8+ hour, 12+ min ago (748+ words) Mairon Santos Interview (1:46) Kicking off this UFC 323 edition of TTP is our interview with UFC featherweight, Mairon Santos. Fresh off his big win over Sodiq Yusuff, Santos talks about his choice to change training camps and, ultimately, countries. Having visited the Fighting Nerds team back in his home country of Brazil, he made [] The post TTP Ep. 508: Mairon Santos, AJ Frye, and UFC 323 appeared first on Cageside Press. Mairon Santos Interview (1:46) Kicking off this UFC 323 edition of TTP is our interview with UFC featherweight, Mairon Santos. Fresh off his big win over Sodiq Yusuff, Santos talks about his choice to change training camps and, ultimately, countries. Having visited the Fighting Nerds team back in his home country of Brazil, he made the difficult decision to move back and shift his fight camp there. He talks about what went into making…...

16+ hour, 16+ min ago (211+ words) Ronda Rousey may finally be gearing up for a combat sports comeback, but not in the cage that made her a global icon. The former UFC bantamweight champion is reportedly in active negotiations for a 2026 boxing showdown with Irish superstar Katie Taylor in Las Vegas, a potential crossover spectacle that has already drawn interest from Netflix as a broadcast partner. First reported by Boxing Scene. Rousey (12-2) has not competed in combat sports since her loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in 2016. The Olympic bronze medalist in judo went on to make a successful run in WWE, becoming part of the first women's match to headline WrestleMania in 2019. Taylor, 39, last competed in July, earning a second consecutive decision win over Amanda Serrano. The pair first met in 2024. Rousey has recently made the podcast rounds and shared training clips on social media....

1+ day, 13+ hour ago (266+ words) Meatball" Molly McCann may be retired from MMA, but she is not done with combat sports, and on Sunday improved to 2-0 as a professional boxer at an event streamed lived on DAZN. McCann (14-8 MMA) became a popular figure in the UFC as one half of the Paddy and Molly Show" alongside teammate and friend Paddy Pimblett. Now 35, McCann posted a 7-7 record inside the octagon, with wins that included memorable spinning back elbow knockouts of Luana Carolina and Hannah Goldy in back-to-back fights. McCann announced her retirement from MMA following consecutive losses to Bruna Brasil and Alexia Thainara, the latter coming in March of this year. Following her retirement, she transitioned to boxing, knocking out Kate Radomska in September. On Sunday in Birmingham, England, McCann went the distance in the ring for the first time, winning a decision at a Matchroom…...

1+ day, 16+ hour ago (453+ words) Grant Dawson returns to the spotlight at UFC 323 on Saturday night, looking to continue his climb up the lightweight ranks as he takes on dangerous finisher Manuel Torres in a pivotal matchup. For Dawson (23-2-1), it's a chance to remind the division why he was once viewed as one of its fastest-rising contenders while also extending his win streak. He had hoped to accelerate his climb with three fights in 2025, but those plans fell through when Joel Alvarez opted to move up to welterweight. "Dude I'd love to fight every week if they'd let me. It's not the UFC's fault, it's not Joel Alvarez's fault. I was supposed to fight him, he wanted to go up to 70, and I am so happy that he went up to 70," Dawson told Cageside Press. "That's one less stud that I have to worry about....

3+ day, 19+ hour ago (295+ words) Paddy Pimblett will be fighting for lightweight gold early next year, headlining UFC 324 in January. That was kind of, sort of expected, given "The Baddy" has an intense, heated rivalry with 155lb champ Ilia Topuria. It's not Topuria that Pimblett is fighting in barely two month's time, however. Rather, with Topuria taking a break from fighting, it's Justin Gaethje who Pimblett will face for an interim title. One that he plans on turning into undisputed gold soon enough. Fighting in January for the first time, Pimblett notes that both Christmas dinner and his birthday will be spoiled with UFC 324 coming in January, but it will all be worth it when he claims UFC cold. Pimblett also recognizes that he will not get the respect he deserves fighting for just an interim belt. "It's an interim, people are going to say "ahh,…...

5+ day, 5+ hour ago (256+ words) The UFC is set to return to Sydney, Australia this February, and it's bringing one of Australia's biggest stars with them. Alexander Volkanovski (27-4) will face off against Diego Lopes (27-7) for a second time in the main event of UFC 325, set for February 1, 2026 in Sydney, Australia (that's January 31 for much of the world). UFC officials announced the date on Thursday, with promotion CEO and President Dana White revealing the main event alongside a number of UFC 324 match-ups. Volkanovski and Lopes first met earlier this year, vying for the title vacated by Ilia Topuria when he opted to move up to lightweight. The Australian won the bout at UFC 315 by unanimous decision, reclaiming his featherweight title in the process. In his first championship reign, Volkanovski defended the UFC featherweight championship five times, defeating the likes of Max Holloway, Brian Ortega, and Yair…...

5+ day, 5+ hour ago (280+ words) The UFC is starting its run with new broadcast partner Paramount+ with a pair of title fights, at least one of which is a little out of left field. On Thursday, UFC CEO and President Dana White announced that UFC 324 will be headlined by an interim lightweight championship fight, which sees Justin Gaethje (26-5) take on Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett (23-3). In the co-main event, the much-anticipated showdown between former teammates Kayla Harrison (19-1) and Amanda Nunes (23-5) arrives, with Harrison's 135lb title on the line. Gaethje vs. Pimblett comes in the wake of Ilia Topuria announcing that he would not be defending his lightweight title in the first quarter of 2026. Topuria won lightweight gold earlier this year, knocking out Charles Oliveira in June. Pimblett, a former Cage Warriors star, is 7-0 since joining the UFC in 2021, with wins over the likes of Tony Ferguson, King…...

5+ day, 9+ hour ago (214+ words) It doesn't seem that Ilia Topuria will be defending his lightweight title any time soon. While there has been ample speculation about who the former featherweight champion would face in his first title defense at 155lbs, including names like Arman Tsarukyan and Paddy Pimblett, Topuria announced on Thursday that he was putting his fighting career on hold. In a statement issued on social media, "El Matador" explained that he was going through a "difficult moment" in his personal life. "I won't be fighting in the first quarter of next year. I'm going through a difficult moment in my personal life. I want to focus on my children and resolve this situation as soon as possible," stated Topuria. "I don't want to hold up the division. The UFC will make the matchups needed, and as soon as the matters are resolved I'll…...

5+ day, 19+ hour ago (269+ words) Former Bellator MMA featherweight title challenger Sinead Kavanagh is in legal trouble after being arrested earlier this week following an incident on a Ryanair flight about to depart from Spain to her native Ireland. Kavanagh was aboard the aircraft, set to travel from Gran Canaria, Spain, to Dublin, Ireland on Monday evening when the incident transpired. In video footage circulating online, Kavanagh can be seen in a physical altercation with two agents of the Civil Guard. Footage shows Kavanagh striking the officers in a scuffle, though the short clip does not depict how the fracas broke out. Video footage of the incident involving Irish MMA fighter, Sinead Kavanagh. " Kirk_Loco (@TezTruth81) November 26, 2025 A report by the Spanish language Atlantico Hoy claimed that takeoff was delayed due to the fighter, who allegedly displayed a "violent attitude" towards crew members. When the Civil Guard arrived…...

6+ day, 5+ hour ago (406+ words) Merab Sharikadze Interview (2:02) Kicking off this edition of TTP is our interview with RKENA FC light heavyweight, Merab Sharikadze. After a superlative career in rugby, the Georgian legend has made the crossover into the world of MMA. After just four months of training, he'll make his debut on Saturday. He talks about the hardest [] The post TTP Ep. 508: Merab Sharikadze, Davit Lortkipanidze, and Giorgi Poladishvili appeared first on Cageside Press. Merab Sharikadze Interview (2:02) Kicking off this edition of TTP is our interview with RKENA FC light heavyweight, Merab Sharikadze. After a superlative career in rugby, the Georgian legend has made the crossover into the world of MMA. After just four months of training, he'll make his debut on Saturday. He talks about the hardest parts of the journey and discusses the aspects of his rugby past that helped with transitioning…...