BogdanGuskov has addressed his loss to MagomedAnkalaev.

Guskov (18-4-1) stepped up on 14 days' notice to replace KhalilRountree against Ankalaev (21-2-1) in the main event of theUltimate Fighting Championship's recent Fight Night in AbuDhabi. Guskov never quite found momentum as Ankalaev slowly andsteadily picked him apart. The former UFC champion eventually tookthe Uzbek contender down and finished him with ground-and-pound inthe final round.
Guskov apologized to his fans and thanked them for their unwaveringsupport. He vowed to bounce back stronger from his defeat atUFC Abu Dhabi.

"I'm sorry to everyone who believed in me," Guskov wrote on X."That night wasn't my night, but I'm grateful for everyone whostood behind me and supported me through this journey. Thank youfor all the kind words and messages. I'll learn from this, comeback stronger. I'm not done yet."

This was Guskov's first loss since a submission defeat in his UFCdebut in 2023. "Hitman" had bounced back from that result with afour-fight finishing streak before fighting JanBlachowicz to a draw last year.

#night #fight #stronger

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is back in Abu Dhabi TODAY (Sat., July 25, 2026) to stage UFC Abu Dhabi from inside Etihad Arena, Fight Island, UAE featuring a Light Heavyweight fight between Magomed Ankalaev taking on Bogdan Guskov. In the co-main event, which will stream on Paramount+, Steve Erceg will battle Ramazan Temirov in a Flyweight bout.
What UFC event is on tonight? UFC Abu Dhabi: "Ankalaev vs. Guskov"
Who is fighting tonight at UFC Abu Dhabi? Magomed Ankalaev vs. Bogdan Guskov Light Heavyweight fight is the five-round main event.
What time does UFC Abu Dhabi start? TODAY (Sat., July 25, 2026), beginning at 9 a.m. ET on Paramount+.
Where will UFC Abu Dhabi take place? Paycom Center in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

#dhabi #guskov #today #july

It took years for Magomed Ankalaev to climb to the top of the light heavyweight mountain, and less than 90 seconds for his reign to end. There's no telling how long it will take him to make it back, but he takes his first steps to another championship opportunity at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Saturday's main event features Ankalaev in his first fight since a brutal knockout loss to rival Alex Pereira at UFC 320 this past October. Ankalaev was originally set to face Khalil Rountree Jr., but with Rountree forced to withdraw, in steps up-and-coming contender Bogdan Guskov. This is a change of plans for Guskov as well as he was lined up to rematch Jan Blachowicz at UFC Belgrade next week, only for the matchmakers to call upon him to save the UFC Abu Dhabi headliner.
For one reason or another, Ankalaev has seemingly never been a favorite of the UFC's shot-callers as it took a seven-year unbeaten streak for him to earn his first ******* le shot; now, he needs to stifle Guskov just to keep his spot in line. On the other side, Guskov is undefeated in his past five fights and suddenly finds himself with an opportunity to jump into the top 5 of the rankings.
Will it be status quo or a new face in the ******* le picture by the end of the weekend?
What: UFC Abu Dhabi

#guskov #steps #Opportunity #past

This week, the UFC travels across the globe to Abu Dhabi for a Fight Night event.
At UFC Fight Night 282, former light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev takes on short-notice opponent Bogdan Guskov.
Elsewhere, veterans of the promotion are competing in various combat sports. Scroll below to see how last week's UFC vets fared on the regional scene, and check out the names and details of the upcoming weekend's competitors.
Upcoming event information from Tapology.
Elias Silverio: Unanimous decision loss vs. Khalid Satuev at ACA 205

#dhabi #bogdan #elsewhere

The UFC Fight Night 282 main event is locked in after Magomed Ankalaev and Bogdan Guskov did their jobs on the scale at Friday's official weigh-in.
Former light heavyweight champion Ankalaev (21-2-1 MMA, 12-2-1 UFC) will attempt to rebound from losing the belt to Alex Pereira in October when he clashes with surging contender Guskov (18-3-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC), who stepped into the fight on short notice after Khalil Rountree Jr. withdrew.
Despite serving as a replacement, Guskov had no issues on the scale as he hit 205.5 pounds. There was no drama for Ankalaev, either, because he registered at 205.5 pounds.
The stage is now set for Saturday's five-round headliner, which takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, and streams on Paramount+ beginning at 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT.
Check out complete results from UFC Fight Night 282 official weigh-ins here.

#night #scale #magomed

Image: Ben Duffy/Sherdog.com illustration
We at Sherdog provide regular, in-depth preview coverage for allmajor events, including our oft-praised preview column along withour "Sheehan Show" handling all sorts of related matters includingbetting. With those official sources for picks handled, we wouldlike to take the edge off here and get a bit lighter with ourbreakdowns.

The industry of sports betting is exploding before our very eyes,with billions of dollars pumping in since legalization stateside.Oftentimes, those driving the lines are right on the money withtheir openings, valuations and ****** yses. Occasionally they are wayoff, or otherwise merit some additional conversation. That is wherewe come in with this reinvigorated series of Prime Picks, where,stealing a line from game show host Sam Reich, we hold hands andjump into the abyss together for Saturday morning's Ultimate Fighting Championship's jaunt toAbu Dhabi. Try it out.
MagomedAnkalaev (-575)
MagomedZaynukov (-290)
MagomedTuchalov (-900)

We admit, we're getting away with a technicality here by notincluding MuhammadSaid in our same-name parlay. After all, Magomed is the Russiantransliteration of Muhammad. Also, good luck trying to search thename "Muhammad Said" without any additional qualifiers and stillgarner any information about the fighter of that namesake. All ofthese Magomeds are rightful favorites, and in the case of two ofthe more expected victors of Tuchalov and Ankalaev, moneyline betsare just not worth it.

Therefore, we pair these three gents together, all of whom haveclear paths to victory against foes who have displayed exploitableweaknesses. Some are giving BogdanGuskov a proverbial "puncher's chance" to win this fight,although he might have some surprise jiu-jitsu in his back pocket.Nevertheless, unless Ankalaev chooses to take things horizontal—heis not nearly as keen on doing this despite his reputation, onlydoing so in his first triumphant meeting against AlexPereira. Against "Poatan," he did attempt a clean dozen shots.While he did not land a single one, the mere threat of the takedownallowed him to get in on the stoic striker and do some work. A fewfaked shots against "Hitman," whose takedown defense has alreadycome into question despite his recent successes, would payimmediate dividends.

We get to the meat of the order. More specifically, the pork. JohnPork. "Wild Chanco" Zaynukov, who actually had his nickname onFight Finder as "John Pork" until specifically reaching out torequest that it be taken down. RobertWhittaker didn't have the same problem when Ben Fowlkes andChad Dundas first crowned him "Bobby Knuckles" in the always-great"Co-Main Event Podcast" and it stuck. Even though DamianRzepecki will hold a slight bit more experience and morestoppages on his ledger, he and Zaynukov stand at differentterraces in their respective careers.

To get signed through the promotion, the Dagestan native in thepipeline of the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov School

Javier Mendez detailed Islam Makhachev's preparation for his upcoming welterweight ***** le bout against Ian Machado Garry. The bout will headline UFC 330, marking Makhachev's first welterweight ***** le defense.
Mendez, Makhachev's longtime coach at AKA, believes his pupil has the correct strategy to defeat Machado Garry. The Dagestani, who is known for his grappling ability, can also hold his own on the feet, making him a well-rounded fighter. Although he does not have a training partner that can replicate the Irishman's fighting style, he benefits from training with Usman Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov, the current PFL lightweight champion, is also preparing for his fight at PFL New York. As a result, he and Makhachev can maximize their training sessions while preparing for their respective bouts.
"We don't have somebody [like Machado Garry] at our disposal that is that good. But, we do have who I happen to believe is the No.1 lightweight in the world, Usman, as a main sparring partner," Mendez exclusively told Heavy Sports via NewBettingSites.uk.
Javier Mendez also revealed how Usman Nurmagomedov has helped Islam Makhachev during his training camp. Mendez stressed the importance of Makhachev's timing, particularly when throwing strikes.

#training

Javier Mendez detailed Islam Makhachev's preparation for his upcoming welterweight **** le bout against Ian Machado Garry. The bout will headline UFC 330, marking Makhachev's first welterweight **** le defense.
Mendez, Makhachev's longtime coach at AKA, believes his pupil has the correct strategy to defeat Machado Garry. The Dagestani, who is known for his grappling ability, can also hold his own on the feet, making him a well-rounded fighter. Although he does not have a training partner that can replicate the Irishman's fighting style, he benefits from training with Usman Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov, the current PFL lightweight champion, is also preparing for his fight at PFL New York. As a result, he and Makhachev can maximize their training sessions while preparing for their respective bouts.
"We don't have somebody [like Machado Garry] at our disposal that is that good. But, we do have who I happen to believe is the No.1 lightweight in the world, Usman, as a main sparring partner," Mendez exclusively told Heavy Sports via NewBettingSites.uk.
Javier Mendez also revealed how Usman Nurmagomedov has helped Islam Makhachev during his training camp. Mendez stressed the importance of Makhachev's timing, particularly when throwing strikes.

#welterweight

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is just over 24 hours away from the upcoming UFC Abu Dhabi mixed martial arts (MMA) event, which is set to go down this Sat. (July 25, 2026) on Paramount+ from inside Etihad Arena on "Fight Island" in Abu Dhabi, UAE. UFC Abu Dhabi will be headlined by a Light Heavyweight clash between former champion Magomed Ankalev and rising contender Bogdan Guskov.
Before the Paramount+ card gets underway this weekend in Abu Dhabi, which also includes a Flyweight showdown between former 125-pound ****** le challenger Steve Erceg and Ramazan Temirov, all 26 fighters must hit the scale to prove themselves worthy.
Complete UFC Abu Dhabi weigh-ins text results beginning at 1 a.m. ET below:
205 lbs.: Magomed Ankalaev () vs. Bogdan Guskov ()
125 lbs.: Steve Erceg () vs. Ramazan Temirov ()
265 lbs.: Rizvan Kuniev () vs. Tyrell Fortune ()
170 lbs.: Islam Dulatov () vs. Wellington Turman ()
155 lbs.: Magomed Zaynukov () vs. Damian Rzepecki ()
170 lbs.: Saygid Izagakhmaev () vs. Abubakar Vagaev ()
265 lbs.: Valter Walker () vs. Thomas Petersen ()
155 lbs.: Ismael Bonfim () vs. Axel Sola ()
205 lbs.: Brendson Ribeiro () vs. Magomed Tuchalov ()
155 lbs.: Nurullo Aliev () vs. Mike Davis ()
170 lbs.: Santiago Ponzinibbio () vs. Sam Patterson ()
205 lbs.: Dustin Jacoby () vs. Muhammad Said ()
135 lbs.: Abdul Hussein () vs. Cody Gibson ()

#guskov

At the UFC Abu Dhabi weigh-ins, all 26 fighters on Saturday's fight card step on the scale Friday in Azerbaijan. Watch ceremonial weigh-ins above, set to kick off at 10 a.m. ET.
In the main event, former UFC light heavyweight champion Magomed Ankalaev fights fast-rising contender Bogdan Guskov. Both fighters can weigh no more than the 206 pound limit for their non-title fight.
Ankalaev is currently No. 3 at light heavyweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings, while Guskov stands at No. 12. Coming off of his first loss since 2018, a ***** le fight defeat to Alex Pereira, Ankalaev also holds a spot in the MMA Fighting Pound-for-Pound Rankings at No. 17.
In the co-main event, one-time UFC ***** le challenger Steve Erceg squares off with Ramazan Temirov in a flyweight contest. Neither man may weigh more than 126 pounds.
Check out the UFC Abu Dhabi weigh-in results below.

#weigh #pound

UFC Fight Night 282 official weigh-ins take place Friday from the host hotel on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, and MMA Junkie will have results from the session below beginning at 1 a.m. ET/10 p.m. PT.
Among those weighing in for Saturday's event, which takes place at Etihad Arena (Paramount+), will be light heavyweight headliners Magomed Ankalaev (21-2-1 MMA, 12-2-1 UFC) and Bogdan Guskov (18-3-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC), who meet in a five-round matchup.
Magomed Ankalaev () vs. Bogdan Guskov ()
Steve Erceg vs. Ramazonbek Temirov ()
Islam Dulatov () vs. Wellington Turman ()

#place

If behind-the-scenes dirt on the skeletons in people's closets is your thing, get ready for Season 2 of VICE TV's "Dark Side of the Cage."
VICE Studios on Thursday announced a new seven-episode season of the show with a premiere set for Sept. 1 at 9 p.m. ET on VICE TV. The season premiere episode features UFC Hall of Famer Don Frye, "whose willingness to absorb brutality in the cage led to the fight of his life against pain and addiction."
Of particular interest to many, most likely, later in the season will be an episode featuring longtime fighter Phil Baroni, who remains in prison in Mexico on a charge of murder. A teaser video for the season shows a clip of a phone interview with Baroni and him saying his lawyers won't be happy he did the interview.
"From house-fire heroism to SWAT stand-offs to full-blown arena riots, season two of Dark Side of the Cage pulls back the curtain on MMA's most extreme highs and devastating lows," the official show pitch says. "'Dark Side of the Cage' cuts through the glamour and glory of the MMA spectacle to reveal the never-before-told stories behind the sport's most iconic competitors, told by the fighters themselves."
Other episodes, according to VICE TV, will feature ****** o Ortiz, Jason "Mayhem" Miller, Chael Sonnen and Mark Coleman. Additionally, the season "will shed new light on one of the most heated feuds in UFC history: Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov."

#vice #dark #episode #show

The fight game is an unforgiving one.

Per MMA Junkie on Thursday, PFL DC will no longer feature Thad Jean(10-0) vs. ShamilMusaev (18-1-1) in the main attraction. For currentlyundisclosed reasons, Musaev has been forced to withdraw from hiswelterweight championship affair headlining the card at theCareFirst Arena in the U.S. Capitol. In the Russian's stead will beErnestoRodriguez (11-1), who first postedof his change in opponent and vastly elevated stakes on Wednesdaynight—he was expecting to battle AaronMcKenzie—and then fully confirmedthe news shortly after its announcement. Jean did as well shortlythereafter on his InstagramStories.

This is one of numerous cancelations on fight week and earlier, asathletes MagomedUmalatov, JackCartwright, DenisGoltsov, BrunoCappelozza and MandoGutierrez were all booked for this fight card at one time. Dueto a number of largely undeclared reasons—Cappelozza encounteredissues with his visa—all of those combatants and their scheduledpairings have either been canceled or switched around on this cardor to another. For instance, Cappelozza vs. hasbeen **** ped to PFL Charlotte in August. The current PFL DC lineup sees eightmatches remaining, although the promotion has not indicated if anylate-notice fights will be slotted on the billing.

Jean was vying to become the first U.S.-born PFL champion atop thisevent—not including those that won tournaments—and he will stillreceive that honor. "Silverback" comes into this five-rounder withample momentum on his side as the winner of the final PFL tourneyin 2025. There, he knocked out MukhamedBerkhamov, outworked JasonJackson and outperformed LoganStorley in the span of four months to claim a $500,000 checkand chance for PFL gold.

"Starboy" Rodriguez seizes this opportunity having won his PFLdebut in March. Against MasayukiKikuiri, he snagged a majority decision despite dropping whatmany observers felt was a 10-8 third round, completing a bout inwhich all three Sherdog official scorers turned in 28-28 drawtallies. The fighter born in Cuba worked his way up the Tuff-N-Uffladder from 2022 to 2025, culminating in six wins with the LasVegas-based league to reach a major organization.
ThadJean vs. ErnestoRodriguez – welterweight
TysonPedro vs. RafaelXavier – light heavyweight
SullivanCauley vs. RasulMagomedov – light heavyweight
EliezerKubanza vs. Chris Mixan– welterweight
BryceMeredith vs. Michael Cyr– bantamweight
BrandonDavis vs.

#jean #reasons #born

After months of waiting, it’s finally “John Pork” fight week!
Everyone’s favorite viral fighter Magomed Zaynukov is set to make his official promotional debut at UFC Abu Dhabi where he faces fellow newcomer Damian Rzepecki on the main card of Saturday’s Fight Night event. Zaynukov came into the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series, scoring an impressive decision win over Lucas Caldas.
That performance isn’t why Zaynukov has become something of a sensation, though. All the extra attention comes via two unfortunate events: someone making a meme joking that his nickname is “John Pork,” and Zaynukov attacking Dillon Danis in the crowd at UFC 322 in Madison Square Garden.
The “John Pork” thing has raised his profile, but it’s clearly an annoyance to Zaynukov, whose real nickname is “Chanko” after his hometown in Dagestan.
“It started back in 2009 when I was beginning my Muay Thai career,” he explained to Anatomy Of A Fight. “At the Dagestan Muay Thai Championships, my coach Ibrahim Khedirov started calling me ‘Chanko.’ I trained under him for nearly 12 years, and the name just stuck. From then on, everyone called me Chanko. Some people even thought it was my real name. Now when people hear ‘Chanko’ they know it’s me.”

#pork #fight #dagestan

Magomed Ankalaev returns to the cage on Saturday, July 25th to headline a UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi against Bogdan Guskov. We haven’t seen or heard much from Ankalaev since he lost his light heavyweight ****** le to Alex Pereira, dropping his record to 1-1 against his bitter rival.
It’s unclear how much of that rivalry is actually generated by Ankalaev and how much is just”Big Ank,” the disrespectful personality on X (formerly Twitter) that many believe is actually the work of Ankalaev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz. During this week’s media day, Ankalaev explained why he was a man of few words in real life.
“How are people going to know what I am or what I have inside?” Ankalaev said. “I’m a professional fighter, I like to keep my emotions inside. And if there’s no crossing of a specific line, then I come out here and I come out as a professional. But if somebody crosses that line or kind of toes the line, then I’m sure I can show my character as well. Other than that, I like to keep my emotions in, my head cool, and go and do my job.”
Ankalaev recently said he’d be willing to chase Pereira up to heavyweight for a third fight, a comment that “Poatan” seemed to dismiss by commenting “Are you even still alive over there?”
“Alex Pereira must have been sleeping for a long time because I believe he was put to sleep pretty hard,” Ankalaev said, referring to Pereira’s recent knockout loss at the hands of Ciryl Gane. “If you can pass him a message, tell him I’m alive and well, and I’m waiting to see what he can show.”

#pereira #line #heavyweight

Michael Page will move back up to middleweight at UFC Fight Night 287.
Page (25-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) takes on Nursulton Ruziboev (37-9-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) on Sept. 5 at Accor Arena in Paris, France, promotion officials announced Wednesday morning.
Since suffering his first octagon loss to Joaquin Buckley in a welterweight bout in May 2014, Ruziboev returned to 185 pounds to notch three-straight wins. He is coming off a first-round submission of Andrey Pulyaev at UFC Fight Night 280 in June.
Page is also riding a three-fight win streak, with wins over Shara Magomedov, former ***** le challenger Jared Cannonier, and most recently a lackluster decision win over Sam Patterson in a welterweight bout at UFC Fight Night 270 in March.
Michael Page vs. Nursulton Ruziboev

Ultimate Fighting Championship Hall of Famer KhabibNurmagomedov believes IslamMakhachev is in for a tricky outing against IanGarry.

Makhachev (28-1) is set to defend his welterweight **** le for thefirst time against Garry (17-1) in the main event of UFC330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.Makhachev's friend and mentor, Nurmagomedov, notes that his protégéhas never faced an opponent as tall as Garry.
Nurmagomedov admits that Garry's elusive style is a difficultpuzzle to crack. "The Eagle" further notes that Makhachev, nearing35, is six years older than Garry. According to the former unbeatenlightweight champion, the stylistic threat from Garry, combinedwith the age difference, makes it a difficult matchup forMakhachev.

"We've never faced an opponent this tall - 193 cm [6'4"],"Nurmagomedov said on the "Smol Talk" podcast. "We'll have to chasehim, close the distance, grab him, and take him down. It will be adifficult fight. And Islam is almost 35. The stylistic matchup andthe age together make this a difficult fight… I expect a hardfight, **** uming we don't get an early finish. Spending five roundswith this opponent won't be easy. The training camp will bedifficult too, first because we have to find someone who canimitate him."

American Kickboxing Academy founder and head coach of theDagestani team, Javier Mendez, recently revealed that Professional Fighters League champion UsmanNurmagomedov is helping Makhachev by mimicking Garry intraining.

Garry has racked up 10 UFC wins and suffered his lone professionalloss to ShavkatRakhmonov, who is sidelined due to an injury. Meanwhile,Makhachev is undefeated in 16 straight Octagon outings, includingsix **** le fights. The latter is tied with AndersonSilva for consecutive UFC wins, and a victory at UFC 330 willsee the Dagestani set a new record.

UFC is no longer in the Michel Pereira business.
The Brazilian was competing on a one-fight contract for his Shara Magomedov fight last month in Baku, losing a close decision to “Bullet” after three rounds of foul-laden action. The 32-year-old Brazilian has now dropped four of his last five and stands at 32-15 in his pro career.
MMA Fighting brought word of the roster change on Tuesday.
Pereira started off at welterweight but routinely struggled to maintain his weight, forcing an eventual move up to 185 pounds. “Demolidor” is one of few UFC athletes who can say they were ranked in two different weight classes but ultimately, Pereira was unable to capitalize on his position.
Pereira has seven post-fight performance bonuses in his career with three “Fight of the Night” honors. No telling where “Demolidor” will end up. PFL remains a viable alternative to UFC and the blossoming bare knuckle scene also remains an option.

Paulo Costa is itching to keep his momentum rolling in the UFC light heavyweight division. Yet it hasn't been easy to find the right fight for the final fight of his contract.
In a recent social media tirade, Costa, 35, vented his frustrations over being sidelined. "Borrachinha" last fought in March, when he scored an impressive knockout of the previously unbeaten Azamat Murzakanov. The layoff has tested the patience of the Brazilian contender.
Speaking in-studio in Las Vegas on Monday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show," Costa revealed he was contacted about replacing Khalil Rountree Jr. in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event on July 25 against Magomed Ankalaev. Instead, Costa declined what would've been the final fight of his deal, prompting Bogdan Guskov to take Rountree's place.
"I'm looking for a fight, but not a short-notice, five-round fight in Abu Dhabi," Costa told Uncrowned. "They offered that fight just to get a no as an answer from me. They extended [my contract] for six months [because of that]. I think there were some misunderstandings and mistakes — I don't understand exactly how they configure these things, and extensions and stuff. I'm not a lawyer. You need to know the small letters on the contract stuff. But I'm a fighter. I just fight.
"Dana White and [UFC CBO] Hunter [Campbell] came up to me after my last fight and said, 'I think this is the biggest victory of your career.' Maybe. And now, nothing's happened.

Magomed Ankalaev has a new opponent for his UFC Abu Dhabi headlining bout.
The UFC announced Monday that Ankalaev (20-2-1, 1 NC) is now set to fight Bogdan Guskov (18-3-1), who steps in for Khalil Rountree in the July 25 main event, which takes place at Etihad Arena. The reason for Rountree's withdrawal was not disclosed, though according to Ankalaev, Rountree pulled out with an injury.
Guskov was previously scheduled to rematch Jan Blachowicz at UFC Belgrade on Aug. 1, but that fight is off the schedule once again after previously being postponed from UFC 328 due to a Blachowicz injury.
Following Monday's announcement, Blachowicz released a statement claiming he was the first choice to step in for Rountree, but didn't think he could make the light heavyweight limit in time, so Guskov was selected instead. He still aims to stay on the UFC Belgrade card.
A quick updated about my upcoming bout.

Conor McGregor made his Ultimate Fighting Championship return atop an action-packed UFC 329 card that ended with a whimper. The welterweight main event saw “Notorious” take on Max Holloway in a rematch of their 2013 fight that never really got started. The finish-filled card also had important fights in the lightweight, bantamweight and flyweight divisions.

Here are the matches to make for the UFC 329 main card winners.
Holloway (28-9) finally got revenge on McGregor (22-7), but it wasn’t how he wanted to after McGregor suffered a knee injury. Regardless, “Blessed” is now 2-1 in his last three fights, with a deflating loss to Charles Oliveira sandwiched between wins over Dustin Poirier and McGregor. I’d like to see Holloway take on Pimblett next, as “The Baddie” submitted Benoit St. Denis with a Peruvian necktie. It was an impressive showing for the British fighter, who proved he deserves to be among the elite at 155 pounds. Both men are among the most entertaining at lightweight and it’d be a stellar action fight after Holloway’s disappointing showings against Oliveira and McGregor.
Bautista battled back from early adversity to take a decision win and get revenge against Cody Sandhagen, who beat him in 2019. The American is now 10-1 in his last 11 bouts inside the Octagon, with the lone defeat coming to Umar Nurmagomedov. While he called for a ******* le shot, that doesn’t seem likely with champion Petr Yan having major rematches against Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley as possible ******* le defenses. Instead, a fight against the underrated Barcelos would make sense. The Brazilian is on a five-fight win streak that includes victories over Ricky Simon, Payton Talbott and Cody Garbrandt. It’s a great stay-busy fight against a tough foe that will allow the log jam at the top of the division to figure itself out.
Royval capped off an impressive back-and-forth war with flyweight prospect Lone'er Kavanagh with a rare-naked choke. That snaps a two-fight winning streak for"Raw Dawg," who fell short to Manel Kape and Joshua Van in recent fights. Royval (18-9) called out Almabayev for his next Octagon appearance in a rare post-fight callout that makes total sense. It's a fresh fight and one that will give Almabayev (24-3) the chance to get the biggest win of his career. The Kazakhstani fighter is currently on a three-fight win streak, with wins over Charles Johnson and Alex Perez being particularly impressive. Whoever emerges victorious will be a solid contender in one of mixed martial arts' best divisions.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's return to China is scheduledfor Aug. 29 at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium and a new flyweightmatchup has reportedly been added to the card.

KevinBorjas (11-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) is set to face Rei Tsuruya(11-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC), per multiple reports. However, the UFC is yetto confirm the booking.
A flyweight matchup between KevinBorjas and Rei Tsuruyahas reportedly been added to UFC Fight Night 286's lineup.

Borjas, a Dana White's Contender Series signee, has struggled in the UFCso far, with a 2-4 record inside the Octagon. In the Peruvian'slast fight, he beat Andre Limaby unanimous decision after missing weight.

Meanwhile, Tsuruya earned his spot on the UFC roster via Road toUFC. The ******* anese 125-pounder made his promotional debut atUFC303, beating CarlosHernandez by decision, before losing to current championJoshuaVan. He then won his next bout against Luis Gurulevia a first-round rear-naked choke.

The Fight Night will be headlined by a pivotal bout in thebantamweight division, featuring former ******* le challenger UmarNurmagomedov against China's YadongSong.

Check out this week's "Spinning Back Clique," MMA Junkie's weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
This week's panel of Brian "Goze" Garcia, Dan Tom and Danny Segura will join host "Gorgeous" George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:
It wasn't the busiest week in MMA, but things still happened, and we're here to cover it. From Khamzat Chimaev's call for Sean Strickland to sign up for the rematch, to Umar Nurmagomedov's new fight at UFC Shanghai, we discuss the biggest headlines and go over the notable bookings of this past week.
Conor McGregor is finally back. After five long years, "The Notorious" returns to the cage in the main event of Saturday's UFC 329 in a rematch against Max Holloway. Who will win? Where could a win take McGregor's career? Could the Irishman be back in a **** le bout? For the bulk of the show, we discuss all things UFC 329, including McGregor's return vs. Holloway, and other key action from the card.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Spinning Back Clique: McGregor's comeback vs. Holloway at UFC 329

KhabibNurmagomedov's teammate believes the former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion will nevercompete in any combat sport again.

ZubairaTukhugov (20-6) is scheduled to meet former UFC foe ElvesBrenner in a no-gi grappling match at ACBJJ 21 this weekend inMoscow. Ahead of the matchup, Tukhugov revealed that Nurmagomedovisn't very excited about the idea of his return to competition.

Nurmagomedov has been persuading Tukhugov to retire, suggestingthat he just continue training to stay in shape. The latter toldRed Corner MMA: "He laughed and was like, 'Why do you need this?'Leave the sport and just train for yourself. He's been persuadingme to retire for a long time."
Nurmagomedov (29-0) retired from mixed martial arts as theundefeated, undisputed UFC lightweight champion in 2020. Despitemultiple attempts by Dana White to bring him out of retirement,"The Eagle" has stood firm on his stance.

Tukhugov claims Nurmagomedov trains hard every day, almost like heis still an active athlete preparing to compete. He believes theUFC Hall of Famer is still in shape to grapple or fight anyone.However, Tukhugov is certain that Nurmagomedov won't end hisretirement for anything, even a grappling match.

"He actually trains every day, twice a day. No matter where he isand what is going on. He keeps training hard as if he's gettingready for something. He is ready to grapple anyone right now, oreven fight. But I'm 99% sure he won't ever compete again. Based onour conversations, if he says something, he follows through on it99% of the time."

Tukhugov further added that Nurmagomedov would make easy work ofcurrent UFC middleweight champion SeanStrickland if they were to fight right now.

Bantamweights Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong are set to headline the upcoming UFC Shanghai card scheduled for Aug. 29 in China.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Thursday as the UFC returns to Shanghai for the second consecutive year.
Red Fury MMA first reported the news on Instagram.
The main event comes together after Nurmagomedov was originally scheduled to fight at the UFC Abu Dhabi card scheduled in July, but his opponent David Martinez was forced out with an injury. The UFC sought a replacement, but ultimately decided to pull Nurmagomedov and match him up against Song instead with the fight now headlining the card in Shanghai.
Overall, Nurmagomedov holds a 20-1 record with his only loss coming via decision to former bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.

Mario Bautista doesn’t want to leave it up to the judges in his upcoming fight.

Bautista is set to take on Cory Sandhagen in a bantamweight matchup at UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He believes Sandhagen has a clear wrestling disadvantage against him, and plans to push the pace early.
With his last fight being a decision loss, Bautista doesn’t want to let Sandhagen use his evasive movement to bank rounds. Their upcoming clash being a three-rounder, he is eager to avoid leaving it to the judges.

Eyeing a definitive finish, Bautista told Home of Fight: “I’m gonna be hunting that finish. I think it’s obvious where he’s not really the best, which is on the mat. So I’m gonna be hunting for that finish. Pushing hard. We got three rounds. So I’m gonna have to get on the gas right away. I can’t just let him get away with a decision and run around or anything. I think it’s gonna be an exciting fight.”

Bautista (17-3) was riding an eight-fight winning streak, which was snapped by a unanimous decision loss to top contender Umar Nurmagomedov last year. He has since rebounded with a submission win over Vinicius Oliveira this past February. Meanwhile, Sandhagen (18-6) is 1-2 in his last three outings and is coming off a failed ******* le bid against Merab Dvalishvili.

Magomed Zaynukov has yet to make his UFC debut, but the undefeated lightweight has already made a name for himself in the combat sports community.
In addition to winning his fight on Dana White's "Contender Series" last fall, the 8-0 "Chanco" — also known as "John Pork" following a garbled ****** unciation from Islam Makhachev — endeared himself to MMA fans by putting hands on industry troll Dillon Danis.
Now it's time to see if Zaynukov, 31, can replicate those performances inside the Octagon.
The promotion recently booked Zaynukov opposite fellow undefeated newcomer Damian Rzepecki for the upcoming UFC Abu Dhabi fight card on July 25, according to Marcel Dorff. The 24-year-old Rzepecki (10-0) spent his entire career on the International circuit, competing mostly for Fight Exclusive Night (FEN) in Poland.
Zaynukov did the bulk of his work in Dagestan and UAE.

Rafael Fiziev is back on track after a highlight-reel knockout over Manuel Torres in the UFC Baku main event, but is he still in the contender picture or is time for the fan favorite to chase fun fights?
On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discusses what’s next for the resurgent Fiziev and his hopes of getting the call for a “BMF” ******* le fight. We also try to figure out what the matchmakers can do with the frequently underwhelming Shara “Bullet” Magomedov, who continues to win while leaving us wanting more. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for main card spoiler Matheus Camilo, Asu Almabayev after a dominant submission win over Charles Johnson, intriguing middleweights Ikram Aliskerov and Abus Magomedov, and more.
Plus, your matchmaking suggestions following the UFC’s return to Azerbaijan.
Listen to the UFC Baku edition of On To the Next One. Audio-only versions of the podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.
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Check out this week's "Spinning Back Clique," MMA Junkie's weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.
This week's panel of Brian "Goze" Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host "Gorgeous" George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:
The UFC's second trip to Baku, Azerbaijan is in the books. In the main event, Azerbaijan's own Rafael Fiziev gave the locals a show with his spinning wheel kick that got him a vicious TKO win over Manuel Torres. It was a big win for Fiziev that put him back on the win column. We react to Fiziev's big win, plus other key results from the card including Shara Magomedov's win over Michel Pereira, Asu Alambayev's crazy submission over Charles Johnson, and more.
UFC wasn't the only show that sw the hometown fighter get their hand raised in the main event. Over ar PFL San Diego, A.J. McKee defeated Salamat Isbulaev in a dominant unanimous decision. Where does McKee go from here? We recap the win from "Mercenary," along with other results from the card.
We go over the biggest news and headlines of this past week. This includes retired UFC fighter Dustin Poirier's airport arrest for intoxication; Michael Morales serving as the backup for UFC 330, Cris Cyborg's retirement bout at PFL Tampa, and much more.

There's a matchup out there that has caught the eye of UFC middleweight standout Shara Magomedov.
Magomedov (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC), who picked up a decision win over Michel Pereira on Saturday in the UFC Fight Night 280 co-main event in Baku, Azerbaijan, wouldn't mind throwing down with former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
During the UFC Baku post-fight news conference, reporters suggested the matchup between "Stylebender" and "Bullet." Magomedov likes the idea of the fight and would welcome it next. However, he won't campaign against Abus Magomedov, his teamate who also called for a fight with Adesanya after his own win at UFC Fight Night 280.
"Israel Adesanya is a great matchup," Magomedov said at the UFC Fight Night 280 post-fight press conference. "He's fast. He's got a good size. He's tall. He's very interesting. He's not that old, still. I think it would be an exciting matchup, and I think he would be a great, exciting matchup for me, to be honest. But if I need to let my brother Abus take that matchup, then that's what I'll do. Abus is awesome. We trained for this camp. We did the whole camp together."
Magomedov has won two straight fights since suffering his first defeat in the UFC, which came in early 2025 against Michael Page. Magomedov said he's game to get a step up in competition and face ranked opposition.