Kai Asakura is promising fireworks against Aoriqileng in Shanghai, vowing to unveil a new combination on his way to a knockout as he builds on his revived bantamweight run. Elsewhere, Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Khabib's cousin, is set to return to competition after three years away from combat sports, and Ronda Rousey, a UFC Hall of Famer herself, is reportedly helping Jena Bishop prepare for her rematch with Liz Carmouche. Over in PFL, Cris Cyborg ground out a bloody unanimous decision over Ketlen Vieira for her ninth straight win in what could be her final fight with the promotion.
Sources (14)
We summarise the day's news in our own words. Full credit to the outlets below for the original reporting, click through to read their work.
- Bilal Hasan sees ‘prophecy’ in UFC debut on Michael Jackson’s birthday (Sherdog)
- Kai Asakura Promises New Knockout Combination For Aoriqileng At UFC Shanghai (MiddleEasy)
- Islam Makhachev reveals how many fights he has left before retirement (Sherdog)
- Bella Mir stunned in historic DWCS upset as Dana White awards five contracts (Sherdog)
- DWCS winner Joseph Kropschot lands UFC debut just weeks after earning contract (Sherdog)
- Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousin returns to combat sports 3 years after last fight (Sherdog)
- Charles Oliveira shoots down UFC title eliminators against Arman, Paddy Pimblett, ‘I’m next in line ... I can wait’ (MMA Mania)
- ‘Holy fraud check’: Pros react to Bella Mir’s shocking upset loss on Contender Series (MMA Fighting)
- New UFC signing sends warning to entire welterweight division (Sherdog)
- Kai Asakura vows to show ‘new combination’ in UFC Shanghai KO bid (Sherdog)
- Nick Galanti credits former UFC fighter following 35-second DWCS knockout (Sherdog)
- Guilherme Uriel corrects his DWCS ‘sin’ with 50-second submission (Sherdog)
- Ronda Rousey trains with Jena Bishop ahead of Liz Carmouche rematch (Sherdog)
- Cyborg bloodied, outlasts Vieira in likely PFL finale (ESPN MMA)
Split from that day's roundup, so the sources listed are the full set behind the whole edition rather than this story alone.
This story ran in the August 26, 2026 edition of the daily show.