31+ min ago (418+ words) The UFC heavyweight division may be in limbo for longer than anticipated. That's because its champion, Tom Aspinall, is still struggling to recover from a gruesome eye injury suffered at UFC 321 during his fight against Ciryl Gane in October. This incident resulted in the fight being ruled a No Contest, capping off an otherwise exciting card in Abu Dhabi. The biggest loser from the ordeal was Aspinall himself. Speaking to longtime MMA journalist Ariel Helwani of Yahoo Sports' Uncrowned Combat, Aspinall broke down his recovery timeline since the fight transpired alongside his relationship, or lackthereof, with UFC brass. According to Aspinall, the UFC has been radio silent during the fallout from the fight. "[Dana White] hadn't spoken to me, and he was already giving updates on my health. He had no idea what had gone on," Aspinall told Helwani Tuesday....

1+ day, 9+ hour ago (303+ words) UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili doesn't mind confronting the temptation of junk food head-on during the final stretch of his weight cut for UFC 323. Following a week off, the UFC returns this Saturday for the promotion's penultimate event of the year. UFC 323 it set to go down at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV, on Saturday, and the stacked card boasts two title fights at the top of the bill. Looking to defend his bantamweight belt for what would be a record-setting fourth time this year, Dvalishvili headlines UFC 323 in a rematch with the division's former titleholder Petr Yan. Four title fights within a year is an insane rate of activity by the standards of most UFC champions, especially given that Dvalishvili already went the full 25-minute distance twice in his meetings with Cory Sandhagen and Umar Nurmagomedov. The viral…...

1+ day, 14+ hour ago (371+ words) Oleksandr Usyk has reacted to Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua, with the heavyweight fight between the pair set to go down on December 19. Many fans and experts were left stunned when the bout was announced, as they were surprised that 'The Problem Child' decided to step into the ring against a top-of-the-food-chain heavyweight who is a two-time world champion and a former Olympic gold medalist. Paul is 12-1-0 (7 KOs), and his only defeat came against Tommy Fury back in 2023. Fury is arguably the only legitimate boxer of his size that Paul has faced so far in his career. Now he is up against AJ, one of the finest of this era, and significantly bigger than Paul. Usyk knows Joshua in and out, having shared the ring with the British heavyweight for 24 rounds. While the Ukrainian won both fights, Joshua asked some…...

1+ day, 23+ hour ago (412+ words) An MMA fighter competing at Japan's Gladiator 33 unfortunately absorbed some extra punishment after being knocked unconscious by a nasty slam. Even with the UFC on break before the promotion closes out its 2025 schedule with a pair of December events, last week still featured plenty of regional MMA action all across the globe to keep combat sports fans entertained. A busy slate of weekend events included the fifth Gladiator FC card of the year, which took place in Osaka, Japan and included four title bouts at the top of the bill. While the title fights were obviously the main attraction for Gladiator 33, the card also featured a flyweight matchup between Reito Shiokawa and Masato Ishida. Competing in his second professional MMA bout, Ishida debuted in April with Japan's BLOOM FC and stopped Kenta Tanoue with ground and pound in the first…...

2+ day, 1+ hour ago (370+ words) The inaugural event for Georgian MMA promotion Rkena featured an absolutely incredible knockout from Ukrainian fighter Yaroslav Chokobok. The UFC was on break during Thanksgiving week before the world's leading MMA promotion returns next Saturday with a stacked UFC 323 card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, but there was still plenty of regional MMA action as well as a Real American Freestyle event that saw Michael Chandler defeat Chad Mendes in the night's main event. One event that may have flown under the radar for some fans was Rkena 1, which took place in Tbilisi, Georgia and featured a nine-fight card built around local talent from a country that is quickly turning into a hotbed for top-level MMA. Rkena 1 featured Georgian fighters in all nine of the card's bouts, and Ukraine's Chokobok found himself matched up with Juba Beridze for his…...

2+ day, 12+ hour ago (519+ words) Former UFC women's bantamweight champion-turned WWE superstar Ronda Rousey is reportedly in talks for a stunning return to combat sports. Still considered by some to be the greatest fighter in the history of women's MMA, Rousey is now nearly nine years removed from her last fight at UFC 207, where she was stopped by fellow UFC Hall of Famer Amanda Nunes in just 48 seconds. Recent footage of "Rowdy" actively training generated speculation that she might be considering a return to the UFC, but instead the 38-year-old may apparently step into the boxing ring for the first time to take on boxing star Katie Taylor. First reported by Lance Pugmire, news of active negotiations for a boxing match between Rousey and Taylor may be the most unexpected combat sports development of the entire year. A gold medalist at the 2012 Olympic Games in…...

4+ day, 43+ min ago (452+ words) There's plenty of boxing on tap for boxing fans around the world tonight. In the United Kingdom, Eddie Hearn's Matchroom is pitting British fighter Ben Whittaker against German boxer Benjamin Gavazi in Birmingham. Whittaker (9-0-1) last faced Liam Cameron in April, winning by TKO. Gavazi last fought in December 2024, defeating Branimir Malenica via TKO. In the United States, Manny Pacquiao's son, Jimuel, makes his pro boxing debut against Chicago native and English teacher, Brendan Lally (also making his pro boxing debut), in California. Here's every fight in boxing tonight, including the fight cards, start times, and how to watch. Ibraheem Sulaimaan vs Nico Ogbeide (10 rounds, junior lightweight) Zelfa Barret vs TBA Time: 2 p.m. EST (main event ringwalk approximately 4:30 p.m. EST) Location: NED Birmingham in Birmingham, United Kingdom High Fury vs Michael Webster Elaige Cmara vs Nermin Gjerlek Tony Jas vs Steve Suppan Kilat…...

5+ day, 7+ hour ago (500+ words) Global soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo recently shared some massive news about Spanish MMA promotion The Way of the Warrior FC. Partially-owned by undefeated UFC Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria, WOW FC is based out of Madrid, Spain and held its inaugural event back in 2019. After only holding two events during its first two years of existence, the promotion has now established itself as a major proving ground for Spanish and European fighters. Buesa Arena in Basque Country, Spain will host WOW 24: Vitoria this Saturday, and ahead of that event Al-Nassr star Ronaldo announced that he's officially set to become a shareholder in the MMA promotion. Considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time and arguably the most-recognizable athlete in the entire world, Ronaldo has played his club soccer with Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr since 2022. The former Manchester United,…...

5+ day, 7+ hour ago (500+ words) Global soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo recently shared some massive news about Spanish MMA promotion The Way of the Warrior FC. Partially-owned by undefeated UFC Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria, WOW FC is based out of Madrid, Spain and held its inaugural event back in 2019. After only holding two events during its first two years of existence, the promotion has now established itself as a major proving ground for Spanish and European fighters. Buesa Arena in Basque Country, Spain will host WOW 24: Vitoria this Saturday, and ahead of that event Al-Nassr star Ronaldo announced that he's officially set to become a shareholder in the MMA promotion. Considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time and arguably the most-recognizable athlete in the entire world, Ronaldo has played his club soccer with Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr since 2022. The former Manchester United,…...

5+ day, 7+ hour ago (463+ words) Lightweight MMA fighter Lucas Corbage added a late entry to 2025s "Knockout of the Year" conversation with a title-winning finish in Argentina. The UFC is currently on break for Thanksgiving Week in the United States following the promotions first trip to Qatar last weekend, which saw Arman Tsraukyan reassert his place as the lightweight divisions number one contender when he submitted Dan Hooker in the second round. Theres plenty of regional MMA action on offer this weekend to sate combat sports fans before next Saturdays stacked UFC 323 event, and during the middle of the week Peru-based Fusion FC put on a FFC 99 card that featured three title bouts. Taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, FFC 99 marked FFCs 14th event of 2025 before the promotion closes out the year with a milestone FFC 100 card in Peru on December 18. Well-established as a proving ground for…...