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Topuria Fires Back, Chimaev's Yes-Men, and UFC 331 Looms

Ilia Topuria is medically cleared and taking fresh shots at Justin Gaethje, Gilbert Burns is warning Khamzat Chimaev about his inner circle, and UFC 331 is nearly here.

Topuria Fires Back, Chimaev's Yes-Men, and UFC 331 Looms

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The featherweight rivalry between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje just got louder, Gilbert Burns is doling out career advice for Khamzat Chimaev, and this weekend's flyweight title rematch anchors a stacked run of upcoming cards. Here's what's moving today.

Topuria Back To Full Health, Still Talking Trash

Ilia Topuria says he's back to full fitness after his first career loss to Justin Gaethje, and he wasted no time getting back to needling his rival. Topuria thanked his supporters and joked that next time he'll make sure officials check Gaethje's gloves so he doesn't put anything weird on them, before mocking Gaethje's explanation for the loss by telling him to do better. Gaethje, for his part, responded on record that he'd be open to a rematch, saying he already beat the crap out of Topuria once and would do it again, while ESPN's Anik floated the idea that the UFC should seriously consider putting Topuria back in a title picture given how big their White House main event was.

Pantoja Chases Redemption Against Van

UFC 331 lands this weekend with Joshua Van defending the flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja, who is looking to win back the belt he lost when their first fight ended early due to injury. The co-main pits Arman Tsarukyan against Mauricio Ruffy in a lightweight clash that could shake up the divisional picture. It's a rematch built entirely on unfinished business, and Pantoja gets his chance to settle it properly this time.

Burns Sees Triple Champ Upside For Chimaev

Gilbert Burns believes Khamzat Chimaev has the talent to become the UFC's first ever three division champion, but he's cautioning that the biggest threat to that path isn't an opponent, it's the people Chimaev keeps close. Burns argues that surrounding himself with yes-men rather than people who'll challenge him honestly could be what stands between Chimaev and stacking up titles across weight classes. High praise paired with a pointed warning about who gets a say in Chimaev's next moves.

Steveson Dangles Possibility Of Jones Return

Gable Steveson, who trains under Jon Jones, is stoking speculation that his mentor could still have a run left in him. Steveson suggested that a vacant heavyweight belt could be exactly what reignites Jones' competitive fire, hinting there's real motivation for the former double champion to lace the gloves back up. Nothing is locked in, but Steveson clearly isn't ruling out seeing Jones back in the Octagon.

Pereira Keeps Needling Gane Over Title Talk

Alex Pereira is having fun at Ciryl Gane's expense following Tom Aspinall's exit from the heavyweight picture, taking multiple jabs at Gane's claim to champion status. The back and forth adds another layer of heat to an already crowded heavyweight conversation, with Pereira making clear he's not letting Gane's title talk go unanswered.

From the community

Over on r/MMA, fans are talking about this: Ilia Topuria’s physical trainer, Jesus Gallo, says Ilia is NOT ready to fight despite Dana White’s recent comments.

Sources

Every source behind today's roundup (14)

We summarize the day's news in our own words. Full credit to the outlets below for the original reporting, click through to read their work:

Open Scoring MMA is a daily AI-produced MMA and UFC news podcast. Listen to today's episode, read the full Feed, or get every episode by email.

Episode transcript

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Welcome to Open Scoring MMA. This is episode 91 for September 17th, 2026, your daily look at what's happening now and next across the world of MMA and UFC. DUKE: Big one to open with, Ilia Topuria says he's cleared for his UFC return.
NORA: Full fitness, and he's already taking shots at Justin Gaethje.
DUKE: Of course he is.
NORA: He posted this to The Mac Life, quote, "Thanks to everyone for the support. Next time I'll make sure they check Justin's gloves so he doesn't put anything weird on them. See you soon," end quote.
DUKE: Wait, gloves? That's a real accusation.
NORA: That's the allegation, yeah, and Gaethje's already been asked about it.
DUKE: What'd he say?
NORA: He didn't touch the gloves thing directly, but on Yahoo Sports MMA, when asked if he'd run it back, he said, quote, "We'll see, time will tell," end quote.
DUKE: Real committal.
NORA: Very.
DUKE: And Freedom 250 was massive, that's the White House card where Gaethje handed Topuria his first loss.
NORA: Right, title fight, first loss of his career.
DUKE: So the rematch chatter's already loud, and he's not even back in camp yet.
NORA: Anik agrees, said there's quote, "strong consideration there," end quote for putting Topuria right back into title talk.
DUKE: Topuria's not letting up either.
NORA: No, he fired off another one, quote, "94 days and the best you could come up with is a lame excuse. As terrible as your last performance. Do better kid." end quote.
DUKE: Brutal.
NORA: Not exactly an olive branch.
DUKE: Meanwhile over on Reddit, the whole thing's getting picked apart.
NORA: Yeah, the r slash MMA crowd is all over a report that Topuria's own physical trainer, Jesus Gallo, has stated that Ilia Topuria will return in 2027 and is slowly returning to training.
DUKE: So there's a real gap between the camp and the promotion right now.
NORA: There is, and until he's actually booked, I'd trust the trainer over the hype every time.
DUKE: Speaking of the Topuria family, Ilia's brother Aleksandre is reportedly locked in for a return this November.
NORA: No opponent yet, but he's expected back before the year's out.
DUKE: Good timing for the brand with all this Ilia noise running at the same time.
NORA: Keeps the whole family in the headlines either way.
DUKE: Also filed under comebacks, Robelis Despaigne.
NORA: He says the time outside the UFC actually fixed the hole in his heavyweight game.
DUKE: Bold claim for a guy who got cut.
NORA: Bold, but heavyweight's thin enough that if he really did fix something, there's a lane waiting for him.
DUKE: We'll see when he steps back in the cage.
NORA: And speaking of stepping back in, this Saturday it's Alexandre Pantoja trying to get his flyweight title back from Joshua Van. Pantoja lost that belt to Van, and remember, he was dealing with an injury in that first fight.
DUKE: So this isn't just another title shot, it's a real rematch with an asterisk.
NORA: Exactly, and if that injury really mattered, this version of Pantoja could look completely different.
DUKE: Sterling's trying to jump the line at featherweight too.
NORA: He prefers to avoid fighting Jean Silva.
DUKE: Smart, make it the fight instead of just a fight.
NORA: Silva's been climbing fast, so attaching himself to that puts Sterling right back in title talk without five more wins.
DUKE: Gilbert Burns has been busy talking up Khamzat Chimaev.
NORA: Two separate pieces, same message. Burns thinks Chimaev can be a three division champion, first ever in UFC history if he pulls it off.
DUKE: That kind of praise gets thrown around a lot though.
NORA: Sure, but Burns backs it with a real caveat, he says the yes men around Chimaev are the actual danger, not whoever's across the cage.
DUKE: Meaning?
NORA: Meaning if people just tell him what he wants to hear instead of pushing back on gameplans, that's what costs him the run, not the competition.
DUKE: Fair, talent's never been the question with that guy.
NORA: Never.
DUKE: Now Alex Pereira's not done trolling Ciryl Gane either.
NORA: No, he's taking the champion label and throwing it right back at Gane now that Tom Aspinall has vacated his heavyweight title.
DUKE: With Aspinall gone that heavyweight picture's wide open.
NORA: And Pereira's clearly enjoying poking at Gane about exactly where that leaves him.
DUKE: Petty.
NORA: Petty, but it's Pereira reminding everyone he's still got a mouth on him even while he's out of action.
DUKE: Come on, it's a little funny too.
NORA: A little.
DUKE: Mokaev's making news for what he didn't do.
NORA: He turned down a UFC BJJ title opportunity that was actually offered to him.
DUKE: That's wild for a guy who's been chasing gold his whole career.
NORA: Tells you he's got a very specific picture of how that title shot needs to look, and he's willing to wait for it.
DUKE: Big name floating around too, Jon Jones.
NORA: Gable Steveson, his protege, thinks a vacant belt could put the fire back in him.
DUKE: Vacant meaning heavyweight's open with Aspinall gone.
NORA: Right, and Steveson's actually teasing that Jones could be on his way back to the UFC.
DUKE: Jones coming back for a vacant heavyweight strap would be one of the biggest bookings of the year, easily.
NORA: It would, but this is still teasing and hinting, not a booking.
DUKE: Fair enough, don't spend the rent money yet.
NORA: Not yet.
DUKE: One from the archives, Tyron Woodley opened up about hitting rock bottom after losing his title to Kamaru Usman.
NORA: That rivalry basically defined a chunk of welterweight history, and hearing him talk about the mental side of that loss is a reminder how brutal that stretch really was.
DUKE: Good context for anyone who only knows him as a commentator now.
NORA: The man carried real weight after that one.
DUKE: Alright, let's get into what's actually on the schedule. This Saturday, UFC 331, Van versus Pantoja.
NORA: Joshua Van defends the flyweight belt against Alexandre Pantoja, and Arman Tsarukyan meets Mauricio Ruffy right underneath it.
DUKE: Tsarukyan and Ruffy is a real stylistic clash on its own, forget that it's just the undercard.
NORA: It is, Tsarukyan's grappling pedigree against Ruffy's chaos and power, that's a genuine test for both of their spots near the lightweight top ten. Norbert Novenyi Junior takes on Theo Haig, and Jaden Ortega faces Alvi Dasuyev underneath.
DUKE: Contender Series is always worth a look, that's where next year's roster gets built.
NORA: Every year somebody off that show ends up in a real title picture within a couple years.
DUKE: Alright, time for the OSM Pick. What's the model got this week?
NORA: Brian Ortega versus Renato Moicano.
DUKE: Moicano's the favorite on the books, right?
NORA: Minus two fifteen, market's pricing him around sixty six percent.
DUKE: And us?
NORA: Seventy two percent on Moicano.
DUKE: So we're higher than Vegas.
NORA: By a good bit, this is a real value play for us.
DUKE: Talk me into it.
NORA: Size, mostly. Moicano's got three inches on Ortega in height and three inches in reach, that's substantial at this weight.
DUKE: Ortega's used to fighting bigger guys though.
NORA: Sure, but pair that reach with his wrestling and it's a different problem. If he turns this into a grappling fight, he neutralizes Ortega's whole striking rhythm before it even starts.
DUKE: Ortega's a killer off his back too, that BJJ is elite.
NORA: It is, but Moicano's not just a striker forced into scrambles, he's a strong grappler who can dictate location and pace, not just survive there.
DUKE: Okay, that's the part that actually worries me for Ortega.
NORA: Same. And honestly, my own gut lines up with the model here, I like Moicano beyond just the numbers.
DUKE: Strong lean.
NORA: Confidence level strong, yeah. This is one of our real value picks.
DUKE: How's the model doing overall lately?
NORA: Seventy seven and twenty two, hit rate point seven seven eight.
DUKE: And the market?
NORA: Point seven nine two, so no, we're not beating the market straight up right now.
DUKE: Rough.
NORA: But the value picks are thirteen and two, and this Moicano lean fits right into that bucket.
DUKE: I'll take thirteen and two every time.
NORA: Same.
DUKE: My own call record's one and one, so I'm not exactly untouchable either.
NORA: I'm oh and one. Let's just say we're both due.
DUKE: That's the show for today.
NORA: Big weekend coming with Pantoja chasing that belt back.
DUKE: And a lot of noise still swirling around Topuria and Gaethje.
NORA: Catch it all right here tomorrow.
DUKE: See y'all then.
One more thing before we go. We've got Renato Moicano taking this one. Think we're wrong? Tell us in the comments. And while you're here, two quick ones. Our free Fight Tracker is at tracker dot open scoring m m a dot com, with every upcoming UFC and PFL card, live odds, and where to watch, all in one place. And follow us on YouTube, just search Open Scoring MMA, for breaking news alerts, fight breakdowns, and videos you won't get here on the feed. That's it for today's Open Scoring MMA. Keep your hands up, and we'll see you next time.