Khamzat
Chimaev's hit list for his next fight has been cut in half.

“Borz†had recently shortlisted Sean
Strickland, Nassourdine
Imavov, Dricus Du
Plessis and Caio
Borralho for his next fight. Borralho had accepted Chimaev's
callout, proposing a matchup in November at Madison Square Garden.
Chimaev's stance has now changed.

Chimaev says UFC told him Caio Borralho and Dricus Du Plessis
are injured

Chimaev claims the UFC recently informed him that Borralho and du
Plessis are currently injured. Meanwhile, Imavov is expected to
challenge Strickland for the UFC middleweight title next. While
Chimaev acknowledged Imavov as a deserving contender, he will be
ready to face either “The Sniper†or Strickland if their title
fight doesn't come to fruition.

“I call out everyone,†Chimaev told Red Corner MMA. “I want to come
back as soon as possible. Earlier, I said that I want to return in
October, and I called Hunter. They told me that Caio and du Plessis
are injured. We'll see what happens; I don't know exactly. Maybe
Imavov and Strickland won't fight and I will be ready.â€

Chimaev (15-1) won the middleweight title with a dominant unanimous
decision win over du Plessis last year. “Borz†was a massive
favorite going into his first title defense against Strickland this
past May. However, Chimaev evidently fatigued and suffered his
first professional loss against Strickland in a massive upset.
While UFC CEO Dana
White had initially said that Chimaev wanted to move up, the
Chechen-born fighter has reiterated his desire to stay at 185
pounds.

Finally someone called my name! My brother u
know I love you, and I'm ready MSG November or T Mobile December!
Just let me know â¤ï¸ https://t.co/wKL2mq4tZe

— Caio
Borralho (@BorralhoCaio)
August 31, 2026

🚨Khamzat
Chimaev says he won't face either Caio
Borralho or Dricus Du
Plessis in his next fight. Talking to Red Corner MMA after his
RAF victory in Moscow, Borz expressed hope of facing Sean
Strickland or Nassourdine
Imavov if their fight falls through. pic.twitter.com/noOlM7russ

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
September 6, 2026

Nathaniel
Wood believes he didn't perform to his potential in his most
recent bout in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Wood was originally scheduled to fight Mairon
Santos at
UFC Paris on Sept. 5. However, Santos pulled out of the bout
due to illness and was replaced by Pavel
Andrusca, who stepped up for his UFC debut on five days'
notice. Wood's win streak came to a halt and he's now addressed the
result.

Nathaniel Wood vows to return stronger after losing to Pavel
Andrusca at UFC Paris

Wood was a -330 favorite going into his bout against the undefeated
Moldovan, who was a +240 underdog. However, Andrusca proved that he
could hold his own at the top level by out-striking Wood in the
first round. While Wood gained momentum in the second round,
Andrusca edged out the third round to earn an upset win via
unanimous decision.

Reacting to his loss at UFC Paris, Wood apologized to his team for
not performing to his potential. However, “The Last Kingsmanâ€
promises to bounce back stronger as every loss ignites a fire in
him.

“Any given Sunday,†Wood wrote on X. “Unfortunately, I didn't
perform how I could or should have, sorry to my team for not doing
what I needed. Losing really does spark something inside, I'll be
right back.â€

Wood (23-7) was on a four-fight winning streak before losing to
Andrusca (9-0). The Englishman had previously thwarted prospects
like Morgan
Charriere, Jose
Delgado and Losene
Keita.

Any given Sunday.

Unfortunately I didn't perform how I could or should have, sorry to
my team for not doing what I needed.

Losing really does spark something inside, I'll be right back
@ufc @UFCEurope

Also for the internet trolls 🖕ðŸ»ðŸ–•ðŸ»ðŸ–•ðŸ»ðŸ–•ðŸ»ðŸ–•ðŸ» pic.twitter.com/MtbOYYTwB0

— Nathaniel
Wood (@LastKingsmanMMA)
September 6, 2026

Paulo
Costa believes the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's policies aren't the same for
every fighter.

Valentina
Shevchenko recently vacated her UFC women's flyweight title to
deal with an injury. Natalia
Silva will now fight Cong Wang for
the vacant flyweight title at UFC
332 on Oct. 3 at Delta Arena in Salt Lake City. This caused a
stir, as an interim title would be the option in such scenarios,
but Shevchenko vacating the belt has sparked a discussion online
about inconsistent practices on the UFC's part.

Paulo Costa questions why Alex Pereira is ranked No. 4 at
heavyweight

Professional Fighters League women's featherweight champ
Cris
Cyborg recently noted that UFC women's bantamweight champion
Kayla
Harrison has been inactive longer than Shevchenko. Cyborg
argues that if inactivity is the criterion, Harrison should also be
stripped of her title.

Costa supported Cyborg’s claim while slamming the UFC over a
discrepancy in its practices for different fighters. “Borrachinhaâ€
can't comprehend why former light heavyweight champion Alex
Pereira is ranked in the UFC's official heavyweight rankings
despite having never won at heavyweight.

“Yeah it’s really inconvenient; the UFC doesn't have a consistent
standard of behavior or set of rules—they use double standards all
the time,†Costa wrote on X. “Another thing is, why on earth is
Alex still ranked at Light Heavyweight after fighting and losing at
Heavyweight? And why is he ranked 4th at Heavyweight without a
single win there—ahead of [Josh
Hokit]?â€

Pereira (13-4) vacated his light heavyweight title earlier this
year and moved up to heavyweight, where he came up short against
Ciryl
Gane in a bid for the interim title at
UFC Freedom 250. Meanwhile, Costa (16-4) has been accusing the
UFC of not offering him a suitable matchup for the last remaining
fight on his current contract.

YEAH ITS REALLY inconvenient; the UFC
doesn't have a consistent standard of behavior or set of rules—they
use double standards all the time. Another thing is, why on earth
is Alex still ranked at Light Heavyweight after fighting and losing
at Heavyweight? And why is he ranked… https://t.co/zem9CjD6DY

— Paulo
Costa (@BorrachinhaMMA)
September 6, 2026