Jean
Silva won't desert his teammate out of fear of getting
embroiled in controversy.

Silva's
Fighting Nerds teammate Ilay
Barzilay (7-1) is from Israel, and like some athletes from the
country, Barzilay is facing backlash amidst the ongoing
Israel-Palestine conflict. Barzilay is scheduled to fight Lucas
Almeida (15-5) at
Gordon Fight Nights 1 on July 27 at Menorah Mivtachim Arena in
Tel Aviv and Silva is set to corner Barzilay for his upcoming
fight.

A fan recently noted that Silva being in the Israeli capital will
likely see him be labeled a ‘Zionist' in Brazil. However, the

Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight refused to part
ways with his longtime teammate. “Lord†also says that he had to go
to Israel as none of their other Fighting Nerds teammates could
make it. The Brazilian also believes a win over Almeida could earn
Barzilay a spot on
Dana White's Contender Series.

“I’m here 100% because of the fight of the Fighting Nerds fighter
Illay, who’s one of my main sparring partners,†Silva wrote on X.
“Nobody could make it, and this fight could take him to the
contender series. He shows up for all my fights, I knew it was
gonna be controversial but I chose not to ditch my brother of many
years. I know the hate that’s already going around with me about
this, but I didn’t wanna abandon my partner of years in one of the
most important fights of his life because of hate.â€

Barzilay is coming off his lone career loss in a failed
Legacy Fighting Alliance lightweight title bid against Richie
Miranda last August. Meanwhile, his upcoming opponent, Almeida,
went 2-4 in the UFC and was released this past February on a
two-fight slump.

Eu tô aqui 100% por causa da luta do lutador
da fighting nerds Illay, que é um dos meus companheiros de sparring
principais
Ninguém conseguia ir, e essa luta pode o levar pro contender. Ele
vai em todas as minhas lutas, eu sabia que ia ser controversio mas
escolhi não abandonar… https://t.co/I89sN1hQWw

— Jean “Lord” Silva (@Jeansilvamma96)
July 26, 2026

Eu tô aqui 100% por causa da luta do lutador
da fighting nerds Illay, que é um dos meus companheiros de sparring
principais
Ninguém conseguia ir, e essa luta pode o levar pro contender. Ele
vai em todas as minhas lutas, eu sabia que ia ser controversio mas
escolhi não abandonar… https://t.co/I89sN1hQWw

— Jean “Lord” Silva (@Jeansilvamma96)
July 26, 2026

Carlos
Ulberg has a pitch for how the
Ultimate Fighting Championship should handle the light
heavyweight title mix.

The reigning champion believes none of the division’s top-ranked
contenders have done enough to earn a title shot, so he proposed a
solution, essentially laying out a four-man tournament to determine
his next opponent.

Carlos Ulberg's UFC matchmaking idea targets Magomed Ankalaev,
Jiri Prochazka and more

Ulberg took on the role of a matchmaker and offered some
suggestions for how the top of the division should be matched up to
determine the next title challenger in a new Instagram post. This
came shortly after Magomed
Ankalaev’s win at
UFC Abu Dhabi, where the Kiwi was in attendance.

“After last night’s fights, here’s my thoughts,” Ulberg wrote on
Instagram. “Ankalaev vs. Jiri. Give them both full camps. It’s a
fight the division deserves, and stylistically, it’s one the fans
would love to see. Costa vs. Rountree. That’s a wildcard. High
risk, high reward. Someone’s leaving with serious momentum. By the
time the dust settles, I’ll be ready. Whoever earns it. See you in
2027.”

Ulberg is currently sidelined with an ACL injury he suffered in his
title-winning effort against Jiri
Prochazka in April. “Black Jag†is yet to reveal a timeline for
his return. Notably, UFC CEO Dana
White previously suggested that an interim title could be up
for grabs while Ulberg completes his recovery.

Carlos
Ulberg proposed a couple of matchups to determine the next
contender at LHW. Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/ltvK8vaKMy

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
July 26, 2026

🚨 Dana White says it's “very possible†we
see a Light Heavyweight interim title fight this year

(via @RobbieBarstool)
pic.twitter.com/G2twIotjJY

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
July 17, 2026

Magomed
Ankalaev will only take on Paulo Costa
if the Brazilian is ready to bring the fight to him.

The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder
took on Bogdan
Guskov in the main event of
UFC Abu Dhabi. Guskov had stepped up on two weeks' notice after
Ankalaev's original opponent, Khalil
Rountree, pulled out due to an injury. Ankalaev dominated
Guskov in a slow-paced bout before finishing him in the final round
with ground-and-pound.

Now back in the win column, the Russian has addressed his next
bout.

Magomed Ankalaev says Paulo Costa fight depends on pressure and
forward movement

Ankalaev defended his recent performance against critics who found
it lackluster. He says that Guskov was backing up even though he
kept pressing forward.

“It wasn't up to me whether the fight would be boring or not,â€
Ankalaev told Red Corner MMA. “I was pressing forward, I wanted to
fight. But my opponent started working on the back foot and
constantly running from me. So, then I decided to start wrestling
and finish him on the ground.â€

Costa was among those who found the fight boring, vowing to save
the light heavyweight division from monotony.

“By the power of the Almighty, I shall save this weight class from
monotony and boredom,†Costa wrote on X.

Costa (16-4) is coming off wins over Roman
Kopylov and the previously undefeated Azamat
Murzakanov, labeling himself a “Russian killer†as he sets his
sights on Ankalaev.

“One Russian killer against tedious fights,†he wrote in a
follow-up post.

Ankalaev (21-2) is ready to fight Costa if the former middleweight
title contender comes forward and doesn't constantly remain on the
back foot as Guskov did.

“Costa didn't perform in his division, then moved up, won a single
fight, and got loud,†Ankalaev said. “If he's ready to press
forward, we'll be waiting for him. But if he's going to run and shy
away, I see no point in fighting him.â€

Magomed
Ankalaev responds to criticism that his main event fight with
Bogdan
Guskov wasn’t entertaining, saying he wanted to engage but had
to adjust after Guskov stayed on the back foot. He also responds to
Paulo
Costa's comments about bringing excitement back to the
division,… pic.twitter.com/M3HpHZIaRq

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
July 26, 2026

By the power of the Almighty, I shall save
this weighclass from monotony and boredom.

— Paulo
Costa (@BorrachinhaMMA)
July 25, 2026

One Russian killer against tedious fights.
pic.twitter.com/4KHAHhjSfr

— Paulo
Costa (@BorrachinhaMMA)
July 25, 2026