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Petr Yan wasn’t impressed with Merab Dvalishvili’s title reign. 

Dvalishvili won the bantamweight title against Sean O'Malley in 2024. “The Machine” then defended his title against Umar Nurmagomedov, submitted O’Malley in a rematch, and defended his title a third time against Cory Sandhagen — all within a year. Dvalishvili then put his title on the line for the fourth time last year against Yan at UFC 323 in December. Yan completely shut down Dvalishvili’s game in every aspect and battered him down to earn a unanimous decision win. 

Yan wasn’t very impressed with Dvalishvili’s title reign, considering he fought O’Malley twice within that span. The bantamweight champion believes Dvalishvili didn’t even need to prepare for his rematch against “Suga.”

Easy Money “Two of those four fights were against Sean O’Malley,” Yan said on "The Ariel Helwani Show.” “One time, he basically mauled him, and the other time he choked him out with one arm. So does it count as…

Alexander Volkanovski believes Max Holloway is on the cusp of a lightweight title shot. 

Holloway is scheduled to put his BMF title on the line against Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 on March 7 in Las Vegas. Volkanovski believes Oliveira has to finish Holloway early or he’ll get stopped in the later rounds by “Blessed.”

“I’m gonna go with a finish for Max,” Volkanovski said on YouTube. “It’s either Charles lands and gets a finish early, or he gets finished in the later rounds… I’m leaning more towards a finish than a decision for Max.”

Volkanovski also believes Holloway, whom he has beaten thrice, deserves a lightweight title shot with a win over Oliveira. Volkanovski argues that Holloway has recently beaten the interim lightweight champ Justin Gaethje and former perennial contender Dustin Poirier, while only losing to the champion Ilia Topuria.

An Impressive Run “He’s taken out Gaethje, who is the interim champ. He’s taken out Dustin Poirier, who’s fought …

Dricus Du Plessis was certain that he would defeat Khamzat Chimaev until the final seconds of their UFC 319 clash last year. 

Du Plessis put his middleweight title on the line against Chimaev in the main event at UFC 319 in August 2026. Chimaev dominantly controlled “Stillknocks” on the ground for nearly 22 minutes out of 25 total to earn a unanimous decision victory. 

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However, Du Plessis thought he was winning that fight until he heard the final 10-second warning clap. The South African claims that he was confident that he would either knock out Chimaev or submit him in the final round. When Du Plessis was briefly on top of Chimaev in the final round, he says he felt that “Borz” didn’t want to be there. Du Plessis is still confident that he can beat Chimaev in a potential rematch.'He Didn't Want to Be There Anymore' “He was not tougher than I expected him to be,” Du Plessis said on "The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I was honestly thinking I was w…

Petr Yan wants to avenge his loss against Sean O'Malley. 

Yan suffered a controversial split-decision loss against O’Malley (19-3) in their first outing in 2022. O’Malley went on to win the bantamweight title in his next outing and defended it only once before losing it to Merab Dvalishvili. Meanwhile, Yan went through the trenches for a chance to reclaim his title and dethroned Dvalishvili at UFC 323 this past December. 

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Dvalishvili claims he has been guaranteed an immediate rematch against Yan. While Yan acknowledges that Dvalishvili is likely to get the next title shot, he isn’t counting out O’Malley, who recently returned to the win column with a victory over Yadong Song. 

Yan believes he was robbed in his first loss against O’Malley. “No Mercy” wants a chance to avenge his loss at the White House in June. Yan suggests that “Suga” should color his hair like the American flag to better his chances for a spot on the White House car…

Reinier de Ridder believes he hasn’t strayed too far away from the UFC middleweight title picture. 

De Ridder was on the cusp of title contention with four straight UFC wins, including one over former champion Robert Whittaker. De Ridder was then scheduled to fight Anthony Hernandez in October 2025. However, Brendan Allen replaced an injured Hernandez on short notice against de Ridder. “All in” brutally beat down de Ridder, forcing the Dutchman’s corner to throw in the towel before the fifth round. 

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De Ridder is now scheduled to fight Caio Borralho at UFC 326 on Saturday in Las Vegas. “The Dutch Knight” believes the winner of his fight against Borralho gets right back into title contention with an impressive performance.

“I think it goes for both of us,” he told MMAjunkie.com. “Whoever wins this one and does it in spectacular fashion, gets right back in the title mix. There’s a lot of cool fights out there and all I have to do is put him…

The rematch between Arman Tsarukyan and Georgio Poullas has reportedly fallen out. 

Tsarukyan and Poullas initially competed in a wrestling match at RAF 6 last weekend. Tsarukyan accused Poullas of repeatedly fouling by attempting to slap him, poke his eyes and grab his fingers. Poullas was penalized and Tsarukyan won the bout via points. Tsarukyan then took down Poullas and punched him, which led to a massive brawl involving several members of both teams. 

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Tsarukyan and Poullas were recently booked for a rematch in submission only grappling under Hype FC on March 11 at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, RAF co-founder Chad Bronstein claims Poullas is withdrawing from the rematch against Tsarukyan. According to Bronstein, Poullas wants the rematch to happen at RAF.Unfinished Business“RAF06 created one of the biggest moments in combat sports this year,” Bronstein stated on social media. “Now everyone wants the rematch. But…

Petr Yan claims a UFC staff member tried to take his original championship belt and replace it with a replica. 

Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili in a rematch at UFC 323 this past December to win the bantamweight title for the second time. “No Mercy” claims a UFC employee approached him after the post-fight press conference and asked him to hand over his belt. The staff member allegedly handed Yan a replica instead, saying he already had an original belt from his first title reign. However, Yan refused to hand over the fruits of his hard earned victory. The Russian was disappointed with the whole affair, regardless of whoever was responsible for it.

A New History “I got the real, original championship belt, I had it over my shoulder,” Yan said on "The Ariel Helwani Show.” “We went and did the press conference and as soon as I was coming off the press conference stage, one of the UFC employees says, ‘I gotta get that belt and I’m gonna give you this one.’ And I said, ‘…

Ateba Abega Gautier has won his first four UFC appearances. | Getty/UFC

UFC 328 has a date, location — and a couple of fights.

The card will take place on May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., a consistent destination for the Las Vegas-based promotion over the years. Additionally, two middleweight bouts have been reported for UFC 328: Roman Kopylov vs. Marco Tulio and Ateba Abega Gautier vs. Osman Diaz. ESPN Brasil was first to report the UFC 328 location and Kopylov vs. Tulio, while Marcel Dorff initially brought word of Gautier vs. Diaz — which was initially scheduled for UFC 320.

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Kopylov is coming off back-to-back decision losses to Gregory Rodrigues and Paulo Costa to close out his 2025 UFC campaign. Prior to that, the 33-year-old Russian had gone 6-1 in the Octagon from September 2022 to January 2025.

A two-time winner on Dana White's Contender Series, Tulio finished his first two Octagon opponents before suffering a …

Conor McGregor continues to tease his UFC return. | Getty/UFC

The timeline may have shifted yet again for Conor McGregor’s proposed Octagon return.

The Irish star once claimed that fighting on the UFC White House card was a "done deal,” but that no longer seems to be the primary target.

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"I am in negotiations with the Ultimate Fighting Championship about the bout, either the White House or thereabouts," McGregor told Drink Litt. "Sometime in the summer, McGregor will return.”

🚨 Conor McGregor says he’s in negotiations with the UFC to fight this summer 👀

“I am in negotiations with the UFC about the bout, either the White House or thereabouts. Sometime in the summer, McGregor will return.”

(via IG / drinklitt) pic.twitter.com/VFS4jaVCiL

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 3, 2026 Same Story, Different Date Last month in a tweet he later deleted, McGregor claimed that he had been offered a d…

Arman Tsarukyan and Georgio Poullas are going to run it back — under a slightly different rule set.

Hype FC announced on Tuesday that Tsarukyan and Poullas will meet in a submission-only grappling match on March 11 at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The match will be contested over 10 minutes. Tsarukyan had already been confirmed for the event but was awaiting an opponent. The card will also see Jorge Masvidal face Sharabutdin Magomedov in another grappling match, while UFC featherweight Jean Silva is also expected to compete on the card.

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Capitalizing on the Heat Tsarukyan and Poullas initialy squared off in a chippy wrestling match at Real American Freestyle 6 this past Saturday in Tempe, Arizona. While Tsarukyan emerged victorious, the real drama began after the conclusion of the match, when the UFC lightweight tackled his foe to the mat and threw a punch. That led to a full-scale melee in the arena, as Tsarukyan and Poullas were seperated during t…

It's been more than a decade since Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira first squared off. | Josh Schaefer/Sherdog.com

Since their first fight in 2015, Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway have followed parallel paths in different divisions.

While Holloway continued his winning streak at featherweight, defeating Jose Aldo by technical knockout at UFC 212 to take the belt from the fighter considered to be the GOAT of the division, Charles migrated to Chute Boxe, moved up to lightweight, restarted his career and after a sequence of eight victories, won the division’s belt by knocking out Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in 2021.

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In 2026, the two legends will face each other again in the UFC 326 headliner, disputing the BMF belt that the Hawaiian has held since 2024 after beating Justin Gaethje and Dusin Poirier. Holloway has been pointed out as a slight favorite in the odds, but the only certainty is a very exciting fight. At least that is the opini…

Arman Tsarukyan believes the UFC shouldn’t be disappointed about his brawl with Georgio Poullas. 

Tsarukyan has been accused of unruly behavior more than once. The UFC lightweight contender faced Poullas in a wrestling match at RAF 6 last weekend. Poullas tried to slap Tsarukyan, poke his eyes, and grab his fingers, all of which are considered illegal moves. Tsarukyan eventually beat Poullas by points and landed one clean punch on the ground. The entire place erupted in absolute chaos as members of both teams flooded the mats. While security was quick to intervene, the brawl took a while to subside. 

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While the UFC has accused Tsarukyan of poor discipline in the past, “Ahalkalakets” believes they won’t be unhappy about the RAF brawl. Tsarukyan argues that he maintained his calm throughout the match while Poullas repeatedly tried to provoke him. Tsarukyan believes the UFC should be happy that he refused to get beaten up by a freestyle wrestle…

Paulo Costa is ready to fight Khamzat Chimaev in any weight class. 

Costa (15-4) will face Azamat Murzakanov (16-0) in a light heavyweight clash at UFC 327 on April 11 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. While Costa is unsure whether he will continue at light heavyweight, “Borrachinha” is confident that he can still make middleweight whenever he wants.  

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Costa believes he can call for a middleweight title shot against Chimaev with a convincing win over undefeated Murzakanov. The former middleweight title challenger also doesn’t mind waiting for Chimaev at light heavyweight.‘I Can Fight Him in Both Divisions’ “[Khamzat] is the champion right now,” Costa said on "The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I think after a good victory against Azamat on April 11, I get back at middleweight to be in line to fight him. Or I can wait for him at 205. I can fight him in both divisions.” 

Chimaev dominantly defeated Dricus Du Plessis to win the middleweight tit…

Merab Dvalishvili is determined to fight Petr Yan next, regardless of how long it takes. 

Dvalishvili (21-5) put his bantamweight title on the line for the fourth time in a year in a rematch against Yan (20-5) at UFC 323 this past December. Yan outclassed Dvalishvili in every aspect to earn a huge upset win via unanimous decision. Dvalishvili claims the UFC has guaranteed him a trilogy fight against Yan. However, Yan underwent lumbar surgery this past January, and his return timeline currently remains uncertain. 

Dvalishvili defeated Yan in their first outing in 2023. Dvalishvili is now 1-1 head-to-head against “No Mercy” after losing his title in their rematch. Dvalishvili wants to settle the trilogy against Yan in his next outing, no matter when the champion might return. “The Machine” believes the matchup is worth the wait and doesn’t want to fight anyone else in the meantime.

‘It’s Worth the Wait’ “I’m waiting for Petr Yan because this fight makes se…

Jiri Prochazka ideally wouldn’t have fought so close to the expected date of the birth of his first baby. 

Prochazka is set to fight Carlos Ulberg for the light heavyweight title in the main event at UFC 327 on April 11 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. Meanwhile, Prochazka and his girlfriend are expected to have their first baby, a girl, between April 13 and April 15. 

Prochazka recently revealed that the originally expected date for him to fight was on May 11. However, Prochazka’s girlfriend gave him permission to fight on that date only for a massive matchup. Prochazka then started negotiating with the UFC for a title fight, which is now scheduled even closer to the expected date of the birth of his girl.

It Has to Be a Big Fight “I would like to rather fight later, in June or whenever,” Prochazka said on "The Ariel Helwani Show.” “One month after the birth [of my baby] will be the best. My girlfriend told me, ‘If you have the title fight 11th of …

Ben Askren didn’t mince his words while reacting to Georgio Poullas’ wrestling match against Arman Tsarukyan. 

Poullas is a former collegiate wrestler who rose to fame by offering random people $1,000 to take him down. Poullas faced Tsarukyan, who is considered among the best wrestlers in the UFC, in a freestyle wrestling match at RAF 6 last weekend. 

Poullas started slapping Tsarukyan, poking his eyes, and grabbing his fingers from the beginning of the match. Askren, a former Olympian, expressed his thoughts while watching the match live. Askren thinks Poullas is an average wrestler who was afraid of getting exposed against Tsarukyan. “Funky” predicted that Poullas’ best chance to win was to make Tsarukyan angry enough to get him disqualified.Average at Best “Georgio is a very average wrestler,” Askren said. “If you look at his college record, it’s not very good. And I think he’s afraid of getting exposed. And I think his best way to win is to get Arman mad a…

Ian Garry is taking shots at Islam Makhachev and his team. 

Garry is considered to be among the frontrunners for the next welterweight title shot against Islam Makhachev. However, Makhachev’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, recently claimed that the UFC is considering another massive matchup for the champion not involving Garry.

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“This is, I can tell you, the UFC working on a big fight Islam Makhachev  and [Ian’s]  name is not involved,” Abdelaziz wrote on X. “Much bigger. One of the biggest fight in the UFC right now they can make. Stay tuned.”

This is, I can tell you, the UFC working on a big fight Islam Makhachev and ian name is not involved. Much bigger. One of the biggest fight in the UFC right now they can make. Stay tuned.😉

— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) March 2, 2026 Garry refuted Abdelaziz’s statement. 

“No they’re not.”

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Abdelaziz then slightly changed tune, saying Garry is st…

Khamzat Chimaev was allegedly ready to back up Arman Tsarukyan on a moment’s notice after the brawl at RAF 6.  

Chimaev and Tsarukyan have long been training partners and friends. Tsarukyan faced Georgio Poullas in a wrestling match at RAF 6 last weekend. Tsarukyan repeatedly accused Poullas of playing dirty, and the social media wrestling star was even penalized on points. Tsarukyan defeated Poullas by points and proceeded to punch him, which led to a brawl on the mats. Chimaev, who was watching the match on television, was seen quietly smiling as the arena erupted in chaos. 

Tsarukyan revealed that Chimaev immediately called him and offered to fly to Tempe, Arizona, to back him up. However, Tsarukyan turned down the idea and urged Chimaev to calm down. Tsarukyan admits that he and Chimaev together in a brawl is a bad idea. Tsarukyan claims “Borz” is the crazier of the two. According to “Ahalkalakets,” Chimaev is not seen engaging in brawls, as people are mo…

Arman Tsarukyan was disappointed with the overall officiating at RAF 6. 

Tsarukyan faced Georgia Poullas in the co-main event at RAF 6 last weekend. Tsarukyan repeatedly accused the social media wrestling star of using dirty tactics. While the referee penalized Poullas on points, he wasn’t disqualified. Tsarukyan eventually defeated Poullas and punched him, leading to a massive brawl. 

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Tsarukyan was not only disappointed with the refereeing in his fight, but also with the judges. “Ahalkalakets” says the judges did a terrible job throughout the night, especially in the matchup between Mahamedkhabib “Kadik” Kadzimahamedau and Evan Wick. A four-time Division I All-American, Wick defeated the Belarusian Olympic silver medalist via tech fall (13-2). Tsarukyan accuses the judges of awarding Wick points unfairly.

“Maybe 20 times he was trying to poke my eyes, break my fingers, and I showed it to the referee, the referee shouldn’t do that,” Tsaruk…

Charles Oliveira doesn't expect Max Holloway to pose much of a submission threat at UFC 326. | Getty/UFC

Eleven years after their first encounter in the main event of UFC Fight Night 74 in Canada, Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway will face each other again on Saturday.

This time the fight will take place in Las Vegas in UFC 326 main event, and the BMF title will be at stake. Shortly before boarding a plane at São Paulo airport with his team on Sunday, Charles Oliveira spoke with Brazilian journalist Laerte Viana and assured him that he is arriving for this rematch in the best condition of his career.

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“Renting a house 800 meters from Chute Boxe made all the difference,” Oliveira said. “When I came from my house in Guarujá, I had to wake up at 6 a.m. to get to training at 11 a.m. Living next to the gym, I could wake up at 10 a.m. to get to training at 11 a.m. In other words, I was able to rest more and recover better for the training ro…

Patrick Habirora is a star on the rise in PFL. | PFL MMA

Undefeated Professional Fighters League prospect Patrick Habirora will look to add a significant feather to his cap when he returns to action in his home country.

The promotion announced on Monday that Habirora will lock horns with former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson in the PFL Brussels main event at ING Arena in Brussels, Belgium, on May 23. Henderson will be returning to active competition for the first time since March 2023. Habirora vs. Henderson will be contested at 170 pounds.

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Prospect vs. Veteran Habirora has been victorious in his first eight professional outings, finishing all but one via knockout or technical knockout. In 2025, he scored first-round KO victories against UFC veterans Danny Roberts and Kevin Jousset in his two PFL appearances.

A former UFC lightweight champion, Henderson hasn’t competed in MMA since March 2023, when he suffered a first-ro…

Lone'er Kavanagh earned the biggest win of his career on Saturday in Mexico City. | Getty/UFC

Lone'er Kavanagh was originally supposed to face Bruno Silva on March 14, but when the UFC came calling to offer a former champion in hostile territory on short notice, the British prospect didn’t hesitate.

The gamble paid off, as Kavanagh took a five-round verdict over Brandon Moreno in the UFC Mexico headliner at Arena CDMX in Mexico City on Saturday night. In victory, Kavanagh was able to rebound from a knockout loss to Charles Johnson in his last outing at UFC Shanghai this past August.

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“Sometimes you’ve just got to say f—k the fear and do it,” Kavanagh said told the UFC. “Believe in yourself, believe in the people behind you and let the rest write itself.”

Kavanagh outworked Moreno on the feet behind his jab and impactful low kicks, and he stuffed all eight of his opponent’s takedown attempts over the course of the 25-minute affair. St…

While Charles Oliveira catches crabs for fun now, that was not always the case. 

Oliveira recently revisited the coastal town of Guaruja, Brazil, where he was raised. Oliveira also went crab hunting, an activity he initially started for fun as a kid. However, “Do Bronx” gradually started catching crabs to make money to help his family and his MMA career. Oliveira recalls that he would also give his grandmother some crabs. The former UFC lightweight champion now has the luxury of going crab catching as a hobby. As Oliveira digs in the mud for crabs, he says he is in his “natural habitat.” 

A Way of Life“Right now we’re at Claudevan’s ranch,” Oliveira said in a UFC Countdown video. “I have been coming here since I was a kid. This is where we go fishing, catch crabs, and reconnect with nature a bit. At first, I’d just do it for fun with my friends and uncles when I lived here. Later on, I started doing it to make some money to help with competitions and my family…

Merab Dvalishvili wants to see a fair wrestling match between Georgio Poullas and Arman Tsarukyan. 

Tsarukyan and Poullas met in a wrestling match at RAF 6 on Saturday. The match was chaotic from the onset, with Tsarukyan accusing Poullas of repeatedly slapping him. Tsarukyan defeated Poullas on points and decided to take revenge by punching him. Members of both teams immediately spilled onto the canvas as the whole place erupted into a massive brawl 

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Dvalishvili, who was also attending the event, wants to see a rematch against Tsarukyan and Poullas. While Dvalishvili admits that the drama was fun to watch, he wants to see the winner between Tsarukyan and Poullas in a fair match. Dvalishvili urged Poullas to make peace with Tsarukyan and book a rematch.

“First, I want you and Arman to shake hands and make this rematch again,” Dvalishvili told Poullas. “I know you guys were slapping each other, it was fun to watch, but now I want to see th…