Walker's Crazy Offer, Shanghai Return, and Trump's 'Kidding' Dana White Pitch

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:

• ONE Championship will stage ONE 174 in Shanghai on December 12, marking its first flagship event in China in seven years. (r/MMA)
• Danny Christie Stops Stevie Ray In BKFC Debut At Glasgow (Highlights) (MiddleEasy)
• Johnny Walker offers to ‘do something crazy’ if Ciryl Gane or Josh Hokit fall out of UFC 334 (Bloody Elbow)
• Johnny Walker open to stunning seven-day turnaround as back-up option for UFC 334 title fight (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Johnny Walker open to 7-day turnaround, backup spot for Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit at UFC 334 (r/MMA)
• Johnny Walker Open to UFC 334 Backup Spot for Title Fight (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Johnny Walker open to 7-day turnaround, backup spot for Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit at UFC 334 (MMA Fighting)
• Tatsuro Taira training with MMA legend Caol Uno (r/MMA)
• Brendan Fitzgerald thanks UFC crew after being forced off UFC Vegas 124 (Sherdog)
• UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald posts statement after being replaced before main event started (Bloody Elbow)
• Renato Moicano reveals desire to fight in Brazil, but stresses: “It’s not profitable for the UFC” (Ag. Fight (BR))
• UFC Saudi Arabia odds: Israel Adesanya's odds take a major hit (Sherdog)
• UFC Fight Night 295: Israel Adesanya vs. Shara Magomedov odds, what to know (Yahoo Sports MMA)
• Donald Trump Backtracks on Dana White White House Role After Naming UFC Fighters as Assistants (LowKick MMA)
• Donald Trump says he was ‘only kidding’ about offering Dana White White House role (The Mac Life)
• Donald Trump says Dana White ‘loved’ his White House press secretary idea (Sherdog)
• Undecided? UFC President dodges after Trump's offer: "I already have many jobs" (Ag. Fight (BR))
• Mistaken identity? Insiders say the wrong Dana White was offered U.S. press secretary job (MMA Mania)

Welcome to Open Scoring MMA, episode 144 for November 9th, 2026. Today's show is brought to you by Dealophant, from the team behind Open Scoring MMA. Holiday shopping tip coming up in a minute. DUKE: Big news out of Asia to kick us off. ONE Championship is heading back to China.
NORA: ONE 174 lands in Shanghai on December 12th. Their first flagship show there in seven years.
DUKE: Seven years is a long time to be away from a market that size.
NORA: That market has been a major priority for them, and returning to Shanghai shows how committed the promotion is to establishing a regular presence there.
DUKE: The X crowd is already buzzing about it too, people are talking about where exactly in Shanghai this thing lands.
NORA: Yeah, a source apparently has the venue lined up, we just don't have it nailed down yet.
DUKE: Either way, it's a real signal. China's a massive untapped audience for combat sports.
NORA: And ONE's betting big that this is the one that sticks.
DUKE: Now on to the results. We got a statement knockout over in Glasgow.
NORA: Danny Christie made his BKFC debut and it did not go the easy way for Stevie Ray.
DUKE: Stevie Ray, the former UFC lightweight, stepping into bare knuckle.
NORA: Christie dropped him twice and stopped him at one fifty nine of round two, in the co-main event of BKFC 96.
DUKE: Two knockdowns before the stoppage, that's not a close one.
NORA: No, that's a dominant debut. Christie announced himself in that sport.
DUKE: And it's another data point on how rough the transition from the cage to bare knuckle can be for even experienced guys.
NORA: Exactly, different distances, different dangers.
DUKE: Now on to the card news, and Johnny Walker's got a wild offer on the table for UFC 334.
NORA: He's saying he'll take a seven day turnaround if Ciryl Gane or Josh Hokit fall out of that heavyweight title fight.
DUKE: Remember, UFC 334 is this Saturday, November 14th, with Gane defending the belt against Hokit in the main event.
NORA: Walker just went two and oh at heavyweight, and he stopped Waldo Cortes-Acosta on Saturday night with a head kick and punches in round three.
DUKE: He's the first man to ever finish Cortes-Acosta in MMA.
NORA: That's a real statement win, and now he wants to double up a week later for a title.
DUKE: He told Bloody Elbow that he is completely ready to step right in and make that quick turnaround if the promotion needs a replacement for the belt.
NORA: That's either supreme confidence or supreme recklessness.
DUKE: With Walker, it's usually both.
NORA: He's publicly offered to serve as the backup, so he's making sure the UFC knows he's available if anything happens to either guy.
DUKE: I love the energy, but a seven day turnaround for a heavyweight title fight is insane on paper.
NORA: It is, but he's clearly riding a wave of confidence off that finish, and he's not wrong that he'd be live in there.
DUKE: Now on to the fighter news. Tatsuro Taira's getting some interesting help in camp.
NORA: He's training with Caol Uno, the longtime MMA veteran.
DUKE: Uno's still in great shape by all accounts, he actually fought earlier this year.
NORA: It's a nice touch, a legend of the sport still hands-on with the next generation of Japanese talent. Taira's one of the flyweight division's most promising prospects, so having that kind of veteran presence in camp only helps his development.
DUKE: Elsewhere, commentator Brendan Fitzgerald had a rough weekend behind the mic.
NORA: He was pulled off UFC Vegas 124 before the main event even started.
DUKE: And he still thanked the UFC crew publicly for having his back through it.
NORA: Classy move given the circumstances, that main event ended up being a short notice fight and clearly things got shuffled around on the fly.
Quick break for our sponsor. Holiday shopping is here, and a big sale sticker doesn't always mean a better deal. Dealophant shows the real price per unit on Amazon buys like batteries, wrapping paper and party supplies, so you can see which pack actually costs less. 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. Renato Moicano's got some honest thoughts about his future.
NORA: He wants to fight in Brazil, but he's realistic about it.
DUKE: This comes after he was knocked out by Tom Nolan in the main event of UFC Vegas 123, a fight with some controversial refereeing attached to it.
NORA: He says he's got three more fights left on his contract and he's willing to see it through to the end, possibly even to retirement.
DUKE: But his big quote here is the key one, he said fighting in Brazil, quote, "It's not profitable for the UFC," end quote.
NORA: That's a real structural problem for Brazilian fans, their biggest stars keep fighting everywhere except home.
DUKE: Moicano's not bitter about it, he's just being blunt about the business reality.
NORA: And that's a veteran who's seen enough of the business side to know exactly how it works.
DUKE: Looking ahead to Saudi Arabia, the odds just dropped for Israel Adesanya's return.
NORA: His line took a real hit, shifting since the first numbers came out for UFC Fight Night, Adesanya versus Shara Magomedov on December 5th.
DUKE: That's his first fight back since April of 2023, a long layoff.
NORA: The market clearly isn't fully buying a clean return to form, even with him as the betting side to get his hand raised.
DUKE: I still think there's a crowd out there that wants to see the old Adesanya show up.
NORA: The books aren't as sure as the fans are.
DUKE: Now on to the around the sport segment, because this one's got layers. Donald Trump is walking back his Dana White pitch.
NORA: He'd floated White for a White House press secretary type role, and now he's saying he was just kidding.
DUKE: His exact words, quote, "I will tell you, I was only kidding. But Dana loves the idea. And there's only one Dana. He's great," end quote.
NORA: He also said, quote, "I posted the greatest wrestlers and UFC fighters in the world, right?" end quote, which tells you this all started as some kind of social post about fighters generally.
DUKE: Dana himself was pretty coy about it, he told them, quote, "We have a meeting Monday, so I'm sure I'll have more to talk about after that," end quote.
NORA: That's not a no.
DUKE: Right, and even elsewhere he reportedly said he's already got plenty of jobs, which, fair, running the UFC is a full time gig on its own.
NORA: There's also been some chatter from insiders suggesting there might've been a mix up, like the wrong Dana White got floated for the job entirely.
DUKE: That would be a very funny footnote if true.
NORA: Either way, nothing's actually happening here, it's just Trump and White playing off each other publicly.
DUKE: Classic those two, a lot of smoke, probably no fire. Before we move on, quick reminder, we've got breaking news alerts, fight breakdowns, and videos on our YouTube channel that you're not getting here on the feed.
NORA: If you only listen to the podcast you're missing stuff, go check it out.
DUKE: Let's look ahead. This Saturday, November 14th, it's UFC 334, featuring Ciryl Gane defending the heavyweight title against Josh Hokit at the top of the bill.
NORA: And Johnny Walker is hovering as that wild card backup option ready to jump in on short notice.
DUKE: Then the following Saturday, November 21st, UFC Fight Night is headlined by Jiří Procházka taking on Navajo Stirling in a massive light heavyweight clash.
NORA: Procházka will be looking to make a huge statement in that main event spot against a dangerous opponent like Stirling.
DUKE: That wraps up our look ahead for the next couple of weeks.
NORA: We will be right here tracking all the developments as fight night approaches.
One more thing before we go. What are we missing? Drop it 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.