Still trying to get out of this hole…
Fights considered must satisfy all of the criteria below:
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.
| Friday, October 16th 2026: PFL Chicago: Carmouche vs. Bishop 2 | |||
 [#6 W125] Liz Carmouche (-409) | [#14 W125] Jena Bishop (+299) | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 6/27/2026 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#16 W125] Viviane Araujo Last 5: L W W W W | Last Fight Date: 6/27/2026 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#36 W125] Ariane Lipski da Silva Last 5: W W L W W | ||
| Saturday, November 14th 2026: PFL Dubai: Nemkov vs. Bilostenniy | |||
 [#6 HW] Vadim Nemkov | [#16 HW] Sergey Bilostenniy | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 12/13/2025 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#20 HW] Renan Ferreira Last 5: W W W W W | Last Fight Date: 5/02/2026 [PFL] Last Opponent: [#20 HW] Renan Ferreira Last 5: W W L W W | ||
| Thursday, December 31st 2026: Rizin FF New Years Eve Event | |||
 [#5 FW] Rajabali Shaidullaev |  [#17 FW] Kyoma Akimoto | ||
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| Last Fight Date: 9/10/2026 [Rizin Fighting Federation] Last Opponent: [#7 FW] A.J. McKee Last 5: W W W W W | Last Fight Date: 8/11/2026 [Rizin Fighting Federation] Last Opponent: [#26 FW] Kleber Koike Erbst Last 5: W W W W W | ||
| [#1 WW] | Islam Makhachev | [#2 LW] |  Ilia Topuria | |
| [#6 MW] | Brendan Allen | [#14 MW] |  Christian Leroy Duncan | |
| [#11 WW] | Joaquin Buckley | [#13 MW] |  Israel Adesanya | |
| [#60 LW] | Jai Herbert | [#73 LHW] |  Brendson Ribeiro | |
| [#44 LHW] | Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev | [#1 FW] |  Alexander Volkanovski |
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.
Welterweight (170)
[#11][#11UFC] Joaquin Buckley (21-8-0, +116) vs. [#17][#14UFC] Mike Malott (14-2-1, -140)
Joaquin Buckley is the All-Time #49 ranked Welterweight fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Joaquin Buckley (1-2-0)
2026-05-09: L vs. [#4WW] Sean Brady (19-2-0) via UD (30-25, 30-25, 30-27)
2025-06-14: L vs. [#6WW] Kamaru Usman (21-5-0) via UD (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
2024-12-14: W vs. [*] Colby Covington (17-5-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 4:42 of round 3
Last 3 Fights: Mike Malott (3-0-0)
2026-04-18: W vs. [#40WW] Gilbert Burns (22-10-0) via NC in 2:08 of round 3
2025-10-18: W vs. [#19WW] Kevin Holland (29-15-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2025-05-10: W vs. [#91WW] Charles Radtke (12-5-0) via KO (Punches) in 0:26 of round 2
| System | Favorite | Rating | Rating Diff | Win % |
| Betting Odds | Mike Malott | -140 | 55.74% | |
| Elo K170 | Joaquin Buckley | 2037.16 | +75.71 | 60.73% |
| Elo Modified | Joaquin Buckley | 2012.53 | +76.89 | 60.89% |
| Glicko-1 | Joaquin Buckley | 2121.38 | +127.64 | 67.59% |
| WHR | Mike Malott | 1909.01 | +57.24 | 58.16% |
Fighter Ages on Fight Day: Joaquin Buckley 32.5, Mike Malott 34.9
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Joaquin Buckley 161, Mike Malott 182
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Mike Malott leads 1-0
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Women Flyweight (125)
[#5][#5UFC] Erin Blanchfield (14-2-0, -304) vs. [#14P4P][#9][#7UFC] Jasmine Jasudavicius (15-4-0, +235)
Erin Blanchfield is the All-Time #31 ranked Women’s fighter.
Last 3 Fights: Erin Blanchfield (2-1-0)
2025-11-15: W vs. [#13FLY] Tracy Cortez (12-4-0) via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in 4:44 of round 2
2024-11-02: W vs. [#7FLY] Rose Namajunas (14-8-0) via UD (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
2024-03-30: L vs. [#4FLY] Manon Fiorot (13-3-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Last 3 Fights: Jasmine Jasudavicius (2-1-0)
2026-04-18: W vs. [#17FLY] Karine Silva (19-7-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2025-10-18: L vs. [#4FLY] Manon Fiorot (13-3-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:14 of round 1
2025-05-10: W vs. [#19SW] Jessica Andrade (26-15-0) via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in 2:40 of round 1
| System | Favorite | Rating | Rating Diff | Win % |
| Betting Odds | Erin Blanchfield | -304 | 71.59% | |
| Elo K170 | Erin Blanchfield | 1954.08 | +170.49 | 72.74% |
| Elo Modified | Erin Blanchfield | 1932.65 | +159.15 | 71.42% |
| Glicko-1 | Erin Blanchfield | 1962.32 | +181.57 | 73.99% |
| WHR | Erin Blanchfield | 1806.10 | +115.61 | 66.05% |
Fighter Ages on Fight Day: Erin Blanchfield 27.4, Jasmine Jasudavicius 37.6
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Erin Blanchfield 336, Jasmine Jasudavicius 182
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Erin Blanchfield leads 5-4
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Lightweight (155)
[#84][#47UFC] Kyle Nelson (17-7-1, +227) vs. [#242] Cristian Perez (15-2-0, -287)
Last 3 Fights: Kyle Nelson (1-2-0)
2026-03-28: L vs. [#83LW] Terrance McKinney (18-9-0) via NC in 0:24 of round 1
2025-10-18: W vs. [#146LW] Matt Frevola (11-6-1) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
2024-09-07: L vs. [#15FW] Steve Garcia (19-6-0) via TKO (Elbows and Punches) in 3:59 of round 1
Last 3 Fights: Cristian Perez (2-1-0)
2026-08-18: W vs. [#804LW] Logan Paxton (10-2-0) via TKO (Punches) in 1:06 of round 2
2026-04-11: W vs. [#2086LW] Gilberto Santos (6-8-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:11 of round 1
2025-08-26: L vs. [#56LW] Manoel Sousa (15-1-0) via TKO (Punches) in 3:00 of round 3
| System | Favorite | Rating | Rating Diff | Win % |
| Betting Odds | Cristian Perez | -287 | 70.80% | |
| Elo K170 | Kyle Nelson | 1650.67 | +22.31 | 53.21% |
| Elo Modified | Kyle Nelson | 1648.49 | +12.17 | 51.75% |
| Glicko-1 | Cristian Perez | 1691.17 | +30.24 | 54.34% |
| WHR | Cristian Perez | 1593.18 | +24.05 | 53.46% |
Fighter Ages on Fight Day: Kyle Nelson 35.5, Cristian Perez 27.1
Days Since Last Pro Fight: Kyle Nelson 203, Cristian Perez 60
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Keep Reading
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.
Every rating system makes the same promise: give it enough results and it will tell you who should win. MMA keeps testing that promise. Favourites lose often enough to keep the sport unpredictable, but not so often that the models are worthless. Understanding where the uncertainty comes from is more useful than pretending it isn’t there.
Two roulette games can look almost identical. Same wheel, same red and black numbers, even the same green felt in the background. Yet one might give you plenty of time to place a bet, while the other starts another round before you’ve properly looked at the screen. It’s a small difference until you’re the one trying to follow what’s happening.
Islam Makhachev left Philadelphia with his belt, a record 17th straight UFC win and a bruised face. Ian Machado Garry lost on the cards, but one judge had it 48-47, and for the first time in years the champion looked hittable. That reopened an old question: was his lone defeat in 2015 a fluke, or did it show a flaw that the right opponent can still find?
For those intrigued by unconventional ways to place bets, focusing on cryptocurrency-fired wagering platforms can prove beneficial. These venues not only appeal to tech-savvy individuals but also offer unique features that traditional establishments might lack, such as enhanced privacy and faster transaction times. Understanding these aspects can empower players to make informed choices.
I’ve spent years around MMA gyms and training camps, and about 6 months ago I noticed something strange happening. Fighters started talking differently about their pre-fight routines. Yeah, they’re still drilling takedowns and working cardio, but there’s this whole new element—mental preparation through gaming.
