Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev Targets Pereira, Prochazka, Reyes, Rountree

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:

• Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev Targets Pereira, Prochazka, Reyes, Rountree (MiddleEasy)
• Joselyne Edwards reportedly named backup for Harrison-Nunes at UFC 334 (Sherdog)
• Joselyne Edwards to serve as backup fighter for Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes at UFC 334 (MMA Fighting)
• UFC 334 Title Fight Gets Official Backup Fighter (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Joselyne Edwards reportedly named backup for Harrison-Nunes at UFC 334 (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Joselyne Edwards to serve as backup fighter for Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes at UFC 334 (r/MMA)
• Coach bets on McGregor's return to the UFC: “I won't doubt him” (Ag. Fight (BR))
• John Kavanagh says Conor McGregor still intends to fight again following ACL injury (The Mac Life)
• Ex-UFC champion joins chorus of criticism against Islam Makhachev (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Alexander Volkov: Dana White still has no answer on UFC title shot (Sherdog)
• Alexander Volkov Convinced Dana White Didn’t Recognize Him (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Alexander Volkov does not believe Dana White knew who he was at the UFC 333 press conference (Bloody Elbow)
• Alexander Volkanovski open to fighting Arman Tsarukyan for UFC gold (Sherdog)
• Alex Volkanovski Would Give Up Belt to Fight Arman Tsarukyan (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Alexander Volkanovski says he’ll fight Arman Tsarukyan if Justin Gaethje won’t (MMA Mania)
• [News]Volk is increasingly interested in fighting Arman for the lightweight title and would be willing to vacate his featherweight belt to make it happen (r/MMA)
• Alex Volkanovski pivots to 2 new options if Justin Gaethje fight can't happen next: 'That excites me' (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Jacobe Smith predicts altercation with Kevin Holland outside UFC cage (Sherdog)
• Saygid Izagakhmaev Appears On PFL Roster After Reported UFC Departure (MiddleEasy)

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA, episode 133 for October 29th, 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 gotta start with the new guy making the biggest noise in the heavyweight, well, light heavyweight division. Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev just got his hand raised at UFC 333 and immediately started calling out the top of the division.
NORA: Not just one name either. He name dropped Alex Pereira, Jiri Prochazka, Dominick Reyes, and Khalil Rountree, all in one breath.
DUKE: That's four ranked killers.
NORA: Nothing's booked yet, this is pure callout mode.
DUKE: Still, you don't call out the champ unless you believe your own hype.
NORA: Or unless your manager told you to make noise after a big win.
DUKE: Fair. But I'll say this, the light heavyweight division needed a new face throwing stones at the top.
NORA: And on that note, the Reddit crowd is already buzzing about his performance, there's a thread blowing up over how he looked against Nikita Krylov.
DUKE: Yeah, people are impressed.
NORA: Rightfully so if he's calling out Pereira with a straight face.
DUKE: Now on to the card news. UFC 334 just got a little insurance policy and it's a juicy one.
NORA: Joselyne Edwards has been named the official backup fighter for the Kayla Harrison versus Amanda Nunes bantamweight title fight. And backup fighters exist purely as insurance, if either Harrison or Nunes can't make weight or gets hurt in fight week, Edwards steps in for the belt.
DUKE: That's wild, she could be fighting for UFC gold on zero notice.
NORA: It's happened before in this sport, so it's not some crazy hypothetical.
DUKE: Imagine training for a regular fight and then suddenly it's a title fight against Amanda Nunes.
NORA: Edwards has to be doing full fight week prep either way, cutting weight, making weigh ins, all of it.
DUKE: That's a brutal ask for basically a contingency plan.
NORA: It is, but it's smart business for the promotion, you can't risk a vacant title fight at the Garden.
DUKE: Now on to the fighter news, and this one's gonna get fans fired up. Conor McGregor's longtime coach John Kavanagh says he still believes in a return.
NORA: Kavanagh's quote was simple, quote, I won't doubt him, end quote.
DUKE: That's coming after the ACL injury that derailed his comeback.
NORA: Right, and Kavanagh also addressed the conspiracy theories floating around about that injury.
DUKE: What'd he say exactly?
NORA: Quote, for the conspiracy theorists out there, he walked in with no injury, zero injury, end quote. That's the implication, yeah.
DUKE: Look, I've heard this song before with Conor, but Kavanagh's not some random hype man, he's been in his corner forever.
NORA: If anyone would know whether McGregor genuinely intends to fight again, it's him.
DUKE: I want to believe it, I just need to see him actually booked before I get excited.
NORA: Totally fair.
DUKE: Now on to the callouts, and Islam Makhachev is catching heat from another big name.
NORA: The former middleweight champ and current commentator Michael Bisping criticized Makhachev's fight frequency and how he's managing his career.
DUKE: This comes after Makhachev chose not to defend soon, which has been the whole storyline.
NORA: It's becoming a pattern, former champs and analysts keep lining up to question him.
DUKE: At some point the chorus gets loud enough that it actually affects how people view his legacy.
NORA: Especially pound for pound conversations, inactivity doesn't help there.
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: Speaking of guys who feel overlooked, Alexander Volkov is not happy about how Dana White treated him at the UFC 333 presser.
NORA: Volkov asked White directly what he needs to do to get a heavyweight title shot, and by Volkov's read, White didn't even recognize him.
DUKE: That's rough, considering Volkov just handled business inside the cage last Saturday.
NORA: He's not buying White's explanation for the interaction either.
DUKE: It's a tiny moment on camera but it says a lot about where Volkov feels he stands in that heavyweight picture.
NORA: If Dana White doesn't know your face, you've got a marketing problem, not just a ranking problem.
DUKE: Now, the biggest line of the night might be from Alexander Volkanovski. After knocking out Movsar Evloev at UFC 333, he's saying he'd give up his featherweight belt to chase a lightweight title shot against Arman Tsarukyan.
NORA: His actual preference is still Justin Gaethje, Volkanovski wants that fight more than anything.
DUKE: But if Gaethje's not available, Tsarukyan at lightweight is option one.
NORA: And if that's not there either, he'd defend the featherweight belt against Aljamain Sterling.
DUKE: His quote on the backup plans was, quote, that excites me, end quote.
NORA: So he's not just saying it to be polite, he genuinely wants either of those.
DUKE: For a guy some call the pound for pound best, walking away from a belt you just defended is a massive statement.
NORA: It tells you how much he believes he can also win gold at a second weight class.
DUKE: And this ties right into what we promised you, more on what's next for Dubai, Sydney, and whatever Islam Makhachev does from here, because Volkanovski versus Tsarukyan would blow that lightweight picture wide open regardless of what Makhachev decides.
NORA: If Makhachev stays on the sidelines, Tsarukyan versus Volkanovski basically becomes the interim answer everyone wants.
DUKE: Now on to the business side, and this one's a gut punch for UFC fans who liked watching Saygid Izagakhmaev.
NORA: He's now appearing on the PFL roster at a hundred and seventy pounds with a twenty two and four record.
DUKE: This comes right after reports of his UFC departure.
NORA: No debut matchup announced yet for PFL.
DUKE: Another name leaving the UFC welterweight picture, that division keeps losing bodies.
NORA: It also tells you PFL's still actively hunting proven UFC vets for that roster.
DUKE: Let's look ahead. This Saturday it's UFC Fight Night, Moicano versus Nolan, with Renato Moicano meeting Tom Nolan in the main event. The co-main event for that card has not yet been announced.
NORA: Then the following Saturday, November seventh, Sean Brady takes on Gabriel Bonfim in the main event. The co-main event for that card has not yet been announced.
DUKE: Brady Bonfim is a legit welterweight clash.
NORA: Big two weeks coming up.
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.