Paulo
Costa claims the
Ultimate Fighting Championship is “lost†without Dana
White being more actively involved.

With one fight remaining on his UFC contract, the Brazilian voiced
his frustration in an interview with Sexto Round, saying White is
“greatly missed†in the matchmaking process.

Costa criticizes UFC matchmaking with one fight remaining on
his current contract

Costa said he was ready to compete again shortly after his April
victory and reached out to the UFC in June about potential fights
in July or August. According to the former title challenger, the
promotion told him it had not yet made a decision. “Borrachinhaâ€
believes that the promotion is making mistakes and is failing to
capitalize on key matchups.

“Dana White is greatly missed,†Costa said. “The UFC is lost.
They're making a lot of mistakes because of fear and a lack of
timing. If I said, ‘OK, I don't mind being tied down, being
undervalued and getting paid less than I deserve,' I'd probably be
fighting for the interim title by now. But I think that would be a
mistake. I know UFC champions who make half of what I make.â€

When asked whether he had spoken with Eddie Hearn, Costa confirmed
that he had.

“It was a good conversation and he sent me a proposal to become
part of his management team,†Costa added.

The Brazilian is now seeking a meaningful matchup for the final
fight of his current contract. He broke down the light heavyweight
title mix, highlighting how he, former champ Magomed
Ankalaev and unbeaten contender Navajo
Stirling should be in the running for the rumored interim title
bout, rather than Jiri
Prochazka and Khalil
Rountree.

“I'm coming off a win, Ankalaev is coming off a win and this new
guy Navajo is also coming off a win; Jiri and Khalil are coming off
losses, so let’s see.â€

Having shared the Octagon with Alexander
Volkanovski twice, Islam
Makhachev's take on the featherweight champ's upcoming title
defense holds considerable weight.

Volkanovski (28-4) is set to put his
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title on the line
against Movsar
Evloev (20-0) at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Makhachev believes it will be a highly competitive bout, which
Evloev is also aware of.

Makhachev backs Movsar Evloev to dethrone Volkanovski at UFC
333

Makhachev predicts that Evloev being five years younger will help
him dethrone the 37-year-old Volkanovski. The UFC welterweight
champ believes that while Volkanovski is still dangerous, he's past
his prime.

“[Movsar] knows himself that the fight won't be easy, that
Volkanovski is a tough opponent for anyone,†Makhachev said at a
recent presser in Russia. “But I think Movsar will manage with his
youth. Volkanovski, honestly speaking, is not at the same peak he
was a couple of years ago. Even though he is still one of the best
fighters. I think it'll be a very competitive fight but I hope
Movsar will do his job.â€

Volkanovski made two unsuccessful bids for the lightweight title
when Makhachev was the champion at 155 pounds. The Australian gave
Makhachev one of the toughest tests of his career in their first
outing in 2023, but suffered a decision loss. Makhachev then
knocked Volkanovski out with a head kick in their rematch later
that year.

Gregory
Rodrigues denies cheating against Anthony
Hernandez.

Rodrigues extended his win streak in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship to four with his decision win
over Hernandez at
UFC Sacramento. “Fluffy†later accused the Brazilian of
repeatedly grabbing the inside of his gloves and Rodrigues has now
responded.

Rodrigues responds to Anthony Hernandez's accusations after
their UFC Sacramento main event

Rodrigues did extensive damage to Hernandez's lead leg with calf
kicks, but the latter showed immense heart by continuing to
pressure forward. However, Rodrigues inflicted damage while
defending takedowns as well. At the post-fight presser, Hernandez
accused “Robocop†of grabbing his gloves in the wrestling exchanges
and claimed to have repeatedly complained to referee Herb Dean to no
avail.

Rodrigues denies the accusations and says that Hernandez also knows
that he didn't cheat. He argues that the referee would've
intervened if he was blatantly cheating and it would also be seen
on camera. While Rodrigues admits that he might have
unintentionally grabbed Hernandez's gloves, he believes he did
nothing illegal that changed the outcome of the fight.

“You can say whatever you want,†Rodrigues told Ariel Helwani. “The
fact is that I beat him with the leg kicks. I punched him. He
didn’t take me down. He didn’t do nothing. He put a pressure that
was good, but I didn’t cheat him; he knows that… If that was clear,
probably Herb Dean would probably say something or everyone’s gonna
see it on the TV. Sometimes, involuntary, my hands grab his gloves,
but it was nothing that would change the result of the fight. But
I'm still the same. A lot of respect for him. I know he's a
warrior.â€

Gregory
Rodrigues responds to Fluffy Hernandez accusing him of
cheating:

“He can say whatever he wants. The fact is that I beat him with the
leg kicks. I punched him. He didn’t take me down. He didn’t do
anything. He put a pressure that was good, but I didn’t cheat him,
he knows… pic.twitter.com/rANxOxp8l7

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
August 24, 2026