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Regina Tarin is not to be judged by her baby face. 

Ernesta Kareckaite was originally scheduled to face Sofia Montenegro in a flyweight bout at UFC Mexico. However, Montenegro pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Mexico’s Tarin on three days’ notice. “Kill Bill” made her UFC debut against Kareckaite in a 130-pound catchweight bout. A sizeable underdog going into the fight, Tarin outstruck her opponent to earn a unanimous decision victory. 

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The 21-year-old Tarin is now the second youngest fighter on the current UFC roster. Tarin warns her future opponents not to judge her by her looks. While Tarin knows she looks like a little girl at 21, she says her Octagon persona, “Kill Bill,” is a whole different person.Another Person in the Octagon “I know I look like a little girl,” said in a post-fight interview. “I am a girl, I’m 21, but I’m ready. I’m training all the day. So my face is not me. Regina is here, but ‘Kill Bill’ i…

Fighting in Mexico almost feels like fighting in his home country of Colombia for Javier Reyes. 

Reyes faced Douglas Silva de Andrade in a featherweight matchup at UFC Mexico on Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. The 40-year-old Andrade (29-7) made his featherweight debut, moving up from bantamweight. Reyes paid the price early for keeping his hands low as Andrade dropped him. However, “Blair” survived the scare and came from behind to secure a finish via ground-and-pound with a second remaining in the first round. 

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Reyes says he wants to be a crowd favorite by being different.

“I just want to be different,” he said in his post-fight Octagon interview. “I just want that the crowd notices me and they realize that a Colombian fighter is doing very different things in order to win the championship.”

A Familiar Feeling While Mexico City’s elevation is a test for some fighters, Colombia’s Reyes feels right at home there. Wi…

Ryan Gandra was out to have fun at his UFC debut on Saturday. 

Gandra made his debut against Jose Medina in a middleweight matchup at UFC Mexico on Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. Gandra barely took a punch as he dropped Medina with a flurry of punches and finished him in just 41 seconds. 

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Gandra (9-1) earned his UFC contract with a first-round knockout win over Trent Miller on Dana White's Contender Series last year. Gandra admits he was way more nervous for his Contender Series appearance than for his UFC debut. The 30-year-old explains that there is a lot more at stake on the Contender Series, as it is an opportunity to make or break one’s career. Having secured a UFC contract, Gandra was just out to have fun on his debut on Saturday.

“To tell you the truth, I was way more nervous in the Contender Series,” Gandra said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “Because if you think about it, the nerves kick in because…

Ailin Perez says this is the best time for Tracy Cortez to fight her. 

Perez took on women’s bantamweight veteran Macy Chiasson at UFC Mexico on Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. After dropping the first round, Perez bounced back to earn a unanimous decision win, which is her sixth straight win. Perez subsequently called out archenemy Tracy Cortez. 

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Perez later elaborated on her callout of Cortez. Perez says this is the best time for Cortez to fight her, as “Fiona” won’t give her the opportunity when she is the champion. Perez says that while Cortez is always beefing with her, she is nowhere to be found after the callout.Looking for a Fight “I already conquered the bantamweight division,” Perez told the UFC. “All the girls in the weight class are scared of me. And the time to fight Tracy is now. Because when I’m the champion, I’m not going to give her that opportunity. So the fight is now. Tracy Cortez is always trying to …

Santiago Luna recognizes the mistake that led to the end of his finishing streak. 

Luna (8-0) took on fellow newcomer Angel Pacheco (7-4) in a bantamweight tilt at UFC Mexico on Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. Being a former Mexican wrestling champion, Luna was expected to dominate Pacheco on the ground. But Pacheco showed impressive defense in getting back to his feet every time he was taken down. However, Luna outstruck Pacheco on the feet to earn a unanimous decision win. 

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Luna’s win over Pacheco was the first time he saw the judges’ scorecards. Luna believes he could have kept his finishing streak intact if he hadn’t gone head hunting against Pacheco. The undefeated 21-year-old believes he instead should have targeted the body of a durable fighter like Pacheco.Work the Body “I couldn’t keep up with my streak of finishes but I think I did quite a good performance for the people to enjoy… I don’t believe anyone has the …

Daniel Cormier called up his protege mid-interview after a successful UFC debut. 

Cormier student Imanol Rodriguez (7-0) made his UFC debut in a flyweight booking against Kevin Borjas (10-5) at UFC Mexico on Saturday at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. The undefeated Rodriguez was a massive -470 favorite going into his UFC debut. But Borjas dropped Rodriguez twice early in the first round, in what appeared to be the makings of a huge upset. However, Rodriguez managed to take Borjas down and survive the first round. Rodriguez repeated his dominance on the mat in the second round before knocking Borjas out with a barrage late in the round. Rodriguez says he recognised that Borjas was tired enough from the grappling to go for the finish.

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Huge undefeated favourite Imanol Rodriguez for dropped TWICE in round one, but survived.#UFCMexico

pic.twitter.com/vKKfawwbVE

— Verdict (@VerdictMMA) March 1, 2026

&nb…

Imanol Rodriguez enjoyed a memorable UFC debut in Mexico City. | Getty/UFC

It was a night for new blood when it came to post-fight bonuses at UFC Mexico .

Octagon newcomer Imanol Rodriguez earned a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his stoppage of Kevin Borjas in a flyweight tilt. Rodriguez survived being floored twice in the opening stanza before dropping his foe with an overhand right near the fence in Round 2. A barrage of follow-up shots sealed his victory at the 4:21 mark of the period.

An Upset and a Short-Notice Slugfest Elsewhere, British prospect Lone'er Kavanagh garnered a $100,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his upset of Brandon Moreno in the main event. Kavanagh relied on his jab, leg kicks and solid takedown defense to earn a unanimous decision triumph over the two-time flyweight champion.

Finally, Regina Tarin and Ernesta Kareckaite received “Fight of the Night” honors and $100,000 apiece for their three-round battle at…

Damian Pinas wants Dana White’s eyes on him after a spectacular debut at UFC Mexico City. 

Pinas (9-1) took on Wesley Schultz (8-3) in a middleweight tilt to start the action at UFC Fight Night 268 on Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. “Baba Yaga” dropped his opponent with an uppercut before flatlining him with a 1-2 combo midway into the first round. 

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Pinas had also scored a first-round knockout on the Dana White's Contender Series last year to earn his UFC contract. However, since Pinas didn’t get a performance bonus for the Contender Series win, the Aruban is hoping for some extra cash after his impressive UFC debut. Pinas dedicated the knockout to Dana White and wants to be on the UFC head honcho’s watch. Pinas says he can be a company man for the UFC and the future of the middleweight division.‘Everybody is Gonna Watch Me’ “I have a news for Dana White,” Pinas said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “This KO is for h…

Lone’er Kavanagh proved he could run with the big dogs in the Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight division.

Savage leg kicks, a sharp jab and bulletproof takedown defense carried the Great Britain Top Team prospect to a unanimous decision over two-time champion Brandon Moreno in the UFC Fight Night 268 main event on Saturday at CDMX Arena in Mexico City. Scores were 49-46, 48-47 and 48-47—all for Kavanagh (10-1, 3-1 UFC), who filled in for Asu Almabayev on late notice.

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Moreno (23-10-2, 11-7-2 UFC) was outgunned on the feet and took too long to adjust. Kavanagh chewed up his lower lead leg with repeated kicks, pumped out his jab and zeroed in on the body with a few kicks. He had Moreno reeling with punches at one point in the second round. The Fortis MMA mainstay turned to the clinch in the third and fourth rounds, as he bottled up Kavanagh along the fence, fed him knees to the inner thigh, bled time off the clock and shifted momentum. That set …

Sherdog's live UFC Mexico coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 268. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Pinas (-270); Schultz (+220)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round: Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Marshall (-700); Silva (+500)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Christian Stein scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:The Official Result BE…

Ryan Gandra introduced himself to the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division with the kind of ferocity that warrants immediate notice.

The Flavio Baiano Team product discarded fellow Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Jose Medina with punches in the first round of their featured UFC Fight Night 268 prelim on Saturday at CDMX Arena in Mexico City. Medina (11-7, 0-4 UFC) met his end just 41 seconds into Round 1.

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Gandra (9-1, 1-0 UFC) stepped forward behind a lead right hook, a left hand over the top and a front kick to the body. He then flurried with punches, connected with a knee up the middle and reset. Medina failed to circle out of danger, all but sealing his fate. Gandra pinned him to the fence with punches, folded him with a right hand and cleaned up the crumbs with follow-up shots.

Meanwhile, Xtreme Couture export Javier Reyes overcame an inauspicious start to dispatch Douglas Silva de Andrade with punches in the first rou…

A matchup of top welterweights will serve as the featured bout for UFC Perth.

Former welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena will square off against Carlos Prates in the evening’s headliner at the RAC Arena on May 2 in Perth, Australia. ESPN Brasil was first to report the 170-pound booking, which was later confirmed by the UFC on social media.

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Della Maddalena is coming off a lopsided five-round unanimous decision defeat to Islam Makhachev in his first title defense at UFC 322 this past November. That snapped an 18-fight professional winning streak for the Aussie, who claimed welterweight gold by outpointing Belal Muhammad at UFC 315.

Prates has been victorious in six of seven Octagon appearances — with his lone defeat coming at the hands of Ian Garry in April 2025. “The Nightmare” has since rebounded to post back-to-back knockout victories over Geoff Neal and Leon Edwards. Prates has finished all six of his UFC triumphs via knockout.

Contende…

Jiri Prochazka will get another shot at light heavyweight gold at UFC 327. | Getty/UFC

With Alex Pereira likely moving to heavyweight, a new 205-pound champion will be crowned in Miami this spring.

Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg will vie for the vacant light heavyweight crown in the UFC 327 headliner, the Las Vegas-based promotion announced Friday night. UFC 327 takes place on April 11 at the Kaseya Center in Miami and will also see Joshua Van defend the flyweight strap against Tatsuro Taira in the evening’s co-main event. There was no mention of Pereira’s next move, though the popular Brazilian has been linked to fights against the likes of Jon Jones and Ciryl Gane for months now.

A handful of new fights were also confirmed on Friday, including Beneil Dariush vs. Manuel Torres at lightweight; Patricio Freire vs. Aaron Pico at featherweight; Mateusz Gamrot vs. Esteban Ribovics at lightweight and Kelvin Gastelum vs. Vicente Luque at middleweight.

Read more about Vacant light heavyweight title at stake in UFC 327 main event

Max Holloway says fans shouldn’t count him out in grappling against Charles Oliveira.

Holloway puts his BMF title on the line in a rematch against Oliveira at UFC 326 on March 7 in Las Vegas. A volume puncher, Holloway believes fans might be undermining his ground game leading up to his clash against Oliveira, who is a feared submission artist. “Blessed” admits that even his coaches don’t take him too seriously when he talks about the possibility of a submission win over Oliveira. However, Holloway believes both he and Oliveira can hold their own anywhere the fight goes,. The BMF champion says submitting a submission artist like “do Bronx” would really do justice to his title.

‘Never Say Never’ “The narrative is for this fight – If we can keep it on the feet, it’s me, and if we go to the ground, it’s like 200% [Oliveira]. Which is crazy,” Holloway told ESPN. “I feel like we both fought at the highest levels… Never say never. My coaches just keep seeing interviews of me t…

Being Max Holloway’s coach must be tough during the last 10 seconds of his fights. 

Although he was already winning the fight, Holloway iconically pointed down to the ground for a slugfest in the final seconds of his BMF title fight against Justin Gaethje in 2024. “Blessed” knocked out Gaethje exactly at the final bell in one of the greatest spectacles in modern MMA. Holloway’s inviting his opponents for a slugfest in the final seconds has since become a ritual.  However, Holloway recently revealed that his coaches are absolutely against the idea. While his coaches constantly urge to avoid a brawl, Holloway wants his final 10 seconds after sticking to their game plan for the whole fight.

'They Hate It'“They hate it,” he said in an interview on Freestylebender. “They tell me not to ever do that. They tell me to run away… I’m like, ‘Coaches, I love you guys, but you came up with the game plan. You made me fight this way the whole fight - just give me these 10 sec…

Ilia Topuria’s top three preferred matchups include Conor McGregor. 

Topuria recently revealed that his top three preferred opponents are Islam Makhachev, McGregor, and Paddy Pimblett. Topuria added that he would love to hand Pimblett the first knockout loss of his career.

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“Islam, Conor, and Paddy,” Topuria told Adin Ross on a Kick stream. “… I’d love to do that - to be the first one [to KO Paddy]. If someone else did it, I can do it too. And if no one did it, I can always be the first to do it.”High-Profile Foes Topuria (17-0) was the featherweight champion when he started rallying for a double champ bid against then-lightweight champ Islam Makhachev. However, that matchup never came to fruition as Makhachev moved up and won the welterweight title. Meanwhile, Topuria moved up and became the lightweight champion. While both parties continue to tease the matchup, Makhachev is unwilling to move down to lightweight. 

Meanwhile, McGregor hasn’…

Colby Covington wants to settle the score with Kamaru Usman, but in wrestling. 

Covington recently called out Usman for a wrestling match at Real American Freestyle. While Usman is currently rallying for a UFC welterweight title shot, Covington is ready to wrestle him if he can't secure the gold bid. Covington believes Usman would be interested in the proposition, despite having beaten him twice in the UFC. “Chaos” disputes his title losses against Usman – the first one as an early stoppage, and the rematch as a decision robbery.

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'It's a Huge Matchup' “I’d like to see Usman in Real American Freestyle,” Covington recently told Bloody Elbow. “We need to settle the trilogy in RAF. If Usman doesn’t get the title fight, come see daddy at Real American Freestyle and let’s do this trilogy, bitch… I think he would take the challenge - he’s a competitor, he likes to compete. He still has that fire and drive; he wants these title fights, he wants these bi…

Max Holloway’s pointing down at the ground in the final 10 seconds of his fights started with one of his former opponents taunting him. 

Holloway inviting his opponents to a slugfest in the final 10 seconds of the fight has gained a cult following in MMA now. “Blessed” recently revealed that his iconic move originated in his fight against Ricardo Lamas in 2016. 

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Holloway felt that he was comfortably winning the fight and planned to remain defensively sound in the last round. However, Lamas threw his hands up in the air in the final seconds, hinting that Holloway was coasting. Holloway initially couldn’t understand why Lamas was taunting him when he was winning. However, when Lamas did it a third time, Holloway threw caution to the wind and invited him to a brutal brawl. Holloway respects Lamas for honoring the invitation and letting his hands go.‘He Threw Down’ “It all started because I fought Ricardo Lamas… I felt like I was handling that f…

Rafael do Nascimento established himself as a bantamweight to watch after emerging victorious in the LFA 227 main event.

Legacy Fighting Alliance's final event of February saw the promotion pit two of its top bantamweights against one another. While Shuya Kamikubo attempted to make a name for himself in the three-round fight, the night was do Nascimento's instead. Early on, Kamikubo (16-3-1) repeatedly tried to take the fight to the ground, but the takedown defense of "Mulisha" was able to keep it mainly on the feet. Kamikubo repeatedly got his opponent down as the fight went on and looked for submissions, but both men were bloodied up. Late in the third round, do Nascimento (12-3) would land a spinning elbow that almost led to a finish. However, the Japanese fighter survived a rear-naked choke attempt to make it to the bell. After 15 minutes, all three judges scored the fight 29-28 for do Nascimento.

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The co-main event was marred by a weight mis…

Sometimes these things happen in boxing.

The Ring announced on Friday that Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) will be defending his heavyweight crown on May 23. He will be squaring off with kickboxing all-time great Rico Verhoeven (1-0, 1 KO Box; 66-10, 21 KOs KB) at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. The event titled “Glory of Giza: Undefeated Icons” will put up for grabs Usyk’s WBC belt, despite the heavyweight serving as the unified champion across all major sanctioning bodies. The boxing showcase will air on Dazn.

Unbeaten after 24 walks to the ring as a pro, Usyk appeared just once in 2025, where he mollywhopped Daniel Dubois in the fifth round to hold onto his titles while securing the IBF’s as well. Several of his recent outings the last few years have taken place in Saudi Arabia, where he squared off with names like Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury. In his last six bouts, he has beaten those three aforementioned boxers twice each.

In a statement provided to ESPN, Usyk gu…

Rising Ultimate Fighting Championship talent Melquizael Costa believes he has his division figured out.

Now a ranked 145-pounder after becoming the first man to stop Dan Ige as a pro, Costa took a long look at the rest of his division. While he currently rides a six-fight win streak, the man known as “The Dalmation” knows he still has some work to do to get to the top of the ladder. The next crack at Alexander Volkanovski’s throne may go to the upcoming victor of Lerone Murphy vs. Movsar Evloev, and after that, it remains to be seen. Costa spoke to Sherdog on Monday after his victory, where he broke down the future of his weight class.

“UFC is looking for exciting fights,” Costa noted. “In the papers, the winner of Evloev and Murphy might get the title shot, but I believe Jean Silva provides much more excitement, as he showed on his last fights, and I think he will cut that line.”

Of all the men in the top 15 at 145 pounds, Costa points to the Fighting Nerd Silva as …

Here’s one you never saw coming: Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Jorge Masvidal, with a twist.

Russian quasi-MMA league Hype FC released the news on Friday that it would be holding an event on March 11 in Rio de Janeiro. The top of that card will see a submission-only grappling match between “Shara Bullet” Magomedov against Masvidal, with the two tangling for five-to-10 minutes at the Farmasi Arena in Brazil’s second-largest city—Sao Paulo holds the top spot. A previous big-name grappling bout held by Hype FC between Arman Tsarukyan and the aforementioned Magomedov resulted in a draw last year.

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Hype FC, the target of at least one police raid in Moscow due to a myriad of charges ranging from drug trafficking to fight fixing, has been flagged by Sherdog Fight Finder for its illegitimacy. While the league purports to run MMA matches, it does so with modified rules including limited grappling time with automatic standups/separations. It also put together a re…

The lineup for one of Professional Fighters League’s April shows is starting to come together.

The promotion released a trio of matchups for its PFL Chicago event on April 11, one that will be capped off by a Sergio Pettis-Mitchell McKee main attraction. The three fights will take place inside of the Wintrust Arena in the Windy City. Each of the new pairings will see a PFL-ranked fighter take on an unranked adversary.

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First among those new tilts is a featherweight contest as Gabriel Braga (16-3) faces the debuting Mehdi Baydulaev (19-2). Since making his PFL debut on the 2023 installment of the Challenger Series, Braga has served as one of the best 145ers to not win a tourney. In his three attempts to claim a tournament title, Braga has been knocked out in the playoffs each time, with two of those three defeats coming to Jesus Pinedo. On the other side of the equation, Chechnya’s Baydulaev has won his last 13 outings, nine by submission, dating bac…

The Professional Fighters League has given undefeated Darragh Kelly his next challenge.

Per the organization on Friday, Kelly (9-0) will be squaring off with Mexico’s Sergio Cossio (19-11-1) at PFL Belfast on April 16. The two will tangle at lightweight on a lineup currently headlined by another 155-pound clash pitting Paul Hughes against Jay-Jay Wilson.

A Mauler from MovilleThe “Moville Mauler” has mauled his competition since making his pro debut in 2022, racking up seven stoppages across his nine victories to date. The 27-year-old from Moville, Ireland, has made all but one of his pro walks to either a Bellator MMA or PFL cage, with a lone stop off at Clan Wars in 2023 to land a second-round brabo choke. Kelly is coming into 2026 with a banner year last year, notching subs of Mike Hamel and Bakhtiyar Abdulloev to establish himself as a threat in his division.

While it has been nothing but green grass and high tides for Kelly, his foe is entering this match on his …