Islam
Makhachev has fired back at Shavkat
Rakhmonov.

Makhachev has repeatedly acknowledged Carlos
Prates and Michael
Morales as the top two contenders for the next welterweight
title shot in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. Rakhmonov, in a recent
interview with ALF Global, expressed disappointment about not being
mentioned by Makhachev, who has now issued a response.

Islam Makhachev questions Shavkat Rakhmonov's timetable for a
UFC title fight

Makhachev took a dig at the undefeated Kazakh's lingering health
issues. The UFC welterweight champ questions whether he should wait
a year and a half to fight Rakhmonov. However, Makhachev clarifies
that he won't turn down a fight against Rakhmonov once “Nomadâ€
recovers and cements his status as a contender.

“Well, Rakhmonov gave an interview recently with a huge brace on
his knee and he says he wants to fight; I want to respond to his
interview,†Makhachev told Match TV. “He says I should have chosen
him. Choose him and wait for 1.5 years? Let him recover and he will
become one of the contenders. I never said that I will not fight
him.â€

Makhachev (29-1) won the welterweight title against Jack
Della Maddalena last year and defended it in August against
Ian
Garry, whose only career loss before facing Makhachev was to
Rakhmonov. However, Rakhmonov (19-0) hasn't fought since defeating
Garry in December 2024. He underwent knee surgery after the fight
and injured it again during recovery, leading to another
surgery.

😅🇰🇿 Islam
Makhachev responds to Shavkat
Rakhmonov who wasn’t happy with him not being mentioned as the
next contender:

“He gave an interview with a huge brace on his knee. He wants me to
choose him and then wait for 1.5 years for him to recover?”

🎥 MATCH TV pic.twitter.com/u5ayP5D7zz

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
September 9, 2026

Justin
Gaethje is campaigning for the Republican Party in the upcoming
United States midterm elections.

Gaethje recently took to the podium at the 2026 Republican Midterm
Convention in Dallas. The
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder strongly
supported Donald Trump, emphasizing the importance of voting.

Justin Gaethje urges Republican turnout during speech at Dallas
convention

He urged Republican supporters to vote with the same fervor as they
did in the 2024 presidential election. Gaethje also believes
President Trump and the Republican Party want the best for
everyone, even their political competitors.

“In fighting, your last fight is how people remember you, but your
next fight is the only one that matters,†Gaethje said. “Everybody
has to understand how important these elections are and we have to
get out and vote. One mistake I’ve made in my career was becoming
complacent while I was on a winning streak and forgetting how
unforgiving my sport can be. If we are not just as passionate about
voting and winning in these midterms as we were in the last
presidential election, then we risk getting knocked out and losing
all the momentum we have been fighting for. Everything we want for
the future of America is at stake. I want to live under a
conservative form of government in a free and capitalist society.
And I truly believe President Trump wants the best for every
American, no matter the political side of the aisle they fall
on.â€

Apart from Gaethje, Bo Nickal
(9-1) also spoke at the convention. Nickal thanked Trump for his
constant support and the opportunity to compete at
UFC Freedom 250 at the White House this past June.

Trump is a close friend of UFC CEO Dana
White and has also had the support of several UFC stars
previously. Colby
Covington, Jorge
Masvidal and Henry
Cejudo, among others, have previously taken to the stage to
publicly back Trump.

Justin
Gaethje spoke at the 2026 Republican Midterm Convention and
urged people to turn out for the midterm elections:

“In fighting, your last fight is how people remember you, but your
next fight is the only one that matters.

One mistake I’ve made in my career was becoming… pic.twitter.com/sXFZFZpDxQ

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
September 10, 2026

The
Professional Fighters League's next Dubai card is taking
shape.

The event, scheduled for Nov. 14 at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, will
be headlined by a heavyweight title clash between Vadim
Nemkov and Sergey
Bilostenniy. Two more bouts have now been added to the card,
featuring a former Bellator
MMA champ and the brother of a former
Ultimate Fighting Championship star.

Khasan Magomedsharipov faces Adam Borics on Nov. 14 PFL Dubai
card

Sergio
Pettis (25-8) is set to take on Joji Goto
(20-9) in a bantamweight tilt at
PFL Dubai. Pettis is coming off a decision loss to Mitchell
McKee this past April, which snapped a two-fight winning
streak. Meanwhile, Goto, who makes his PFL debut, is coming off a
first-round submission win over Azizbek
Temirov.

Khasan
Magomedsharipov (11-0) will look to maintain his perfect record
when he takes on Adam Borics
(20-4) in a featherweight matchup at PFL Dubai. Khasan is the
brother of former UFC standout Zabit
Magomedsharipov and often displays a similarly well-rounded
skill set.

A flyweight
title fight headlines PFL Chicago: Tune in on Saturday, Oct. 16 at
11 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Khasan has finished eight of his 11 career wins so far and is
coming off a first-round submission win over Joshua
Weems. Meanwhile, Borics has dropped two of his last three and
comes off a decision loss against A.J. McKee.
The Hungarian is a wily veteran with a ton of experience and likely
to be Magomedsharipov's toughest test so far.

ð™ð™€ð˜¼ð™ð™ƒð™€ð™ð™’ð™€ð™„ð™‚ð™ƒð™ ð˜½ð˜¼ð™‰ð™‚ð™€ð™ ð™„𙉠ð˜¿ð™ð˜½ð˜¼ð™„! 🇦🇪🔜

Undefeated Khasan Magomedsharipov clashes with the always dangerous
Adam Borics in this battle of ranked Featherweights on Saturday,
November 14th as the PFL returns to Dubai! #PFLDubai
| Saturday , November 14th |… pic.twitter.com/ucyb4DrU6U

— PFL (@PFLMMA)
September 10, 2026