UFC 335, the promotion's final numbered card of 2026, has reportedly added a middleweight matchup that doubles as a storyline fight. Sherdog and Yahoo Sports MMA both report that an undefeated teammate of Khamzat Chimaev will square off with Damian Pinas, with Bloody Elbow confirming the booking as well. All three outlets frame it as a feud that's been building and will finally get settled in the cage.

Pinas comes in hot off his most recent outing, a first round knockout of Andrey Pulyaev that he closed out with a punch at the 1:15 mark back on October 3. Our Elo model has him rated at 1589 across four tracked bouts, a number that reflects just how sharp he's looked lately.

Chimaev himself is not part of this fight, but his name is doing plenty of work here given the connection to his camp. The Chechen born star is still ranked number one at middleweight, though his own form has hit a bump. He lost his last outing to Sean Strickland by split decision back on May 9, a result that snapped whatever momentum he had built. His Elo sits at 1549 over four bouts, notably below where Pinas currently rates, which makes this teammate matchup feel like more than just a side note on the card.

For Pinas, this is a chance to add a notable scalp tied directly to the sport's current middleweight spotlight. For Chimaev's camp, it's an opportunity to settle a personal score in front of a big audience on one of the promotion's marquee year end shows. Whatever the backstory between these two, UFC 335 just got a lot more interesting with this one on the docket.