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Stephen Thompson believes Ian Garry has the best shot at dethroning Islam Makhachev. 

The UFC welterweight division is currently teeming with contenders. While Carlos Prates and Michael Morales are in the race, Garry is widely considered the frontrunner for the next title shot against Makhachev. 

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Thompson believes Garry poses the biggest threat to Makhachev out of all the contenders. According to Thompson, Garry won’t hesitate to use his wrestling against an elite grappler like Makhachev. “Wonderboy” believes Garry’s well-rounded skills and lanky frame can give Makhachev serious trouble if they fight.Not Afraid to Wrestle “I think Ian Garry would give him a hard time,” Thompson told Full Mount Media. “Ian Garry is not afraid to use his wrestling. You actually see more of his wrestling than [Morales and Prates’]. He’s very crafty; he puts his hands and feet together very well. But he’s not afraid to go out there and wrestle. I do believe tha…

Ilia Topuria would like to make his boxing debut against someone like Shakur Stevenson. 

While Topuria (17-0) acknowledges Stevenson as a good boxer, he believes the four-division world champion has an issue with him. Topuria believes he can hold his own against the best boxers in the world today. While it is not a dream for Topuria, the UFC lightweight champion would like to compete in boxing someday. Topuria would especially like to transition to boxing to fight someone like Stevenson, who, he says, runs his mouth too much.

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“[Shakur Stevenson] is a good fighter,” Topuria said on DeepCuts with VicBlends. “The only bad thing about him, he talks too much. He has some hate towards me… Honestly, I really feel that I can go to boxing and really face the best fighters in the world currently. It’s not like a dream, but if it happens I will be happy. And specifically, if it’s against someone like Shakur Stevenson, who talks too much.”MMA vs. Boxing Revi…

Stephen Thompson believes the best version of Khamzat Chimaev wasn’t present at UFC 328. 

Chimaev (15-1) put his middleweight title on the line against Sean Strickland at UFC 328 earlier this month. Strickland handed Chimaev his first professional loss via a split decision in a massive upset. 

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Thompson questions Chimaev’s training going into the fight against Strickland. Thompson recalls Chimaev had trained in the small village of Kislovodsk, Russia, when he challenged Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 last year. Chimaev had ragdolled Du Plessis for five rounds to earn a dominant decision victory. However, “Wonderboy” is surprised that Chimaev didn’t spent as much time in the same camp going into his first title defense. 

“I remember when Khamzat was preparing for Du Plessis,” Thompson told Full Mount MMA. “I think he did a lot of training in [near Dagestan]. I don't think he did a whole a lot for this one. Which surprised me.”

Read more about Stephen Thompson: Khamzat Chimaev beats Sean Strickland in rematch

Rico Verhoeven only wants the concerned parties to admit that they made a mistake in his controversial loss against Oleksandr Usyk. 

Verhoeven challenged Usyk for the WBC heavyweight title last weekend in front of the Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. Verhoeven clearly outclassed Usyk for most of the fight and appeared to be on his way to shock the world with a massive upset. However, Usyk dropped Verhoeven with an uppercut in the final seconds of the 11th round. While Verhoeven returned to his feet, Usyk backed him up with a barrage of shots, which was enough for referee Mark Lyson to step in with a second left in the round. 

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If the last-second stoppage wasn’t controversial enough, rumors also suggest that Lyson stopped the fight after the bell. Verhoeven’s coach, Peter Fury, claims Lyson even admitted his mistake on their flight back home. Verhoeven believes that to err is human. However, he wants Lyson to merely admit his mistake and apologize.&nb…

Ilia Topuria vows to have a “pure striking fight” against Justin Gaethje. 

Topuria (17-0) puts his lightweight title on the line against interim champion Gaethje (27-5) at UFC White House on June 14. While Topuria hails from a wrestling background, “El Matador” has established himself as a lethal knockout artist over the years. 

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Topuria claims he chooses striking over wrestling to entertain fans. The undefeated Georgian-Spaniard defended his featherweight title by handing Max Holloway his only knockout loss ever in 2024. Topuria believes he could have had his way with Holloway on the ground if he wanted. However, Topuria believes a submission win over Holloway wouldn’t have been as exciting as knocking him out cold was. Topuria had even used Holloway’s iconic point down, inviting him to a slugfest in the opening seconds of the fight. However, “Blessed” declined the offer, perhaps wisely. In the Name of Entertainment Topuria believes th…

Movsar Evloev has indicated that he will receive a featherweight title shot this summer. | Getty/UFC

Movsar Evloev has seemingly secured a UFC featherweight title shot. 

Despite having long been the most deserving title contender, Evloev (20-0) has been denied a title shot so far. The undefeated Russian now appears to be confident about fighting for the title at the end of this summer.

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“I am back, end of the summer, and new Inshallah,” Evloev wrote on X.

I am back, end of the summer, and new Inshallah.

— Movsar Evloev (@MovsarUFC) May 27, 2026 The Waiting Game Alexander Volkanovski had already acknowledged Evloev as the most deserving title contender when “The Great” won the title for the second time against Diego Lopes last year. Evloev had already defeated Lopes, who gave him a tough test in a short-notice debut in 2023. However, Lopes surprising leapfrogged ahead of Evloev and challenged Volkanovsk…

Ryan Gandra earned a quick victory in his UFC debut. | Getty/UFC

The UFC 329 card is up to 12 confirmed fights following the addition of a middleweight contest between Ryan Gandra and Zachary Reese.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the lineup for its International Fight Week event in a release on Tuesday. UFC 329 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight rematch between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway. In the co-main event, Benoit St. Denis will lock horns with Paddy Pimblett at lightweight. The card will air in its entirety on Paramount+.

After earning a promotional contract on UFC in August 2025, Gandra enjoyed a successful Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 268, where he scored a 41-second stoppage of Jose Medina on Feb. 28. “Problema” has won nine of his 10 professional outings overall, finishing seven of those inside the distance.

Reese, who is also a Contender Series alum, is coming off a split-dec…

Nate Diaz is feeling motivated on the heels of his first mixed martial arts appearance in nearly four years.

The Stockton, California, native squared off against Mike Perry in the Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" co-headliner, losing via corner stoppage after two rounds on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Diaz wasn’t especially competitive, as he was bloodied and battered by Perry for as long as the contest lasted. It was his first fight in MMA since a fourth-round submission win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 on Sept. 10, 2022.

Diaz shut down retirement talk at the event’s post-fight press conference, and the popular veteran maintained that sentiment while expressing renewed enthusiasm for a Perry rematch in a recent statement released via social media.

‘Hunting Season’ “I didn’t like my lack of activity because of lack of opponents,” Diaz wrote on Instagram. “I know it was easier to get up to fight me for this fight but now I believe it will …

Usman Nurmagomedov will attempt to defend his lightweight belt for a third time at PFL New York. | PFL MMA

Two of Professional Fighters League’s top stars will be in action when the organization debuts in the Empire State this summer.

PFL New York will be headlined by a lightweight tilt tilt pitting reigning champion Usman Nurmagomedov against Archie Colgan, while Dakota Ditcheva will return from injury to face Denise Kielholtz in the evening’s co-main event. The promotion announced the bookings on Tuesday. PFL New York takes place at UBS Arena in Belmont Park, Long Island and airs on ESPN beginning at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

Nurmagomedov is unbeaten in 22 professional outings, with his lone blemish coming as a result of a failed drug test at Bellator 300. The 28-year-old Dagestani captured PFL lightweight gold with a majority decision over Paul Hughes in January 2025. He has since defended the belt with a unanimous verdict against Hughes in a rematch this …

Deiveson Figueiredo hopes to fight in Brazil after UFC Macau. | Getty/UFC

After losing three of his last four fights, former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo will look to get back on track against Yadong Song in the UFC Macau headliner on Saturday.

After having fought in Macau in 2024, the Brazilian veteran is a little more prepared this time around.

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“I fought Petr Yan here in 2024, but I arrived too late and a little heavy, I felt the jet lag quite a bit (there's a 12-hour difference) and had a tough weight cut,” Figueiredo told Sherdog.com. “This time I made sure to come with my family earlier and arrive in China lighter. Today is Monday and I weighed 67 kilgrams (147 pounds).

“Daico” also revealed that one of the advantages for this fight with Song was the fact that he split his training camp between The Fighting Nerds and Pitbull Brothers.

“I spent two weeks in each one,” he said. “I had an excellent experience with Jean…

Dana White is getting some mainstream coverage as the UFC White House event draws near.

The UFC CEO is on the cover of the latest Time Magazine, which was revealed on Monday along with the headline: “How Dana White took the UFC from the fringes to the White House.”

TIME’s new cover: Dana White helped turn MMA from a fringe blood sport into a global empire through the rise of the UFC. Now, he’s bringing it to the White House’s South Lawn.

“There are some nights, I’ll get up at the end and go, ‘What the f-ck do I do for a living?’”… pic.twitter.com/qXosIuWSUW

— TIME (@TIME) May 26, 2026 Missing Out The in-depth feature includes White’s history with the UFC, his relationship with President Donald Trump and how the White House card came together. One noteworthy revelation in the piece is that White apparently wanted to book a women’s strawweight title fight between Mackenzie Dern and Weili Zhang for the event. The think was that the bou…

Jack Della Maddalena didn’t stop responding to Carlos Prates despite being on the losing end of their fight. 

Prates (24-7) took on Maddalena (18-4) in enemy territory at UFC Perth earlier this month. Prates picked apart the former welterweight champion before finishing him in the third round. Prates recently revealed that he kept talking to Maddalena during the fight. 

When Maddalena shot for a takedown in the opening round, Prates taunted him with Nate Diaz’s famous quote, “So you’re a wrestler now?” Maddalena responded by proclaiming himself a well-rounded fighter. When Prates started dominating Maddalena, he apologized to the Australian, explaining that he was only a hurdle on the way to a title shot. Maddalena urged Prates to go with him until the final bell. Prates was impressed with Maddalena’s toughness.

A Little In-Fight Banter “I started to talk with him, like, ‘Ah, you become a grappler now? You’re a wrestler?’ And then he goes, ‘Nah, I’m a comp…

Arman Tsarukyan’s wrestling must be given credit when it is praised by one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers of all time. 

Abdulrashid Sadulaev recently heaped praise on Tsarukyan’s wrestling. Sadulaev says Tsarukyan often trains in their camp and with other elite Russian wrestlers. Sadulaev also notes that Tsarukyan trains with one of the most respected coaches, Vladimir Modosyan. According to the two-time Olympic gold medalist, Tsarukyan would land in the Top 5 if he competed in the Russian wrestling championship.

High Praise “Arman frequently joined us in camps,” Sadulaev told Red Corner MMA. “He trained with the best wrestlers. Also he always worked with one of our best coaches, it’s one of Russia’s honored coaches — Vladimir Modosyan. I think his wrestling skills are above average. For example, if he competed at the Russian championships he could’ve made it in Top 5.”

Tsarukyan (23-3) remains sidelined from the UFC lightweight title picture despite being wi…

Referee Mark Lyson allegedly admitted to making a mistake in Rico Verhoeven’s controversial loss against Oleksandr Usyk. 

Lyson was the third man inside the ring when Verhoeven challenged Usyk for the WBC heavyweight title last weekend in front of the Pyramids in Giza, Egypt. A massive underdog, Verhoeven landed the more significant strikes for the most part. Verhoeven appeared to be on the way to a monumental upset win when Usyk dropped him late in the 11th round. While Verhoeven returned to his feet, Usyk backed him up with a barrage of unanswered shots. Lyson abruptly stepped in and called a stop to the contest with officially a second left in the 11th round. 

If the official stoppage wasn’t already controversial enough, some rumors suggest that Lyson stopped the bout after the bell went off. The make matters worse, there was no fight clock for viewers on the live broadcast. Verhoeven’s coach Peter Fury claims Lyson was travelling with him on the same fli…

Sean Strickland is completely unhinged. 

Strickland recently uploaded a video of himself teaching kids “valuable” skills. Strickland can be seen teaching kids how to load a belt-fed machine gun. The UFC middleweight champion compares the feeling to that of an African rebel teaching young kids the same skill.

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Role Model? “I’m teaching the youth valuable skills… I would imagine this is how an African rebel feels, teaching kids how to load a belt-fed machine gun,” Strickland said.

“Passing on valuable skills to the youth. Pay it forward,” he added in the caption.

Strickland has faced backlash in the past over his controversial stance on gun control. Himself an owner of a large collection of guns, Strickland also encourages others to exercise their rights. Strickland had also slammed the Australian government over gun laws ahead of his rematch against Dricus Du Plessis in Sydney last year. Australia had banned guns following Martin Bryant’s …

Not everyone counted Sean Strickland out against Khamzat Chimaev. 

Strickland (30-7) challenged Chimaev for the middleweight title at UFC 328 earlier this month in Newark, New Jersey. Strickland was a massive +450 underdog going into the bout. While Chimaev controlled Strickland on the ground in the first round, the tide turned in the second round. Strickland completely took over in the third round, and Chimaev failed to mount a comeback despite a valiant effort in the championship rounds. Strickland earned a split decision victory in one of the biggest upsets in recent UFC title fight history. 

Faith in Strickland Paid OffWhile most expected Chimaev to dominate on the ground, many considered Strickland the biggest threat to “Borz.” Among the latter was UFC Hall of Famer Donald Cerrone. “Cowboy” revealed he won $45,000 after betting $10,000 on Strickland to win.

“Yeah, I won $45,000,” Cerrone told The Schmo. “I put $10,000 on Sean.”

Cerrone also showed…

Michael Bisping is not impressed with Alex Pereira’s latest sparring footage.

Pereira (13-3) is scheduled to fight Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House on June 14. Having started his MMA career at middleweight, the jump is massive for Pereira. 

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Pereira recently uploaded a sparring video with UFC heavyweight Tallison Teixeira. Bisping is concerned about Pereira’s heavyweight move after watching the footage. Bisping notes that Pereira doesn’t have much output and also gets clipped by “Xicao.” While Bisping gives Teixeira due credit, “The Count” doesn’t think he is on the same level as Gane. Bisping expects Pereira to have his way with Teixeira if he is preparing to fight Gane. Bisping also expects Gane to have a speed advantage over Pereira.Analyzing the Tape “Tallison Teixeira is a good fighter; he’s got a big fight coming up… But for Alex Pereira going up against Ciryl Gane, you would think that he would be having his …

Donald Cerrone is planning a grand entry for the UFC White House event. 

Cerrone (36-17) is currently taking skydiving lessons with the Golden Knights, the U.S. Army Parachute team. Cerrone, who claims to have done over 50 solo jumps in his life, plans to skydive into the White House. “Cowboy” is absolutely confident that UFC top brass will approve his special entrance.

‘It’s Easy’ “Parking’s gonna be a bitch,” Cerrone told the Schmo. “So I’m coming in on a chute… I think that’s a grand old entrance for Trump’s birthday and Freedom 250, so why the hell not?... [Dana White and Hunter Campbell] are my guys, that’s easy. They are gonna approve, it’s easy. They already approved, it’s done.”

Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-5) also joined Cerrone in skydiving lessons. Jedrzejczyk also appealed to Dana White to let her join Cerrone in skydiving into the White House. Both Cerrone and Jedrzejczyk hung up their gloves in 2022 just a month apa…

Conor McGregor will return to action at UFC 329 on July 11. | Getty/UFC

Everything is in place for Conor McGregor to make his first Octagon appearance since July 2021.

McGregor will face Max Holloway in a rematch at UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. While their first meeting was contested at 145 pounds, the return date will take place in the welterweight division. Perhaps most importantly, the Irish star is happy with the financial terms that led to his UFC return.

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"It's like a musical – music to my ears, it is. I'm out so long, five years,” McGregor told Mac Energy (via Championship Rounds). “My body's fresh. My mind is sharp. I'm ready to come back. I've got a great opponent. I've got a great deal off the UFC. I'm very, very happy, They honored me, finally.

"July 11, and the opponent is a man I've beaten before in Max Holloway. He's an established fighter, an accomplished fighter, former UFC world champion, mul…

Aleksandar Rakic has lost four straight UFC outings. | Getty/UFC

Aleksandar Rakic is officially headed to the big man’s division.

The former light heavyweight contender will square off against Marcin Tybura at UFC Belgrade, the Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Monday. UFC Belgrade takes place on Aug. 1 at Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia, and is headlined by a welteweight showdown between Uros Medic and Daniel Rodriguez. A middleweight tilt pitting Dusko Todorovic against Robert Valentin was also confirmed for the card.

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Time for a Change Rakic, 34, has lost his last four Octagon appearances at 205 pounds. In his lone appearance of 2025, “Rocket” suffered a first-round TKO defeat to Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 321 this past October. The Austrian fighter won six of his first seven outings to emerge as a contender in the light heavyweight division before his current skid, which also includes setbacks to Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka …

If career transition is one of the biggest concerns for MMA athletes after fighting, Renato "Moicano" Carneiro has reason to celebrate.

As far as MMA goes, the 37-year-old “Moicano” showed he still has plenty of fight left in him on April 4 by submitting American Top Team training partner Chris Duncan in the main event of UFC Fight Night 272.

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Thanks to the resounding success of his YouTube channel, the ATT athlete already has an excellent career transition guaranteed when he decides to retire. Last Saturday, almost a month after being awarded best influencer in Brasilia at the Brazilian internet Oscars (iBEST), “Moicano” took another step towards this successful transition. He once again used his well-known sense of humor to innovate and achieve success, this time as the promoter of Money Moicano MMA, an event with 10 MMA fights held in São Paulo last Saturday at the Cornerman Academy.

With a dwarf as the announcer, fights between amateurs regis…

Joe Schilling's first MMA fight since 2019 ended in controversy. | PFL MMA

Joe Schilling’s first mixed martial arts appearance in more than six years ended in unusual fashion at PFL Brussels.

Schilling was on his back during a light heavyweight matchup against Donegi Abena when his opponent headbutted him while inside guard. “Stitch ‘Em Up” was visibly angry as the bout was halted due to the foul. The fight appeared ready to resume after referee Mike Beltran took a point from Abena, but Schilling decided to call it quits when the fighters were repositioned on the canvas. As a result, Schilling suffered a technical knockout loss due to retirement at the 36-second mark of Round 1.

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😱 C'EST DU JAMAIS VU !

Joe Schilling met fin au combat après avoir pris un coup de tête de son adversaire, parce qu'il n'est pas d'accord avec la position pour reprendre l'action ! pic.twitter.com/hggZdvQlsU

— RMC Sport Combat…

Daniel Rodriguez has won his last three UFC appearances. | Getty/UFC

Daniel Rodriguez is going from Mexican prison to the main event of the UFC’s first ever card in Serbia.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Monday that Rodriguez will face Uros Medic in the UFC Belgrade headliner on Aug. 1 at Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia. Also known as UFC Fight Night 283, the card is also expected to include a heavyweight tilt pitting former 205-pound talent Johnny Walker against Ante Delija.

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Quite the Turn of Events Rodriguez will return to action for the first time since July 2025, when he extended his promotional winning streak to three with a unanimous decision triumph over Kevin Holland at UFC 318. Shortly after that victory, Rodriguez was arrested for attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border with marijuana, and he spent approximately eight months in Mexican prison as a result of that transgression. The 39-year-old’s current winni…

Sean Strickland lashed out at the influencer community after attending Adin Ross’ boxing event. 

Ross hosted the Brand Risk 14 card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Sunday. The card featured renowned personalities like musician Ray J, former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel, and former NBA players Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson. Meanwhile, it also had bizarre matchups like dwarves fighting each other in MMA. Strickland, fellow UFC fighter Arman Tsarukyan and UFC head honcho Dana White were in attendance at the event. 

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However, Strickland (30-7) regretted attending the event and vented as soon as it ended. The UFC middleweight champion claims he feels “less of a man” after being a part of the event.

“I have never been a part of anything so shameful in my life,” Strickland said on his Instagram Stories. “And I hate myself and I feel like less of a man after being here. Oh God, why did I agree to this? I'm sick to my stomach.”

Read more about Sean Strickland ‘sick to my stomach’ after attending Adin Ross’ MMA event