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Magomed Ankalaev reacts to Paulo Costa turning down short-notice fight: "They need 10 years"

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2 months ago

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Magomed Ankalaev reacts to Paulo Costa turning down short-notice fight: "They need 10 years"

Magomed Ankalaev has given his reaction to Paulo Costa shutting down an offer to fight him on short notice.

When Khalil Rountree suffered an injury in preparation for a planned clash with Ankalaev, it put the July 25 bout in disarray. Rountree was officially removed from the fight and UFC matchmakers needed a replacement. “Borrachinha†had a chance to step up, but he told Ariel Helwani that the timing of such a matchup wouldn't have allowed him to make the light heavyweight limit (via MMAJunkie).

“It's so short notice, less than 14 days to get on a flight to Abu Dhabi,†Costa said. “Sixteen-hour flight to Abu Dhabi for five rounds, for the same money, and not for an interim belt. I don't think this makes sense right now. I thought about it, but it doesn't make sense. My weight is not bad. I'm 234 (pounds) right now. I should start a very strict diet because I need like seven or eight weeks to make weight properly. Different than when I fight middleweight, when I needed 12, maybe 14 weeks.â€

Ankalaev caught wind of Costa's comment, and he hopped on X to suggest that they eventually collide before the end of 2026.

“I agree with him—fight me,†Ankalaev responded. “They don't need eight weeks; they need ten years. I'll win my next fight, and then you and I can fight in October or November. It would be my pleasureâ€

The UFC brass ultimately did find a replacement opponent for Anaklaev. The former UFC light heavyweight titleholder will now be facing Bogdan Guskov inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Guskov went to a draw with Jan Blachowicz in his last outing back in late 2025.

Do you understand why Paulo Costa turned down the short-notice fight against Magomed Ankalaev, or did he miss out on a big opportunity? Share your opinion in the comments below.

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

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7 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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8 hours ago

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September 12, 2026

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

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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Pros react after Jean Silva submits Jose Delgado at Noche UFC 4

Published

8 hours ago

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September 12, 2026

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Pros react after Jean Silva submits Jose Delgado at Noche UFC 4
Trending:

Tom Aspinall issues statement on rumored UFC departure after coach's recent claims

Tonight's Noche UFC 4 event was headlined by a men's featherweight bout between Jean Silva and Jose Delgado.

Silva (18-3 MMA) was returning to action for the first time since this past January's UFC 324 event, where he had scored a unanimous decision victory over Arnold Allen. ‘Lord' had gone 4-1 over his previous five fights overall, scoring stoppage victories over Drew Dober, Melsik Baghdasaryan and Bryce Mitchell during that stretch.

Meanwhile, Jose Delgado (12-3 MMA) had entered tonight's contest riding a two-fight winning streak, this after scoring back-to-back decision victories over Austin Bashi and Andre Fili in his most previous efforts. Like his opponent Jean Silva, Delgado had also gone 4-1 over his previous five Octagon appearances, earning stoppage wins over Hyder Amil and Connor Matthews during that time.

Tonight's Noche UFC 4 main event 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.

Official Noche UFC 4 Results: Jean Silva def. Jose Delgado via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:57 of Round 3

Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Silva vs. Delgado' below:

Post-fight reactions to Silva defeating Delgado at Noche UFC 4:

Who would you like to see Jean Silva fight next following his submission victory over Jose Delgado this evening in Arizona? Share your thoughts in the comment section Penn Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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