Pimblett's Prediction, Pereira's Ultimatum, and the Topuria Threat

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:

• Paddy Pimblett shares Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury prediction (MMA Weekly)
• Morning Report: Eddie Hearn again denies Dana White’s involvement in Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua (MMA Fighting)
• 23-second UFC finisher reportedly draws Islam Dulatov in Saudi Arabia (Sherdog)
• 23-second UFC finisher reportedly draws Islam Dulatov in Saudi Arabia (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• UFC legend Jon Jones reveals one regret he’ll ‘live with forever’ (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Jon Jones considered Ilia Topuria ‘first threat’ to his ‘GOAT’ status until loss to Justin Gaethje (MMA Fighting)
• Jon Jones saw Ilia Topuria as ‘first threat’ to UFC GOAT throne before White House loss (BJPenn.com)
• Jon Jones: Ilia Topuria Was Biggest Threat to UFC GOAT Status (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Alex Pereira confirms he will leave heavyweight with a loss at UFC 335 following frustrations (Bloody Elbow)
• Alex Pereira admits UFC frustrations after missing out on Josh Hokit, Ciryl Gane: 'They do whatever they want' (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Alex Pereira provides UFC retirement update as he refuses to become a ‘stepping stone’ for prospects (Bloody Elbow)
• 🚨 Alex Pereira says he will move back down to 205 if he loses to Sergei Pavlovich: (r/MMA)
• Dillon Danis provides update on Conor McGregor after injury-ending comeback: ‘He was in a dark place’ (MMA Fighting)
• Dillon Danis Says Conor McGregor Is Focused On Knee Recovery In Los Angeles (MiddleEasy)
• Aaron Pico admits he was fighting 'too out of control' before UFC 333 (Sherdog)
• ‘Humbled’ Aaron Pico admits he was ‘fighting out of control’, ‘It was getting me in trouble’ (MMA Mania)
• Chimaev: If Strickland wants to get paid, he should accept rematch (ESPN MMA)
• ‘If he needs the money, he has to fight me’: Khamzat Chimaev calls for Sean Strickland rematch (The Mac Life)
• TJ Dillashaw predicts Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili trilogy at UFC 333 (BJPenn.com)
• T.J. Dillashaw labels X-factor in Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili trilogy at UFC 333 (Yahoo Sports MMA)

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA, episode 126 for October 22nd, 2026. Today's show is brought to you by Dealophant, from the team behind Open Scoring MMA. More on them in a minute. DUKE: Big one to open with, and it's not even an MMA fight. Paddy Pimblett, our guy, has weighed in with his prediction on Anthony Joshua versus Tyson Fury.
NORA: The Baddy giving boxing takes now.
DUKE: Love it. He's a massive boxing fan, always has been, so when Paddy talks heavyweight boxing, I listen.
NORA: And fans on X are already reacting to it, that's blowing up over there right now.
DUKE: It is, people love seeing an MMA guy throw his hat in on the biggest heavyweight fight going.
NORA: Meanwhile the actual promotional drama around that fight just will not die down.
DUKE: Eddie Hearn again denying Dana White has any real involvement in Fury versus Joshua.
NORA: This has been going back and forth for a while now, Hearn and White sniping at each other.
DUKE: Especially with White actually getting into the boxing business himself.
NORA: Right, so there's real turf war energy underneath the denials.
DUKE: Hearn keeps saying hands off, White keeps hovering around it.
NORA: It's not going away anytime soon.
DUKE: Now on to the card news, because there's a booking out of Saudi Arabia worth flagging.
NORA: Islam Dulatov, reportedly locked into his second UFC bout.
DUKE: Remember this guy finished his debut in twenty three seconds.
NORA: Twenty three seconds, that's about as fast as it gets in this sport.
DUKE: So the UFC's moving fast with him too, getting him right back in there.
NORA: Makes sense, you don't sit on a finish like that, you build momentum.
DUKE: Now on to the fighter news, and we've got a lot here, starting with Jon Jones.
NORA: Jones opening up about a real regret from his career.
DUKE: He wanted to be part of that UFC White House card this past June, the one with the unprecedented military salute angle.
NORA: And it didn't happen, because of contract negotiations.
DUKE: He told Yahoo Sports MMA, quote, Honestly, there was a little bit of contract negotiation that didn't go my way, end quote.
NORA: And he went further, saying, quote, I'm such a proud American, and I'm such a fan of military and law enforcement, and to salute our military and law enforcement on that night and me not be a part of it, as one of the greatest American fighters in our sport's history, it's one of my small regrets that I have to live with forever, end quote.
DUKE: That's heavy for a guy who's already retired from the sport, but he's still talking about it.
NORA: He did add it was his call in the end, quote, It was my decision, I could've fought. We just couldn't come up to an agreement, end quote. He said that he and Dana White did not come to an agreement on the terms of his contract.
DUKE: Jones also got into who he saw as the real threat to his GOAT status.
NORA: He named Ilia Topuria, before Topuria's loss to Justin Gaethje.
DUKE: Jones said Topuria was the first legitimate threat to that throne.
NORA: It says a lot that even after the loss, Jones still brings him up as the closest challenger to his legacy.
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 the heavyweight picture, Alex Pereira's dropping a real ultimatum.
NORA: He says if he loses at UFC 335, he's done with heavyweight.
DUKE: He's frustrated too, he missed out on fighting Josh Hokit and Ciryl Gane, and he straight up said the promotion can, quote, do whatever they want, end quote, with his career.
NORA: He even said fighting Hokit would've been, quote, much, much easier for me, end quote.
DUKE: And to Ariel Helwani he laid out his whole thinking on Pavlovich.
NORA: He said, Pavlovich is a dangerous guy, I've always said this, I want to win, but I can lose too. If I lose, I'm not going to stay at heavyweight. Everyone knows I'm lighter than all those heavyweights, so I'm not going to keep trying to match their strength when I could do something else and be better off.
DUKE: That's honest. He knows he's undersized up there.
NORA: He's also said he refuses to become a stepping stone for up and coming heavyweight prospects.
DUKE: So this is win or go back to two oh five, no middle ground.
NORA: That's the clearest he's been about his own ceiling at heavyweight.
DUKE: Switching gears, there's an update on Conor McGregor from his training partner Dillon Danis.
NORA: McGregor's comeback got spoiled by a serious injury just seconds into his fight at UFC 329.
DUKE: Danis says McGregor was in, quote, a dark place, end quote, afterward.
NORA: But now he's described as focused on knee recovery out in Los Angeles.
DUKE: No return date yet, but Danis frames him as more determined than ever.
NORA: It's a long road back from a fight ending that fast and that badly.
DUKE: Last fighter news beat, Aaron Pico ahead of UFC 333 this Saturday.
NORA: He's admitting he was fighting too out of control before now.
DUKE: He said it was getting him into trouble in there.
NORA: He's the number fourteen ranked featherweight, and he's using the Losene Keita fight to show a more controlled version of himself. He wants Sean Strickland to accept a rematch.
DUKE: He said it plainly, quote, I won the match but they took my belt, end quote, referring to his middleweight title.
NORA: And his framing for Strickland is basically, if you want the money, fight me.
DUKE: He's convinced he should still be holding that middleweight strap right now.
NORA: Whether Strickland bites is the question, but Chimaev's not going quiet about it.
DUKE: Last callout, T.J. Dillashaw broke down the Petr Yan versus Merab Dvalishvili fight.
NORA: He's pointing to Merab Dvalishvili's cardio as an X factor that could decide the fight.
DUKE: And he thinks both fighters genuinely have a real path to beating the other.
NORA: That's rare, usually analysts lean one way, Dillashaw's calling this one a true coin flip stylistically.
DUKE: Alright, let's look ahead. UFC 333 is this Saturday, Alexander Volkanovski takes on Movsar Evloev. Then a week after that, UFC Fight Night brings Renato Moicano against Tom Nolan, that's October thirty first.
NORA: We'll be all over both of those.
DUKE: Always. And don't forget, the YouTube channel's got breaking news alerts, fight breakdowns, and videos you won't get here on the feed.
NORA: Deeper film stuff too, if you want to really dig into these matchups.
DUKE: Go check that out between episodes.
NORA: We'll be back with more before UFC 334 rolls around.
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.