Parnasse Storms the Rankings, Pimblett Wants Topuria's Head

We summarize the day's news in our own words. Full credit to the outlets below for the original reporting, click through to read their work:

• Salahdine Parnasse immediately enters UFC lightweight top 10 while new heavyweight contender emerges (Bloody Elbow)
• Valentina Shevchenko’s coach reveals injury behind ‘long’ UFC hiatus (Sherdog)
• Paddy Pimblett open to any top lightweight, still likes Ilia Topuria grudge match: ‘I’d love to smash his head in’ (MMA Fighting)
• Report: Former UFC middleweight champ to make commentary debut at DWCS (Sherdog)
• Makhachev bets on Topuria's comeback in UFC: "Maybe he'll become champion again" (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Colby Covington says he’s not fully retired, names condition for UFC return (Sherdog)
• Valter Walker sees a 'trap' for Malhadinho in ACA and predicts: "The Russian will traumatize him" (Ag. Fight (BR))
• UFC legend brands Paddy Pimblett the one man who can ‘ground Salahdine Parnasse’ after stunning debut (Bloody Elbow)
• Pereira expects UFC rematch with Gane to happen (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Paddy Pimblett Says UFC Has Not Called About Ilia Topuria Fight (MiddleEasy)
• Vadim Nemkov draws familiar foe for PFL heavyweight title defense (Sherdog)
• Former UFC fighter calls out Michael Page after reported UFC exit (Sherdog)
• Mickey Gall ready to 'reintroduce myself as a man' in UFC return (Sherdog)
• Valentina Shevchenko Suffered Ligament Damage to Shoulder and Back, Coach Reveals UFC 332 Withdrawal Reason (Yahoo Sports MMA)

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA. This is episode 82 for September 8th, 2026, your daily look at what's happening now and next across the world of MMA and UFC. DUKE: Big rankings shakeup to open the show, Nora, and it's all about the new guy.
NORA: Salahdine Parnasse.
DUKE: The man himself. Fresh off a big win in Paris, and word is he's already parachuting straight into the lightweight top ten.
NORA: That's not a normal ramp. Most guys grind for years to crack that top ten, he reportedly did it in one UFC walk.
DUKE: And it's not just hype, Daniel Cormier is out here saying he thinks the only guy who can slow this kid down might be Paddy Pimblett.
NORA: DC's exact read was that Pimblett's the one who can ground him, take away that flashy kickboxing and drown him on the mat.
DUKE: That's a massive compliment to Paddy's wrestling, honestly.
NORA: It is. And it tells you the promotion already sees Parnasse as a real problem at one fifty five, not just a prospect.
DUKE: The crowd in Paris clearly agreed, fans on X were buzzing about that whole card the second it wrapped, calling it a proper coming out party for him.
NORA: When the community's already slotting a guy into future title conversations off one performance, that's a fighter who's arrived.
DUKE: Alright, from the rankings to the injury report, because this one's a rough one. Valentina Shevchenko.
NORA: Her coach finally explained why she vacated the women's flyweight strap and pulled out of UFC 332.
DUKE: Ligament damage, right? In two places?
NORA: Shoulder and back, both with ligament damage. That's not a quick turnaround injury, that's the kind of thing that needs real time to heal properly.
DUKE: So when her coach called this a long hiatus, he wasn't exaggerating.
NORA: Not even a little. And it leaves the flyweight division without its longtime anchor right when Natalia Silva and Wang Cong are about to fight for that vacant belt at UFC 332.
DUKE: Which means whoever wins that one inherits a division with a massive question mark hanging over it, because Shevchenko's still out there somewhere.
NORA: Exactly. Nobody's writing her off, but nobody's holding a spot for her either.
DUKE: Now let's get into the good stuff, the beefs. Paddy Pimblett.
NORA: The Baddy is fired up.
DUKE: He is, and look, I love this, he's saying he's open to any top lightweight, but he keeps circling back to one name.
NORA: Ilia Topuria. Pimblett straight up said, quote, I'd love to smash his head in, end quote.
NORA: Not remotely. And here's the thing, Pimblett also confirmed the UFC hasn't actually called him about that fight yet.
DUKE: Which is wild given how much money that fight prints.
NORA: He does expect any 2026 return to land in December though, so this isn't a guy sitting around, he's got a runway.
DUKE: And Topuria's got his own drama, because Islam Makhachev is out here talking about him too.
NORA: Makhachev's actually being generous, he said, quote, maybe he'll become champion again, end quote, about Topuria bouncing back from his first pro loss.
NORA: No, and it tells you the respect level around Topuria hasn't cratered just because he lost once. The division still sees him as a threat the second he's back in the cage.
DUKE: Meanwhile Colby Covington's out here keeping the door cracked open too.
NORA: He says he's not fully retired, but he's put a condition on any UFC return.
DUKE: Covington's never been shy about stirring things up, so even a maybe from him is gonna get people talking.
NORA: Sure, but until there's an actual date or opponent, it's just a door left ajar. Worth noting, not worth overselling.
DUKE: Fair. Let's move to roster and card moves, and we start with a big one for the broadcast booth. Chris Weidman.
NORA: The former middleweight champ is reportedly making his commentary debut at Dana White's Contender Series.
DUKE: That's a nice landing spot for a legend, get his feet wet calling fights before maybe going bigger.
NORA: And it lines up with the next Contender Series event.
DUKE: So Weidman's calling prospects trying to punch their ticket to the big show. Full circle stuff.
NORA: It is. And DWCS has produced real UFC talent before, so somebody on that card tonight is fighting for their whole career.
DUKE: Speaking of heavyweights grinding overseas, Jailton Almeida, Malhadinho, is stepping into ACA this Saturday against Evgeny Goncharov in Russia.
NORA: And Valter Walker's calling it a trap for him, saying, quote, the Russian will traumatize him, end quote.
DUKE: That's a bold prediction against a guy who was UFC top ten not too long ago.
NORA: This is a real gut check fight for Almeida.
DUKE: Sergey Bilostenniy in November, and that's a familiar matchup for both of them.
DUKE: Nemkov's been the class of that division for a while now, so this is another chance to add to that resume.
NORA: It is, and PFL needs him staying active and visible if they want that light heavyweight belt to mean anything on a bigger stage.
DUKE: Alex Pereira's talking about his next move too, and he's pointing straight at a rematch.
NORA: Ciryl Gane. Pereira says that's the fight that makes the most sense for him right now.
DUKE: Their first meeting is exactly the kind of stylistic clash people want to see run back, big power versus that slick kickboxing.
NORA: And for Pereira, a rematch like that keeps him in the light heavyweight title mix without needing a whole new contender to emerge first.
DUKE: Derek Brunson's throwing his hat in the ring for a fight too, calling out Michael Page.
NORA: This is right after MVP reportedly fought out his UFC contract, so his whole future's up in the air.
DUKE: Brunson wanting a piece of him tells you MVP's still a name everybody wants on their record, contract or no contract.
NORA: Exactly, style matchups like that get talked about whether he's actually under UFC deal or not.
DUKE: And Mickey Gall's coming back too, says he's ready to, quote, reintroduce myself as a man, end quote.
DUKE: Alright, let's argue for a second, because I've gotta push back on this Pimblett and Topuria thing.
NORA: Go for it.
DUKE: If the UFC hasn't called him, why's Paddy already talking like the fight's basically signed?
NORA: Because he's not wrong to assume it's coming eventually. It's the biggest fight the UFC could book at that weight involving British and Spanish fan bases both losing their minds.
DUKE: Okay, but December's not that far away, and there's no opponent locked in yet.
DUKE: I just think Paddy's a little ahead of himself here.
NORA: Maybe. Or he's just applying pressure publicly so the UFC feels like they have to make it happen.
DUKE: That's actually smart if that's the play.
NORA: It usually is with him. He's not shy about saying what he wants out loud.
DUKE: Fine, I'll give him that.
NORA: See, that took you a minute.
DUKE: It did. Alright, let's get to the pick of the day.
NORA: This one's flyweight, Colton Loud against Christian Natividad.
DUKE: And the model's on Natividad?
NORA: Seventy eight percent.
DUKE: Seventy eight. What's the betting line say?
NORA: Market's got him around seventy one percent implied. So we're higher, and this is a genuine value play for us.
DUKE: Talk me through it. Why's the model so much more confident than the books?
NORA: Reach. Natividad's got a sixty nine and a half inch reach, and Loud's is unknown but almost certainly shorter.
DUKE: Wait, Loud's reach isn't even listed?
NORA: Not in what we're working with, which usually means it's not a strength worth advertising.
DUKE: Okay, so height doesn't matter if you can't actually touch the guy in front of you.
NORA: That's exactly it. Loud might have a height edge, but without matching reach that's basically decorative at range.
DUKE: What else is pushing this?
NORA: Market sentiment's leaning hard on Natividad too, he's a strong favorite for a reason, the analysts and the books both see it the same way we do.
DUKE: And that reach thing at flyweight specifically?
NORA: Huge. Flyweight fights live and die on who controls the distance, and that reach lets Natividad pick his spots without eating return fire.
DUKE: So this is basically our number crunching agreeing with the crowd, just more so.
NORA: Right, we're not fighting the market here, we're just further along the same road than they are.
DUKE: I like that. Christian Natividad it is.
NORA: Christian Natividad, seventy eight percent, and we're calling it strong.
DUKE: Alright, let's look ahead, because the schedule's absolutely loaded right now.
NORA: This Saturday, Noche UFC, Jean Silva takes on Jose Miguel Delgado.
NORA: Moreno's always must watch, that flyweight speed and technical craft never gets old.
DUKE: Then on September 19, it gets even bigger, UFC 331, Joshua Van is defending his flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja.
NORA: Pantoja versus Van is a legitimate title fight, Van's a live threat with real speed and volume.
NORA: That's two guys who both hit hard and grapple well, that's a real style clash at lightweight.
NORA: So the flyweight picture's about to get a whole lot clearer fast.
DUKE: With Shevchenko out, that whole division's basically being rebuilt in real time over the next month.
NORA: It is, and every one of these cards is gonna shift the picture again.
DUKE: That's it for us today, we'll be back with more tomorrow.
NORA: Stay sharp out there, we'll see you next time.
Christian Natividad is our pick. Who have you got, and why? Before you go, two quick things. Check out our free Fight Tracker at tracker dot open scoring m m a dot com, with every upcoming UFC and PFL card, live odds, and where to watch, all in one place. And follow us on YouTube, just search Open Scoring MMA, for breaking news alerts, fight breakdowns, and videos you won't get here on the feed. That's it for today's Open Scoring MMA. Keep your hands up, and we'll see you next time.