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Tuesday's Contender Series finale produced four fresh UFC signings, and the fallout from two other feuds kept things lively: Dana White hit back at Sean Strickland's pay complaints, and Daniel Cormier pushed back on Alex Pereira's accusations over the Gane-Hokit title fight.

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Welcome to Open Scoring MMA. This is episode 118 for October 14th, 2026, your daily look at what's happening now and next across the world of MMA and UFC. DUKE: Big night out of the APEX, Nora. A twenty one year old Muay Thai prodigy just beat Alex Pereira's own sister to land a UFC contract.
NORA: Smilla Sundell over Aline Pereira, unanimous decision, all three judges had it twenty nine to twenty eight.
DUKE: Twenty nine, twenty eight three times. That's a close one.
NORA: It is, but she was the busier striker the whole way, that's why she got the nod.
DUKE: And this was the finale of Contender Series Season ten, so it's the last big spotlight of the year.
NORA: Right, and according to some reports, Sundell earned her deal in a fight where many observers expected Pereira to have an advantage due to her grappling background.
DUKE: I love this storyline honestly, beating a Pereira to get into the UFC is a heck of a first line on your resume.
NORA: Fans on X are already fired up about it too, that whole "beating a Pereira" angle blew up instantly.
DUKE: Can't blame them, that's a wild headline no matter how you spin it.
NORA: It's a real signing on merit though, not just a storyline, she's twenty one and genuinely talented standing up.
DUKE: Bantamweight's getting deeper by the week.
NORA: It is.
DUKE: Now on to the results, because Sundell wasn't even the only interesting story out of that card.
NORA: Not close. Douglas da Lapa knocked out Davi Cabral in the third round, nineteen seconds in, with a right hook.
DUKE: After losing the first round too.
NORA: Yeah, he was down on the cards, recovered in round two, then ended it clean in round three.
DUKE: And apparently Dana White thought he was thirty four years old when he handed him the contract.
NORA: He wasn't, but hey, a finish like that will make anybody look seasoned.
DUKE: Then you've got Greg Foster grinding out a decision over Jason Asher in a lightweight war.
NORA: Three rounds, back and forth, Foster's corner even got the quote about him having "mileage" like an old Camaro.
DUKE: That's a great line.
NORA: It fit the fight, he just kept coming.
DUKE: And here's the gut punch part, his mother was watching from the hospital on her birthday when he got the deal.
NORA: That's the kind of story that makes this show worth doing.
DUKE: For real. Four contracts total came out of that card, Sundell, da Lapa, Foster, and a former ONE champion rounding it out.
NORA: Dana White closed the book on Season ten with four new names for the UFC roster.
DUKE: Now on to the card news, because PFL Chicago just had a late swap.
NORA: Brock Hamer is stepping in for Morquez Forest against Levan Khabalaev.
DUKE: Late replacement fights are always a crapshoot.
NORA: Different style matchup now too, so the whole complexion of that fight changes.
DUKE: Worth watching how Khabalaev adjusts on short notice.
NORA: Should be a decent gauge of his adaptability either way.
DUKE: Now on to the callouts, and we've got to start with Sean Strickland, because he is not happy with the UFC.
NORA: Dana White finally addressed it directly.
DUKE: What'd he say?
NORA: Quote, "When isn't Sean Strickland upset about something or doesn't have something to say?" End quote.
DUKE: Classic Dana.
NORA: He also said that Strickland had signed a new contract in May.
DUKE: So the pay complaint doesn't hold much water if he just resigned five months ago.
NORA: That's White's argument, and he also claimed the number Strickland's putting out there publicly isn't accurate.
DUKE: That's a pretty direct shot back.
NORA: It is, and remember the backdrop, Sean Strickland has stated he won't defend his middleweight title against Nassourdine Imavov until his grievances with the UFC regarding his pay are settled.
DUKE: So the title's stuck in limbo while this plays out.
NORA: Looks that way, the middleweight gold is not back on the line in twenty twenty six amid the dispute.
DUKE: That's a real consequence, not just noise.
NORA: Exactly, this one actually affects the middleweight picture.
DUKE: Now sticking with drama, Alex Pereira is not happy either, this time about the heavyweight title fight.
NORA: He's accusing the UFC of manipulating public opinion to push Ciryl Gane versus Josh Hokit.
DUKE: Because he wanted the rematch with Gane.
NORA: Right, he lost that fight and has been lobbying hard for the do over, instead he got passed for Hokit.
DUKE: And Daniel Cormier got dragged into it.
NORA: He did, Pereira apparently implied Cormier was told by the UFC to promote the Gane Hokit fight.
DUKE: What'd Cormier say?
NORA: Cormier stated that he was not told by the UFC to promote that fight.
DUKE: So he's denying it outright.
NORA: Flatly, and he says he hopes the friendship survives this, he called Pereira's read on it misguided.
DUKE: That's a tough spot, former teammate, former rival, now caught in the middle of a title snub.
NORA: It is, and remember the stakes here, Gane defends against Hokit at UFC 334 on November fourteenth in Madison Square Garden. So Pereira's basically watching the title picture move on without him.
DUKE: Gotta think a win for Hokit or a dominant Gane defense pushes Pereira even further from that rematch.
NORA: It does, the longer Gane holds the belt against new challengers, the colder that rematch case gets.
DUKE: And on a lighter note, Aljamain Sterling's praising Andre Fili out of UFC Vegas one twenty two.
NORA: For showing restraint, Fili had Kai Kamaka the Third hurt and pulled back instead of piling on extra shots.
DUKE: Sterling compared it to his own fight with Marlon Moraes.
NORA: Quote, "It reminds me of my fight with Marlon Moraes, after the knee landed, he just looked and was like, 'Oh, this guy's dead,'" end quote.
DUKE: That's a nice bit of sportsmanship getting recognized.
NORA: Fair play from a former champ, that matters in this sport.
DUKE: And Alexander Volkanovski's out here doing comedy skits again ahead of UFC 333.
NORA: This one takes a shot at fighter pay, which, given the Strickland story, is kind of fitting timing.
DUKE: He defends the featherweight belt against Movsar Evloev on October twenty fourth, main event of UFC 333. Volkanovski clearly isn't letting the title fight mess with his sense of humor.
NORA: No, and honestly the pay jokes landing right after Strickland's real complaint says something about where fighters' heads are at league wide.
DUKE: Now on to the business side, because Dana White also talked boxing, specifically Tyson Fury versus Anthony Joshua.
NORA: He explained why that announcement got delayed.
DUKE: What happened?
NORA: Quote, "Eddie pushed hard for this thing to be in the U.K. I was trying to do it in MSG," end quote.
DUKE: So there was a tug of war over location.
NORA: There was, and White admitted there's been what he called interesting stuff going on behind the scenes.
DUKE: But it's locked in now.
NORA: It's at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, and he said it's basically already sold out.
DUKE: That's a massive fight for the UK, Cardiff's gonna be rocking.
NORA: White said he's excited to be there himself, and the UFC is promoting and producing it.
DUKE: Big crossover move for the company.
NORA: It is, shows how far White's reach goes outside the cage now.
DUKE: Alright, let's look ahead. This Saturday, October seventeenth, it's Mike Malott versus Joaquin Buckley in the main event.
NORA: This card is UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs. Malott on October seventeenth.
DUKE: Buckley's got knockout power everywhere he goes, that's a fun stylistic clash with Malott.
NORA: The full card details are available on the official UFC schedule.
DUKE: Then the following Saturday, October twenty fourth, it's UFC 333, Volkanovski defending against Evloev. Alright, that's gonna do it for us today.
One more thing before we go. Agree? Disagree? Tell us in the comments. 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.

Today’s stories

Sundell Beats Alex Pereira's Sister, Four Earn UFC Deals at DWCS Finale
Smilla Sundell outpointed Aline Pereira to close out DWCS Season 10, one of four fighters who punched their ticket to the UFC on Tuesday night.
Dana White Fires Back at Sean Strickland Over UFC Pay Complaints, Cites New Deal
White disputes Sean Strickland's pay claims, pointing out the middleweight champ just signed a new deal in May.
Cormier Denies Pereira's Claim UFC Told Him to Hype Gane-Hokit
Alex Pereira accused the UFC of steering public opinion toward Gane vs. Hokit, but Daniel Cormier says that is not what happened.

Stories from this edition publish across the day rather than all at once, so this list grows. All news.