PFL and RIZIN put two belts on one fight

The biggest news landed outside the UFC: PFL and RIZIN announced a genuinely unprecedented cross-promotional main event in which both promotions' featherweight titles ride on a single bout in Osaka. Elsewhere, matchmaking gripes and retirement talk dominated a quiet UFC news day, while Tommy McMillen's record-setting Oklahoma City debut hinted at a new star.

McKee vs. Shaidulloev to unify PFL and RIZIN featherweight belts in Osaka

PFL and RIZIN announced that AJ McKee (25-2) will meet undefeated RIZIN featherweight champion Razhabali Shaidulloev (19-0) in the main event of Super RIZIN 5 on Sept. 10 at Kyocera Dome Osaka, with both the RIZIN title and the vacant PFL 145-pound title on the line. It is billed as the first fight ever to put two promotions' championships at stake in a single bout, contested under RIZIN rules over three rounds. Shaidulloev has finished all 19 of his wins, 13 in the first round; McKee, a former Bellator champion, rides a three-fight streak since returning to featherweight. The card also features Mikuru Asakura vs. Shinya Aoki.

Why it matters: It is the most ambitious cross-promotional move since the Bellator-RIZIN era and a real statement from PFL that it can make marquee non-UFC fights matter — with McKee getting a career-defining test against the best featherweight outside the UFC.

Michael Page vents on matchmaking, says Paris bout is last on his deal

Michael Page revealed that his Sept. 5 UFC Paris bout with Nursulton Ruziboev is the final fight on his current contract, and that no talks to re-sign have begun. The former Bellator star, 4-1 in the UFC but winless by finish and repeatedly booed, said he has fruitlessly asked for top-10 names across his last three fights, calling the process 'excuse after excuse.' He committed to middleweight, dismissing welterweight as full of fighters who 'don't want to fight.'

Why it matters: A high-profile 2024 signing openly questioning his future underlines the gap between name value and the finish-driven résumé the UFC actually rewards — Page likely needs a highlight KO in Paris to earn a new deal.

Muradov jumps up to challenge Fleury for OKTAGON light heavyweight title

OKTAGON double champ Will Fleury (17-3, 1 NC) will defend his light heavyweight belt against interim middleweight champion Makhmud Muradov (29-8, 1 NC) at OKTAGON 92 on Aug. 1 in Prague, after original challenger Daniel Skvor withdrew with a torn pectoral. Muradov, a UFC veteran, moves up a division on short notice for a shot at a second-weight title against a fighter who also holds the promotion's heavyweight strap. The card is co-headlined by Lucia Szabova's bantamweight title defense against Lucie Pudilova.

Why it matters: Two of OKTAGON's unbeaten stars now collide with gold on the line, and a Muradov win would make him a two-division champ — a marquee outcome for Europe's fastest-growing promotion.

Poirier urges Chandler to retire as 'Iron' eyes a welterweight move

Dustin Poirier, who buried a years-long feud with Michael Chandler, publicly questioned why his former rival is still fighting after a fourth straight loss — a first-round KO by Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Freedom 250. Chandler, 40 and 2-6 in the UFC, has teased jumping to welterweight rather than retiring. Poirier called that a bad idea given the damage Chandler is absorbing at 155, asking, 'If 155ers are stopping you, what are 170s gonna do?'

Why it matters: It's a pointed intervention from a retired peer on fighter health, and a reminder that Chandler's marketability now outstrips his results as the UFC weighs what to do with a fading former Bellator champ.

Tommy McMillen breaks Nate Diaz's strike record in Oklahoma City

In just his second UFC fight, featherweight Tommy McMillen battered Alberto Montes to a third-round TKO on the UFC Oklahoma City main card, landing 252 significant strikes to break Nate Diaz's long-standing record for a three-round bout — third-most all-time behind only Max Holloway and Rob Font in five-rounders. The 2-0 prospect, who trains alongside Sean O'Malley in Arizona and cut a Diaz-style post-fight promo, banked his second straight Performance of the Night bonus and wants to fight at Noche UFC in September.

Why it matters: On a card headlined by aging former champs, the loudest takeaway was a potential new star — a high-volume, trash-talking fan magnet the UFC badly needs as its veteran draws fade.

Garry likens UFC 330 title shot at Makhachev to McGregor-Aldo

Ahead of his Aug. 15 welterweight title challenge against Islam Makhachev in Philadelphia, Ian Machado Garry compared the matchup to Conor McGregor's 2015 win over Jose Aldo, framing a victory over the pound-for-pound king as proof of his own greatness. Makhachev, 29-1 and tied for the UFC's longest win streak at 16, would break the all-time record with a win; teammate Cain Velasquez praised him as a 'master' of the sport, and the champion opened as a roughly -300 favorite. UFC 330 also features Mackenzie Dern defending the strawweight title against Gillian Robertson.

Why it matters: It's still pure buildup, but the stakes are real: Garry's chance to become Ireland's second UFC champion against a fighter one win from the sport's consecutive-victory record.

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