Open Scoring MMA, 2026-10-09

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:

• Sean Strickland: 'My heart isn't in MMA anymore' (MMA Weekly)
• Sean Strickland: 'My heart isn't in MMA anymore' (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• UFC fighters aren't paid enough to retire, says Strickland (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Sean Strickland blames UFC for ruining legacies: ‘They don’t pay you enough to walk away’ (MMA Fighting)
• Sean Strickland: “My Heart Just Isn’t In MMA Anymore” (Cageside Press)
• ONE Friday Fights 174 & The Inner Circle 34 Live Stream and Results (Cageside Press)
• Mongkoldetlek, Dedduanglek Target Breakout Wins At ONE Friday Fights 174 (MiddleEasy)
• The Inner Circle 34 And ONE Friday Fights 174, Results And Highlights For Every Match (ONE News)
• ‘They Couldn’t Stop Me’, Rustam Yunusov Fires Warning Shots At Suriyanlek Ahead Of The Inner Circle 34 (ONE News)
• ‘Hunt For The Finish’, Mongkoldetlek And Dedduanglek Target Breakout Wins At ONE Friday Fights 174 (ONE News)
• Brendan Allen vs. Christian Leroy Duncan: Bloody Elbow staff predict the UFC Vegas 122 main event (Bloody Elbow)
• UFC Vegas 122: Start time, Paramount+ stream & full fight card (Sherdog)
• UFC Vegas 122: Allen vs. Duncan Preview and Predictions (Combat Press)
• Khamzat Abaev vs. Leon Hill added to PFL Dubai card (Sherdog)
• Malcolm Wellmaker admits costly mistake ahead of UFC Vegas 122 (Sherdog)
• Former UFC fighter Tim Kennedy reportedly shot in deadly Congo ambush (Sherdog)
• Jake Paul cleared after Anthony Joshua knockout, eyes UFC stars (Sherdog)
• Paul cleared to fight; Canelo, Strickland, others on wish list (ESPN MMA)
• Jake Paul Cleared To Return To Boxing After Injury, Names 14-Fighter Wish List (MiddleEasy)
• Jake Paul lays out ambitious 15-fight hit list that includes Tom Aspinall and Francis Ngannou (Bloody Elbow)
• Jake Paul lays out hit list for remaining career, including Canelo Alvarez, Francis Ngannou, and Conor McGregor (MMA Mania)
• Mikey Musumeci vacates his UFCBJJ bantamweight title to focus on training MMA, will still do superfights (r/MMA)
• Mikey Musumeci drops UFC BJJ title to ‘prioritize’ MMA, ends serious jiujitsu career (MMA Mania)
• Merab Dvalishvili Vows To Avenge Petr Yan Loss, Reclaim UFC Title At UFC 333 (MiddleEasy)
• Quillan Salkilld wants to fight Paddy Pimblett or Max Holloway on the UFC Sydney card in February (r/MMA)
• Carlos Prates tells Islam Makhachev he’s ‘wrestling’s worst nightmare’ in new callout (Bloody Elbow)
• Former UFC champion points to Carlos Prates as "easiest fight" for Makhachev (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Colby Covington Predicts Islam Makhachev Will Submit Carlos Prates In “Easiest Fight” (MiddleEasy)
• Brazil vs Argentina! Ismael Bonfim analyzes rival's style in UFC: “Uncontrolled dog” (Ag. Fight (BR))

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA. This is episode 113 for October 9th, 2026, your daily look at what's happening now and next across the world of MMA and UFC. DUKE: We gotta start with Sean Strickland, because the middleweight champion just told the world his heart isn't in this sport anymore.
NORA: That's a heavy thing for a reigning champ to say out loud.
DUKE: He told, quote, I crashed out a little. Let me explain my frustration, end quote.
NORA: And then he went further, saying, according to, that he feels his body is wrecked from twenty one years of training.
DUKE: Twenty one years of training. That's not a guy who's bored, that's a guy who's cooked.
NORA: Right, and it's not just fatigue talk either. He's also said flat out that UFC fighters aren't paid enough to retire on their own terms.
DUKE: That's the part that stings. He's the champion, Nora.
NORA: He took it further on social media too, saying the promotion doesn't pay you enough to walk away, and pointing right at how much Conor McGregor's been paid for fighting just once in comparison.
DUKE: That's a direct shot at the pay structure, not just his own situation.
NORA: It is. And when a champion starts talking like this, it's not a throwaway tweet, it's a signal about his future plans, maybe even retirement timing.
DUKE: So where does this leave the middleweight division? Because he's not vacated anything.
NORA: No, he hasn't. But every one of these quotes, stacked together over just a couple days, reads like a guy mentally checking out even while he's still holding the belt.
DUKE: Something to watch closely going forward, especially with Allen versus Duncan this weekend basically auditioning for a shot at whoever's holding that strap.
NORA: Exactly, and we'll get there.
DUKE: Now on to the results. ONE Championship ran a big card out of Bangkok. And there was a hundred thousand dollar ONE Championship contract on the line for one of the night's big winners. Confident words heading into Lumpinee Stadium, the mecca of Muay Thai itself.
NORA: That venue alone raises the stakes for anyone fighting there.
DUKE: Now on to the card news.
NORA: Brendan Allen versus Christian Leroy Duncan in the main event, two top ten middleweights. Both Allen and Duncan are angling for a title eliminator with a win here, especially with Strickland's situation up in the air like we just talked about.
DUKE: That's exactly why this card matters more than your average Vegas Fight Night.
NORA: If Strickland's heart really isn't in it anymore, whoever wins Saturday gets a louder case for next in line.
DUKE: Big stakes for a Fight Night card on paper.
NORA: It's not a prelim card, it's a Fight Night.
DUKE: No. Over in the PFL world, Khamzat Abaev versus Leon Hill just got added to the Dubai card at welterweight.
NORA: PFL's been stacking that Dubai lineup piece by piece, and this adds another live finisher to the mix.
DUKE: Now on to the fighter news. Malcolm Wellmaker is heading into UFC Vegas 122 admitting he made a costly mistake somewhere along the way.
NORA: He says his recent losses have actually helped him become a more complete fighter.
DUKE: That's the kind of thing you say when you're trying to turn a rough stretch into a redemption arc.
NORA: Sometimes it's true. We'll see what it looks like once he's actually back in the cage.
DUKE: Now some tougher news. Former UFC middleweight Tim Kennedy has reportedly been shot in an ambush in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
NORA: That's a scary situation for anyone, let alone someone who's spent his life around dangerous work both in and out of the cage.
DUKE: Our thoughts are with him, hoping for more clarity soon.
NORA: Agreed.
DUKE: Jake Paul has been cleared to return to boxing after the broken jaw he suffered in his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua last year.
NORA: And he didn't waste any time, he's already put out a wish list of fourteen, maybe fifteen names.
DUKE: Canelo Alvarez, Conor McGregor, Francis Ngannou, Tom Aspinall, even Sean Strickland is in there somewhere.
NORA: That's a massive spread across boxing and MMA stars, which tells you he's not picky about the sport, just the paycheck and the headline.
DUKE: Honestly given what Strickland just said about wanting easier money, maybe that Paul fight tempts him more than people think.
NORA: That's a stretch, but I see where you're going with it.
DUKE: And in jiu jitsu news, Mikey Musumeci is the current UFC BJJ Bantamweight World Champion.
NORA: He's stepping away from serious grappling competition to prioritize a move into MMA, though he says he'll still do superfights.
DUKE: That's a huge name walking away from a title he built his whole career around.
NORA: It shows just how seriously he's taking this MMA transition, not a dabble, a real pivot.
DUKE: Now on to the callouts. And he didn't stop there either. Big one for me, Nora, our guy Paddy Pimblett got called out. Quillan Salkilld wants to fight either Paddy or Max Holloway on the UFC Sydney card in February.
NORA: That's a bold ask, going after the Baddy by name.
DUKE: The Baddy's box office right now, so I get why Salkilld's throwing his hat in the ring, but that's a tough ask for a home Sydney crowd.
NORA: Depends entirely on what the UFC wants for that card, but it's a name worth watching.
DUKE: Carlos Prates is not shy either, he just told Islam Makhachev he's quote wrestling's worst nightmare in a new callout. Colby Covington actually weighed in on this too, telling the Ariel Helwani Show that Prates is the easiest fight for Makhachev.
NORA: Covington's got some credibility to back that up too, he's a former interim champ at welterweight himself, and he's betting on a submission even though Makhachev's only one title defense into his reign at lightweight.
DUKE: Easiest fight is a bold label for a guy who hits as hard as Prates does.
NORA: It is, but Covington's read is based on grappling disparity, not power, and that's usually where these fights get decided.
DUKE: Fair point.
NORA: South America versus South America inside the octagon always brings extra heat.
DUKE: Before we get out of here, quick odds watch. No movement at all? Alright, looking ahead, UFC puts on Dana White's Contender Series on Tuesday, October thirteenth, with Ilias Bulaid versus Erick Visconde in the main event.
NORA: And then UFC Fight Night Buckley versus Malott lands Saturday, October seventeenth, with Mike Malott facing Joaquin Buckley in the main event.
DUKE: Two completely different kinds of cards, one for prospects chasing contracts, one for established names chasing rankings.
NORA: That's the sport in a nutshell this month.
One more thing before we go. Strickland says his heart's not in MMA anymore but UFC won't pay fighters enough to retire. Is that the real problem with this sport, or is he just venting? 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.