Announced by UFC officials, former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo (25-7-1), now competing at 135lbs for the past couple of years, will face off against rising star Payton Talbott (11-1). Also slotted in for the October 3, 2026 event, Johnny Walker (22-10, 1NC) will be making his heavyweight debut against Mick Parkin (10-1).

Promotion officials announced those two key pairings, as well as Marvin Vettori vs. Ismail Naurdiev and Imanol Rodríguez vs. Alden Coria, this week.

Coincidentally, Walker’s last opponent, Dominick Reyes, just recently made his own heavyweight debut, defeating Marcin Tybura. Walker, who came up short against Reyes, has just one victory to his name since May of 2023, a TKO of Zhang Mingyang.

The Brazilian faces England’s Parkin as he comes off his first career loss, coincidentally against Tybura, the man Reyes just defeated.

As for Figueiredo, the “God of War,” now 38, has hit hard times and is 1-4 across his last five bouts. Those include losses to Umar Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong, and it’s worth noting that Figueiredo has been fighting nothing but A-list talent for years.

Talbott has one career loss, to Raoni Barcelos, but bounced back from that with consecutive wins opposite Felipe Lima and now-retired double-champ Henry Cejudo.

UFC 332 takes place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah and does not have a main event set. The following match-ups have been reported for the October 3 card:

• Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Payton Talbott
• Johnny Walker vs. Mick Parkin
• Marvin Vettori vs. Ismail Naurdiev
• Ateba Gautier vs. Roman Kopylov
• Imanol Rodríguez vs. Alden Coria
• Damian Pinas vs. Andrey Pulyaev
• Court McGee vs. Eric Nolan

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Announced during Saturday’s UFC Vegas 120 card, which went down inside the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, the promotion will return to Salt Lake City, Utah for UFC 332. The event is set to take place at the Delta Center on October 3, 2026.

No fights have been officially announced for the event, which marks the fifth time the promotion has visited Salt Lake.

After making their debut in the Utah capital with a Fight Night event in 2016, the UFC returned in 2022, 2023, and 2024, each time for a numbered event including marquee headliners. UFC 307, their last trip to Utah, was capped off by Alex Pereira defending his belt opposite Khalil Rountree Jr.; prior to that, Justin Gaethje faced Dustin Poirier for the second time in the main event of UFC 291.

While no fights have been announced by the promotion for UFC 332, Johnny Walker is expected to make his heavyweight debut on the card. After a fight with Ante Delija fell through at UFC Belgrade earlier this month, Walker is now lined up to face English big man Mick Parkin.

Journalist Laerte Viana first reported news of the booking. UFC 332 is one of two numbered events for the promotion in the month of October, with UFC 333 taking place on October 24 in Abu Dhabi.

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The Polish heavyweight is hoping to remain on the roster and continue to climb the rankings.

“Today my contract with the UFC ended, that was my last fight, so right now I’ll be hoping (to) get a new one,” Tybura told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.

“This fight was about (proving) that I still belong in the top 10.”

Tybura (27-9) holds a 14-8 record in his run with the UFC, and 3-2 in his last fight bouts. His losses came at the hands of Serghei Spivac and current interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

His last two opponents were up-and-comers Parkin and Jhonata Diniz who are good fighters, but won’t help Tybura continue his rise. He hopes for someone with a number higher than his next.

“Two (wins) in a row, very talented opponents, so anyone (next). I feel like UFC (is) taking care of me just today I (fought) someone lower (ranked), last time too, and (I’ve) earned someone (ranked higher) than me,” he said.

Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Marcin Tybura above.

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Parkin had been a bright spot in his short UFC run, earning four straight wins since graduating from the Contender Series in 2022, and boasting a 10-0 record. His first fight of 2025 saw him get a step up in competition against “Tybur,” and while Parkin unsurprisingly held his own in early striking exchanges, he also had to contend with the grappling of Tybura. Mid-round, Tybura appeared to have a bodylock in place, clamping his wrists together while standing behind Parkin, but the takedown failed to materialize, and Parkin went back to slowly walking his opponent down, firing his right hand and mixing in a left.

At the very end of the round, it was Tybura landing a takedown, though Parkin’s corner believed it remained his round. Still, it was a rather close one.

In round two, it was Mick Parkin getting in the driver’s set when the fight went to the ground. On top, he landed some smashing ground n’ pound, hammer fists flying like Donkey Kong. Somehow, Tybura survived, and even briefly attempted to snatch a leg. Parkin was too crafty for that, though the Polish heavyweight would escape to his feet shortly thereafter, with a little over 90 seconds still on the clock.

Heading into the third round, Marcin Tybura was in need of, if not a finish, at least a change in approach, after being dominated for a good chunk of the second. Tybura looked tired though, a punch to the midsection looking particularly laboured with over three minutes remaining in the fight. Parkin landed his best strike of the round a minute or so later, a right hand that halted Tybura in his tracks for just a moment. He would recover, and hold on to the bell, with the #8-ranked Marcin Tybura doing just enough to secure another close round. That gave him the edge on all three scorecards, despite #13-ranked Parkin having the most dominant round overall in the second.

Official Result: Marcin Tybura def. Mick Parkin by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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The UFC announced the bouts on Tuesday.

Blachowicz (29-10) returns to action after more than a year away from the octagon. His last outing was a split-decision loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 291 in Salt Lake City, UT in 2023. The decision was debated after as many believed Blachowicz had done enough to come out victorious.

He had been scheduled to face Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 297 in Canada, but a shoulder injury took him out of the fight.

Ulberg (11-1) comes off a successful trip to Macau where he took a decision victory over Volkan Oezdemir. ‘Black Jag’ holds victories over Alonzo Menifield, Da Woon Jung, Ihor Potieria, and Oezdemir to name a few.

Also announced for UFC London is a heavyweight bout between Marcin Tybura and the Mick Parkin.

Tybura (26-9) comes off a doctor stoppage victory over Jhonata Diniz. He holds victories over Tai Tuivasa, Blagoy Ivanov, Greg Hardy and Ben Rothwell among his 13 UFC wins.

Parkin (10-0) continues his undefeated run having won 4 straight in the UFC after a successful Dana White’s Contender Series fight. He holds wins over Jamal Pogues, Caio Machado, Mohammed Usman and Lukasz Brzeski.

UFC London takes place on on March 22 at The 02 Arena. Bouts announced for the card include:

• Jan Blachowicz vs. Carlos Ulberg
• Marcin Tybura vs. Mick Parkin
• Shauna Bannon vs. Puja Tomar
• Andrey Pulyaev vs. Christial Leroy Duncan

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Parkin (10-0) wasn’t yet aware he’d won the bonus while speaking to media members backstage at the Co-Op Live in Manchester on Saturday. He was, however, thrilled with the performance, and finish, against a tough Lukasz Brzeski.

“I thought I was going to strike with him, but we had drilled mixing in takedowns as well. I knew he’d been put down a few times in his fights, and been controlled there. So that was an option,” said Parkin, asked whether standing with Brzeski had been the plan. “But I thought I was doing okay on the feet.”

He certainly was doing okay, though throughout the fight, Parkin still had his ground game in his back pocket. “I knew he was tough and very durable so I thought I would more likely get a finish on the floor, because I felt I was a lot better grappler than him. I felt like I was catching him with good, clean shots then obviously kept it standing and got the finish.”

While it crossed his mind partway through to take the fight to the ground, “I’m glad I didn’t now,” Parkin added.

The win improves Mick Parkin’s record as a pro to 10-0, something of a milestone and magic number in the sport, especially for a heavyweight. Looking to make a fall turnaround, possibly in November, there’s a chance Parkin could headline a card in the near future.

“That would be amazing. Honestly I haven’t thought about it, I just take it as it comes,” said Parkin when that idea was proposed. “I know it’s a fast-track, and it definitely is. And I’m telling you I’ll take my time, and the next fight will probably be a top 15 opponent. But I’m happy with the way I’m going. Let my coach decide all that. If he feels that’s the right thing, that’s the right thing.”

Admitting that he’s still developing as a fighter and learning from his mistakes, Parkin went on to add that “this UK card was amazing. I’m so grateful to be on this, because I feel like everybody wanted to be on this, and to fight on this in front of a home crowd, it’s literally what dreams are made of.”

Watch the full UFC 304 post-fight press conference with Mick Parkin above.

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UFC President and CEO Dana White announced the news following the event, granting lightweight star Paddy Pimblett a double bonus for choking out King Green (formerly Bobby Green) with a triangle.

Pimblett also had Green’s arm wrenched back in an arm-bar at one point, with Green going limp before tapping. The technical submission marks the biggest of Pimblett’s career, and comes following decision victories of Jared Gordon and Tony Ferguson.

Paddy “the Baddy” collected $200,000 for his efforts on Saturday. Countryman Tom Apinall, who retained his interim heavyweight title, collected $100,000 for his finish of Curtis Blaydes in the co-main event. The KO came in exactly a minute, with a jab sitting “Razor” Blaydes down, and ground n’ pound sealing the deal.

Blaydes protested what he felt was a quick stoppage, but he had not been intelligently defending himself, leaving him with little recourse.

The final 100K Performance bonus at UFC 304 went to Mick Parkin, another British heavyweight. Fighting Lukasz Brzeski on the early preliminary card, Parkin scored his own knockout just under three and a half minutes into the opening round. The win improved Parkin’s record to 10-0, with four of those victories coming under the UFC banner. In a division always in need of fresh blood, Parkin appears to be well positioned for the future.

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Parkin is a local boy, England’s other heavyweight hopeful after Tom Aspinall. Though he came into the fight without the finishing prowess of the heavyweight champ, he had a 9-0 record including three wins in the UFC. Giving him a slow build seemed to be the play as his opponent, Brzeski from Poland, was only 1-3 in the promotion.

Early on Brzeski looked to land power shots on an oncoming Parkin, with some success. However, Parkin kept coming forward with constant aggression and a more economical fighting style. His improved accuracy made up for his lack of power, rocking the defensively lax Polack on multiple occasions. The third time was the worst, and Łukasz could not recover quickly. On Bambi-legs, he stumbled backwards from the 1-2 that hurt him and ate a flurry which put him down and out.

With his first finish in the UFC in front of his home crowd, Mick Parkin proved that his undefeated record is not just a number. In his post-fight interview, with his thick Northern accent, he riled up the crowd more by talking about how amazing it was to fight and win in front of this crowd.

Official Result: Mick Parkin def. Łukasz Brzeski by Knockout (punches) Round 1, 3:23

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UFC officials announced the heavyweight booking on social media on Wednesday. UFC 304 takes place at the Co-Op Arena in Manchester, and marks the promotion’s first visit to the English city since 2016, when Michael Bisping defended his middleweight title in a rematch with Dan Henderson.

Parkin (9-0) is a 2022 Dana White’s Contender Series winner who has won his first three fights inside of the octagon. The 28-year old holds wins over Jamal Pogues, Caio Machado, and most recently defeated The Ultimate Fighter 30 winner Mohammed Usman.

Brzeski (9-4-1, 1NC) is another Contender Series alum, although his win on the show was overturned to a No Contest after the Polish heavyweight tested positive for clomiphene. Brzeski then lost his first three fights under the UFC banner before turning things around and saving his job against Valter Walker last month.

UFC 304 on July 27, 2024 is headlined by a welterweight title fight, with Leon Edwards taking on Belal Muhammad. An interim heavyweight title fight serves as co-headliner, with Tom Aspinall defending against Curtis Blaydes. The following match-ups have been reported for the Manchester card to date:

• Leon Edwards (c) vs. Belal Muhammad – for the UFC welterweight championship
• Tom Aspinall (ic) vs. Curtis Blaydes – for the UFC interim heavyweight championship
• Bobby Green vs. Paddy Pimblett
• Arnold Allen vs. Giga Chikadze
• Muhammad Mokaev vs. Manel Kape
• Molly McCann vs. Bruna Brasil
• Caolán Loughran vs. Ramon Taveras
• Shauna Bannon vs. Ravena Oliveira
• Nathaniel Wood vs. Daniel Pineda
• Preston Parsons vs. Oban Elliott
• Mick Parkin vs. Lukasz Brzeski

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After winning The Ultimate Fighter in the season thirty, Usman Won two straight UFC fights, making him a potential contender at heavyweight in the near future if he could get more wins. The same could be said for Parkin, with his undefeated 7-0 record including two in the UFC itself. Only one streak could continue and in the end it was the Manchester man who kept it alive, winning a close decision.

Usman caught Parkin early and staggered the Brit backwards to the fence, but he recovered well and survived the ensuing crazed onslaught from Mohammed. Most of the rest of the round was characterized by 50/50 striking exchanges, with Parkin mostly landing due to leg kicks. Usman had one explosive right hand but it merely snapped Mick’s head back. Though it was a close round, it seemed Mohammed had done more damage through one.

Parkin landed the first big right of the second round, though, clubbing Usman just behind the ear one minute in. However, it remained hard for either man to separate themselves from the other in their striking exchanges, though Usman did open a cut on the forehead of Mick at some point. Mohammed displayed good body punching, a new aspect to his game. They went into the third round potentially tied on the cards.

Usman got off to a strong start in the third round, with his work to Parkin’s body seeming to have slowed the Brit somewhat. Mick nevertheless stayed in the fight, holding his own against a heavily forward-pressing opponent. Usman’s big burst of energy slowed but he still seemed to be landing the bigger shots and throwing with more intensity during the latter half of the final round. Parkin did land one good calf kick that staggered Mohammed, but Usman bounced back and made Mick pay with his hands.

Mick did end strong with a few good punches and that must have been enough to sway the judges, as all three gave him the fight by a score of 29-28, preserving his undefeated record and ending Usman’s three-fight undefeated UFC run.

Official Result: Mick Parkin def. Mohammed Usman by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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