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The lineup is complete for PFL Belfast.

The promotion announced the full card for the April 16 event on Tuesday. PFL Belfast takes place on April 16 at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and is headlined by a lightweight clash between Darragh Kelly and Jay-Jay Wilson. In the co-main event, Rhys McKee will face Alex Lohore at a 176-pound catchweight. Rounding out the main draw is a light heavyweight tilt pitting Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov against Tyson Pedro.

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𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: Your FULL updated #PFLBelfast Fight Card 👊

The PFL returns to Belfast on Thursday, April 16th! #PFLBelfast | Thursday, April 16th | SSE Arena | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 7PM EST | ESPN 2 pic.twitter.com/9NhyCCuEDX

— PFL (@PFLMMA) March 31, 2026

Newly confirmed bouts on the prelims include Pedro Carvalho vs. Sergio Cossio at 165 pounds and Omran Chaaban vs. Chequina Noso Pedro at welterweight.

PFL Belfast begins with the prelimin…

Arman Tsarukyan was unimpressed with Max Holloway’s latest performance. 

Holloway (27-9) put his BMF title on the line in a lightweight matchup against Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 earlier this month. Oliveira took Holloway down with ease and dominated him on the ground for five rounds to earn a unanimous decision win. There are currently rumors floating about Conor McGregor returning to action against Holloway. 

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Tsarukyan believes Holloway is way past his heyday. According to “Ahalkalakets,” Holloway is washed up and fighting merely to collect his paychecks. Tsarukyan was surprised to see Oliveira take Holloway down at will. Tsarukyan questions how Holloway, with nearly two decades of experience, couldn’t defend a takedown against Oliveira, whose wrestling isn’t his strongest suit. While Oliveira is primarily known for his jiu-jitsu, the Brazilian’s win over Holloway felt like a wrestling masterclass to Tsarukyan.‘He Looked So Bad’ “Max is …

Aljamain Sterling doesn’t think Israel Adesanya is the same fighter he once was. 

Adesanya (24-6) took on Joe Pyfer in the main event at UFC Seattle on Saturday. “The Last Stylebender” briefly looked his old self, chopping away at Pyfer’s lead leg and maintaining distance with his jab. Adesanya’s shots even seemingly started affecting Pyfer in the second round until things drastically turned around. Pyfer hurt Adesanya, took him down, flattened him out, and unleashed vicious ground-and-pound to secure a stoppage win. 

Sterling believes Adesanya is not the same as he was when on a stellar run, defending the middleweight title five times. “Funkmaster” primarily noticed Adesanya’s reaction time slowing down compared to his older self. Sterling notes that Adesanya suddenly chose to stand and trade with Pyfer in the second round instead of being his usual elusive self. Sterling believes Adesanya could have won if he controlled the range for five rounds instead of…

Francis Ngannou believes Ciryl Gane might be a problem for Alex Pereira. 

With heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall recovering from an eye injury, Pereira (13-3) and Gane (13-2) will fight for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House on June 14. Ngannou believes his former training partner will be the quicker fighter. Meanwhile, Ngannou predicts that Pereira will be stronger and more stable in his stance. Ngannou believes Pereira will have a hard time figuring out how to close the distance against Gane to begin with.

A Contrast in Skill Sets “Ciryl Gane comes here more with the strategy of a lighter person,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports. “Because he moves a lot, he is fast. And I think Alex Pereira will be more stiff, stable, strong, and solid. Ciryl will be more fast, moving around, his technique, he’s good at that. And it’s gonna be very difficult for Alex Pereira to even get to the distance to figure out what he can do.” 

Ngannou and Gane used to be traini…

Francis Ngannou believes Ciryl Gane might be a problem for Alex Pereira. 

With heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall recovering from an eye injury, Pereira (13-3) and Gane (13-2) will fight for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House on June 14. Ngannou believes his former training partner will be the quicker fighter. Meanwhile, Ngannou predicts that Pereira will be stronger and more stable in his stance. Ngannou believes Pereira will have a hard time figuring out how to close the distance against Gane to begin with.

A Contrast in Skill Sets “Ciryl Gane comes here more with the strategy of a lighter person,” Ngannou told TMZ Sports. “Because he moves a lot, he is fast. And I think Alex Pereira will be more stiff, stable, strong, and solid. Ciryl will be more fast, moving around, his technique, he’s good at that. And it’s gonna be very difficult for Alex Pereira to even get to the distance to figure out what he can do.” 

Ngannou and Gane used to be traini…

Sean O'Malley claims he hasn’t been jealous in a long time until he saw Ilia Topuria’s latest partnership deal. 

Topuria recently became the first combat sports athlete to sign with the Swiss luxury watch brand Richard Mille. O’Malley admits that he was jealous when his coach, Tim Welch, shared the news with him. However, O’Malley acknowledges that Topuria has earned the partnership. O’Malley notes that “El Matador” has knocked out three legends in a row in Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira, and is now scheduled to headline the UFC’s iconic White House card against Justin Gaethje.

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Well Deserved “I haven’t felt the jealousy emotion in a long time,” O’Malley said on YouTube. “And I felt it when Tim sent me this screenshot – Ilia signed with Richard Mille. That is sick. But I’m also like, [Ilia] knocked out three legends, knocked out three Hall of Famers in a row, he’s headlining the White House. Well deserved, 100%. He deser…

Jose Delgado wants some big names for his next outing. 

Delgado (11-2) is coming off a hard-fought split-decision win over featherweight veteran Andre Fili earlier this month. Delgado recently called out David Onama, Dan Ige and Josh Emmett. While Onama and Emmett are ranked 14 and 15, respectively, in the official UFC featherweight rankings, Ige recently lost his No. 13 spot to Patricio Freire. 

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Emmett headlined the same card against Kevin Vallejos, where Delgado defeated Fili. Vallejos knocked Emmett out clean in the very first round. Despite Emmett’s recent loss, Delgado believes the veteran knockout artist still has the “touch of death.” Delgado recalls when Emmett sent Bryce Mitchell to the shadow realm with a right hand in 2023, in one of the scariest knockouts in recent history.Not Here to Skate By “[David] Onama or Dan Ige would be sweet,” Delgado told Home of Fight. “Even Josh Emmett… Emmett’s got touch of death, man. The Bryce Mit…

Oktagon MMA’s new “Stand and Bang” rules will certainly be a treat for bloodthirsty combat sports fans. 

Oktagon MMA is scheduled to host its next event on April 11 at the Enea Arena in Szczecin, Poland. The main attraction of the card will be a matchup between Poland’s Michal Materla (33-11) and Germany’s Christian Jungwirth (16-9), under the promotion’s new “Stand and Bang” rules. Co-founder Ondrej Novotny recently explained that the new rules include boxing with MMA gloves, clinching, but no kicks or takedowns.

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“Our new rules, ‘Stand and Bang,’ between Materla and Jungwirth, that would be something special,” he told MMAjunkie.com. “… Now it's basically gonna be boxing with small gloves, with elbows also, clinch on the fence, but no takedowns, no kicks. And I believe this will be something special.” ‘Everybody Wants to See Fights Like That’ Novotny explains that the new “Stand and Bang” rules are an upgrade of the older Underground rules, …

Alexandre Pantoja’s arm was dislocated and got set back to position within seconds. 

Pantoja put his flyweight title on the line against Joshua Van in the main event at UFC 323 this past December. It was less than half a minute into the fight when Van caught a kick from Pantoja and dumped him. As Pantoja put his left hand to the ground to balance, he fell back in agony with a visibly dislocated arm. Pantoja gestured to referee Herb Dean to stop the fight just before Van was considering landing follow up shots. 

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Pantoja revealed that he had set his arm back in place just as Dean intervened at 0:26 of the opening round. Pantoja briefly regretted asking Dean to stop the fight. However, a firm believer in God, “The Cannibal” believes everything played out the way it did for his well being. Pantoja believes that while he could have fought with an injured arm, it could have resulted in more serious injuries.Could Be Worse “He knew I hurt my arm,”…

Arman Tsarukyan wants upcoming lightweights to get a chance against perennial top contenders. 

Tsarukyan says the Top 5 of the UFC lightweight division is an exclusive club, where they repeatedly fight each other. “Ahalkalakets” wants the lower ranked fighters to get a chance against the old timers, for some new contenders in the division.

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“I don’t know why they give these old guys chances – Gaethje, Oliveira,” Tsarukyan said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “I wouldn’t be surprised if Oliveira fights for the title again… We need new names. New names coming up – give them chance. For example, someone who just got to top 10, Top 15, give them a chance with Top 5 and maybe switch the names.” The Old Guard Tsarukyan’s claims certainly hold some weight. Perennial contenders like Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira have been ruling the top of the lightweight division. Gaethje has made two unsuccessful title bids, become the interim champion twice, a…

Alexa Grasso got back on track at UFC Seattle. | Getty/UFC

While there was initially some confusion as to the official method of victory for Alexa Grasso in the UFC Seattle co-main event, there was no question in Dana White’s mind as to where it stacks up among MMA’s all-time best.

”I think it's one of the greatest finishes in the sport's history, let alone this year or tonight or whatever," the UFC CEO said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. "It was incredible.”

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Grasso officially defeated Maycee Barber via knockout at the 2:42 mark of Round 1, but it was the way in which she dispatched her opponent that truly stood out. The Mexican standout crumpled Barber with a left hand and tagged her with a quick follow-up shot before swiftly securing a rear-naked choke on her fallen adversary. The submission was hardly necessary — Barber was already unconscious — but it only added to the overall visual of the moment.

While Grasso will l…

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.

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“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.

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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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. 

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'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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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 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…