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Paddy Pimblett isn’t a fan of fighters tattooing their own names. 

Pimblett recently took a challenge of identifying 40 UFC fighters by their tattoos. “The Baddy” guessed most correctly, with the exception of a few like Tony Ferguson, Kevin Holland, and Antonio Nogueira. 

Pimblett is also unimpressed by fighters who tattoo their own names, like Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje. However, the Liverpudlian rates Ilia Topuria’s back tattoo the worst of all, as he considers it a copy of McGregor’s. Pimblett seems to be a fan of the Japanese art style, as his two best-rated tattoos are in that genre. Pimblett's favourite ones are Marvin Vettori’s chest and sleeve tattoo and Sean Brady’s back tattoo. Vettori’s sleeve has a samurai and a dragon drawn in the Japanese art style. Meanwhile, Brady’s back tattoo is a Japanese Oni (demon) which was drawn by one of his early sponsors.

‘Are You That Stupid?’ “The worst ones are when people have their own name tattooed o…

The UFC White House card could lose its official status over a $100 permit. 

The UFC will host a one-of-a-kind card at the White House on President Donald Trump’s birthday on June 14. The card billed as Freedom Fights 250 is a tribute to America’s 250th year of independence. 

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However, the card now faces the threat of losing its official status over a $100 permit. The UFC needs a $100 permit to sanction the event. However, the chairman of the District of Columbia Combat Sports Commission, Andrew Huff, claims that UFC officials have refused to obtain the permit as the event is taking place on “federal land.” Huff says that the fights would be unsanctioned without the permit and wouldn’t go down in the fighters’ official records. Setting a Bad Precedent“We don’t know anything,” Huff told the Washington Post. “Every promoter in the District of Columbia should be, and is, held to the same standard, whether you’re putting on a small w…

Claressa Shields considers Amanda Nunes to be the MMA version of herself. 

Shields retained her undisputed heavyweight boxing title with a victory in a rematch against Franchon Crews Dezurn in Detroit last month. The two-time Olympic gold medallist has since expressed interest in an exhibition boxing match against Nunes.

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"I would fight against Amanda Nunes in boxing. Absolutely,” Shields told TMZ Sports. “That would be a good one."

Shields and Nunes are considered the female GOATs in boxing and MMA, respectively. Shields has dominated women’s boxing since her debut and has gone on to win titles in three weight classes. Meanwhile, Nunes is the most dominant women’s MMA fighter of all time, having run through the UFC bantamweight and featherweight divisions. While Shields respects Nunes’ skills, she believes she would defeat “The Lioness” in boxing.

‘I’m That Girl’ "I would win, but I think she's very heavy-handed, she's strong, and she's a g…

Colby Covington is willing to settle the bad blood with Bo Nickal inside the Octagon.

Nickal has been calling out Covington for over a year, either for a UFC fight or a wrestling match at RAF. Covington recently accepted the callout while going on a rant about Nickal. “Chaos” slammed Nickal for pulling out of a RAF 5 booking against Yoel Romero after Romero missed weight. Considering Nickal is particular about weight classes, Covington wants the middleweight wrestler to drop to welterweight to fight him.

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“I know you’re a big fan of weight classes and refused to fight a man that was six pounds too heavy… I propose we do this in a weight class where one of us is ranked and has actual stakes,” Covington said on YouTube. “So how about bring that stupid ginger bowl cut down to 170, and I’ll grant your wish to fight the biggest name in the welterweight division.”

Despite being an avid supporter of Donald Trump, Covington is not a part of the UFC White H…

Kevin Vallejos earned his biggest victory to date at UFC Vegas 114. | Getty/UFC

Kevin Vallejos announced himself as a person of interest in the featherweight division on Saturday night.

In his first headlining appearance, “El Chino” made short work of veteran Josh Emmett, dispatching his adversary with a barrage of strikes at the 3:33 mark of the opening stanza at UFC Vegas 114 on Saturday night. Vallejos has won seven straight professional outings — including four in the UFC.

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While Vallejos declined to make a specific callout in the immediate aftermath of his biggest win to date, he acknowledged that matchups against the likes of Alexander Volkanovski, Yair Rodriguez, Brian Ortega or Jean Silva would be appealing during Saturday’s post-fight press conference.

“Any of those four names are good. Obviously Volk being the champion. I think a fight against Yair or Brian would be great. I think those would be good fights,” Vallejos said.…

Tai Tuivasa has lost six straight UFC appearances | Getty/UFC

The UFC can’t quit Tai Tuivasa.

Despite being in the midst of a six-bout losing streak, the Australian heavyweight will get another shot in the Octagon when he faces Sean Sharaf at UFC Perth on May 2. The Las Vegas-based promotion announced the booking over the weekend.

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Tuivasa returned following a nearly year-and-a-half hiatus at UFC 325, where he dropped a lackluster unanimous decision to Tallison Teixeira on Jan. 31. That extended his losing streak to six, a slump that also includes setbacks to Jarizinho Rozenstruik, Marcin Tybura, Alexander Volkov, Sergei Pavlovich and Ciryl Gane. “Bam Bam” emerged as a popular figure thanks to a number of knockout victories earlier in his UFC tenure along with his penchant for enjoying post-fight “shoeys.”

Sharaf made his promotional debut with just a 4-0 professional record. He has since suffered technical knockout losses against Jus…

Jairzinho Rozenstruik is no longer facing domestic violence charges. | Getty/UFC

Domestic violence charges have been dropped against UFC veteran Jairzinho Rozenstruik following a dispute with his wife earlier this year in Florida.

According to TMZ Sports, the Broward County district attorney’s office elected not to pursue charges because “the victim refused to provide a sworn statement” and "parties were engaged in mutual combat and provided conflicting accounts of the incident.” Due to the lack of cooperation from the victim, the DA determined it was unlikely that Rozenstruik would be convicted.

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In January, Rozenstruik was arrested on charges of false imprisonment and touch or strike/battery/domestic violence. During the dispute with his partner, which occurred while the couple was driving from a storage unit in Pembroke Pines, Florida, Rozenstruik allegedly slapped the woman’s phone out of her hand, grabbed her arm and bit her when s…

Eryk Anders just wants to coach casuals after hanging up his MMA gloves. 

Anders took on Brad Tavares (21-12) in a middleweight matchup at UFC Vegas 114 on Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas. “Ya Boi” earned a hard-fought unanimous decision win over Tavares. Anders then hung up his gloves inside the Octagon, calling an end to a professional career spanning over more than a decade. 

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Too Much Stress Anders subsequently revealed that he wants to put on his coach’s shoes after retiring from professional competition. However, the 38-year-old doesn’t want to coach fighters. Anders explains that watching one’s students go to war inside the cage is just too stressful. Anders wants to spend his time teaching jiu-jitsu to casuals and fitness enthusiasts.

“I’m just gonna be a dad and a coach. I run a gym. Not looking to coach fighters because that s—t is nerve-wracking, watching your guy go through that. I just want to coach jiu-jitsu, soccer moms, w…

Piera Rodriguez is eyeing Angela Hill after her win at UFC Vegas 114. 

Rodriguez opened the UFC Fight Night 269 action in a strawweight rematch against Sam Hughes on Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas. “La Fiera” landed the more damaging shots throughout to earn a unanimous decision win over Hughes. 

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Rodriguez then called out four ranked opponents for her next matchup – Angela Hill, Gillian Robertson, Lupita Godinez and Denise Gomez. Rodriguez also named Hill as her most preferred matchup to avenge an old sparring session. The Venezuelan recalls sparring with Hill when she first came to the U.S. While Rodriguez was used to all-around respect in the gym, things allegedly went south in her sparring session with Hill. According to Rodriguez, she took Hill down, which triggered the UFC veteran. “Overkill” then returned to her feet and split Rodriguez’s nose open with a front kick to the face. Hill allegedly didn’t stop even after seeing Rodrigu…

Charles Johnson believes he won every round convincingly against Bruno Silva. 

Flyweight veterans Johnson (19-8) and Silva (15-8) opened the UFC Vegas 114 main card action on Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas. Johnson initially seemed hesitant and unable to find his range against Silva. However, “InnerG” rallied back as the fight progressed and found his momentum in the latter rounds. Johnson eventually earned a split-decision victory, which many believe could have gone either way. 

However, Johnson believes he should have earned a clear, unanimous decision victory. While judge Anthony Maness scored all three rounds in favoor of Johnson, judge Mike Bell gave two rounds to Silva. Johnson found Bell’s scorecards “weird,” as he believes he evidently landed the more consequential shots.

Confused But Thankful “I thought I won every round,” Johnson said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “I was surprised. I had it 30-27, so I thought it was weird that he g…

Marwan Rahiki has big aspiration for his UFC career. | Getty/UFC

Marwan Rahiki wants to go out without a blemish on his record. 

Rahiki (8-0) made his UFC debut in a featherweight matchup against Harry Hardwick at UFC Vegas 114 on Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas. Rahiki connected flush and landed significant damage on Hardwick, who showed extreme grit in refusing to go down. However, Hardwick had sustained visible damage to his jaw and started keeping his mouth wide open in the second round. Hardwick’s corner threw in the towel at the end of the second round after the Englishman informed them that he had a broken jaw. 

Rahiki was unable to knock his opponent out clean despite his best efforts. “Freaky” saw that his opponent was physically well prepared, judging by the veins in his chest and shoulders. The undefeated Moroccan-Australian believes all of his opponents prepare extra hard to fight him and come in much better than in their previou…

Steven Asplund got busted up at UFC Vegas 114. | Getty/UFC

Steven Asplund believes he should have won a decision against Vitor Petrino. 

Asplund (7-2) took on Petrino (14-2) in his sophomore UFC outing at UFC Vegas 114 on Saturday. Asplund dropped Petrino in the first round and looked close to securing a finish. However, Petrino weathered the early storm and got his offense going in the second round. Petrino left Asplund all bloodied up after 15 minutes to earn a unanimous decision victory. 

However, Asplund believes he did enough to sway the scorecards in his favor. The heavyweight newcomer uploaded a video of his bloodied face from the hospital, urging Dana White to take notice. The 27-year-old was slightly overwhelmed with emotions while thanking his fans for their support.

Still Pushing “That’s clearly not the decision we want,” Asplund said on his Instagram Stories. “I ain’t gonna lie, I thought I was gonna get the nod. My face looks …

Steve Erceg was victorious in his last outing against Ode Osbourne. | Getty/UFC

Steve Erceg will look for a victory in front of his home crowd against Tim Elliott. 

Erceg (13-4) and Elliott (21-13) will meet in a flyweight clash at UFC Perth on May 2 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The Las Vegas-based promotion recently announced the booking.

A Quick Ascent Erceg made his UFC debut in 2023 and earned a surprising title shot against Alexandre Pantoja after just three victories. However, Erceg’s stock slightly dropped after a failed title bid against Pantoja in 2024. “Astro Boy” then went on to drop two more against Kai Kara-France and Brandon Moreno. Erceg has since rebounded with a win over Ode Osbourne in August last year. The only other UFC card on which Erceg fought at home was UFC 305, where he was knocked out by Kara-France in 2024. 

Meanwhile, Elliott has seen it all in the flyweight division in his UFC career spanning over near…

Kevin Vallejos made short work of Josh Emmett. | Getty/UFC

Kevin Vallejos delivered on the biggest stage of his career to date.

The 24-year-old Argentina native earned a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his first-round technical knockout victory over Josh Emmett in the UFC Vegas 114 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Vallejos dropped his opponent with a right hand early, then sealed his victory with a barrage of offense against the fence at the 3:33 mark of Round 1.

Newcomers Earn Extra Cash Meanwhile, Marwan Rahiki and Harry Hardwick secured “Fight of the Night” honors and $100,000 apiece for their wild featherweight battle on the main card. While both fighters had their moments during a series of furious exchanges, Rahiki did the most significant damage, forcing the bout to be halted after two rounds after it was suspected that Hardwick suffered a broken jaw.

Finally, Octagon newcomer Manoel Sousa received the evening’s ot…

Kevin Vallejos blew a well-respected longtime contender out of the water.

The fast-rising 24-year-old Argentinian fortified his place among the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s featherweight elite, as he annihilated Josh Emmett with punches, knees and elbows in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 269 headliner on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Vallejos (18-1, 4-0 UFC) slammed the door 3:33 into Round 1, logging his seventh straight victory.

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Emmett (19-7, 10-7 UFC) was a non-factor. Vallejos stalked him from the center of the cage and let his exquisite timing and reactions light his way. He lured Emmett into an exchange, floored him with a right hook and swamped him with punches and elbows. Vallejos allowed the Californian to stand, then pinned him to the fence and launched an all-out assault on his body and head with a hailstorm of strikes, prompting the stoppage.

Meanwhile, Gillian Robertson overcame in inauspicious start to impleme…

Sherdog's live UFC Vegas 114 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC Vegas UFC Fight Night 269. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Rodriguez (-140); Hughes (+115)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:

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Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Smith (-180); You (+150)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Tristen Critchfield scores the round:Brian Knapp scores th…

Myktybek Orolbai looked like a dog playing with a chew toy.

The surging Kyrgyzstani welterweight took another step forward in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s loaded 170-pound weight class with a three-round unanimous decision over Chris Curtis in their featured UFC Fight Night 269 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Orolbai (16-2-1, 5-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 30-27 marks from the cageside judges.

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Curtis (32-13, 6-5 UFC) was a man with no answers. Orolbai closed the distance and completed one takedown after another, effectively smothering the former CES MMA champion across 15 non-competitive minutes. Every time Curtis managed to stand, his opponent was there to return him to the mat. Orolbai progressed to the back on multiple occasions and threatened the neck with rear-naked chokes but mostly chose to play it safe and dominate the battle with superior grappling.

Meanwhile, CM System mainstay Vitor Petrino called u…

Cory Sandhagen believes Merab Dvalishvili rushed into his rematch against Petr Yan.

Dvalishvili (21-5) defeated Yan (20-5) via a lopsided unanimous decision in their first matchup in 2023. While Dvalishvili won the bantamweight title soon after, Yan hasn’t lost a fight since. Yan earned a chance to avenge the loss in a rematch against Dvalishvili at UFC 323 this past December. Meanwhile, Dvalishvili looked to defend his bantamweight title for the fourth time in a year in his rematch against Yan. Dvalishvili made a two month turnaround from a successful title defense against Sandhagen in October. Yan put on a technical masterclass, outclassing Dvalishvili in every aspect to earn a huge upset win. 

Sandhagen admits he expected Dvalishvili to win the rematch against Yan. However, Sandhagen believes “The Machine” slightly underestimated Yan in making a quick turnaround for the rematch. Yan is currently recovering from a back surgery and is expected to face Dvalishvil…

Dricus Du Plessis doesn’t think Khamzat Chimaev has any right to call a fight boring. 

Max Holloway put his BMF title on the line against Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 earlier this month. Oliveira dominated Holloway on the ground to earn a unanimous decision win. Despite Oliveira’s dominant performance, some felt that the performance didn’t do justice to the BMF title. Chimaev also mocked the fight for lack of entertainment.

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“This was crazy highlight fight,” Chimaev wrote.

This was crazy highlight fight 😂

— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) March 8, 2026 Du Plessis slammed Chimaev for criticizing the fight. Du Plessis believes “Borz” doesn’t have the right to call out a fight for inactivity after their clash at UFC 319 last year. Du Plessis defended Oliveira’s performance, citing the Brazilian’s constant submission threats.Pot, Meet Kettle “I saw Khamzat commenting and saying how boring that fight was,” Du Plessis told Fig…

Carlos Prates believes former foe Ian Garry has the best chance of dethroning Islam Makhachev. 

Prates believes Garry’s well-rounded skillset and elite movement can make for a competitive fight against Makhachev. While Garry has lost to an elite grappler in Shavkat Rakhmonov, Prates believes a potential matchup against Makhachev will be different. Competing with Garry for the next welterweight title shot is Michael Morales. However, Prates believes Makhachev will successfully defend his title against Morales.

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An Intriguing Challenge “I think Ian Garry,” Prates told Red Corner MMA.”I think it’ll be little bit different [than the Shavkat fight]. Because Ian Garry knows how to move a lot, how to be really competitive in any place, on the ground or stand up. So I think that fight would be interesting.”

Makhachev dethroned Jack Della Maddalena to the welterweight title at UFC 322 last November. Prates also entered the welterweight title picture by k…

Colby Covington believes the UFC has become lackadaisical after the Paramount deal. 

The UFC is set to host a one-of-a-kind event on President Donald Trump’s birthday, June 14, at the White House lawn. The card, billed as Freedom 250, is a tribute to America’s 250th year of independence. An avid supporter of Trump, Covington had been rallying for a spot on the card ever since it was first mentioned last year. However, when the card was announced last weekend, Covington left out. 

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Covington can’t comprehend why he isn’t a part of the White House card. “Chaos” believes the UFC has disappointed its hardcore fanbase with the White House lineup. According to the former welterweight title challenger, the UFC has become indifferent since landing the $7.7 billion deal with Paramount. Covington even makes a lofty prediction that the RAF 7 wrestling event on March 28 will be bigger than the White House card.‘It’s Just Sad’ “It doesn’t make sense to …

Cory Sandhagen believes Sean O'Malley has the privilege of choosing his opponents. 

Sandhagen (18-6) has been calling out O’Malley (19-3) for a matchup, which would be a striking treat for fans. Instead, O’Malley is now booked to fight Aiemann Zahabi at UFC White House on June 14. 

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Sandhagen holds Sean O’Malley responsible for them not being booked against each other. O’Malley claims he was never offered Sandhagen for the White House. However, Sandhagen believes that’s not how it works for “Suga.” Sandhagen thinks O’Malley has the privilege of rejecting and picking fights of his choice. According to Sandhagen, not mentioning his name specifically was a clear duck from O’Malley. Sandhagen has now given up hope of the O’Malley matchup after multiple callouts. “The Sandman” also believes O’Malley will retire if he loses to Zahabi or even if he doesn’t see a certain route to a title run next.‘A Cop-Out Punk Move’ “I don’t think the dude’s ever …

Belal Muhammad doesn’t think there will be any real MMA fans at the UFC White House card.

The UFC will host a one-of-a-kind event at the White House on President Donald Trump’s birthday, June 14, on the South Lawn of the White House. The card, billed as Freedom Fights 250, will be a celebration of America’s 250th year of independence. 

Muhammad recently compared the event to “The Hunger Games,” the dystopian series of movies based on the books written by Suzanne Collins. The movies portray a survival competition where participants must fight to the death until the last man stands. Muhammad recalls a scene from the first movie where the protagonist Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, goes for her tryouts, while uninterested rich patrons go on with their discussions. Muhammad believes the White House crowd will also not be paying much attention to the action inside the Octagon, barring the occasional highlight-reel knockout.

No Real Fans “It’s not op…

Patricio Freire sees a major chink in his upcoming opponent’s armor. 

Freire (37-8) is scheduled to fight fellow Bellator MMA alum Aaron Pico in a featherweight matchup at UFC 327 on April 11 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. While Freire respects Pico’s overall skill set, he sees a major flaw in his chin. Freire will look to exploit Pico’s chin and end the fight with a single shot.

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“He has a lot of gifts as a fighter,” Freire told MMAjunkie.com. “But he has a fatal flaw, which is: Whenever he gets hit with a hard shot, he goes down. So that’s something that I’m hoping to exploit in our fight. But aside from that, he is a great fighter.”

Three of Pico’s (13-5) five career losses have come via knockout. The 29-year-old made his UFC debut as a highly touted training partner of Khamzat Chimaev last year. Pico faced Lerone Murphy in a potential featherweight title eliminator at UFC 319 in August. Murphy knocked out Pico with a highlight reel …