Sean Strickland
The former middleweight champ hit pause on everything. “I will not fight or sign any contract until I get this figured out,” Strickland wrote on X (@SStricklandMMA), adding that he hopes it gets sorted soon and thanking fans for the support. He never spelled out what the issue actually is, which is extremely on brand for a guy who usually tells you every thought he’s ever had in excruciating detail. The internet did its thing and pushed the tweet past 6,500 engagements, easily the biggest post of the day. When Sean Strickland goes quiet on specifics, something real is going on behind the scenes, and a sidelined Strickland is bad news for anyone who enjoys a middleweight division with some actual personality in it.
Kyoji Horiguchi
We have a fight, folks. Horiguchi (@kyoji1012) announced on X that he’ll face Asu Almabaev at UFC Fight Night Qatar on Saturday, November 21 local time, then followed up once the official card graphic dropped, telling fans to look forward to Sunday, November 22 (that’s the date back home in Japan). He noted it lands exactly one year after his comeback fight, and in Qatar again. Both times he signed off with a Japanese phrase that roughly translates to him promising to get it done. A fight with this much skill at flyweight should not be buried on a Fight Night, and you should set an alarm for it.
Darren Till
Jake Paul posted a wish list of opponents he wants to face before he rests. The roster included Canelo Alvarez, Francis Ngannou, Conor McGregor, Tom Aspinall in boxing, Nate Diaz in MMA, and, yes, both Sean Strickland and Darren Till, all while tagging Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian. Till (@darrentill2) had a one-line review. “Stop talking shite I would flat line you inside of 5” he wrote. Paul’s list is the kind of thing you write in your Notes app at 2 a.m., but Till answering like a Liverpool pub regular is the most fun anyone has had with it.
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Renato Moicano
MMA Junkie flagged that Ismail Bonfim came in 7.5 pounds over the lightweight limit for his UFC Vegas 122 matchup against Francisco Prado, with the bout status listed as TBD. Moicano (@moicanoufc) jumped in, writing in Portuguese that both fighters are coming off four losses in their last five, that Bonfim missed by 8 pounds (Moicano rounded up, apparently), and that even a win might not save his job without a miracle. He closed with “CERTEZA DE UM LUTAO AMANHÃ!!!” which is Moicano guaranteeing a banger. Two guys fighting for their UFC lives, one of them lugging an extra 7.5 pounds into the cage, is a strange way to sell a classic, but I’m watching.
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Gaston Reyno
The Spanish-language MMA voice (@gastonreyno) went full believer on Ilia Topuria, posting that he’s more convinced every day that Topuria will come back and win back his belt. His evidence? “LE SOBRA CORAZÓN” which means the man has heart to spare. Reyno didn’t lay out a timeline, but the confidence is loud enough to hear from Madrid.
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Sean O’Malley
Suga (@SugaSeanMMA) shared a clip with a three-skull caption: “Poor interview gal 💀💀💀” and nothing else. He didn’t say anything in the text about who or what is in the video, so the clip is doing all the talking. O’Malley playing the role of amused bystander is a nice change of pace from him being the guy everyone else is laughing about.
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Genki Sudo
The best story of the day has zero punches in it. Sudo (@genki_sudo) posted that he picked up the fiddle two months ago, then walked into an Irish pub empty-handed just to watch a session. Somebody lent him a violin on the spot, and he jumped in for one song. He promised to sound better next time. Somewhere a Dropkick Murphys walkout just got its sequel, and Strickland’s contract standoff still has no end date.
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