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Magomed Ankalaev sets condition for Paulo Costa UFC fight

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Magomed Ankalaev sets condition for Paulo Costa UFC fight
Magomed
Ankalaev will only take on Paulo Costa
if the Brazilian is ready to bring the fight to him.

The former
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight titleholder
took on Bogdan
Guskov in the main event of
UFC Abu Dhabi. Guskov had stepped up on two weeks' notice after
Ankalaev's original opponent, Khalil
Rountree, pulled out due to an injury. Ankalaev dominated
Guskov in a slow-paced bout before finishing him in the final round
with ground-and-pound.

Now back in the win column, the Russian has addressed his next
bout.

Magomed Ankalaev says Paulo Costa fight depends on pressure and
forward movement

Ankalaev defended his recent performance against critics who found
it lackluster. He says that Guskov was backing up even though he
kept pressing forward.

“It wasn't up to me whether the fight would be boring or not,â€
Ankalaev told Red Corner MMA. “I was pressing forward, I wanted to
fight. But my opponent started working on the back foot and
constantly running from me. So, then I decided to start wrestling
and finish him on the ground.â€

Costa was among those who found the fight boring, vowing to save
the light heavyweight division from monotony.

“By the power of the Almighty, I shall save this weight class from
monotony and boredom,†Costa wrote on X.

Costa (16-4) is coming off wins over Roman
Kopylov and the previously undefeated Azamat
Murzakanov, labeling himself a “Russian killer†as he sets his
sights on Ankalaev.

“One Russian killer against tedious fights,†he wrote in a
follow-up post.

Ankalaev (21-2) is ready to fight Costa if the former middleweight
title contender comes forward and doesn't constantly remain on the
back foot as Guskov did.

“Costa didn't perform in his division, then moved up, won a single
fight, and got loud,†Ankalaev said. “If he's ready to press
forward, we'll be waiting for him. But if he's going to run and shy
away, I see no point in fighting him.â€



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MMA

Valter Walker’s teammate reveals UFC heavyweight’s secret acts of kindness

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3 hours ago

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July 27, 2026

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Valter Walker’s teammate reveals UFC heavyweight’s secret acts of kindness
Valter
Walker's teammates love him, and for good reason.

Walker (16-1) has a loud personality that would put many extroverts
to shame. However, the boisterous
Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight's teammates, who
aren't men of too many words, absolutely adore him. Walker's
teammate Muhammad
Saidov (10-0) recently revealed a heartwarming story about “The
Foot Hunter.â€

Valter Walker's Gor MMA teammate Muhammad Saidov shares story
of fighter's generosity

Saidov claims Walker snuck money into his kit bag multiple times
when he was going through financial hardship. Walker also bought
protein for Saidov, never letting anyone know about his small acts
of kindness. The unbeaten Russian wholeheartedly loves his
teammate, regardless of his antics.

“I love Valter very much,†Saidov told Red Corner MMA. “Although
his mentality differs from us; he's a very good-natured guy… He is
not selfish at all. He is a very kind and straightforward person… A
friendly and vibrant person, he is always there to help. Even when
I have some financial troubles, he secretly puts cash in my bag. I
would come home from training, take my stuff out to do the laundry,
and find some money in there. Once he bought some protein for me.
And he does those things quietly… I have only got very warm
feelings towards him.â€

Walker's team, Gor
MMA, had a lot of representation at
UFC Abu Dhabi. Saidov started the night well for the team with
a second-round stoppage win over Dustin
Jacoby. Walker followed immediately after, making Thomas
Petersen tap to a calf-slicer in hardly over 90 seconds.

This was Walker’s fifth consecutive submission win. Meanwhile,
Bodgan Guskov led the charge for their gym in a main event clash
against Magomed
Ankalaev. Guskov had stepped up to fight on 14 days' notice but
fell short in a last-round stoppage loss.

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MMA

Islam Makhachev reveals his game plan for Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330: ‘I have to follow him, he runs too much’

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3 hours ago

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July 27, 2026

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Islam Makhachev reveals his game plan for Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330: ‘I have to follow him, he runs too much’

Islam Makhachev is counting down the days to his first title defense as welterweight champion, and he's confident he's ready for whatever Ian Machado Garry throws at him.

As he gets ready for UFC 330 on Aug. 15, Makhachev and his team relocated to New Jersey for final preparations as the Dagestan native seeks to build on his remarkable resume where he's already a two-division champion and the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport. While he didn't want to give away too many secrets, Makhachev is confident enough to expose at least part of his game plan, which is based on scouting Garry and his tendency to hit and move constantly during his fight.

“His skills, I just have to run in this camp too much because I have to follow him,†Makhachev told MMA Fighting at Zuffa Boxing 9. “He runs too much. I know his game plan. We always see his fights.

“He has the same style always. I will try to catch him, take him down, just what I did with my old opponents.â€

One potential advantage that Garry might have going into the fight is that he counts former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira as one of his main teammates and training partners. Of course, Oliveira faced Makhachev back in 2022, although he had a rough night at the office in their only encounter.

Makhachev scored an early knockdown on the Brazilian and eventually wrapped up a win with a nasty arm-triangle choke that forced Oliveira to tap out in the second round. That's why the reigning UFC welterweight champion isn't too concerned that Oliveira has any real knowledge to add to Garry's strategy by the time they make it to UFC 330.

“Charles is going to teach him how to tap fast,†Makhachev joked. “That's it.â€

While Garry is well known for trash-talking his opponents, Makhachev clearly hasn't been paying much attention because the fight is all business for him and nothing personal.

A potential storyline heading into fight week could be Garry trying to secure a measure of revenge for his native Ireland after two of his countrymen fell short going up against members of Makhachev's camp in the past.

Makhachev's coach and UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov famously dismantled Conor McGregor back in 2018 before securing a fourth-round submission win. Usman Nurmagomedov also did his part with a pair of wins over Paul Hughes in the PFL.

So truth be told, Makhachev doesn't really see this as some kind of country vs. country rivalry, although he definitely knows the scoreboard thus far.

“This is just a regular opponent,†Makhachev said. “It's nothing between countries. But still [we are] 2-0 now, it's going to be 3-0.â€

With training camp almost over, Makhachev promises he's left no stone unturned and his team has put everything together necessary for him to make a successful title defense at UFC 330.

“Everything is going very well,†Makhachev said. “We stay in the same gym the last couple of fights. We stay in New Jersey and training at Nick Catone MMA, it's a very nice gym. I have too many of my brothers and friends and sparring partners, almost all the team is here, we're training together.

“Khabib is here. Javier [Mendez] is here. We're training everyday very hard to be ready.â€

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MMA

Mike Davis apologizes to Nurullo Aliev after UFC Abu Dhabi outburst

Published

4 hours ago

on

July 27, 2026

By

Mike Davis apologizes to Nurullo Aliev after UFC Abu Dhabi outburst
Mike
Davis has issued an apology to Nurullo
Aliev for lashing out after their clash in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

They locked horns in a lightweight matchup at
UFC Abu Dhabi. Aliev imposed his will on Davis on the ground
for 15 minutes to earn a unanimous decision victory, marking the
former's fourth straight decision inside the Octagon.

Mike Davis addresses his comments after Nurullo Aliev's UFC Abu
Dhabi victory

The lackluster loss left Davis visibly frustrated. “Beast Boyâ€
subsequently lashed out in a now-deleted Instagram video.

“For the UFC, I thought you were cutting wrestlers, bro, all they
do is suck d*ck for 15 minutes,†Davis said. “What are we doing?
You have been cutting people on undefeated streaks all the time for
wrestling. This isn't RAF. This is g*y, bro… G*y people in the UFC,
get them the f*ck out of here. Stand with me, I just want to bang,
bro.â€

However, Davis (12-4) has since apologized to Aliev (12-0). He was
admittedly frustrated with the loss, even more so as he was
allegedly sick going into the fight.

“[Nurullo
Aliev], hopefully you see this. I understand you were being a
nice guy in the end- amazing sportsmanship,†Davis wrote on X. “In
the heat of the moment, I was/am severely disappointed in myself.
In what I went through to help the @ufc by flying out here, while
sick and injured. Disappointed in what I was told before the fight,
Disappointed that I wasn't able to give them what they wanted and
secure my dream. I hope you never have to experience the pain of a
loss. Its not your fault, you did what you are extremely good at
and it worked. I respect that. I respect you. I appreciate you for
taking the fight and being present in it all. I apologize for what
i said. Im a damn good fighter and my frustration took over and my
fear of not being able to help my family made me act out. Wish you
great success brother.â€

However, Davis has still not changed his opinion about the fight.
He doesn't think it was a dominant win for Aliev, as the undefeated
Tajik barely landed any damage.

“If I did nothing and he did nothing who the f*ck got dominated,â€
Davis wrote in a later X post. “Its embarrassing that you can win a
fight by stalling. You can’t even call that wrestling. He just held
onto me from bell to bell. Even gave him option to break off and
strike me free of charge and he just keep holding on. We are in the
entertainment industry. We get paid when we make the crowd scream.
Were you genuinely entertained by that? I would seriously like to
knowâ€

Davis has now dropped two of his last three fights. Meanwhile,
Aliev has finished only two of his 12 career wins so far.



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