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Islam Makhachev's teammate set to replace Geoff Neal in UFC 330 undercard bout

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Islam Makhachev's teammate set to replace Geoff Neal in UFC 330 undercard bout
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Conor McGregor didn't want to fight at UFC 329, says Din Thomas
Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

One of UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev's new teammates will save one of the undercard bouts at UFC 330.

Islam Makhachev will kick off his UFC welterweight title reign against streaking contender Ian Machado Garry later this month at UFC 330. Makhachev won the UFC welterweight belt last year at UFC 322, defeating Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision.

Makhachev, the UFC's pound-for-pound king, will look to turn away another threat inside the Octagon and extend his ongoing win streak. Garry presents some challenges for the UFC welterweight champion, which could make the fight extremely competitive.

But Makhachev vs. Garry isn't the only intriguing bout at UFC 330. Welterweight mainstay Geoff Neal was supposed to face Chidi Njokuani on the undercard before withdrawing due to injury.

With weeks to prepare, one of Makhachev's new teammates will fight Njokuani to add depth to UFC 330.

Joel Alvarez set to join new teammate Islam Makhachev on UFC 330 card

UFC welterweight Joel Alvarez, who joined Makhachev's camp earlier this year, will replace the injured Neal against Njokuani at UFC 330. Alvarez has won four of his last five fights, but is coming off a submission loss to Yaroslav Amosov at UFC 328 earlier this year.

Journalist Alvaro Colmenero was the first to report the news of Alvarez's addition to UFC 330.

As for Njokuani, he's looking to get back in the win column after back-to-back losses to Carlos Leal and Jake Matthews. His last win came against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in March 2025.

Alvarez defeated Vicente Luque last October by unanimous decision in his welterweight debut.

Makhachev vs. Garry also features a strawweight title co-main event bout between Mackenzie Dern and Gillian Robertson. Dern defeated Virna Jandiroba for the then-vacant strawweight championship last year at UFC 321.

Makhachev hasn't lost since getting knocked out by Adriano Martins at UFC 192.

What is your prediction for Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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Ryan Garcia demolishes Conor Benn inside 2 rounds, calls out Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney

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September 12, 2026

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Ryan Garcia demolishes Conor Benn inside 2 rounds, calls out Teofimo Lopez and Devin Haney

Ryan Garcia needed less than five total minutes to demolish Conor Benn to successfully defend his welterweight title before potentially setting up two even bigger fights for the future.

While he was heavily favored to win, Garcia still had to get the job done and it's safe to say he passed that test with flying colors. Best known for a blistering left hand, Garcia showed off his power in the right after blasted Benn with a single shot that sent the British boxer to the canvas in a heap.

Benn managed to make it back to his feet but Garcia wasn't going to stop until he ended the fight as he just kept hammering away and the referee had no choice but to stop the contest. The end came at 1:25 in the second round as Garcia earned the knockout victory.

“I feel at peace,†Garcia said after his title defense. “I've always had a right hand but I've always had injuries. I want to thank Conor for great buildup and a great match. Viva Mexico!â€

Garcia's left hand was landing early and often with Benn trying to find his way inside to show off some of his own power. Benn tried to show off some power as he was digging to the body and then going back up to the head but Garcia was quick to fire back with some nasty shots of his own.

As the second round got underway, Garcia uncorked a hellacious right hand that blasted Benn and he fell to the canvas. Benn was able to get back to his feet to make the 10 count but Garcia wasn't going to give him a moment to breathe.

Garcia just started blasting away with punches as Benn was desperate to survive.

The assault continued with Garcia just unloading shot sand Benn couldn't do much of anything but absorb the punishment until the referee saw enough to stop the fight before any further damage was done.

Garcia's win once again establishes him as one of the top welterweights in the sport but there are still plenty of challenges awaiting him including a potential showdown against Teofimo Lopez, who was in the crowd, and the same goes for Devin Haney.

Garcia previously defeated Haney but a positive drug test overturned the result to a no-contest and the “King†had to serve a one-year suspension. Now he wants that one back as well.

“Teofimo, get that ass up here,†Garcia shouted into the crowd. “Where you at? He wants to get crazy, we can get crazy. I'll beat your ass right now!

“Hopefully we get to beat Devin Haney's ass again for undisputed. F*ck the Haney's!â€

Garcia is already viewed as one of the biggest names in the sport and he's only setting himself up for bigger and better fights with a performance like he had on Saturday. Now he effectively has his pick for potential opponents as he moves forward with his career into 2027 and beyond.

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Noche UFC 4 Bonus Report: Tommy McMillen one of four 'POTN' winners

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9 hours ago

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September 12, 2026

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Noche UFC 4 Bonus Report: Tommy McMillen one of four 'POTN' winners
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Tom Aspinall issues statement on rumored UFC departure after coach's recent claims

The Octagon returned to Arizona for tonight's Noche UFC 4 event, and four fighters wound up taking home performance bonuses.

The 13-bout fight card was headlined by a men's featherweight bout featuring Jean Silva taking on Jose Delgado. The contest resulted in an amazing comeback win for Jean Silva. After being badly outpointed and dropped in the opening round, things did not really get a whole lot better for ‘Lord' in round two. Despite his slow start, Silva stormed back in round three by dropping Jose Delgado with a right hand and then securing a rear-naked choke to ultimately force a tapout just moments later. It was a big comeback win for the Brazilian, and one that puts him into immediate title contention at 145lbs.

Noche UFC 4 was co-headlined by a men's flyweight bout between Brandon Moreno and Joseph Morales. The matchup proved to be hard-fought back and forth affair. Morales got off to a good start, but the former champion was able to show his resilience by coming back strong in rounds two and three. After fifteen minutes of action, ‘The Assassin Baby' was awarded a much-needed split decision victory.

Following the conclusion of tonight's event, UFC officials announced at the post-fight press conference that 4 fighters would be taking home performance bonuses.

Fight of the night: Featherweight fighters Tommy McMillen and Marwan Rahiki each pocketed $100k for their thrilling war on tonight's Noche UFC 4 main card. McMillen ultimately won the contest by unanimous decision (29–28 x2, 29–27).

Performance of the night: Jean Silva earned an extra $100k for his third-round submission victory over Jose Delgado in tonight's event headliner (see that here).

Performance of the night: Sean King pocketed an extra $100k for his 36-second knockout (slam) victory over Jessie Rosas (see that here).

Are you surprised by any of the performance bonuses handed out by Dana White and company following the conclusion of tonight's Noche UFC 4 event? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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Noche UFC 4: 'Silva vs. Delgado' Live Results and Highlights

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9 hours ago

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September 12, 2026

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Noche UFC 4: 'Silva vs. Delgado' Live Results and Highlights
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Jose Aldo set for October 4th fighting return vs. former UFC title challenger

The Octagon returns to Glendale, Arizona for tonight's Noche UFC 4 event, a 13-bout fight card headlined by Jean Silva vs. Jose Delgado.

Silva (17-3 MMA) was most previously seen in action at this past January's UFC 324 event, where he scored a unanimous decision victory over Arnold Allen. ‘Lord' has gone 4-1 over his past five fights overall, scoring stoppage victories over Drew Dober, Melsik Baghdasaryan and Bryce Mitchell during that stretch.

Meanwhile, Jose Delgado (12-2 MMA) will enter tonight's contest on a two-fight winning streak, this after scoring back-to-back decision victories over Austin Bashi and Andre Fili. Like his opponent Jean Silva, Delgado has gone 4-1 over his past five Octagon appearances, earning stoppage wins over Hyder Amil and Connor Matthews.

Noche UFC 4 is co-headlined by a men's flyweight matchup between Brandon Moreno and Joseph Morales.

(via Zuffa LLC)

Moreno (23-10-2 MMA) will enter the contest with hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid. ‘The Assassin Baby' most previously took to the Octagon this past February, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Lone'er Kavanagh. That setback was preceded by a TKO loss to Tatsuro Taira at UFC 323 in December of last year. Prior to those defeats, the former flyweight champion had earned back-to-back decision wins over Amir Albazi and Steve Erceg.

Meanwhile, Joseph Morales (14-2 MMA) currently boasts a five-fight winning streak, with his most recent victory coming by way of submission over Matt Schnell this past November at UFC Vegas 111. ‘Bopo' has gone 6-2 since joining the UFC ranks in August of 2017.

Also featured on tonight's Noche UFC 4 main card lineup is a heavyweight contest between Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Curtis Blaydes.

Cortes-Acosta (17-3 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since suffering a unanimous decision loss to Alexander Volkov this past May at UFC 328. Prior to that defeat, ‘Salsa Boy' had strung together three-straight knockout victories over opponents Ante Delija, Shamil Gaziev and Derrick Lewis.

Meanwhile, Curtis Blaydes (19-6 MMA) was most previously seen in the Octagon this past April at UFC 327, where he suffered a decision loss to Josh Hokit in a FOTN performance. Prior to that setback, ‘Razor' had earned a split decision victory over Rizvan Kuniev in June of last year.

Get all of tonight's live results and highlights below (refresh for updates):

Noche UFC 4 Main Card (5pm EST on Paramount+)

145 lbs: Jean Silva vs. Jose Delgado – Silva def. Delgado via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:57 of Round 3

125 lbs: Brandon Moreno vs. Joseph Morales – Moreno def. Morales by split decision (30-27 x2, 28-29)

145 lbs: Tommy McMillen vs. Marwan Rahiki – McMillen def. Rahiki by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 29-27)

125 lbs: Manon Fiorot vs. Alexa Grasso – Grasso def. Fiorot by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

265 lbs: Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Curtis Blaydes – Blaydes def. Cortes-Acosta by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

135 lbs: David Martinez vs. Dan Ige – Martinez def. Ige by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)

Noche UFC 4 Prelims (2pm EST on Paramount+)

130 lbs: Tim Elliott vs. Edgar Chairez – Elliott def. Chairez by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

170 lbs: Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Muslim Salikhov – Bahamondes def. Salikhov by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)

185 lbs: Yousri Belgaroui vs. Djorden Santos – Belgaroui def. Santos via TKO (punches) at 4:25 of Round 1

155 lbs: Drakkar Klose vs. Tommy Gantt – Gantt def. Klose via submission (reverse triangle choke) at 2:46 of Round 3

155 lbs: Rafa García vs. Rong Zhu – Zhu def. Garcia by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

145 lbs: Jessie Rosas vs. Sean King – King def. Rosas via KO (slam) at 0:36 of Round 1

125 lbs: JJ Aldrich vs. Regina Tarin – Tarin def. Aldrich by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Who are you picking to win tonight's featherweight main event between Jean Silva and Jose Delgado? Share your predictions in the comment section Penn Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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