March 2025
February 2025
Ray Klerck jumps into the Fighters Only wayback-when machine to recap the best of mixed martial arts in February 2025.
UFC Legend Dominick Cruz Forced Into Retirement
Feb 07, 2025
Dominick Cruz, the first man to ever hold the UFC bantamweight title, has announced his retirement from the sport with immediate effect.
39-year-old Cruz (24-2 MMA, 7-3 UFC) had been scheduled to face Rob Font in the co-main event at UFC Seattle on February 22nd in what he had referred to as "one last dance" inside the Octagon but, as has unfortunately been the case so many times throughout his career, injuries intervened to force the former champion's hand.
"To the fans worldwide", Cruz wrote in a post on Instagram, "I have poured every ounce of myself into this sport for the last 25 years. I was really hopeful for one final fight but unfortunately, two shoulder dislocations in 8 months calls an end to this guy's career.
"I gave everything I had and put it into preparation and training for this fight - focusing on my cardio and my body for the past year. But sometimes, the body just doesn't cooperate.
"The pain isn't as bad no that my shoulder is back in place, but the second dislocation was far more complicated than the first.
"This sport has been everything to me - it's helped to shape who I am.
"Thank you to the UFC for building this platform and paving the way for fighters like myself and so many others. The UFC broke barriers to set the stage not just for us as fighters. also for every mma sports organization that followed them across the bridge created throughout poilitics in order to allow our sport to take place LEGALLY in the United States and now the world.
"I am incredibly grateful to everyone who booked tickets, hotels, and flights to support me. Thank you all for being there through every moment, every victory, and every challenge. You've made this journey unforgettable. Thank you for the love and support. I will carry it with me always.
"With love, Dominick".
Former WEC champion Cruz became the inaugural UFC bantamweight champion when the 2 organizations merged in 2010. After defending his belt inside the Octagon, a disastrous sequence of injuries resulted in him being sidelined for an extended period, and stripped of the title as a result.
He returned to eventually recalim the title by beating TJ Dillashaw in January of 2016, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest champions in the modern era.
His career has been punctuated by extended absences from the Octagon, and had he made it to the fight against Rob Font in Seattle later this month, it would have been 923 days since his last appearance under the lights.
As an established member of the UFC commentary team, Cruz will remain front and center, continuing to be regarded as one of the sport's most important voices. However, for fans of a certain vintage, 'The Dominator' will primarily be remembered as one of the most unique, exciting, and resilient fighters to ever grace the Octagon.
UFC 312 Results: Titles Retained In Sydney
Feb 09, 2025
The second UFC pay-per-view event of 2025 went down on Saturday night in Sydney, Autralia, and two championship belts were on the line at the Qudos Bank Arena.
In the main event, middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis successfully defended his title fpr the second time in a rematch against the man who won the belt from little over a year ago, Sean Strickland.
The bout was a pretty one-sided affair, as Strickland struggled to assert any type of control over Du Plessis over 5 rounds that played out mostly on the feet. There was a moment of drama in round 4 when Du Plessis broke his opponent's nose and Strickland looked to be in real trouble, but the former champion regrouped to make it through to the end of the fight.
In the co-main event, strawweight champion Zhang Weili reminded the watching world of her true quality. After being taken down early in the opening round by Tatiana Suarez, Weili recovered and dominated the remainder of the fight. The Chinese star successfully defended numerous takedown attempts and landed impactful strikes over the ensuing 4 rounds to pick up a dominant victory.
UFC 312 main card results:
Main Event: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland (UFC middleweight championship)
Dricus Du Plessis wins by unanimous decision.
Co-Main Event: Zhang Weili vs. Tatiana Suarez (UFC strawweight championship)
Zhang Weili wins by unanimous decision.
Tallison Teixeira vs. Justin Tafa (heavyweight)
Teixeira wins by KO/TKO at 0:35 of round 1.
Jimmy Crute vs. Rodolfo Bellato (light heavyweight)
Bout ends in a draw.
Jake Matthews vs. Francisco Prado (welterweight)
Matthews wins by unanimous decision.
Preliminary card results:
Jack Jenkins vs. Gabriel Santos (featherweight)
Santos wins by submission (RNC) at 2:06 of round 3.
Tom Nolan vs. Viacheslav Borshchev (lightweight)
Nolan wins by unanimous decision.
Cong Wang vs. Bruna Brasil (flyweight)
Wang wins by unanimous decision.
Aleksandre Topuria vs. Colby Thicknesse (bantamweight)
Topuria wins by unanimous decision.
Kody Steele vs Rongzhu (lightweight)
Rongzhu wins by unanimous decision.
Kevin Jousset vs. Jonathan Micallef (welterweight)
Micallef wins by unanimous decision.
Quillan Salkilld vs. Anshul Jubli (lightweight)
Salkilld wins by KO/TKO at 0:19 of round 1
Dricus Du Plessis Calls For Fights Against Khamzat Chimaev And Alex Pereira
Feb 09, 2025
Dricus Du Plessis is gradually putting together one of the most impressive title reigns in recent UFC history. "Stillknocks" successfully defended his middleweight title for the second time by beating Sean Strickland in the main event at UFC 312 on Saturday night.
Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has now won four successive bouts against former UFC champions (Robert Whittaker, Israel Adesanya and Strickland x 2), and the South African has his eyes firmly set on a pair of fights that could elevate him to legendary status in the eyes of MMA fans around the world.
Du Plessis Eyes Superfight Against "Poatan"
Speaking to the media backstage shortly after getting his hand raised inside the Octagon, Du Plessis revealed his ambition to test himself against 205 lb champion Alex Pereira.
“I have the world (of) respect for Alex Pereira,” Du Plessis said. “I think he is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. I have the most respect for him, what he’s done in a short period of time in the UFC, to come from another sport, what he’s done there, but yes, I want to share the octagon with that man. I want to beat a guy — I’ve beaten [Israel] Adesanya, who has beaten him. I know I can beat him, and at 205 [pounds]. One hundred percent.”
"Khamzat's First"
"Poatan" is already booked to face the no.1 contender in the light heavyweight division, Magomed Ankaleav, next month, and with a clear contender lying in wait at 185 lbs (Khamzat Chimaev), it's likely Du Plessis may have to deal with that problem before entertaining the idea of moving up to face Pereira.
“Khamzat’s first,” du Plessis admitted. “I said [to Pereira], ‘Please beat Ankalaev.’ No hate against Ankalaev; I just want to beat Alex Pereira. It’s nothing personal against Ankalaev, it’s just Pereira. He’s such a legend in this sport to me already that it would be amazing to beat him for my legacy. I want to be the greatest to ever do this. But Khamzat is next. Khamzat is next. I want to make sure that this belt, the middleweight title, that there’s no question that I’m the GOAT of the middleweight division.
Report: Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg Confirmed For UFC Mexico
Feb 09, 2025
Former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno is set to face Steve Erceg in the main event at UFC Fight Night: Mexico City on March 29th.
Tijuana native Moreno (22-8-2 MMA, 10-5-2 UFC) competed in 6 consecutive title bouts at 125 lbs between 2020 and 2023, including a quadrilogy against Deiveson Figueiredo. His 2 victories over the Brazilian in the middle of that sequence resulted in him becoming champion, before going on to lose the belt on each occasion, first to Figueiredo, then to current champion Alexandre Pantoja.
"The Assassin Baby" competed twice in 2024, losing to Brandon Royval in Mexico City last February before returning to the win column when he outpointed Amir Albazi at UFC Edmonton in November.
Steve Erceg (12-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has had an explosive introduction to life in the UFC since signing with the organization in 2023. A trio of wins over David Dvorak, Alessandro Costa and Matt Schnell saw the Australian launched into a short-notice title fight against Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 in May of last year.
Erceg lost a close decision to the champion and suffered another defeat upon his return at UFC 305 in August, this time to another top-ranked flyweight contender in Kai Kara-France.
Who Will Be The Next Flyweight Title Challenger?
With rumors circulating that Pantoja may be facing Kara-France at UFC 314 in April, the challenge now for the chasing pack at 125 lbs to position themselves for the next shot at winning championship gold.
Alongside the Moreno/Erceg bout, Manel Kape is also scheduled to face Asu Almabayev in the UFC Apex on March 1st. If the title fight between Pantoja and Kara-France does go ahead, it's likely whichever of those 4 contenders shines the brightest in their upcoming fights could jump the line to fight for the belt later in the year.
Eric Nicksick "Probably Not" Going To Be In Sean Strickland's Corner Again
Feb 13, 2025
The corner team of Sean Strickland will likely look very different the next time the former UFC middleweight champion makes the walk to the Octagon.
Following his unanimous decision loss to current title-holder Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 last Saturday, Strickland's head cornerman/coach Eric Nicksick made an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show during which he was very critical of Strickland's below-par performance in Sydney, Australia.
Strickland had promised fans an all-action affair in the lead-up to the fight but the performance he delivered in Saturday's main event was underwhelming to say the least.
“I think he needs to evaluate what he wants to do in this sport,” Nicksick told Helwani. “If it’s just to make money, then that’s great. Let us know. I want to coach world champions, so my motivations are different. So I think that just to kind of show up and do that, and not really back it up, to me was just kind of uninspiring.”
Sean Strickland Issues Response To Nicksick's Comments
Nicksick's comments prompted Strickland to post a response on social media. In the video, Strickland revealed he had broken a bone in his arm early in his training camp, and had also been dealing with staph infection on fight week.
“I like Eric,” Strickland said. “He’s a friend of mine. He’s going to continue to be a friend of mine. Will he probably be in my corner? Probably not. We have so many great guys at Xtreme. … We have so many savages that can corner me. But that entire fight camp was just a struggle. It was a f*cking struggle, and we all have excuses as to why we didn’t win, or why we won or we shouldn’t have won.
"We all f*cking have excuses, and they don’t f*cking matter. The only reason I’m doing this video is Eric had to go do a f*cking podcast and become an influencer so I’ve got to be like kind of explain myself.”
Jared Cannonier In Unfortunate Position At 185 lbs Following Victory At UFC Vegas 102
Feb 16, 2025
Jared Cannonier (18-8 MMA, 11-8 UFC) feels he is somewhat trapped in an awkward spot in the UFC's middleweight rankings following his win over Gregory Rodrigues at the UFC Apex this past weekend.
Cannonier, who is set to turn 41 next month, weathered an early storm and even survived a couple of first-round knockdows to rally and get the finish over "Robocop" early in the 4th round of Saturday's main event.
Cannonier currently sits in 7th place in the middleweight rankings, and speaking at the post-fight press conference, "Killa Gorilla" pointed to the fact that he has already faced most of the names above him in the top 10 as a potential obstacle to his hopes of progessing up the division.
"I didn't say anybody specifically", he responded when asked who he would like to fight next, "but if you were to look at the rankings, I would like a ranked opponent for sure. I think I'm definitely going to get a ranked opponent after that victory. I would like somebody ranked higher than me. Unfortunately, all the people ranked higher than me are either in line to get a title shot, or going to wait for a title shot, or just beat me. But I'm not going to rule anything out".
Of those ranked above him, Cannonier has lost to Nassourdine Imavov, Caio Borralho, Robert Whittaker, Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya, leaving only the champion Dricus Du Plessis and the man he will likely face next, Khamzat Chimaev. While he is unlikely to be offered an opportunity to fight either of those men, he isn't ruling anything out. "If they say, hey, Jared, we need you to fight Dricus (Du Plessis) next for the belt. I'm like, hell yes. I'm ready" he said. "With that being said, as long as I keep winning, you know what I mean?
Belal Muhammad: "I Want To Be Double-Champ"
Feb 16, 2025
UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) didn’t hold back when discussing some of the promotion's biggest stars, particularly in the middleweight division.
During an appearance on Barstool Chicago’s The Stretch podcast, released this past Friday, "Remember The Name" opened up about his future aspirations should he successfully defend his belt against Shavkat Rakhmonov in a highly anticipated fight later this year.
"I would never fight (UFC lightweight champion) Islam [Makhachev]," Muhammad remarked. "That's different. For me and him, it is. We've trained together. When you're sweating with somebody and you're bleeding with somebody and you're training with somebody like that, it's just a different relationship. It wouldn't be about money for me."
Muhammad Discusses Possible move To 185 lbs
Although Muhammad made it clear he wouldn't fight Makhachev, he didn’t rule out the possibility of moving up to the middleweight division for the right opportunity.
"I would rather go up to 185 and let him [Makhachev] take 170 if that's the case," Muhammad explained.
The champion also shared that he feels he’s getting closer to his next big move, predicting that with two more victories, he could be in a position to challenge for the Middleweight Championship against Dricus du Plessis or whoever holds the title at that time.
"I've beaten five Top 10 guys," Muhammad said, reflecting on his welterweight dominance. "I'm two fights away from being able to challenge [for the title] at 185 and saying, 'Hey, I want to be double-champ.'"
When asked about potential matchups at middleweight, Muhammad didn’t hold back, offering bold comments on the division’s current state.
“I think 185 is probably the easiest weight class [to fight in], besides Khamzat [Chimaev]," he stated. "Like, if you look at that [UFC 312] main event, you're like, 'Bro, Strickland and du Plessis suck.'"
It remains to be seen whether Muhammad can back up his confident remarks, but there’s no doubt that he’s setting his sights on long-term goals beyond his reign as welterweight champion.
Anthony Smith Set To Return At UFC Kansas City
Feb 17, 2025
One of the most tenured fighters in the UFC, Anthony Smith (38-21 MMA, 13-11 UFC) is set to make his 25th walk to the Octagon at UFC Kansas City on April 26th.
"Lionheart" is set to square off against Mingyang Zhang (18-6 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and the former light heavyweight title challenger will be eager to get back to winning ways following a challenging past few months.
38-year-old Smith has been defeated in 3 of his last 4 fights and suffered a personal tragedy in the lead up to his December bout against Dominick Reyes when he received news that his long-time coach and friend Scott Morton had passed away.
“Him and I have trained every day or twice a day, damn near on average, six days a week since I was 17 years old,” said Smith of Morton while speaking to UFC.com. “And he was my coach, but that was one of the smaller parts of what he was. That guy was my best friend. He was my mentor / older brother / father figure.”
Smith was submitted by Antonio Braga Neto in his UFC debut back in 2013 and wasn't brought back into the fold until 2016, after which point he became a mainstay in the organization's 205 lb division.
A strong run of victories over Rashad Evans, Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Volkan Oezdemir earned him a shot at then-champion Jon Jones in 2019. He ultimately lost by unanimous decision but has been one of the more active members of the light heavyweight division in the years since.
Chinese star Mingyang Zhang enjoyed a sensational beginning to life in the UFC in 2024. "Mountain Tiger" knocked out both Brendson Ribeiro and Ozzy Diaz inside the opening round to announce his arrival onto the big stage.
The 26-year-old already has 12 KO/TKO victories to his name and should he come out on top against 14th-ranked Smith, he could find a number beside his name in the wake of UFC Kansas City.
Conor McGregor Hints at Possible Fedor Emelianenko Deal with BKFC
Feb 17, 2025
Conor McGregor is hinting at what could be the biggest signing in BKFC history.
At a recent press conference in Italy promoting the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship's upcoming event in Florence on April 26, McGregor, who is a part-owner of the promotion, teased the potential addition of MMA icon Fedor Emelianenko to the BKFC roster. The excitement sparked when a reporter praised McGregor’s achievements, drawing a comparison to Emelianenko and Royce Gracie. McGregor responded by suggesting that Emelianenko’s signing could be on the horizon.
“Fedor Emelianenko?” McGregor responded. “Stay tuned, we might have some announcement with Fedor Emelianenko. Hey Fedor, we’re waiting. Some news might be coming with Fedor Emelianenko. Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship is signing and acquiring the best fighters of all time, past, present, and future, and everyone wants to be a part of this.”
BKFC's Historical Links To MMA
BKFC has already attracted numerous high-profile fighters from the MMA world, including former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez, as well as Mike Perry, Jeremy Stephens, Ben Rothwell, Paige VanZant, Bec Rawlings, and Thiago Alves, to name a few. Adding Emelianenko—often regarded as the greatest heavyweight in MMA history—would undoubtedly be a major milestone for the organization.
Emelianenko, now 48, retired in 2023 after a second loss to Ryan Bader at Bellator 290. His most iconic period came from 2001 to 2009, where he went undefeated for 28 consecutive fights, defeating top-tier opponents such as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop, Mark Coleman, Kevin Randleman, Andrei Arlovski, Tim Sylvia, and Mark Hunt.
Report: Former UFC Champion Confirmed For UFC 315
Feb 19, 2025
The opportunity of a lifetime awaits Natalia Silva (18-5-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) when UFC 315 goes down in Montreal, Canada on May 10th.
The Brazilian prospect, unbeaten during her UFC tenure to date, will take on former champion Alexa Grasso (16-4-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) in a high-stakes main card matchup at Centre Bell. Former Jungle Fight champion Silva has strung together a series of impressive victories since signing with the world leader back in 2022.
She debuted inside the Octagon at the Moody Centre in Austin, Texas with a decision win over Jasmine Jasudavicius and followed that up with two exciting finishes over Tereza Bleda and Victoria Leonardo to confirm her status as a promising talent in the 125 lbs division.
The 28-year-old faced incrementally tougher opposition each time in her following three bouts, passing the test each time as she collected decision wins over Andrea Lee, Viviane Araujo and most recently, Jessica Andrade at the UFC Apex in September.
Former Champion Alexa Grasso Set To Return
Alexa Grasso returns to action for the first time since losing the third installment of her trilogy with UFC flyweight GOAT Valentina Shevchenko.
The 31-year-old Mexican shocked the world at UFC 285 back in March of 2023 when, after being effectively dominated by "Bullet" for almost four full rounds, took the Russian's back and sunk in a rear-naked choked to snatch the flyweight title.
The pair met again in September of that year with the contest ending in a split draw, although many observers felt that Grasso benefited from some questionable judging on that occasion as she retained her belt.
They ran it back in the co-main event slot at UFC 306 at the Sphere in September, with Shevchenko utilizing her wrestling to walk way with a lopsided decision victory and win back the belt that she had previously defended seven times between 2018-2022.
Grasso is currently the number-one-ranked contender in the division while Silva sits in sixth place.
Dana White Announces Mega Fights
Feb 20, 2025
In a video posted to Instagram, Dana White broke news of a host of massive UFC title fights on upcoming pay-per-view cards, along with the revelation that one champion will be vacating his belt to move to a new weight class.
Let's take a look at some of the biggest bombshells dropped by the UFC president.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes (Featherweight Title, UFC 314)
White revealed that current 145 lb champion Ilia Topuria will be making the move up to the lightweight division, and that former champion Alexander Volkanovski will take on no. 3-ranked contender Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight title in the main event at UFC 314, which goes down in Miami, Florida on April 12th.
Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett (UFC 314)
White also confirmed that former Bellator star Michael Chandler will take on Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett in the co-main event in Miami.
Yair Rodriguez vs. Patricio Pitbull (UFC 314)
Former Bellator featherwweight champion Patricio Pitbull, recently granted his release by the PFL, has been signed by the UFC and will make his debut against no. 5-ranked contender Yair Rodriguez.
Leon Edwards vs. Sean Brady (UFC London)
Leon Edwards gets a new opponent for his upcoming main event slot at UFC London on March 22nd, following the news that Jack Della Maddalena is needed elsewhere (more on that below).
Former welterweight champion Edwards will now take on Sean Brady at the 02 Arena as he looks to get back into title contention at 170 lbs.
Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena (Welterweight Title, UFC 315)
Instead of facing Edwards in London, Jack Della Maddalena will instead challenge for Belal Muhammad's welterweight title in the main event at UFC 315 which takes place in Montreal, Canada on May 10th.
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Manon Fiorot (Flyweight Title, UFC 315)
Despite multiple rumors linking her to a potential superfight against strawweight champion Zhang Weili, Valentina Shevchenko will instead defend her 125 lb title against Manon Fiorot in the UFC 315 co-main event.
Report: Main Event Booked For UFC Des Moines
Feb 21, 2025
In the wake of the avalanche of major fight announcements that came from UFC president Dana White earlier this week, one more fascinating matchup between 2 top contenders in the bantamweight division has been thrown into the mix.
Cory Sandhagen (17-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) and Deiveson Figuieredo (24-4-1 MMA, 13-4-1 UFC) are set to square off in the main event when the UFC pitches up in Des Moines, Iowa on May 3rd in a fight that could have title implications later in the year.
Sandhagen returns for the first time since losing to Umar Nurmagomedov last August, a result that catapulted the Dagestani into a (ultimately unsuccessful) title shot against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 in January. Prior to that bout, "Sandman" had been generating some impressive momentum at 135 lbs as he racked up victories against the likes of Song Yadong, Marlon Vera and Rob Font.
Former 125 lb champion Figuieredo made the move up to the bantamweight division in 2023 and an exceptional run of performances quickly saw him break into the upper echelon of the rankings. 3 successive wins over Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt and Marlon Vera earned him a high-profile bout against former champion Petr Yan at UFC Macao in November.
Yan looked to be back to his imperious best on that occasion and outpointed the Brazilian over 25 minutes, but Figuieredo still showed enough to prove he can hang with the best that the bantamweight division has to offer.
With Petr Yan the most likely contender to face bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili next, there's a strong likelihood that a convincing victory for either Sandhagen or Figueiredo in Des Moines could position the winner for a title shot later in the year.
5 other fights have been confirmed for the card, including a bout between 2 ranked strawweight contenders as Marina Rodriguez (17-5-2 MMA, 7-5-2 UFC) takes on Gillian Robertson (15-8 MMA, 12-6 UFC) who ha won 5 of her last 6 fights at 115 lbs.
Santiago Ponzinibbio (30-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC) will face Daniel Rodriguez (18-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in the welterweight division, while former women's bantamweight champion Miesha Tate (20-9 MMA, 7-6 UFC) will square off against Russian star Yana Santos (15-8 MMA, 5-5 UFC).
UFC Seattle Results
Feb 23, 2025
The sold-out crowd at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle were treated to a raft of finishes during Saturday evening's preliminary card. The fighters on the main card at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song, however, made the cageside judges earn their keep as 4 of the 5 showcase fights went to the scorecards.
There was controversy in the main event (which was originally scheduled for 5 rounds) as a double eye poke by Song Yadong caused an extended stoppage late in round 3. Henry Cejudo took full advantage of the 5 minutes he was allowed to try to recover. However the former 2-weight UFC champion, after returning to complete the final minute of the round, complained in his corner of blurred vision.
After consulting with the doctor, referee Jason Herzog stopped the fight at the beginning of the 4th round and went to the scorecards, which led to Song walking away with a unanimous decision victory (29-28 x2, 30-27).
There were also decision wins on the main card for Anthony "Fluffy Hernandez, Rob Font and Alonzo Menifield, while Jean Silva scored a 1st-round KO over Melsik Baghdasaryan.
Here are the numbers from Dana White’s post-event presser and the performance bonus award winners.
$3.84 million gate
18,287 attendance
Fight of the Night - Menifield vs. Walker
Performance of the Night - Jean Silva
Performance of the Night - Ricky Simon
UFC Seattle Main Card Results
Song Yadong def. Henry Cejudo via unanimous technical decision (30-27, 29-28x2)
Anthony Hernandez def. Brendan Allen via unanimous decision (29-28x3)
Rob Font def. Jean Matsumoto via split decision (29-28x2, 28-29)
Jean Silva def. Melsik Baghdasaryan via TKO (punches) - Round 1
Alonzo Menifield def. Julius Walker via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
Preliminary Card Results
Ion Cutelaba def. Ibo Aslan via submission (arm triangle)
Melquizael Costa def. Andre Fili via submission (guillotine) - Round 1
Mansur Abdul-Malik def. Nick Klein via TKO (punches) - Round 2
Ricky Simon def. Javid Basharat via KO (punch) - Round 1
Austin Vanderford def. Nikolay Veretennikov via TKO (punches) - Round 2
Nursulton Ruziboev def. Eric McConico via TKO (punches) - Round 2
Modestas Bukauskas def. Raffael Cerqueira via KO (punch) - Round 1
Dana White Clarifies His Position On Double-Champs
Feb 23, 2025
Following Ilia Topuria’s recent decision to vacate the UFC featherweight title, UFC president Dana White addressed the topic of double champions in the promotion in the wake of UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Song on Saturday.
White emphasized that the UFC does not discourage fighters from aiming for multiple championships. However, he clarified that those who choose this path must be prepared for an intense schedule.
“The key is whether or not you think you can defend both titles,” White shared with reporters at the post-fight press conference following Saturday's event at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. “If a fighter believes they can juggle both and successfully defend both belts, and has already achieved so much, I’m all for it. But it’s a lot of work.”
“It’s a different situation unless a fighter has dominated their division, like Jon Jones did in light heavyweight before moving up to heavyweight", he continued. "With Ilia, I understand his decision. Given the opponents he's beaten and how he's done it, it's reasonable for him to consider moving up to 155 after being tired of cutting weight. It makes sense. Weili Zhang is another example. She’s accomplished nearly everything in her weight class, and I have no issue with that. It’s always looked at individually. My stance hasn’t changed, it’s about each case.”
In UFC history, four fighters have held two titles simultaneously: Henry Cejudo, Daniel Cormier, Conor McGregor, and Amanda Nunes, while others like BJ Penn, Randy Couture, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre and Alex Periera have held titles in seperate divisions at seperate intervals.
Topuria, 28, chose to relinquish his featherweight title to avoid stalling the division. His next steps in the octagon, however, are still unclear. Rumors are circulating that "El Matador" will face lightweight champ Islam Makhachev during International Fight Week in June, although Topuria also recetly floated the idea of fighting some other top names at 155 lbs such as Dustin Poirier or Justin Gaethje.
Mason Jones Returns To The UFC
Feb 24, 2025
Being released from the largest organization in the sport can often signal the beginning of the end for many fighter's careers at the top level. After a failed UFC stint, fighters often resolve to "knuckle down", "get back to work" and claw their way back to the top table, but only a small few ever follow through on that promise.
Motivation to climb back to the top of the mountain can often be much harder to come by and many fighter's careers have petered out after they've been cut from the UFC, but it seems as though Mason Jones (15-2-1 NC MMA, 1-2-1 NC UFC) has broken that trend.
The Welshman, who fought inside the Octagon 4 times between 2021-2022, confirmed this week that he has re-signed with the UFC. Rumors had been circulating of the former Cage Warriors champion's return, and the 29-year-old verified those claims in a post on his X account.
"Finally leaked that I've signed back with the UFC" Jones tweeted. "Been a steady road since I fought in London & worked on my whole game since then. But we've still got to wait for me to ping on roster watch!"
A Whirlwind Journey For "The Dragon"
Jones won the vacant Cage Warriors lightweight title in 2020 when he knocked out Joe McColgan, and followed that achievement by capturing the welterweight belt later that same year with a 1st-round finish over Adam Proctor.
This secured him a UFC contract, but fortune seemed to desert the Blaenavon native during his first stint in the big leagues. After losing in his Octagon debut to Mike Davis, he looked to be coasting to a victory in his next fight over Alan Patrick before an accidental eye-poke resulted in the bout being declared a 'no contest'.
He finally got his first UFC win against David Onama later that same year but when he lost a close decision against L'udovit Klein in his next outing, he was unceremoniously released by the promotion.
Undettered, Jones returned to the Cage Warriors fold and rattled off 3 succesive finishes against Alexandre Ribeiro, Yann Liasse and Bryce Logan before putting on a striking clinic to beat Michael Pagani in July of last year to reaffirm his status as one of the best fighters in the world outside of the UFC.
PFL Announces Bantamweight/Women's Flyweight Rosters For 2025 Tournament
Feb 23, 2025
A major announcement came from the PFL this week as they confirmed the rosters for 2 more divisions in their 2025 world tournament.
The women's flyweight roster dropped earlier in the week and, as was expected, did not contain the name of last year's winner Dakota Ditcheva.
Friday also saw the release of the men's bantamweight roster which contained some interesting names and a new signing in the shape of former UFC fighter Jake Hadley.
Check out the full PFL press release below:
"The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has officially revealed the 16 world-class fighters set to compete in the Bantamweight and Women’s Flyweight divisions of the 2025 PFL World Tournament.
"The 2025 PFL World Tournament kicks off from the backlot of Universal Studios Florida in Orlando on April 3, April 11, April 18, and May 1, with fighters needing to win three consecutive bouts to win the Championship.
"The 2025 PFL World Tournament will air live on ESPN platforms in the U.S. Internationally, fans can catch the action live on DAZN. In total, the tournament will be streamed in 190 countries through 20 premium media partners.
"One shot at greatness. The annual single-elimination tournament will feature brackets at Heavyweight, Light Heavyweight, Middleweight, Welterweight, Lightweight, Featherweight, Bantamweight, and Women’s Flyweight. The 2025 PFL World Tournament spans an action packed five months. 64 of the best fighters from around the world will compete to win MMA’s toughest test - win three straight times in five months to become 2025 PFL Tournament Champion.
"The First Round fights and the Semi-Final fights will be three, five-minute rounds while the Finals are five, five-minute rounds. All events and all fights now allow the use of elbows. The 2025 PFL World Tournament will payout over $20 million in total prize money, including a $500,000 bonus for every winner.
"Additional weight classes will be revealed shortly, the completed brackets will be unveiled on March 11 through a special bracket reveal show, powered by VALR Energy.
"Here is the full list of Bantamweight and Women’s Flyweight competitors".
BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION (135 lbs) – 2025 PFL WORLD TOURNAMENT ATHLETES
Magomed Magomedov (24-4) - Russia
Leandro Higo (23-6) - Brazil
Sarvarjon Khamidov (16-0) - Tajikistan
Ali Taleb (12-1) - Sweden
Ciaran Clarke (10-0) - Ireland
Kasum Kasumov (16-1) - Russia
Jake Hadley (11-4) - England
Zebenzui Ruiz(12-3) - Spain
Alternate - Francesco Nuzzi (10-1) - Italy
Alternate - Matheus Mattos (14-3-1) - Brazil
WOMEN’S FLYWEIGHT DIVISION (125 lbs) – 2025 PFL WORLD TOURNAMENT ATHLETES
Taila Santos (22-4) - Brazil
Liz Carmouche (22-8) - U.S.A.
Kana Watanabe (13-3-1) - Japan
Juliana Velasquez (13-3) - Brazil
Jena Bishop (7-2) - U.S.A.
Elora Dana (7-0) - Brazil
Ilara Joanne (12-9) - Brazil
Diana Avsaragova (6-1) - Russia
Alternate - Ekaterina Shakalova (8-2) - Ukraine
Alternate - Saray Orozco (8-6) - Mexico
Upcoming 2025 PFL World Tournament Schedule:
April 3, 2025, Universal Studios Florida, Stage 19 - Main Card airs live on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ at 10 pm ET
April 11, 2025, Universal Studios Florida, Stage 19 - Main Card airs live on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 11:30 pm ET
April 18, 2025, Universal Studios Florida, Stage 19 - Main Card airs live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 7 pm ET
May 1, 2025, Universal Studios Florida, Stage 19 - Main Card airs live on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 pm ET
Main Event Confirmed For Cage Warriors 185
Feb 24, 2025
One of the brightest stars in European MMA will headline Cage Warriors 185, set to take place at the BEC Arena in Manchester, England, on March 15th.
Luke Riley (10-0) is scheduled to face Tariel Abbasov (9-2) in a featherweight contest, which will likely be his final appearance in the iconic yellow gloves. The 25-year-old Riley has earned a reputation as one of the most exciting prospects in the UK-based promotion in recent years, having fought all 10 of his professional bouts inside the Cage Warriors cage.
"Main event again, back to back, to close off the Cage Warriors contract," said the Next Generation Liverpool star in a video posted to the Cage Warriors X account. "It's going to be a good night, leading the way for the team. They're all going to get the wins, and I'm going to finish it off in style."
"To all the fans spending their hard-earned money, like you always say, paying for subscriptions, buying a ticket—you know what to expect when you come to see Luke. KO. Action-packed. It's a good night, so get down to Manchester on March 15th for Cage Warriors 185."
Riley Continues To Thrill Cage Warriors Fans
After winning the promotion's "Fight of the Year" award in 2023 following an epic battle with Alexander Loof at Cage Warriors 160, Riley added two more big wins to his record in 2024. A dominant decision victory over John De Jesus in March was followed by a first-round KO win over Alexandre Junior in September. Persistent rumors have since linked Riley to a potential move to the UFC.
Standing in his way on March 15th will be Tariel Abbasov, who will be making his first appearance under the Cage Warriors banner. The Azerbaijani star has finished 7 of his 9 professional wins by submission and last competed in December at Vendetta Fight Nights 42 in Austria, knocking out Firuz Nejrabi in the opening round.
Joshua Pacio Happy To Have Silenced Critics With Comeback Win At ONE 171
Feb 25, 2025
ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Joshua Pacio left no one in doubt about who the division's king was at ONE 171: Qatar late last week.
“The Passion” toppled interim titleholder Jarred Brooks to unify the World Title in the main event last Thursday, February 20, rallying back in the second frame to stop his American counterpart via TKO inside Doha, Qatar’s Lusail Sports Arena.
Pacio began the battle on the back foot. He was taken down early on and forced to fight off every submission Brooks had in his arsenal, putting him in hot water in several sequences.
However, the Filipino star stayed patient, knowing he had prepared for all eventualities. And when Brooks emerged as a depleted challenger in the second frame, Pacio turned the bout on its head, eventually finishing the American with ruthless ground-and-pound.
“The D’Arce was not actually close. Maybe the guillotine. And the last one was like 70 percent there. But you know, there are a lot of guys choking me out in the gym. I’ve been there a hundred times in that position, and I know the feeling. And yeah, it is what it is. I escaped it,” he said.
“My jiu-jitsu coach, my wrestling coach, they would be there like two to three hours. We’ve been working on every position that Jarred would do. So, I was very confident that wherever the fight would go, ground, stand-up, I was very confident.”
When he lost the gold to Brooks at ONE 164 in December 2022, many fans concluded that Pacio’s time atop ONE’s strawweight MMA division had ended for good.
But “The Passion” is more than just a nickname for him. His battles for the throne across his nine-year tenure in the promotion show the fiery dedication he gives to his craft, and he never lost hope of ruling the roost once again.
Pacio regained the crown against Brooks at ONE 166 last March, but the win came by disqualification, so the chirps from the haters only became louder because of the result.
The seven-time World Champion had to wait 11 months for the perfect opportunity to silence them all. But he did it. And now that the belt is firmly around his waist, he feels a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
“[The win was] just a release for me because there were a lot of people talking behind me, doubting me. ‘You can’t do it. You can’t do it,” Pacio said.
“You know, at the end of the day, I was just very focused on winning and training. I’ve been through a lot because of the injuries, but, you know, it’s just a relief. There’s so much joy and happiness.”
Report: Jose Aldo Set To Return At UFC 315
Feb 25, 2025
Another massive bout has been confirmed for UFC 315, which takes place in Montreal, Canada on May 10th.
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo (32-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) is set to face Aiemann Zahabi (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in a bantamweight contest on a fight card that has been in the news since the addition of 2 UFC title fights at the top of it's bill recently.
Along with dropping the bombshell last week that Ilia Topuria is vacating the featherweight title, Dana White had also announced that Belal Muhammad will be defending his welterweight strap against Jack Della Maddalena in the main event at UFC 315, while Valentina Shevchenko will face Maon Fiorot in the co-main event.
And now Jose Aldo joins the growing list of current or former UFC champions who will be in action in front of the Canadian fans.
"The King of Rio" was last in action in October at UFC 307 in Salt Lake City where he lost a split decision to Mario Bautista. Prior to that the 38-year-old had won 4 of his previous 5 bouts and will be looking to get back on track and protect his place in the bantamweight rankings.
Aldo currently sits in 11th place, 2 spots above Zahabi who has been on impressive run of late. 5 consecutive victories, including 2 decision wins over Javid Basharat and Pedro Munhoz in 2024 have positioned the Tristar Gym representative for this massive test in front of his home crowd.
Also added to the UFC 315 fight card this week is a women's flyweight contest between Jessica Andrade (26-13 MMA, 17-11 UFC) and Jasmine Jasudavicius (13-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC). Former champion Andrade will be looking to bounce back from her defeat at the hands of Natalia Silva last Septmeber but faces a difficult test in Jasudavicius.
The Canadian won all 3 of her fights in 2024 and got off to a winning start this year when she outpointed former title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.
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