Ryan Garcia won't be bound by guidelines if he ever signs with
Zuffa Boxing.

Garcia is scheduled to put his WBC welterweight title on the line
against Zuffa Boxing's Conor Benn on Sept. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in
Las Vegas. While the particulars of the bout are unknown to Garcia,
he believes it will be co-promoted. Furthermore, Garcia is certain
that he will not be wearing Zuffa fight gear and claims he will
never wear a Zuffa uniform even if he signs with the promotion.

Ryan Garcia explains why he would refuse Zuffa Boxing gear
while praising Dana White's new promotion

Garcia explains that he likes to express himself by designing his
own outfit and walkout music. He vows to never sign with Zuffa
Boxing if they don't allow him to express himself the way he wants.
However, Garcia complimented Dana
White for the way he is building up Zuffa Boxing.

“Even if I ever signed with Zuffa, I will make sure that I never
wear a Zuffa outfit,†Garcia told Ariel Helwani. “I’m wearing my
own outfits, doing my own thing. If you don’t like it, then I’ll
never sign with you. At the end of the day, I love the whole
‘design your outfit, design your walkout.' I’m not about to be a
robot. I don’t care how much money you offer me. I just love the
whole show of it and I feel like they should let certain fighters
do that. I would like to express myself… I think Dana White’s doing
an amazing job with Zuffa so far… I like how they run the press
conferences… I think it’s better.â€

Zuffa Boxing is White's venture into the world of pugilism. The

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO wants to bring boxing under
a centralized UFC-style model, but is facing fierce competition
from traditional boxing promoters like Eddie Hearn.

“If I ever signed with Zuffa, I will make
sure that I never wear a Zuffa outfit. I’m wearing my own outfits,
doing my own thing.

If you don’t like it, then I’ll never sign with you… I’m not
about to be a robot, I don’t care how much money you offer me.”

“I think Dana White’s… pic.twitter.com/QOh7pIS3h0

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
July 22, 2026

Bogdan
Guskov considers Magomed
Ankalaev the best light heavyweight in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Guskov (18-3) is scheduled to fight Ankalaev (20-2) in the main
event of
UFC Abu Dhabi on July 25 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. Guskov
stepped up to accept the fight on 14 days' notice after Ankalaev's
original opponent, Khalil
Rountree, pulled out due to an injury.

If he comes out on top, Guskov is eyeing championship gold.

Guskov breaks down Ankalaev's standing after Alex Pereira
rematch loss

Despite Ankalaev not being the current champion, Guskov still
considers the Russian the best 205-pounder. The surging Uzbek
contender believes Ankalaev just had a “bad night at the office†in
his rematch against Alex
Pereira, in which he lost the title. As such, a win over the
former champion warrants a title shot, according to the
33-year-old.

“For me, Magomed is the strongest guy in our division,†Guskov told
MMA Junkie. “Second fight with Pereira is just one fight, bad day
in the office. And Magomed is still a dangerous and stronger guy in
our division… For me, the next fight is a title shot. We try to
take gold in the UFC.â€

Ankalaev was undefeated in 14 straight outings since 2018 before
his loss to Pereira. Meanwhile, Guskov was on a four-fight
finishing streak before fighting former champ Jan
Blachowicz to a draw in his last outing. He has finished all 18
of his career wins so far.

The belt is currently held by Carlos
Ulberg, who suffered an injury in his title-winning effort
earlier this year. UFC CEO Dana
White has since revealed that an interim title bout is likely
next in the light heavyweight division as Ulberg recovers.

Bogdan
Guskov thinks beating Magomed
Ankalaev at
#UFCAbuDhabi should get him a title shot.

“Magomed is strongest guy in our division. Second fight with
Pereira is bad day in the office.”

(via @MikeBohn)
pic.twitter.com/IiHagRBrEl

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie)
July 22, 2026

Jay
Alderete doesn't regret his celebration following his win over
former
Ultimate Fighting Championship athlete Cameron
Smotherman.

Alderete took on Smotherman in a bantamweight matchup at
Fury FC 121 in Houston. Alderete dropped Smotherman with a head
kick before putting him to sleep with a brabo choke in the second
round. He followed up with a crotch grab celebration and chirped
away at his counterpart, who had to be held back by security.

The undefeated Fury FC prospect says Smotherman’s corner
provoked his post-fight taunt

Alderete recently revealed the details of their verbal exchange
after the fight. Smotherman had claimed to have never heard of
Alderete before their bout. The latter made sure to remind the
former UFC fighter that he would never forget the name.

“He said he doesn't know nothing about me,†Alderete told MMA
Fighting. “He doesn't understand the hype… I ran up, and I told
him, ‘I told you you were going to remember the name today,' and I
mean he just crashed out. They dragged him out of the cage. He runs
back in, tries to sneak attack me, the funniest sh*t of all
time.â€

Alderete also defends his crotch grab celebration following the
win. The 19-year-old claims that Smotherman's family and friends
were flipping him off during the fight. He doesn't regret returning
the favor after his win.

“These dudes, all his family and friends were standing up on the
chair flicking me off,†Alderete added. “One dude's raising his
stuff at me, right? He's doing a crotch grab at me… and I'm like,
you know what? F*ck ya'll. So, I give a lot of birds, and then I
crotch grab them and oh now I'm the bad guy… I have no regrets on
that sh*t.â€

Alderete (6-0) is undefeated in six outings, with five finishes
since making his debut last year. Meanwhile, Smotherman (12-8) was
released from the UFC last month on a three-fight skid. “The
Baby-Faced Killer” went viral for passing out after making weight
for his scheduled
UFC 324 bout against Ricky
Turcios, which was subsequently cancelled.

19-year-old prospect @jayalderete135
explains his side of his viral Fury FC finish against Cameron
Smotherman:

“I ran up, and I told [Smotherman], ‘I told you [you were] going to
remember the name today,’ and I mean he just crashed out. They
dragged him out of the cage. He runs… pic.twitter.com/2VIwde2UNJ

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting)
July 22, 2026

Former UFC fighter Cameron
Smotherman gets knocked down by a headkick and put to sleep in
a choke by Jay
Alderete #FuryFC121
pic.twitter.com/zryAWFuRib

— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist)
July 20, 2026