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Dricus Du Plessis believes that the winner of his upcoming bout deserves to fight Sean Strickland next for the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title.

The South African is set to face fellow former champion Kamaru Usman in the main event of UFC Oklahoma City on July 18. With both fighters gunning for another outing against current champ Strickland, du Plessis has laid out his case for a title shot.

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Dricus Du Plessis explains his path back to Sean Strickland Ahead of his fight with Usman, du Plessis discussed the title picture at middleweight. When asked whether the winner of his next bout should fight for the belt next, "Stillknocks" replied in the affirmative, citing how he already has two wins over Strickland.

“Absolutely, because I have defended my belt against two of the best fighters in the world, the current champion being one of them,” du Plessis said in a recent interview.

However, a win might not be enough, as du Plessis …

Jared Cannonier claims he has earned the right to get paid much more than the Ultimate Fighting Championship is currently paying him.

Cannonier is scheduled to fight at UFC Oklahoma City against Christian Leroy Duncan (14-2) in the co-main event. It will mark his 21st Octagon outing, having competed in the UFC since 2015, across three different divisions. Considering how many fights he has in the premier MMA promotion, he believes his compensation is below par.

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Jared Cannonier discusses UFC fighter pay, sponsorship changes and his middleweight career Cannonier would love all MMA fighters to earn more in general. However, "The Killa Gorilla" believes there are varying levels of skill sets even in the UFC. Considering his own pedigree, Cannonier believes he deserves a much better contract with the UFC.

“I would love to get paid more,” Cannonier told Full Send MMA. “I would love all of us MMA fighters to get paid more. But there is big differentiatio…

Ultimate Fighting Championship star Jon Jones is willing to “let bygones be bygones” to do business with Dana White.

They recently had a falling out. White was strongly backing Jones when the former two-division champion was being accused of trying to avoid interim champion Tom Aspinall. White kept assuring fans that Jones would eventually fight Aspinall. However, Jones ultimately vacated the belt, creating tension between himself and the UFC CEO.

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Jones (28-1) returned to the drug testing pool just weeks later, when plans for the UFC Freedom 250 were first mentioned. "Bones" repeatedly campaigned for a spot on the card, but failed to do so as White made it clear that Jones was never even in consideration to fight at the White House. This drew the ire of Jones, who claimed he was indeed in negotiations for the historic event and started publicly asking for his UFC release.Jon Jones addresses Dana White fallout after UFC Freedom 250 controversy The te…

Israel Adesanya believes Conor McGregor might’ve entered his last bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship injured.

McGregor's comeback ended after just 69 seconds when he appeared to suffer a knee injury early in the opening round, resulting in a loss to Max Holloway in their rematch at UFC 329. There’s growing discourse surrounding whether the Irishman was carrying an injury into the bout, as he did in his trilogy fight against Dustin Poirier, which also ended in anticlimactic fashion.

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The former UFC middleweight champion pointed to footage from the pre-fight inspection, saying McGregor appeared reluctant to put weight on his right leg before stepping into the Octagon.Israel Adesanya discusses Conor McGregor’s right leg concerns before UFC 329 loss to Max Holloway Speaking on his "Precision with Mighty & Izzy" podcast alongside former UFC star Demetrious Johnson, Adesanya emphasized that McGregor was clearly dealing with some leg-related iss…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Jon Jones would consider competing against Oleksandr Usyk, but not in boxing.

Usyk vacated his IBA, WBC and WBA heavyweight boxing titles last month. However, the Ukrainian legend isn’t hanging up his gloves just yet. Usyk’s advisor, Sergey Lapin, subsequently revealed that they are considering Jon Jones and Deontay Wilder as potential opponents for one last fight.

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Jon Jones explains why an MMA fight with Oleksandr Usyk interests him more than boxing While Jones (28-1) isn’t interested in boxing Usyk, he’s open to an MMA bout. "Bones" notes that wrestling is an important part of Usyk’s training regimen and that he’d gladly share the cage with him.

Jones doesn’t want to limit his arsenal by entering the squared circle against Usyk. While he doesn’t consider himself an elite boxer, he also doesn’t think of Usyk as a complete fighter. The American then claimed that he would definitely come out on top if t…

Bogdan Guskov is now used to the chaotic package that is Valter Walker.

Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters Guskov and Walker are training partners at Gor MMA under head coach Gor Azizyan. The latter has a loud personality and rarely hesitates to pull off embarrassing pranks in public, and the former was his latest victim.

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Bogdan Guskov reacts to Valter Walker prank ahead of UFC Abu Dhabi In his latest prank, the Brazilian bizarrely touched Guskov’s manhood on camera. However, Guskov has learned to be unfazed by Walter’s antics.

Guskov believes Walker has chaos inside his head. While Guskov doesn’t understand Walker, he considers “The Foot Hunter” a friend. The Uzbek fighter neither took the incident seriously in any way nor tried to stop Walker from posting it on social media.

“He is a f*cking moron. A fool. A f*cking idiot. I didn’t expect that. I don’t understand him at all,” Guskov told Red Corner MMA. “He’s got chaos in his head. We’…

Ultimate Fighting Championship legend Jon Jones believes Ciryl Gane’s confidence will play a key role in a rematch against Tom Aspinall.

Gane (14-2) challenged Aspinall (15-3) for the heavyweight title in their first meeting at UFC 321 last October. However, the fight ended in an unfortunate no-contest after a double eye poke by Gane in the first round rendered Aspinall unable to continue.

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While Aspinall subsequently underwent eye surgery, Gane defeated Alex Pereira to win the interim heavyweight title at UFC Freedom 250. "Bon Gamin" is now expected to challenge Aspinall in a title unification bout next and Jones believes the Frenchman will come out on top.Why Jon Jones believes Ciryl Gane has the edge over Tom Aspinall According to Jones, Gane’s confidence is soaring after his win over Pereira. The former champion also notes that Aspinall was looking invincible until he faced Gane at UFC 321. Notably, many, including UFC CEO Dana White, opined that…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship nearly beat its record set a few weeks ago.

Per a release from the UFC’s broadcast partner of Paramount+, the official viewership numbers for UFC 329 are now out. According to the release, viewers in the U.S. and Latin America combined for a whopping 15.9 million total viewers. The breakdown for the U.S. totaled 14.3 million while the other countries combined for 1.6 million on the streaming service. This total does not eclipse the 17 million reached by the UFC White House card

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Even as it brought in an average of 6.5 million average viewers, that tally falls far short of the number on the June 14 spectacle show. The UFC White House event saw 8.2 million average viewers—it has since corrected the number previously submitted of seven million—throughout that Sunday night, one where the event started late due to a weather delay.UFC 329 beat UFC White House in one major metricWhile the UFC White House show largely su…

Jake Paul believes a mixed martial arts debut could be in his future once he returns from the jaw injury that has sidelined him since losing to Anthony Joshua.

Paul recently revealed that he expects to be medically cleared for full-contact sparring within the next few weeks as he continues recovering from the broken jaw he suffered against Joshua last December. Apart from his return to boxing, "The Problem Child” said that he also plans to make his MMA debut under the Most Valuable Promotions banner.

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Paul says the proposed Nate Diaz matchup remains a possibility as MVP expands into MMA. Now weeks away from getting cleared for full-contact sparring, Paul has revealed that he is planning a switch to the cage, with Nate Diaz as the likely opponent. Notably, Diaz has already fought under MVP, losing to Mike Perry at the promotion’s inaugural MMA event.

“Maybe I'll do some MMA. We've got a lot of stuff with MVP coming soon, big promotions getting more i…

Scott Coker's new global mixed martial arts promotion has further strengthened its leadership team ahead of its planned 2027 launch.

The organization recently announced that longtime sports media executive Steve Bornstein has joined its advisory board. Bornstein will advise the promotion on media strategy, distribution, technology, fan engagement and commercial development as the league continues preparations for its inaugural season.

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Steve Bornstein joins Scott Coker's new MMA promotion According to a press release, Bornstein has joined an advisory group assembled to help guide the promotion's global rollout.

“Steve Bornstein is one of the great builders in the history of sports media," Coker said in the release. “His experience connecting fans to premium live sports is invaluable as we continue to build.”

Bornstein previously served as the youngest president and CEO in ESPN history. He later worked as president and CEO of NFL Network and execu…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's light heavyweight division is reportedly set to welcome an accomplished regional champion.

Reigning Legacy Fighting Alliance light heavyweight titleholder Lucas Fernando has signed with the promotion and is scheduled to make his Octagon debut against Rafael Tobias at UFC 330 on Aug. 15.

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Lucas Fernando gets second shot at UFC following Contender Series setback, per report Fernando (13-3), who featured on Dana White’s Contender Series three years ago, will finally get to fight in the famed Octagon, as reported by Guilherme Cruz.

He suffered a decision loss to Cesar Almeida on DWCS in 2023 and lost his next bout on LFA as well. The Brazilian then bounced back with four consecutive wins, with his last two bouts ending in finishes.

Meanwhile, Fernando’s opponent, Tobias (14-2), will be looking to notch his first UFC win at the next numbered event. He earned a UFC contract with a submission victory over Jair d…

Ultimate Fighting Championship star Alex Pereira’s criticism of referee Herb Dean hasn’t ceased following Michel Pereira’s UFC exit.

"Poatan" suggested that the officiating in his compatriot's unanimous decision loss to Sharabutdin Magomedov contributed to his departure from the promotion. The UFC Baku bout had its share of controversies, with Magomedov grabbing his opponent's hair without receiving a point deduction.

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Notably, Pereira previously slammed Dean over his loss to Ciryl Gane.Alex Pereira criticizes Herb Dean’s officiating after Michel Pereira’s UFC departure Michel had fought out his previous contract with the UFC and was offered a one-fight deal to take on Magomedov in the UFC Baku co-headliner, which he lost. Dean’s inaction towards the Russian’s repeated fouls has drawn the ire of the former two-division champion, who voiced his frustration in a lengthy Instagram post.

“They could have released him earlier, and maybe that would have …

Sports medicine physician Brian Sutterer believes there are early signs suggesting Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor's knee injury may not be as severe as initially feared.

McGregor injured his knee while throwing the first strike of his rematch with Max Holloway at UFC 329. The Irishman then struggled to stay upright and repeatedly fell over, prompting a referee stoppage over a minute into the bout. Dr. Sutterer, who has not treated or evaluated McGregor in person, has now shared his assessment.

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Brian Sutterer breaks down Conor McGregor’s UFC 329 knee injury signs, ACL concerns and possible recovery outlook The initial suspicion was that McGregor blew out his ACL at UFC 329. The commentators speculated an ACL injury and UFC CEO Dana White did the same at the post-fight presser.

McGregor recently shared a video of himself addressing fans, drawing a reaction from Dr. Sutterer on X. The latter noted that the former two-division cham…

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt suffered a defeat at UFC 329, which he recently addressed on social media.

"No Love" shared an encouraging message on Instagram after picking up his third loss in four outings.

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Cody Garbrandt addresses UFC 329 defeat against Adrian Yanez after latest MMA setback Garbrandt broke his silence days after his loss at UFC 329 to Adrian Yanez via an Instagram post, in which he reflected on overcoming difficult moments rather than dwelling on the result.

“There are moments in life when hope fades, and the weight of endless problems makes the path unclear,” Garbrandt wrote in all caps. “But remember this -- you only lose when you choose to give up. Let your struggles be your fuel, not your downfall. Don't let the storm break you. Let it strengthen your will to rise and keep fighting.”

Garbrandt held the UFC bantamweight title from December 2016 to November 2017 but did not rec…

Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion Justin Gaethje isn't interested in running it back with Paddy Pimblett.

"The Baddy" emerged as one of the biggest winners at UFC 329 in Las Vegas and the Brit subsequently made it clear he’s keen on a rematch with Gaethje, who beat him earlier this year. However, "The Highlight" is seemingly eyeing other matchups.

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Justin Gaethje explains why he does not want a Paddy Pimblett rematch Pimblett rebounded from the first loss of his UFC career by submitting Benoit St. Denis in just 52 seconds. In his post-fight interview, he name-dropped several top-ranked lightweights for his next bout, and Gaethje was among his call-outs. The former BMF champion was asked about the same during his recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

“Destined for each other, like, to fight again? No. No, no, no," Gaethje said.

Gaethje previously teased a potential fight against Conor McGregor if the Irishman emerged vi…

Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor doesn’t want the latest update to his professional record to be marked as a loss.

McGregor (22-7) returned after a five-year hiatus in a welterweight booking against Max Holloway at UFC 329 in Las Vegas. His highly anticipated return ended anticlimactically as he injured his knee on the first kick he threw. “Notorious” was barely able to plant both feet firmly after the injury, leading to a stoppage loss just 69 seconds into the first round.

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Conor McGregor reflects on UFC 329 loss McGregor now wants his defeat to Holloway to be overturned to a no contest. The former UFC double champ also revealed that he’ll soon have the results of the scan of his injury. Notably, McGregor wants all bets on the fight to be returned.

“A few notes 1. I will have the results of the scan on my leg tomorrow. 2. The fight should be a no contest and all bets returned,” McGregor wrote on Instagram.

There’s growing d…

Even Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s favorite student, Islam Makhachev, wasn’t allowed concessions with his haircut.

Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father is credited with nurturing a team of elite fighters in the mountains of Dagestan, who are now taking over every major mixed martial arts promotion. He had a strict policy where every athlete had to cut their hair short.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov claims his father once threw out 50 people from the gym Abdulmanap’s son, Khabib, has repeatedly said that Makhachev was his father’s favorite student. The former lightweight champion recently recalled an incident when Makhachev was thrown out of the gym among 50 others because of their haircuts. However, some returned a while later after getting their hair cropped and among them was Makhachev. Khabib recalls his father allowing them in and acknowledging their desire to learn.

“There was this moment when father threw about 50 peopl…

Khabib Nurmagomedov had an insane gas tank during his run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and a new theory has surfaced as to how.

Khabib’s late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, is a revered pioneer of mixed martial arts in Dagestan, Russia. Abdulmanap’s childhood friend recently weighed in on his elite conditioning.

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A childhood friend says Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov's extraordinary conditioning may have shaped Khabib's endurance While Abdulmanap was naturally fit growing up, he didn’t start training in combat sports until later in life. When he started training at an academy, he had to travel 13.5 miles every day on a bicycle. Abdulmanap would then run for 5 miles, in addition to two hours of wrestling training. His childhood friend believes this extraordinary level of cardio was inherited by Khabib.

“His functional fitness was on a very high level,” Abdulmanap’s friend told UFC Eurasia. “He had amazing stamina. Looking at him now, it’s as if …

Bogdan Guskov didn’t hesitate to accept a short-notice fight against former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion Magomed Ankalaev.

Ankalaev was originally scheduled to headline UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25 in a light heavyweight matchup against Khalil Rountree. However, Guskov stepped up on 14 days’ notice to replace Rountree, who pulled out due to an injury.

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Bogdan Guskov explains why he immediately accepted the UFC Abu Dhabi main event against Magomed Ankalaev Guskov (18-3) recently revealed that he took less than a minute to give his manager the nod to accept the booking against Ankalaev (20-2). He wasn’t the only fighter approached by the UFC to replace Rountree.

Guskov was originally scheduled to fight Jan Blachowicz at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1. Blachowicz revealed that the UFC had also offered him the short-notice booking against Ankalaev. However, the former champion needed 24 hours to figure out whether he could make weight. The UFC decided …

Sedriques Dumas’ underwhelming run in the Ultimate Fighting Championship has come to an end.

Dumas (10-5) is no longer on the UFC roster, although it is unknown whether he was released or if his contract wasn’t renewed after expiry. He was a highly touted, undefeated prospect upon joining the UFC in 2023. However, the Florida native went 3-5 (1 NC) inside the Octagon.

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How Sedriques Dumas went from unbeaten prospect to UFC departure Dumas’ UFC journey will be marred by his arrest in April 2025 on several felony charges, including home invasion, battery, and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. He never won a fight in the UFC after his arrest and exits the promotion on a two-fight losing streak. Dumas suffered a submission loss to Jackson McVey in his last UFC outing this past April.

His UFC release comes in the aftermath of his sentencing this past June. Three of the five pending charges against Dumas were reportedly dropped, while “The Reap…

Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight champion Sean Strickland is always quick to commend his training partners and he did so again recently while taking a shot at Khamzat Chimaev.

Strickland (31-7) is currently helping Johnny Eblen prepare for his next bout at American Top Team in Florida, where Yaroslav Amosov (30-1) trains. He managed to get in some grappling rounds with the Ukrainian welterweight and claims his ground game is superior to Chimaev’s.

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“He has better grappling than Chimaev,” Strickland said after their training session.

“Hard partner, hard champion, but crazy, funny crazy,” Amosov said on his YouTube channel.

Strickland was a massive underdog going into his middleweight title challenge against Chimaev at UFC 328 this past May. However, Chimaev was visibly gassed out in the second round and was forced to abandon his wrestling-heavy style. Strickland then outworked “Borz” on the feet en route to a decision win.

Me…

OUI OUI 🇫🇷

Michael Venom Page & Nursulton Ruziboev will clash at middleweight at #UFCParis 🤩

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[ September 5 | LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/HbzdoPnFrU — UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) July 15, 2026

Michael Page is among the latest additions to the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship event in Paris.

Several matchups, mostly featuring European fighters, have been finalized for UFC Paris on Sept. 5 at Accor Arena in Paris, France.The UFC announced several new fights for its Sept. 5 event in France Page (25-3) will take on Nursulton Ruziboev (37-9) in a middleweight bout at UFC Paris. The Englishman is 4-1 in the UFC and currently on a three-fight winning streak. Despite a commendable Octagon record, “Venom” has been severely criticized for the lackluster nature of his recent outings. Meanwhile, Ruziboev is 5-1 in the UFC with four finishes. The Uzbek middleweight is currently on a three-fight…

Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Islam Makhachev is in for a tricky outing against Ian Garry.

Makhachev (28-1) is set to defend his welterweight title for the first time against Garry (17-1) in the main event of UFC 330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Makhachev’s friend and mentor, Nurmagomedov, notes that his protégé has never faced an opponent as tall as Garry.

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Why Khabib Nurmagomedov believes Ian Garry is a difficult matchup for Islam Makhachev Nurmagomedov admits that Garry’s elusive style is a difficult puzzle to crack. “The Eagle” further notes that Makhachev, nearing 35, is six years older than Garry. According to the former unbeaten lightweight champion, the stylistic threat from Garry, combined with the age difference, makes it a difficult matchup for Makhachev.

“We’ve never faced an opponent this tall - 193 cm [6'4"],” Nurmagomedov said on the "Smol Talk" podcast. “We'll have to…

Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor will host a new Fox Nation original series centered around Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship beginning in 2027.

Fox Nation announced on Monday that it has partnered with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and BKFC co-owner McGregor for a new original documentary competition series titled "World's Baddest Man." The show is scheduled to premiere in the summer of 2027 and will culminate with a live championship finale.

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World’s Baddest Man’ brings Conor McGregor and BKFC together for a combat sports competition According to Monday's announcement, McGregor will serve as the host and a prominent on-screen presence throughout the new Fox Nation series as fighters from around the world compete in a bracket-style tournament for the right to be crowned the "World's Baddest Man."

“Conor McGregor is one of the most recognizable figures in combat sports, and we're excited to partner with him on a bold new…