Noche UFC weighs in, McMillen shoves Rahiki

Fight day in Glendale: Noche UFC 4 weighed in clean and the featherweight headliner between Jean Silva and short-notice Jose Delgado goes tonight on Paramount+, with a genuine flyweight title eliminator buried on the card. Away from the cage, extended bodycam footage of Dustin Poirier's June airport arrest surfaced, and Dana White reopened his Ngannou feud with a fresh admission. The UFC also stacked its late-2026 calendar with two matchmaking moves.

Noche UFC 4 makes weight; McMillen and Rahiki have to be pulled apart

All fighters hit their marks for Noche UFC 4, which goes tonight at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona on Paramount+, headlined by Jean Silva (145) vs. short-notice replacement Jose Delgado (145.5) after Yair Rodriguez withdrew. At the ceremonial weigh-ins, undefeated featherweight prospects Tommy McMillen and Marwan Rahiki had to be separated when McMillen shoved and swiped at his opponent. On the main card, Manon Fiorot says her bout with former champion Alexa Grasso is a confirmed women's flyweight title eliminator, with the winner in line for the Natalia Silva–Wang Cong victor.

Why it matters: The 125-pound belt is vacant until UFC 332, so Fiorot-Grasso is the most consequential fight on a card whose headliner lost its ranked opponent. A Silva win keeps his push toward the featherweight top five alive.

Extended Poirier arrest footage surfaces: 'F*** the fans,' repeated challenges to officers

Atlanta police released roughly 28 minutes of bodycam footage from Dustin Poirier's June 21 arrest for public drunkenness at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, after he was removed from a Delta flight. The former interim lightweight champion is shown repeatedly challenging officers to remove his cuffs and fight 'one-on-one,' telling officers 'f*** the fans,' referencing past jail time, and stepping through his handcuffs in a holding cell. Poirier had apologized after the initial clip went viral in the summer and said he was seeking help for alcohol issues; he has not commented on the new video.

Why it matters: Poirier retired as one of the most respected lightweights of his era, and he has already said the incident cost him sponsorships. The fuller record deepens a reputational hit for a fighter who was a locker-room and fan favorite.

Suarez vs. Jandiroba booked for UFC Vegas 124 with a strawweight title shot on the line

The UFC has booked former title challengers Tatiana Suarez and Virna Jandiroba at strawweight for UFC Vegas 124 on Nov. 7 at the UFC Apex. Both lost title bids last year — Suarez to Zhang Weili, Jandiroba to Mackenzie Dern — and both have since rebounded, leaving the winner as the clear front-runner for the next crack at Dern's belt. The card is topped by a welterweight bout between Gabriel Bonfim and Sean Brady.

Why it matters: It's a de facto No. 1 contender fight between the division's two highest-ranked non-champions, giving a stalled 115-pound title picture a clean next step.

Bilal Hasan books third fight in 95 days, meets Gurule at UFC 334 in MSG

Undefeated flyweight prospect Bilal Hasan (10-0) will face Luis Gurule (11-4) at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden. Hasan, the biggest betting favorite in Contender Series history, earned his deal with a 45-second knockout in August and followed it 18 days later with a second-round KO of Nilson Rojas at UFC Shanghai; the MSG bout would be his third appearance in roughly three months. Gurule, at 1-4 in the UFC, is fighting to keep his roster spot. Only Nazim Sadykhov vs. Jefferson Nascimento is otherwise confirmed for a card that still lacks a headliner.

Why it matters: The UFC is fast-tracking Hasan as a marketable addition to a resurgent flyweight division. That UFC 334 still has no main event underlines how uncertain Islam Makhachev's timeline has left the promotion's fall schedule.

White admits he wanted Ngannou to lose to Gane; 'Predator' fires back

Dana White told BigBoyTV that Francis Ngannou is the fighter he most wanted to see lose, pointing to Ngannou's January 2022 title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270 — the bout after which White notably declined to wrap the belt around the champion. The admission follows White branding Ngannou a 'bad guy' and ruling out any return this week. Ngannou responded on social media, framing White as the man he spent 'three years and a lot of money in law firms' escaping and telling him to 'take that loss.'

Why it matters: The lingering feud is a reminder of how badly the UFC's split with its former heavyweight champion still stings — all while its actual heavyweight title sits frozen with Tom Aspinall sidelined and Gane holding interim gold.

Makhachev names Prates and Morales as his top welterweight threats

Islam Makhachev, eyeing a return before Ramadan in early 2027 as he rehabs minor spinal issues, singled out Carlos Prates and Michael Morales as the two most serious contenders at 170 pounds. The champion also left the door open to a future bout with Shavkat Rakhmonov once the injured Kazakh returns, telling him to 'rehabilitate' first. Ian Machado Garry, who beat Prates before losing his own title bid, argued Prates has the aggression to trouble Makhachev.

Why it matters: With Makhachev sidelined into 2027, the champion himself is sketching the welterweight pecking order — elevating Prates and Morales over the long-injured Rakhmonov as the men most likely to get the next shot.

One fight from freedom, McGregor eyes BKFC as Alvarez warns of a UFC 'trap'

Conor McGregor says he 'can't wait' to make a bare-knuckle debut once his UFC deal expires — 'one more to go and the Mac Daddy is free' — after his UFC 329 return ended when he tore his ACL with the first kick he threw against Max Holloway. Eddie Alvarez, who left Bellator amid litigation, cautioned that the UFC will not let its 'biggest bargaining chip' walk easily, predicting it offers McGregor a matchup 'to get you beat in such a way that you have no value outside this company.'

Why it matters: McGregor is 1-3 in his last four and hasn't won since 2020, but he still owns a stake in BKFC and enormous drawing power — setting up a contract standoff over how, and whether, the UFC lets its biggest star leave.

Gaethje talks up UFC 331 co-main, hopes Ruffy 'hits Arman really hard'

Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, expected to sit out the rest of 2026, previewed the UFC 331 co-main between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy on Sept. 19, calling it Ruffy's 'first ultimate test' and saying he'd love to see Tsarukyan 'get hit really hard.' Gaethje again cast doubt on Tsarukyan's UFC 311 back injury, suggesting he couldn't make weight. Eddie Alvarez, meanwhile, argued Ruffy's tighter boxing makes him a worse stylistic matchup for Gaethje than Tsarukyan. Tsarukyan is roughly a -325 favorite.

Why it matters: The winner is the presumptive next challenger for Gaethje's belt, so his open rooting against Tsarukyan doubles as a preview of his likely 2027 title defense.

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