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The UFC did its best to steal the thunder from Most Valuable Promotions on Saturday night.

As Francis Ngannou was making his walk to the cage at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Saturday night, UFC CEO Dana White went live to announce that Conor McGregor would return to face Max Holloway in the UFC 329 headliner. The timing wasn’t surprising to those in the MMA community, many of whom predicted that the UFC would do something along those lines to take away from the Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano” card.

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Ronda Rousey gave her thoughts on the UFC’s decision to announce the McGregor fight when it did during Saturday’s MVP post-fight press conference. Rousey defeated Gina Carano with an armbar 17 seconds into the opening round of the MVP main event on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

"I mean, it's kind of catty," Rousey said. "But it also shows that they see MVP MMA as a threat, that they would, you know, do it in that moment …

More than 12 years after their first meeting, Conor McGregor will enter the rematch with Max Holloway as a considerable underdog.

According to online oddsmaker BetOnline, McGregor is a +350 underdog heading into his first fight since July 2021. Holloway, whose most recent UFC appearance came in March, checks in as a -450 favorite.

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McGregor vs. Holloway will be contested at 170 pounds and serves as the main event for UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The two rivals initially squared off in a featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 26 on Aug. 17, 2013. Despite suffering a torn ACL in the fight, McGregor emerged with a unanimous decision triumph.

CONOR MCGREGOR vs MAX HOLLOWAY 2 !!!!

Your International Fight Week main event is confirmed!

[ #UFC329 LIVE July 11 on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/uVxVdgV9Gm

— UFC (@ufc) May 17, 2026

McGregor hasn’t fought since July 2021, when he suffered a broke…

Paddy Pimblett will share a card with Conor McGregor at UFC 329. | Getty/UFC The UFC’s International Fight Week card is far more than just Conor McGregor’s return.

The Las Vegas-based promotion announced 11 bouts for UFC 329 on July 11 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. McGregor’s rematch with Max Holloway at welterweight is the featured attraction. Meanwhile, a previously rumored lightweight clash between Paddy Pimblett and Benoit St. Denis will serve as the co-main event.

The lineup also includes key bouts at bantamweight (Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista) and flyweight (Brandon Royval vs. Lone'er Kavangah). Meanwhile, heavyweight uber prospect Gable Steveson has an opponent for his Octagon debut, as he will lock horns with one-time UFC competitor Elisha Ellison. Also noteworthy is the first 205-pound foray for ex-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who will lock horns with Nikita Krylov.

Outside of the main and co-main events, an official bout o…

Ronda Rousey is happy to ride off into the sunset after what she considers a fairytale ending to her career. 

Rousey took on fellow veteran Gina Carano in the main event of MVP's first MMA card on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. “Rowdy” took 17 seconds to make Carano tap with her signature armbar. Rousey subsequently confirmed that she is hanging up her gloves for good.

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Abbreviated Farewell Tour “There’s no way I could have ended it better than this,” Rousey said in her post-fight interview. “I want to have some more babies, and I gotta get cooking.”

Rousey (12-2) went on a murderous streak in Strikeforce and later the UFC, securing nine submissions via armbar. Rousey’s UFC bantamweight title reign ended with a knockout loss against Holly Holm in 2015. Rousey exited the UFC after a first-round knockout loss in a failed title bid against Amanda Nunes in 2016. Rousey later went on to ply her trade in the WWE. The Olympic…

Arnold Allen has praise for Melquizael Costa’s powerful kicks. 

Allen faced surging prospect Costa in the main event at UFC Fight Night 276 on Saturday in Las Vegas. While Allen dropped Costa early, the tough Brazilian refused to be put away. Despite Costa’s valiant effort, Allen put on a technical masterclass to earn a unanimous decision win. 

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With Costa being known for his kicking game, Allen was expecting heavy kicks. However, “Almighty” admits that the first spinning back kick from Costa that hit him in the chest felt like a battering ram. Allen also revealed that he was coughing up phlegm during fight week. The Englishman jokes that he felt like the kick from Costa cleared up the cough in his chest.Meeting Expectations “I wasn’t surprised, but the first back kick he threw felt like I got hit with a battering ram in the stomach,” Allen said at the post-fight press conference. “I kind of expected that to happen. It was the shot that knoc…

Nate Diaz doesn’t think he could have done much if his fight against Mike Perry had continued longer than it did. 

Diaz returned to action against Perry at MVP’s first MMA card on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Perry put his bare-knuckle skills on display, battering Diaz from the very onset. While Diaz managed to take Perry down, he was barely able to land any damage. Perry left Diaz bloodied by the end of the second round, forcing the fight to be waved off by cageside doctors. 

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Diaz subsequently revealed that he injured his finger early in the fight, which diverted his attention. Diaz also agrees with his corner’s decision to stop the fight. The Stockton native admits that he could barely see with blood covering his eyes.‘I Couldn’t See S—t’ “I think I broke my finger in the first two seconds,” Diaz siad. “I was spending too much time focusing on that…I had blood in my eyes, I couldn’t see s—t. I wasn’t gonna do nothing… But ne…

Jon Jones is interested in fighting Francis Ngannou under the Most Valuable Promotions banner. 

Ngannou fought Philipe Lins at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. Ngannou put on a one-sided beating on Lins before knocking him out cold late in the first round. 

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Jones, who was attending the event, expressed interest in a future matchup against Ngannou. However, Jones believes the hardest part of making that fight happen will be getting out of his existing UFC contract. Since Dana White is unlikely to sign Ngannou to the UFC again, Jones sees MVP as the only promotion to make that fight.

“I’ve got to try to focus on getting out of my UFC contract,” Jones said during an interview on the Netflix broadcast . “That’s going to be the difficult part if this fight is going to happen. I don’t think Dana is interested in doing business with Francis. So doing it with MVP is probably…

Arman Tsarukyan seemingly can’t stay out of trouble. 

Tsarukyan (23-3) was in attendance at Most Valuable Promotions "Rousey vs. Carano" on Saturday at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles California. Namo Fazil (10-1) picked up a second-round submission win over Jake Babian (6-2) in a welterweight clash on the card. Fazil surprisingly called out Tsarukyan in his post-fight interview.

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“Arman Tsarukyan, where are you at? We gotta talk baby,” Fazil said.Given An Ultimatum Tsarukyan then confronted the Iraqi fighter while he was walking out of the cage. Tsarukyan even tried to jump the gate and also pursued Fazil backstage. However, MVP CEO Nakisa Bidarian intervened, asking Tsarukyan to return to his seat or leave the venue. 

Tsarukyan has been known for getting into trouble in the past, even punching a fan during his walkout for his UFC 300 win over Charles Oliveira in 2024. “Ahalkalakets” remains sidelined from the UFC lightweight title pictur…

Alice Ardelean doesn’t even know the name of the move she used to secure a win against Polyana Viana. 

Ardelean (12-7) took on Viana (13-9) in a strawweight clash at UFC Fight Night 276 on Saturday. Ardelean made Viana tap out with a “capsule lock” in the second round, making it the first-ever submission of its kind in UFC history. 

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Must. Watch. Novel Submission!!!

Polyana Viana makes a mistake with the body lock from the bottom by letting her left leg get inside of Alice Ardelean's body. Alice saw it and put the pressure on it & results in a verbal tap!#UFCVegas117pic.twitter.com/Fbpx8kNwtV

— Consensus Score (@ConsensusScore) May 16, 2026

Viana caught Ardelean in a body triangle from the bottom position. The Romanian managed to trap Viana’s locking leg on the inside and applied pressure on it to secure the tap. Ardelean subsequently revealed that she learned the move on Instagram. Ardelean doesn’…

Despite being on a precarious stage in his career, Cody Brundage felt no pressure fighting on his 32nd birthday. 

Brundage (12-9) took on Andre Petroski (13-6) in a middleweight tilt at UFC Fight Night 276. Brundage dropped Petroski with a left hook early in the second round and unleashed vicious ground-and-pound to secure a stoppage win. 

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The win over Petroski marked the end of a four-fight winless streak for Brundage. Brundage admits that this could have marked the end of his UFC career if he hadn’t gotten his hand raised. However, the 32-year-old claims he didn’t feel any pressure going into his clash against Petroski. Going into his 16th UFC fight, Brundage didn’t want to look back regretting not having enjoyed his time inside the Octagon. Instead of trying to live up to expectations, Brundage fought for himself.Gratitude Over Fear“No pressure this time,” Brundage said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “I was at peace with whate…

Getty Images/UFC

Ivan Erslan did it about how they must have drawn it up in camp.

In a light heavyweight clash atop the seven-fight undercard of UFC Vegas 117 on Saturday at the Meta Apex, the 34-year-old Croatian faced George Tokkos. It was a clash of styles of the kind that has characterized mixed martial arts for three decades and counting, as kickboxing convert Erslan faced submission specialist “Tuco.” Despite Tokkos’ obvious need to get the action to the mat at any cost, the fight was competitive in the early going, as Erslan was clearly uncomfortable with Tokkos’ constant encroachment on the feet.

Erslan may have won a competitive Round 1 anyway, but definitely found his groove in the second frame. Tokkos looked slow and suddenly tired on the feet, wading in from well outside with badly telegraphed takedown attempts. These attempts Erslan punished with accurate, solid counters in the pocket. When the action did go to the ground, it in the place, …

Sherdog's live UFC Vegas 117 coverage will begin Saturday at 5 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 276. Round 1 Kerry Hatley is the referee. They swing right away during a furious and brief exchange. Caliari closes distance and executes a throw, but Bannon is able to return to her feet. Not much later, Caliari executes another head-and-arm throw and lands inside full guard. Bannon is crafty from her back, as she neutralizes the Brazilian while looking for submission openings. Caliari stands briefly, but can’t clear the legs and ends up diving back into full guard. Caliari drives her forearm into her foe’s neck, while Bannon peppers her with annoying punches from her back. Caliari tires to stay busy with short punches to the ribs. Bannon creates a scramble with her guard but Caliari stands and drops a forceful right hand. Caliari shifts to a north-south position, and Bannon has her feet on the fence. Caliari looks to frame a kimura, but Bannon won’t allow the…

Sherdog's live Most Valuable Promotions' MVP “Rousey vs. Carano” coverage will begin Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. Round 1 Hello ladies and gentlemen. You’re about to see something that you have never seen before. The ultimate fighting challenge of Most Valuable Promotions’ Mixed Martial Arts is about to commence. May we all be better for it, and that it does not grant us another YAMMA Pit Fighting—on second thought… The opening match on this card is one given specifically for a friend of the Diaz brother competing later, despite that a) he can barely maintain a .500 record and 2) he cannot seem to find a home in any weight class. For the former, they gave him ultra-aggressive Jenkins (17-12). For the latter, they made this match intentionally at 165 pounds, without it being a short-notice encounter. They will go at it to open up the card while referee Frank Trigg looks on from the sidelines. It’s on with the show after a quick fist bump from the athletes.

Jenkins moves right to…

Kuberski with a devastating punch! 🔥 Can anyone stop him?! 🤯

XTB #KSW118 | 🇵🇱 @CANALPLUS_SPORT | 🌍 KSWTV pic.twitter.com/m4laxraIKm

— KSW (@KSW_MMA) May 16, 2026

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Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki fans have a compelling 185-pound title fight to look forward to, as reigning champion Pawel Pawlak is expected to meet Piotr Kuberski in a middleweight title unification bout.

In the KSW 118 main event, Kuberski (18-1, 6-0 KSW) retained the interim middleweight title in emphatic fashion, stopping Michal Michalski (14-6, 8-4 KSW) in Round 1. The fighters spent a few seconds studying each other before both men shifted gears and went to work. Michalski came forward aggressively, but Kuberski timed him perfectly, countering with a straight left that sent “Cukier” to the canvas. “Qbear” applied further pressure and was clinical with ground-and-pound action once Michalski turtled up. Referee Lukasz Bosacki had no choice but to step in…

Ibraheem Yazeed has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder and abduction of Aniah Blanchard, the stepdaughter of former UFC heavyweight Walt Harris.

Earlier this year, Yazeed was found guilty on charges of murder and felony murder in relation to the abduction and death of Blanchard in 2019. Yazeed was officially given two life sentences without the possibility of parole, the most severe penalty possible based on his conviction. Prosecutors initially sought the death penalty for Yazeed.

“Today, justice has been served. I am gratified that the court imposed the maximum allowable sentence for the senseless and brutal murder of Aniah Blanchard, life in prison. It is the sentence that the weight of this crime demanded, and one that Aniah’s family has long deserved,” Alabama attorney general Steve Marshall stated in a release.

“My deepest sympathies remain with Aniah’s family and all who loved her. No verdict can undo their unimaginable loss, but my hope is…

Arman Tsarukyan claims Khamzat Chimaev made weight for UFC 328. 

Chimaev lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland via split decision at UFC 328 earlier this month. It is no secret that Chimaev had a terrible weight cut, which also likely affected his performance. 

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Chimaev looked visibly drained during the official weigh-ins, which did not go down without controversy. Chimaev was only on the scale for a few moments before the official called 185 pounds. Fans and pundits noticed that the scale hadn’t even settled before Chimaev stepped down. Strickland, Bryce Mitchell, Bobby Green and others have accused Chimaev of failing to make weight. Nothing Amiss However, Chimaev’s close friend, Tsarukyan, claims “Borz” couldn’t possibly have missed weight at the official weigh-ins. According to Tsarukyan, the UFC confirms a fighter’s weight on an automatic scale backstage before letting them proceed to the official manual scale.

“He made w…

Roy Jones Jr. doesn’t see a need for boxing to follow the UFC’s model. 

The UFC’s parent company, TKO Group, has entered the world of pugilism with Zuffa boxing. UFC head honcho Dana White and Zuffa are currently pushing for revisions to the Muhammad Ali Act, enacted in 2000 to protect fighters from exploitation. White aims to create a Unified Boxing Organization that would bring boxing under a central banner, akin to the UFC for MMA. 

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However, the likes of Nico Ali Walsh, Oscar De La Hoya and Jones Jr. are actively lobbying against White’s proposal. Jones argues that Zuffa’s structure will eventually kill fighters’ individuality and earning power.

“If they do what they are doing right now, our sport is over in this country,” Jones told FightHype. “You don’t have no more personality. You don’t have no more style. You don’t have no more individualism. You can’t be an individual no more. You belong. You’re just a sheep.”

Time to Wake Up…

Arman Tsarukyan believes coach Sam Calavitta had little role to play in Khamzat Chimaev’s title loss at UFC 328. 

Chimaev (15-1) lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland at UFC 328 earlier this month. Chimaev was evidently fatigued in the second round, which forced him to abandon his wrestling thereafter. Fans and pundits have since started questioning Chimaev’s training under Calavitta at The Treigning Lab in California.

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Chimaev and Tsarukyan have long been training strength and conditioning under “Coach Cal” at “The Garage,” which is home to The Treigning Lab. Tsarukyan notes that the same fans who are questioning Calavitta were heaping praises on him when Chimaev dominated Dricus Du Plessis for 25 minutes to win the title last year. Tsarukyan explains that strength and conditioning is only a minor part of a fighter’s training, which majorly depends on sparring and technical drills.More Than Strength and Conditiioning “When you lose, ever…

Dakota Ditcheva was disappointed by Ronda Rousey's recent comments toward Khamzat Chiamev. | PFL MMA

Ronda Rousey has lost a fan in Dakota Ditcheva. 

Former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Rousey is scheduled to return to MMA against Gina Carano on MVP's first MMA card in collaboration with Netflix on Saturday. “Rowdy” has been highly critical of the UFC going into her MMA return. 

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Former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev recently called Rousey ungrateful for her comments about her former promotion. Rousey responded with a low blow, mocking Chimaev for his cleft lip. 

Ditcheva slammed Rousey for her comments about Chimaev’s cleft lip.

“[Ronda Rousey’s] comment towards Chimaev regarding his cleft palate was absolutely disgraceful. I am no longer a fan. As a mother, you should know better. The amount of young children navigating difficulties like that while you sit on a worldwide stage mocking it. Do bette…

Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano FULL AM WEIGH IN - BOTH MAKE WEIGHT!" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen> Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions puts on its first mixed martial arts card tomorrow, which is now set following the official Rousey vs. Carano weigh-ins.

MVP's debut MMA event is headlined by a highly anticipated fight between former Olympian and Ultimate Fighting Championship women's bantamweight titleholder Ronda Rousey and former EliteXC and Strikeforce star Gina Carano. Both women successfully hit their marks for their first fights in 10 and 17 years, respectively. In total, all 22 fighters for the event made their contracted weight.

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A pair of title fight knockout losses ended the career of Rousey (12-2). Prior to a shocking head kick defeat to Holly Holm, Rousey was seen as the most do…

Almighty @Arnoldbfa💪

He weighs in at 145.5 lbs

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[ #UFCVegas117 | MAY 16 at 8pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/hyNEpJL60m — UFC (@ufc) May 15, 2026 The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns this weekend in one of the rare moments where they won't have the biggest mixed martial arts card going on that day, and now its UFC Vegas 117 card is official following the weigh-ins.

Headlining the 13-fight event is a featherweight scrap between contenders Arnold Allen and Melquizael Costa. Both men successfully made weight for the five-round main event. The rest of the card also hit their contracted weights, so there was no drama at the weigh-ins.

This is a must-win fight for Allen (20-4) if he hopes to stay a relevant factor near the top of 145 pounds. "Almighty" has come up short in three of his last four fights, as he dropped decisions to Max Holloway, Movsar Evloev and Jean Silva. While a win over Giga Chikadz…

In the famous words of Rocky Balboa, “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”

Philipe Lins is like that. A native of Brazil’s arid northeast, the now 40-year-old is mere days away from the most important fight of his career -- facing Francis Ngannou on Netflix at Most Valuable Promotions’s inaugural card.

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In his native Portuguese, Lins shared some of the challenges as well as the stubborn drive that brought him to this pivotal moment.

“I had an excellent start to my MMA career in Brazil. I went 7-0 there. That’s when I caught the attention of my first international MMA organization -- Bellator. I debuted there in 2014. At Bellator, I went 3-3. It wasn’t great, but I was able to show my talent, skills and aggression.”

Lins’ last appearance at Bellator MMA couldn’t have gone worse -- a knockout loss in the first round to current Professional Fighters League champion Vadim Nemkov. But even in…

Liz Carmouche knows Ronda Rousey well, having broken ground with her in the first ever women’s fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, a match that the latter would win by first-round submission. Ten years after her last professional mixed martial arts bout where she lost to Amanda Nunes, Rousey is back in action, taking on another pioneer in Gina Carano. The women square off for the first ever Most Valuable Promotions MMA event, being broadcasted on Netflix, where Carmouche will be watching.

As Carmouche prepares for her next fight in the Professional Fighters League on June 27 at PFL San Diego, she spoke with Sherdog.com and provided her predictions for MVP “Rousey vs. Carano,” hoping to see the unexpected.

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“It’s funny because prior to me starting my career and getting into fighting, I was a huge Gina Carano fan, a huge [Cris Cyborg] fan, I watched both of them. So I got to see her career and then the end of her career where she retired, a…

Now that he resides atop the Rizin Fighting Federation mountain, Luiz Gustavo is not about to forget who helped him get there.

Last Sunday, Brazil's Gustavo won the Rizin lightweight title in Japan by knocking out Ilhom Nazimov at 2:08 of the first round. The emotion of the disciple of former Chute boxer Andre Dida caught the attention of Japanese fans. Upon receiving the belt from Rizin head Nobuyuki Sakakibara, he cried profusely and made a point of dedicating the title to his late father and the former Pride Fighting Championships great Wanderlei Silva.

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Back in his home state of Curitiba on Wednesday, “Killer” spoke to Sherdog about the victory and explained the importance of these two figures in his career.

“My father passed away when I was 12 years old, and the last thing he did for me, the week before his death, was to enroll me in a Karate academy,” Gustavo explained.

Karate training was essential for the boy to work through the trauma o…