MVP stakes its UFC challenge on fifty-fifty pay

The MMA business war got its clearest battle line yet as MVP's Nakisa Bidarian pitched a 50-percent revenue split against the UFC's low double digits, while Dana White shrugged the whole merger off. Around it, the Usman Nurmagomedov free-agency clock started ticking, Islam Makhachev waved off retirement ahead of UFC 330, and the fall bookings kept filling in. Belgrade's fallout — Blachowicz's future and Medic's callout — rounded out a heavy news day.

MVP pitches 50% fighter pay as its case against the UFC

Laying out the vision behind the newly announced PFL merger, MVP president Nakisa Bidarian told Bloomberg the combined promotion aims to give fighters at least 50 percent of revenue — a direct shot at the UFC's estimated 13-to-20 percent share. He argued a fighter-first split creates 'massive enterprise value,' while conceding most elite talent is locked into restrictive UFC deals. Dana White, asked at UFC Belgrade, again dismissed the tie-up as 'two organizations that don't sell tickets' merging into a bigger one nobody watches. The rebranded MVP MMA targets a launch in early 2027.

Why it matters: Fighter pay is the UFC's most durable vulnerability; whether MVP can actually deliver 50 percent and pry names off UFC contracts is the real test of whether this merger is more than a new coat of paint.

Khabib sets Usman's free-agency clock: talks next month, decision 'very soon'

Khabib Nurmagomedov said negotiations over cousin Usman's future will open next month with an answer expected 'very soon,' a day after Dana White grinned 'sure' when asked about signing him. Usman (22-0) fought out his PFL contract Friday with a first-round knockout of Archie Colgan and is now the sport's biggest free agent. Coach Javier Mendez named Arman Tsarukyan and Ilia Topuria as dream matchups but expects a top-five debut opponent such as Paddy Pimblett or Max Holloway. PFL CEO John Martin says he wants to keep his lightweight champion.

Why it matters: With Makhachev now campaigning at welterweight, the logjam that kept Usman out of the UFC is gone — his signing would instantly reshape a lightweight division now headed by Justin Gaethje.

Makhachev rejects Khabib's retirement plan, eyes 'many more' wins past the record

Ahead of his first welterweight title defense against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 on Aug. 15 in Philadelphia, Islam Makhachev waved off Khabib Nurmagomedov's advice to retire by 35. A win over Garry would break Anderson Silva's UFC record of 16 straight victories, and Makhachev vowed to push 'many more' beyond 17. The pound-for-pound No. 1 turns 35 in October but says he wants to be 'the best fighter to ever do this.'

Why it matters: The sport's top fighter signaling a long reign at 170 sets the ceiling for the division and reframes UFC 330 as a legacy milestone rather than a routine defense.

UFC 331 fills in: O'Neill vs. Moura, Moicano vs. Ortega

The UFC's Sept. 18-19 Los Angeles card at Crypto.com Arena added pieces. A women's flyweight bout between Casey O'Neill (11-2) and Eduarda Moura (12-2) was reported for the event, while former title challenger Renato Moicano is reportedly set to meet submission specialist Brian Ortega at lightweight on the same night. Moicano stayed sharp in the meantime, tapping former Bellator champion Patricky Freire with an arm-triangle in under four minutes at BJJ Stars 19.

Why it matters: UFC 331 is shaping up around a rumored Tsarukyan-Oliveira lightweight rematch; these additions give two grappling-heavy veterans real divisional stakes on a stacked card.

Blachowicz breaks silence, retirement questions loom after Stirling KO

Jan Blachowicz spoke out after being knocked out by Navajo Stirling in the UFC Belgrade co-main, posting before-and-after photos of a stitched facial gash with the caption, 'It is what it is. Another one for the collection.' The loss stretches the former light heavyweight champion's winless run to five fights (0-3-2), with no victory since May 2022. At 43 — the second-oldest man on the roster — Blachowicz now faces open questions about whether he keeps fighting.

Why it matters: A proud former champion is sliding into gatekeeper territory; the UFC's next call, another ranked matchup or a nudge toward the exit, decides how his story ends.

Medic wants Leon Edwards next after 30-second Belgrade knockout

Fresh off icing Daniel Rodriguez in 30 seconds in his Serbian homecoming — his fourth straight first-round finish — Uros Medic again called out former welterweight champion Leon Edwards, who is 0-3 in his last three but still ranked in the top 10. Medic said beating two former champions puts him 'next in line for the belt.' Rodriguez, fighting for the first time since an eight-month stint in a Mexican prison, said he 'loaded up on the jab and he beat me to the punch.'

Why it matters: Edwards is exactly the ranked-but-fading name that could vault a surging Medic into the welterweight top 10 — if the UFC chooses to reward its newly minted Serbian draw.

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