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Daniel Cormier became more serious about MMA after being schooled by Cain Velasquez in his early days. 

Cormier (22-3) had just transitioned from wrestling to MMA and was juggling his training between Oklahoma and California. Cormier began experimenting with a southpaw stance while sparring with Velasquez at the American Kickboxing Academy in 2010. That was the last time “DC” went southpaw, as Velasquez wrecked his nose with a head kick. Cormier turned his back to Velasquez, who decided to show mercy. Cormier was in agony and knew that Velasquez could have knocked him out if he wanted to. The lesson was enough for Cormier to permanently shift his base to AKA in San Jose, California.

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Lesson Learned “I was going back and forth between Oklahoma and California when I started my career,” Cormier told Y’all Street TV. “And I’m sparring Cain… I’m trying to be cute, and I’m fighting southpaw, which, by the way, 2010 was the last time I’d ever in my life…

Dustin Poirier is seemingly not coming out of retirement just yet. 

Poirier and Gaethje share a 1-1 head-to-head record in the UFC. While Poirier retired last year, Gaethje recently won the interim lightweight title against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 last month. Gaethje's violent performance against Pimblett was enticing enough for Poirier to consider coming out of retirement. “The Diamond” said that he would be interested in returning for a trilogy matchup against Gaethje. 

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Gaethje initially said he respects Poirier too much to deny him a rubber matchup. However, Gaethje had mentioned that he was primarily looking ahead and not behind. 

Meanwhile, lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, who was on a short hiatus, said that he is ready to return this summer. Gaethje has now completely shut down the idea of a trilogy fight against Poirier. “The Highlight” is not lured by the idea of a trilogy against Poirier when he is likely to fight Topur…

Daniel Cormier believes that a particular type of combat sport athlete can reclaim America’s glory in the UFC. 

Cormier (22-3) recently noted that most UFC champions are from Eastern Europe with a wrestling base, with the exception of a few strikers. However, Cormier believes American wrestlers are not opening up to mixed martial arts. Cormier shares a close tie with the current welterweight champion, Islam Makhachev, and former lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov, who exemplify the dominance of wrestling in MMA. While Cormier loves Makhachev, Nurmagomedov, and the rest of the Dagestani brigade, he wants to see American champions in the UFC. The former Olympian claims he has set a plan in motion to bring more American wrestlers to MMA.

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American Wrestlers Wanted “The American wrestler isn’t as open to fighting as we need them to be,” Cormier told Y’all Street TV. “But I have a plan. I’m getting American wrestlers into fighting. I love those guy…

There is apparently some confusion between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Quinton Jackson related to social media following.

Jackson (38-14) claimed years ago that Nurmagomedov (29-0) blocked him on social media. Jackson recently said that Nurmagomedov still hasn’t unblocked him. However, Jackson doesn’t hold it against Nurmagomedov, as he believes his content is too unhinged. Jackson understands that a religious person like Nurmagomedov might not like his uninhibited content. However, Jackson maintains that he never said anything against Nurmagomedov.

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Inappropriate Content? “Khabib still hasn’t unblocked me… Honestly, I would block me too; I say some crazy stuff on social media,” Jackson told Ushatayka. “He is very religious, and I’m probably not the type of person he should be following or looking at my content, so I’m not mad at him about it. I just thought it was weird because I never said anything about him before he blocked me.”

However, Nurmagomedov…

Gina Carano returning to MMA is allegedly not entirely out of the question. 

Carano last fought in 2009 and subsequently went on to build a career in Hollywood. Carano made headlines after she was released by Lucasfilm in 2021 following controversial comments.  Carano is now back in training at Syndicate MMA under coach John Wood. Wood says Carano got back in shape over the last few months and is training with professional fighters now. While Wood doesn’t want to jump the gun, he isn’t shutting down the idea of Carano returning to combat sports.

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Back in the Mix “She’s here every day, she’s back in the mix,” Wood told Home of Fight. “She’s back training every day. We spent first couple of months getting back in shape, she’s jumped in now, working with the pros. So who knows? I’m not at will to say what could or could not happen there… This coming back and training lit a fire under her ass. I think there are some things that are potentially on…

One of bantamweight’s best 💪@Bautista_MMA weighs in at 135.5lbs!

[ #UFCVegas113 | TOMORROW at 8pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/ETdw1vBEWo

— UFC (@ufc) February 6, 2026 Thus far this year, the Ultimate Fighting Championship appears to be having an issue with fighters coming in at their proper weights.

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Headlining UFC Vegas 113 is a bantamweight fight between contenders Mario Bautista and Vinicius Oliveira. Both men successfully made weight as they look to make a case for being in title contention.

However, four other fighters on the card came in over their weight limits. Both Muin Gafurov and Gianni Vazquez came in five pounds overweight for their respective fights against Jakub Wiklacz and Javid Basharat. Both heavy men will be fined 25% of their respective purses, and the bouts will otherwise proceed as planned. Finally, Cong Wang and her opponent, Eduarda Moura, missed weight by 1.5 and one pound, respect…

#andNEW LFA Middleweight World Champion 🏆🇺🇸

Joe Kropschot def. David Allakhverdiev via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in Round 2 at 3:24

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🇺🇸#LFATennessee#LFA226 pic.twitter.com/uyvpu8pK4y — LFA (@LFAfighting) February 7, 2026 The Legacy Fighting Alliance has a new middleweight champion after Joseph Kropschot pulled off an upset against David Allakhverdiev.

The LFA 226 main event saw the previously undefeated Allakhverdiev's title on the line against Kropschot, who was on a three-fight win streak heading into the championship bout. The striking of Allakhverdiev (7-1) did damage early, but it was the grappling of Kropschot (8-3) that ultimately made the difference. In the second round, Kropschot took his opponent's back and sunk in a rear-naked choke to win the title. The tap officially came at 3:24 of Round 2.

The co-main event featured the night's two most veteran fighters as lightweights, Dedrek Sanders and Nik…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s plans for its landmark card at the White House are taking shape.

During the Friday edition of “The Pat McAfee Show,” Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel and TKO Group President Mark Shapiro sat down to discuss some upcoming plans for the promotion. The hosts posed a few questions to the executives regarding the show scheduled for June 14 that is slated to take place on the grounds of the White House. A couple statements, including an inflated claim by President Donald Trump who said 100,000 fans would be “in a stadium” for this card, were challenged.

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The executives stated that Trump’s high number included the “fan fest” that would likely be a Washington, D.C., version of the UFC’s International Fight Week. This includes additional events during the week, fighter gatherings for fans, possible other shows going on from some of their other properties like Zuffa Boxing or UFC BJJ, and more. As for the event itself, Emanuel spec…

One prominent Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight is not mad, he's just disappointed.

After suffering his second defeat in the promotion to Alexander Volkov at UFC 321, the 10-fight UFC vet Jailton Almeida returns to the Octagon on Saturday. He battles another Russian in the hulking Rizvan Kuniev, with the two coming to blows at UFC Vegas 113, also known as UFC Fight Night 266, in Las Vegas. In a conversation with Ag. Fight on Wednesday, the Brazilian revealed why he accepted the short-notice matchup with the unranked Kuniev.

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“Actually, I always stay active,” Almeida explained. “Even when I don’t have a fight, I’m helping my teammates. When the UFC offered the fight three weeks ago, with the option to renew the contract, I talked to my manager and we decided to accept this first fight of the new contract.”

While a wrestler in Curtis Blaydes and a striker in Volkov have gotten the better of him in the cage thus far, Almeida sees a far diffe…

Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Vinicius Oliveira has already passed one major test on Friday: successfully making weight.

After four consecutive victories in the UFC, Brazil’s “Lok Dog” Oliveira will have the chance to headline his first event on Saturday against Mario Bautista. He and Bautista will battle in the five-round main attraction of UFC Fight Night 266, also known as UFC Vegas 113, in Las Vegas' UFC Apex. Large for his division at 5-foot-9 with a 70-inch wingspan, the 30-year-old knows his time at bantamweight is limited.

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Speaking with the UFC on Thursday, Vinicius promised that he intends on moving up in weight, but only after he claims the bantamweight belt.

“When I found out about the fight three months ago, I weighed 183 lbs.,” the Brazilian admitted. “Since then, I started the process with a nutritionist who helped me get to 163 lbs. by fight week. On Friday I will be at weight as I always have been. I have the size to f…

⚖️ PFL Dubai Official Weigh Ins

PFL Lightweight World Title bout is official! 🏆Usman Nurmagomedov: 155 lbsAlfie Davis: 154.6 lbs#RoadToDubai | Saturday, February 7th | Dubai, UAE | Prelims 9AM EST | Main Card 12PM EST | 📺Streaming on the ESPN App pic.twitter.com/cpxTiPZrBP

— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 6, 2026 The Professional Fighters League kicks off its 2026 schedule with two title fights, which are now official following the PFL Dubai weigh-ins.

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Headlining the card, which takes place in the United Arab Emirates, is a lightweight title fight between champion Usman Nurmagomedov and challenger Alfie Davis. Both fighters made weight, as did Ramazan Kuramagomedov and Shamil Musaev, who will battle for the vacant welterweight title in the co-main event. The only fighter on the 13-fight card who missed weight was Antonia Silvaneide, who came in a pound overweight for her flyweight fight against Denise Kielholtz.

Nurmagomed…

A bare-knuckle brawler with sneaky jitz skills has joined the ranks of the Professional Fighters League.

The promotion announced on Thursday that it had picked up former Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship lightweight beltholder Franco Tenaglia (5-2 MMA, 5-1 BK). The Argentina-born 155er will be debuting with the organization at PFL Madrid on March 20 at the Palacio Vistalegre in Madrid, Spain, which also serves as his home city. His opponent has yet to be announced.

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The Spanish combatant leaves behind the bare-knuckle ranks for the time being, although the PFL did not state the contract was exclusive as fighters on its roster occasionally can compete elsewhere. With BKFC, Tenaglia never lost a match, winning all five of his appearances that culminated in his picking up a title. When planned on putting it on the line in 2025 in a rematch with the man in Tony Soto whom he won it against, visa issues forced him out of the pairing. As a result, BKFC str…

According to Ultimate Fighting Championship two-division champ Ilia Topuria, he’s back.

Current lightweight king and former featherweight beltholder Topuria (17-0) declared on Thursday that he was going to return soon to competition. The Spanish fighter born in Germany to Georgian parents has settled his case out of court with ex-wife Georgiana Uzcategui, with Spanish outlet Marca first breaking the news that the two had come to an agreement.

Per Marca, the settlement offer initially given by Topuria has been accepted, resulting in Uzcategui withdrawing her lawsuit against him. Recent rumors were dispelled by his post, including that he had been forced to sell his home in Madrid, Spain. Topuria ended any doubt by posting training videos in that house, a standalone gym that includes ample training gear and even a few recovery tanks like a hyperbaric chamber.We’ll Be the Main EventIn his post on social media on Thursday, the lightweight kingpin did not mince words.

His…

Shamil Musaev can say a lot with a few words, hence the nickname “The Silent Assassin.”

Undefeated through 21 career bouts, he will face Russian compatriot Ramazan Kuramagomedov for the inaugural Professional Fighters League welterweight championship in the PFL Dubai “Nurmagomedov vs. Davis” co-main event on Saturday at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It marks Musaev’s first appearance since he won the PFL welterweight tournament in November 2024.

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With 2026 being the first year under new CEO John Martin, the PFL made plenty of changes to its format, the most notable being the remove of its tournament and season-based schedule. A new rankings system should allow for the best to face the best. Musaev understands the change but admits he will miss the activity the previous format brought the table.

“This is going to be different for me, for sure,” he told Sherdog.com. “With the tournament, you knew when and how many times you could p…

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is down one Nurmagomedov come Saturday.

With the report first coming from MMA Latinoamerica on Thursday, Said Nurmagomedov has been forced to withdraw from UFC Vegas 113, also known as UFC Fight Night 266. The Russian bantamweight was booked against Javid Basharat (14-2, 1 NC), the elder of the Basharat brothers, on the prelims set for the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. His replacement, Gianni Vazquez (13-5), has confirmed the initial news as well as his status as a new addition to the roster.

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Nurmagomedov, who withdrew for currently undisclosed reasons, has had a great deal of difficulty getting to the UFC cage since he joined the roster in 2018. Thus far, he has only made 11 walks to the Octagon, with 2022 his high-water mark as he appeared thrice that year. Since 2023, he has fought twice, losing both outings to headliner Vinicius Oliveira and Bryce Mitchell. Whether due to injury or an issue for his opponent, Nurmagome…

Armed with an impressive resume and one of the best nicknames in the sport, Abdoul Abdouraguimov plots his return to the Professional Fighters League.

“The Lazy King” will take on Kendly St. Louis in a PFL Dubai “Nurmagomedov vs. Davis” welterweight attraction on Saturday at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he draws his first assignment since December 2024. Abdouraguimov was originally scheduled to meet Magomed Umalatov but had no issues with the change in opponent.

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“First of all, I’m grateful to have the opportunity to fight in Dubai,” he told Sherdog.com. “You know, I took the chance. They proposed Umalatov to me and I said, ‘Yes, I have the chance to be at the top.’ In life, you have to take risks, but he didn’t want to fight this guy. Umalatov didn’t want to fight me. They came to me, [and] I took the risk. So now, I don’t have Umalatov, but I am at the top, so everything is good. In my career, I never scheduled my own fight…

Jon Jones said he spent his camp for UFC 309 in pain. | Getty/UFC

Jon Jones didn’t know he was being recorded when he revealed that “severe arthritis” would prevent him from considering a wrestling match against Daniel Cormier at a future Real American Freestyle event.

“I have severe arthritis,” Jones said in a video via Home of Fight. “Most people don’t know that. My left hip is covered in arthritis. I actually already qualified for hip replacement. My last training camp I went to bed in so much pain.”

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Since that video became a hot topic of conversation in the MMA community, Jones addressed his condition in an interview with TMZ Sports.

"Looks like a private conversation I had at DBX 5 in Houston made its way out into the wild," Jones said. "It happens. Like most fighters, we deal with injuries quietly sometimes and like in my case, for years. A lot of us walk around limping most days, paying the ultimate price for our health.”

W…

Israel Adesanya will be a featured attraction at UFC Seattle. | Getty/UFC

The card for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming trip to the Emerald City is close to being finalized.

The Las Vegas-based promotion on Wednesday confirmed 11 bouts for UFC Seattle, many of which had already been reported. UFC Seattle — also known as UFC Fight Night 271 — takes place on March 28 at Climate Pledge Arena and is headlined by a middleweight showdown pitting Israel Adesanya against Joe Pyfer. In the co-main event, ex-flyweight queen Alexa Grasso will square off against Maycee Barber at 125 pounds. The card will air in its entirety on Paramount+.

Adesanya has lost four of his last five Octagon appearances dating back to November 2022. In his lone appearance of 2025, “The Last Stylebender” suffered a second-round technical knockout defeat to Nassourdine Imavov in the UFC Saudi Arabia headliner last February. Adesanya captured 185-pound gold in October 2019 and…

Floyd Mayweather is taking Showtime Sports to court. | Mike Sloan/Sherdog.com

Floyd Mayweather has filed a lawsuit against Showtime and former Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza seeking to recoup missing earnings from a number of his fights.

According to TMZ Sports, the undefeated former boxing champion claims ex-manager Al Haymon misappropriated a “significant portion of his career earnings” while collaborating with Showtime and Espinoza. Mayweather is seeking “to recover hundreds of millions of dollars in the misappropriated funds and damages resulting from a long-running and elaborate scheme of financial fraud.” In a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, Mayweather is seeking $340 million and punitive damages.

In the suit, Mayweather alleges that Showtime and Espinoza gave money from some of his biggest fights — including bouts against Manny Pacquiao and Conor McGregor — directly to Haymon. According to Mayweather, that money is …

Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway first squared off in 2015. | Josh Schaefer/Sherdog.com

Vitor Miranda has an interesting perspective when it comes to Charles Oliveira’s game plan for his upcoming fight with Max Holloway.

Miranda, the UFC veteran who is now a commentator for the promotion in Brazil, recently gave his analysis of the BMF title fight between Oliveira and Holloway scheduled to headline UFC 326 on March 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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“I believe that if Charles goes after Holloway in the striking exchanges like he did with [Ilia] Topuria, it won't be a mistake,” Miranda recently told Sherdog.com. “Topuria finishes the fight with one strike, while Holloway needs to impose his volume of strikes to break down his opponent. In fact, Charles has heavier hands than him and can finish the fight with one strike. Besides, by going for close-range combat, “do Bronxs” has a better chance of taking it to grappling, where he is …

Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway first squared off in 2015. | Josh Schaefer/Sherdog.com

Vitor Miranda has an interesting perspective when it comes to Charles Oliveira’s game plan for his upcoming fight with Max Holloway.

Miranda, the UFC veteran who is now a commentator for the promotion in Brazil, recently gave his analysis of the BMF title fight between Oliveira and Holloway scheduled to headline UFC 326 on March 7 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

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“I believe that if Charles goes after Holloway in the striking exchanges like he did with [Ilia] Topuria, it won't be a mistake,” Miranda recently told Sherdog.com. “Topuria finishes the fight with one strike, while Holloway needs to impose his volume of strikes to break down his opponent. In fact, Charles has heavier hands than him and can finish the fight with one strike. Besides, by going for close-range combat, 'do Bronxs' has a better chance of taking it to grappling, where he is …

Three-time Octagon veteran Lone'er Kavanagh will be thrown into the fire at UFC Mexico City. | Getty/UFC

It appears that Brandon Moreno will remain in the UFC Mexico City main event after all.

Moreno was originally slated to face Asu Almabayev on Feb. 28 in Mexico City before his opponent withdrew from the flyweight bout due to an arm injury. As a result, the former 125-pound king will now face Lone'er Kavanagh in the new UFC Fight Night 268 headliner at Arena CDMX in Mexico City. The UFC announced the new pairing on Wednesday.

There is a significant gap in experience between the two combatants. Moreno is a two-time UFC flyweight champion with 19 Octagon appearances to his credit, while Kavanagh is 2-1 during his brief tenure within the Las Vegas-based promotion.

Moreno had a two-bout winning streak snapped in his last outing, when he suffered a secondp-round technical knockout loss to Tatsuro Taira at UFC 325 this past December. Prior to that th…

If the stars align, Justin Gaethje would be open to a third meeting with Dustin Poirier. | Getty/UFC

Justin Gaethje won’t deny Dustin Poirier a rubber fight if he comes out of retirement. 

Gaethje (27-5) won the interim lightweight title with a brutal beating of Paddy Pimblett at UFC 324 last month. While Poirier retired last year, Gaethje’s performance against Pimblett made him open to a return. Having gone 1-1 head-to-head with Gaethje, Poirier expressed interest in ending his retirement for a rubber fight against “The Highlight.”

Gaethje is also open to a trilogy fight against “The Diamond” if all concerned parties are interested. However, Gaethje is expected to unify the lightweight title against champion Ilia Topuria later this year. While Gaethje won’t turn down a fight against Poirier, he admits that he is primarily focused on moving forward.

Respect for a Warrior “Dustin’s a warrior and I’ll always respect him,” Gaethje told Bloody Elbow. …

Alexander Volkanovski doesn’t think Jean Silva has any relevance in the immediate featherweight title picture. 

Volkanovski (28-4) made the first defense of his second title run in a rematch against Diego Lopes at UFC 325 last weekend in Sydney, Australia. The 37-year-old showed why he is the champion by beating Lopes via a one-sided unanimous decision. 

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Silva subsequently called for a title shot against Volkanovski. “Lord” also warned that he would train with Ilia Topuria, the last man to beat Volkanovski. Volkanovski believes Silva is not yet in a position to call for a title shot. The Australian speculates that Silva might be taking shots at him to gain some clout. Volkanovski has met Silva in the past and allegedly got along very well. Volkanovski wonders if Silva is seriously upset about him training with Mauricio Ruffy ahead of UFC 325. Regardless, Volkanovski believes Silva has little relevance with undefeated contenders Lerone Murph…