Cyborg and Costa rip UFC's title double standard

A quiet post-Paris Sunday turned into a referendum on how the UFC handles its injured champions, with Cris Cyborg and Paulo Costa hammering the promotion for stripping Valentina Shevchenko while leaving others untouched. Elsewhere, Jon Anik floated an immediate Gaethje-Topuria rematch, Tony Ferguson booked his next boxing title defense, and Shavkat Rakhmonov admitted his career may be over.

Cyborg, Costa hammer UFC's inconsistent handling of injured champs

Shevchenko's coach Pavel Fedotov confirmed she vacated the women's flyweight belt over shoulder and back ligament injuries expected to sideline her about eight months, forcing the vacant-title bout between Natalia Silva and Wang Cong at UFC 332 on Oct. 3. The decision drew fire over the UFC's uneven approach: Cris Cyborg argued that bantamweight champ Kayla Harrison, who last fought in June 2025, should also be stripped for greater inactivity. Paulo Costa piled on, saying the UFC refused his pitch for an interim light heavyweight title fight at UFC 332 even though champ Carlos Ulberg is out until at least late 2027, and questioning why Alex Pereira sits No. 4 at heavyweight without a win there.

Why it matters: The UFC strips some injured champions and lets others hold divisions hostage with no visible rule, and its own fighters are now calling out the inconsistency across three weight classes.

Anik says UFC is weighing an immediate Gaethje-Topuria rematch

UFC lead commentator Jon Anik said on the Anik Bros YouTube channel there are 'internal conversations' about running back Justin Gaethje vs. Ilia Topuria, three months after Gaethje's fourth-round TKO handed Topuria his first pro loss at the White House. Gaethje has said he won't fight again until 2027, has toyed with retirement, and previously rejected a rematch. Anik acknowledged a merit-based logjam behind them, with Arman Tsarukyan facing Mauricio Ruffy on Sept. 19 and Charles Oliveira, Paddy Pimblett and Max Holloway all in the mix.

Why it matters: Handing Topuria an immediate title shot off a finished loss would leapfrog a stacked field of contenders and further scramble the lightweight picture.

Tony Ferguson defends Misfits boxing title vs. Biyong on Sept. 26

Former UFC interim lightweight champ Tony Ferguson will make his first defense of the Misfits Boxing middleweight title against former pro soccer player Kenzo Biyong on Sept. 26 at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, streaming on DAZN. Ferguson, 42, is 2-0 in the promotion after stopping Salt Papi and outpointing Warren Spencer, and lost a wrestling match to Arman Tsarukyan at RAF 10 in June. The card is headlined by Henry Cejudo's boxing debut against 'Deen the Great' and also features Chase DeMoor vs. Alex Pereira coach Plinio Cruz.

Why it matters: Ferguson's second act as an influencer-boxing champion keeps rolling, a soft landing for a former UFC star who left on an eight-fight skid.

Rakhmonov admits UFC return isn't guaranteed after knee wrecked

Shavkat Rakhmonov (19-0), sidelined since his December 2024 decision over Ian Machado Garry, said he fought that bout with a torn knee ligament and 'shouldn't have fought at all,' calling it 'the Kazakh way.' Coach Edward Bazrov says the welterweight won't be ready before February 2027, and Rakhmonov himself won't guarantee he ever competes again. Both Islam Makhachev and Sean Brady have publicly doubted the once-feared contender will return.

Why it matters: A man who was one fight from a title shot may be finished, further thinning a welterweight contender pool already reshaped by Makhachev's reign.

Ex-UFC contender Marlon Moraes floors motorist as a Florida cop

Bodycam footage went viral of former UFC and WSOF bantamweight title challenger Marlon Moraes, now a Coral Springs, Florida police officer, hip-tossing a confrontational motorist who told him 'you can't do sh*t' during a March 27 traffic stop. Moraes joined law enforcement in 2024, and he hasn't left MMA behind either — he snapped a seven-fight skid on Aug. 28 with a decision over Maximiliano Perez in Brazil and says he's not retired.

Why it matters: A reminder of the unusual second acts fighters build after the UFC, and that Moraes is still angling for one more run.

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