Four more bouts have been added to the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's upcoming trip to Los Angeles,
including Gable
Steveson’s second fight in the promotion.

The UFC announced that Steveson will meet Sean Sharaf
in a heavyweight clash at UFC
331, while Robelis
Despaigne returns to the Octagon against Tai
Tuivasa. Also confirmed for the Sept. 19 event is a
middleweight matchup pitting Ryan Gandra
against Osman Diaz
and a lightweight bout between Brian
Ortega and Renato
Carneiro.

Gable Steveson's sophomore UFC bout, Renato Carneiro-Brian
Ortega rematch among new additions to UFC 331

Following the announcement that UFC 331 will be headlined by
Joshua
Van’s flyweight title rematch against former champion Alexandre
Pantoja, the promotion dropped more additions to the
undercard.

Steveson, who made his UFC debut against Elisha
Ellison in July, is set to return against Sharaf, who's 0-2
inside the Octagon. Despaigne returns to the UFC after rebuilding
momentum outside the promotion and will face Tuivasa, who enters
the bout looking to halt a seven-fight losing streak.

Gandra enters his matchup against Diaz high in confidence following
knockout victories over Jose Medina
and Zach
Reese. Diaz is looking to rebound from a loss to Ateba
Abega Gautier.

Carneiro enters his rematch with Ortega coming off a submission
victory over Chris
Duncan. Meanwhile, “T-City,†a former two-time UFC
featherweight title challenger, is committing to a move up to
lightweight in taking on a former title challenger at 155 pounds.
Ortega and “Money Moicano†locked horns at featherweight nearly a
decade ago, with the former winning via submission.

Following the latest set of announcements, the UFC 331 card is as
follows:
Joshua
Van vs. Alexandre
Pantoja 2
Arman
Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio
Ruffy
Patricio
Freire vs. Doo Ho
Choi
Renato
“Money†Moicano vs. Brian
Ortega 2
Alonzo
Menifield vs. Iwo
Baraniewski
Gable
Steveson vs. Sean
Sharaf
Marlon
Vera vs. Charles
Jourdain
Tai
Tuivasa vs. Robelis
Despaigne
Edmen
Shahbazyan vs. Brunno
Ferreira
Giga
Chikadze vs. Joanderson
Brito
Casey
O’Neill vs. Eduarda
Moura
Ryan
Gandra vs. Osman
Diaz
Michael
Aswell vs. Joo Sang
Yoo

Under the LA lights 😤

Adding some entertainment to #CryptoCom
#UFC331!

[ Tickets on sale TODAY | LIVE SEP 19 at @CryptoComArena
] pic.twitter.com/EyA8Keb9EN

— UFC (@ufc) August
5, 2026

The
Ultimate Fighting Championship's parent company, TKO Group
Holdings, is unfazed by the recent merger between
Most Valuable Promotions and the
Professional Fighters League.

Following the announcement that Jake Paul's
promotion and the PFL will merge operations under the MVP banner
while continuing to promote boxing and MMA, TKO Group Holdings
President and Chief Operating Officer Mark Shapiro shared his views
on the latest major development in the combat sports industry.

TKO’s Mark Shapiro welcomes Jake Paul’s MVP-PFL merger, says
competition makes UFC stronger

The MVP-PFL union prompted questions about whether the combined
promotion could eventually challenge the UFC’s position atop the
sport. So far, UFC CEO Dana
White, several former fighters and now TKO Group Holdings' COO
have all rejected the idea that UFC could be surpassed.

Rather than dismissing the newly formed promotion, Shapiro
suggested that increased competition could ultimately benefit the
combat sports landscape.

An elite
middleweight clash headlines PFL Charlotte: Tune in on Friday, Aug.
7 at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN.

“I would say that clearly on an individual, standalone basis, these
promotions, both MVP and PFL, were not necessarily sustainable,â€
Shapiro said on a recent call with investors. “Now they've come
together and we'll see what they can conjure up. What we know is
that competition has always made us stronger and a rising tide
lifts all boats.â€

Shapiro’s comments were more measured than White's, who previously
dismissed the merged promotion as a serious threat.

The new company plans to absorb the PFL into the MVP brand while
maintaining separate boxing and MMA events. Paul has made his
intention to challenge UFC for the top spot clear. That ambition is
supported by MVP’s early momentum, including its inaugural MMA
event in May, which drew strong viewership on Netflix. Paul has
also teased another major MMA card for 2027, one that could
potentially feature his mixed martial arts debut.

Steven
Asplund doesn't want to experience defeat inside the Octagon
again.

The
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight is set to take on
Guilherme
Pat at
UFC Vegas 120 on Aug. 8 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Asplund is
coming off a loss to Vitor
Petrino in his sophomore UFC outing this past March and has
left no stone unturned in preparation this time around.

Steven Asplund explains how his Vitor Petrino loss changed his
UFC training approach

Asplund admits that losses feel like the end of the world to him.
“Concrete†vowed to himself after his last defeat that he would
never have to question himself again about giving maximum effort in
preparation. The 28-year-old recently revealed that he has invested
in a home gym so he can be in better shape for his upcoming
bout.

“This time I have invested in myself,†Asplund said in a recent
interview. “I bought a home gym, I put a ton of dumbbells in my
garage, an Airdyne bike and squat rack… I never want to feel that
way again. These losses feel like death to me. I don't show my face
after a loss… This sh*t is like death. I don't just want to win. I
want to be champion someday. I dwelled on it, I thought about it a
lot and I came to an understanding and I made an agreement with
myself that I'm never going to ask myself if I could have done more
before I fight again. This fight I know I could not… I have done
everything I can.â€

Both Asplund and Pat are 1-1 in the UFC coming off losses. The
former is eager to make quick work of his Brazilian counterpart and
return to the win column.

“I'm going for a first-round KO. Heavy pace, lots of strength,
heavy elbows, swarm him.â€

“This time, I’ve invested in myself.â€

Steven
Asplund (@StevenA75) put
all the work in that he could to feel completely prepared for his
next test.

How To Watch
#UFCVegas120 âž¡ï¸: https://t.co/8hweKmO9uw

Fight by Fight Preview âž¡ï¸: https://t.co/jsiaaF5M89 pic.twitter.com/u7MsPQduQO

— UFC News (@UFCNews)
August 5, 2026