Open Scoring MMA, 2026-10-17

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:

• UFC Edmonton ‘Buckley vs. Malott’ play-by-play, results & round scoring (Sherdog)
• Modest card, UFC Canada could define first challenger for champion Natália Silva's title (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Learn how to watch UFC Canada, card with only one Brazilian in action (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Blanchfield vs. Jasudavicius Set for UFC Edmonton Odds and Preview (The Body Lock)
• Bishop survives early onslaught, outpoints Carmouche to capture PFL crown (ESPN MMA)
• Jena Bishop upsets Liz Carmouche in PFL Chicago title fight (MMA Weekly)
• PFL Chicago Results: Jena Bishop stuns Liz Carmouche to win PFL flyweight championship (MMA Fighting)
• (PFL Chicago spoilers) Liz Carmouche vs. Jena Bishop (r/MMA)
• Jena Bishop upsets Liz Carmouche in PFL Chicago title fight (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• ONE SAMURAI 4 Co-Main Event Result: Nadaka Electrifies Tokyo, Retains Atomweight Gold With Head Kick TKO Of Rifdean (ONE News)
• [ONE SAMURAI04] Hirata Itsuki overcomes Razwan's striking pressure with grappling, gets revenge in rematch after 4.5 years with grappling and striking (MMAPLANET (JP))
• The Inner Circle 35 Co-Main Event Result: Ghazali Settles The Score With Paez In Three-Round Thriller (ONE News)
• Cody Garbrandt To Wrestle Sergio Pettis At RAF 15 On November 28 (MiddleEasy)
• Raul Rosas Jr. makes RAF debut against UFC Hall of Famer in November (MMA Fighting)
• Larissa Pacheco frustrated over lack of offers after UFC snub: ‘The market has kind of closed its doors on me’ (r/MMA)
• Joaquin Buckley refused to shake Dana White’s hand before confusing fans with awkward interview (Bloody Elbow)
• Dana White Held Out His Hand Before Saturday's UFC Main Event, and Joaquin Buckley Looked Right Through It (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Joaquin Buckley doesn't shake hands with Dana White during his faceoff with Mike Malott and ignores every interview question from the reporter backstage (r/MMA)
• Dana White’s reaction to Joaquin Buckley refusing to shake his hand 😭😭 (r/ufc)
• Jena Bishop Reveals Four Fights With Muscle Tears Before PFL Title Win (MiddleEasy)
• “I've completely lost interest in ONE now”, Rukiya Anpo pulled from fight card after failing to provide a hydrated urine sample. (r/MMA)
• The UFC's flyweights are hot again -- is Lone'er Kavanagh the next star? (ESPN MMA)
• Sean Strickland’s UFC Pay Push Gets Support From Mike Heck (MiddleEasy)
• Michael Bisping Defends Sean Strickland Walking Away From Imavov (MiddleEasy)
• Daniel Cormier Says Imavov Is Following Strickland’s Title-Shot Playbook (MiddleEasy)
• Opinion: Sean Strickland's UFC pay fight may only help himself (Sherdog Articles)
• Renato Moicano takes shots at a kid after being ignored for Ryan Garcia (r/MMA)

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA. This is episode 121 for October 17th, 2026, your daily look at what's happening now and next across the world of MMA and UFC. DUKE: UFC Edmonton is just hours away, Nora, and the story going into fight night isn't even the fight card, it's Joaquin Buckley refusing to shake Dana White's hand.
NORA: We'll get to that. But first, the actual card. And the co-main is a real eliminator, Erin Blanchfield against Jasmine Jasudavicius at flyweight.
DUKE: That one could decide who challenges Natalia Silva next for the flyweight belt.
NORA: Silva just won the belt, so whoever comes out of Blanchfield versus Jasudavicius looking sharp is right there. But for the flyweight division specifically, this show matters more than its billing suggests.
DUKE: Sherdog's live coverage kicks off at five Eastern, two Pacific today, so this is happening right now as we're talking.
NORA: Blanchfield's the more decorated name on paper, but Jasudavicius has been building a case of her own.
DUKE: Either way, somebody walks out of Edmonton with a real argument for a title shot. Now on to the PFL Chicago results, which already happened yesterday, and it was a shocker.
NORA: And get this, Larissa Pacheco was nearly finished in round one.
DUKE: Wait, nearly finished, and still wins the whole fight?
NORA: Pacheco dug in, survived the onslaught, and outworked Carmouche the rest of the way.
DUKE: Carmouche was the heavy favorite walking in to win the fight too.
NORA: Which makes it a bigger result. This was framed as a rematch, their first meeting didn't go Pacheco's way, so this win is redemption, full circle.
DUKE: So this is redemption, full circle.
NORA: And it gets wilder, Pacheco revealed after the fight she fought four times while dealing with an adductor and an abdominal muscle tear.
DUKE: Four fights hurt like that?
NORA: Pacheco says she only fully healed during this camp, right before beating Carmouche for the belt.
DUKE: That's the kind of toughness that should get more attention than it does.
NORA: Agreed, that's a real championship story.
DUKE: Let's hop over to ONE Championship too, because Samurai 4 went down in Tokyo.
NORA: Nadaka retained the atomweight title with a head kick TKO over Rifdean.
DUKE: Forty three fights, that's a legacy number for Nadaka.
NORA: On the same card, Hirata Itsuki got revenge on Jihin Radzwan in a rematch four and a half years in the making, winning by decision using her grappling.
DUKE: And over at The Inner Circle 35, Ghazali settled a score with Paez, a three round decision win.
NORA: Solid night for the regional and international scene outside the UFC bubble.
DUKE: Now on to the card news, because RAF is stacking up a Chicago show for November 28th.
NORA: Cody Garbrandt and Sergio Pettis are booked for a featherweight crossover wrestling match at RAF 15, that's at NOW Arena.
DUKE: Wrestling, not MMA, that's a wild crossover for two former UFC names like Cody Garbrandt and Sergio Pettis.
NORA: And on the same card, Raul Rosas Junior makes his RAF debut against Clay Guida. Smart move putting Rosas in with someone that recognizable.
DUKE: Now on to the fighter news, and this one's a frustrating read, Larissa Pacheco says she's been snubbed by the UFC.
NORA: Her quote was that, quote, "the market has kind of closed its doors on me", end quote.
DUKE: That's rough for someone with Pacheco's resume to be saying publicly.
NORA: It tells you how crowded and competitive the women's divisions have gotten across every promotion right now, and how hard it is to get a fight.
DUKE: Speaking of awkward, let's get into the Buckley situation before he even fights tonight.
NORA: At the weigh ins, Buckley ignored a handshake from Dana White.
DUKE: And from Mike Malott too, his actual opponent.
NORA: Then backstage, he reportedly stayed silent through the interview, wouldn't answer questions.
DUKE: That's bizarre. Buckley's usually one of the more colorful personalities in the company.
NORA: Something's clearly shifted in how Buckley's approaching the promotion, whether that's frustration over matchmaking or something else, we don't know.
DUKE: Fans on X are already breaking down the whole card and the betting lines, trying to figure out if this changes how Buckley shows up tonight for his fight.
NORA: It's the kind of story that makes you want to watch Buckley's body language the second that cage door closes.
DUKE: One more fighter note, Rukiya Anpo got pulled from a ONE card after failing to provide a hydrated urine sample.
NORA: The MMA community on Reddit is pretty frustrated by it, one post had a user saying he's lost interest in ONE entirely after it happened.
DUKE: That's a significant personal statement from a fighter, not just a scheduling hiccup. Now on to the callouts, and flyweight's getting interesting beyond just the Edmonton co-main.
NORA: There's real buzz around Lone'er Kavanagh as a potential next star after his win at UFC 333.
DUKE: Flyweight's been buried for years, but between Silva, Blanchfield, Jasudavicius, and now Kavanagh, it's actually got juice again as a division.
NORA: It's one of the more interesting divisions to track over the next few months.
DUKE: Now the other callout angle, Sean Strickland's pay fight is picking up supporters.
NORA: Mike Heck backed Strickland's push for better pay, though he noted the UFC still has other options for its middleweight title plans.
DUKE: Bisping weighed in too, defending Strickland for walking away from that encounter with Imavov at the UFC Performance Institute.
NORA: And Daniel Cormier says Imavov is basically running the same playbook Strickland used, using a confrontation to build toward a title rematch.
DUKE: So this pay stand might actually be Strickland's leverage play for a title shot.
NORA: There's an opinion piece out there too, arguing Strickland's stand could help him personally, but real change across the roster is unlikely without fighters acting together.
DUKE: That's the historical problem with fighter pay fights in this sport, nobody wants to be the one who takes the hit for everyone else.
NORA: Exactly, and until that changes, individual stands like Strickland's only move the needle for the individual fighter.
DUKE: Last callout, Renato Moicano took shots at a kid online after getting ignored for a Ryan Garcia interaction. So the books see this as pretty lopsided.
NORA: And that line's held steady, no movement, meaning sharp money isn't finding a reason to buy into the underdog.
DUKE: Alright, quick look ahead before we go.
NORA: That Dvalishvili versus Yan fight alone is worth the price of admission. It's a busy stretch coming up, division shaking stuff basically every weekend through November.
One more thing before we go. What do you want us covering tomorrow? Let us know. 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.