UFC prospect Alice Pereira receives purple belt in jiu-jitsu: “On the way to the top”

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 prospect Alice Pereira receives purple belt in jiu-jitsu: “On the way to the top” (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Renato Canuto Wins UFC BJJ 12 Lightweight Title Against Ethan Crelinsten (MiddleEasy)
• Alexander Volkanovski assesses Petr Yan's possible move up: “Tough for anyone” (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Former champion gives prediction for Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili UFC 333 trilogy bout (MMA Weekly)
• Coach Conversation | UFC 333: Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili 3 (UFC News)
• Ciryl Gane's coach compares Josh Hokit to UFC heavyweight legend (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Is UFC 334’s Josh Hokit the best heavyweight since Cain Velasquez? Team Gane explains... (MMA Mania)
• Mike Brown Backs Evloev’s Physical Prime Against Volkanovski At UFC 333 (MiddleEasy)
• Alexander Volkov Rips Rizvan Kuniev Before UFC 333 for PFL Cut (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Dricus du Plessis' coach says he rejected UFC 205-pound tournament offer (Sherdog)
• UFC Reportedly Pitched Dricus Du Plessis a Wild Four-Man Tournament for Light Heavyweight Title Shot (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Dricus du Plessis' coach says he rejected UFC 205-pound tournament offer (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Dricus Du Plessis turned down UFC offer to take part in light heavyweight tournament (Bloody Elbow)

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA, episode 125 for October 21st, 2026.

Today's show is brought to you by Dealophant, from the team behind Open Scoring MMA. More on them in a minute. DUKE: We're opening with something a little different today, no title fight, no callout, just a UFC prospect doing something old school cool.
NORA: Alice Pereira.
DUKE: Right, she beat Darya Zheleznyakova a little over a week ago, and now her coach Edilson Teixeira just promoted her to purple belt in jiu jitsu.
NORA: That's a real jump, Duke, purple belt means the fundamentals are locked in, that's not a participation trophy.
DUKE: And for a prospect still building her octagon resume, having the grappling catching up to the hype matters.
NORA: It means fewer holes for veterans to find once she starts climbing the rankings.
DUKE: On the way to the top, like the post said. I like it.
NORA: Simple story, real signal.
DUKE: Now on to the results, because we've got a new jiu jitsu champion to talk about too.
NORA: Renato Canuto won the UFC BJJ 12 lightweight title, three round unanimous decision over Ethan Crelinsten at Meta APEX.
DUKE: Didn't get the finish though, and he wanted it.
NORA: He said he was not satisfied with the decision.
DUKE: And now he's calling for a rematch with Lucas Valente.
NORA: That tells you Canuto's not satisfied with belts alone, he wants to settle a specific score.
DUKE: Grappling scene's heating up right alongside the cage stuff, good to see.
NORA: Agreed.
DUKE: Now on to the callouts, because this one's a big one, Alexander Volkanovski weighing in on Petr Yan.
NORA: Yan's the bantamweight champ and he's talked about wanting to eventually move up to featherweight.
DUKE: And Volkanovski basically said that's tough for anyone.
NORA: Which, coming from the guy who's owned that division for years, is a polite way of saying don't underestimate what's waiting up there.
DUKE: But here's the thing, Yan's not even thinking about that yet, he's got Merab Dvalishvili right in front of him.
NORA: Their trilogy bout is on the card for UFC 333 this Saturday, October 24th.
DUKE: And Michael Bisping's already given his prediction on that one.
NORA: We don't have the specifics of his pick in front of us, but the fact a former champion's weighing in publicly tells you how much weight this trilogy carries.
DUKE: Coaches are breaking down the matchup too, there was a full coach conversation on it.
NORA: Three fights between two elite bantamweights, this is as close to a measuring stick fight as the division gets.
Quick break for our sponsor. Dealophant shows the real price per unit on everyday Amazon buys, so you stop overpaying for the big box. It's free at dealophant dot com, and we may earn a commission if you buy. Now, back to the show. DUKE: Sticking with UFC 333, let's talk Volkanovski's own fight, because Mike Brown had something to say about that too.
NORA: Brown's backing Movsar Evloev's conditioning and discipline against Volkanovski.
DUKE: Even while admitting Volkanovski's still the featherweight standard.
NORA: That's the respectful hedge, Duke, he's not picking against the champ outright, he's just saying Evloev's in his physical prime and it'll be a factor.
DUKE: Evloev's one of those guys people forget is unbeaten in a lot of conversations, this is his chance to make noise.
NORA: If he pushes the pace on a legend like Volkanovski, that's a statement win regardless of the result.
DUKE: Also on that card, heavyweights Alexander Volkov and Rizvan Kuniev are not holding back.
NORA: Volkov ripped into Kuniev over his previous cut by the PFL.
DUKE: Two Russian heavyweights, no love lost, both trying to get a signature win.
NORA: When a veteran goes out of his way to dig at an opponent's resume like that, it usually means he sees him as a real threat, not a gatekeeper.
DUKE: Now let's look ahead to UFC 334, because Ciryl Gane's camp is sounding an alarm about Josh Hokit.
NORA: Fernand Lopez, Gane's coach, compared Hokit's style to Cain Velasquez.
DUKE: Velasquez, Nora, come on, that's about as big a heavyweight comparison as you can make.
NORA: It is, and with Tom Aspinall still sidelined, this fight on November 14th at Madison Square Garden is now the undisputed heavyweight title fight.
DUKE: So Gane's side isn't sandbagging Hokit at all.
NORA: No, if anything they're hyping the threat level up, which tells me they respect his pressure and gas tank.
DUKE: I still lean Gane on skill, but hearing his own coach bring up Velasquez makes me want to rewatch Hokit's tape.
NORA: That's the smart reaction.
DUKE: Now on to the business side, because Dricus du Plessis just turned down a pretty wild idea.
NORA: His coach revealed the UFC pitched him a four man light heavyweight tournament for a title shot.
DUKE: And he said no.
NORA: Du Plessis beat Kamaru Usman by unanimous decision at UFC Oklahoma, and he's talked about eventually moving up to light heavyweight to chase a second title.
DUKE: But reclaiming his middleweight strap is still the priority.
NORA: Right, a tournament format is a bigger risk, more fights, more chances for an upset before he even gets the shot.
DUKE: Smart business from Dricus, protect the middleweight run first.
NORA: And it tells you the UFC's at least floating tournament style cards as a concept, that's worth watching.
DUKE: Speaking of watching, quick reminder, we've got breaking news alerts, fight breakdowns, and videos you won't get here on the feed, over on our YouTube channel.
NORA: Worth subscribing if you want the deeper film stuff.
DUKE: The Reddit community's been buzzing too, with fans debating who the next breakout name is, always fun to see that list get argued over. Alright, let's preview what's coming. This Saturday, October 24th, it's UFC 333, Alexander Volkanovski versus Movsar Evloev headlines, and according to reports, Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan are also on the card.
NORA: Then the following Saturday, October 31st, UFC Fight Night brings Renato Moicano against Tom Nolan.
DUKE: Huge stretch of fights coming up.
NORA: And UFC 334 looms right after that, Hokit and Gane for the undisputed heavyweight title.
DUKE: We'll be all over it.
NORA: Always.

One more thing before we go.

Fernand Lopez says Josh Hokit hits like peak Cain Velasquez. Is that real praise, or pre-fight hype to make Ciryl Gane look better when he wins?

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.