Charles Johnson is not the kind of fighter to be counted out so soon. That’s the message that was delivered as he handed Lone’er Kavanagh the first loss of his professional MMA career during the UFC Shanghai prelims.
Kavanagh troubled Johnson early, landing a hook and a head kick in the opening couple of minutes that both did some notable damage. Kavanagh continued to push the pace, dominating early on and looking like he could finish Johnson at any point.
Kavanagh attempted a tight guillotine choke in the second round, but Johnson was able to escape. Kavanagh tried to stay with him, only for Johnson to land some hard elbows before landing a right hand that dropped Kavanagh out cold.
Johnson, who at one point lost three straight and looked like he could be cut at any point, has now won five of his last six fights.
Kavanagh had won his first two UFC bouts against Jose Ochoa and Felipe dos Santos after a first-round finish on Dana White’s Contender Series last year.
Kyle Daukaus is back, returning to the UFC for the first time in three years and making a statement in a big way as he stops Michel Pereira during the UFC Shanghai prelims.
Less than a minute into the bout, Daukaus landed a right hand that knocked Pereira down. Daukaus followed Pereira to the mat and started to land some ground-and-pound.
After a pair of elbows that connected roughly, the referee stepped in to stop the fight, much to the protest of Pereira.
Kyle Daukaus Returns To UFC For First Time In Three Years, Scores Sub-Minute TKO Of Michel Pereira At UFC Shanghai
Cool to see Daukaus get the upset win on short notice. He was adamantly pleading to get back in the UFC for a long time and even though they gave him a dangerous opponent in China he still seized the opportunity and turned it into a huge KO moment.
Daukaus just hopped on a plane to China without his coaches, just his brother Chris and his boy Pat Brady and then highlight reel KO'd Michel Pereira. Philadelphia just conquered China and Brazil simultaneously.
š³ Kyle Daukaus just flatlined Michel Pereira in the FIRST round in his first UFC fight since 2022.
Left the UFC, became the Cage Fury middleweight champion and defended it multiple times, rejoined the UFC and KOād one of the most entertaining middleweights on short notice.
Daukaus went 2-4 (1 NC) with the UFC between 2020 and 2022, including losses to Brendan Allen and Roman Dolidze, as well as a no-contest in a fight with Kevin Holland. Since his initial UFC release, Daukaus had won four straight, claiming the CFFC middleweight title and defending it twice.
Pereira has now lost three straight, getting stopped by Anthony Hernandez last October and dropping a decision to Abus Magomedov at UFC Kansas City in April.
Add another first-round finish to the track record of Yi Zha, as he managed to score a quick victory over Westin Wilson during the UFC Shanghai prelims.
Just seconds into the fight, Zha took advantage of Wilson’s hands being down and started to rock him. Zha worked him over well with the left hand, one of which dropped Wilson before he could get anything going.
Wilson got back to his feet but was quickly re-dropped with a combination, prompting Herb Dean to stop the fight after just 37 seconds.
Yi Zha Uses Strikes To Make Quick Work Of Westin Wilson At UFC Shanghai
Zha, a veteran of Road to UFC, rebounds from a decision loss to Gabriel Santos in September. Zha has now won four of his last five and seven of his last nine.
Wilson is now just 1-3 in the UFC since his July 2023 Octagon debut.
The spirit of Aleksei Oleinik must have been present at Shanghai Indoor Stadium this morning, as Uran Satybaldiev pulled off a rare Ezekiel Choke — and a rarer one that comes from the top position — to open the UFC Shanghai preliminary card with a victory over Diyar Nurgozhay.
Satybaldiev troubled Nurgozhay in the fight’s second minute, dropping Nurgozhay with a right hand. Satybaldiev didn’t finish him with strikes, but he did lock on a tight kimura grip that looked like it could have broken Nurgozhay’s arm and finished the fight.
Nurgozhay managed to escape that submission but found himself in further trouble when Satybaldiev got in top position and sought a choke. Though normally done from the bottom, Satybaldiev managed to position himself correctly to perform an Ezekiel choke from top position, scoring the tapout just halfway through the opening round.
Satybaldiev now becomes just the fourth fighter in UFC history to score an Ezekiel choke submission in a fight with the promotion, joining the likes of Oleinik, Remco Pardoel, and Alexander Volkov.
Uran Satybaldiev Becomes Fourth-Ever UFC Fighter To Score Win Via Ezekiel Choke Submission At UFC Shanghai
Uran gets a Ezekiel choke Kyrgyzstan you have a Aleksei Olenik #UFCShaghai
Uran Satybaldiev scores just the 5th Ezekiel choke submission in UFC history. He joins Remco Pardoel, Alexander Volkov, and two such tapouts from Aleksei Oleinik. #UFCShanghai
UFC Fight Night: Johnny Walker vs. Zhang Mingyang (aka UFC Shanghai) takes place in the early hours of Saturday morning, August 23, and MMA News has you covered with all the action!
After a pay-per-view card in Chicago that saw the crowning of a new UFC middleweight champion, the MMA leader touches down in Shanghai for the first time since 2017, following a Fight Night held in Macau last November.
The main event saw Johnny Walker breaking his own winless skid while snapping the long winning streak of Zhang Mingyang. Though Walker had a bizarre takedown attempt to start the fight, and Mingyang controlled the action in the first round with his strikes, a calf kick changed things in the second. One of Walker’s calf kicks caused Mingyang to go to the mat in pain, and Walker swarmed the Chinese fighter. Mingyang’s efforts to defend and get back to his feet were for naught, and Walker scored the second round finish.
The co-main event of the evening saw Aljamain Sterling win a bizarre and lackluster 153-pound catchweight contest with Brian Ortega. Ortega, who already had plenty of controversy surrounding him and his concerning weight cut, put up little offense until a flurry and desperate submission efforts in the fifth round. Sterling went on to sweep the scorecards.
The rest of the main card saw Sergei Pavlovich defeat Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Su Mudaerij earn a decision over Kevin Borjas, and Taiyilake Nueraji defeat Keifer Crosbie.
If you missed the action, check here for all the results and highlights from the action in Shanghai!
UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Mingyang Results & Highlights
Main Card:
Light Heavyweight: Johnny Walker def. Zhang Mingyang via TKO (R2, 2:37)
Catchweight (153 lbs): Aljamain Sterling def. Brian Ortega via unanimous decision (50-45 x3)
Heavyweight: Sergei Pavlovich def. Waldo Cortes-Acosta via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Flyweight: Su Mudaerji def. Kevin Borjas via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Welterweight: Taiyilake Nueraji def. Kiefer Crosbie via TKO (R1, 3:33)
Preliminary Card:
Lightweight: Gauge Young def. Maheshate Hayisaer via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Flyweight: Charles Johnson def. Lone’er Kavanagh via KO (R2, 4:35)
Lightweight: Rong Zhu def. Austin Hubbard via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Middleweight: Kyle Daukaus def. Michel Pereira via TKO (R1, 0:43)
Featherweight: Yi Zha def. Westin Wilson via KO (R1, 0:37)
Bantamweight: You Su-young def. Xiao Long via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Light Heavyweight: Uran Satybaldiev def. Diyar Nurgozhay via submission (Ezekiel choke) (R1, 2:45)
Uran Satybaldiev vs. Diyar Nurgozhay
STARTING OFF FAST WITH THE SUBMISSION š„
Uran Satybaldiev sinks in the Ezekiel choke to kick off #UFCShanghai š¤Æ
UFC Shanghai is almost here, and we here at MMA News are here to provide you the latest on betting odds for the card.
The card takes place from the Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China, on Saturday, August 23. The main card portion of the event will start at 6AM ET/3AM PT, with preliminary action starting at 3AM ET/12AM PT.
The headline attraction for the event will feature Johnny Walker taking on Zhang Mingyang in a light heavyweight contenders’ battle.
The main card will also feature Sergei Pavlovich taking on Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Su Mudaerji against Kevin Borjas, and Taiyilake Nueraji facing Kiefer Crosbie.
UFC Shanghai: Walker vs. Mingyang Betting Odds
Listed below are the latest betting odds for UFC Shanghai as of August 22 at 9pm ET, courtesy ofĀ DraftKings.
Main Card:
Light Heavyweight: Johnny Walker (+300) vs. Zhang Mingyang (-380)
Catchweight (153 lbs): Brian Ortega (+380) vs. Aljamain Sterling (-500)
Heavyweight: Sergei Pavlovich (-250) vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (+205)
Flyweight: Su Mudaerji (-175) vs. Kevin Borjas (+145)
Welterweight: Taiyilake Nueraji (-520) vs. Kiefer Crosbie (+390)
Preliminary Card:
Lightweight: Maheshate Hayisaer (+124) vs. Gauge Young (-148)
Flyweight: Lone’er Kavanagh (-258) vs. Charles Johnson (+210)
Lightweight: Rong Zhu (-285) vs. Austin Hubbard (+230)
Middleweight: Michel Pereira (-238) vs. Kyle Daukaus (+195)
Featherweight: Yi Zha (-1050) vs. Westin Wilson (+675)
Bantamweight: Xiao Long (+120) vs. You Su-young (-142)
Light Heavyweight: Uran Satybaldiev (-108) vs. Diyar Nurgozhay (-112)
A little less than two weeks after it was reported they will no longer be the home for UFC live events starting in 2026, a new report has emerged that ESPN is seeking to purchase UFC Fight Pass and the UFC’s video library.
Per Blake Avignon, who cites multiple unnamed sources, such a deal between the UFC and ESPN is not finalized but are in advanced talking stages.
BREAKING: @ESPN is in active talks to acquire UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass), multiple sources confirm. The plan is to fold the archive and select live content into ESPNās new DTC app. Discussions are advanced but not finalized, with ESPN also eyeing the #WWEVault. pic.twitter.com/LHVzFhlLsB
— Blake āAxeā Avignon (@bobby_s_axelrod) August 22, 2025
According to Avignon, “The plan is to fold the archive and select live content into ESPN’s new DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) app.”
ESPN officially launched its new app on August 21 with an $11.99/month ESPN Select tier — which gives access to ESPN+ content — and a $29.99/month ESPN Unlimited tier — which gives access to all ESPN content.
ESPN Eyeing Purchase Of UFC Fight Pass, Video Library
It is unclear how much of the UFC’s video library — including the video libraries of other promotions the UFC has acquired, such as PRIDE, WEC, and Strikeforce — would be available on the ESPN app.
It is also unclear what such an acquisition would mean for the regional and smaller promotions that air on UFC Fight Pass, including the LFA, CFFC, and Fury FC — as well as the discipline-focused programs including UFC BJJ and the UFC Fight Pass Invitational competitions.
The archives for both Dana White’s Contender Series and The Ultimate Fighter are also available on UFC Fight Pass. While there is no indication of such, some believe this deal would mean both programs would remain with ESPN. Neither program was part of the UFC’s new deal with Paramount. This would mean a split of UFC properties between different networks and streaming services, which most believed might happen when initially discussing the UFC’s U.S. broadcasting rights after 2025.
It is also unclear what such a deal could mean for the fate of the PFL, whose own U.S. broadcasting deal with ESPN expires at the end of 2026.
While they lost the rights to UFC live events, ESPN has been busy on the sports content front throughout August. At the beginning of the month, ESPN acquired assets of the NFL — including the NFL Network channel, NFL RedZone, and NFL Fantasy — in exchange for the football league gaining a 10 percent ownership stake in ESPN.
Just one day ago, ESPN acquired the rights to MLB.TV, incorporating out-of-market MLB broadcasts (and in-market broadcasts for five MLB teams) into its streaming service.
Bryan Battle has found a new home for his fighting career.
Itās been a turbulent few days for Battle. As he was slated to face Nursulton Ruziboev in a middleweight bout at UFC 319 last Saturday, the fight was scrapped after the North Carolina native came in four pounds over the 186-pound limit.
However, on Friday, Mike Perryās hybrid combat sports promotion Dirty Boxing announced the signing of Bryan Battle. The Ultimate Fighter Season 29 winner is slated to make his promotional debut at DBX 3 on August 29 at The Hangar in Miami, Florida, in a 185-pound bout with an opponent yet to be determined.
šØ Bryan Battle has signed with Dirty Boxing for a fight at 185lbs! šØ
DBX 3 is slated to be headlined by former UFC heavyweight fighter Jairzinho Rozenstruik, who awaits a new opponent after Rob Perez withdrew from the promotionās inaugural heavyweight title bout.
What Is Bryan Battleās MMA Record?
Bryan Battle arrives at Dirty Boxing with a professional MMA record of 13-2, 1 NC. His most recent outing came at UFC 310 in December 2024, where he edged Randy Brown via split decision.
“The Butcher” closed out his UFC tenure with a solid 7-1, 1 NC record, highlighted by five stoppage victories and two Performance of the Night bonuses.
Johan Ghazali carries on a century-plus family lineage of combat sports competitors and will unfurl the next chapter of his own story at ONE Fight Night 35. ‘Jojo’ will clash with Zakaria El Jamari in an intriguing Muay Thai bout on September 5th and Ghazali appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts with a portion of the discussion touching on how important Muay Thai specifically has been to his family.
Through Ghazali’s own efforts in the ONE Circle, he has built a strong fan base in Malaysia as he competes in the high octane, smaller gloves iteration of Muay Thai that ONE Championship has become known for. When asking what stylistic amendments have to be made from traditional Muay Thai that generally uses the bigger gloves versus the ONE Championship permutation of Muay Thai with the smaller, 4oz gloves, Johan Ghazali said,
“I mean I’m lucky because I joined ONE Championship very early on in my career. You know, I signed the contract when I was like 16. So I didn’t really fight; I fought in like stadiums with big gloves and five round fights and the traditional Muay Thai, so. But my goal has always been ONE Championship. I knew what I wanted to do. So, I’ve always been like planning my style and training my style to fit into ONE Championship. Not with 4 oz gloves, but you know, the fast paced, three round style, so.”
“You know, thank God that the; I feel like the four oz gloves really fall into my favor. Of course, it’s not a God-given talent. You know, I had to work a lot, really hard for me to evolve into this style. Learn how to block properly, how to punch properly without breaking your hands. There’s so many obstacles that I went through, but I’m glad to say that I feel like this style suits me, you know, the four ounce gloves suit me.”
Johan Ghazali on Muay Thai traditionalists, familial ties to Jack Dempsey’s career
Johan Ghazali’s dad has been a prominent part of the old school Muay Thai scene in Malaysia and considering that aspect of things, when asked if he has had any Muay Thai traditionalists express certain sentiments to him about the ONE Championship way of promoting the art of eight limbs, Johan Ghazali stated,
“I mean definitely there’s always going to be traditionalists. There’s always going to be people who say this is how you do it and this is how it’s supposed to be. But at the end of the day, you know, everything has to evolve. You know, every sport has to evolve, every person has to evolve. So, I’m just doing what I think is best at the moment. You know, I can stay in traditional Muay Thai and do five round fights, but I wouldn’t be in the position that I am.”
“You know, I wouldn’t have the fan base or the crowd reach that I have. So, I’m just making the best moves possible and I like it, you know. If one day, once Muay Thai changes into something else, I’ll be there too, you know, because I’m ready to evolve and I’m ready to; I mean, even if you look at it from a different point of view, you know, this is how the best species stay alive. You know, you have to evolve. If you don’t, you’re dead. So, yeah.”
There is so much combat sports history throughout his family’s history that extends even beyond the beautiful art of Muay Thai. In fact, Ghazali’s great-grandfather fought on some Jack Dempsey undercards a century ago. When referencing his past relative Eric Johnson Sr. who fought under the moniker of Swede Johnson, in the context of how rich the family’s history in fight sports is, Johan Ghazali quipped,
“Absolutely. Combat sports in my family goes way back. So yeah, fighting in my family is, they don’t go apart [laughs].”
Aaron Pico sustained a brutal knockout loss in his UFC debut and a former multi-time bantamweight champion in the promotion who has worked with Pico before has weighed in on that situation. Appearing on the JAXXON Podcast, TJ Dillashaw discussed Pico’s devastating defeat by way of a spinning back elbow to Lerone Murphy in one of the more hotly discussed fights from UFC 319 which went down on August 16th from Chicago.
When touching upon his anecdotal experience with the former Bellator MMA star in terms of things Pico does well and what he could improve on for subsequent octagon outings, Dillashaw said [via MMA Junkie],
“The first time I ever trained with Aaron Pico was when I moved back down here and started training with Sam Calavitta, and from day one, I was like, ‘This kid could be a champion.’ He is so good because he’s an insanely good wrestler and his boxing is just awesome. He drops bombs. He’s got an awesome liver shot.”
“He looked really good in this fight. But again, I’m going to go back to [feints]. Pico was putting things together. His technique was great and his pressure was awesome, but he’s just moving forward without any feints. He’s not making Murphy guess on what he’s throwing. Pico has now been knocked out a few times and he gets caught with another, back-to-back, spinning back elbow. He walks right into it.”
Aaron Pico “has everything there is to be a champion”, but is “so tense when he’s fighting”
While expressing how much effort Pico puts into his training preparations and how he could further optimize his efforts within the heat of live UFC competition, Dillashaw stated [via MMA Junkie],
“Like, I work hard. This guy, it’s insane how hard he works with Sam Calavitta at the gym. He puts everything into this thing. I’m very sad for him because he’s a very talented guy. He’s been knocked out a few times now, which is worrisome. Pretty heavy knockouts. It’s just some small things he could do a little bit better. He’s so tense when he’s fighting. He’s got this tunnel vision that he’s looking for knockouts constantly.”
Also, the former UFC titleholder praised Pico as someone who could also hoist UFC gold above his head someday and in addressing the UFC 319 situation while eyeing a more uplifting path forward, Dillashaw quipped [via MMA Junkie],
“Aaron Pico has everything there is to be a champion, it’s just some small tweaks and changes that he can make. I hope he bounces back from this because I love the guy. He’s an amazing human being. He works his ass off. He’s very talented. Total bummer to have this happen.”
The Road to UFC Season 4 tournament took place on Friday, August 22, at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium in China. The event brought together the Asia-Pacific regionās top MMA prospects, who battled for a spot in the finals and the chance to secure a coveted UFC deal, alongside a slate of thrilling featured bouts.
Headlining the card, Road to UFC Season 3 strawweight winner Shi Ming made her long-awaited UFC debut against Dana Whiteās Contender Series standout Bruna Brasil. In the co-main event, flyweight action heats up as Nyamjargal Tumendemberel squared off with American prospect Terrance Saeteurn.
Herb Dean recently weighed in on some of the discourse regarding Khamzat Chimaev’s championship winning performance on August 16th and a specific decision made during the contest from a regulatory perspective. During an interview with Helen Yee Sports, Herb Dean touched upon Khamzat Chimaev having one of the more dominant performances in UFC history over previous champion Dricus du Plessis.
Some observers have called the grappling heavy performance boring or tantamount to stalling which did lead to a stand up not onc ebut twice from assigned in-cage official Marc Goddard. Conversely, some saw the refinement of skill needed to dominate an opponent of that caliber.
Considering he is one of the more tenured referees in the game and has a lot of localized insights on the craft in the context of how he perceived the story that unfurled in the UFC 319 main event and Marc Goddard’s decision making in that DDP vs. ‘Borz’ bout, Dean said,
āItās an ongoing conversation that everyone and the stakeholders and everyone in the sport has, but what do we want this sport to look like? Do we want people to achieve a dominant position, which if youāre not using it to beat your opponent could almost be looked at as a hiding place, a place to burn time? Iām never gonna accuse Khamzat of hiding, because the manās a savage.”
(mfn_mma & Herb Dean on Instagram)
“But if you get a position, like, we can break that one down, the crucifix chest-to-chest position, not a lot of height, very difficult to get a place where you can punch your opponent. Sometimes heās able to get elbows and you want to reward people, but at the same time, you want to reward someone with a 10-8 for trying to finish their opponent, for taking a risk. It takes a risk to make some space to posture, where youāre going to be able to maybe finish the fight. And I think thatās what we want our sport to look like.ā
Khamzat Chimaev and fighters in general “should be trying to work for a finish” says Dean
Further discussing aspects of Khamzat Chimaev’s record breaking 185 pound title win in Chicago, Dean continued,
āWe want people, if they have a dominant position, we want to see effort to finish the fight, effort to initiate fight-ending sequences. Thatās what weāre looking for. If someoneās not in a position where they’re maintaining a safe position but they’re not able to diminish their opponent and finish the fight, then that’s a situation where people are going to get a warning to work. And when they say work, you know, I think you always should be trying to work for a finish.ā
In spite of a scare that the fight was off, the UFC Shanghai co-main event featuring Brian Ortega and Aljamain Sterling will remain on. Some people in the MMA community, however, if the bout should be called off after all.
It all started with a now-deleted post to X (formerly Twitter) by Alex Beuhein of MMA Mania, who stated that the fight between Ortega and Sterling was off. According to Beuhein, Ortega fainted and hit his head while cutting weight, resulting in him needing to go to the hospital.
šØ BREAKING: Brian Ortega is OUT of his fight against Aljamain Sterling due to a weight issue
About an hour later, new reports surfaced that Ortega did not leave for the hospital and the fight remained on, albeit at a new catchweight of 153 pounds.
UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald would take to social media to provide an update on the situation, claiming while the fainting and hospital reports were not true, there was “drama” and Ortega was not going to be able to make the featherweight limit.
Ortega looks like a guy that fainted and went to the hospital and 'magically' was cleared to still fight on the card because fighter safety is only important when they want to use it as an excuse. https://t.co/gmqQ6BdkbR
This is Ortega’s second straight fight that has seen him experience weight cutting difficulties. He was scheduled to face Diego Lopes at UFC 303 in a featherweight bout. One day prior, Ortega’s weight difficulties would result in the bout being moved to lightweight before the bout was scrapped and postponed to Noche UFC 2: UFC 306 in September.
Ortega would lose the fight, making it three losses in his last four, starting from an unsuccessful challenge of Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 266.
Sterling is 1-1 since moving up to featherweight, defeating Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 and losing to Movsar Evloev at UFC 310.
UFC Fight Night: Johnny Walker vs. Zhang Mingyang takes place on Saturday, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results.
Held at Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China, this is the second time in UFC history that the promotion will hold a card in mainland China. The first instance came back in November 2017, a night that saw Kelvin Gastelum knock out Michael Bisping in what ultimately became the final fight in Bisping’s career. Last year, the UFC held a card in Macau, China, headlined by Petr Yan defeating Deiveson Figueiredo.
This time around, UFC Shanghai will be topped by light heavyweight action featuring Johnny Walker and Zhang Mingyang.
Walker is winless in his last three fights, and this will be his first fight since UFC Saudi Arabia in June 2024. Walker had both a no contest and knockout loss to current light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev at, respectively, UFC 294 and UFC Vegas 84, before getting knocked out by Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Saudi Arabia.
Mingyang is 3-0 in the UFC since coming into the promotion off a knockout win on the first-ever Road to UFC episode. Since then, Mingyang has scored finishes of Brendson Ribeiro, Ozzy Diaz, and Anthony Smith.
The co-main event will feature former featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega in action against former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Ortega has lost three of his last four, most recently dropping a decision to Diego Lopes at Noche UFC 2: UFC 306 this past September. Sterling is 1-1 since moving up to 145 after losing his 135-pound title, defeating Calvin Kattar at UFC 300 but losing to Movsar Evloev at UFC 310.
Elsewhere, the likes of Sergei Pavlovich, Waldo Cortes-Acosra, Su Mudaerji, and Taiyilake Nueraji will all be in action.
UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Mingyang Weigh-In Results
UFC Fight Night: Walker vs. Mingyang takes place on Saturday, August 23, at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China. The main card begins at 6 AM ET/3 AM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 3 AM ET/12 AM PT.
See above for the UFC’s recording of the official UFC Shanghai weigh-ins.
Main Card:
Light Heavyweight: Johnny Walker (206) vs. Zhang Mingyang (205)
Catchweight (153 lbs)*: Brian Ortega (153) vs. Aljamain Sterling (153)
Heavyweight: Sergei Pavlovich (255.5) vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta (262)
Flyweight: Su Mudaerji (125.5) vs. Kevin Borjas (126)
Welterweight: Taiyilake Nueraji (170) vs. Kiefer Crosbie (170.5)
Preliminary Card:
Lightweight: Maheshate Hayisaer (155) vs. Gauge Young (155.5)
Flyweight: Lone’er Kavanagh (126) vs. Charles Johnson (126)
Lightweight: Rong Zhu (155.5) vs. Austin Hubbard (155.5)
Middleweight: Michel Pereira (186) vs. Kyle Daukaus (185)
Featherweight: Yi Zha (145) vs. Westin Wilson (146)
Bantamweight: Xiao Long (136) vs. You Su-young (135.5)
Light Heavyweight: Uran Satybaldiev (204) vs. Diyar Nurgozhay (205.5)
*Ortega and Sterling agreed to a 153-pound catchweight contest due to complications Ortega had during weight cut. The fight had initially been reported as off following Ortega hitting his head during weight cut. Sterling had initially met the contracted non-title featherweight limit of 146 lbs.
Almost exactly three years ago, on August 20, 2022, Leon Edwards shook the MMA world up with a head kick that dropped Kamaru Usman out cold, making him the new UFC welterweight champion. Now, his brother, Fabian Edwards has his own championship head-kick knockout moment.
The younger Edwards brother knocked out Dalton Rosta in the third round to win the PFL Middleweight World Tournament in the main event of the card in Hollywood, Florida.
Rosta started strong, being speedy with his kicks and using his wrestling and pressure to control Edwards, threatening submissions at a couple of points. Rosta also hurt Edwards with a flurry during the second round, but Edwards showed resilience.
By the third round, Edwards had found a groove with landing his kicks on Rosta. And just as he continued to land a couple of low kicks, Edwards went high on one, connecting on the head and dropping Rosta out cold, becoming the first man to finish Rosta.
Fabian Edwards Knocks Out Dalton Rosta For PFL Middleweight World Tournament Title
Those Edwards brothers have one helluva story. Great to see Leon celebrate with Fabian the same way his younger bro did when he KOād Usman. Incredible moment.
The fact that both Fabian Edwards & Leon Edwards won major MMA world titles as brothers with the exact same head kick knockout is mind blowing https://t.co/oOE1bAMGv3
After coming up short in last year’s PFL heavyweight season, a loss to Denis Goltsov that snapped a long winning streak, Oleg Popov has avenged himself and become 2025 heavyweight PFL World Tournament champion with a split decision win over Alexandr Romanov in Hollywood, Florida.
Popov focused on low kicks and right hands, while Romanov answered with pressure, landing knees and short punches on the inside. Both men had their moments early on, trading strikes and battling for control in tight clinch battles.
Though Popov did more work in the first three rounds, Romanov surged late in round four with a furious flurry. Popov weathered the storm, however, and came back with strong strikes in the fifth.
One judge scored the bout for Romanov 48-47, while the other two scored the bout for Popov 48-47 and 49-46 to give the Fedor Emelianenko protegee the heavyweight title.
Oleg Popov Captures World Tournament Title With Split Decision Win Over Alexandr Romanov
May we never have to witness that fight ever again. Popov's striking is horrendous.
Popov made it to the finals with victories over Karl Williams and Rodrigo Nascimento.
Romanov, a UFC veteran who started his career 16-0, advanced to the final with a win over Tim Johnson and a no contest with former Bellator interim champion Valentin Moldavsky (Romanov advanced through a judges’ decision)
Already a PFL champion from its season-and-playoffs format, Antonio Carlos Junior now is also a World Tournament champion, putting away Sullivan Cauley to win the light heavyweight World Tournament title in Hollywood, Florida.
The two went toe-to-toe early, with each man scoring knockdowns in a wild opening round. Carlos Junior repeatedly landed heavy right hands and front kicks, while Cauley fired back with strong boxing to keep things even.
In round two, after a brief clash of heads, Carlos Junior stunned Cauley with straights and a head kick before taking the fight to the ground. From there, he secured back control and locked in a rear-naked choke to secure the tapout championship victory.
Antonio Carlos Junior Bests Sullivan Cauley For PFL World Tournament Title In Brawl
Shoeface absolutely wrecked Cauley. That was one of the best performances of the whole year. #PFLWorldTournament
Pretty good chance that was getting stopped in 90 seconds, but Shoeface wasn't gonna wait around to find out. Shoeface takes the LHW tournament title. Crazy fight while it lasted. #PFLWorldTournament
Alexei Pergande continues to show himself to be perhaps one of PFL’s fastest rising stars, as he pulled off a first-round finish of Ethan Goss at the PFL World Tournament event in Hollywood, Florida.
Pergande and Goss traded early strikes, with Goss landing body kicks as Pergande came forward with combinations and pressure. As Pergande landed more, he began to control more of the action.
About midway through the first, Pergande blasted Goss with a perfectly-timed knee that busted him open. He’d jump on a choke right away, scoring the submission.
Alexei Pergande Submits Ethan Goss At PFL World Tournament
Nice win for Pergande via Darce. He is progressing well and Goss was game enough for this point of his career. Still probably needs another gimme fight though.#PFLWorldTournament
Pergande now moves to 7-0 this year, having fought exclusively for the PFL. He fought two months ago in Nashville, scoring a decision over Mike Bardsley.
Goss, who made his PFL debut tonight, falls to 12-8 in his pro MMA career.
On the verge of potentially having a three-fight losing skid, Impa Kasaganay pulled off a highlight finish of Andrew Sanchez to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat during the preliminary card of the PFL World Tournament event in Hollywood, Florida.
Sanchez controlled most of the early portion of the fight, thanks to his takedown efforts. Sanchez followed this up in the second round by continuing to push the pace, landing counters and mixing in grappling exchanges.
Kasaganay did find more rhythm with his combinations in the second round, but it wasn’t enough to halt off Sanchez’s grappling efforts. But in the bout’s final minute, a right hand cracked Sanchez, causing him to faceplant. Kasaganay stayed on him, pouring punches on until the referee stopped the fight to solidify the comeback victory.
Impa Kasaganay Scores Comeback TKO Of Andrew Sanchez
Kasaganay, who won the 2023 PFL light heavyweight season, rebounds from his loss to Dovlet Yagshimuradov in the 2024 light heavyweight finals and his loss to Fabian Edwards in the 2025 PFL middleweight World Tournament first round.
This is Sanchez’s second straight loss, following his loss to Sadibou Sy last year.
Breaking: Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland has received a six-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his part in a physical altercation with another fighter at an MMA event in June. pic.twitter.com/0YHUcOGK8i
The drama erupted when Strickland and fellow UFC fighter Chris Curtis were cornering teammate Miles Hunsinger in his bout against Luis Hernandez at Tuff-N-Uff. After Hernandez sealed the win with a second-round submission, he mocked Hunsingerās corner with a provocative crotch-chop celebration.
The taunt instantly set Strickland and Curtis off, prompting both to storm the cage, with the former UFC middleweight champ even managing to land a punch on Hernandez in the melee.
Sean Strickland just entered the cage at Tuff-n-Uff and punched someone after he beat his teammate š³
Stricklandās suspension is scheduled to run until December 29, but it could be shortened to just 4.5 months, clearing him by mid-October, if he completes a commission-approved anger management course. Judging by his recent stance, the polarizing MMA fighter seems ready to take that route.
Image: @stricklandmma/Instagram
Sean Strickland Eyes Early Return By Agreeing To Anger Management Training
After receiving a six-month suspension, Sean Strickland took to social media to announce his plans to complete the required anger management program, which could shave his punishment down to 4.5 months and make him eligible to fight again on November 14.
Although itās still uncertain what specific program Strickland must complete to meet the commissionās requirements, the 34-year-old Californian has doubled down on his resolve to make a swift return to the Octagon, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on newly crowned UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev.
“Well! Ready to put this to bed and get back in the cage,ā Sean Strickland wrote on Instagram. Can’t have a terrorist as a champion, sadly I think Im the only one to change that. Appreciate the commission for getting this done.. Anger management here I come…”
Sean Strickland last competed at UFC 312 in February, where he came up short in his bid to reclaim the middleweight crown, dropping a one-sided unanimous decision to then-champion Dricus Du Plessis. Over his past eight Octagon outings, Strickland has gone 4-4.
The final of three events to mark the conclusion of the PFL’s 2025 World Tournaments goes down in Hollywood, Florida tonight — and MMA News has you covered with all the action.
The World Tournament is the spiritual successor to the season-and-the-playoffs has had since its inaugural season in 2018. As part of the changes in format to the PFL upon the official folding of the Bellator brand earlier this year, the PFL changed its global season to a single-elimination tournament format, adding more weight classes, eight fighters per weight class.
First-round action took place in April and May, with June — previously hosting the second leg of the regular season — hosting semifinal action. This month will see the conclusion of these tournaments, with eight winners receiving PFL World Tournament title belts and $100,000.
This evening will be headlined by the middleweight tournament final between former Bellator title challenger Fabian Edwards and Dalton Rosta. Edwards, the younger brother of former UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards, reached tonight’s final through a finish of 2023 light heavyweight champion Impa Kasanganay and a decision over Josh Silveira. Rosta has won three straight since suffering the sole loss of his career, including victories over former 2022 welterweight champion Sabidou Sy and Aaron Jeffrey (the one man to beat him) to reach tonight’s final.
The co-main event will be the heavyweight tournament final featuring Oleg Popov and Alexandr Romanov. After Popov fell short to Denis Goltsov in last year’s final, snapping a long winning streak for Popov, he reaches tonight’s final through decision wins over Karl Williams and Rodrigo Nascimento. Romanov submitted Tim Johnson in the first round of the tournament before a no contest with Valentin Moldavsky in the semifinals. Romanov, however, advanced to the final based on a judges’ decision from what went down in the fight with Moldavsky up to that point.
Also featured will be the light heavyweight tournament final featuring Sullivan Cauley and Antonio Carlos Jr. Cauley advanced to the final through victories over Alex Polizzi and former Bellator light heavyweight champion Phil Davis. “Shoeface,” who won PFL light heavyweight gold in 2021, reached the finals through wins over Karl Moore and Simeon Powell.
2025 PFL World Tournament Week 10 Results & Highlights
Main Card:
Middleweight Final: Fabian Edwards def. Dalton Rosta via KO (R3, 1:28)
Heavyweight Final: Oleg Popov def. Alexandr Romanov via split decision (47-48, 49-46, 48-47)
Light Heavyweight Final: Antonio Carlos Junior def. Sullivan Cauley via submission (rear-naked choke) (R2, 3:44)
The suspension is retroactive to June 29, the date of the incident at a Tuff-N-Uff event that led to Strickland’s suspension. Strickland will be eligible to return to action on December 29.
The NSAC, however, further ruled that Strickland’s suspension can be reduced to four-and-a-half months if he completes an anger management course. This would make him eligible to return on November 14.
Sean Strickland Suspended Six Months After Punching Fighter At Tuff-N-Uff Event
Strickland was present at an event hosted by Tuff-N-Uff, and broadcasted on UFC Fight Pass, on June 29. Strickland and teammate Chris Curtis were in the corner of Miles Hunsinger as he took on Luis Hernandez.
After submitting Hunsinger, Hernandez taunted Hunsinger’s corner, looking in the direction of the two UFC fighters. This caused Strickland and Curtis to come into the cage, with Strickland throwing punches at Hernandez, with at least one landing before security intervened to break the altercation up.
Curtis was not suspended; however, he was fined $2,500 plus fees.
Strickland has not been in action since losing to Dricus Du Plessis in a middleweight title rematch at UFC 312 in February.
MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has provided an interesting perspective on Khamzat Chimaev‘s dominant UFC 319 win over Dricus du Plessis.
In the main event of UFC 319, Khamzat Chimaev defeated Dricus du Plessis to become the new UFC middleweight champion. He did so by utilizing his superior wrestling skills from start to finish, and by the time the fight was over, it was pretty clear to see that he had comfortably earned the right to call himself the new champ.
While Khamzat Chimaev was impressive, though, many felt as if Dricus du Plessis produced a disappointing performance. Of course, only DDP himself knows what he was capable of in there, and it’d be intriguing to see what would happen if they ran it back one day.
In a recent video, Chael Sonnen provided an analysis of how Khamzat Chimaev was able to control Dricus du Plessis in Chicago.
Chael Sonnenās view on Khamzat Chimaevās UFC 319 win
āItās very important that you understand how Chimaev controlled Dricus because youāve never seen this before. I have never seen it and that includes in the practice room. Not to this extent, not with somebody of that levelā¦ So picture Dricus, heās on all foursā¦ Chimaevās behind himā¦ Dricus would like to stand up at that point, and he tried, but he failed.
āWhen you fail at that, your next best option is to get under attack. And when Chimaev attacked him, Dricus was ready for it. Dricus got reversals at one point, but he looked good. It created a grappling atmosphere, which is what Dricus is used to.ā
āChimaev didnāt confuse and control Dricus due to his advancements. He controlled Dricus with the basics. Bump him forward. Pull him back. Take him left. Take him right. Make him reset. Make him reset. Make him reset as the time is ticking down. And that was the part that was the most fascinating.
āHe outgrappled him by demonstrating less grappling than he was capable of. And that really bothered some people. I will just tell you, Iāve never seen it before.ā
UFC middleweight Caio Borralho has given his thoughts on Khamzat Chimaev’s win over Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319.
As we know, Khamzat Chimaev is the new king of the middleweight division after taking the championship from Dricus du Plessis in the main event of UFC 319. We also know that Caio Borralho is a rising contender at 185 pounds and in his next fight, he’ll face Nassourdine Imavov in an attempt to move one step closer to receiving a title shot.
Caio Borralho is certainly an interesting prospect but in the eyes of many, Khamzat Chimaev seems pretty unstoppable right now. One of the reasons for that was the nature of his win over DDP, as ‘Borz’ was able to pretty much dominate him on the ground from the first minute until the last.
In a recent interview, though, Caio Borralho gave an interesting point of view on how Chimaev was able to perform.
Caio Borralhoās view on Khamzat Chimaevās UFC 319 win
āIām not impressed about the domination. I think he did what he always does in all his fights. The only difference is that he didnāt finish this time. Thatās why people are upsetābecause people want to see a finish. But he dominated in a dominant fashion. Dricus didnāt have any response to anything. But to be fair, he did a great job defending the chokes and all the attacks Khamzat did. But besides that, he just couldnāt take it. He had no answers for that.ā
UFC star Sean O’Malley has opened up on the possibility of him retiring from mixed martial arts sooner rather than later.
As we know, Sean O’Malley is one of the biggest names in mixed martial arts today – and especially in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC bantamweight champion and while he may have lost his last two fights to Merab Dvalishvili, many believe he still has what it takes to climb back to the top of the mountain, either at 135 pounds or 145.
Recently, though, Sean O’Malley had some fans worried when he teased the idea of retiring at some point in the near future. Some felt as if he was just messing around but either way, it certainly feels like something he’d contemplate given how many other ventures he has outside of the fight game.
In a recent interview, Sean O’Malley made it clear that he’s grateful for every single time he gets the chance to train and compete.
Sean OāMalley discusses possible retirement
āLife comes at you fast, but thereās no plans as of now to stop fighting. But you can never know whatās going to happen. Every time I get on the mats and Iām training, Iām grateful for that session.ā
āSugaā went on to suggest that he could be back in the cage competing for the UFC by the end of the year.
Sean is a determined guy and it’ll be interesting to see whether or not he continues to push for gold.
