Zabit Is Back, Just Not in a Cage
Zabit Magomedsharipov has signed with Real American Freestyle and will face UFC veteran Giga Chikadze at RAF Abu Dhabi on November 14th. The Russian retired in June 2022, frustrated with how opponent situations were handled. Whatever you think of freestyle wrestling as a landing spot for one of the sport's most gifted strikers, this is Zabit actually competing again, and that alone makes it one of the biggest stories of the week. Chikadze brings legitimate UFC pedigree to the matchup, so this isn't a soft reintroduction.
The Shevchenko Belt Saga Gets Messier
A new report claims the UFC pushed Valentina Shevchenko to give up the flyweight title against her own wishes, dangling assurances to get her to let go. If the report holds up, this isn't just a champion stepping aside gracefully, it's a promotion leaning on one of its most dominant champions to clear a path, and that's the kind of behind-the-scenes power play that fans deserve to know about. Shevchenko's flyweight run has been one of the division's defining stories for years, so any hint she didn't want this outcome is worth watching closely.
Rogan Thinks Pereira Picked a Scary Fight
Pereira moving up to heavyweight was always going to invite scrutiny, and putting Pavlovich, a legitimate heavyweight knockout artist, in front of him right away raises the stakes immediately. Add in the ongoing debate about whether Pereira's striking-forward style simply doesn't translate at heavyweight the way it did lower down, and December suddenly looks like a referendum on his whole move up. Pereira's reportedly sitting in the 240 to 250 pound range naturally, so size isn't really the issue, it's whether his chin and output can hold up against killers with real heavyweight power.
Eddie Hearn Comes for Dana White
Eddie Hearn says Dana White is "completely cooked" over his claimed role in putting together the Fury-Joshua fight, and Hearn has confirmed a meeting between the two is scheduled for this Wednesday. This is boxing promoter beef colliding with UFC business, and when Hearn starts talking about meetings on the calendar, that usually means there's real money and leverage on the table. Dubois, for what it's worth, is already looking past his own heavyweight business and openly eyeing a mega-fight with Tyson Fury if both men win their upcoming bouts. The heavyweight boxing landscape is getting tangled with UFC money and egos, and that mix rarely stays quiet for long.
UFC 332's Aftermath Keeps Giving
Roberto Soldic got dropped twice in the first round against Khaos Williams and still came back to win by decision at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, which is the kind of recovery that should be getting more attention. Meanwhile King Green is still frustrated about Herb Dean stopping his fight, saying he wanted to keep going even after being dropped two times, and he's revealed what Dean actually said to him before the stoppage. On the other side of that same fight, Esteban Ribovics defeated Green by TKO and clarified that his heated post-fight words weren't aimed at Green at all, they were directed at boxer Arnold Barboza Jr. Three separate stories out of one card, and all three are still generating headlines days later, which tells you how much drama UFC 332 actually produced.
Barcelos' Scary Moment Gets Explained
Glover Teixeira has revealed that Raoni Barcelos suffered brain swelling after mysteriously losing consciousness during UFC Vegas 121. That's a genuinely alarming detail, and it's the kind of thing that should push the conversation beyond just fight analysis toward fighter safety protocols. Barcelos' situation is a reminder that even when a card goes off without controversy in the cage, the real risk to these athletes doesn't always show up in the moment.
Asplund Wants a December Walker Fight
Steven Asplund channeled Georges St-Pierre's famous "I'm not impressed" line to call out Johnny Walker, directly requesting a fight at UFC 335 in Las Vegas this December. That's a bold ask aimed straight at the same December card already carrying the Pereira-Pavlovich headline, and it shows how stacked the promotional push for UFC 335 is becoming.
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