America,” Hearn said. “It’s a dirty, dirty game, mate, to be honest with you.”

Hearn insisted Joshua remains committed to fighting in Britain and argued that the support behind that position has only…

Ian Garry wants to earn another title shot and has revealed which Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight contender he wants next.

Garry wants to take on unbeaten 170-pounder Michael Morales next and believes a win over the Ecuadorian warrants another shot at the welterweight championship.

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Ian Garry targets Michael Morales as his path back to Islam Makhachev or Carlos Prates Garry, who lost to reigning champion Islam Makhachev via unanimous decision at UFC 330 in August, hasn’t called for an immediate rematch. The Irishman wants his case for a second title shot to be undeniable and claims being the first to defeat Morales will serve as an ideal statement.

“For me, there’s only one fight that makes sense right now,” Garry told Eze Talks Sports. “That’s Michael Morales. When I beat him, I’m the only one who deserves a title shot, even though me and Islam have just fought.”

Carlos Prates, whose lone loss in the UFC came against Garry, looks …

Colby Covington isn’t closing the door on an Ultimate Fighting Championship return.

The former UFC title challenger exited the promotion after his defeat to Joaquin Buckley in 2024. He now says the decision was taken so he could pursue opportunities outside the UFC in wrestling, but remains open to returning to mixed martial arts.

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Colby Covington says big UFC fights could bring him back to MMA Covington is 4-0 under the Real American Freestyle banner and recently captured the promotion's inaugural cruiserweight crossover championship with a victory over Arman Tsarukyan. In a recent interview with MMA Junkie, he said an MMA return is possible after previously disagreeing with the UFC on certain matchups and his omission from UFC Freedom 250.

“I'm technically retired, technically, but that was just the red proverbial tape I needed to get by so I could get the biggest matchups in RAF,” Covington said. “Everybody knows my first love and passion was al…

Valentina Shevchenko's coach has shed light on the injury that prompted her to vacate the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight title.

Shevchenko was rumored to defend the title against Natalia Silva at UFC 332 on Oct. 3, but an undisclosed injury forced her out. The UFC subsequently announced that Shevchenko would relinquish the belt, with Silva and Cong Wang now set to fight for the vacant championship in Salt Lake City.

Valentina Shevchenko suffered shoulder and back ligament injuries before vacating her UFC title Ushatayka’s Telegram channel revealed what Pavel Fedotov, Shevchenko’s coach, said about her injury.

“We were supposed to fight on Oct. 3 against Natalia Silva, but due to an injury to the ligaments in the shoulder and back, we decided not to push things and postpone the fight,” Fedotov said. “Given that the recovery will take a long time, we’ve made the decision to temporarily vacate the belt and once she recovers, she will fight for it again.”…

Daniel Rodriguez seemingly felt disrespected by Daniil Donchenko’s callout.

Donchenko (15-2) called out Rodriguez (20-6) after a win over Punahele Soriano on the main card of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s latest trip to Paris. Rodriguez responded to Donchenko’s callout with an emoji and an odd song choice, hinting at his disapproval.

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Daniel Rodriguez responds after Daniil Donchenko targets him following his win over Punahele Soriano Donchenko called for a fight against Rodriguez after his unanimous decision victory over Soriano. Rodriguez responded on Instagram stories, sharing Donchenko’s callout accompanied by a middle-finger emoji and Drake’s “I’m Upset” playing in the background.

Donchenko has finished 11 of his 15 career wins so far. The Ukrainian is undefeated in four UFC outings with two finishes. Meanwhile, Rodriguez was on a three-fight winning streak when he was arrested in August 2025 for crossing the border into Mexico with marij…

Alex Pereira already knows who he wants next.

The former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder is campaigning for a rematch with Ciryl Gane after losing to the Frenchman in their interim heavyweight title fight at UFC Freedom 250.

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Pereira says a second fight with Gane makes sense after their UFC Freedom 250 finish Pereira took to Instagram to call out Gane. He touched on the controversial nature of the finish when they squared off at the White House in June and seems confident the matchup will come to fruition.

“After much time resting and doing what I needed to do, after much work, after my last fight, many people are talking about who will Alex fight,” Pereira said in an Instagram video. “I’m seeing many opinions, but I think the fight that makes sense is Ciryl Gane. That’s the fight. I’m going to work on that and from what I’m seeing, it’s something that’s going to happen. How the last fight ended: there were illegal shots.” Read more about Alex Pereira wants Ciryl Gane rematch following ‘illegal shots’ controversy

Vadim Nemkov will defend his Professional Fighters League heavyweight championship against Sergey Bilostenniy in November.

The promotion recently announced that former Bellator champ Nemkov (20-2) will meet the No. 3-ranked Bilostenniy (15-4) in the main event of PFL Dubai on Nov. 14 at Coca-Cola Arena.

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Team Fedor's Sergey Bilostenniy challenges Nemkov at PFL Dubai Nemkov, a protégé of Fedor Emelianenko, moved up to heavyweight in 2024 and captured PFL gold last December.

Bilostenniy is 4-1 in the PFL and has earned notable finishes over Karl Williams, Tyrell Fortune and former PFL champion Renan Ferreira. Like Nemkov, he trains under the Team Fedor banner and has previously shared training camps with the champion.

This marks the first PFL main event in Dubai since the promotion's merger with Most Valuable Promotions.

“Dubai has become a special city for PFL and the site of some unforgettable moments in our history,” PFL CEO John Mart…

Khamzat Chimaev isn’t going to change his style in a sport as unpredictable as mixed martial arts.

Umar Nurmagomedov (20-2) was a massive favorite going into his pivotal clash against Yadong Song. Nurmagomedov was shooting a takedown when Song timed a flush uppercut to put his Dagestani counterpart to sleep. Chimaev, who has a wrestling-heavy approach, is undeterred by the threat of a knockout while shooting for a takedown.

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Chimaev explains why Nurmagomedov’s loss to Yadong Song won’t alter his approach The former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder was recently asked whether he’s going to be more cautious going forward, considering how Nurmagomedov lost.

“Borz” believes Nurmagomedov will bounce back stronger. As for himself, Chimaev says he is going to stick to his bread and butter: wrestling. He notes that an unlucky shot can put anyone to sleep in a sport like MMA and doesn’t see the point in changing his style out of fear of being knocke…

Tony Ferguson will return to the boxing ring later this month.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship interim champ is scheduled to face former professional soccer player Kenzo Biyong in a five-round boxing matchup at Misfits Boxing on Sept. 26 at James L. Knight Center in Miami.

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Tony Ferguson will face Kenzo Biyong at Misfits Boxing on Sept. 26 Ferguson will take on former professional soccer player Kenzo Biyong on the undercard of Henry Cejudo vs. "Deen The Great" at Misfits Boxing.

Ferguson is 2-0 under the Misfits banner, with one professional victory and one exhibition win. His most recent boxing appearance came in December, when he defeated Warren Spencer by unanimous decision. Ferguson has also competed in wrestling since then, losing to Arman Tsarukyan by technical fall at Real American Freestyle.

Biyong, 28, will make his striking debut against Ferguson, though he has previous combat-sports experience. He competed in UFC BJJ 7 in …

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Marlon Moraes now deals with real-world situations, as seen in a recent South Florida traffic stop.

Viral footage circulating on social media shows Moraes, now working as a police officer, dealing with a motorist who repeatedly confronted and verbally challenged him. After several warnings to back away, the man moved toward Moraes, who responded by taking him to the ground.

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Marlon Moraes hip tosses motorist while working as South Florida police officer The incident took place on March 27. Moraes joined the Davie Police Department in Florida in June 2024 before taking a position with the Coral Springs P.D. later that year.

In the viral footage, the situation escalates after the motorist repeatedly insults Moraes and another officer. Moraes warns him against moving closer before eventually using a hip toss to bring him to the ground, where other officers move in to handcuff him.

The inciden…

Shavkat Rakhmonov isn't ready to say that his Ultimate Fighting Championship career is over, but the unbeaten welterweight admits his return is far from guaranteed.

Rakhmonov has been sidelined since defeating Ian Garry in December 2024. He entered that bout with a knee injury and it left a long-lasting impact. In a new interview, he reflected on the fight and where he stands in the 170-pound division.

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Shavkat Rakhmonov details the knee injury that has kept him sidelined since beating Ian Garry “Nomad” admits that he should not have competed with his injury. He also took a shot at Dagestani stars Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, claiming they would never fight injured.

“Well, that’s my problem; I couldn’t fight,” Rakhmonov told Alf Global. “If I had fought, I could’ve become champion, but that’s how it turned out. I was injured. What can I do? We are only human. I actually shouldn’t even have fought Ian Garry at all. With injuries like that…

Salahdine Parnasse made a statement in his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.

The former two-division KSW champion stopped Dan Hooker with a body kick and follow-up strikes in the first round of the UFC Paris main event. Parnasse subsequently reiterated his claim that he’s already one of the best in the world.

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Salahdine Parnasse targets Max Holloway after stopping Dan Hooker at UFC Paris Parnasse carried a five-fight win streak into his Octagon debut and is high in confidence after a near-perfect introduction to UFC fans. He was in good spirits after the fight, claiming that his performance reflects just how dangerous he is to other UFC lightweights.

“I threw the kick and then I threw a punch and to be honest with you, I got to rewatch the fight, but I don’t remember exactly everything,” Parnasse said in a post-fight interview. “I showed that I’m one of the best in the world, I showed that I’m dangerous and I’m here.”

The Frenchman also ca…

Oumar Sy wanted to give French fans a stoppage win to celebrate, resulting in his loss.

Sy was a -210 favorite going into his Ultimate Fighting Championship clash against Modestas Bukauskas in front of a home crowd at UFC Paris. He now admits that chasing the finish led to his defeat.

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Oumar Sy says pursuing a stoppage against Modestas Bukauskas contributed to his UFC Paris defeat Sy dominated Bukauskas in the first round, landing brutal elbows towards the end of the round with referee Jason Herzog watching very closely. Bukauskas was barely saved by the bell, with Herzog warning him to defend himself. While Sy started the second round with the same dominance, Bukauskas was able to return to his feet and defend a desperate takedown attempt. Bukauskas then dropped Sy with a knee and rained vicious follow-up shots to earn a shocking upset win.

Sy apologized to his fans, whom he wanted to give a stoppage win. However, he assures that the loss won’t de…

Islam Makhachev accepted Jordan Burroughs’ recent callout, but with a condition.

Burroughs took on Magomed Kurbanaliev in a wrestling match at RAF Moscow. Burroughs took less than 90 seconds to defeat Kurbanaliev via a 10-0 tech fall and subsequently called for a wrestling matchup against Makhachev in Russia.

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Jordan Burroughs challenged Islam Makhachev after dominant win in Russia The Olympic gold medalist called out the reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight champ in his post-fight interview.

“Islam, where are you? Hey, I came to your country, to your capital city, and tech-fall’d one of your champions. I will be back to Russia very soon and the only person I want to share the stage with is Islam.”

Makhachev congratulated Burroughs on the win while calling him a legend. The Dagestani accepted a matchup against Burroughs, but inside the cage, probably referring to an MMA bout.

“Congrats on your win legend,” Makhachev wrote…

Michael Page once again left the Octagon feeling he had more to offer.

Page beat Nursulton Ruziboev via unanimous decision in the final bout of his current Ultimate Fighting Championship contract. Having built a reputation as one of the most feared knockout artists in mixed martial arts prior to joining the UFC, the Englishman is frustrated with yet another decision win.

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Michael Page wants to take more risks after beating Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris Page admitted during a post-fight interview at UFC Paris that feeling comfortable during a fight can sometimes be a bad sign because it means he hasn’t pushed himself enough. He believes he needs to take more chances rather than constantly searching for the perfect moment to land flashy strikes.

“The frustrating thing is I feel great, which sometimes means I haven't done enough and the results show that I haven't done enough,” Page said. “Probably need to push myself a little bit more, take a few m…

Paddy Pimblett claims he hasn’t been offered a fight against Ilia Topuria amidst rumors the two could square off next.

Sean O'Malley’s coach, Tim Welch, recently claimed to have heard rumors of a potential matchup between Pimblett (24-4) and Topuria (17-1) being in the works for December. However, while “The Baddy” admittedly wants to return in December, he says he hasn’t been offered Topuria and is open to fighting any of the top lightweights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Paddy Pimblett says UFC hasn't approached him about Ilia Topuria fight Pimblett claims he hasn’t been approached by the UFC about a potential Topuria fight, but is open to taking on the former two-division champ next, in addition to Arman Tsarukyan, Mauricio Ruffy, Charles Oliveira and current champ Justin Gaethje.

“I’d love to smash [Ilia’s] head in, lad, but we need to wait and see. No one spoke to me about it,” Pimblett told Eze Obasi. “[I could fight] Arman, Gaethje, Ruffy, Charles. Ther…

Khamzat Chimaev’s hit list for his next fight has been cut in half.

“Borz” had recently shortlisted Sean Strickland, Nassourdine Imavov, Dricus Du Plessis and Caio Borralho for his next fight. Borralho had accepted Chimaev’s callout, proposing a matchup in November at Madison Square Garden. Chimaev’s stance has now changed.

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Chimaev says UFC told him Caio Borralho and Dricus Du Plessis are injured Chimaev claims the UFC recently informed him that Borralho and du Plessis are currently injured. Meanwhile, Imavov is expected to challenge Strickland for the UFC middleweight title next. While Chimaev acknowledged Imavov as a deserving contender, he will be ready to face either “The Sniper” or Strickland if their title fight doesn’t come to fruition.

“I call out everyone,” Chimaev told Red Corner MMA. “I want to come back as soon as possible. Earlier, I said that I want to return in October, and I called Hunter. They told me that Caio and du Plessis are in…

Nathaniel Wood believes he didn’t perform to his potential in his most recent bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Wood was originally scheduled to fight Mairon Santos at UFC Paris on Sept. 5. However, Santos pulled out of the bout due to illness and was replaced by Pavel Andrusca, who stepped up for his UFC debut on five days’ notice. Wood’s win streak came to a halt and he’s now addressed the result.

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Nathaniel Wood vows to return stronger after losing to Pavel Andrusca at UFC Paris Wood was a -330 favorite going into his bout against the undefeated Moldovan, who was a +240 underdog. However, Andrusca proved that he could hold his own at the top level by out-striking Wood in the first round. While Wood gained momentum in the second round, Andrusca edged out the third round to earn an upset win via unanimous decision.

Reacting to his loss at UFC Paris, Wood apologized to his team for not performing to his potential. However, “The Last Kings…

For the UNDISPUTED belt 🏆

Natalia Silva takes on Wang Cong in the #UFC332 main event!

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[ OCT 3 | Main Card LIVE on @CBSSports & @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/1ISclcB8ik — UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) September 5, 2026 A new Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s flyweight queen will be crowned at the forthcoming UFC 332 event.

During the broadcast of this year’s UFC Paris event, the Nevada-based promotion announced that Valentina Shevchenko would vacate her women’s 125-pound title due to injury. Natalia Silva and Cong Wang will collide in the UFC 332 headliner with the undisputed championship on the line. Shevchenko last fought in November, when she defended the title and denied former 115-pound champ Weili Zhang’s attempt to become a two-division titleholder. “Bullet” was supposed to make her Octagon return against Silva at UFC 332 before an undisclosed injury forced her out of the fight.

Silva ea…