Adam
Livingston believes he can sell out Madison Square Garden.

Livingston (8-1) opened
Week 4 of
Dana White's Contender Series 2026 with a lightweight matchup
against Hunter
Smith (8-2). He went toe-to-toe in a slugfest against Smith for
three rounds, earning an
Ultimate Fighting Championship contract in his second DWCS
opportunity.

Adam Livingston targets UFC's November MSG card after earning
his contract on DWCS

Livingston says he wasn't in his best shape when he came up short
in his first DWCS appearance last year. The 25-year-old believes he
is gradually coming into his prime now. Livingston also aimed high
by calling for a main card opener spot at the UFC's Madison Square
Garden card in November. The New Yorker believes he has enough fans
to sell out MSG by himself.

“This is my f*cking time, guys,†Livingston said in his post-fight
interview. “I'm 25 years old now, I'm growing into my body, I'm a
f*cking man now. Last time I was 23, coming off a f*cking trip;
that wasn't my best performance. You guys got one of the best
versions of me today and it's just the beginning. I'm coming for
all you f*cking lightweights… I want MSG in November. I want to
open up the main f*cking card. And I will put on a show like that
every f*cking time. I'm from New York, I'll pack out the f*cking
place by myself.â€

SPINNING BACKFIST INTO THE HEAD KICK 🤯

[ #DWCS
| LIVE on @ParamountPlus
] pic.twitter.com/seCXcCJ6IG

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
September 1, 2026

Gabriel
Lourenco claims he was confident about a knockout win after
studying tape on his
Dana White's Contender Series opponent.

Lourenco (8-1) took on Charlie
Cleveland (6-2) in a heavyweight matchup on
Week 4 of DWCS 2026. Lourenco took hardly over two minutes to
drop his opponent with a right hand before dropping vicious
hammer-fists to secure a stoppage win. The 26-year-old earned an

Ultimate Fighting Championship contract for his first-round
knockout.

Gabriel Lourenco explains the flaw he spotted before his
first-round knockout

Lourenco had predicted a first-round knockout victory ahead of his
DWCS appearance. “Black Mamba†credits his
Chute Boxe coach, Luciano
Ferreira, also known as “Mutante,†for his opponent analysis.
Lourenco had observed that Cleveland never tucked his chin, making
a knockout inevitable at some point.

“We had been studying him throughout,†Lourenco said in his
post-fight interview. “Coach Luciano ‘Mutante' is right here… We
always knew his head was held high; we knew that at one point [my
right hand] was gonna go in… Representing Luciano, representing
Chute Boxe will be honor. I want more knockouts like this.â€

Lourenco ultimately won a contract for his knockout win.

RIGHT HAND HITS HOME ðŸ 

Gabriel Lorenco gets the TKO in R1 for a huge win!

[ #DWCS
| LIVE on @ParamountPlus
] pic.twitter.com/IVoLAMmJzz

— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount)
September 1, 2026

Dan
Hooker doesn't mind welcoming newcomers to the
Ultimate Fighting Championship if he's compensated
accordingly.

Hooker (24-14) enters enemy territory to take on promotional
debutant Salahdine
Parnasse (23-2) at
UFC Paris on Sept. 5. “The Hangman†recently revealed that his
fight purse for his upcoming bout against the French star is the
“biggest payday†of his career so far.

Dan Hooker discusses his career-high payday for Salahdine
Parnasse at UFC Paris

The Kiwi is no stranger to accepting matchups others usually avoid,
be it short-notice bouts or welcoming fighters into the UFC, as he
did with Michael
Chandler. Hooker jokes that he would even fight former UFC
heavyweight champion Francis
Ngannou for the right purse.

“I'd fight Francis Ngannou for the amount of money they are
paying,†Hooker told RMC Sport Combat. “So, they give me this kind
of stepper on the scale with the same weight as me… Biggest payday
of my career for sure.â€

Notably, in a previous interview, Hooker claimed that he's also
open to welcoming Usman
Nurmagomedov, currently the most sought-after free agent in
mixed martial arts, to the UFC.

🤑 Dan Hooker :
“C'est la plus grosse paye de ma carrière !â€

📺 J-4 avant l’UFC Paris sur RMC Sport 1. pic.twitter.com/o87omvAtrt

— RMC Sport Combat (@RMCSportCombat)
September 1, 2026