Jon
Jones is standing by his protégé, Gable
Steveson.

Steveson took on Sean Sharaf
in his second
Ultimate Fighting Championship appearance at UFC
331 in Los Angeles on Sept. 19. Jones watched from Steveson's
corner as the latter was knocked out by Sharaf in 12 seconds in a
massive upset. Steveson later faced backlash for exiting the
Octagon, escorted by Jones, before Sharaf got his hand raised.

Jon Jones says he made the call to leave after Gable Steveson's
12-second knockout loss

Jones recently took the blame for Steveson's premature departure
from the Octagon. “Bones†claims it was the first time that he had
faced such a situation and instinctively wanted to take his friend
backstage to check on him.

“I've seen some reports online and I really wanted to clear the
air,†Jones posted on X. “It was my decision to take Gable straight
to the back after the fight. Honestly, it was the first time in
this situation for me and my instant reaction was to get my friend
to the back to make sure he was OK.â€

The former two-division champ is confident that Steveson with
return stronger and eventually emerge as one of the best
heavyweights.

“Gable's work ethic and will to win is there and I stand by him and
believe he will go on to be one of the best heavyweights in the
UFC. He will be back I'm sure of it.â€

I've seen some reports on line and I really
wanted to clear the air. It was my decision to take Gable straight
to the back after the fight. Honestly it was the first time in this
situation for me and my instant reaction was to get my friend to
the back to make sure he was ok.…

— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones)
September 21, 2026

Abubakar
Nurmagomedov doesn't consider Arman
Tsarukyan a big name in freestyle wrestling.

Nurmagomedov recently returned to competition after a three-year
hiatus, taking on former
Ultimate Fighting Championship opponent David
Zawada in a wrestling match under the AIGA banner last weekend
in Istanbul, Turkey. The Russian defeated Zawada in just 60 seconds
via pinfall, avenging a UFC loss dating back to 2019.

Nurmagomedov says he wants massive wrestling matches against
legends of the sport and doesn't have top-ranked UFC lightweight
Tsarukyan in his sights.

Abubakar Nurmagomedov names Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Dauren
Kurugliev and Kyle Snyder as preferred opponents

Nurmagomedov wants freestyle wrestling to regain its lost glory. In
a recent interview, he claimed that the sport's popularity has
waned, which he wants to do something about.

“That's what I'm here for,†Nurmagomedov told Red Corner MMA. “We
need to put freestyle wrestling back on the map because people
forgot about it. We need to remind everyone of it. I’m here to show
the beauty of freestyle wrestling.â€

Nurmagomedov was then asked about a potential matchup against
Tsarukyan, who regularly competes in freestyle wrestling matches.
However, he doesn't consider “The Batman†a star in freestyle
wrestling. Nurmagomedov instead wants to face legends like
Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Dauren Kurugliev or Kyle Snyder.

“No, I want Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Dauren Kurugliev, or Kyle
Snyder,†Nurmagomedov added. “Why should I face some no-names? Give
me those giants of freestyle wrestling.â€

Nurmagomedov (17-4) is also set to return to mixed martial arts
competition against David
Martinez (17-6) at
PFL Dubai on Nov. 14.

Abubakar
Nurmagomedov says he wants to face the biggest names in
freestyle wrestling in super fights, while also looking to put the
sport back on the map and remind people about the beauty of
freestyle wrestling.

“Arman? No… I want Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Dauren Kurugliev, or…
pic.twitter.com/97mUE2c0jv

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
September 21, 2026

The
Professional Fighters League has announced the co-main event
for
PFL Dubai, which takes place on Nov. 14.

A welterweight matchup pits Belgium's undefeated Patrick
Habirora (9-0) against Omar El
Dafrawy (16-6), who previously captured the PFL MENA
welterweight championship.

Patrick Habirora meets Omar El Dafrawy in PFL Dubai co-main
event

Habirora has emerged as one of the PFL's most dangerous prospects.
The 25-year-old welterweight has recorded eight knockout victories
and one decision win in his career so far.

Seven of his finishes have come in the very first round. Most
recently, he stopped former
Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Benson
Henderson in just 20 seconds at
PFL Brussels.

El Dafrawy brings considerably more experience into the matchup.
The 31-year-old Egyptian has nine wins by knockout and three by
submission. He's on a two-fight win streak and is 6-1 under the PFL
banner.

The event, slated for the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, will be
headlined by a heavyweight title bout between Vadim
Nemkov and Sergey
Bilostenniy.

ð—šð—¥ð—”ð—• ð—¬ð—¢ð—¨ð—¥ ð—£ð—¢ð—£ð—–ð—¢ð—¥ð—¡ ð—™ð—¢ð—¥ ð—§ð—›ð—œð—¦ ð—¢ð—¡ð—˜ ðŸ¿ðŸ”œ

Undefeated #4 Ranked Patrick Habirora clashes with #5 Ranked Omar
El-Dafrawy in a battle of ranked Welterweights in the Co-Main Event
of PFL Dubai!

It all goes down on Saturday, November 14th LIVE from the
Coca-Cola… pic.twitter.com/3gYaHGHj66

— PFL (@PFLMMA)
September 21, 2026