Bishop stuns Carmouche for PFL flyweight title

Jena Bishop turned the tables on Liz Carmouche to seize the vacant PFL women's flyweight title in Chicago, while Timur Khizriev returned from a near-fatal shooting to keep his perfect record intact on the same card. The UFC's weekend runs through Edmonton, where Joaquin Buckley spent fight week in stony silence, and the matchmaking churn continued as Bo Nickal's bout with Joe Pyfer slid off the UFC 335 lineup.

Bishop avenges KO loss, takes PFL flyweight title from Carmouche

Jena Bishop (12-3) upset heavy favorite Liz Carmouche (26-9) by unanimous decision (48-47 across the board) to win the vacant PFL women's flyweight title Friday at WinTrust Arena in Chicago. It avenged last year's first-round KO loss in the 2025 PFL tournament final: Carmouche nearly finished Bishop again in round one before fading badly, and Bishop took over with takedowns and repeated back-control submission threats. Dakota Ditcheva (16-0), newly cleared after breaking both hands, faced off with Bishop in the cage and will challenge for the belt in early 2027.

Why it matters: The 42-year-old Carmouche loses the title she was favored to claim, and the result lines up the division's defining fight — Bishop vs. the unbeaten Ditcheva — just as PFL prepares to rebrand as MVP MMA.

Khizriev returns from being shot five times, edges Braga amid boos

In the PFL Chicago co-main event, Timur Khizriev (19-0) won a split decision over Gabriel Braga (17-4) in his first fight since being shot five times by masked attackers in Makhachkala, Dagestan in July 2025. Braga stunned him with a left hook and dropped him twice in the second round, and all three unofficial Sherdog scorers favored the Brazilian; the Chicago crowd booed the verdict. It was the pair's second meeting, both split decisions going Khizriev's way. Elsewhere, Sarvarjon Khamidov (18-1) knocked out Rafael do Nascimento in the first round to press his bantamweight title case.

Why it matters: Khizriev survives a remarkable comeback night with his unbeaten record and featherweight title hopes intact, but a disputed decision over the man who nearly finished him leaves the win under a cloud.

Nickal vs. Pyfer pulled from UFC 335, rebooked as February Cleveland headliner

Bo Nickal (9-1) says his middleweight bout with Joe Pyfer (16-3), announced for UFC 335 on Dec. 12 in Las Vegas, has been moved to a Fight Night card he'll headline in Cleveland in February. Nickal revealed the change on stage at a campaign rally for Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Pyfer rides a four-fight winning streak capped by a second-round TKO of Israel Adesanya, while Nickal has back-to-back finishes of Rodolfo Vieira and Kyle Daukaus since his lone pro loss to Reinier de Ridder.

Why it matters: It strips a marquee contender bout from a year-end numbered card, fueling the ongoing complaints about thinning pay-per-view lineups, while handing Nickal a hometown main-event stage.

Buckley goes silent, snubs White's handshake as UFC Edmonton loads up

All 26 fighters hit their marks for UFC Edmonton at Rogers Place, headlined by welterweight Joaquin Buckley (No. 10) against hometown favorite Mike Malott, with flyweight contenders Erin Blanchfield and Jasmine Jasudavicius in the co-main. At Friday's ceremonial weigh-ins Buckley, on a two-fight skid, refused handshakes from both Malott and Dana White and then sat mute through his scheduled interview. Malott (14-2-1) enters on a four-fight streak that includes a TKO of Gilbert Burns; Buckley needs a win to halt his slide.

Why it matters: There are real stakes beneath the theatrics — Malott's push up a loaded welterweight division and Buckley's standing in the top 10 — with the loser facing pointed questions about his place on the roster.

ONE Samurai 4 brings a title doubleheader to Tokyo

ONE Championship returned to Ariake Arena with a pair of championship bouts headlining: Jonathan Haggerty defending his bantamweight kickboxing title against former champ Hiroki Akimoto, and Nadaka Yoshinari putting his atomweight Muay Thai belt on the line against Malaysia's Rifdean Masdor. On the MMA undercard, Itsuki Hirata outpointed Jihin Radzuan over three rounds, while Kota Abe (first-round TKO) and Ryoto Nishiyama (58-second KO) scored fast finishes. The card also staged a featherweight kickboxing tournament semifinal and a Hall of Fame ceremony for Takeru Segawa.

Why it matters: ONE's event-series push keeps feeding its core Japanese market, and the kickboxing tournament bracket funnels toward a shot at featherweight champ Superbon.

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