DDP's camp kills UFC's 205-pound Grand Prix

The UFC's throwback idea — a one-night, four-man light heavyweight tournament — died before it began when Dricus du Plessis's camp said no. Away from the matchmaking drama, the sport's wrestling-versus-entertainment tension flared again through Muhammad Mokaev and Jose Aldo, PFL crowned a new flyweight champ, and UFC 333's title doubleheader closed in on fight night in Abu Dhabi.

DDP's coach rejects UFC's one-night 205-pound Grand Prix

Dricus du Plessis's head coach Morne Visser says the UFC approached the camp roughly three weeks ago about a one-night, four-man light heavyweight tournament pitting du Plessis, Jiri Prochazka, Magomed Ankalaev and Navajo Stirling, with the winner to challenge sidelined champion Carlos Ulberg. Visser turned it down, noting du Plessis cuts around 45 pounds to make 185 and needs a gradual move up. The plan is to reclaim the middleweight belt and defend it once first, with du Plessis eyeing an early-2027 return around February or March. The UFC has since booked Prochazka vs. Stirling to headline UFC Qatar on Nov. 21.

Why it matters: A rare PRIDE-style tournament concept collapsed on arrival; the 205-pound logjam now runs through Prochazka-Stirling as a de facto eliminator while Ankalaev sits unbooked and waits.

Mokaev accuses UFC of style-policing as Aldo would cut Evloev

Muhammad Mokaev escalated the Farid Basharat fallout, claiming the UFC phones wrestling-heavy fighters warning them to change their style or be cut, and accusing the promotion of smearing departing fighters as 'hard to deal with' to poison their market value. Basharat's manager Ali Abdelaziz insisted the undefeated bantamweight never turned down a fight. In the same window, Jose Aldo said that if he ran the UFC he would wait for UFC 333 challenger Movsar Evloev — 10-0 in the Octagon, all by decision — to lose his first fight and then release him for being 'boring.'

Why it matters: The sport's merit-versus-entertainment tension is now openly shaping who keeps a roster spot, with undefeated grinders like Basharat and Evloev cast as cautionary tales.

Bishop upsets Carmouche for PFL flyweight gold, lands Ditcheva next

Jena Bishop (12-3) avenged a 2025 World Tournament knockout loss, decisioning former Bellator champ and ex-UFC title challenger Liz Carmouche at PFL Chicago to capture the vacant PFL women's flyweight title. Up next is a rematch with the promotion's biggest star, unbeaten Dakota Ditcheva (16-0), who handed Bishop another of her career losses and is returning from two broken hands. Ditcheva, targeting a February or March 2027 return, says Carmouche is 'not the fight to make anymore' now that Bishop holds the belt.

Why it matters: PFL's muddled flyweight picture resolves into a marketable Bishop-Ditcheva grudge rematch, finally giving Ditcheva a title to chase after a year of inactivity.

Rankings put Jasudavicius in a two-woman title race for Silva

The post-UFC Edmonton rankings have Jasmine Jasudavicius climbing to the flyweight top five and debuting in the women's pound-for-pound top 15 after her upset of Erin Blanchfield, who tumbled several spots. That sets up a likely rematch with new champion Natalia Silva — potentially at UFC 336 in Toronto in January — with Alexa Grasso the only other obvious contender. Mike Malott's knee KO of Joaquin Buckley pushed him into the welterweight top 10 (as high as No. 8), while Buckley slid as far as No. 15; PFL's Jena Bishop also entered the flyweight list.

Why it matters: Canada suddenly has a live flyweight title challenger just as the UFC prepares to return to Toronto, and Malott's finish makes him a legitimate name in a stacked welterweight division.

OKTAGON to crown first 'Stand and Bang' champ at its 100th show

OKTAGON MMA will crown its inaugural 'Stand and Bang' champion at OKTAGON 100 on Dec. 29 at Prague's O2 Arena, with former BKFC European middleweight champ Josef Hala facing ex-Czech boxer Vladimir Lengal, who owns all 10 of his pro MMA wins by knockout, over five three-minute rounds. The ruleset uses MMA gloves but bars grappling from stalling the fight, forcing all-action striking. Co-founders Pavol Neruda and Ondrej Novotny trace it back to pandemic-era 'Underground Rules' bouts built to sign striking specialists.

Why it matters: A promotion is formalizing a no-grappling title just as UFC fans gripe about grappling-heavy BMF fights — a pointed bet that fans will pay for pure stand-up.

Yan-Merab III: O'Malley and Bisping both lean champion

With their bantamweight title trilogy tied 1-1, Petr Yan defends against Merab Dvalishvili in Saturday's UFC 333 co-main event in Abu Dhabi. Michael Bisping and Sean O'Malley both picked Yan to retain, though O'Malley — who holds a split-decision win over Yan — questioned whether Yan's nine-hour lumbar surgery in January has him rushing back too soon. Dvalishvili, making his first appearance since a lopsided loss to Yan ended his 14-fight streak, says the champion's trash talk no longer baits him.

Why it matters: The winner sets the bantamweight pecking order, with O'Malley already loudly positioning himself as the next challenger if Yan wins.

Also worth a look

Browse previous days →