Topuria Teases Return, Makhachev Drama, and Darren Till's Fury

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:

• ‘The Matador is coming back’: Ilia Topuria signals UFC return following Gaethje defeat (The Mac Life)
• Dana White provides Ilia Topuria return timeline: ‘We’re working on that’ (Bloody Elbow)
• Dana White Hints at Ilia Topuria’s UFC Comeback Date (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Dana White reveals Ilia Topuria UFC return timeline (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Seika Izawa will be fighting at the upcoming RIZIN NYE card, just 3 months after giving birth (r/MMA)
• Khamzat Chimaev's undefeated teammate reportedly lands UFC 335 fight (Sherdog)
• Khamzat Chimaev's undefeated teammate reportedly lands UFC 335 fight (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• UFC 335 adds middleweight matchup between Damian Pinas and Khamzat Chimaev’s teammate (Bloody Elbow)
• Jake Paul promises to retire in case of defeat to kickboxing star; understand (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Dana White: 'Islam Makhahev verbally agreed to fight at UFC 336 (MMA Weekly)
• ‘It Backs Up The Division’ (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Dana White calls out Islam Makhachev over UFC activity: ‘It backs up the division’ (Sherdog)
• Dana White on Islam Makhachev: ‘Being the champ, I don’t really expect you to fight 3 times a year, but twice would be nice’ (r/MMA)
• Dana White: Islam Makhachev Verbally Agreed With Carlos Prates (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Josh Hokit blasts No. 2 heavyweight in title race: “Dana doesn’t know you” (Ag. Fight (BR))
• BKFC president David Feldman teases next move for Darren Till after Jake Paul fight rumors (MMA Fighting)
• After losing Jake Paul fight, BKFC promises ‘big names’ for Darren Till ‘very shortly’ (MMA Mania)
• Darren Till blasts Jake Paul after Cedric Doumbe fight announcement (The Mac Life)
• Darren Till explodes on 'fraud' Jake Paul and Most Valuable Promotions (MMA Weekly)
• Petr Yan received a Rolls-Royce gifted by the owner of his sponsor, 1win, and $610K from a Russian copper company after defending his title against Merab Dvalishvili (r/MMA)

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA, episode 140 for November 5th, 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 things up. Ilia Topuria is teasing his return to the Octagon, and Nora, the way he put it was poetic.
NORA: He told The Mac Life, quote, "Not to reminisce, but to remember. 'The Matador' is coming back," end quote.
DUKE: Chills.
NORA: It is a great line, and fans have been waiting to hear what is next for him after getting finished by Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 back in June.
DUKE: Right, one of the biggest upsets in company history.
NORA: No question, and after a brutal knockout loss like that, you certainly don't rush a former two weight champion back into the fire.
DUKE: And this is reigniting the Paddy Pimblett chatter again.
NORA: It is, and look, you know how I feel about that one.
DUKE: The Baddy versus The Matador. Come on, that's a money fight no matter when it happens.
NORA: It would move the needle, no argument there. Whenever Topuria makes that walk again, it is going to be massive.
DUKE: Now on to the card news. There's a wild one out of RIZIN. Seika Izawa is fighting on the upcoming RIZIN New Year's Eve card.
NORA: Izawa is eighteen and oh, former RIZIN and Deep Atomweight champion, basically the division's goat.
DUKE: And she is stepping into the ring just three months after giving birth.
NORA: Just three months before this card. She gave up her belt back in April when she announced the pregnancy, and RIZIN ran a whole tournament this year to crown a new champ.
DUKE: But she's not fighting for the belt herself on this card.
NORA: No, she's just competing on it, which is still remarkable this soon after having a baby. That is a completely different level of toughness right there.
DUKE: Now on to the fighter news. Jake Paul is making promises again.
NORA: He's reportedly said he'll retire from the ring if he loses to Cedric Doumbe.
DUKE: Remember, this is the same guy who took that brutal knockout loss to Anthony Joshua back in December 2025, fractured jaw, titanium plates, the whole thing.
NORA: He flirted with retirement then too, and it didn't stick.
DUKE: So forgive me if I don't exactly hold my breath on this promise either.
NORA: Talk's cheap until the bell rings.
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. Dana White dropped a lot on Islam Makhachev this week.
NORA: White says Makhachev verbally agreed to defend the welterweight title against Carlos Prates at UFC 336, then pulled out because he didn't want to fight in January.
DUKE: White sounded genuinely frustrated about the situation and having that card on January 30th held up.
NORA: He did, framing it as the inactivity, quote, "backs up the division," end quote.
DUKE: That's a pretty pointed shot at a pound for pound guy.
NORA: It is, especially with contenders eager to get their title opportunities.
DUKE: I get frustrated fans, but reigning champions have their own recovery timelines to manage.
NORA: That may be true, but it is stalling Prates, who's been ready to go.
DUKE: Next, Josh Hokit is running his mouth before UFC 334.
NORA: Hokit, who challenges Ciryl Gane for heavyweight gold November 14th, took a shot at number two ranked Alexander Volkov.
DUKE: He said, quote, "Dana doesn't know you," end quote, pointing out Volkov's three fight win streak hasn't earned him a title shot.
NORA: It's a fair gripe. Volkov's quietly climbed the rankings and keeps getting passed over.
DUKE: Hokit's got a mouth on him heading into that main event.
NORA: He'll need more than talk against Gane though.
DUKE: Last one here, Darren Till is furious. He thought he had a fight with Jake Paul locked for Christmas Eve.
NORA: Instead Paul's going a different direction, facing PFL welterweight Cedric Doumbe, and that left Till out in the cold.
DUKE: Till blasted him, calling him out, saying quote, "I'm not into the shenanigans of begging for fights," end quote.
NORA: He also went off calling Paul a, quote, "fraud," end quote, along with Most Valuable Promotions.
DUKE: BKFC president David Feldman is trying to smooth it over, promising, quote, "big names," end quote, for Till very shortly.
NORA: Till has been busy making moves in bare knuckle, so BKFC clearly wants to keep him active and keep that anger pointed somewhere useful.
DUKE: Now on to the around the sport. This one's wild. Petr Yan reportedly got gifted a Rolls-Royce from the owner of his sponsor, 1win, and six hundred ten thousand dollars from a Russian copper company.
NORA: That's after he defended his title against Merab Dvalishvili.
DUKE: A Rolls-Royce and over half a million dollars from sponsors. The Reddit community's pointing out Russian backers are paying better than the promotion itself.
NORA: It's a real gap, and it shows how much outside money is flowing into combat sports these days.
DUKE: Let's look ahead. This Saturday, November 7th, Johnny Walker takes on Waldo Cortes Acosta in the main event.
NORA: That is a fun light heavyweight clash that should bring plenty of action right from the start.
DUKE: Then the following Saturday, November 14th, it's UFC 334, Josh Hokit challenging Ciryl Gane for heavyweight gold.
NORA: A huge heavyweight title fight with plenty of intrigue heading into fight night.
DUKE: Quick reminder before we go, if you want breaking news alerts, fight breakdowns, and videos you're not getting here on the feed, head over to our YouTube channel.
NORA: We put stuff up there you won't see anywhere else.
DUKE: That's the show for today, folks.
NORA: We'll catch you tomorrow with more.

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