Periodization, Training Camp Structure, and Peak Performance
Elite camps follow a clear sequence: general preparation, specific preparation and taper. The 3:1 loading principle governs the process — three weeks of progressive volume and intensity followed by one deload week. Coaches carefully manage concurrent training to avoid the interference effect between heavy strength work and high-volume endurance sessions.
Greg Foster turned the season finale into a three-round war, Luis Francischinelli announced himself as a 6-foot-6 welterweight problem, Douglas da Lapa remained unbeaten, Smilla Sundell earned a UFC contract despite Dana White initially wanting more development, and Erick Visconde learned that even a dominant victory is not always enough on Contender Series.
Meta APEX, Las Vegas, NV — Dana White’s Contender Series has always existed somewhere between a fight card and a job interview, but the final night of Season 10 offered perhaps the cleanest reminder of what makes the show different from anything else in combat sports. Five fighters won Tuesday night at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Only four of them became UFC fighters. By the time Dana White finished handing out contracts, Greg Foster, Douglas da Lapa, Luis Francischinelli and Smilla Sundell had joined the roster, while main-event winner Erick Visconde walked away with a 30-27 sweep on the scorecards and no contract. The four additions pushed Season 10 to 46 total contracts, tying the highest mark in the show’s history and closing another season in which winning remained only the beginning of the audition.
Andrew Carswell is a combat sports columnist and college writing professor, based in Las Vegas, NV, whose work examines the intersection of fighting, media, business, and culture. His commentary and analysis have been featured in various magazines, newspapers, and media outlets, including Yahoo! News, and USA TODAY. Blending journalistic insight and experience with a fan’s perspective, Carswell writes about the fight game as both a cultural phenomenon and a global business.
Somewhere in a notebook or on the back of a napkin, there’s probably a hand-drawn map with a wobbly coastline, a dotted trail, and a big X marking something good. Usually it just sits there. With image to video, that sketch can turn into an adventure you actually follow, as a tiny explorer crosses the mountains and the route glows behind them. Dreamina and its Seedance 2.5 model make that possible from a single upload. Below, you’ll learn how to prep your map, write the prompt, and export a route worth sharing.
The UFC women’s flyweight division has a new champion. Natalia Silva won against Wang Cong at Delta Center in Salt Lake City during the festivities of UFC 332. The two ladies headlined the evening, and they delivered. The belt suddenly became available after former champ Valentina Shevchenko vacated it due to an unforeseen, and for now, mysterious injury.
MMA is massive in Brazil, and the nation is celebrating another champion in its ranks. Unfortunately, during the same event, Deiveson Figueiredo couldn’t beat Payton Talbott and lost in a bout that lasted just over two minutes. Figueiredo, a former two-time men’s flyweight titleholder, was no match for Talbott, who knocked him out during the first round.
The former UFC middleweight and U.S. Army Green Beret was reportedly shot three times in the leg during a Sept. 17 ambush in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that left about 20 people dead or wounded, survived a lengthy evacuation and eventually reached Walter Reed, prompting prayers from Anderson Silva and members of the combat sports community.
Bethesda, Maryland – Tim Kennedy spent much of his adult life moving between two worlds where danger was expected. He fought elite middleweights inside the UFC and served in U.S. Army Special Forces outside of it, building one of the most unusual résumés in combat sports. Nearly a decade after his final appearance inside the Octagon, however, Kennedy has survived an encounter far removed from anything governed by a referee, a commission or a five-minute clock.
Andrew Carswell is a combat sports columnist and college writing professor, based in Las Vegas, NV, whose work examines the intersection of fighting, media, business, and culture. His commentary and analysis have been featured in various magazines, newspapers, and media outlets, including Yahoo! News, and USA TODAY. Blending journalistic insight and experience with a fan’s perspective, Carswell writes about the fight game as both a cultural phenomenon and a global business.
MMA is one of the hardest sports to predict. A fighter can control two rounds, make one mistake in the third, and lose everything in a matter of seconds. That unpredictability is part of what makes the sport compelling, but it also explains why a fighter’s record or ranking rarely tells the whole story.
For fans who follow the sport closely, betting odds can offer another way to examine a matchup. The important part is knowing what those numbers actually mean—and what they leave out.
This article was contributed by BoostHill
Building a Twitch audience takes time. New streamers can spend weeks creating better content, maintaining a consistent schedule, promoting their broadcasts and interacting with viewers while still struggling to get their concurrent viewer count moving.
Eliza Rose founded BoostHill and still writes its live streaming and video coverage, specializing in Twitch and YouTube. She breaks down platform features, monetization paths and audience-building for streamers and long-form creators. You can find all of Eliza’s work on the BoostHill blog, alongside our growth services and free tools.
October 17, 2026 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Welterweight
[#11 WW] [#10 UFC] Joaquin Buckley (21-8-0) vs. [#17 WW] [#13 UFC] Mike Malott (14-2-1)
Fight Preview
Joaquin Buckley faces Canadian contender Mike Malott in the main event of UFC Fight Night 291 in Edmonton. The matchup pits Buckley’s explosive striking and knockout power against Malott’s versatility and recent winning momentum.
Buckley has extensive experience against high-level opposition, while Malott enters the contest on a four-fight winning streak. Both fighters have credible paths to victory, making this a competitive welterweight matchup.
The central question is whether Malott can combine striking with effective grappling to limit Buckley’s most dangerous offensive weapons.
MMA Promoter | Event Organizer | Analyst
Founder & President of Real Fight Promotion (RFP) – one of the longest-running and most recognized MMA organizations in Ukraine. Organizer of 100+ MMA events. Contributor, analyst, and Trusted Promoter collaborating with leading global MMA platforms.
Brendan Allen survived a difficult five-round test before submitting Christian Leroy Duncan late in the main event, Andre Fili produced one of the cleanest knockouts of his UFC career, Otari Tanzilovi flattened Malcolm Wellmaker, Niko Price earned the retirement sendoff he wanted, Gerald Meerschaert closed his own career, and nine of 12 fights ended inside the distance at the Meta APEX.
Las Vegas , NV — UFC Vegas 122 did not need a championship belt or a packed arena to produce one of the most complete Fight Night cards of the fall. By the time Brendan Allen finally wrapped his arms around Christian Leroy Duncan’s neck midway through the fifth round, the Meta APEX had already witnessed a stretch of finishes that felt almost relentless. Nine of the 12 fights ended before the final horn, veterans delivered some of the most memorable performances of their careers, prospects announced themselves with violence, two longtime UFC fighters closed important chapters, and the main event ended with Allen once again forcing his way deeper into the middleweight title conversation.
Andrew Carswell is a combat sports columnist and college writing professor, based in Las Vegas, NV, whose work examines the intersection of fighting, media, business, and culture. His commentary and analysis have been featured in various magazines, newspapers, and media outlets, including Yahoo! News, and USA TODAY. Blending journalistic insight and experience with a fan’s perspective, Carswell writes about the fight game as both a cultural phenomenon and a global business.
Modern consumers rarely make important decisions with only one source of information. Whether this is them deciding on a streaming service, booking a hotel or selecting an entertainment platform. People often consult ranking platforms, odds and rating systems that are accompanied by customer reviews.
