Robert Whittaker vs. Bogdan Guskov added to UFC Sydney

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:

• Conor McGregor vows to ‘take over’ event after last-minute Dillon Danis withdrawal (Bloody Elbow)
• Robert Whittaker vs. Bogdan Guskov added to UFC Sydney (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Robert Whittaker vs. Bogdan Guskov co-headlines UFC Sydney (Sherdog)
• Robert Whittaker fights Bogdan Guskov in UFC Sydney co-main event (MMA Fighting)
• Robert Whittaker Reacts to UFC Sydney Fight Announcement (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Robert Whittaker Returns to Australia After 6 Years for Light Heavyweight Clash With Bogdan Guskov at UFC Sydney (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Marwan Rahiki vs. Joo Sang Yoo reportedly set for UFC Sydney (Sherdog)
• Marwan Rahiki vs JooSang Yoo added to Sydney fight night on Febuary 6th (r/MMA)
• UFC's Luana Santos schedules plastic surgery and sets return timeline (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Islam Makhachev Teases UFC Retirement, Wants the Best Contenders in His Potential Farewell Stretch (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Carlos Prates Questions Makhachev’s Readiness In UFC 336 Instagram Statement (MiddleEasy)
• Islam Makhachev gets surprising supporter in Colby Covington after ditching UFC 336 title fight (BJPenn.com)
• Julian Erosa Explains Retiring From UFC (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Julian Erosa was happy to retire on a UFC snoozer until he got hit (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Julian Erosa retires from the UFC following 91-second KO in 'fairytale' finish (Sherdog)
• UFC commentators condemn referee's action in Renato Moicano's defeat (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Renato Moicano won’t pursue review of UFC Vegas 123 result nor punishment for referee, but ‘I want him to go f*ck himself’ (MMA Fighting)
• Renato Moicano puts controversy aside and acknowledges poor performance against Tom Nolan (Ag. Fight (BR))
• UFC stars blast referee for controversial decision in Renato Moicano's loss (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Tom Nolan dismisses controversial referee standup vs. Renato Moicano: ‘I think the truth is, that’s how it would have gone’ (MMA Fighting)
• RIZIN.55 FIGHT WEEK!!! Official thread with RIZIN staff (r/MMA)
• [RIZIN55] Takumi Hamada to make RIZIN debut against Sho Sekihara after 'mistakes & blunders': 'I understand this is a local spot' (MMAPLANET (JP))

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA, episode 137 for November 2nd, 2026. Today's show is brought to you by Dealophant, from the team behind Open Scoring MMA. More on them in a minute. DUKE: Conor McGregor is reportedly set to make his first public appearance since losing at UFC 329, and he's already making noise about it.
NORA: He told Bloody Elbow, quote, I'm in Rome this week with my partners, the biggest name in sports betting, end quote, and name dropped the sponsor.
DUKE: So this isn't a fight announcement, it's a business trip with some bravado attached.
NORA: Right, and remember, he is locked in on knee recovery in LA, so there's no actual fight here, just Conor being Conor.
DUKE: Fans on X are already fired up about this, the clip of him vowing to take over is getting passed around like it's fight week.
NORA: It's not fight week, it's a sports betting appearance.
DUKE: Doesn't matter, the man generates buzz doing nothing.
NORA: Now on to the card news, because the UFC's return to Australia just got a lot more interesting.
DUKE: Robert Whittaker is a former middleweight champion. And this is Robert Whittaker's second fight up at light heavyweight.
NORA: He's building a whole new chapter of his career at the bigger weight, and doing it in front of his own crowd for the first time in six years.
DUKE: That's huge. A guy with his resume fighting at home again, Sydney's gonna be rocking for that one.
NORA: And there's more depth added to that same card. Marwan Rahiki versus Joo Sang Yoo is reportedly in, a featherweight prospect matchup. Now on to the fighter news. Luana Santos just picked up her fourth straight win, beating Yana Santos at UFC Vegas 123.
DUKE: And now she's scheduling plastic surgery, which means she'll be out of the Octagon longer than usual, even though this isn't injury related.
NORA: Four wins in about a year and a half is a real run, so a longer layoff is a notable pause for someone building momentum.
DUKE: It's worth tracking when she resurfaces, because that win streak had her trending toward bigger names.
NORA: Big one here too. Islam Makhachev is teasing retirement, and he wants the best contenders lined up for what might be his farewell stretch. Carlos Prates actually went on Instagram and questioned Makhachev's readiness over this whole situation, saying he was ducking a fight with him.
DUKE: And in a twist, Colby Covington came out and actually supported Islam Makhachev's decision to step away from that fight.
NORA: Colby, defending Makhachev? That's a strange pairing.
DUKE: Strange, but it shows the paddock isn't unanimously against him on this, some see it as a smart, calculated move at the end of a run. And that interim winner becomes the next man Makhachev has to deal with if he does come back for one more run.
NORA: Last one in this segment is a tearjerker. Julian Erosa retired from the UFC after knocking out Jeong Yeong Lee in just ninety one seconds at UFC Vegas 123. And he said he was happy to retire on what he figured would be a snoozer, until he actually got hit and the finish came.
DUKE: He picked up a hundred thousand dollar bonus for it too, which is about as good as a storybook ending gets.
NORA: That's the kind of exit every fighter dreams about, go out on your terms with a highlight reel finish.
DUKE: Fairytale is the right word for it.
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. NORA: Now on to the callouts, because this one's still boiling. Renato Moicano's loss to Tom Nolan in the UFC Vegas 123 main event has generated controversy regarding referee Dan Miragliotta's actions.
DUKE: The UFC's own broadcast team criticized his handling of the stoppage sequence, not just fighters and fans on the outside.
NORA: Moicano said he won't pursue a formal review or push for punishment, but he didn't hold back on how he feels about it. Rough way to lose a main event.
DUKE: And yet Moicano also owned his performance, saying afterward that he had a poor showing against Nolan regardless of the controversy.
NORA: That's a classy second act to an ugly night.
DUKE: Nolan, for his part, doesn't think the referee changed the outcome at all.
NORA: He said, quote, I think the truth is, that's how it would have gone, end quote.
DUKE: So you've got the winner saying it wouldn't have mattered, and the loser saying he underperformed anyway, but the officiating conversation isn't going away.
NORA: After Herb Dean got hammered for his own officiating recently, now Miragliotta's in the crosshairs. Reffing is becoming its own storyline this year.
DUKE: It really is, two high profile errors in a short stretch is not a good look for the sport's officiating pool.
NORA: Now on to the around the sport segment. RIZIN fifty five fight week is underway, with the event landing this coming Sunday, November eighth.
DUKE: The big questions, will Shinryu defend his belt, and could Laramie become the first Canadian RIZIN champion.
NORA: And on the undercard, Takumi Hamada makes his RIZIN debut against Sho Sekihara. Before we get to the next cards, quick reminder, we're putting out breaking news alerts, fight breakdowns, and videos you're not getting here on the feed, over on YouTube.
DUKE: Just search Open Scoring MMA and follow along there.
NORA: And our free Fight Tracker is at tracker dot open scoring M M A dot com, every upcoming UFC and PFL card, live odds, and where to watch, all in one spot. And the following Saturday, November fourteenth, UFC 334 has Ciryl Gane against Josh Hokit.
DUKE: Two big ones back to back.
One more thing before we go. Was Miragliotta's early standup a legit robbery of Renato Moicano, or is Tom Nolan right that it would've ended the same way? 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.