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1+ min ago (168+ words) The UFC has announced its schedule for the first quarter of 2026, and while there are a number of road dates, Fight Night events at the UFC Apex will continue. Hold the applause (not that we expect much). The announcement of the first ten UFC events of 2026 came as part of Friday's "It's On" press conference, and sees the promotion heading to Houston, Mexico City, and Seattle, in addition to previously announced dates in Sydney, Australia and London, England. The rest of the newly reported dates come in Las Vegas, which, outside of the first card of 2026 and UFC 326 in March, both at the T-Mobile Arena, will take place at the relatively barren UFC Apex. While there had been some hope that the UFC would return to the road full time in the wake of the Paramount+ broadcast deal, which sees…...

2+ min ago (348+ words) Eleven years after Holloway beat the Brazilian, the pair will square off again This second showdown between Holloway and Oliveira " 11 years in the making " will headline UFC 326 on 7 March, as the old foes clash at Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena. In 2015, Holloway beat Oliveira at featherweight when the latter suffered a neck injury and was unable to keep fighting. Both men are very different fighters now, with each surely heading into the Hall of Fame someday. Holloway went on to become a featherweight champion with three successful title defences, while he picked up the "BMF" belt in 2024 after moving up to lightweight. There, he produced an all-time great knockout, faceplanting Justin Gaethje in the final second of their "BMF" title bout. Holloway, 34, continued his lightweight run with a "BMF" title defence against Dustin Poirier, who retired after suffering a decision loss…...

8+ min ago (260+ words) Jai Opetaia (left) defended his titles for the sixth time Jai Opetaia retained his IBF and Ring cruiserweight titles with a devastating knockout victory against Huseyin Cinkara. The Australian, 30, dominated before landing a dynamite left hand to put Germany's Cinkara on the canvas in Queensland. The 40-year-old lay motionless for several minutes after the bout was called, but regained consciousness and was helped to his stool after medical attention. Despite improving his 29-0 unbeaten record, Opetaia was unhappy with his performance in front of a home crowd. "You get these nights. We go back to the drawing board," he said. "I'm very disappointed in myself - I feel like I've let some people down with that performance. I made a lot of mistakes." Opetaia confirmed after the victory that he is eyeing WBO and WBA champion Gilberto Ramirez in order to unify…...

8+ min ago (262+ words) Jai Opetaia (left) defended his titles for the sixth time Jai Opetaia retained his IBF and Ring cruiserweight titles with a devastating knockout victory against Huseyin Cinkara. The Australian, 30, dominated before landing a dynamite left hand to put Turkish-German Cinkara on the canvas in Queensland. The 40-year-old lay motionless for several minutes after the bout was called, but regained consciousness and was helped to his stool after medical attention. Despite improving his 29-0 unbeaten record, Opetaia was unhappy with his performance in front of a home crowd. "You get these nights. We go back to the drawing board," he said. "I'm very disappointed in myself - I feel like I've let some people down with that performance. I made a lot of mistakes." Opetaia confirmed after the victory that he is eyeing WBO and WBA champion Gilberto Ramirez in order to unify…...

13+ min ago (657+ words) Dec 6, 2025 | 1:55 PM EST "I hate him. I absolutely hate him. Like, I want to inflict pain on his life," Paddy Pimblett didn't mince words as he added salt to the rivalry with Ilia Topuria. Although the fighters have never shared a cage, their bad blood runs deep. But Pimblett seems to have put their differences aside for once, stepping in on Topuria's side. The Liverpool fighter is set to fight for the interim lightweight belt against Justin Gaethje, with Topuria taking a brief hiatus from UFC. While the fight is sizzling up, after Gaethje bounced back from his retirement rumors, Pimblett has offered his two cents on "El Matador's rough patch in his personal life. The MMA fandom is buzzing with the chatter of Ilia Topuria's rumored divorce from his wife, Giorgina Uzcategui Badell. Owing to the tough stretch, the…...

41+ min ago (591+ words) Dec 6, 2025 | 1:27 PM EST Who's the first-ever UFC Mexican champ? The answer is: Brandon Moreno. Well, before earning recognition as the best MMA fighter from Mexico, "The Assassin Baby' fought to balance his dream of becoming a combat sports star with family responsibilities. Thankfully, he managed to chase both paths and rise to the absolute top of the UFC." However, even as his parents found success, Brandon never felt drawn to carrying on the family trade. Combat sports pulled him in from the start. He began boxing training at 12, and his parents had enough resources to support it. Still, his mother often worried the sport would distract him, and she wanted Moreno to focus more on his studies. "At first, I thought [MMA] was a distraction for him, a hobby. I always wanted him to study, to go to college. It…...

55+ min ago (549+ words) Dec 6, 2025 | 1:14 PM EST It's been a tough few weeks for referees in combat sports. From early to late stoppages and lack of intervention in fouls like eye pokes, famous names like Mark Smith and Dan Miragliotta could not catch a break. The latest entry on that list is what happened at Karate Combat 58 last night. What should have been a regular, fan-friendly Friday night show at Universal Studios in Doral instead turned into something far more dangerous. The heavyweight title fight between champion Sam Alvey and former UFC fighter Robelis Despaigne quickly took center stage for all the wrong reasons. But during the fight, fans and analysts were even more stunned by the referee's decisions, as highlighted on X by Full Send MMA. Despaigne dropped Sam Alvey twice, and Alvey looked like the bout could have been ruled a knockout....

1+ hour, 9+ min ago (481+ words) Barboza will face Jalin Turner this weekend at UFC 323 Edson Barboza has faced some of the best lightweights since his octagon debut 15 years ago, and still scored some goods wins as a featherweight, but only realized the damage the extra cut did to his body now that he's back to his original weight class. Barboza, who faces Jalin Turner this weekend at UFC 323 in Las Vegas, returned to the lightweight division in August for a fight with Drakkar Klose, one he lost via decision, and said his body is completely different now that he's "only" dehydrating all the way down to 155 pounds. The American Top Team veteran said that losing 10 more pounds affected his training regime. Not only he was following a more restrict diet all year round, Barboza felt that his performance in the gym was diminished. Despite the…...

1+ hour, 57+ min ago (689+ words) The UFC concludes its numbered event schedule for 2025 with what's shaping up to be the promotion's best card of the year. UFC 323 arrives at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday night, delivering 14 fights headlined by two championship bouts that promise fireworks. Merab Dvalishvili has redefined what it means to be an active champion in 2025. The Georgian titleholder attempts to make history Saturday night by defending his bantamweight championship for the fourth time in a single calendar year, a feat no UFC champion has ever accomplished. Known as The Machine,Dvalishvili has lived up to his nickname both inside and outside the octagon this year. His relentless cardio and pressure-heavy fighting style have proven nearly impossible to overcome, extending his winning streak to 13 consecutive victories. Just two months ago at UFC 320, he turned back Cory Sandhagen to secure his third…...

2+ hour, 9+ min ago (190+ words) LAS VEGAS'Ahead of UFC 323, longtime lightweight veteran Jalin Turner joins MMA Fighting's Jos" Youngs to discuss everything from his love of skateboarding, his newfound devotion toward religion, and more. Turner (14-9) has not competed since announcing his initial retirement following his submission loss to Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC 313 in March. This performance not only marked his second straight stoppage loss but also his fourth setback in his last five fights. But after several months of soul-searching, "The Tarantula" returns to the octagon against the always-dangerous Edson Barboza on the preliminary card inside the T-Mobile Arena. Former UFC fighter Chris Barnett got quick knockout in Karate Combat debut. Check out the final faceoffs for UFC 323 UFC 323 features two championship bouts to cap off final ESPN pay-per-view event. Paddy Pimblett, Justin Gaethje, and more will appear at the UFC 2026 seasonal press conference. Brandon…...