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Jorge Masvidal doesn’t think a matchup between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria will be closely contested. 

According to Masvidal, a matchup between Makhachev and Topuria will be a lopsided affair — one way or another. Masvidal believes Makhachev will either dominate Topuria on the ground or get knocked out clean by “El Matador.” While Masvidal considers Topuria faster than Makhachev, he believes that the Dagestani welterweight champion is ruthless on the ground. Masvidal also highlights Makhachev’s dominant welterweight title win over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322, which he saw in person. Makhachev ragdolled Maddalena, whom “Gamebred” ranks among the best strikers in the sport with decent wrestling defense.

‘It Could Go Both Ways’ “The way I see it, it’s non-competitive, but it could go both ways,” Masvidal said on the ”Death Row MMA” podcast. “I could see Islam taking him down and making his day very, very long at the office or Ilia getting in there, using his ha…

Georgio Poullas allegedly refused to grapple against Arman Tsarukyan at Hype FC despite being offered a massive contract. 

Tsarukyan and Poullas met in a freestyle wrestling match at RAF 6 last month. Poullas was accused of multiple fouls, penalized, and lost the match by points. Tsarukyan maintained his composure until the end of the bout and then punched Poullas as the whole arena erupted in a massive brawl. 

Days later, Tsarukyan and Poullas were booked in a rematch, this time in submission-only grappling, at Hype FC on March 11 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. However, the booking fell through within hours as Poullas pulled out, citing his preference to compete in freestyle wrestling at RAF. Tsarukyan and Poullas will now meet in a rematch at RAF 7 on March 28 in Tampa. 

Hype FC CEO Armand Martirosian claims he was turned down by Poullas despite offering a lucrative contract. According to Martirosian, he offered Poullas $2.6 million for seven bouts.…

Paddy Pimblett would like to prove that Charles Oliveira’s grappling isn’t levels above his own. 

Oliveira challenged Max Holloway for the BMF belt in the main event at UFC 326 on Saturday. Oliveira controlled Holloway on the ground for over 20 minutes to earn a dominant unanimous decision victory. Reacting to the fight, Pimblett says he would love the opportunity to fight Oliveira. While fans might consider Oliveira’s grappling to be on a different level than Pimblett’s, “The Baddy” knows that’s not the case. Pimblett believes he will end up having a striking battle with Oliveira if they fight.

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The Same Level? “I'd love to fight Charles, though,” Pimblett said on YouTube. “Everyone talks about his grappling and thinks it's levels above mine, but I know it isn’t. If I fought Charles, I'd probably end up having a war on the feet.”

While Oliveira (37-11) threatened submissions on the ground, Holloway did an excellent job of defending against a f…

Jorge Masvidal believes Ilia Topuria is on a different level than Justin Gaethje. 

Interim lightweight champion Gaethje will challenge the champion Topuria in a title unifier in the main event at UFC White House on June 14. A former training partner of Topuria, Masvidal has always lauded the undefeated Georgian-Spaniard’s skillset and power. Masvidal believes “El Matador” will hand Gaethje a beating that he won’t be able to recover from. “Gamebred” predicts that Topuria will retire Gaethje at the White House in June.

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Ilia Flatlines Him “I think Ilia does Gaethje worse… I’ve trained with Ilia plenty,” Masvidal said on the "Death Row MMA” podcast. “Since his first UFC fight, I’ve been calling it, ‘This guy’s gonna be champ.’ He’s gonna beat the f—-ing brakes off [Gaethje]. He retires Homer Simpson that day in the f—-ing cage. He’ll never come back fighting that dude. Homer Simpson is not walking out of that alive. I think [Ilia] just flatlines him…

Ronda Rousey was not impressed with the UFC White House lineup. | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

Ronda Rousey was feeling triumphant after Most Valuable Promotions added Francis Ngannou to its upcoming event.

Rousey will headline the MVP event against Gina Carano in a card broadcast via Netflix on May 16 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. On Tuesday, the promotion announced that Ngannou will face Philipe Lins in the evening’s heavyweight co-main event. Ngannou, a former UFC heavyweight champion, was released from his Professional Fighters League contract last week.

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"[Ngannou vs. Lins] joins [Rousey vs. Carano] on Netflix May 16,” Rousey wrote on social media. How’s THAT for a bamf laden double headliner? That’s what happens when you put fighters and fans ahead of shareholders.Shots Fired “P.S. UFC’s White House card sucks,” Rousey added, punctuating her post with a double-middle finger emoji.

#NgannouVsLins joins #…

Jon Jones wants out of his UFC contract. | Getty/UFC

Jon Jones has a different perspective on why he was excluded from the UFC White House card.

While Dana White recently claimed that Jones was never seriously considered for the June 14 event, “Bones” insists that he and his team were in “real negotiations” to compete at the event. Ultimately, the former UFC two-division champion claims that the promotion came through with an offer that significantly lower than he wanted.

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“Hey everyone, I wanted to address Dana White’s comments from this past weekend, because the truth matters to me and the fans,” Jones wrote on X. “Dana, you were heated about why I’m not on the White House card, but let’s clear something up. My team and I were actually negotiating with the UFC for that fight. Real negotiations. I even came down from my original number, and what was I offered in return? I was lowballed.

“Yes, I have arthritis in my hip and it’s pain…

Ilia Topuria is a big favorite against Justin Gaethje. | Getty/UFC

As one might expect, Ilia Topuria is a considerable betting favorite against Justin Gaethje in the UFC White House main event.

According to online oddsmaker BetOnline.ag, Topuria is listed as a -600 favorite heading into the lightweight championship unification bout. Gaethje, the interim 155-pound champ, checks in as a +425 underdog. Odds are subject to change as the event approaches.

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Topuria began his UFC tenure at 145 pounds, where he captured championship gold with a knockout of Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. He defended the strap with a first-round KO of Max Holloway at UFC 308 before vacating the belt to move up to lightweight. “El Matador” claimed the vacant 155-pound throne with a first-round KO of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 this past June.

Gaethje, meanwhile, will be making his third attempt at undisputed lightweight gold after coming up short against Khab…

Francis Ngannou will return to MMA competition in May. | PFL MMA

It didn’t take long for Francis Ngannou to find a new home.

The former UFC heavyweight champion will return to MMA competition when he faces Philipe Lins in the co-main event of a Most Valuable Promotions card on Netflix on May 16. The card takes place at the Intuit Center in Los Angeles and is headlined by a women’s featherweight clash between Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano.

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Ngannou was released from his Professional Fighters League contract late last week. The Cameroonian-born Frenchman competed once for PFL in three years, knocking out Renan Ferreira at the “Battle of the Giants” in October 2024. Ngannou has won his last seven MMA appearances — six of which came under the UFC banner. “The Predator” has also competed twice in professional boxing since parting ways with the UFC in 2023, losing a decision to Tyson Fury and suffering a knockout loss against Anthony Joshua.…

Charles Oliveira was in complete control against Max Holloway. | Getty/UFC

After winning all five rounds against Max Holloway to capture the BMF belt in the main event of UFC 326 on Saturday in Las Vegas, Charles Oliveira made a point of repeating the gesture from his last victory at UFC Rio, going straight from the Octagon to talk to the UFC Brazil broadcast team.

This time, however, Demian Maia, a key figure in his camp for Holloway and Mateusz Gamrot, was not on the broadcast team. Even so, Oliveira made a point of thanking him.

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“Demian, you told me: ‘Calm down, no rush’. Sorry for not getting the submission, but I think I did 100% of what we trained: control, stick to him and not give him any opportunity to work,” explained the Brazilian, who was positioned next to commentators Vitor Miranda, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and announcer Andre Azevedo.

While in Europe on a seminar tour, Maia spoke with Sherdog.com about the tactic discu…

Sharabutdin Magomedov has a message for Jorge Masvidal after their grappling matchup fell through. 

Magomedov and Masvidal were scheduled to meet in a grappling match at Hype FC on March 11 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. However, Masvidal has pulled out of the matchup due to undisclosed reasons. UFC veteran Edson Barboza now steps up to grapple Magomedov on short notice. 

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Magomedov accuses Masivdal of ducking him. Responding to a previous callout, “Shara Bullet” warns that Brazil is not Masvidal’s hometown of Miami.

“Jorge, amigo, Brazil is not Miami, Russia is not Miami,” Magomedov said on Instagram. “Don’t play with the pirate.

Stay on the Beach “You made the right decision running away from meeting me on March 11 in Rio,” Magomedov added in a written response. “Because after that trip, you might not have come back the same man. You would have had to answer for the words you sent my way. And deleting that video... wouldn't have saved you…

Israel Adesanya is rooting for his former foe to become a three-division champ. | Getty/UFC

Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira have shared one of the healthiest rivalries in combat sports history. 

Pereira is scheduled to fight Ciryl Gane (13-2) for the interim UFC heavyweight title in the co-main event at Freedom Fights 250 on June 14 at the White House. Adesanya is backing his former foe Pereira to defeat Gane. While Adesanya knows that Gane has elite movement, he believes “Poatan” can shut the Frenchman’s lights out. 

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“I hope Alex wins,” Adesanya said on YouTube. “Gane’s no joke. Gane can dance around, Gane’s slick. But I think Alex can knock him out.”A Storied Rivalry Pereira (13-3) defeated Adesanya (24-5) twice in Glory Kickboxing, even handing him his only kickboxing knockout loss. While Adesanya transitioned to MMA and went on to become the UFC middleweight champion, Pereira’s career became somewhat stagnant. However, …

Charles Oliveira advises Dan Hooker to focus on his own career. 

Oliveira won the BMF title with a dominant unanimous decision against Max Holloway at UFC 326 on Saturday. “Do Bronx” then teared up inside the Octagon with his parents, who attended his fight in the U.S. for the first time.

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However, Hooker thought Oliveira’s emotional outburst was not befitting of the title of the BMF.

“Crying while receiving the BMF is gay,” Hooker wrote on social media in a pair of since-deleted tweets.

“BMF doesn't exist anymore, it died with those bitch ass tears”

Focus on Your Own Career Responding to Hooker, Oliveira joked that “The Hangman” is probably in love with him. Oliveira accused the Kiwi of constantly taking digs at him and trying to find content related to him. Oliveira advises Hooker to focus on fighting instead.

“I think Dan Hooker’s in love with me, I truly do,” Oliveira said at the UFC 326 post-fight press conference. “He’s always …

Sean O'Malley was specifically embarrassed about one thing in his two losses against Merab Dvalishvili. 

O’Malley recently appeared as a guest on the podcast of YouTuber Matan Even, who is known for riling people up with his weirdness. Matan questioned the point of the 5’11” O’Malley’s height advantage if he lost against a shorter fighter like Dvalishvili. O’Malley admitted that one of the most embarrassing parts of his losses against Dvalishvili was that the Georgian was significantly shorter. However, O’Malley also acknowledged that “The Machine” is extremely strong.

Strength vs. Height “One of the most embarrassing parts about losing is when they're f—-ing under 5'5"... Merab is a strong f——er,” O’Malley said.

O’Malley (19-3) won the bantamweight title against Aljamain Sterling and defended it only once against Marlon Vera before losing it to Dvalishvili (21-5). While Dvalishvili defeated O’Malley via an emphatic decision in their first meeting in 2024, he made …

A planned booking between Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria reportedly fell through at the last minute. 

Interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje will fight the champion Ilia Topuria in the main event at the UFC White House card, also billed as Freedom Fights 250, on June 14. According to the latest rumors, the original plan was for Topuria to challenge Islam Makhachev for the welterweight title in the main event. 

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Irati Prat of Marca reported that the UFC received information at the last minute that Makhachev wouldn’t fight at the White House. Prat notes that Dana White had mentioned a fight falling through, and UFC matchmakers suddenly had long faces at the UFC 326 ceremonial weigh-ins amid hushed whispers. Prat further noted that even Gaethje acknowledged that he was originally told that he would not fight at the White House.

“On Friday night, it was announced that Islam would NOT fight. Dana White's comments about a fight falling …

Max Holloway was rewarded for showing incredible submission defense against Charles Oliveira.

Holloway put his BMF title on the line against Oliveira in the main event at UFC 326 on Saturday. “Blessed” was dominated by Oliveira on the ground for over 20 minutes en route to a unanimous decision loss.

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Silver Linings However, Holloway received his Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt later that night for showing incredible submission defense against a specialist like “Do Bronx.”

Holloway’s grappling coach, Pedro Sauer, a former student of the legendary Rickson Gracie, wrote on Instagram: “Our new black belt, after demonstrating an incredible defense at [UFC 326].

The BMF title fight at UFC 326 received mixed reactions from fans and pundits. While some praised Oliveira’s dominant win, others questioned if it was a performance befitting the BMF title. 

There will be a sizeable weight discrepancy between the two main event grapplers at Hype FC. 

UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan will grapple former UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev in the main event at Hype FC on March 11 at the Farmasi Arena in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. 

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Controversial Histories Tsarukyan (23-3) has been active in grappling tournaments as he remains sidelined from the UFC lightweight title picture. Tsarukyan most recently competed in freestyle wrestling against social media grappling star Georgio Poullas, who seemingly committed multiple fouls during the match at RAF 6. Tsarukyan won the bout and punched Poullas, leading to absolute chaos in the arena. Tsarukyan was originally matched up in a submission grappling rematch against Poullas at Hype FC on March 11. However, the bout fell through soon after as Poullas pulled out, citing his preference to compete under RAF. Tsarukyan and Poullas are now scheduled to meet in a r…

Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk engaged in a clash for the ages at UFC 248. | Getty/UFC

A clash that is widely regarded as the greatest women’s fight of all time will be headed to the UFC Hall of Fame this summer.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced on Saturday that the first meeting between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame’s “Fight Wing” as part of a ceremony this summer. It’s the first-ever women’s bout to enter the UFC Hall of Fame.

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“The fight between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Weili Zhang at UFC 248 is one of the greatest fights I’ve ever seen,” said U CEO Dana White in a release. “This fight was incredible. You had two talented savages that wanted the strawweight title more than anything and neither one of them backed down during this fight. I knew this was going to be a badass fight and it absolutely delivered. Congrats to Joanna and Weili on a fight that will always be remembered!”An In…

Tom Aspinall is looking forward to facing Ciryl Gane or Alex Pereira down the road. | Getty/UFC

Tom Aspinall remains on the mend following eye surgery, but he’ll be an interested observer when Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane square off for the interim heavyweight title at UFC White House on June 14.

Aspinall made his first title defense against Gane at UFC 321 this past October, but the bout was halted in the first stanza after Gane poked the reigning champ in both eyes. It has been a lengthy ordeal for Aspinall to recover from the fouls, despite skepticism that he was looking for a way out of the fight. At the moment, Aspinall understands why the promotion booked Pereira and Gane for an interim belt.

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"I mean, who else is going to fight? The division's on its ass," Aspinall said on his YouTube channel. "There's not many big fights to make, is there? So they've got to do what they've got to do.”Waiting for Clearance While the last update reg…

Jon Jones was left out of the UFC White House festivities. | Getty/UFC

While the rumor mill may have indicated otherwise, Dana White claims Jon Jones was never truly considered for a spot on the UFC White House card.

”Never, ever, ever, which I told you guys 100,000 times was Jon Jones even remotely in my mind to fight at the White House,” White said at the UFC 326 post-fight press conference. “First of all, I’ve told you why I wouldn’t do it, and No. 2, some guy with Meta glasses on filmed him talking about his hips, that his hips are so bad and I don’t know if you guys saw that flag football game where he can barely run. Jon Jones, he retired because of his hips. He’s got arthritis in his hips. Apparently doctors say he should have hip replacements.”

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The promotion announced the six-bout lineup for the UFC White House card on Saturday night, which included an interim heavyweight title tilt between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane. After Jon…

Conor McGregor wasn’t impressed with Charles Oliveira’s performance at UFC 326. 

Oliveira challenged Max Holloway for the BMF title in the main event at UFC 326 on Saturday in Las Vegas. While Holloway was a sizeable favoorite, Oliveira took the BMF champion down with ease in his very first attempt. Oliveira controlled Holloway on the ground for over 20 minutes, constantly threatening submissions, to earn a dominant unanimous decision win. While Holloway showed impressive submission defencs against a feared specialist, Oliveira was also apparently winning the striking battle.  

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‘Shockingly Bad Fight’ However, McGregor wasn’t impressed with the fight overall. “Notorious” slammed Oliveira’s performance while also taking a dig at Daniel Cormier’s commentary. 

“DC on Max on top ‘he should stall’ lol,” McGregor wrote in a since-deleted tweet on X. “He should have elbowed all the open targets. Payback. ‘Stall’ lol f—k off. Shockingly …

Caio Borralho knows that he needs another win before he can call for a title shot. 

Borralho (18-2) took on Reinier de Ridder in the co-main event at UFC 326 on Saturday in Las Vegas. “The Natural” displayed a well-rounded skillset while completely outclassing De Ridder on the feet en route to a unanimous decision win. 

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Borralho called out Dricus Du Plessis in his post-fight Octagon interview. Borralho notes that while he called out Du Plessis a while back, the South African wanted him to get a few more wins. Having racked up his eighth UFC win, Borralho now wants the former champion to show up. Borralho believes a win over Du Plessis guarantees him a middleweight title shot. The Brazilian would also like to avenge his last loss against Nassourdine Imavov in a title fight.A Long-Desired Matchup “I been calling this guy out since my second fight in the UFC,” Borralho said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “I think I called him out thr…

Eddie Hearn believes Tom Aspinall can do without the UFC. 

Aspinall (15-3) has had a minor falling out with the UFC since his no contest in his first heavyweight title defense against Ciryl Gane last year. Aspinall decided not to continue after a double eye poke from Gane in the first round. While Aspinall has since undergone multiple surgeries, Dana White hinted that the heavyweight champion’s injury wasn’t as severe as he made it seem. 

Aspinall recently made headlines by signing with the management of Eddie Hearn, who isn’t exactly an ally of White. Hearn has since said Aspinall’s purses surprised him. According to the Matchroom Boxing chairman, Aspinall would have earned 10 times as much in boxing. Hearn believes the Aspinall doesn’t need the UFC as much as the promotion needs him right now. According to Hearn, the UFC requires heavyweight stars right now.

‘They Need Heavyweight Stars’“When I walked through Tom Aspinall’s purses, I nearly fell off th…

Gregory Rodrigues avenged a previous loss in his rematch with Brunno Ferreira at UFC 326.

Rodrigues (19-6) suffered a first-round knockout loss in his first meeting against Ferreira (15-3) in 2023. “RoboCop” got an opportunity to avenge his loss after three years in their rematch at UFC 326 on Saturday. Rodrigues returned the favor by knocking out Ferreira in less than two minutes. 

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Enjoying the Process Rodrigues is glad to prove to himself that he is a different fighter since the first meeting with Rodrigues. The 34-year-old explains that he more patient and enjoys his time inside the Octagon more.

“I just proved to myself I’m a different fighter since then,” Rodrigues said in a post fight interview with the UFC. “… My patience, I was enjoying the fight, took my time. I love being inside the Octagon. When the doors lock and it’s just me and the other guy and I have 15 minutes to play and do what I love to do, what I choose to do. I started en…

Donte Johnson isn’t satisfied with his performance against Cody Brundage at UFC 326. 

Johnson (8-0) was a massive favorite going into his sophomore UFC outing against middleweight veteran Brundage (11-9) at UFC 326 on Saturday in Las Vegas. While Johnson came out all guns blazing, Brundage took him down in the opening seconds and controlled him for most of the first round. Brundage showed composure in going toe-to-toe against the aggressive Johnson for three rounds. Johnson eventually earned a narrow split-decision victory, going to the judges' scorecards for the first time in his career. Johnson had finished all seven of his previous wins, going past the first round only in his UFC debut against Sedriques Dumas last year. 

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Plenty of Work to Do Johnson subsequently admitted that he was disappointed with his performance despite getting his hand raised. The 27-year-old notes that Brundage had a significant advantage over him in terms of expe…