It's all Perry as he damages the Diaz body but Diaz grounds Perry with a brilliant takedown. Perry ends up on top but Diaz is looking for an early submission now.

Perry stands off Diaz after a bit of a struggle on the canvas and both men are now trading strikes.

And we're under way with Perry unloading on Diaz in the first few seconds.

You should see the referee's beard by the way. I've never seen anything like it.

More fight news!

Paddy Pimblett will make his return on 11 July as the co-main event to Conor McGregor v Max Holloway 2.

The Liverpudlian is taking on Frenchman Benoit Saint Denis in his first contest since losing to Justin Gaethje in January.

There are two more Britons on the card, with flyweight Lone'er Kavanagh taking on Brandon Royval and Luke Riley fighting Kai Kamaka at featherweight.

A stacked card at the T-Mobile Arena!

A huge ovation for Nate Diaz as he steps inside the octagon.

The LA crowd loves him.

What a fight this is going to be.

While Nate Diaz has been beaten by Jake Paul in the boxing ring, the 41-year-old wants to take on the MVP chief in the cage.

He said: "I’d like to fight Jake Paul in MMA and boxing because I believe I beat him the last time and I believe I’ll beat him at boxing. I’d like to do that first but either way is fine.

"I need to fight the best of the best, that’s what I’m in here for, and that’s why I’m fighting Mike Perry because he’s the best out here, capable and able to participate in a fight. That’s what we fight for.”

Image source, Getty Images

Nate Diaz and Mike Perry have both been out of MMA for over 1,000 days but tonight will still be as competitive as ever.

Here's how their UFC careers compare...

It's 3,424 days since Ronda Rousey last competed in MMA. As Rousey opted to hang up the gloves in December 2016, two other fighters on tonight's card still had some of their biggest nights in the sport to come.

Just 21 days prior to Rousey's final bout, Francis Ngannou had won his fourth fight in the UFC - earning a Performance of the Night bonus as we were beginning to get a glimpse of what a force he could be.

Image source, Getty Images

Nate Diaz was already well established in the sport, having been part of the UFC since 2007 and competing for the lightweight title in 2012.

Diaz beat Conor McGregor in March 2016 but lost a rematch in August that year and did not return to the octagon until 2019.

Image source, Getty Images

Right guys, it's ridiculously early in the morning so let's help each other out.

We've mentioned the women's GOAT in MMA but who do you think it is?

Have your say!

Francis Ngannou speaking to Netflix: “Well, I got to give a lot of respect to Filipe because he was tougher than what I thought. He did hit some shots at the beginning, and I thought 'OK, we pretty good, we have a tough guy here'. I just kept composed, knowing that a moment will come.”

On long absence from MMA: “If someone doesn’t remember who I am, they must have amnesia or something because I made a statement here tonight again. It’s just another reminder.

“I wasn’t worried about my aggressiveness because one thing that I know about myself is that instinct is something that I have. It’s not something that I have to trigger; it’s just in me. I don’t have to do much, just have the energy and manage the adrenaline around it.”

On Robelis Despaigne: "I think I can handle him. I believe I can handle him. He had a good knockout but nothing impressive for me, my style.”

On if he's the best heavyweight in the world: "Period. That is not a question to ask. I am the best."

Without women like Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano, women in MMA would not be getting anything close to the opportunities they're getting today.

But it hasn't come easy and it still doesn't come easy. Here is Rousey on women having to work twice as hard to earn respect.

Everyone wants a ticket to see Ronda Rousey v Gina Carano but even UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland must get Rousey's approval.

Speaking about the event in February, Strickland said women were "too empowered", that they should focus on domestic duties and that he had "no interest" in the bout.

However, MVP's Nakisa Bidarian said on Thursday: "I got a request from Sean Strickland, but I need to talk to Ronda because he was very derogatory about Ronda and Gina.

"He was disrespectful and saying inappropriate things. While we would love to have him as a UFC champion, you can't disrespect the headliners and call for free tickets."

We'll keep you updated on whether he turns up. No sign of him yet.

Image source, Getty Images

Nate Diaz hasn't competed in MMA in 1,344 days, while Mike Perry has been out of the cage 518 days longer.

But tonight, these two battle it out in what could be a gruelling encounter.

Image source, Getty Images

Jake Paul has just announced he's been cleared to return to fighting after Anthony Joshua broke his jaw in December.

Paul says he wants to have an MMA fight.

It's almost co-main event time...

Retired UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones on Netflix whe asked about a potential fight with Francis Ngannou: "I've got to focus on getting out of my UFC contract - that's going to be the difficult part.

"If this fight is going to happen, I don't think Dana [White] is going to do any business with Francis [Ngannou], so doing it with MVP is the only way. If we can get out of my contract, that would be great.

"Tonight he looked good but he fought a guy who weighed 220lb. I thought Francis was impressive. He threw some really nice high kicks tonight and I'm just excited to see what is next for him."

Jones did later go on to say that he does "think he is retired" and added that he is happy exploring opportunities outside the cage, while also helping out training others.

Image source, Getty Images

I don't know if you've seen but the UFC has just announced the return of Conor McGregor.

The Irishman will return to the octagon for the first time in five years on 11 July in a rematch with Max Holloway in Las Vegas for UFC 329.

It's been a turbulent time for McGregor away from fighting. He was ordered to pay £206,000 in damages plus costs in 2024 to Nikita Hand, who accused him of raping her in a hotel in Dublin in 2018. He served a doping ban before being forced to withdraw from his scheduled UFC return last summer with an injury.

Aged 37 now, he hasn't won an MMA fight since January 2020 and has only fought three times since then.

Read the full story.

Gina Carano has not stepped inside the cage for a competitive bout since her first-round knockout by Cris Cyborg in August 2009.

So, nearly 17 years ago.

In case you were wondering, "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas was the UK number one at the time.

Image source, Getty Images

MMA is as tough as it gets for sport and Ronda Rousey knows that all too well.

She went into her loss to Holly Holm with concussion - something she says she hid while in the UFC. Rousey said in 2024 repeated concussions was why she retired from MMA.

This fight was all the more surprising considering those concussion admissions, which Rousey says are now unde control.