The
Professional Fighters League and
Rizin Fighting Federation are set to make history with a fight
that will have two titles on the line.

PFL and Rizin just announced a cross-promotional championship fight
for Super
Rizin 5 on Sept. 10 at Kyosera Dome Osaka in Japan.

Rajabali Shaidullaev and A.J. McKee will fight for both the PFL
and Rizin featherweight championships in Osaka

Rizin Featherweight Champion Rajabali
Shaidullaev (19-0) will face A.J. McKee
(25-2) with both the Rizin and PFL featherweight titles on the
line. Shaidullaev has finished all 19 of his career wins so far, 13
of them in the first round. The undefeated Kyrgyz champion has won
and defended his title thrice in less than a year. Meanwhile, McKee
is currently riding a three-fight winning streak.

“There have been several occasions in the past when a fighter has
entered another organization and challenged for that promotion's
championship,†Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara said in a statement. “This time, however, we are
attempting something unprecedented: placing the championship belts
of both organizations on the line in a single fight hosted by one
promotion.â€

“When I became CEO at PFL, I made it my mission to bring together
the best fighters and deliver the fights that the fans want to
see,†PFL CEO John Martin said. “Now, with this extraordinary
partnership, I can’t wait to honor that promise and bring a truly
unique and fresh opportunity for the MMA community to enjoy. For
me, it will be a special experience as I get to throw my full
support behind one fighter, and I'm looking forward to being cage
side to watch the “Mercenary†bring the titles to PFL.â€

The rest of the Super Rizin 5 card looks like this:
Mikuru
Asakura vs. Shinya
Aoki
Ren
Hiramoto vs. Karshyga
Dautbek
Yutaka
Saito vs. Ren
Sugiyama
Vugar
Karamov vs. Ryo
Takagi
Roberto
Satoshi de Souza vs. Shunta
Nomura
Daichi
Tomizawa vs. Ryo
Kawabata

🚨BREAKING NEWS 🚨@JohnMartinPFL
makes a major announcement!!

September 10th. AJ McKee takes on @rizin_PR
Featheweight Champion Razhabali Shaydullaev as both PFL and RIZIN
Featherweight World Titles are on the line!
pic.twitter.com/WHdMG7o39b

— PFL (@PFLMMA)
July 20, 2026

🔥超ド級カードã€ç¶šã€…決定🔥

9.10 京セラドーム大阪ã§æ¿€çªã€‚
本日発表ã•ã‚ŒãŸå¯¾æˆ¦ã‚«ãƒ¼ãƒ‰ã‚’ãƒã‚§ãƒƒã‚¯ðŸ‘€âš¡ï¸

詳細ã¯ã“ã¡ã‚‰ðŸ‘‡https://t.co/MqxoL8fwXK

ãƒã‚±ãƒƒãƒˆä¸€èˆ¬ç™ºå£²ä¸­â€¼ï¸https://t.co/S0M4DZA7tr#超RIZIN5
🎇 pic.twitter.com/pk2jz64mhZ

— RIZIN FF OFFICIAL (@rizin_PR)
July 20, 2026

Ian
Garry believes defeating
Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Islam
Makhachev at UFC
330 would make his greatness “undeniable.”

The Irish welterweight challenges Makhachev for the 170-pound title
in the UFC 330 headliner on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in
Philadelphia. Considering the Dagestani champion's accolades,
taking the title off him is a monumental feat, according to
Garry.

Ian Garry views UFC 330 clash with Islam Makhachev as a
career-defining fight

Ahead of their fight, Garry acknowledged the magnitude of the
challenge, calling Makhachev the best fighter in mixed martial arts
today.

“I know how good Islam Makhachev is,†Garry told High Performance.
“I know how talented he is. He's 29-1 in the sport. He's a
two-weight division champion. He's the most successful lightweight
champion of all time and had the most lightweight defenses of all
time. He is the current welterweight champion of the world. He came
up a division and won the title. He is tied for the longest active
win streak in UFC history, and if he wins his next fight against
me, he will break the record for the longest consecutive wins.â€

Despite his appreciation for Makhachev’s accomplishments and
skills, Garry remains confident that his own arsenal is enough to
dethrone the champion. “The Future” claims a victory over Makhachev
would remove any remaining questions about his standing in the
sport.

“When I beat him, there can be no doubt. When I beat him, it is
undeniable that I am great,†he added.

Dustin Poirier is puzzled by Michael Chandler hinting at a possible move to 170 pounds, and would prefer seeing “Iron†hang up his gloves.

Chandler has long been know for his exciting fighting style, but many believe Father Time has caught up. Chandler has lost four straight bouts and he's gone 1-6 in his last seven fights. In that stretch, the former three-time Bellator champion has been stopped four times.

In his latest effort on the UFC Freedom 250 card, Chandler was finished by Mauricio Ruffy in the opening frame. “Iron†hasn't scored a victory since May 2022 when he knocked out Tony Ferguson with a front kick.

Recently, Chandler took to social media to say he was done “starving†himself, and he has begun to bulk up. Many took this as a welterweight tease, but Poirier hopped on the “Deep Waters†podcast and admitted he doesn't feel it makes sense for Chandler to continue his prizefighting career (via MMAJunkie).

“With all due respect, we buried the hatchet and shook hands,†Poirier said. “But Michael Chandler, what are we doing?â€

“The Diamond†then weighed in on the thought of Chandler possibly moving up to welterweight, and he thinks such a decision would make things worse for his former foe.

“I saw a thing, I don't know if this is official news, but he said he might move up to welterweight,†Poirier said. “If 155ers are stopping you and you're taking all this damage, what are 170ers going to do? He's too short. He's not long enough. I want to know what he's fighting for.â€

Poirier actually started Chandler's rough skid when the two went to war on the UFC 281 card back in Nov. 2022. Poirier submitted Chandler in the third round via rear-naked choke inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. Both men earned “Fight of the Night†bonuses.

Do you think Michael Chandler would be best served retiring from pro MMA competition at this stage, or can he still be competitive to some degree? Drop your opinion in the comments below.