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Open Scoring MMA, 2026-10-07

Dana White's personal runner stole the show on a wild DWCS night, while UFC 335 predictions pile up and Cris Cyborg says she isn't done yet.

Open Scoring MMA, 2026-10-07

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Contender Series delivered a night to remember with four new contracts awarded, headlined by a UFC employee's shocking knockout. Meanwhile the UFC 335 card keeps generating buzz, Dana White fires back at Oscar De La Hoya, and Cris Cyborg signals she's not finished fighting.

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Open Scoring MMA is a daily AI-produced MMA and UFC news podcast. Listen to today's episode, read the full Feed, or get every episode by email.

Episode transcript

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Welcome to Open Scoring MMA. This is episode 111 for October 7th, 2026, your daily look at what's happening now and next across the world of MMA and UFC. DUKE: Big one to kick us off: Alex Pereira is fighting Sergei Pavlovich in the co-main event of UFC 335, December twelfth in Las Vegas, and the heavyweight division is already picking sides.
NORA: Alexander Volkov, the number two heavyweight in the rankings, broke down the stylistic matchup, and he is not buying Poatan here.
DUKE: What's his read?
NORA: Volkov says, quote, "Pavlovich hits hard," end quote, and he thinks that power swings it Pavlovich's way.
DUKE: Huh.
NORA: He's not just picking the fight, he's predicting a losing streak for Pereira coming out of this one.
DUKE: That's bold. A losing streak, not just a loss.
NORA: That's what he's saying. Pavlovich's hands are heavy enough to test anybody who likes to stand and trade, and that's exactly Pereira's game.
DUKE: Okay, but on the other side you've got Renato Moicano going the complete opposite direction.
NORA: Moicano used his own channel to break down the co-main and he's all in on Pereira.
DUKE: He actually pushed back on the doubters, said, quote, "They got mad at the guy," end quote.
NORA: Right, he thinks Pereira's fully capable here and the pessimism around him is overblown.
DUKE: So the number two heavyweight says power wins it, and a former title challenger says people are just mad at Poatan for existing.
NORA: Pretty much. And Volkov even floated that the press conference between these two could get funny, given the personalities involved.
DUKE: I would absolutely pay to see that.
NORA: For what it's worth, Pereira and Pavlovich have both already reacted to the promo video the UFC put out confirming the booking.
DUKE: Which tells you this one's locked in, and the trash talk clock is already running two months out.
NORA: And the division's already split right down the middle on it.
DUKE: Now on to the results, because Tuesday's Contender Series card handed out four contracts, and the headline story is Dana White's own personal assistant knocking a guy out.
NORA: Sal Everett, who's literally worked as White's runner, stopped Ozzy Martin in the first round.
DUKE: White said it was as loud as he's ever heard the Apex, title fights included. And Everett's reaction was great too, quote, "It's kind of weird because you're already at the UFC, but welcome to the UFC," end quote.
NORA: White also called him, quote, "Everybody at the UFC loves you. You're a great kid, forget about the whole fighting and the contract, you're a great human being, this could not happen to a better person," end quote.
DUKE: From runner to roster in one night. That's a heck of a story.
NORA: It is, but he's a brand new pro now, and the matchmaking from here matters a lot more than the hype.
DUKE: Fair. Three other guys earned deals that same card. Redemption arc, right there.
NORA: Then you've got Mateus Soares, twenty two years old, who needed just sixty three seconds to finish Ryuho Miyaguchi.
DUKE: Sixty three seconds. That's not just a win, that's a statement.
NORA: And the main event was the wildest one. Preston LaGrange came in on short notice, a plus four hundred underdog against Nell Ariano, and he knocked him out.
DUKE: Weighed in at a hundred ninety nine pounds on short notice and still got the finish. That's the kind of night that makes this show worth watching every single week.
NORA: Four contracts in one night, that's a strong crop heading into the roster.
DUKE: Now on to the fighter news, starting with Cris Cyborg, who says she isn't done yet.
NORA: She's confirmed she's fighting in MMA again after that PFL farewell, which was a unanimous decision win over Ketlen Vieira.
DUKE: At forty one years old.
NORA: Which is wild. She just walked back a retirement and looked drastically good doing it.
DUKE: Legends don't really retire until they're actually done, I guess.
NORA: Exactly. No word on where she lands next, but thirty career wins at that age is still elite production.
DUKE: Next, Johnny Walker is making waves after his heavyweight debut.
NORA: He knocked out Mick Parkin, and the UFC's rankings update dropped him straight into the heavyweight top twelve.
DUKE: Not bad for a first fight up there. He's fighting Marcin Tybura next, a veteran gatekeeper type, so that's a smart pick, a chance to build at heavyweight without jumping into the deep end right away.
NORA: Exactly the kind of fight that tells you whether the power actually translates up a weight class.
DUKE: And Norma Dumont is mapping out her own path forward after a rough stretch.
NORA: She's dropped two straight for the first time in her UFC run, but she's still talking big, a rematch with Ailin and a shot at the Lioness down the line.
DUKE: Two losses in a row usually means you're fighting for your job, not calling for rematches.
NORA: That's the gap between where she wants to be and where the division actually has her right now.
DUKE: Now on to the callouts, and this one's got layers. Robert Whittaker is picking Diego Lopes to beat Charles Oliveira.
NORA: That's notable because Whittaker's a former champion himself, and he's pointing to Lopes' favoritism heading into the UFC BMF title fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC 335 on December twelfth.
DUKE: Lopes himself has explained why he wanted this fight in the first place.
NORA: He's been vocal about targeting Oliveira specifically, and the promotion granted it to him.
DUKE: Eddie Alvarez called this one a hurricane versus a volcano, which might be the best way anyone's described a fight all year.
NORA: It's a great line. And now you've got a second ex-champion backing Lopes, so the pre-fight consensus is already leaning his way.
DUKE: Two months before the walkout and people are already handing out the decision.
NORA: That's what happens when the styles are this violent on paper.
DUKE: Meanwhile the MMA community on Reddit is buzzing about the new pound for pound rankings.
NORA: Big turnover at the top of that chart.
DUKE: Switching gears, Dana White is firing back at Oscar De La Hoya.
NORA: De La Hoya said he skipped the Garcia versus Benn fight because he was worried White would set him up to be embarrassed.
DUKE: And White's response?
NORA: He told MiddleEasy, quote, "It happened to me. Vince McMahon did it to me for Ronda's first wrestling match," end quote.
DUKE: So he's saying he knows exactly what that feels like, and he'd never do it to someone else.
NORA: Right, he said, quote, "If I don't like you, and I tell people straight up, we're probably not going to, let's not even talk to each other," end quote.
DUKE: He didn't hide the dislike either.
NORA: Not at all, he called it mutual and very well known, but insisted he'd never ambush anyone at an event, he'd just tell them straight up not to show up.
DUKE: These two have never liked each other, and this is just the latest round of it.
NORA: And it's not changing anytime soon.
DUKE: Now on to the around the sport, UFC BJJ twelve goes down this Thursday, October twelfth, at the Meta Apex.
NORA: Two title fights on that card, and the headliner is Cassia Moura against Adele Fornarino, which closes out the four woman tournament to crown the first ever UFC BJJ flyweight champion.
DUKE: Calling it maybe the best possible matchup they could have built for that final.
NORA: It's a clean bracket, best versus best, exactly what a new belt needs for legitimacy out of the gate. That's in three days, and Allen's trying to keep building toward a middleweight title shot, Duncan's the live underdog type who can change that math with one punch. After the night we just had, I am not missing that one.
One more thing before we go. Volkov says Pavlovich's power beats Pereira at UFC 335, Moicano says the doubters are just mad at Poatan. Who's right? 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.