Skip to main content
The Feed

The Roundup: biggest MMA & UFC stories, Aug 28

Usman blasts the lightweight rankings, Shanghai weigh-ins go sideways, Danis is out, and Itauma keeps chasing Tyson's ghost.

Usman Nurmagomedov says the lightweight top ten is smoke and mirrors

Usman Nurmagomedov is not interested in playing nice with the UFC's 155 pound rankings [5]. He came out and said the current lightweight top ten is a product of a "PR machine" rather than actual merit [9]. That is a bold thing to say about a division stacked with names the promotion loves to push, and it is going to get people talking, whether they agree with him or not [5]. Say what you want about the timing, but Usman does not seem worried about making enemies on his way up [9].

UFC Shanghai has a weigh-in mess on its hands

Weigh-ins are supposed to be routine, but Shanghai just delivered what got called a rare mishap when both fighters in one matchup missed weight [4]. That almost never happens on a UFC card, and it is the kind of story that changes how a fight gets scored on the commission paperwork before a single punch gets thrown [4]. Whatever penalties come out of this, both camps are walking into fight night with a cloud over the bout [4].

Dillon Danis is out, and the reason is ugly

Dillon Danis has pulled out of his scheduled fight, and the report behind it centers on disturbing images tied to the situation [3]. This is not a normal injury withdrawal story, it is being framed around pictures described as horrible, which is a much bigger deal than a tweaked hamstring [3]. Expect this one to keep generating headlines well past the actual date the fight was supposed to happen [3].

Moses Itauma is still chasing Mike Tyson's record, and he does not care about the jokes

Moses Itauma keeps getting hit with jabs calling him too young, like he belongs in school instead of a heavyweight cage, and he is brushing every bit of it off [6]. His actual goal has nothing to do with the jokes. He wants to become the youngest heavyweight champion since Mike Tyson [6]. That is a real, specific bar to clear, and Itauma talking about it publicly means he is not shying away from the pressure that comes with chasing a Tyson level achievement [6]. Heavyweight prospects talk big all the time, but naming Tyson specifically raises the stakes on everything Itauma does from here [6].

Umar Nurmagomedov has had enough of Dvalishvili's "Disrespect" talk

Umar Nurmagomedov is done listening to Merab Dvalishvili's ongoing "Disrespect" narrative and basically told him to stop crying about it [8]. This is not a new feud, but Umar going out of his way to publicly shut it down shows the back and forth has gotten under his skin [8]. When one bantamweight contender starts telling another to quit whining, that is not the sound of a rivalry cooling off [8].

Khabib Nurmagomedov is the reason Pimblett and Holloway got fined, according to a legendary referee

That is a wild detail. Khabib has been retired from active competition for a while now, and he is still directly connected to disciplinary action landing on two current UFC stars [10]. Whatever Khabib said or did to trigger this, it clearly carried enough weight that a referee with real credibility felt the need to confirm it publicly [10].

Carlos Prates has a plan to dethrone Islam Makhachev

Carlos Prates is not shy about his confidence heading toward a shot at Islam Makhachev, and he has laid out an actual plan for how he thinks the fight goes [12]. Prates believes Makhachev is going to run into real trouble against him, and he is saying so out loud instead of hedging [12]. Makhachev has been near untouchable at the top of the sport, so any challenger publicly mapping out how they beat him is worth paying attention to, and Prates sounds like he means every word of it [12].

Sources

Open Scoring MMA is a daily AI-produced MMA and UFC news podcast. Listen on Spotify, read the Feed, or get every episode by email.