Despite a win in his last outing, Paulo Costa will be taking on a new challenge — a new weight class — in his next bout.
Per a report from Laerte Viana, the former UFC middleweight title challenger will be moving up to light heavyweight.
Costa’s first fight at the weight class will be quite the test, taking on the undefeated Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327.
Costa had been scheduled to compete at UFC 326 against Brunno Ferriera. He’s since been replaced in the bout by Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues.
Paulo Costa vs. Azamat Murzanakov Booked For UFC 327
Costa has gone 2-4 in the UFC, with a number of withdrawals and re-bookings, since unsuccessfully challenging Israel Adesanya for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 253.
After missing all of 2023, Costa dropped decisions to Robert Whittaker and Sean Strickland in 2024. He, however, successfully returned at UFC 318 with a decision win over Roman Kopylov.
Murzakanov is 16-0 in the sport, including a 6-0 UFC record since arriving from Dana White’s Contender Series. Murzakanov scored the biggest win of his career at UFC 321 in October, knocking out Aleksandar Rakic.
UFC Seattle’s headliner will see a former middleweight champion attempt to prove he is still a top talent in the division, while a rising star looks to make his biggest stride toward a future title shot.
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will face Joe Pyfer in the main event of UFC Seattle, which takes place on March 28 at the Climate Pledge Arena.
UFC CEO and President Dana White confirmed the news in an announcement on Instagram Live.
Israel Adesanya vs. Joe Pyfer Headlines UFC Seattle On March 28
This fight is perhaps a must-win for Adesanya, who enters with three straight losses and four defeats in his last five fights. Adesanya, a former two-time champion, has not recovered since losing the title to Sean Strickland in one of the UFC’s biggest upsets at UFC 293.
Adesanya was knocked out by Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia last February, marking the first time he was finished in a non-title fight.
Pyfer has risen up the UFC’s middleweight ranks since coming into the promotion off his known 2022 Dana White’s Contender Series appearance. Pyfer is 6-1 in the Octagon, most recently submitting Abus Magomedov at UFC 320 in October.
The UFC Seattle co-main event will see Alexa Grasso facing off with Maycee Barber. This will be a rematch from UFC 258, which saw Grasso take a unanimous decision.
Grasso is winless in her last three fights, which include the latter two fights in her women’s flyweight title trilogy with Valentina Shevchenko. Grasso comes into this fight off a loss to Natalia Silva at UFC 315 this past May.
Barber has won seven straight since losing to Grasso. After medical issues kept her away from the Octagon for nearly two years, Barber defeated Karine Silva at UFC 323.
Arman Tsarukyan is done waiting around for gold, and he is now teasing looking at other championships in the UFC if the path is closed to the lightweight title.
Tsarukyan was scheduled to challenge for that particular title, originally booked for the UFC 311 main event against then-champion Islam Makhachev. But on the day of weigh-ins, Tsarukyan pulled out of the title fight due to a back injury, and he appears to have had heat on him ever since.
Tsarukyan finally returned to the Octagon this past November, submitting Dan Hooker in the main event of UFC Qatar.
That fight was billed as a No. 1 contender’s matchup. Days later, however, the UFC announced that due to Ilia Topuria unable to defend the lightweight title currently, Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for an interim lightweight title was named the UFC 324 main event.
When pressed by Ariel Helwani on a recent edition of The Ariel Helwani Show about why he isn’t in the interim title, Tsarukyan has a couple of ideas.
“Because it’s a [sic] first Paramount fight. And second one, I’m too dangerous,” Tsarukyan said. “My opinion is that they want Paddy Pimblett to be a champion.”
Arman Tsarukyan Addresses Lack Of Lightweight Title Shot; What Could Be Next?
Tsarukyan acknowledged controversies he’s been involved in over the past couple of years, which he says the UFC has used as claims for why he shouldn’t get the next title shot.
“They [are] saying the headbutt [on Hooker], [the UFC 311] pull out, that I punch [a] fan but I didn’t punch him,” Tsarukyan said.
“I can just say yes and wait my chance.”
Tsarukyan and a UFC fan appeared to get into it during his entrance at UFC 300, an event that saw him defeat Charles Oliveira. Tsarukyan was suspended for the incident, delaying his title shot that would get scrapped by his UFC 311 pull out.
Tsarukyan also came under fire for a headbutt that landed during the face-off with Hooker at the UFC Qatar ceremonial weigh-ins.
Not helping matters at claiming the undisputed lightweight title is Topuria, who won the lightweight title by defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, currently tied up in a messy divorce and custody battle.
This has forced him to consider other avenues to become an undisputed champion. Tsarukyan told Helwani that there is a chance he could look to move down to featherweight for a title shot — or look to challenge for the BMF belt if Oliveira defeats Max Holloway at UFC 326.
“I want the real title, but I don’t want to wait until then,” Tsarukyan said. “Ilia, he fights once a year. Maybe he defends his title in June and says, ‘Okay, I’ll fight next year, in June.’ Then what can I do?
“I’m not that young to wait a lot, too. So, if they give me the BMF title, that would be great, too. If Charles Oliveira wins, it’s going to be good. We’ve got a story. [I’ll] just get that belt, and then the real belt.”
Ray Sefo, a legendary kickboxer who has been a long prominent face of the PFL’s executive team, has parted ways with the MMA organization.
The news was first reported by Ariel Helwani on the January 13 edition of The Ariel Helwani Show. Helwani added that Sefo is one of several names in the organization’s behind-the-scenes team who have also parted ways with the PFL.
Sefo had a highly successful kickboxing career, winning championships with the ISKA and World Muay Thai Federation, along with being the K-1 World Grand Prix 2000 runner-up.
He transitioned to an executive role following the end of his fighting career. In 2012, Sefo became one of the founding members of the World Series of Fighting, being named its president. Sefo found himself in a similar role when the WSOF re-branded to the PFL in 2017.
As noted by Helwani, however, Sefo’s role seemed to be diminished during the PFL’s 2025 campaign.
PFL Parts Ways With Longtime President Ray Sefo
Sefo is the second major PFL executive to depart the promotion.
Earlier this week, the PFL announced that Peter Murray, the former CEO of PFL and the recent CEO of PFL International, was leaving the organization.
Under the vision of John Martin, who was named the new PFL CEO in July 2025, the PFL has gone through recent reorganization and changes ahead of 2026.
The PFL’s first event of 2026 will be on February 7 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The card will feature Usman Nurmagomedov defending his lightweight title against Alfie Davis and Ramazan Kuramagomedov facing Shamil Musaev for the PFL welterweight championship.
Plenty of people in the MMA community were left scratching their heads when Alexander Volkanovski’s next defense of the featherweight title was revealed to be a rematch with Diego Lopes at UFC 325.
Having been less than a year since their first title clash, speculation started about why the fight was booked. Within that speculation came rumors that the fight would serve as Volkanovski’s retirement bout, win or lose — and debates on if it was time or not for Volkanovski to hang up the gloves.
Now, in an appearance on the January 12 edition of The Ariel Helwani Show, Volkanovski publicly addressed the rumors of retirement for the first time.
And he claimed that he has no idea where they came from.
“I guess people are just going off of what I say,” Volkanovski said. “Like, I’m like, ‘How many more do I have?’ You know, if I was to get beaten up, am I going to come back and fight? No, but that’s not my plans.
“Unless things go horribly wrong, I’m planning on going back out there.”
Alexander Volkanovski Claims No Plans For Retirement After UFC 325
This year marks Volkanovski’s 10th anniversary in the Octagon. Making his professional MMA debut in May 2012, Volkanovski arrived to the UFC as a 13-1 fighter in November 2016.
He won his first seven Octagon fights, including wins over Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, and Darren Elkins, before defeating Max Holloway for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 245. He made four consecutive title defenses, defeating Holloway (twice), Brian Ortega, and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung-Jung.
In 2023 and 2024, things seemed to hit a low point for Volkanovski. Outside of a successful title defense against Yair Rodriguez, he unsuccessfully challenged then-lightweight champion Islam Makhachev twice before dropping the featherweight title to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298. At UFC 314, however, he regained the then-vacant championship by defeating Lopes.
Volkanovski admitted, however, that it wasn’t long after that fight that he had an honest conversation about his future.
“There was a talk straight after my last fight.” Volkanovski said. “I’m like, ‘How many more?’ You never know. There were talks like that, but as soon I started training, I was like ‘Ah, let’s keep going.’”
Volkanovski took a clear unanimous decision over Lopes in their first meeting, but Lopes rebounded with a finish of Jean Silva in the main event of Noche UFC 3 in September.
Nevertheless, Volkanovski aims for a similar (or better) result this go-around.
“Right now, I plan on everything going well, getting my hand raised, hopefully taking minimal damage so I can have a good turnaround,” Volkanovski said. “So the plan isn’t definitely to retire.”
The PFL has arrived to Benin as it presents the 2025 PFL Africa Finals — and MMA News has you covered with all the action.
The PFL’s expansion efforts began a couple of years ago with the launch of PFL Europe, followed by the establishment of PFL MENA last year. Now, as was once promised when the PFL signed Francis Ngannou in 2023, the PFL has officially launched PFL Africa this year.
The fourth-ever PFL Africa event will determine the first-ever tournament champions in the promotion’s history.
The main event will see the champion crowned at bantamweight, as Nkosi Ndebele takes on Boule Godogo. Ndebele reached tonight’s championship main event after putting away Mahmoud Atef and Simbarashe Hokonya. Godogo defeated Shannon Van Tonderin in the first round but lost to Karim Henniene in the semi-finals. Henniene was unable to compete, however, giving Godogo another chance to earn the tournament title tonight.
The co-main event will have the welterweight champion be crowned when Shido Boris Esperanca faces Yabna N’tchala. Esperanca reached the final with first-round wins over Ibrahima Mane and Ayinda Octave. N’tchala, meanwhile, scored decision victories over Sanon Sadeck and Emilios Dassi.
The heavyweight tournament champion will also be determined when Justin Clarke faces Abraham Bably. Clarke reached the final with finishes of Jashell Ticha Awa and Maxwell Djantou Nana. Bably, meanwhile, reached the final with first-round knockouts of Paul-Emmanuel Gnaze and Joffie Houlton.
The inaugural featherweight tournament championship will also be on the line as Alain Majorique takes on Wasi Adeshina. Majorique entered the tournament as a fill-in and defeated Mohamed Camara to reach tonight’s final. Adeshina, meanwhile, defeated Jean-Jacques Lubaya and Dwight Joseph to reach tonight.
The 2025 PFL Africa Finals begin at 11am ET/8am PT on the PFL App and Vice TV. If you can’t watch the action, MMA News has you covered with all the results and highlights below.
2025 PFL Africa Finals Results & Highlights
Main Card:
Bantamweight Championship: Nkosi Ndebele def. Boule Godogo via KO (R2, 0:27)
Welterweight Championship: Yabna N’tchala def. Shido Boris Esperanca via TKO (retirement) (R3, 5:00)
Lightweight Showcase: Cornel Thompson def. Jean Do Santos via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Heavyweight Championship: Abraham Bably def. Justin Clarke via KO (R1, 0:21)
Featherweight Championship: Wasi Adeshina def. Alain Majorique via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) (R2, 3:07)
Preliminary Card:
Welterweight Showcase: Eliezer Kubanza def. Francis Mozou via TKO (R1, 3:18)
Women’s Strawweight Showcase: Juliet Ukah def. Maryam Gaber via TKO (R1, 3:12)
He gets the first round finish over Desmond Tamungang and pulls off the backflip in his celebration! #PFLBenin LIVE NOW for FREE and LIVE on the PFL App and watch again at 8pm ET on @VICEpic.twitter.com/w0gD2YWkIZ
Abdoulaye Kane gets the second round finish over Jashell Ticha Awa #PFLBenin LIVE NOW for FREE and LIVE on the PFL App and watch again at 8pm ET on @VICEpic.twitter.com/uVCAaWHpT3
Eliezer Kubanza’s ground & pound is nothing to play with as he gets the first round finish over François Mozou #PFLBenin LIVE NOW for FREE and LIVE on the PFL App and watch again at 8pm ET on @VICEpic.twitter.com/QYmv2VWACx
Nkosi Ndebele gets the finish in the second round to become the @PFLAfrica Bantamweight Champion! #PFLBenin LIVE NOW for FREE and LIVE on the PFL App and watch again at 8pm ET on @VICEpic.twitter.com/euDjhvSzZc
Manel Kape has made a statement on why he might deserve the first shot at new flyweight champion Joshua Van, as he closes out the UFC on ESPN era with a finish of Brandon Royval in the UFC Vegas 112 main event.
The pair felt each other out during the opening frame, trading low kicks and short strikes. Kape worked over Royval’s battle during the round to bring him toward the fence, and that was the opening Kape was looking for.
Kape landed a right hand that cracked Royval, slumping him against the fence with his strikes. Some follow-up ground-and-pound brought the fight to a quick end, giving Kape the first-round finish.
Manel Kape Blasts Through Brandon Royval At UFC Vegas 112
Kape might have just jumped Taira for a title shot. Nobody does that to Royval
Good stopped. Royval’s eyes rolled back. Manel Kape closes the UFC-ESPN era with a first-round finish to make his claim for a flyweight title shot. 125 is as hot as ever. #UFCVegas112
Kevin Vallejos will now be able to call himself a ranked featherweight contender after becoming the first man to knock out Giga Chikadze in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 112.
The first round started fairly quiet, minus a combination from Vallejos that took advantage of a Chikadze slip. The two traded leg kicks, with a nasty gash opening on Chikadze’s left leg thanks to a checked kick.
Chikadze brought out some strong kicks in the second half of round one when he wasn’t held against the fence.
But it was Vallejos that took the fight in round two. With both men near the fence, Vallejos landed a spinning backfist that dropped Chikadze in brutal fashion. He followed that up with some elbow-based ground-and-pound to bring a quick halt to the contest.
Kevin Vallejos Drops Giga Chikadze At UFC Vegas 112
Kevin Vallejos is going to be a top featherweight contender in 2026. What a knockout!!! #UFCVegas112
Vallejos has now won six straight since his sole loss — a defeat to Jean Silva on Dana White’s Contender Series. He is 3-0 in the Octagon since winning a UFC contract in his 2024 DWCS appearance.
Chikadze has now lost three straight and four of his last five. His sole win in that span was defeating Alex Caceres at UFC Singapore in August 2023.
Melquizael Costa took control of his 2025 and built himself into a featherweight on the rise, stamping that with a highlight knockout of Morgan Charriere at UFC Vegas 112.
The fight started off fairly slow, with the two trading leg kicks. But Costa just needed one kick to completely end things, landing a devastating head kick that got around Charriere’s guard and dropped him back-first to the mat.
The fight lasted just 74 seconds.
Melquizael Costa Sends Morgan Charriere Into Another Dimension With Head Kick At UFC Vegas 112
Costa is now on a five-fight win streak and is 6-2 in the Octagon. This was his first fight since he and Julian Erosa put on a show in the UFC Vegas 106 Fight of the Night in May.
Charriere is 3-3 in the UFC, having traded wins and losses consistently since arriving to the promotion from Cage Warriors in 2023.
Former Bellator welterweight champion Yaroslav Amosov came away with a solid debut effort in the Octagon, putting away Octagon veteran Neil Magny in the featured prelim of UFC Vegas 112.
Magny looked to take control of the fight early with his striking, while also fending off Amosov’s clinch and takedown efforts. Amosov would score the takedown just under two minutes into the bout, however.
Amosov would work his position and managed to find an anaconda choke, scoring the first-round submission.
Yaroslav Amosov Submits Neil Magny At UFC Vegas 112
Amosov just handled Neil Magny, scoring the anaconda finish in the first.
He is going to be a serious player in an already crowded welterweight division.
I am queen of hyping up my favorite Bellator fighters who then go on to get absolutely smashed in their UFC debut. Happy for Amosov, he deserves to be here (and should have been a while ago) #UFCVegas112
Amosov made his UFC debut tonight after a highly successful run in Bellator. Amosov went 27-0 to start his professional MMA career, which included defeating Douglas Lima at Bellator 260 to become Bellator welterweight champion. He’d defend that title against Logan Storley before dropping it to Jason Jackson at Bellator 301 — the sole blemish on his professional MMA career.
Steven Asplund certainly had a memorable UFC debut at UFC Vegas 112, putting away Sean Sharaf in a wild brawl of a heavyweight encounter during the preliminary card.
Sharaf got aggressive out of the gate, looking to establish control. But Asplund was ready, landing counterpunches that seemed to get Sharaf’s attention. The two continuously traded flurries mere seconds into the fight. The pacing slowed but the power remained, particularly with Asplund, who managed to use his punching and a knee to bust Sharaf open on his face.
Asplund looked to finished Sharaf near the fence before the end of the first. Sharaf survived and tried to pressure Asplund with hooks early in the second. But Asplund continued to land at will, backing Sharaf up and worsening the cut.
Following a brief pause due to a low blow, Asplund continue to pour on the onslaught until the referee waved it off.
Steven Asplund Stops Sean Sharaf At UFC Vegas 112
More than just a motivational story. Asplund is a legit fighter. I'm officially a fan!
You may not like it, but this is what peak male physical performance looks like 👊 Asplund is a damn problem, what a fight, what a win 🔥 #UFCVegas112pic.twitter.com/olK2uokl4D
This marked Asplund’s UFC debut following his performance on Dana White’s Contender Series earlier this year. He earned a contract on that show in September after knocking out Anthony Guarascio in 16 seconds.
Sharaf, the former LXF heavyweight champion, is now 0-2 in the UFC. He last fought in October 2024, getting knocked out by Junior Tafa.
After already owning gold at light heavyweight, Vadim Nemkov now has a championship in a second weight class, defeating Renan Ferreira in the main event of PFL Lyon to become PFL heavyweight world champion.
After a little patience from both men, Nemkov was able to score a takedown. After landing a series of shots, Nemkov got into mount and began to try and find an arm-triangle choke. Ferreira looked to defend, trying to land from the bottom and find his own submission, going on to get into top position.
It was a fleeting moment, however, as Nemkov got back on top and worked his way back into securing an arm-triangle, getting the submission win and the world title.
Vadim Nemkov Becomes Heavyweight Champion By Submitting Renan Ferreira At PFL Lyon
Vadim Nemkov subs Renan Ferreira in the first.
There is absolutely no reason why Nemkov x Francis shouldn’t be made next. That’s a real heavyweight test for Francis, and he should be willing to take it.
Nemkov absolutely bullied the big man en route to the first-round sub. It did NOT look pleasant there for a moment, but dominant work as per usual from Nemkov.
I am a simple man. I will watch one round of Nemkov, a couple rounds if we are lucky and then spend six months ranting about how he should be in the UFC. Until the next Nemkov fight.
Nemkov vs Ngannou is probably the best HW fight outside the UFC you could make. Hell, it's better than 80% of the HW fights that the UFC could book themselves. https://t.co/s0KXo0YrmB
Nemkov went 3-0 in PFL in 2025, coming over following the promotion’s 2023 purchase of Bellator. Nemkov scored finishes of Bruno Cappelozza and Tim Johnson.
This was Ferreira’s first fight since getting stopped by Francis Ngannou at PFL Battle of the Giants in October 2024.
In the second-to-last fight of her MMA career, Cris Cyborg kept her position as one of the best female athletes in the sport, submitting Sara Collins to remain PFL women’s featherweight champion in the co-main event of PFL Lyon.
Collins had her fair share of moments in the fight, using leg kicks and trying to go use her jabs and grappling to keep Cyborg at bay. Cyborg, however, had the power edge and used it to her advantage, bringing pressure to Collins.
Collins scored a takedown in round two, but Cyborg’s attacks from the bottom, including a couple of submission attempts, looked to drain Collins’ energy. Cyborg’s power really came out in the third round, but Collins scored another takedown via a judo throw and threatened an Americana.
Cyborg, however, reversed and got to the back, putting Collins away with a choke — just the second win via submission in Cyborg’s career.
Cris Cyborg Submits Sara Collins To Retain Women’s Featherweight Title At PFL Lyon
Cris Cyborg gets it done with a rear naked submission as she defends her PFL Women's Featherweight World Title! 🐍🏆#PFLLyon | LDLC Arena, Lyon | 📺LIVE NOW on the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/c571rRJGbV
Cyborg, who has captured championships in every promotion she has been in, became PFL women’s featherweight champion by defeating Larissa Pacheco at PFL Battle of the Giants last year.
This was Collins’ first fight since her own fight late last year, submitting Leah McCourt.
It was quick, but it was also controversial. Baris Adiguzel has become this year’s PFL Europe bantamweight tournament champion following a sub-minute finish of Dean Garnett during PFL Lyon.
Adiguzel came out practically swinging away, looking to put this fight away with lightning strikes. He landed a series of left hands, while Garnett looked to answer with his own strategic striking.
Adiguzel’s attack became too much it seemed, as Garnett was dropped. When the referee stepped in, however, Garnett appeared to have in ankle, which tripped Adiguzel up. But the referee already waved off the fight for the way Garnett fell, giving the tournament title to Adiguzel.
Baris Adiguzel Makes Quick Work Of Dean Garnett For PFL Europe Bantamweight Tournament Title At PFL Lyon
Clock In. Clock Out ⏲️
Baris Adiguzel did not waste anytime with the first round finish as he is your 2025 @PFLEurope Bantamweight Champion#PFLLyon | LDLC Arena, Lyon | 📺LIVE NOW on the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/XBRfgWYfum
Alex Chizov claims the top spot of one of PFL Europe’s 2025 tournaments, as he takes out Connor Hughes in three rounds to win this year’s PFL Europe Lightweight Tournament.
It was an action packed fight, with the two trying to use their strikes to end the fight in one move. Both men attempted to work their combinations, with Chizov backing Hughes back during the first round. Hughes rocked Chizov early in the second, however, showing how momentum swung both ways during this fight.
About 50 seconds into the third round, however, Chizov used the left hand to set up a strong right that put Hughes out cold for the tournament title win.
Alex Chizov KOs Connor Hughes For PFL Europe Lightweight Title At PFL Lyon
LIGHTS OUT! 💡
Aleksandr Chizov turns off the lights with a 3rd Round KO over Connor Hughes to win the @PFLEurope Lightweight Title!#PFLLyon | LDLC Arena, Lyon | 📺LIVE NOW on the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/ETOf1jPh3J
Chizov reached the final tonight with a first-round knockout of Mark Ewen and a split decision over Claudio Pacella.
Hughes has now lost in two straight PFL Europe lightweight finals, losing last year’s tournament final to two-time champion Jakub Kaszuba. Hughes reached this year’s final with knockouts of Sebastien De Franco and Gino van Steenis.
The PFL’s 2025 campaign is nearing its end, and two world champions and two PFL Europe tournament champions will be crowned on Saturday, December 13, with PFL Lyon in France. MMA News has you covered with all the action!
PFL Europe was the initial expansion effort of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), an effort that has since grown out to MENA in 2024. PFL Africa started up earlier this year, and PFL Pacific will be on the way.
With PFL looking to simplify its championship picture under the direction of new CEO John Martin, however, PFL Lyon will not only bring the conclusion to the PFL Europe season, but it will also bring us two PFL world champions.
The main event will see former Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov face 2023 PFL heavyweight season champion Renan Ferreira for the heavyweight world championship.
Since vacating the Bellator light heavyweight title to move up in weight, Nemkov has scored submissions of Bruno Cappelozza and Tim Johnson with the PFL earlier this year. Ferreira finished Ryan Bader in a PFL vs. Bellator heavyweight champions showdown before getting knocked out in seconds by Francis Ngannou at Battle of the Giants last year.
The PFL women’s featherweight champion will also be decided as the legendary Cris Cyborg faces Sara Collins. Cyborg has lost just twice in the sport and has racked up championships everywhere she has gone, including her PFL Super Fights title win over Larissa Pacheco. Collins is 6-0 in MMA, submitting Leah McCourt in her last fight one year ago.
The 2025 PFL Europe tournament champions will also be crowned earlier in the card, as Connor Hughes faces Alex Chizov at lightweight and Baris Adiguzel takes on Dean Garnett at bantamweight.
The event was broadcasted on DAZN in most countries, as well as via ESPN Unlimited in the U.S. If you missed any of the action, MMA News has you covered below with the full results and all the highlights below.
PFL Lyon Results & Highlights
Heavyweight World Championship: Vadim Nemkov def. Renan Ferreira via submission (arm-triangle choke) (R1, 4:00) Womens’ Featherweight World Championship.: Cris Cyborg def. Sara Collins via submission (rear-naked choke) (R3, 2:55) Welterweight Showcase.: Patrick Habirora def. Kevin Jousset via KO (R1, 2:42) Bantamweight Showcase.: Taylor Lapilus def. Liam Gittins via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) PFL Europe Bantamweight Tournament Championship.: Baris Adiguzel def. Dean Garnett via TKO (R1, 0:44) Light Heavyweight Showcase.: Boris Atangana def. Guilherme Soares via submission (rear-naked choke) (R2, 2:35) PFL Europe Lightweight Tournament Championship.: Alex Chizov def. Connor Hughes via KO (R3, 0:50) Bantamweight Showcase.: Gustavo Oliveira def. Movsar Ibragimov via KO (R2, 0:34) Women’s Flyweight Showcase.: Sabrinna de Sousa def. Paulina Wisniewska via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Bantamweight Showcase.: Rayan Balbali def. Levi Batchelor via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Rayan Balbali vs. Levi Batchelor
WE ARE LIVE! The first fight of the night! Rayan Balbali and Levi Batchelor kick off the action! #PFLLyon | LDLC Arena, Lyon | 📺LIVE NOW on the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/1hocj7Fhig
Rayan Balbali with a spinning wheel kick as the action continues in Round 2 in the first fight of the night!#PFLLyon | LDLC Arena, Lyon | 📺LIVE NOW on the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/omdk1eTbJm
Sabrinna Desousa with the arm triangle attempt from the feet on Paulina Wisniewska #PFLLyon | LDLC Arena, Lyon | 📺LIVE NOW on the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/6QNC5qlKZt
What a beautiful left hook counter by Oliveira to get the second round TKO! #PFLLyon | LDLC Arena, Lyon | 📺LIVE NOW on the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/zvYOMs3DBl
Aleksandr Chizov wobbles Connor Hughes and then Hughes returns fire as the action continues in this PFL Europe Lightweight Title bout!#PFLLyon | LDLC Arena, Lyon | 📺LIVE NOW on the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/M0uuwcEu0e
Aleksandr Chizov turns off the lights with a 3rd Round KO over Connor Hughes to win the @PFLEurope Lightweight Title!#PFLLyon | LDLC Arena, Lyon | 📺LIVE NOW on the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/ETOf1jPh3J
Boris Atangana gets the submission win over Guilherme Soares as he improves to 8-0! #PFLLyon | LDLC Arena, Lyon | 📺LIVE NOW on the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/hHP3sgJU3g
Baris Adiguzel did not waste anytime with the first round finish as he is your 2025 @PFLEurope Bantamweight Champion#PFLLyon | LDLC Arena, Lyon | 📺LIVE NOW on the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/XBRfgWYfum
There's something in the air always when Patrick Habirora fights as he gets another first round finish! 🤯🤯#PFLLyon | LDLC Arena, Lyon | 📺LIVE NOW on the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/AmwGBOkuKK
Cris Cyborg gets it done with a rear naked submission as she defends her PFL Women's Featherweight World Title! 🐍🏆#PFLLyon | LDLC Arena, Lyon | 📺LIVE NOW on the ESPN app pic.twitter.com/c571rRJGbV
Merab Dvalishvili looked to make more history, and it ended up biting him in the backside. Petr Yan put on a star performance unlike anyone ever has against Dvalishvili, winning on the scorecards and becoming a two-time UFC bantamweight champion in the main event of UFC 323.
Yan looked to bring the fight to Dvalishvili from the beginning, and it seemed to work. Yan’s pressure allowed him to go toe-to-toe with anything Dvalishvili threw at him in the first and preventing any successful takedowns from the defending champ in the first. Yan added in a strong right hand that busted Dvalishvili open.
Yan continued to find success in the second round with his jab. He even scored a takedown on Dvalishvili, which resulted in an impressive scrambling trade between the two men. Even as Dvalishvili looked for takedowns late in the round, while adding in jabs, Yan continued to defend.
Yan looked to bring the pressure again and tie Dvalishvili up, scoring a takedown. Then, Dvalishvili picked up Yan as he did Cejudo before slamming Yan to the mat. Yan got up quickly, though he was the victim of another quick mat return. Yan, however, managed to hurt Dvalishvili again, busting him open again and rocking him with a body kick.
Dvalishvili threatened a guillotine choke early in the fourth round, but Yan was able to work his way out of the submission. Yan continued to show off takedown defense against Dvalishvili’s consistent takedown efforts, and Yan continued to damage him with his punching. Yan continued to hurt Dvalishvili with body shots
Yan’s striking continued to find its mark in the fifth round, locking up the scorecards and the bantamweight gold for Yan.
Petr Yan Regains Bantamweight Title With Upset Of Merab Dvalishvili At UFC 323
Considering their first fight, Petr Yan just delivered one of the most incredible performances of all time. That pace never wavered, and he hung in there with the dude who was thought to be impossible to outmatch in that department. Insane display of MMA at the highest level.
This was a rematch from their UFC Las Vegas main event in March 2023, which Dvalishvili won via decision.
Since then, Yan had won three straight to earn the rematch and title shot tonight, defeating Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee.
Yan became bantamweight champion the first time by finishing Jose Aldo at UFC 251. He then lost the championship via DQ to Aljamain Sterling at UFC 259. He’d defeat Cory Sandhagen for interim gold at UFC 267 but lost an undisputed championship rematch with Sterling at UFC 273.
Dvalishvili tastes defeat for the first time since dropping his first two UFC bouts in 2017-18. He originally won the title by defeating Sean O’Malley at Noche UFC 2: UFC 306. He had retained the title against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, O’Malley at UFC 316, and Sandhagen at UFC 320.
In one of the most shocking moments in UFC title history, Alexadre Pantoja suffers a broken arm in less than 30 seconds, making Joshua Van the new UFC flyweight champion in the co-main event of UFC 323.
Pantoja came out with his traditional aggressive style, trying to bring the striking pressure to Van. Van would catch a kick and dump Pantoja to the floor — and that was the moment the fight ended.
Pantoja landed on his arm when being pushed down to the mat, resulting in what appeared to be a nasty break to end the title fight.
Joshua Van Claims Flyweight Title At UFC 323 After Alexandre Pantoja Breaks Arm
Holy smokes.
Pantoja’s arm breaks as he lands in the first few seconds and the fight is off.
Josh Van is the new champ.
Absolutely sickening. Don’t watch the footage. It’s awful.
I wish that Van vs Pantoja fight was aloud to keep going. It should be up to us as the fighter if we want to continue after that. We put the time in the training camp in that situation. People dislocate their arms and put it back in place and keep fighting all the time.#UFC323
I love Van but fuck anyone celebrating that sort of win.
But yeah, like usual, a loss here but man do I feel bad for Pantoja to suffer that horrific an injury at this stage of his career and he never got his due from the media or fans either. Fuck man… #UFC323
Van is 9-1 in the Octagon, and this marked his sixth straight win. This completes an epic 2025 for Van after a decision win over Rei Tsuruya at UFC 313, a finish of Bruno Silva at UFC 316, and a Fight of the Year with Brandon Royval at UFC 317.
Pantoja’s title reign began at UFC 290, defeating Brandon Moreno. He defended the title four times, defeating Royval at UFC 296, Steve Erceg at UFC 301, Kai Asakura at UFC 310, and Kai Kara-France at UFC 317.
Despite yet another referee controversy, Tatsuro Taira may have positioned himself to finally get a crack at flyweight gold, becoming the first man to finish former two-time flyweight champion Brandon Moreno at UFC 323.
Moreno was in control for most of the first round, executing a tight triangle on Taira for what felt like the longest time — in spite of Taira looking to take the fight to the ground. He appeared to have a fully locked-in triangle armbar and triangle choke, but Taira defended and was able to slip out of the hold in the closing seconds.
Taira used his speed to slip away from Moreno’s strikes in the second round. He then was able to score a takedown, and this time it was him who was troubling the former champ.
Taira flattened out Moreno and rained down blows. As Moreno appeared to be building his base, however, referee Mark Smith waved off the fight, giving Taira the win in a key flyweight battle.
Tatsuro Taira Finishes Brandon Moreno At UFC 323
Mark Smith has been DREADFUL tonight. Fucked up in the Barber fight, fucked up in the Moreno fight. Horrible tonight, horrible for some time. And we'll see no consequences. #UFC323
Literally can’t bet on MMA when you have Mark Smith refereeing. They need to announce refereeing assignments before the fights so we can totally avoid Mark Smith fights. #UFC323
Taira has now won back-to-back fights after his first professional MMA loss, coming against Brandon Royval. He is 8-1 since arriving in the UFC in 2022.
Moreno has lost three of five now, stretching back to him losing the flyweight title to Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 290.
Henry Cejudo’s four-fight second UFC run will end winless, as Payton Talbott managed to take a victory in Cejudo’s swan song at UFC 323.
Talbott managed to get the better of Cejudo in the first round, connecting on the more effective strikes while taking advantage of an aggressive Cejudo. Talbott even scored a pair of takedowns on Cejudo during the opening frame.
The former champion was clipped early in the second round, getting knocked down. Cejudo, however, swept for a reversal and got into top position. Talbott got back to his feet with about 90 seconds left in the round, throwing a flurry that included body shots that impacted Cejudo. Cejudo fought back with a wild flurry of his own, even though he was briefly dropped.
While Cejudo got top control again in the third, Talbott continued to fight his fight and land more shots to the body, going on to claim the unanimous decision win.
Payton Talbott Retires Henry Cejudo, Scores Decision Win At UFC 323
Henry Cejudo should be proud of that performance.
He went out swinging and left it all in there.
He came into the sport as a wrestler and is leaving the sport as one of the greatest of all time.
Cejudo doesn’t beat DJ in 2018 … Askren trade can’t happen … TJ x Cejudo doesn’t headline first ESPN show … Masvidal x Askren doesn’t happen … BMF doesn’t happen … crazy the dominoes that fell after that (very close) win in August 2018.
Pretty epic retirement package for Cejudo here. Well deserved. His career is kind of weird to assess in terms of GOAT status because it all came pretty quickly, but talent-wise, he was undeniable.
Talbott not only gets the biggest win of his career, but he’s now won two straight since suffering his first career loss at UFC 311 earlier this year.
Cejudo, who debuted in MMA in 2013, made his UFC debut in December 2014, going on to be a key figure in the UFC’s flyweight division. After unsuccessfully challenging Demetrious Johnson at UFC 197 for the flyweight title, Cejudo defeated “Mighty Mouse” in their UFC 227 rematch.
Cejudo then claimed the bantamweight championship at UFC 238 to become the UFC’s fourth champ-champ. He’d initially retire after retaining the bantamweight title over Dominick Cruz at UFC 249 but unretired in 2023, going 0-4, including tonight’s loss to Talbott, as well as an unsuccessful, controversial bantamweight title fight with Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288.
Jan Blachowicz looked to show he can still be considered a top light heavyweight in the world, while Bogdan Guskov looked for his biggest win. Instead, their fight that opened the UFC 323 pay-per-view card ended in a draw.
The first round was a fairly quiet one, with the most notable part being the number of leg kicks Blachowicz was landing on Guskov.
Blachowicz looked to continue to work leg kicks, along with his jab, in the second. But Guskov answered with a right hand that dropped Blachowicz, with Guskov doing more damage with ground-and-pound from top position.
Despite a leg lock attempt from Blachowicz, Guskov continued to hunt for the finish, busting Blachowicz open in the process. The third round, however, saw Blachowicz show off some of his power on the feet once again. He snapped Guskov’s head back a couple of times, coming forward with pressure. Blachowicz ended the fight with a flurry that briefly dropped Guskov.
Despite Blachowicz’s strong performance, two judges scored the second round 10-8 in Guskov’s favor, ending the fight with a majority draw.
Jan Blachowicz And Bogdan Guskov Battle To A Draw At UFC 323
Guskov just fumbled that win. That right hand was there all day but was super hesitant. #UFC323
We start the #UFC323 main card w/ a draw. Legendary polish power Jan Błachowicz and Bogdan Guskov went the distance to open the ppv and the judges rule a majority draw. For what’s its worth I had Jan winning, but my vote is not the one that counts. I can see r2 being 10-8 however
Manuel Torres is known for the power he could bring out in a flash, and that’s what happened in his victory over Grant Dawson in the featured UFC 323 prelim bout.
Dawson came out with strong kicks to start, as well as aggressively looking for a takedown. Torres fended those efforts off, however, and worked Dawson’s body over.
Dawson overextended on one of his punches, and Torres made him pay with a counter that dropped him to the mat, bringing the fight to a halt quickly.
Despite finding himself in trouble seconds into the fight, Chris Duncan weathered the storm from Terrance McKinney and managed to score a first-round finish at UFC 323.
McKinney landed a high kick that appeared to rock Duncan at the very beginning of the fight. McKinney followed with a couple of flurries that put Duncan down and in trouble, with the fight looking mere seconds away from being stopped.
Duncan, however, managed to get back to his feet and fight fire with fire, bringing the bout to a back-and-forth encounter. Duncan would wobble McKinney with a brutal elbow, quickly putting a fatigued McKinney to the mat.
After a lot of ground shots, Duncan locked up an Anaconda choke, scoring the submission win.
Chris Duncan Submits Terrance McKinney At UFC 323
Terrance McKinney vs. Chris Duncan couldn't have been any more predictable, and it was absolutely awesome. Car crash.
Nine months after saying he was done with the Octagon, Jalin Turner has come back in a big way, scoring a first-round finish of Edson Barboza at UFC 323.
Turner and Barboza did plenty of combination trading to start before Turner busted him opponent with an elbow. Turner would quickly drop Barboza and rain down some heavy ground-and-pound.
Barboza made his way back to his feet, but Turner did not let up on the pressure. Another flurry of shots saw Turner draw Barboza again, this time forcing Herb Dean to wave off the action.
Jalin Turner Stops Edson Barboza In One Round At UFC 323
This man retired because he did not feel like he could hurt people anymore and didn't feel like he was good enough.
Welcome back, Jalin Turner!!! Almost gave up on the dream, but proved he’s still got plenty left to offer. Respect!!! #UFC323pic.twitter.com/oySzh8XtZJ
Prelims, short fight, and UFC’s last pay-per-view event on ESPN be damned — Iwo Baraniewski and Ibo Aslan delivered in a big way during their prelim at UFC 323, delivering a short but epic banger.
For about 90 seconds, the two had quite the slugfest where each felt the other man’s power. Both men traded flurries, with Baraniewski initially dropping Aslan before Aslan rocked him near the fence.
Aslan tried to bully Baraniewski, but Baraniewski made him pay with a right hand that put him out cold to finish the fight.
Iwo Baraniewski KOs Ibo Aslan In Dramatic Back-And-Forth Battle At UFC 323
This marked Baraniewski’s debut in the Octagon following his 20-second knockout of Mahamed Aly during his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series in September. He is 7-0 in professional MMA.
After winning two straight in the UFC following his own DWCS appearance, Aslan has now dropped three in a row.
