#bantamweight-and-strawweight-divisions

#bantamweight-and-strawweight-divisions

Makhachev's cryptic response to a photo of Morales and Topuria, featuring a telephone emoji, hints at a potential matchup with one of them next.

"I do hate him," Morales told Alvaro Colemenoro. "We don't have a very good vibe. But at the end of the day, he's still a fighter. I'm not gonna get overconfident if I had to prepare myself to fight him... That fight is gonna be intense if it happens... I think that if I were to fight him, it would be the first time that I would fight in a very aggressive way."

"About the decision, about the fight, nobody stay happy. I think the only people who stay happy about the decision is my opponent and his team. The president is making the right choice with that, that's protecting the image of the company and not tainting their legacy and the sport."

Islam, Conor, and Paddy. I'd love to do that - to be the first one [to KO Paddy]. If someone else did it, I can do it too. And if no one did it, I can always be the first to do it.

Van will face off against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 327 on April 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida. The flyweight champ announced the news himself during the UFC Houston Fan Q&A, after the bout had been the subject of rumors from the likes of Krazy Kev MMA on social media. Van claimed flyweight gold during a bizarre scene at UFC 323, when reigning champion Alexandre Pantoja injured his arm early in their co-main event fight.

"I have my own opinion on this, but it's not right to talk about the UFC being a PFL fighter. In one year, Usman has grown a lot," Khabib told Team Gorilla Fighting. "I'm fighting with him myself, I'm working personally. And from the outside, he's at least on the same level as them [Ilia and Arman]. A year ago I would have said we still have to wait, but now he's already at that level. Time will show."

Quillan Salkilld burst onto the MMA scene with the kind of poise, power, and finishing instinct rarely seen in a UFC debut, immediately marking himself as a problem for the lightweight division. Shot selection and ruthless efficiency made every moment he was in the cage box office, signaling that his rise isn't a flash in the pan. In a year loaded with strong rookie performances, Salkilld separated himself by looking less like a newcomer and more like a future contender from the moment the lights hit him.