The episode dropped during the busy UFC 329/2026 International Fight Week, and found Team Cormier and Team Bisping tied at two wins a piece.

“You’re a killer, you f*cking hit hard,” Bisping tells his student, Alves. “You’re very good on the ground, but you’ve got power in your hands, you’ve got power in your kicks, your knees,” he adds, before telling her that the other cast members aren’t her friends.

Meanwhile, “The Count” lies to Urijah Faber, Black’s usual coach, and tells him that she’s on his team. That allows him to get the inside scoop on Black right from the horses mouth. When he later fesses up to it, Faber texts him back. “You weasel.”

Alves lost her dad at age 10 from MS, and was raised by her mom. She’s looking to give her mother and sisters a better life.

Fellow Brazilian Tina Black started training when he sister invited her to the gym, and it was “love at first sight.” By the time she was 14 or 15, she took her first fight, in kickboxing. She’d switch to MMA, make her way to California, and be training with Faber’s Team Alpha MMA (formerly Team Alpha Male).

Alves has a rough weight cut ahead of the pair’s fight. “One hour and it’s over,” Bisping tells her. Dana White notes that if a fighter is heavy, they get an additional hour at weigh-ins. But there’s a concern that if they stop the weight cut for Cormier’s team to weigh in, it could set her back. So they opt to send an assistant coach to witness Black weigh in, while Alves goes straight into her extra hour. Black hits 116, while Alves comes down to the final minute. It’s the only weigh-in, since she immediately took her additional hour. Behind the barrier, Alves is 116.5. Cormier, Bisping, and the commission rep debate whether Alves cutting her hair would make the difference.

Instead, to secure the fight, Michael Bisping agrees to shave his head, with Cormier doing the honors. That after talk of a payout to Black, but Cormier prefers torturing Bisping a bit.

“This is a weird way to resolve not making weight, but good for Tina Black for not taking the easy way out,” says Dana White, who notes that she could have won by forfeit.

Tina Black vs. Natalia Alves

Alves and Black, despite Natalia’s strength on the ground, plays out on the feet for the first half round. And ultimately the entire frame. Black has an obvious edge in power, and is able to fight Alves off when she tries to close the distance. By the midway mark of round one, coach Bisping is urging Alves to throw. She does get an outside leg kick and right hand going, but nearly every attack sees her forced back by Black’s powerful punches. When she changes levels, Black gets underhooks and is able to fend her off.

Cormier is liking what he sees from his fighter. Between rounds, Bisping tells Alves that the round belonged to Tina Black. As the second gets underway, it looks strikingly similar to round one. A well-placed punch by Black causes Alves to falter. Black’s uppercut and right hand look nasty. She adds kicks, and is landing at a much higher rate than Alves. There’s no need for a third round after ten minutes has passed: Tina Black had the clear edge throughout. She doesn’t let up, however, landing some nasty blows including a knee to the body with under two minutes on the clock. “Tina, she’s hurt!” hollers Cormier. Alves is slowing, her body language concerning. She begins covering up and retreating more than fighting. Multiple knees to the body land. “Fight back!” urges the ref.

Black is showing great accuracy on top of power, and finally the ref calls it. A TKO win for Black in round two, at 4:08!

Next Week on The Ultimate Fighter 34

With Black in the strawweight semifinals, it’s back to the men’s bantamweights. It’s the grudge match up next. Illimbek Akylbek Uulu from Team Bisping gets Sean Mora of Team Cormier, after Mora cut Uulu during tryouts. Cormier and Bisping have to get between them as they face off. “Dirty fighter,” Uulu calls Mora. This looks like a good one!

The post The Ultimate Fighter 34: Drama At the Scale in Ep. 5 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Jourdain (18-8-1) will take on Marlon “Chito” Vera (23-12-1) as part of a UFC event on September 19, 2026, though the location and venue have yet to be confirmed by the promotion. Rumors have had this date set as UFC 331 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, with MMA LatinoAmerica first reporting the news.

That same source later noted that UFC 331 had shifted to Sept. 12, with the promotion heading to Arizona for a Fight Night event on the 19th. Either way, Iridium Sports Agency, who represent Vera, have now confirmed the pair will fight on September 19, without confirming the location.

Jourdain is a perfect 3-0 since dropping to the bantamweight division in November 2024. He’s won post-fight bonuses in all three of those assignments, earning wins over Victor Henry, Davey Grant, and Kyler Phillips.

Jourdain currently sits ranked #13 at 135lbs per the UFC’s META AI rankings panel, but is unranked under the human-driven media rankings. Vera, who has not won a fight since challenging Sean O’Malley for gold at UFC 299 in 2024, is unranked by META, and #10 in the media rankings.

Chito Vera’s struggles of late have included losses to Deiveson Figueiredo, David Martinez, and Jourdain’s fellow countryman Aiemann Zahabi.

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Back in 2024, a full two years ago, McGregor was booked opposite The Ultimate Fighter 31 rival coach Michael Chandler, with the pair set to headline UFC 303. Shortly before the fight arrived, McGregor pulled out with a broken toe, leading to Alex Pereira vs. Jiri Prochazka being signed as the card’s new main event.

The internet being what it is, the usual crackpots and conspiracy theorists immediately cried foul, suggesting McGregor was running from the fight. However, during the latest episode of Countdown promoting UFC 329, footage of McGregor breaking his toe has been included.

Modern-day Conor provides a voiceover outlining what led to the setback. “There was lapses of concentration in the training. I am the leader of the training, so if there’s lapses of concentration, it filters down. And that is what took place,” states McGregor in the episode. “The training partner had no protection, and next thing you know, bang! Broke my f*cking toe.”

“The injury happened, it was very very difficult. It was my only time I ever pulled out of a fight for The Ultimate Fighting Championship. And it was a very, very tough one.”

Conor McGregor now returns to action against Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329 on July 11, 2026. The pair first met in 2013 in a featherweight fight, with McGregor winning a unanimous decision. The rematch will be contested at welterweight, two divisions north of their original encounter.

McGregor has not competed since breaking his leg in the rubber match of his trilogy with Dustin Poirier in 2021.

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Farid Basharat was expected to face Ethyn Ewing in a bantamweight scrap, but with Ewing injured, it will instead be John Garza stepping in on short notice.

Heavy.com’s Marcel Dorff first reported the news, with Garza’s team, Ranger MMA, confirming he had signed on for the event.

Basharat (15-0) is ranked #15 overall in the UFC’s official rankings as voted on by members of the media, and #10 in its Meta rankings, an AI-fueled rankings panel that it is slowly transitioning to. The Afghan fighter recently revealed that he’s fighting out his contract at the event (h/t MMA Fighting), rolling the dice on a big performance this coming Saturday.

Basharat’s brother Javid did the same earlier this year, and despite picking up a win over Gianni Vázquez was not re-signed by the company. He has since joined the PFL.

Garza (6-1) has won his last five fights, and has gone 4-0 under the Fury FC banner. The 23-year old fighting out of Dallas, Texas turned pro in 2024.

UFC 329 is headlined by the return of Conor McGregor, MMA’s biggest star, who has not competed since breaking his leg in the rubber match of his trilogy with Dustin Poirier five years ago. He’s set to face Max Holloway in a rematch from their featherweight days.

Taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 11, 2026, the card now breaks down as follows:

• Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway
• Benoît Saint Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett
• Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista
• Brandon Royval vs. Lone’er Kavanagh
• King Green vs. Terrance McKinney
• Robert Whittaker vs. Nikita Krylov
• Gable Steveson vs. Elisha Ellison
• Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yañez
• Luke Riley vs. Kai Kamaka III
• Tracy Cortez vs. Wang Cong
• Damian Pinas vs. César Almeida
• Ryan Gandra vs. Zachary Reese
• Alessandro Costa vs. Cody Durden
• Farid Basharat vs. John Garza

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In something of a late addition to the Fight Night card on July 25, Ponzinibbio (30-9) will face Sam Patterson (14-3-1) at the event, set for the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Promotion officials announced the booking on Friday.

“The Argentine Dagger” Ponzinibbio, now 39, was once a hot hand in the 170lb weight class, but has fallen to 2-5 across his last seven fights. His last win came over Carlston Harris in January 2025, while his last fight saw him finished by Daniel “D-Rod” Rodriguez in May of that year.

Patterson, meanwhile, is coming off a loss against Michael “Venom” Page, but getting his second straight big name assignment. Prior to losing to MVP, Patterson had won four consecutive bouts.

UFC Abu Dhabi is headlined by a light heavyweight bout between ex-champ Magomed Ankalaev, and former title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. The following fights are expected to feature on the July 25 card:

• Magomed Ankalaev vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
• Steve Erceg vs. Ramazan Temirov
• Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune
• Islam Dulatov vs. Wellington Turman
• Ismael Bonfim vs. Axel Sola
• Valter Walker vs. Thomas Petersen
• Uran Satybaldiev vs. Dustin Jacoby
• Magomed Zaynukov vs. Damian Rzepecki
• Magomed Tuchalov vs. Brendson Ribeiro
• Mike Davis vs. Nurullo Aliev
• Magomedrasul Gasanov vs. Abubakar Vagaev
• Muin Gafurov vs. Abdul Hussein
• Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Sam Patterson

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The UFC Shanghai headliner will see bantamweights Umar Nurmagomedov (20-1) and Song Yadong (23-9-1, 1NC) collide on August 29 (Aug. 30 locally), 2026.

Red Fury MMA was first to report the news, with Yadong later confirming the booking on his Instagram story.

Nurmagomedov, cousin of retired lightweight champ and Hall of Famer Khabib, has won back-to-back fights since losing a title bid against Merab Dvalishvili last year. Most recently, the 30-year old Dagestani earned a unanimous decision over former flyweight champ Deivson Figueiredo.

Prior to that, it was a similar one-sided affair against Mario Bautista. Dvlaishvili remains the lone blemish on Umar Nurmagomedov’s record.

China’s Yadong likewise is coming off a victory over Figueiredo, after submitting him in a Performance of the Night-winning effort back in May. The Chinese bantamweight is 2-2 in his last four fights, with the other win coming over ex-champ Henry Cejudo.

Nurmagomedov is ranked #3, and Yadong #5, in the UFC’s official rankings as voted on by members of the media. No other fights have been reported or announced for the UFC Shanghai card thus far. The card marks the company’s third visit to Shanghai.

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On Thursday, promotion officials announced that Salkilld (12-1) will face Mateusz Gamrot (26-4, 1NC) in the main event of UFC Vegas 120 on August 8, 2026.

Gamrot is ranked #8 in the lightweight division, while 26-year old Gamrot holds the #12 spot. The card takes place at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, NV.

Salkilld, who graduated to the UFC via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024, is 5-0 to start his run with the company. He’s earned four Performance of the Night bonuses in those five fights, including in his last three victories over Nasrat Haqparast, Jamie Mullarkey, and Beneil Dariush.

At 35, Poland’s Gamrot is far from over the hill (Justin Gaethje just proved as much), but if he wants to make a run at the UFC’s lightweight title, he’ll need to find some consistency. He’s 2-2 in his last four, trading wins and losses and coming off a victory over Esteban Ribovics in April.

Gamrot, however, holds victories over ex-champ Rafael dos Anjos, striking star Rafael Fiziev, and current number one contender Arman Tsarukyan. That at the least could shorten his path to the title, though at this point, the division is waiting on champ Justin Gaethje to decide his next move, while the shadow of Conor McGregor looms.

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In a press release issued on Wednesday, UFC officials confirmed that welterweight wins leader Neil Magny (31-15) was joining UFC 330, where he’ll take on Ramiz Brahimaj (13-6). News of the fight was initially reported by Heavy.com.

Also added to the card, Jalin Turner (15-9), who will face off against Kauê Fernandes (11-2) in a lightweight bout.

Magny has the most wins, fights, and fight time in UFC welterweight division history, and is tied for the most wins in a calendar year in any weight class, with five back in 2014. Magny is coming off a submission loss against Yaroslav Amosov, the former Bellator champ, that snapped a two-fight win streak.

Brahimaj had his own three-fight win streak halted by Punahele Soriano back in February.

Jalin Turner (15-9) enters UFC 330 off a finish of Edson Barboza, who is also fighting on the Philly card. That win ended a brief retirement for Turner, who is still just 31-years old.

Opponent Fernandes is 3-1 in the UFC to date, winning three straight since losing his debut against Marc “Bonecrusher” Diakiese.

UFC 330 is headlined by a welterweight title fight, with champ Islam Makhachev taking on Ian Machado Garry. Mackenzie Dern looks to defend her women’s strawweight championship against Canada’s Gillian Robertson in the co-headliner.

The card as reported to date breaks down as follows:

• Islam Makhachev (c) vs. Ian Machado Garry – for the UFC welterweight championship
• Mackenzie Dern (c) vs. Gillian Robertson – for the UFC women’s strawweight championship
• Neil Magny vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
• Jalin Turner vs. Kauê Fernandes
• Geoff Neal vs. Chidi Njokuani
• Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
• Jeremiah Wells vs. Myktybek Orolbai
• Vicente Luque vs. Tresean Gore
• Edson Barboza vs. Esteban Ribovics
• Erin Blanchfield vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius

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Speaking with Cageside Press during the PFL’s Summer Series kickoff, Rosta reflected on his last outing, which saw him finished by Kasanganay.

“At the end of the day when I look at that fight, I was fighting smart up until I wasn’t, I was fighting well up until I wasn’t,” stated Rosta (11-3). “Same story with the fight before that. F*ck Fabian Edwards. I just can’t do that going forward. I gotta fight smart, and I can’t turn sh*t into a coin flip.”

Rosta recognizes that in his fight with Impa Kasanganay, he was throwing to take his opponent’s head off, and slipped because of it. That sort of wild approach backfired, and adjustments must be made. Still, he remains in the mix at a time where the PFL’s middleweight division is arguably its hottest.

“I’m still right in the mix. A win over Bryan Battle, I’m right there. I’m one fight away, if that. With the performance I put on Bryan Battle, people are going to be like ‘aww he lost two in a row, why would you give him a title shot after that?’ It could f*cking happen. When the numbers make sense, it’s a business at the end of the day, and there’s really nobody else in line.”

As Rosta pointed out, Fabian Edwards just lost, while Johnny Eblen and Impa Kasangany are fighting for an interim belt. “Who’s next after that? It could be me. They could make me do one more, but I guarantee you I’m not far out. And this one’s gonna put me right back in the mix.”

Rosta started his career a perfect 8-0, and avenged his first loss to Aaron Jeffery. In the gym, alongside the likes of Johnny Eblen, he’s acquitted himself well. “When I’m at my best, I’m the best on the planet period, and I whole-heartedly believe that,” stated Rosta. He feels that even Eblen will attest to his skills, it’s just a matter of showing he can put it all together in a fight.

“It’s just about putting that into play. I can do it at practice, I see what my potential is, I can see what I’m capable of, but for some reason it hasn’t been translating. So we gotta make it translate,” admitted Rosta. “I don’t know what the answer is. Hard work doesn’t guarantee success, but I’m going to keep working hard anyway, I’m going to keep knocking on that door, and if nobody lets me in, I’m going to kick the b*tch down.”

Watch our full interview with PFL Charlotte’s Dalton Rosta above. The event takes place on August 7, 2026 at the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, NC.

The post PFL Charlotte’s Dalton Rosta: “I’m Still Right in the Mix” appeared first on Cageside Press.

It will have been nearly a year between fights for the undefeated Jean (11-0), a breakout star for the Professional Fighters League last year. “I wanted to get into the cage in January. I wanted to get back beginning of the year, but it’s up to the PFL at the end of the day when it comes to when I fight because I am fighting with the PFL,” he told Cageside Press in a recent exclusive interview. “At the same time, I’m happy that I’m fighting now and not then, because I’m ready. I’m ready.”

Jean was not expected to win last year’s World Tournament at lightweight, especially not with former Bellator stars (and champions) Logan Storley and Jason Jackson in his way. Instead, he beat both, along with the talented Mukhamed Berkhamov. That tournament win, worth half a million dollars, allowed Jean to reinvest in himself.

“Because of the tournament, I was able to go into the gym full time. After the tournament, yeah I took a little vacation, I took a month off, and I went right back to it,” stated Jean. “It was every day. It is my job, it is my career. You have to take it as if it’s nine to five. And it’s not a nine to five. I’m only in there a couple of hours out of the day. Yeah it’s spread out throughout the day, but it’s only a couple of hours, I would say four hours a day that I’m training, and most people are at work for nine, eight to nine hours.”

In other words, Jean knows he’s in a good place. He also added that he’s not just a “fight camp” type of fighter. “I don’t just go into the gym once I have a fight camp. I’m constantly in the gym trying to get better, trying to level up my skills, trying to make sure that I am on top of my game.”

With the vacant welterweight title on the line, Jean is now tasked with Shamil Musaev next. The match-up isn’t entirely a surprise, but still a weird quirk. Musaev is coming off a loss to Ramazan Kuramagomedov, but Kuramagomedov chose to retire immediately after their fight. The bout, however, helped Jean learn a little about his upcoming opponent.

“Shmail was undefeated before that. We all took away something, that he can be beaten. And that he accepts pressure, and he’s not really good under pressure,” suggested Jean. “Unless you’re someone like Logan Storley. When Logan Storley was applying pressure to him, Logan Storley had one thing on his mind. What? Take him down. So what did Shamil Do? He what, hit him with the uppercut? And that’s what rocked Logan Storley.”

Ramazan Kuramagomedov mixed up striking and clinching instead, “and that’s what I think threw Shamil off, is that yeah, one this is good pressure, but at the same time, he’s not going right down for the legs.”

“We figured some things out. There are more things to it, but we figured out one thing. And not just me, but we all did,” Jean finished.

Watch our full interview with PFL Washington headliner Thad Jean above.

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