Pereira draws Pavlovich, opens as underdog

With the UFC 332 dust settling, the day was about the calendar filling in for year-end and early 2027: UFC 335's co-main event locked in with Alex Pereira a live underdog, the welterweight contender line behind Islam Makhachev turned into a shoving match, and crossover signings piled up as Zabit Magomedsharipov and Sam Alvey found new homes. Plenty of callout noise, but the booking news did the real work.

Pereira vs. Pavlovich confirmed for UFC 335 — and Poatan opens as the underdog

The UFC confirmed Alex Pereira's heavyweight stay, booking him against No. 2 contender Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round UFC 335 co-main event on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Oddsmakers immediately opened Pereira as a slight underdog, around +105 to Pavlovich's -120. Pereira is coming off a second-round TKO loss to Ciryl Gane in his heavyweight debut but refuses to drop back to light heavyweight, while Pavlovich (21-3) has won three straight, most recently a 39-second knockout of Tallison Teixeira — one of Pereira's own sparring partners. The card is headlined by Charles Oliveira's BMF title defense against Diego Lopes and also features Bo Nickal vs. Joe Pyfer.

Why it matters: A win likely lines Pereira up with the Gane–Hokit winner and keeps his bid to become the UFC's first three-division champion alive; a second straight heavyweight knockout loss would quietly end it.

Morales targets January return and a title shot, tells Garry he's an afterthought

Michael Morales (19-0, 7-0 UFC) released a video putting the welterweight division on notice, calling out champion Islam Makhachev, Carlos Prates and Shavkat Rakhmonov — and saving a blunt “F*ck you, Ian Garry” for last. Morales said his next fight is set for January against an unnamed “very tough opponent” that is neither Prates nor Garry, with a title shot targeted for June. Garry, fresh off a decision loss to Makhachev at UFC 330 in August, fired back that he already accepted a main-event date against Morales and accused the Ecuadorian of making excuses behind the scenes. Prates, who knocked out Jack Della Maddalena in May, remains the frontrunner for the next crack at Makhachev.

Why it matters: With Makhachev ruling a stacked division, the Prates–Morales–Rakhmonov–Garry tangle will decide the early-2027 title picture — and nearly a year of inactivity may have cost Morales his place in line.

Zabit Magomedsharipov resurfaces, signing with RAF to face Giga Chikadze

One of MMA's great what-ifs is back in competition. Zabit Magomedsharipov has signed a four-match deal with Real American Freestyle, the pro-wrestling promotion, and will debut Nov. 14 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi against fellow UFC featherweight veteran Giga Chikadze, per ESPN and manager Ali Abdelaziz. Magomedsharipov, 35, last fought in MMA in November 2019, beating Calvin Kattar before walking away 18-1 and a perfect 6-0 in the UFC. He has grappled sparingly in recent years, most recently outpointing Youssef Zalal at ACBJJ 22 in August. The RAF Abu Dhabi card is headlined by a Khamzat Chimaev–Colby Covington crossover bout and also features Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Urijah Faber.

Why it matters: It isn't the MMA comeback fans fantasize about, but it's the closest they'll get to seeing one of the most gifted fighters of his generation compete again.

Sam Alvey takes his power to BKFC, eyeing Ironweight gold by April

Longtime UFC and Bellator veteran Sam Alvey has signed a multi-fight deal with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship and will debut Dec. 4 at a BKFC Fight Night in Hershey, Pa., against an opponent to be named in the promotion's new Ironweight division. Alvey, 40, went 11-13 in the UFC from 2014 to 2022 before reviving his career in Karate Combat, where he won two titles, including a unanimous-decision win over Uriah Hall. He remains under contract with Karate Combat but is exclusive to BKFC for bare-knuckle. “By April 2027, I will have my hand held high and the BKFC belt around my waist,” Alvey said.

Why it matters: Bare-knuckle keeps proving a reliable second act for recognizable MMA names, though the format strips away the kicks and takedowns that filled out Alvey's long résumé.

Chimaev dangles $1 million at Strickland as middleweight title fight slips to 2027

Khamzat Chimaev publicly offered Sean Strickland $1 million to run back their UFC 328 title fight “inside or outside the cage,” doubling the $500,000 Nassourdine Imavov offered a day earlier. Strickland, who took the belt from Chimaev by split decision in May, has a defense against Imavov nearly finalized but now slipping into 2027 amid a purse dispute — reportedly seeking $1 million against a UFC offer of $400,000 to show and $400,000 to win. Chimaev, meanwhile, says he is stepping away from the UFC to heal injuries and will instead wrestle: Colby Covington at RAF Abu Dhabi on Nov. 14 and Robbie Lawler at RAF 14.

Why it matters: The 185-pound title is effectively frozen while its champion haggles over money, and the former champ would rather buy his way into a grudge rematch than wait his turn.

Dana White opens up on the estrangement from his late mother

On The Diary of a CEO podcast, Dana White detailed the fallout with his late mother, June, who wrote the 2011 unauthorized biography Dana White, King of MMA. White traced the “beginning of the end” to a run of threatening emails demanding money to buy a bar while he was in London with Lorenzo Fertitta, and called the book's contents “one of the grossest, most disgusting things.” Both of White's parents had died by 2023. He still credited June for raising him and sister Kelly alone as a single mother; June, for her part, had publicly denied ever asking her son for money.

Why it matters: A rare, unguarded personal window into the sport's most powerful executive, well outside his usual promotional lane.

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