Dan Hooker would like to see the whole ‘BMF' championship put to rest for now.
MMA
UAE Warriors 68 and 69 fight card: Three title fights headline Al Ain historic double title fightsUAE Warriors 68 and 69: Historic double title fights will set Al Ain on fire with three title fights
Published
7 months agoon
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – The Middle East’s leading MMA organization, UAE Warriors, is gearing up for a weekend full of action UAE Warriors 68 and UAE Warriors 69 will be held on March 27-28 in the oasis city of Al Ain.
The consecutive events will take place in the famed Garden City located in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and gather 46 players from all over the world AND three championship fights during two nights of elite mixed martial arts competition.
The action starts on Friday at The 15th edition of the UAE Warriors Arab Seriesfollowed by a fully international fight card on Saturday, concluding a long weekend of combat sports in one of the most picturesque locations in the region.
Xavier Alaoui defends his bantamweight title at UAE Warriors 68
The main event United Arab Emirates Warriors 68 includes a start for Saudi Bantamweight Championship while current Moroccan champion Xavier Alaoui (16-7) defends his belt against Palestinian submission specialist Rany Saadeh (15-4).
What makes the fight even more intriguing is the fact that both fighters previously trained together at the renowned Tristar Gym in Canada.
The title fight promises to be a fascinating stylistic battle – Alaoui’s devastating kickboxing against Saadeh’s deft grappling skills – creating a fascinating clash of striking and submission artistry.

Caio Machado will face undefeated Magomed Tukhalov at UAE Warriors 69
Saturday United Arab Emirates Warriors 69 depicts the warriors representing 13 different countriesenhancing Abu Dhabi’s reputation as a world center for combat sports.
In the co-main event, Caio Machado will look to take control vacant featherlight heavyweight title after earning a first-round berth at UAE Warriors 67 earlier this year.
Standing in his way is the undefeated Russian Magomed Tuchalov (5-0), who also scores an impressive victory after a break in Abu Dhabi.
Asaf Chopurov defends his bantamweight gold against Adriano Ramos
The main attraction of UAE Warriors 69 is an intriguing one clash of venerable school and recent school For 135-pound championship.
Undefeated Georgian champion Asaf Chopurov (9-0) will defend his belt for the first time in a fight against Brazilian veteran and Muay Thai specialist Adriano Ramos (15-6).
This matchup pits Chopurov’s undefeated momentum against Ramos’ experience and impressive pedigree, setting the stage for a high-stakes title clash.
UAE Warriors continue their global expansion
During fight week, UAE Warriors CEO and Palms Sports CEO Fouad Darwish confirmed that the organization plans to expand its 2026 event schedule while continuing to explore international opportunities.
Darwish noted that events such as UAE Warriors 68 and 69 showcase the UAE as a global destination for MMA and combat sports entertainment.
Fighters from all over the world compete for championship belts on the line, and fans in Al Ain are ready to experience two unforgettable nights in the cage.
Bantamweight title
- Xavier Alaoui (16-7) vs. Rany Saadeh (15-4)
Bantamweight
- Abed Masharki (3-4) vs. Ridouan Errami (3-0)
Featherweight
- Dina Okat (1-0) vs. Sandra Gamal (1-0)
Delicate
- Seyamand Rida (3-0) vs. Saleem Waleed (1-0)
Fishing weight
- Ziad Ayman (6-2) vs. Abdelmoumen Mssaate (9-4)
Welterweight
- Adel Ibrahim (3-0) vs. Khaled Amr (5-1)
Medium weight
- Talison Soares (11-2) vs. Yousef Adel (5-0)
Fishing weight
- Ahmed Tarek (6-1) vs. Hamada Razzouk (2-0)
Heavyweight
- Salah Trabelsi (1-1) vs. Ahmed Al Rubaye (11-5)
Fishing weight
- JR Alejandro (4-2) vs Mohammad Qwai Abzakh (4-0)
Featherweight
- Ahmed Faress (23-8) vs. Ananias Mulumba (9-3)
Fishing weight
- Maysara Mohamed (9-2) vs. Badr Attif (5-1)
Bantamweight title
- Asaf Chopurov (9-0) vs. Adriano Ramos (15-6)
Delicate heavyweight title
- Caio Machado (22-10) vs. Magomed Tukhalov (5-0)
Flyweight
- Victor Nunes (11-6) vs. Juan Puerta (26-9)
Delicate
- Alex da Silva (25-6) vs. Arbi Mezhidov (19-6)
Featherweight
- Sundet Aytkul (12-2) vs. Magomedgadzhi Sirazhudinov (10-2)
Welterweight
- Magomed Muradov (2-0) vs Bobur Nazrullaev (2-0)
Straw scale
- Farida Abdueva (6-1) vs. Fernando Silva (3-1)
Fishing weight
- Rashid Kurbanov (4-2) vs Salauat Kabi (3-0)
Fishing weight
- Salih Muradov (2-0) vs. Gheorghe Grozav (4-1)
Medium weight
- Ayissi Bessala (1-0) vs. Dagva Tumurpurev (3-0)
Welterweight
- Khadis Gadzhiev (1-0) vs. Bedir Meherremov (3-3)
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MMA
Arman Tsarukyan sets one condition for fighting Alexander Volkanovski
Published
9 hours agoon
November 3, 2026
Tsarukyan is open to fighting Alexander
Volkanovski, provided
Ultimate Fighting Championship gold is at stake.
Volkanovski (29-4) defended the featherweight title with a
technical knockout victory over Movsar
Evloev at
UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi before expressing interest in returning to
lightweight. With champion Justin
Gaethje uncertain about his future, Volkanovski offered to face
Tsarukyan (24-3) for the vacant title if Gaethje retires.
Arman Tsarukyan reminds Alexander Volkanovski how Islam
Makhachev rematch ended
Tsarukyan said the championship matters more to him than the
opponent.
“I'm ready for everyone,†Tsarukyan told Yavuz Saynomo. “For me, it
doesn't matter who I'm gonna fight; I just want to fight for the
title.â€
Volkanovski has expressed confidence that he can counter
Tsarukyan's wrestling and avoid being held down. Tsarukyan
responded by recalling the Australian's knockout loss to Islam
Makhachev.
“He said Islam Makhachev cannot knock him out, too,†Tsarukyan
added.
Volkanovski has twice challenged Makhachev for the lightweight
championship. He lost their first meeting by unanimous decision
before Makhachev finished their rematch with a head kick and
follow-up punches.
Tsarukyan remains confident that his next bout will be for the
title. If Gaethje retires, “The Batman†expects to compete for the
vacant belt.
“I have a title fight next,†Tsarukyan reiterated. “Either Justin
Gaethje. If he is retired, someone else.â€
MMA
Dan Hooker blames Charles Oliveira, UFC for tarnishing ‘BMF’ title: ‘He killed it’
Published
10 hours agoon
November 3, 2026
The symbolic title is up for grabs again on Dec. 12 at UFC 335, when champion Charles Oliveira faces Diego Lopes in the main event. Oliveira won the belt with a dominant decision win over Max Holloway at UFC 326, but received criticism for his grappling-heavy performance, which was considered to be against the spirit of the BMF belt.
Hooker agrees that Oliveira, and his newly won title, lost some luster that night.
“It was cool for a bit and then he kind of made it not cool,†Hooker told Submission Radio. “I think he killed it.â€
The BMF championship was innovated by former UFC star Nate Diaz, who cut a fiery promo after a win at UFC 241 that led to he and Jorge Masvidal fighting to become the inaugural titleholder at UFC 244, where Masvidal defeated Diaz. Justin Gaethje later defeated Dustin Poirier for a vacant title, with Holloway subsequently claiming the belt with an all-time great performance at UFC 300.
Hooker believes the promotion has strayed far from the original purpose of the title.
“You know where they f*cked it up?†Hooker said. “They should have kept it like Nate Diaz, Masvidal kind of shit. They completely f*cked it when they were like – They had badass motherf*ckers fighting for it like that, but then it should be the guys that want to throw down and just talk shit as well. That was kind of like me, Bobby Green, could lose 20 times and he's still a BMF contender. Then they had Max do it, and he's like the nicest guy in the f*cking world.
“Talk shit. Say you're going to knock the other guy's head off, that was like our belt. That was the guys whose careers are a f*cking mess. ‘Gamebred' was hot and cold for a minute, Nate Diaz, all our records are a f*cking mess. It's going to be a lot harder for us to get our hands on the nice, shiny, clean one. That's what I'm saying, they let too many nice guys have a crack.â€
That said, Hooker looks forward to the Oliveira vs. Lopes matchup, even if the BMF belt's involvement feels perfunctory. Hooker fights Brian Ortega at UFC Qatar on Nov. 21, and if both he and Lopes are victorious, he sees a scenario where he challenges Lopes for the title next.
“For some reason, they're adamant on this BMF belt sticking around and just having another belt to put up for grabs, but yeah, I like that fight,†Hooker said. “I feel like Diego Lopes is a strong contender for that. As he says, he doesn't feel like he's going to get another crack at Volk. He doesn't feel like it's just around the corner, so I like the fight, definitely.â€
“That's why I wanted this fight [vs. Ortega],†Hooker continued. “I feel like I can beat Brian Ortega, but now, Diego Lopes beating Charles Oliveira, I feel like that's a much bigger ask. But yeah, I like that fight, for sure.â€
MMA
Report: Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs. Michelle Montague postponed to UFC 335 on Dec. 12
Published
1 day agoon
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