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There is currently a logjam of UFC welterweight title contenders. 

Kamaru Usman, Michael Morales, Ian Garry and Carlos Prates are all rallying for a title shot against Islam Makhachev. Garry recently played matchmaker for the contenders, suggesting different bookings for each other while reserving the title shot for himself. Garry proposed a matchup between Morales and Prates, while matching up Usman against the recently dethroned former champion, Jack Della Maddalena.

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“Everybody has an opinion on who should fight whom in the welterweight division,” Garry said on Instagram. “Here’s mine: Carlos Prates vs. Michael Morales. Because it’s two power heavy hitters, and I want to see who comes out on top. I doubt Morales would take it, because the truth is, Carles Prates hits harder. I kind of want to see Prates vs. JDM too. But I’m gonna match Jack Della Maddalena vs. Kamaru Usman… And finally, the world title fight at welterweight. I want to see the…

Aljamain Sterling really enjoyed punching T.J. Dillashaw. 

Sterling defended his bantamweight title with a technical knockout win over Dillashaw in 2022. Sterling recently said that punching Dillashaw was the best moment of his career. While Sterling respects Dillashaw’s skillset, his dislike for the former bantamweight champion stems from his infamous drug testing failures. Sterling notes that Dillashaw’s former teammate turned foe, Cody Garbrandt, had long been accusing him of cheating. While Sterling had his doubts then, he is now free to speak his mind since Dillashaw has been caught cheating.

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'He’s a Lying Cheat' “Best moment – probably punching T.J. Dillashaw… I just know he’s a cheat,” Sterling told Home of Fight. “He’s a lying cheat. ‘Oh no, I only got caught that time.’ Yeah, you only got caught that time. Your teammate outed you before you fought him. Don’t get me wrong, I like T.J. in terms of skillset, fun to watch, studied a lot of h…

Muhammad Mokaev hasn't fought in the UFC since 2024. | Getty/UFC

Muhammad Mokaev has seemingly been invited back to the UFC, but not to compete in MMA. 

Mokaev (15-0) recently won the under-65 kilogram title at the English Senior Wrestling Championships in freestyle wrestling. Mokaev claims he has now been offered to fight jiu-jitsu ace Mikey Musumeci for a UFC BJJ title.

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“I have been offered to compete against Mikey Mussumeci for the UFC BJJ belt. What do you think guys?” Mokaev wrote on X.

I have been offered to compete against Mikey Mussumeci for the UFC BJJ belt

What do you think guys? 🙂

— Muhammad Mokaev (@muhammadmokaev) February 9, 2026 Staying Active Outside the UFC Despite being undefeated, Mokaev’s UFC contract was not renewed following a win over Manel Kape in 2024. While some alleged behavioral issues, Mokaev said it was due to his fighting style, which has often been criticized for…

Sean O'Malley thinks Petr Yan will do better to fight him instead of Merab Dvalishvili after the champion’s recent back surgery. 

Yan recently underwent a lumbar spine surgery and is expected to return this summer. While Yan said that it was a “minor” surgery, he needed nine hours of anaesthesia. Yan is expected to put his title on the line in a rematch against Dvalishvili upon his return. However, O’Malley advises Yan not to return soon from the surgery against Dvalishvili. O’Malley believes Yan could be compromised against Dvalishvili, who is known for relentless grappling. O’Malley wants Yan to fight him instead, as “Suga” is not exactly known for his wrestling.

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'I Suck at Wrestling'   “I want Petr Yan next,” O’Malley said on YouTube. “I hate the idea of him coming off back surgery and fighting Merab… You’re gonna f—-ing fight Merab within a year after back surgery? It sounds like a f—-ing terrible mistake… I’m not gonna go out there and …

Lerone Murphy only has to watch his knockout win over Aaron Pico if he is feeling low.

Murphy welcomed Pico to the UFC in the co-main event at UFC 319 in August 2025 in Chicago. While Murphy was a slight underdog, he starched Pico with a spinning back elbow in the first round. Murphy recently revealed that the happiness from watching that knockout never fades for him. “The Iceman” wishes he had a way to keep track of the number of times he has watched that knockout. Murphy notes that the significance of the knockout was amplified by the timing, the precision, the high stakes, as well as the magnitude of the event.

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High Magnitude KO “That was cold. I wish I had a counter to see how many times I actually watched that,” Murphy told the UFC. “I’ve watched that knockout a million times. I will watch that until I’m dead, until I’m old… The happiness I get from watching it never goes. I feel like if I’m down, I might as well just watch this and bring me bac…

Tofiq Musayev came up short in his UFC debut. | Getty/UFC

Former Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight tournament winner Tofiq Musayev will seek his first Octagon triumph when he faces Samuel Sanches at UFC Fight Night 272.

The bout was initially reported by Leo Guimaraes and later confirmed by MMAjunkie.com. UFC Fight Night 272 takes place on April 4 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. A headliner has not been announced for the event.

A Difficult Debut Musayev endured a rough promotional debut this past June, when he suffered a first-round submission loss to Myktybek Orolbai at UFC Baku in a 165-pound catchweight affair. Musayev notably won the Rizin lightweight grand prix in 2019, capturing the tournament crown with a victory over Patricky Freire at Rizin 20. That marked the conclusion of a 15-fight professional winning streak authored by the Azerbaijan native from 2015 to 2019. He has gone 3-3 since then.

The 23-year-old Sanches will be making his UFC deb…

Israel Adesanya nearly fought twice in 2025. | Getty/UFC

If the stars had aligned, Israel Adesanya would have returned to the Octagon a little sooner than expected.

The former middleweight champion will face Joe Pyfer in the UFC Seattle headliner on March 28 at Climate Pledge Arena. “The Last Stylebender” hasn’t been in action since suffering a second-round technical knockout defeat against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia last February.

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On his YouTube channel, Adesanya revealed that he had been ready to accept a short-notice booking against Reinier de Ridder in October before an injury suffered in training removed him from consideration.

“I was going to fight last year, but then I got injured in the gym, and then that opportunity got taken away. It was a short-notice fight, as well. And I’ve never done one of those, so that would have been exciting,” Adesanya said.

De Ridder was scheduled to face fellow middleweight cont…

Alex Morono was spitting blood at Daniil Donchenko this past Saturday. | Getty/UFC

Alex Morono wants to exit the UFC on his own terms.

The 24-time Octagon veteran fought valiantly against “The Ultimate Fighter 33” winner Daniil Donchenko at UFC Fight Night 266 this past Saturday, making it to the final bell despite absorbing a tremendous amount of punishment over the course of three rounds. Donchenko won a clear-cut unanimous decision in the welterweight bout.

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“If someone makes you bleed, spit it in their face and hit them as hard as you can,” Morono wrote on Instagram. “I got to make my 24th walk to the Octagon and, as always, had the time of my life. I always go in there to win, no matter what, no matter what it takes. They threw a young, hungry kickboxer my way and we got to throw down on the biggest stage in the world. Much respect to my opponent and his team. Despite the odds being stacked against me I was happy to accept the chal…

After a promising start, Jailton Almeida's run at heavyweight has fallen flat. | Getty/UFC

Jailton Almeida is done with the heavyweight experiment.

After consecutive losses against Rizvan Kuniev and Alexander Volkov, Almeida is planning to return to the light heavyweight division. The information was released by manager Leonardo Pateira during the Brazilian podcast "Connect Cast.” Sherdog subsequently contacted Pateira, who confirmed the information and added that UFC has already been informed of Almeida’s decision.   

Diminishing Returns “Maladinho” earned a UFC contract by winning a light heavyweight fight on Dana White's Contender Series in September 2021. He was successful in his Octagon debut at 205 pounds, finishing Danilo Marques in the opening stanza at UFC Fight Night 200 in February 2022. After one 220-pound catchweight victory, the Brazilian moved to the heavyweight division, where he has compiled a 5-3 record since 2023.

While Alme…

Two of the UFC’s most entertaining strikers might be on a collision course for a grappling match. 

Sharabutdin Magomedov recently claimed that he is in talks for a grappling match against Alex Pereira. “Shara Bullet’s” manager, Rizvan Magomedov also confirmed the same. Rizvan says that “Shara Bullet” is waiting for an event in the Middle East or somewhere else outside the U.S. for his next UFC fight since he is not licensed to fight in the U.S. In the meantime, Magomedov is keeping himself active by competing in grappling matches. Rizvan says negotiations are underway for a grappling match against Pereira.

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Staying Busy “I think Shara is quietly transitioning from a striker to a wrestler,” Rizvan told Sport 24. “Meanwhile, regarding his fight, we’re waiting for a date ideally. An event in the Middle East or somewhere else. Since for obvious reasons he can’t compete in the United States. And he’s filling this free time with these kinds of matches.…

Pride Fighting Championships veteran Don Frye recently lauded the Caucasian style of wrestling, and its torchbearer, Khabib Nurmagomedov. 

Frye believes Nurmagomedov was unbeatable and could have continued winning if he hadn’t retired. Frye thinks Nurmagomedov was never inclined to return as he never faced adversity in his career. Nurmagomedov was the torchbearer of a style of wrestling that originated in Dagestan, Chechnya and other areas of the Caucasus mountains. Champions like Islam Makhachev, Khamzat Chimaev and other elite grapplers are taking over the sport with the same kind of grappling that is often criticized for not being entertaining. However, Frye believes that, fan-friendly or not, the Dagestani/Chechen style of wrestling is superior to every other style in the sport today.

Bulletproof “I think Khabib was everybody’s match,” Frye said in a recent interview. “Nobody can beat that guy. He’s bulletproof, 10-foot-tall, bulletproof. [His wrestling] is phen…

Javier Mendez recently explained why he believes Khabib Nurmagomedov is the greatest MMA fighter of all time over Jon Jones. 

Nurmagomedov’s longtime coach, Mendez, recently picked him as the MMA GOAT. Mendez also explained that he would have certainly picked Jones as the GOAT if not for the multiple PED violations. Mendez notes that several Olympic medallists have had their medals taken away after they were found cheating. According to Mendez, Jones can’t be considered the GOAT if the same logic applies to MMA.

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Transgressions Should Be Punished “The GOAT for me is Khabib, and I would put Jon Jones in that category, but I can’t,” Mendez said on the Ahmed Mahmood show. “If you’re caught doing something you shouldn’t have been doing, how can you be considered at the top of the league? This is a true sport, and in a true sport you cannot put that person ahead. How many people have won Olympic gold medals and then they find out they cheated one way o…

Usman Nurmagomedov vowed to make referee Kerry Hatley’s night at PFL Road to Dubai a little easier. 

Nurmagomedov (21-0) put his lightweight title on the line against Davis in the main event at PFL Dubai on Saturday. The undefeated Dagestani looked nearly flawless while putting Davis to sleep with a reverse arm-triangle in the third round. 

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Recent footage has surfaced of Nurmagomedov taking pre-fight instructions from referee Hatley. Hatley was explaining that if Nurmagomedov was in the bottom position and wanted to be stood up, he had to stall the action. However, Nurmagomedov wasn’t very keen on listening to the rest of the instructions as he was confident that he would finish Davis.A Man of His Word “I’m gonna finish him,” Nurmagomedov said.

Hatley replied: “Yeah, good, make my job easy.”

However, Hatley did his duty by imparting the complete set of instructions to Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov kept his promise by finishing Davis to…

Mario Bautista had no trouble getting past Vinicius Oliveira. | Getty/UFC

Mario Bautista believes cutting excess weight made Vinicius Oliveira slow in their fight on Saturday. 

Bautista took on an up-and-coming Oliveira in the main event at UFC Vegas 113 on Saturday at the Apex in Las Vegas. While some were counting Bautista out, he absolutely walked through Oliveira en route to a second-round submission win. 

While it was Oliveira’s first five-rounder, “LokDog” started looking sluggish early in the second round. Bautista revealed that he initially thought that Oliveira was playing possum to try to lure him into a knockout shot. However, Oliveira was just too slow for Bautista, who saw everything coming his way. Bautista believes that Oliveira weighing 165 pounds during fight week and cutting to bantamweight might have had something to do with his lack of speed.

Experience Pays Off “I wasn't sure if he was messing around, kind of trying to …

Daniil Donchenko has learned a lesson despite his win over Alex Morono on Saturday. 

Donchenko took on the battle-tested veteran in a welterweight matchup at UFC Vegas 113 on Saturday. The Ukrainian came out all guns blazing and started beating down Morono from the onset. However, Morono, sometimes considered too tough for his own good, refused to go down. While Donchenko eventually earned a unanimous decision win, he also suffered some damage from Morono. 

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While some fighters only learn from their losses, Donchenko has learned a lesson from his win against Morono. Donchenko found his performance “stupid” and vows not to repeat it in the future. While Donchenko doesn’t mind a brutal fight, he believes he could have been much smarter about it. The 24-year-old guarantees a brutal but smarter version of himself going forward.A Smart and Brutal Future “I learned a lot,” Donchenko said at his post-fight press conference. “Some people only learn …

Arman Tsarukyan has shared his pick for the UFC 326 headliner, whom he eventually wants to fight. 

Max Holloway will put his BMF belt on the line in a rematch against Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 on March 7 in Las Vegas. Tsarukyan is backing his former foe Oliveira to beat Holloway. While Tsarukyan thinks Oliveira isn’t the most technical sometimes, he believes “do Bronx” outperforms himself on good nights. Tsarukyan earned a split decision win over Oliveira in their matchup in 2024. However, Tsarukyan claims the scorecards didn’t do justice as he beat Oliveira convincingly. “Ahalkalakets” wants Oliveira to beat Holloway so that he can run it back with the Brazilian and show that he has always been better.

‘We Have a History’ “Sometimes Oliveira fights so bad, but sometimes he's unreal,” Tsarukyan said on Telegram. “You never know with him. I still lean towards him to win. I hope Oliveira wins, we have a history. We can rematch. People say I won via split decision, b…

Manoel Sousa earned a UFC deal on the Contender Series last year. | Getty/UFC

Mauricio Ruffy’s former opponent might have a shortcut to rise up the rankings if he is successful in his UFC debut.

Ruffy suffered his only professional loss outside the UFC against Manoel Sousa via knockout in 2019. Sousa (13-1) earned his UFC contract with a knockout win on Dana White's Contender Series last year. “Manumito” is now scheduled to make his Octagon debut against Bolaji Oki (10-3) at UFC Fight Night 269 on March 14 at the Apex in Las Vegas. Ag.Fight was first to report the booking. 

Sousa has finished 11 of his 13 career wins so far, while only losing Archie Colgan in 2024. Meanwhile, Oki is 2-2 in the UFC since his debut in 2024 and will look to rebound from a knockout loss against Mason Jones. 

Ruffy (13-2) made his UFC debut in 2024 and quickly attained stardom with a three-fight winning streak before losing to Benoit St. Denis last year. Th…

Only in MMA.

On Saturday, a custom rules bout between Vaclav Mikulasek and Pavol Vasko at Clash MMA in Brno, Czech Republic, devolved into chaos when Vasko attempted to defend a takedown by biting his opponent’s ear. Mikulasek immediately clutched his ear and screamed out in pain while Vasko exited the cage.

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Though some security did its best to escort Vasko out of the arena, the disgraced fighter had to dodge drinks, chairs and punches while under attack on his way backstage. The video of the melee (courtesy of Happy Punch) can be viewed below:

MMA fighter got jumped by the crowd after nearly biting his opponent’s ear off 😳 pic.twitter.com/BIG2r9BGQs

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) February 8, 2026

Later, Mikulasek shared a video of himself on social media with his ear bandaged.

He also shared another photo on Instagram Stories of his ear without any covering.

Chaos in Czech Republic

Kyoji Horiguchi was in prime form against Amir Albazi. | Getty/UFC

More than 10 years ago, Kyoji Horiguchi wasn’t ready to become UFC champion.

The Japanese standout squared off against pound-for-pound great Demetrious Johnson at UFC 186, falling to “Mighty Mouse” via armbar in the fifth round of their April 2015 championship bout. Horiguchi would win three more UFC bouts before parting ways with the Las Vegas-based promotion in 2016. He enjoyed plenty of success in Rizin and Bellator before returning to the UFC late last year. On Saturday, he earned his second consecutive victory in the Octagon, as he cruised past Amir Albazi in the UFC Fight Night 266 co-main event.

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“I’m better at everything,” Horiguchi said of the difference between now and then at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “Fighting fear, scared, everything, I learn. That’s why I’m strong right now.”

At 35 years old, Horiguchi appears to still be at the peak of his…

Vinicius Oliveira had a rough time in the UFC Vegas 113 main event. | Getty/UFC

Vinicius Oliveira took a step up in competition on Saturday, and things didn’t go as planned for the Brazilian prospect.

Oliveira was outclassed in the UFC Vegas 113 main event, as he fell to Mario Bautista via second-round submission at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. That snapped a four-bout promotional winning streak for “LokDog,” who had an opportunity to enter the upper echelon of the bantamweight division with a victory over the battle-tested Bautista.

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In the aftermath of his first UFC, defeat Oliveira revealed that he suffered multiple injuries leading up to the fight.

"Well, earthlings, things went wrong again," Oliveira wrote on Instagram. "I've lost count of how many times I've lost in my life, but every time I've gotten up and moved on. I'm sad for my team and for everyone who was cheering for me, but anyway, no sad stories, let's move on to anothe…

Jon Jones believes the best version of himself doesn’t involve competing in MMA. 

Jones (28-1) recently revealed that he might finally be done fighting. Jones believes he is still fit enough to hold his own with some of the best fighters in the world. However, Jones, widely considered the greatest of all time, is only used to competing with top competition. Jones wants to retire with his legacy intact instead of continuing to a point where he takes unnecessary damage and some losses.

‘My Best Self Is On Its Way’   “I think my best self is on its way, and that’s a person without fighting, and I’m excited to forge this guy…I think I could be done,” Jones told Helen Yee. “I know I am young enough to compete with some of the best fighters in the world, I’m healthy enough to compete with some of the best fighters in the world, but I’ve always been used to competing with the best in the world. That’s a really high standard to uphold. Maybe it's just about doing it rig…

Umar Nurmagomedov believes he won’t be matched up against Sean O'Malley. 

Nurmagomedov and O’Malley are currently on the cusp of title contention, with a win likely to seal a title shot for either of them. However, former bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has been guaranteed a chance to reclaim his title against Petr Yan next. 

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Nurmagomedov (20-1) is willing to fight anyone in the meantime, preferably O’Malley (19-3) in Abu Dhabi this summer. However, Nurmagomedov doubts the matchup will come to fruition as neither O’Malley nor the UFC will want it. Nurmagomedov believes that if Yan defends his title, O’Malley will get the next title shot, considering his previous split-decision win over the champion. However, Nurmagomedov believes he will secure the next title shot if Dvalishvili reclaims the title against Yan. While Nurmagomedov has lost once to Dvalishvili, O’Malley has lost two title fights against the Georgian, including a stoppa…

Alfie Davis shared a lighthearted moment with Islam Makhachev after his loss to Usman Nurmagoedov at PFL Road to Dubai.

Davis challenged Nurmagomedov for the Professional Fighters League lightweight title on Saturday at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. Nurmagomedov choked out Davis with a reverse arm-triangle late in the third round to successfully defend his title. 

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Davis revealed that he thought he could just survive the round when he heard his corner say that there were only 30 seconds left. However, the next thing the Englishman knew was that he was regaining consciousness. When Davis came to his senses, he saw Usman’s cousin and coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, in his face. Davis says that the entire team was very respectful toward him after the fight. Davis also revealed that Makhachev couldn’t resist one of his signature humorous one-liners. Makhachev reminded Davis that he is now 1-1 against their team after “The Axe Man” beat their teammate Ga…

Movsar Evloev believes it’s not a good idea for Ilia Topuria to fight Islam Makhachev at welterweight. 

Lightweight champion Topuria has long been eyeing a clash against welterweight champion Makhachev. Topuria is currently expected to fight interim champion Justin Gaethje in a title unifier. While Evloev was impressed with Gaethje’s interim title win over Paddy Pimblett last month, he believes “The Highlight” is highly susceptible to a knockout against Topuria. However, Evloev believes Topuria stands no chance at welterweight against Makhachev, who is visibly bigger and on a different level.

Another Level “It's a stupid move,” Evloev told Submission Radio. “I think if Ilia does this, he will lose everything. But he has the power to fight at lightweight, and I don’t think it’s going to be a good fight for Gaethje if they fight. Gaethje’s fight [against Pimblett] was so good, but he missed a lot of punches. That’s not a good idea with Ilia. If [Ilia] touches [Justin],…