Blog

Joe Pyfer put Israel Adesanya away with ground-and-pound at UFC Seattle. | Getty/UFC

Joe Pyfer rose to the UFC through Dana White's Contender Series, earning a contract in his second appearance after suffering an elbow injury in his initial outing. That prompted the UFC CEO to urge other UFC hopefuls to "Be Joe Pyfer.”

After defeating Israel Adesanya via second-round technical knockout in the UFC Seattle headliner this past Saturday, Pyfer has designs on changing the perception of what the actually means.

Advertisement

“I’m in a really good spot mentally,” Pyfer said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “The ‘Be Joe Pyfer,’ who I was as a person is dead, but the ‘Be Joe Pyfer,’ thing will live on in a much greater way now, where people can be inspired by it, and it actually means something. So, I’m proud of who I am now. …

“So, yeah, ‘Be Joe Pyfer’ will still be a thing, it’s just got a different meaning now.”

Leading up to UFC Seattle,…

Maycee Barber says she's OK after suffering a scary knockout loss to Alexa Grasso. | Getty/UFC

It’s hard to blame Maycee Barber for avoiding social media following her brutal knockout loss to Alexa Grasso at UFC Seattlethis past Saturday.

Grasso sat Barber down with a laser-like straight left, spinning her opponent around in the process. She landed one more quick shot to the chin before deftly locking in a rear-naked choke on Barber, who was already out. After the bout was halted, Barber lay motionless on the canvas for several minutes before leaving the Octagon under her own power. The official result of the fight was a knockout, because it was determined that Barber was unconscious once the submission was applied.

Advertisement

While her team initially took to social media to provide an update on the fighter’s condition, Barber would later issue her own video statement via Instagram.

“Well this is not the post or video that I wanted to be makin…

Yoel Romero believes only his opponent, Vagab Vagabov, was happy with the outcome of their latest bare-knuckle fight. 

Romero and Vagabov headlined IBA 4 in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Saturday. Despite Romero scoring a knockdown, Vagabov was declared the winner after five rounds. The crowd immediately expressed its disagreement with the decision by raining down boos. 

Advertisement

IBA president Umar Kremlev has since announced that Romero’s loss will now be reviewed under a special commission, and Vagabov might have his win taken away. Romero supports IBA’s decision to review the result, which he believes only satisfied Vagabov and his team. Romero says that reviewing the fight is the right way to protect the image of IBA.Protecting the Image of the Company “About the decision, about the fight, nobody stay happy,” Romero told Red Corner MMA. “I think the only people who stay happy about the decision is my opponent and his team. The president is making th…

Colby Covington has doubled down on his claims of having dominated Arman Tsarukyan in training. 

Tsarukyan defeated Georgio Poullas in a wrestling rematch in the main event at RAF 7 on Saturday. Covington defeated Dillon Danis on the co-main event of the same card. Covington had recently claimed that he schooled Tsarukyan in training when he was at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida. However, Tsarukyan has since denied the allegations, claiming to have never trained with Covington at ATT. Tsarukyan and Covington could be on a collision course for a wrestling match at RAF, as they have both expressed interest in the idea. 

Advertisement

Covington (17-5) has since accused Tsarukyan (23-3) of lying by denying that they trained together. But Covington plans to remind Tsarukyan of their grappling practice in a potential matchup at RAF.

“He’s lying about it because he was a young kid at that time… Now he is in his prime, he feels like he is unbeatab…

Johnny Walker says it is best to train with a variety of sparring partners. 

Walker is scheduled to fight Dominick Reyes at UFC 327 on April 11 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. Walker trains at Xtreme Couture, which is also home to Francis Ngannou. Walker recently revealed that he ate a clean uppercut from the former UFC heavyweight champ just last week. 

Advertisement

Walker explains that one has to mix up powerful and technical sparring partners depending on what stage of training camp they are at. The Brazilian says that it is OK to get hit hard early in camp, as there is ample time to recover. However, with less than two weeks left for his upcoming fight, Walker now plans to spar against technical and easy partners.Finding the Right Mix “I got a clean uppercut [from Ngannou] last week, and f—k, heavy handed, bro, crazy… It’s better to mix [powerful and technical sparring partners],” Walker told Full Mount MMA. “It depends where you are in the …

Colby Covington doesn’t think Sean Strickland’s wrestling defense will work against Khamzat Chimaev. 

Strickland is scheduled to challenge Chimaev for the middleweight title in the main event at UFC 328 on May 9 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Strickland jumped ahead of Nassourdine Imavov for the title shot with a stoppage win over Anthony Hernandez at UFC Houston last month. A massive underdog going into the fight, Strickland completely shut down Hernandez’s gruelling wrestling. 

Advertisement

The performance against Hernandez made many believe that Strickland can pull off a similar upset against Chimaev. However, Covington doesn’t think Strickland stands a chance against “Borz.” Covington believes Chimaev’s wrestling is on a completely different level than Hernandez’s. “Chaos” predicts that Chimaev will either earn a submission win over dominate Strickland on the ground for five rounds.Completely Different Levels “I’m not giving [Strickl…

Francis Ngannou was reminded of the sport's ruthless nature after watching his friend Israel Adesanya’s loss on Saturday. 

Adesanya took on Joe Pyfer in the main event at UFC Seattle on Saturday. While it was a closely-contested first round, there were glimpses of a prime Adesanya as he chipped away with leg kicks and a stiff jab. “The Last Stylebender” appeared to have found his groove in the second round as he started unleashing combos and hurting Pyfer. Ngannou thought the old Adesanya of championship days was back after the first round. However, Pyfer took Adesanya down and took his back, threatening a rear-naked choke. Adesanya shifted between giving up his back and giving Pyfer the mount. Pyfer finally flattened Adesanya out and unleashed a barrage of unanswered shots, forcing the referee to step in at 4:18 of Round 2. 

Advertisement

Ngannou was heartbroken watching his friend’s brutal loss. The former UFC heavyweight champion got a reminder that …

Colby Covington wants to find out who’s the real All-American between him and Chris Weidman. 

Covington dominantly beat Dillon Danis in a wrestling match at RAF 7 on Saturday. Covington subsequently called for a RAF matchup against Arman Tsarukyan, who did not entirely shut down the idea. However, the UFC is allegedly not allowing its active fighters to wrestle each other at other promotions. 

Advertisement

If a matchup against Tsarukyan doesn’t materialize, Covington claims he has a booking against Weidman sealed. “Chaos” claims he has a “done deal” to wrestle the former UFC middleweight champion at RAF 9 on May 30 in Dallas, Texas.Back to Work “This is the backup plan if we’re not able to get Arman, since they’re saying no right now,” Covington told Submission Radio. “That’s already a done deal. Me and Chris Weidman’s a done deal for RAF 9, which is gonna be on Dallas, Texas, it’s gonna be on May 30. So I’m back in training camp tomorrow, I’m gonna get…

Israel Adesanya is dealing with the roughest patch of his career. 

Adesanya fought way down the rankings, taking on Joe Pyfer in the main event at UFC Seattle on Saturday. After a close first round, “The Last Stylebender” appeared to be gaining momentum in the second round. However, Pyfer took Adesanya down, flattened him out, and unleashed brutal ground-and-pound to secure the finish in the second round. The defeat extended Adesanya’s longest losing streak of his career to four in a row. 

Advertisement

'Respawn and Go Again' The former middleweight champion has since opened up about his loss. While Adesanya knows it’s a hard time for his supporters, the former middleweight champion humbly admits that he is going through an even harder time. Regardless, Adesanya vows to rise again and keep going.

“I know it’s hard on my people seeing me fall,” Adesanya wrote on Instagram. “I promise you it’s harder on me. Regardless, we respawn and go again.”

Ade…

Colby Covington’s UFC career is currently at a crossroads. 

While Covington (17-5) hasn’t fought in the UFC since December 2024, he has been active in wrestling competitions under the Real American Freestyle banner. “Chaos” defeated Dillon Danis in the co-main event at RAF 7 on Saturday. Covington was subsequently asked if he would continue being active in RAF or consider a UFC return soon. The former UFC interim welterweight champion confirmed that he will be committed to RAF going forward, claiming to have invested his own money in the wrestling promotion. Covington wants to build the RAF in the greatest combat sports league in the world. Covington also says that he has done everything he needed to do in the UFC, reiterating his recent falling out with the promotion.

Advertisement

Back to His Roots “I’m all in on Real American Freestyle,” Covington told Red Corner MMA. “I’ve invested my own hard-earned money to Real American Freestyle. I want to see this pl…

Maycee Barber had a seven-fight winning streak snapped on Saturday. | Getty/UFC

It appears to be a reasonably optimistic prognosis for Maycee Barber after a scary knockout loss to Alexa Grasso at UFC Seattle on Saturday night.

Barber was rendered unconscious by a Grasso left hand and follow-up strike before her opponent locked in a tight rear-naked choke to secure a victory at the 2:42 mark of Round 1 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Though Barber conscious as referee Mike Beltran stepped in to wave off the fight, she remained motionless on the canvas for several minutes. Eventually the UFC flyweight standout left the Octagon under her own power, and she was reportedly transported to a local hospital.

Advertisement

Barber’s team posted updates on her condition, which the fighter shared to her Instagram Stories on Sunday. That included a positive statement from her boyfriend, Oscar Herrera.

“Part of the game,” Herrera wrote. “Congrats to Alexa, …

Movsar Evloev continues to stack wins in the UFC. | Getty/UFC

If in the first 20 years of the UFC Brazil and the United States alternated in the position of greatest MMA powerhouse, from 2025 onwards Russia and countries from the former Soviet Union have changed this picture.

Even with a much smaller percentage of representatives on the roster, these fighters today hold five of the 11 UFC belts: Petr Yan (Russia), bantamweight; Ilia Topuria (Georgia), lightweight; Islam Makhachev (Dagestan), welterweight; Khamzat Chimaev (Chechnya), middleweight and Valentina Shevchenko (Kygistan), flyweight). Meanwhile, today Brazil has one belt (Alex Pereira) and the United States two (Mackenzie Dern and Kayla Harrison).

Advertisement

In the opinion of American Top Team head coach Conan Silveira, the trend is that this Russian dominance will expand in 2026 with Movsar Evloev winning the featherweight belt.

“Jean [Silva] can do whatever he wants, but he won’t ge…

Navajo Stirling feels the time is perfect for a clash against Ion Cutelaba. 

Stirling took on Bruno Lopes (14-3) in a light heavyweight tilt at UFC Seattle on Saturday. The Kiwi punished Lopes on the feet and left him a bloodied mess to earn a technical knockout win in the second round. Stirling subsequently called out light heavyweight veteran Cutelaba. Stirling notes that the Moldovan is known for derailing the hype trains of several prospects. With both of them on the cusp of breaking into the rankings, Stirling feels it’s the perfect time to fight Cutelaba.

Advertisement


 I feel like [Ion] Cutelaba is a big name,” Stirling said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “He’s been in the UFC for a long time. He’s been killing all the prospects that are being put forward to him. And I think that’s our meeting point. That’s where he’s at, and that’s where I’m at. He seems like the perfect guy to fight. He’s at the top outside of the top 15, and so am I. So, l…

Tyrell Fortune wants to follow in the footsteps of his teammate Waldo Cortes-Acosta and knock out Derrick Lewis. 

Fortune made his debut against Marcin Tybura at UFC Seattle on Saturday. Fortune stepped in on two weeks’ notice after Tybura’s original opponent, Valter Walker, pulled out. Fortune clearly outclassed the veteran on the feet, although he couldn’t secure a finish. However, the scores were initially read out in favor of Tybura, as an angry Fortune marched out of the Octagon. Bruce Buffer then returned to the Octagon and corrected himself, announcing Fortune the winner via unanimous decision. 

Advertisement

Fortune believes he could have done better against Tybura with a full camp. The 35-year-old vows to show a different version of himself in his next outing.

“I was just a little frustrated with myself that I didn’t get the performance I knew I could,” Fortune said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “Some of the positions I should have p…

Chael Sonnen is worried about Tom Aspinall being caught in the crossfire between Dana White and Eddie Hearn. 

Aspinall’s relationship with White has been strained since his first heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 320 this past October. The fight ended in a no contest after Gane eye poked Aspinall, leaving him unable to continue. Dana White hinted that he was unimpressed by Aspinall’s decision to stop fighting, saying that the Englishman didn’t look like he wanted to be in there with Gane. Aspinall didn’t hide his disappointment with White’s comments. While Aspinall underwent multiple surgeries, White further downplayed the injury, saying they were likely injections. 

Aspinall (15-3) recently escalated things by signing with the management of Eddie Hearn, considered a longtime rival of White. Hearn has since taken multiple digs at Aspinall’s UFC contract, calling it a disgrace. Sonnen says he was supporting Aspinall when “Honey Badger” was c…

Yousri Belgaroui had already experienced every threat possible in his training camp for UFC Seattle. 

Belgaroui (10-3) faced a previously undefeated Mansur Abdul-Malik (9-1-1) in a middleweight matchup at UFC Seattle. Belgaroui battered Abdul-Malik’s lead leg from the onset, while maintaining his distance with a clean jab. Even when Abdul-Malik managed to take Belgaroui down, the 6’5” former kickboxer got back to his feet in seconds. While Belgaroui nearly finished Abdul-Malik in the second round, he was saved by the bell. Belgaroui maintained composure and gradually broke Abdul-Malik down to get a stoppage in the third round. 

Advertisement

While this was only Belgaroui’s second UFC fight, “Baby Faced Assassin” has a ton of experience competing in Glory Kickboxing. However, Belgaroui believes Abdul-Malik didn’t lose to him due to a lack of experience. Belgaroui credits his training camp for handing Abdul-Malik his first career loss. The Turkish-Dutch p…

Valentina Shevchenko and Khabib Nurmagomedov will never agree about women in MMA. 

Nurmagomedov has always been vocal about the fact that he is not a fan of women fighting in MMA. The UFC Hall of Famer recently reiterated his sentiments, even explicitly calling women weaker than men. Nurmagomedov believes both genders have designated roles in society, and men take on the bigger responsibilities. While duties for men and women are overlapping with time, “The Eagle” prefers both genders to stick to their conventional duties.

Advertisement

“Every person in life has a mission,” Nurmagomedov said at a recent press conference. “For a man, it’s to raise children, take care of the family, take care of loved ones, neighbors, relatives. There are very few women who take on big responsibilities; it’s very hard for them. It’s not without reason. Even God created it that way: a woman is weaker, a man is stronger. People want to change all this and mix it. I like it when a…

Former ACA welterweight champion Abubakar Vagaev has signed with the UFC. 

Vagaev recently confirmed the UFC signing with a contract in his hands. The 32-year-old thanked Khamzat Chimaev for playing a pivotal role in his UFC signing. Vagaev also expressed his gratitude to Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who is a close ally of Chimaev.

One Era Ends, Another Begins“Assalamu alaikum, friends. Now that I have a contract with the UFC in hand, I can announce – I'm joining the UFC,” Vagaev wrote on Instagram. “My time in the ACA League has come to an end. I'm relinquishing my championship reign. It's been an exciting 12 years and nearly 30 fights. I've won the belt three times, and that's our legacy. Thank you to the organization for understanding my situation and being accommodating. I've always been accommodating to my beloved League. Now it's time to move in a different direction. I express my sincere gratitude to Ramzan Akhmatovich Kadyrov for his constant support thro…

Discovered in a social project at age 11, Brazilian Rafael "Coxinha" Barbosa won the Pancrase lightweight belt on March 14 by knocking out Japanese champion Tatsuya Saika in his third fight in the organization.

At only 28 years old, Rafael already has 22 MMA fights (17-5) and even with a contract for three more fights with Pancrase, he already dreams of fighting in Rizin Fighting Federation or Dana White's Contender Series

"The Pancrase contract allows me to fight in these two events and return to defend the belt if I am not signed. So I would really like this opportunity," Barbosa told Sherdog.com.

A black belt in karate and a brown belt in jiu-Jjtsu, Barbosa has lived in Los Angeles since 2023 and trains at California Mixed Martial Arts.

“I first came to the USA in 2021, invited by Lyoto Machida to teach at his academy, but I had to return. In 2023, Eddie Soares got me a fight with Mairon [Santos] at LFA in New York. I barely had time to study who Mairon was…

Jack Della Maddalena believes he should have been more aggressive against Islam Makhachev. 

Maddalena put his welterweight title on the line for the first time against Makhachev at UFC 322 last November. While it was one of the most anticipated matchups in the UFC, the fight turned out to be lopsided. Makhachev dominated Maddalena on the ground for five rounds to earn a unanimous decision win. 

Advertisement

Reflecting on his loss, Maddalena admits that he should have been more active on the ground. The Australian also believes he should have been aggressive instead of focusing on his defense.

“No excuses. He was the better man… Obviously, what went wrong was being stuck on my back for 25 minutes,” he told Australian MMA. “Honestly, it was a bit of laziness, a bit of opportunities I didn't pounce on. I should've been more aggressive, not so defensively minded.”

No Poker Face Maddalena appeared to be at his wits end in the latter rounds against Makha…

Quillan Salkilld has set timeline for himself to fight for a UFC title. 

Salkilld made his UFC debut in 2024 and has fast-tracked his way towards the top. Salkilld has finished three of his four UFC outings, knocking out the likes of Nasrat Haqparast and Jamie Mullarkey in his last two outings. However, the consistent upgrade in Salkilld’s circumstances has also come by luck. Salkilld got the opportunity to fight Mullarkey after the latter’s original opponent, Jimmy Crute, pulled out. And luck has struck once again for Salkilld in his upcoming bout. The Australian is scheduled to face his steepest step up in competition in Beneil Dariush at UFC Perth on May 2. Salkilld once again got a short-notice opportunity after Dariush’s original opponent, Manuel Torres, pulled out.

Advertisement

'Speed Running This S--t' “I’m speed running this s—t,” Salkilld told Australian MMA. “I didn’t expect it to go this quick, but we could be ranked real real soon. I literally wi…

Alexander Volkanovski’s coach, Joe Lopez, doesn’t consider Jean Silva deserving of a title shot yet. 

Volkanovski (28-4) has long been calling Movsar Evloev (20-0) the most deserving featherweight title contender. Evloev further cemented his position by handing Lerone Murphy his first career loss at UFC London earlier this month. Evloev followed it up by calling out Volkanovski, who verbally accepted without hesitation. 

Advertisement

However, Silva (17-3), who was in attendance at UFC London, is jostling for the next title shot against Volkanovski. Known for his knockout power, Silva deemed Evloev’s majority decision win over Murphy boring. While “Lord” is trying his best to provoke Volkanovski to fight him, the champion doesn’t think he deserves the next title shot over Evloev. Volkanovski’s coach, Lopez, recently reiterated his fighter’s thoughts. Lopez took a dig at Silva’s signature celebration of barking like a dog. Lopez says that barking, or maki…

Colby Covington didn’t mince his words about his recent falling out with the UFC.

Covington has always projected himself as a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump. However, despite having tried for over a year, Covington failed to land a spot on the UFC White House card, which takes place on Trump’s birthday, June 14. Covington is now scheduled to wrestle Dillon Danis at RAF 7 on Saturday. 

Covington admits that his relationship with the UFC has been strained over the past few months. Covington accuses executive Hunter Campbell of stringing him along after making hollow promises. Covington says that he will now go about his business, reminding the UFC that he is an independent contractor and not an employee.

“I think the last couple of months, they just kind of went sour, probably like the last six months,” Covington told Helen Yee. “They were making some promises, and they weren’t fulfilling the promises. [Hunter Campbell] was kind of stringing me a…

⚖️#PFLPittsburgh Weigh Ins Underway!

Middleweight Main Event:🇺🇸Johnny Eblen: 185.8 lbs🇺🇸Bryan Battle: 186 lbs

PFL Pittsburgh will air LIVE this Saturday, March 28th on ESPN 2#PFLPittsburgh | Saturday, March 28th | UPMC Events Center | Pittsburgh, PA | 10PM EST pic.twitter.com/3RRmcjjvzZ — PFL (@PFLMMA) March 27, 2026

A high-stakes middleweight clash headlines PFL Pittsburgh: Tune in LIVE, Saturday, March 28 at 10 p.m. ET.

The Professional Fighters League's second event in March is now set following the PFL Pittsburgh weigh-ins.

The main event of the 12-fight card will see former middleweight king Johnny Eblen take on fellow contender Bryan Battle. Both men will be looking to earn a title shot and had no issue making weight. All other fighters also made weight for the event.

Eblen (16-1) is coming off suffering the first defeat in his career to Costello van Steenis. "Pressure" tapped to a rear-naked choke in the fifth …