Javier Mendez: I would love Usman Nurmagomedov's UFC debut to be vs. Paddy Pimblett

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:

• Javier Mendez: I would love Usman Nurmagomedov's UFC debut to be vs. Paddy Pimblett (r/MMA)
• UFC 333 ‘Volkanovski vs. Evloev’ play-by-play, results & round scoring (Sherdog)
• UFC 333 live results: Volkanovski vs. Evloev updates, round-by-round scoring for today's title double-header (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• UFC 333 Results: Volkanovski vs. Evloev (MMA Fighting)
• RAF 14 Results: Tsarukyan vs. Danis (MMA Fighting)
• RAF 14 results: Khamzat Chimaev smashes Robbie Lawler, promises to break Colby Covington’s neck (MMA Fighting)
• Highlights! Huge underdog Michael Caliendo upsets Jordan Burroughs at RAF 14 (MMA Mania)
• Arman Tsarukyan steps on Dillon Danis after shutout victory in RAF 14 main event (MMA Fighting)
• Highlights! Bella Mir delivers massive slam in RAF return, wins via 10-0 tech fall | RAF 14 (MMA Mania)
• UFC 333: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Movsar Evloev live stream watch party (MMA Fighting)
• UFC 333 Start Time, Full Fight Card Details! (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• UFC 333 live stream: How to watch Volkanovski vs. Evloev, start time, channel (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• UFC 333 start time, full fight card details | Volkanovski vs. Evloev (MMA Mania)
• UFC heavyweight questions Alex Pereira’s high ranking in the division (BJPenn.com)
• Rizvan Kuniev Blasts UFC Rankings for Alex Pereira’s High Rank (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Rizvan Kuniev blasts rankings for Alex Pereira’s ‘very strange’ spot, wants him next after Alexander Volkov at UFC 333 (MMA Fighting)
• Khabib Nurmagomedov sends a supportive message to Movsar Evloev ahead of his UFC 333 title challenge (Bloody Elbow)
• PFL Africa to crown 3 champions in Kigali, led by 7-0 David Samuel (Sherdog)
• After watching Dark Side of the Cage episode on Mark Coleman (r/MMA)

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA, episode 128 for October 24th, 2026.

Today's show is brought to you by Dealophant, from the team behind Open Scoring MMA. More on them in a minute. DUKE: Javier Mendez just threw gasoline on a fight that doesn't even have a date, saying he'd love Usman Nurmagomedov's UFC debut to be against Paddy Pimblett.
NORA: That's a bold one to drop out of nowhere.
DUKE: Mendez coaches Usman, so this isn't some random fan take, this is the guy in the corner talking.
NORA: Right, and Usman's been dominant everywhere else, so the UFC's going to want a splash for his first walk.
DUKE: And Paddy is exactly that. Scouser's box office, he sells tickets, he sells pay per view.
NORA: The timing works too, Usman Nurmagomedov's coming off a run that's got him knocking on title contention.
DUKE: I love this for the Baddy. Give him the splashy debut opponent, let him prove he belongs at that level.
NORA: Fans on X are already fired up about this one, the Mendez quote is getting passed around everywhere.
DUKE: As it should be.
NORA: Nothing's booked, but keep an eye on it.
DUKE: Now on to the results, and it's a massive night behind us. Let's start with RAF 14 out of the Fontainebleau in Vegas.
NORA: Khamzat Chimaev smashed Robbie Lawler, the former UFC Welterweight Champion, in a dominant, fast finish.
DUKE: Chimaev's adding names to his resume like he's checking boxes.
NORA: And after, he said he wants to break Colby Covington's neck. That's not subtle.
DUKE: Chimaev doesn't do subtle. He wants Covington next and he's saying it loud.
NORA: The headline moment of the night, though, might be the upset.
DUKE: Michael Caliendo, a plus five fifty underdog, beat Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs eight to five.
NORA: That's one of the bigger upsets in RAF history.
DUKE: Huge.
NORA: In the main event, Arman Tsarukyan shut out Dillon Danis.
DUKE: Barely broke a sweat by the sound of it.
NORA: And then stepped on Danis after the win, which, given Tsarukyan actually went after him at the press conference the day before, security was already on edge.
DUKE: That rivalry isn't cooling off anytime soon.
NORA: Bella Mir also had a big return, a ten, zero tech fall with a massive slam.
DUKE: Great night for RAF overall.
NORA: Meanwhile UFC 333 is live right now in Abu Dhabi, Volkanovski defending against Evloev, Dvalishvili versus Yan three in the co-main.
DUKE: We'll have the actual results for you next time we're on air, this one's still unfolding as we record. Now on to the card news. UFC 333 is officially underway today at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
NORA: Volkanovski defending the featherweight strap against the undefeated Movsar Evloev headlines it.
DUKE: Volkanovski's a two time champ at featherweight, coming off consecutive title defenses, so this is him trying to extend that reign against the one guy in the division with a perfect record.
NORA: And the co-main is a rubber match, Merab Dvalishvili defending against Petr Yan for a third time.
DUKE: That's a title fight and a rubber match. Two big fights on one card, that's about as big as it gets.
NORA: It's live as we speak.

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: Now on to the callouts, and we've got a heavyweight with a chip on his shoulder. Rizvan Kuniev is blasting the rankings over Alex Pereira.
NORA: Pereira is zero and one in the UFC heavyweight division, with a TKO loss to Ciryl Gane, yet he's ranked number three.
DUKE: And Kuniev, who's riding wins over Tyrell Fortune and Jailton Almeida, sits at number seven.
NORA: He's calling that gap very strange, and honestly, the numbers back him up.
DUKE: A guy with a losing UFC heavyweight record ranked above a guy on a two fight winning streak? That's a fair thing to be annoyed about.
NORA: According to reports, Kuniev wants to beat Alexander Volkov at UFC 333, and then face Alex Pereira next.
DUKE: Rankings controversies are nothing new, but this one's got real legs because Kuniev's actually fighting his way into the conversation.
NORA: We'll see if a win over Volkov forces the issue.
DUKE: Sticking with UFC 333, Khabib Nurmagomedov sent a supportive message to Movsar Evloev ahead of his title shot against Volkanovski.
NORA: Khabib's rooting for his fellow countryman to dethrone Alexander Volkanovski.
DUKE: That matters. Khabib's word still carries massive weight in that part of the world and across the sport.
NORA: It's a nice signal of how big this title shot is for Evloev back home.
DUKE: Now on to the business side. The PFL is crowning three champions out of Africa.
NORA: PFL Africa wraps up December twelfth in Kigali, Rwanda, with title fights at welterweight, lightweight, and bantamweight.
DUKE: And the name to know is David Samuel, seven and oh, leading that group into the finals.
NORA: The PFL's been building out these regional tournaments for a while now, and Africa's clearly become one of their bigger pushes.
DUKE: Good for the sport's growth outside the usual markets. Now on to around the sport. There's a Dark Side of the Cage episode on Mark Coleman getting people talking.
NORA: The Reddit community's reaction was basically, why wasn't the Hollywood movie about him instead of Mark Kerr.
DUKE: Coleman was the inaugural UFC heavyweight champion, a PRIDE Grand Prix champion, fought every legend of his era.
NORA: And the story goes well beyond the cage too, there's real struggle and a real rescue in there.
DUKE: That's a documentary worth tracking down if you haven't seen it. Kody Steele is a favorite heading into his next fight.
NORA: The betting markets show Steele as a favorite, with a fifty-nine percent chance of winning.
DUKE: So books clearly like Steele here.
NORA: And that line's held steady, no real movement since we last checked it.
DUKE: Steady lines usually mean nobody's panicking on either side.
NORA: Right, no sharp money shifting it.
DUKE: Before we go, quick reminder, if you want breaking news alerts, fight breakdowns, and videos you're not getting on this feed, we're putting it all out on YouTube.
NORA: Full breakdowns, alerts the second something drops, it's worth the subscribe.
DUKE: Now let's look ahead. Next Saturday, October thirty-first, it's UFC Fight Night: Moicano versus Nolan, Renato Moicano taking on Tom Nolan in the main event.
NORA: Then on November seventh, Sean Brady faces Gabriel Bonfim in the main event of UFC Fight Night.
DUKE: Big ones coming. We'll be back with the full UFC 333 results next time out.
NORA: Should be a wild one in Abu Dhabi.

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That's it for today's Open Scoring MMA. Keep your hands up, and we'll see you next time.