The
Ultimate Fighting Championship's annual Madison Square Garden
card is taking shape.

Nazim
Sadykhov is set to square off against Jefferson
Nascimento in a lightweight bout at UFC 334 on
Nov. 14 at MSG in New York City. While the UFC has yet to
officially announce the bout, Sadykhov took to Instagram to reveal
the booking. They last competed on the same card earlier this
year.

Nazim Sadykhov says he will face Jefferson Nascimento at UFC
334 in New York

Nascimento (13-1) was a highly touted undefeated prospect going
into his UFC debut against fellow promotional debutant Tahir
Abdullayev this past June at
UFC Baku. However, he was booed in enemy territory for coasting
throughout the first two rounds.

Abdullayev finally hurt Nascimento late in the third round and
referee Jim Perdios called a highly questionable stop to the
contest. While Nascimento made his UFC debut at welterweight, the
former LFA lightweight champ will drop back down to 155 pounds in
pursuit of his first Octagon victory.

Meanwhile, Sadykhov (11-3-1) was a -250 favorite against Matheus
Camilo in front of a home crowd in Azerbaijan. However, Camilo
silenced the crowd by knocking Sadykhov out in the first round,
although it was yet another controversial stoppage, this time by
referee Rich
Mitchell. This marked Sadykhov's second loss on the bounce
following his defeat to Fares Ziam
last December. His UFC record stands at 4-2-1.

Nazim Sadykhov vs Jefferson Nascimento

Chute Boxe is honoring Allan
Nascimento.

Nascimento (22-7) died in his sleep in early August, reportedly due
to a cardiac arrest. The
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight's coach has now paid
tribute to his late friend and pupil.

Diego Lima renames his institute after longtime student and UFC
flyweight Allan Nascimento

Chute Boxe head coach Diego Lima recently revealed that the Diego
Lima Institute has now been renamed the Allan Nascimento Institute
in honor of “Puro Osso.â€

“Allan has been my student since he was 14 years old,†Lima told
MMA Fighting while tearing up. “So, we have been together for 20
years. It's almost been a month. There hasn't been a single day
when I haven't cried. Our institute today, the Diego Lima
Institute, is not going to be called the Diego Lim Institute
anymore. It's going to be called the Allan Nascimento Institute. As
long as I live, I will honor his name. As long as I live, I will
say his name because he was my student, he is my student, he is my
athlete.â€

Lima also revealed that apart from being his student, Nascimento
was also his business partner, handling some management
responsibilities. Lima had originally planned to retire from
coaching when Nascimento hung up his gloves.

“He was one of the most loyal friends I've ever had in my life,â€
Lima added. “He was my business partner. A lot of people didn't
know this, but when it came to all my management affairs, he was my
partner. I would always have the conversations and negotiations,
but the email account was ours, so all the emails, everything, was
with him. And I used to joke with him that when he retired, I would
retire too. He was going to fight until he was around 40 years old.
That was our plan. Maybe he would go a little beyond that, maybe
not, but as soon as he retired, I was going to retire too, because
then he would take care of everything. Those plans ended up
changing a little bit.â€

The Chute Boxe team is still reeling from the tragic death of
Nascimento. Notably, Charles
Oliveira reportedly withdrew from a rematch against Arman
Tsarukyan at UFC
331 to grieve the death of his friend and teammate.

Chute Boxe head coach Diego Lima
pays an emotional tribute to the late Allan
Nascimento:

“The Diego Lima
Institute, is not going to be called the Diego Lima
Institute anymore. It's going to be called the Allan
Nascimento Institute.”

(🎥 @guicruzzz)
pic.twitter.com/ZZYXQv7m1o

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting)
September 2, 2026

Gregory
Rodrigues has dismissed Anthony
Hernandez's cheating claims.

Rodrigues recently defeated Hernandez by decision in a five-round
middleweight bout in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, which earned Fight of the Night
honors. Hernandez later accused Rodrigues of grabbing his gloves
during grappling exchanges in the
UFC Sacramento headliner. Rodrigues, however, claims it was
inadvertent and had no bearing on the outcome.

Gregory Rodrigues says his glove grab against Anthony Hernandez
was inadvertent and had no impact on the fight

Rodrigues spoke to Sherdog about the cheating allegations that
emerged in the aftermath of his last bout. While ‘Robocop' admits
that he mistakenly grabbed Hernandez's glove in one instance in the
heat of the moment, he says he immediately let it go when his
opponent pointed it out.

“There was no cheating,†Rodrigues said. “It happened in the heat
of the moment while we were against the fence and as soon as he
pointed it out, I let go. It wasn't something that stopped a
takedown or had any decisive impact on the fight.â€

Rodrigues also claims Hernandez knows the incident did not affect
the result and noted that the two fighters later crossed paths,
even taking a photograph together. The Brazilian hopes to train
with the American as well.

“I have nothing but respect for this guy and I hope we can train
together again in the future,†Rodrigues added.