Aspinall shuts down UFC exit rumors

A quiet Wednesday for cage action turned into a day of statements: heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall went public to kill talk that he's leaving the UFC, while light heavyweight king Carlos Ulberg set an early-2027 return date as interim-title rumors build behind him. Off the roster, Dana White's promotions kept swallowing the sport's fringes — Chris Barnett to Power Slap, a short-notice bare-knuckle title fight in Miami — and the Bella Mir fallout dominated the news cycle a day after her historic Contender Series loss.

Aspinall goes public: 'I'm not leaving the UFC'

Heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall issued a statement Wednesday denying rumors he had relinquished his title and split with the UFC, after his boxing coach Stipe Drvis claimed on Instagram Live that Aspinall would never fight in the promotion again. 'I'm not leaving the UFC. I've never said I have in any interview,' Aspinall wrote, adding that he speaks with the UFC daily. He hasn't fought since the no-contest with Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 last October, when eye pokes and subsequent surgeries sidelined him; Gane won the interim belt over Alex Pereira and awaits a unification rematch, with November's UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden floated as a possible return.

Why it matters: The heavyweight belt has been effectively frozen for nearly a year, and Aspinall's signing with Dana White rival Eddie Hearn only fueled exit speculation. His denial keeps the Gane unification alive rather than heading toward a strip-and-vacate.

Ulberg eyes early-2027 return as interim 205 title looms

Light heavyweight champion Carlos Ulberg, speaking in Shanghai ahead of Saturday's UFC Fight Night, said he's targeting a return in the first months of 2027 as he rehabs the ACL he tore knocking out Jiri Prochazka to win the vacant title at UFC 327. He won't rush back and risk re-injury. With the belt effectively parked, an interim light heavyweight title bout between Prochazka and Paulo Costa has been rumored for UFC 332 in Salt Lake City on Oct. 3 — though Prochazka himself has downplayed it as unconfirmed.

Why it matters: A champion out until 2027 all but forces the UFC's hand on an interim belt, and Prochazka-Costa would set up a rematch or unification with Ulberg. Magomed Ankalaev also lurks in the contender mix.

Ex-Bellator's Alejandra Lara banned nine months over cocaine metabolite

The Nevada Athletic Commission handed former Bellator flyweight title challenger Alejandra Lara a nine-month suspension and a $412.50 fine after she tested positive for benzoylecgonine, the primary metabolite of cocaine, around her April 24 loss to Jaleen Robledo at Tuff-N-Uff 153. Lara, 32, is eligible to return Jan. 24, 2027 and must undergo additional testing to be relicensed in Nevada. She responded that she had been appealing on the grounds that consuming coca leaf is an Indigenous cultural practice in South America.

Why it matters: A reminder that commission testing follows fighters onto the regional circuit long after they leave a major promotion. Lara challenged Ilima-Lei Macfarlane for Bellator gold in 2018 before her post-2023 slide.

Chris Barnett becomes first male ex-UFC fighter to sign with Power Slap

Power Slap announced Wednesday that fan-favorite heavyweight Chris 'Beastboy' Barnett has signed on, with an opponent and debut date still to be determined. Barnett, 40, went 2-4 across six UFC fights — remembered for a Performance of the Night spinning-wheel-kick KO of Gian Villante — before his 2025 release, and most recently scored a 61-second KO in Karate Combat. He's the first male former UFC fighter to cross into Dana White's slap-fighting venture, following the paths of Paige VanZant and Emily Whitmire.

Why it matters: White continues to funnel released and crossover talent into his own promotions; Barnett breaking the male-UFC-to-Power-Slap barrier signals more such moves to come.

Bella Mir vows to rebuild as her mother torches the judges

A day after the biggest upset in Contender Series history, 23-year-old Bella Mir posted a level-headed statement: 'It takes way more than hate and one single loss in my MMA career to break me.' The daughter of Frank Mir, a record -6000 favorite, dropped a unanimous decision to Alex Apodaca, who out-struck her over three rounds and took the UFC contract. Apodaca said she knew she'd won by the end of round one. Mir's mother, Jennifer, drew heavy backlash for flooding Apodaca's social media with claims the judges 'OBVIOUSLY' robbed her daughter.

Why it matters: The hype machine took a real hit, but Mir's composure — and elite wrestling pedigree — keep her a UFC prospect once she banks experience. The parental meltdown is the day's cautionary sideshow.

Kevin Holland cops to being Dana White's '$11 million man'

After White told reporters that one Contender Series graduate who never fought for a title has earned over $11 million in the UFC, fans quickly fingered Kevin Holland — who first denied it ('That fighter's not me'), then flipped: 'I may have made $11 million, but I've had four kids, paid taxes and got divorced three times.' Holland has fought 29 times since 2018, banking 10 fight-night bonuses. Ariel Helwani cast doubt on the figure, arguing White inflates such numbers by folding in bonuses.

Why it matters: A rare public data point on UFC pay, and a window into how White markets the Contender Series pipeline. Whether the $11 million is real or spin is itself the story.

Terrill steps in on days' notice for BKB heavyweight title in Miami

BKB Bare Knuckle Boxing has reshuffled Saturday's BKB 58 in Miami: multi-promotion champ Mick 'The Butcher of Shields' Terrill, originally set to work as ringside commentary, will instead challenge unbeaten BKB heavyweight titlist Gustavo 'The Cuban Assassin' Trujillo after Mark O'Neill withdrew over visa issues. Trujillo is 8-0 in bare-knuckle with all eight wins by first-round KO; Terrill is 11-2 with every win by knockout. The card also features Olympic gold medalist Yuriorkis Gamboa's bare-knuckle debut and appearances by ex-UFC/PFL fighter Aspen Ladd.

Why it matters: A 100%-finishing champion against a 100%-finishing challenger on three days' notice is as high-variance as gloveless combat gets — and a rare marquee bare-knuckle title fight.

Dvalishvili says Russian-flag beef with Makhachev is about politics, not the champ

Merab Dvalishvili moved to squash a brewing feud after Islam Makhachev accused him of resenting his success. Dvalishvili said his frustration at Makhachev's UFC 330 celebration was that the champ's team was allowed to bring a Russian flag into the Octagon when Merab was never permitted his Georgian or American flag in five title fights — and framed it as objection to 'Russian politics and the Russian government,' citing Russia's occupation of Georgia and war in Ukraine, not to Makhachev or Russian people. He faces Petr Yan in a bantamweight trilogy at UFC 333 on Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi.

Why it matters: The Dagestan camp rivalry is heating up ahead of UFC 333, with Umar Nurmagomedov calling his beef with Merab personal. Merab's clarification separates the geopolitics from the fight-week noise.

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