SHERDOG ARCHIVES: News - February 2025

Feb 19, 2025

Dan Hooker Expects Teammates Volkanovski, Kara-France to Return at UFC 314 While Dan Hooker would have liked to fight on the same card as his City Kickboxing teammates, he won’t mind sitting cageside for their return.

UFC

Feb 19, 2025

Eric Nicksick Admits That Publicly Criticizing Sean Strickland Was a Mistake Eric Nicksick is owning up to his mistake.

UFC

Feb 19, 2025

UFC 315 Update: Ex-Champ Alexa Grasso to Face Natalia Silva in Montreal Alexa Grasso will be back in action for the first time since losing the flyweight crown when she meets Natalia Silva at UFC 315.

UFC

Feb 18, 2025

PFL Reveals Lineup for 2025 World Flyweight Tournament The field is set for Professional Fighters League’s upcoming women’s flyweight tournament — but one notable name is missing from the lineup.

Professional Fighters League

Feb 18, 2025

Gregory Rodrigues: UFC Vegas 102 Performance Hindered by Weight Cut Recovery Issues Gregory Rodrigues began the UFC Vegas 102 main event like a man on a mission.

UFC

Feb 18, 2025

Fabricio Werdum Prepping for GFL Debut; 'Shogun' Still Hasn’t Signed Bout Agreement Two fights recently announced by the fledging Global Fight League immediately drew the attention of mixed martial fans.

Global Fight League

Feb 18, 2025

Justin Gaethje: Islam Makhachev Better Matchup Than Khabib Nurmagomedov While both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev rank among the best fighters in MMA history, Justin Gaethje believes he has a better chance of beating the current...

UFC

Feb 18, 2025

Alex Pereira Training for Magomed Ankalaev Like 'Any Other Guy' Alex Pereira (12-2) claims the preparation for the upcoming fight against Magomed Ankalaev (19-1) is just like any other.

UFC

Feb 18, 2025

Austin Vanderford to Make Short-Notice Octagon Debut at UFC Seattle Austin Vanderford, who is perhaps best known for being the husband of Paige VanZant, will get his chance in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

UFC

Feb 18, 2025

UFC Lightweight Joe Solecki Retires from MMA at 31 Nine-time Octagon veteran Joe Solecki is calling it a career.

UFC

Feb 17, 2025

Miesha Tate Announces Matchup vs. Yana Santos at UFC Fight Night on May 3 Miesha Tate will return to action in a bantamweight bout against Yana Santos on May 3.

UFC

Feb 17, 2025

Report: Conor McGregor Appeals Verdict in Civil Sexual Assault Case Conor McGregor is living up to his vow to challenge the ruling that went against him in a civil lawsuit late last year.

UFC

Feb 17, 2025

PFL CEO: All Options on the Table for Francis Ngannou The most important member of the Professional Fighters League roster could take his combat sports career in a variety of directions, all while...

Professional Fighters League

Mike Pendleton

Feb 17, 2025

Youssef Zalal Wants to Headline UFC Apex Card Next: 'I Know Where My Level’s At' It was a big deal for Youssef Zalal to share the Octagon with Calvin Kattar.

UFC

Feb 17, 2025

Belal Muhammad Dismisses Idea of Fighting Islam Makhachev Belal Muhammad would rather move up in weight than fight Islam Makhachev.

UFC

Feb 17, 2025

Report: Nora Cornolle to Fight Hailey Cowan at UFC 315 A matchup of women’s bantamweights has been added to UFC 315.

UFC

Feb 17, 2025

Jared Cannonier Rejects 'Gatekeeper' Role Following UFC Vegas 102 Victory Even at 40 years old, Jared Cannonier isn’t here to be a steppingstone in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s middleweight division.

UFC

Feb 16, 2025

Anthony Smith to Face Mingyang Zhang in Likely Retirement Bout at UFC Kansas City Anthony Smith is expected to make his final walk to the Octagon against Mingyang Zhang at UFC Kansas City.

UFC

Feb 16, 2025

Alex Pereira Reunites with Fan Who Prevailed in Battle with Cancer Alex Pereira recently had an emotional reunion with a fan.

UFC

Feb 16, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili: Dagestani Fighters Are Not Invincible Merab Dvalishvili doesn’t think Dagestani fighters are unbeatable, and he has the recent proof to back up that assertion.

UFC

Feb 16, 2025

Yaroslav Amosov, Curtis Millender to Clash at Fightality 'Legacy Revival' on March 14 Yaroslav Amosov will return from a lengthy hiatus to square off against Curtis Millender at Fightality “Legacy Revival” on March 14.

Feb 16, 2025

UFC Vegas 102 Bonuses: Cannonier, Rodrigues Get $50K Apiece for Main Event Battle The UFC Vegas 102 headliner was a fight of major momentum swings.

UFC

Feb 15, 2025

Jared Cannonier Turns Away Gregory Rodrigues in UFC Vegas 102 Main Event Jared Cannonier may not be as far over the hill as some thought.

UFC

Brian Knapp

Feb 15, 2025

UFC Vegas 102 ‘Cannonier vs. Rodrigues’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring Sherdog's live UFC Vegas 102 coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC Fight Night 251.

UFC

Feb 15, 2025

UFC Vegas 102 Prelims: Jose Delgado Wrecks Connor Matthews in Octagon Debut Jose Delgado sent a loud-and-clear message to the rest of the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division: He intends to stick around...

UFC

Brian Knapp

Feb 15, 2025

Julia Avila Announces Retirement Following UFC Vegas 102 Defeat UFC bantamweight Julia Avila (9-4) called it a career inside the Octagon on Saturday.

UFC

Feb 15, 2025

Three Bouts Announced for UFC Mexico City on March 29 The UFC Mexico City card continues to take shape with the addition of three new fights.

UFC

Feb 15, 2025

Islam Makhachev Wants Ilia Topuria to Earn Lightweight Title Shot Islam Makhachev believes Ilia Topuria’s primary motivation to move up is his inability to cut weight.

UFC

Feb 15, 2025

Jalin Turner vs. Ignacio Bahamondes Booked for UFC 313 UFC 313 is turning into quite the striker’s delight showcase.

UFC

Feb 14, 2025

PFL on a ‘Mission’ to Develop Next Generation of Mixed Martial Artists Growth and expansion remain top priorities for the movers and shakers inside the Professional Fighters League as they move forward with their...

Professional Fighters League

Mike Pendleton

Feb 14, 2025

UFC Vegas 102 Weigh-in Results: Main Card Good; Gordon vs. Ruziboev Off The Ultimate Fighting Championship continues its busy February with UFC Vegas 102, which had one speed bump at the weigh-ins before its...

UFC

Tyler Treese

Feb 14, 2025

Caio Borralho on Possible Dricus Du Plessis-Alex Pereira Fight: “‘Poatan’ Would Kill Him” Count Caio Borralho among those who think Dricus Du Plessis should stay in his lane at 185 pounds.

UFC

Feb 13, 2025

Rodolfo Vieira Expects to Submit Andre Petroski at UFC Vegas 102 It might come as a surprise that the man known as “The Black Belt Hunter” is expecting to pick up a submission win in his next outing.

UFC

Feb 13, 2025

UPDATED UFC Seattle Lineup Shifts Due to Injury, New Added Matches The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Seattle comeback is falling apart at the seams.

UFC

Feb 13, 2025

Sean Strickland Says Eric Nicksick Likely Won’t Be in Corner After Public Critique Eric Nicksick’s very public critique of Sean Strickland could have consequences for the Xtreme Couture coach.

UFC

Feb 12, 2025

Flyweight, Welterweight Cast Announced for 'The Ultimate Fighter 33' The cast for the 33rd season of “The Ultimate Fighter” is now official.

UFC

Feb 12, 2025

Josh Emmett Returns from Hiatus, Meets Lerone Murphy in UFC Headliner on April 5 A featherweight clash pitting Josh Emmett against Lerone Murphy is expected to headline the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s event on April 5.

UFC

Feb 12, 2025

Welterweight, Featherweight Rosters Set for 2025 PFL World Tournament Professional Fighters League has officially revealed the fighters who will compete in the upcoming welterweight and featherweight tournaments.

Professional Fighters League

Feb 12, 2025

'Citizen of the World' Khamzat Chimaev Praises Countries He’s Called Home Khamzat Chimaev recently cleared the air about his citizenship after acquiring a new passport.

UFC

Feb 12, 2025

Javier Mendez Reveals Generous Gift From Khabib Nurmagomedov Khabib Nurmagomedov’s kindness even extends to his fellow coaches.

UFC

Feb 12, 2025

Belal Muhammad Gives Breakdown of Strategy to Beat Dricus Du Plessis Belal Muhammad claims to have the strategy to beat Dricus Du Plessis.

UFC

Feb 12, 2025

Coach on Sean Strickland’s Performance at UFC 312: 'It Was Uninspired Fighting' Xtreme Couture coach Eric Nicksick didn’t mince words while addressing Sean Strickland’s latest loss.

UFC

Feb 12, 2025

Dates Confirmed for UFC 317, International Fight Week The dates are set for one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s signature offerings.

UFC

Feb 11, 2025

UFC Featherweight Veteran Bill Algeo Announces Retirement Bill Algeo is calling it a career at 35 years old.

UFC

Feb 11, 2025

Gregory Rodrigues Believes Jared Cannonier is 'Paying a Price' for String of Tough Fights Coming off three consecutive victories, Gregory Rodrigues has already arrived in Las Vegas to headline his first UFC card against Jared...

UFC

Feb 11, 2025

PFL Reveals First Four Dates for 2025 World Tournament Professional Fighters League’s new format will begin in earnest this spring.

Professional Fighters League

Feb 11, 2025

Tatiana Suarez Addresses Loss to Weili Zhang in UFC 312 Co-Headliner Tatiana Suarez’s first title opportunity in the Ultimate Fighting Championship didn’t go as planned, but that won’t stop her from moving...

UFC

Feb 11, 2025

Joe Rogan Wants Ilia Topuria to Fight Islam Makhachev Next Joe Rogan doesn’t necessarily want to see Ilia Topuria defend his featherweight title again before moving up to lightweight.

UFC

Feb 11, 2025

Daniel Cormier Shares Alex Pereira’s Take on Potential Fight With Dricus du Plessis Daniel Cormier recently revealed a conversation with Alex Pereira about fighting Dricus Du Plessis.

UFC

Feb 11, 2025

Brandon Royval: Multiple Concussions Forced Exit from UFC Vegas 103 Brandon Royval had a good reason for withdrawing from his proposed main event clash against Manel Kape on March 1.

UFC

Feb 10, 2025

Brandon Moreno vs. Steve Erceg Announced as UFC Mexico City Headliner on March 29 A flyweight clash pitting Brandon Moreno against Steve Erceg will serve as the main event for the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s upcoming...

UFC

Feb 10, 2025

UFC 314 Official for Kaseya Center in Miami on April 12 As expected, UFC 314 is headed to South Florida.

UFC

Feb 10, 2025

Sean Strickland Reveals Nose Was Broken 'In Six Places' at UFC 312 Sean Strickland is taking his loss against Dricus Du Plessis in stride.

UFC

Feb 10, 2025

Belal Muhammad Slams Sean Strickland: 'He Fights Like a Scared Little Girl' Belal Muhammad has no sympathy for Sean Strickland after his loss against Dricus Du Plessis.

UFC

Feb 10, 2025

Weili Zhang Addresses P4P Standing, Potential Superfight Against Valentina Shevchenko Weili Zhang currently has no peers when it comes to the strawweight division.

UFC

Feb 09, 2025

Dricus Du Plessis Eyes 'Poatan' Fight Down the Road, Admits Khamzat Chimaev is 'Next' In the moments after closing the book on his rivalry with Sean Strickland for good, Dricus Du Plessis grabbed the microphone and stared across...

UFC

Feb 09, 2025

Khamzat Chimaev Offers Generous Reward in Gym Submission Challenge Khamzat Chimaev has an ongoing million rubles (approximately $10,000) challenge at his gym.

UFC

Feb 09, 2025

UFC 312 Bonuses: Teixeira, Salkilld, Rong, Steele Receive $50K Awards It was a night for fresh faces to shine when it came to post-fight bonuses at UFC 312.

UFC

Feb 09, 2025

Dricus Du Plessis Defends Title in Nose-Busting Win Over Sean Strickland at UFC 312 In a rivalry full of close rounds and tiny adjustments, Dricus Du Plessis once again proved he has Sean Strickland’s number.

UFC

Ben Duffy

Feb 08, 2025

UFC 312 ‘Du Plessis vs. Strickland 2’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring Sherdog's live UFC 312 coverage will begin Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

UFC

Feb 08, 2025

UFC 312 Prelims: Gabriel Santos Throttles Jack Jenkins A “Little Mosquito” is starting to make a big buzz in the Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight division.

UFC

Ben Duffy

Feb 08, 2025

Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum to Enter UFC Hall of Fame 'Fight Wing' The middleweight classic between Israel Adesanya and Kelvin Gastelum will be the latest inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame’s “Fight Wing.”

UFC

Feb 08, 2025

Rashad Evans-'Rampage' Jackson Boxing Match Approved for April 12 in New Mexico A previously rumored boxing match between Rashad Evans and Quinton Jackson is now official for the spring.

Boxing

Feb 08, 2025

Dustin Poirier Reveals Potential Timeline, Location for Retirement Fight Dustin Poirier’s retirement could be drawing near.

UFC

Feb 08, 2025

Roman Dolidze Details Intense First Sparring Session With Sean Strickland Roman Dolidze and Sean Strickland needed outside intervention when they first sparred together.

UFC

Feb 08, 2025

UFC 312 Weigh-in Results: 2 Title Fights Set; 1 Bout Canceled The UFC 312 weigh-ins took place, finalizing the card for the pay-per-view and seeing one fight fall through.

UFC

Tyler Treese

Feb 07, 2025

UFC to Return to Montreal for UFC 315 on May 10 After 10-Year Absence The Ultimate Fighting Championship is taking to an old stomping ground not reached in a decade.

UFC

Feb 07, 2025

Deiveson Figueiredo Praises Legacy of Dominick Cruz: ‘One of the Greatest’ Ultimate Fighting Championship great Dominick Cruz had a major impact on the development of MMA and fighter talent around the world.

UFC

Feb 07, 2025

Asu Almabayev Replaces Brandon Royval, Meets Manel Kape Atop UFC Vegas 103 The round robin of opponents continues for Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight Asu Almabayev.

UFC

Feb 06, 2025

Former WEC, UFC Bantamweight Champ Dominick Cruz Retires From MMA One of the greatest Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters in the history of the sport is deciding to hang up his gloves.

UFC

Feb 06, 2025

Ilia Topuria Changes Tune, Pitches Diego Lopes as Possible Next Challenger A lot can change in a day.

UFC

Feb 06, 2025

Judge Grants Final Approval for $375 Million Settlement of UFC Antitrust Case The Ultimate Fighting Championship is officially settling the first of two antitrust cases for $375 million.

UFC

Feb 06, 2025

Dominick Cruz Forced Out of UFC Seattle Due to Injury Dominick Cruz is out of the UFC Seattle co-main event due to an injury.

UFC

Feb 05, 2025

Brandon Royval Announces Withdrawal from UFC Vegas 103 Main Event UFC Vegas 103 is in need of a new headliner.

UFC

Feb 05, 2025

'Shara Bullet' Elaborates on Issues That Affected Performance at UFC Saudi Arabia Sharabutdin Magomedov recently offered further details on the aliments that hindered him against Michael Page at UFC Saudi Arabia last weekend.

UFC

Feb 05, 2025

Kevin Lee Reacts After Leaked Sparring Footage Shows Him Being Dropped Kevin Lee isn’t especially pleased after footage of a recent sparring session went public.

Global Fight League

Feb 05, 2025

Sean Strickland: Alex Pereira 'F---ing Hates' Dricus Du Plessis Sean Strickland believes Alex Pereira isn’t especially fond of Dricus Du Plessis.

UFC

Feb 05, 2025

MMA Veteran Philip Keller Sentenced to 50 Years in Prison for Murder of Fiancee Eight-time MMA veteran Philip Keller was sentenced to 50 years in prison on Monday for murdering his fiancee, according to a release from the...

Feb 04, 2025

Jailton Almeida Open to Pavlovich Fight, Backup Role for Jones vs. Aspinall Jailton Almeida wants to help Tom Aspinall add some fun to the heavyweight division.

UFC

Feb 04, 2025

Jiri Prochazka Eyes Three Potential Opponents for Next UFC Appearance Jiri Prochazka isn’t looking beyond the Top 3 contenders at light heavyweight for his next fight.

UFC

Feb 04, 2025

Dricus Du Plessis Explains Killer Championship Mentality Going into UFC 312 Dricus Du Plessis recently revealed the mental framework that he believes is key to being a champion.

UFC

Feb 04, 2025

Jairzinho Rozenstruik Removed From UFC Roster After Loss to Sergei Pavlovich Jairzinho Rozenstruik’s Ultimate Fighting Championship career has come to an abrupt end following his latest loss.

UFC

Feb 04, 2025

Video: Conor McGregor Spits in Man’s Face Following Khabib Taunt Conor McGregor continues to make headlines for all the wrong reasons.

UFC

Feb 03, 2025

Three-Time Contender Series Winner Torrez Finney Set for UFC Debut on April 5 Torrez Finney will make his first Octagon foray against Robert Valentin at UFC Fight Night on April 5.

UFC

Feb 03, 2025

Michael Page Still Focused on Return to Welterweight: 'I Can See My Path to the Top' Michael Page made an immediate impact at 185 pounds at UFC Saudi Arabia.

UFC

Feb 03, 2025

Vinicius Oliveira Details Cartilage Injury That Hindered Him at UFC Saudi Arabia Vinicius Oliveira has revealed the injury that hindered him toward the end of his victory over Said Nurmagomedov at UFC Saudi Arabia this past...

UFC

Feb 03, 2025

Tatiana Suarez Offers Theory As to Why Virna Jandiroba Matchup Fell Through Tatiana Suarez isn’t taking much responsibility for her canceled fight against Virna Jandiroba.

UFC

Feb 03, 2025

Belal Muhammad Mocks Sean Strickland’s Title Opportunity at UFC 312 There’s no love lost between Belal Muhammad and Sean Strickland.

UFC

Feb 03, 2025

Nassourdine Imavov Intent on Title Shot Following Signature Win at UFC Saudi Arabia Nassourdine Imavov has gradually been building an impressive resume over the course of the past year.

UFC

Feb 02, 2025

Israel Adesanya Reflects on 'Thrill and Agony' of Loss to Nassourdine Imavov It wasn’t what Israel Adesanya envisioned as he prepared to regain momentum in his Ultimate Fighting Championship career.

UFC

Feb 02, 2025

'Shara Bullet' Claims He Fought at UFC Saudi Arabia with 'Nightmarish Health Condition' Sharabutdin Magomedov came up short in a tactical battle against Michael Page in the UFC Saudi Arabia co-headliner, but it turns out that the...

UFC

Feb 02, 2025

Vinicius Oliveira Returns Focus to Umar Nurmagomedov After UFC Saudi Arabia Win Vinicius Oliveira is intent on a showdown against Umar Nurmagomedov.

UFC

Feb 02, 2025

Middleweights Michel Pereira, Abusupiyan Magomedov to Meet at UFC Kansas City A clash of middleweights has been added to UFC Kansas City.

UFC

Feb 02, 2025

Bryce Mitchell Apologizes for Pro-Hitler Remarks: 'I’m Definitely Not a Nazi' Bryce Mitchell has retracted his controversial comments about Adolf Hitler.

UFC

Feb 01, 2025

UFC Saudi Arabia Bonuses: Nassourdine Imavov Pockets $50K for Upset Victory Nassourdine Imavov is $50,000 richer for vanquishing a legend.

UFC

Feb 01, 2025

Nassourdine Imavov Pounds Out Israel Adesanya in UFC Saudi Arabia Stunner “The Sniper” has just bagged some huge game.

UFC