Volkanovski Eyes Gaethje, UFC 332 Sets KO Record, Pereira Booked

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:

• Alexander Volkanovski on potential champ vs champ fight with Justin Gaethje at lightweight: “Of course I'd do it. I'm not gonna call for it. That's the type of champion I am. I think you need to earn it. But if the UFC wants to offer it? Of course I would. 100%” (r/MMA)
• UFC 332 card fight fans hated (and Dana White failed promoting) just set an all-time KO record (MMA Mania)
• UFC 332 card fight fans hated (and Dana White failed promoting) just set an all-time KO record (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• UFC 332 results: Biggest winners, losers for ‘Silva vs. Wang’ last night (MMA Mania)
• UFC 332 post-fight show: Reaction to Natalia Silva’s title win, knockouts galore (MMA Fighting)
• UFC 332 takeaways: Talbott, Silva validate their top billing (ESPN MMA)
• Alex Pereira sends ominous message to Sergei Pavlovich after Dana White announced the UFC 335 fight (Bloody Elbow)
• Sergei Pavlovich vs. Alex Pereira Announced As UFC 335 Co-Main (Cageside Press)
• Alex Pereira Sends Message to Sergei Pavlovich After UFC 335 Fight Is Announced (LowKick MMA)
• Middleweight miss! Sean Strickland was ‘ready to go’ for UFC 335 before BMF swerve (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Middleweight miss! Sean Strickland was ‘ready to go’ for UFC 335 before BMF swerve (MMA Mania)
• Sean Strickland’s one-word answer explains why he isn’t the UFC 335 main event despite being ready (Bloody Elbow)
• Ateba Gautier breaks silence on UFC 332 KO loss and critics as coach backs him to still become champion (Bloody Elbow)
• ‘Fraud check’... Fans turn on Ateba Gautier after first-round knockout loss at UFC 332 (Bloody Elbow)
• UFC 332 star sent to hospital for tests after illegal strike that Joe Rogan expected to end the fight (Bloody Elbow)
• Three fighters transported to hospital after super-violent UFC 332, broken jaw confirmed (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Three fighters transported to hospital after super-violent UFC 332, broken jaw confirmed (MMA Mania)
• Natalia Silva agrees with Dana White on being an active UFC champion (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Valentina Shevchenko crashes Natalia Silva’s UFC title celebration, ‘Keep my belt warm’ (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Valentina Shevchenko reacts to UFC 332 title fight: 'Don't get too comfortable' (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Valentina Shevchenko reacts to Natalia Silva winning belt she vacated at UFC 332: ‘Keep it warm’ (Bloody Elbow)
• Valentina Shevchenko crashes Natalia Silva’s UFC title celebration, ‘Keep my belt warm’ (MMA Mania)
• Dana White: UFC 332 headliner 'going to hate herself' on rewatch (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Dana White Shares Thoughts on Wang Cong’s UFC 332 Title Fight (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Wang Cong provides reason for performance Dana White said she’d ‘hate’ herself for in first statement (Bloody Elbow)
• Paddy Pimblett vs Ilia Topuria ‘would be a good’ coaching setup for The Ultimate Fighter (Bloody Elbow)
• UFC 332 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Headliners take home most (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Combat Press Women’s MMA Rankings: October 2026 (Combat Press)

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA. This is episode 108 for October 4th, 2026, your daily look at what's happening now and next across the world of MMA and UFC. DUKE: Let's start with Alexander Volkanovski, because he just opened the door on a fight a lot of us have been dreaming about.
NORA: The champ versus champ money fight. Volkanovski and Justin Gaethje at lightweight.
DUKE: And he didn't duck it either. Asked directly, he said, quote, "Of course I'd do it. I'm not gonna call for it. That's the type of champion I am. I think you need to earn it. But if the UFC wants to offer it? Of course I would. 100%," end quote.
NORA: That's a champion saying yes without jumping the line.
DUKE: Smart, honestly. He's not demanding it over Evloev.
NORA: Right, because Volkanovski's actually got Movsar Evloev first, UFC 333, October 24th, in a main event bout.
DUKE: So Gaethje's a conversation for later, not a threat to that fight.
NORA: Exactly, but it tells you the UFC's got that one on the shelf if Volkanovski gets through Evloev clean.
DUKE: The Reddit community lit up over this quote too.
NORA: Yeah, that whole thread exploded, everybody wants Gaethje in there somehow.
DUKE: Can't blame them, that's violence in cage form waiting to happen.
NORA: Shame it's probably behind at least one more fight for both guys.
DUKE: Still, good to have it on the radar. Now on to the results, because UFC 332 last night turned into an absolute bloodbath in the best way.
NORA: Eleven knockouts on the card. That's an all time UFC record.
DUKE: Eleven?
NORA: Eleven, and nine of them came in the first round.
DUKE: Wild, because going in, nobody was hyped about this one.
NORA: Yeah, the matchup fans were most skeptical of was actually the main event itself. And it delivered.
DUKE: Natalia Silva is your new champion.
NORA: She is, and she did it the hard way, over five rounds against a tough striker, Wang Cong. That's a massive scalp for a prospect still building her resume.
DUKE: That's twice now Silva's been the story of a card without being the headliner.
NORA: Exactly, and it's gonna push him right up the bantamweight picture.
DUKE: Now on to the card news, because UFC 335 is December 12th in Las Vegas, and it's taking shape fast.
NORA: Big one, Alex Pereira versus Sergei Pavlovich confirmed as the co main event.
DUKE: Pereira's staying at heavyweight, chasing a third divisional title.
NORA: Pavlovich's record is twenty one and three, and Dana White made the announcement himself on a stream Saturday night. He's clearly loving the heavyweight run, and a win here keeps that third belt dream alive.
DUKE: Headliner's a BMF title fight, Charles Oliveira versus Diego Lopes.
NORA: That one's a banger on paper, both guys live by violence.
DUKE: But here's the twist, that almost wasn't the plan. Sean Strickland was ready to go, as in healthy?
NORA: Completely, Behunin reported.
DUKE: So Strickland was cleared and the UFC still passed on him.
NORA: That's the report.
DUKE: Gotta wonder who they're saving that fight for instead. Now on to the fighter news, because not everybody left Salt Lake City feeling good.
NORA: Ateba Gautier took his first real step down after getting knocked out in the first round by Roman Kopylov.
DUKE: Twenty four year old prospect, big hype, and fans turned on him fast.
NORA: Yeah, the fraud check talk started before he even left the cage. He said, quote, "Of course, I'm disappointed. I wanted to win, as always. But that's also part of our sport," end quote.
DUKE: And his coach Prince backed him too, saying, quote, "And an enormous amount still ahead of him. There is no shame in being tested. No need to hide from disappointment. You accept it, learn from it, and return to work," end quote. That's a mature answer for a kid his age.
NORA: One loss to a legit contender like Kopylov doesn't erase the upside, but it does slow the hype train down.
DUKE: And the violence wasn't just limited to the cage, three fighters ended up in the hospital after this card, including a broken jaw.
NORA: Court McGee, Andrey Pulyaev, and a third fighter were sent for scans, and promotion officials confirmed a broken jaw in the mix.
DUKE: Joe Rogan apparently thought one of those illegal strikes should have ended a fight outright.
NORA: That's how violent this card actually got, eleven knockouts wasn't even the whole story.
DUKE: Now on to the callouts, because Natalia Silva didn't even get through her post fight interview before Valentina Shevchenko showed up.
NORA: Shevchenko crashed the celebration, told her to keep the belt warm, and basically said don't get too comfortable with it.
DUKE: She's the one who vacated it, right?
NORA: She vacated the flyweight title last month, so this is Shevchenko marking her territory from the sidelines.
DUKE: How'd Silva respond?
NORA: Pretty calmly, actually. She said, quote, "First of all, there's many, many great girls out there and tough opponents," end quote.
DUKE: Smart answer, she's not ducking Shevchenko but she's not bowing to her either.
NORA: And Dana White's pushing for her to stay busy regardless. He said, quote, "I think she should be active, yeah," end quote.
DUKE: Makes sense, new champ needs tape in the cage, not just a Shevchenko showdown looming.
NORA: Meanwhile on the other side of that fight, White had a different message for Wang Cong.
DUKE: Not exactly a nice one either.
NORA: He said, quote, "I think that when Wang goes back and watches the film, she's going to hate herself," end quote.
DUKE: Brutal thing to say about someone who just lost a decision.
NORA: Wang's since pointed to eye pokes in the fight as part of why her performance suffered.
DUKE: Dana clearly wasn't buying that excuse.
NORA: He wasn't, and that decision loss likely knocks her right back into the pack at flyweight.
DUKE: One more thing before we move on, Dana's floated Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria coaching against each other on The Ultimate Fighter.
NORA: Paddy, huh.
DUKE: The Baddy trash talking Topuria for thirteen weeks straight? Sign me up immediately.
NORA: White didn't commit to it, but if that happens the hype alone pays for the season.
DUKE: Now on to the business side, because UFC 332 paid out nicely behind the scenes too.
NORA: The Promotional Guidelines Compliance bonuses were some of the healthiest we've seen all year.
DUKE: And the headliners cashed in biggest.
NORA: Which tracks, Silva and Wang carried the show, so they get the top of that pay scale.
DUKE: Good incentive structure, when the main event delivers, the whole card's purses go up.
NORA: Right, and with eleven knockouts on the night, a lot of fighters probably hit those compliance bonuses across the board.
DUKE: Now on to around the sport, Combat Press dropped their October rankings for the women's divisions.
NORA: Bantamweight down to atomweight, covering the UFC, the PFL's growing women's side, and Invicta FC.
DUKE: With Silva just winning flyweight gold, I'd bet she jumps straight into that picture at the top.
NORA: Almost certainly, that title win changes the whole shape of the flyweight list this month.
DUKE: Let's settle the receipts, because we actually called some of this correctly on air.
NORA: Three for three on fight night, not bad.
DUKE: Go through them.
NORA: Talbott finished Deiveson Figueiredo.
DUKE: Called it.
NORA: And I said Silva's reach and height edge would show up big in the striking exchanges against Wang.
DUKE: And it did, she won the decision clean.
NORA: Three for three.
DUKE: So how's the model overall doing?
NORA: Honestly? Not thrilled.
DUKE: That sounds good to me.
NORA: It would be, except the market's hitting seventy seven point two percent over the same window.
DUKE: So the model's actually behind Vegas right now.
NORA: Technically, yeah. We're not beating the market at the moment.
DUKE: Ouch.
NORA: Our value picks are still strong though, when we find real gaps in the line.
DUKE: So trust the value plays, not the overall number.
NORA: Exactly, that's where we're actually adding something.
DUKE: Now let's look ahead, because the schedule doesn't slow down.
NORA: Next Saturday, October 10th, so six days out, we've got Brendan Allen versus Christian Leroy Duncan headlining.
DUKE: Middleweight banger, Allen's trying to stay in that title conversation. Then the following week, October 17th, Mike Malott takes on Joaquin Buckley.
NORA: That's a legit welterweight scrap, both guys hit hard and fight to finish. Big flyweight fight too, especially with Natalia Silva now holding that belt up top.
DUKE: Okay, pick time. Khamzat Chimaev versus Paulo Costa.
NORA: Chimaev's the play, we've got him right around eighty percent.
DUKE: Eighty, that's not a small number.
NORA: No, and Vegas basically agrees, Chimaev's minus five hundred, Costa's plus three seventy five.
DUKE: So the market's thinking the same thing.
NORA: Pretty much, maybe we're sitting just a touch above where the market lands.
DUKE: Why though, walk me through the model's reasoning.
NORA: Honestly, it's mostly odds anchored here.
DUKE: Meaning what?
NORA: Meaning the price itself is already telling the real story, there's no hidden value gap for us to exploit against a line this lopsided.
DUKE: So we're basically agreeing with Vegas instead of fading it.
NORA: Exactly, when the gap's this obvious, fighting the market usually just loses you money.
DUKE: Fair enough, Chimaev it is.
NORA: Chimaev it is.
DUKE: That's the show for today.
NORA: Big fight week ahead, we'll see you back here tomorrow.
DUKE: Stay safe out there, everybody.
One more thing before we go. Our model's trailing the market right now. Does that cold stretch make you trust the Chimaev pick less? And while you're here, two quick ones. Our free Fight Tracker is 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.