The recent UFC Kansas City event provided plenty of notable moments. Ian Machado Garry secured a victory, Anthony Smith announced his retirement, and several fighters capitalized on the opportunity to shine outside the smaller setting of the APEX facility.
Ian Garry rebounded from a tough loss to the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov, though not everyone was fully convinced by his performance against Carlos Prates. Garry dominated the early rounds, but Prates showcased his feared knockout power late in the fourth, seriously threatening Garry. Despite the scare, Garry survived the final seconds of the fight, keeping his championship aspirations alive. UFC CEO Dana White later confirmed that Garry is designated as the backup fighter for the upcoming UFC 315 welterweight title fight between champion Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. However, fan reactions suggest many are not yet sold on Garry being ready for a title challenge.
Despite not being reported by this outlet, widespread rumors suggested that middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis was not available to defend his title against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 317 and might even be sidelined until 2026. Du Plessis himself publicly addressed these claims, dismissing them as “fake news” in a post that was well-received.
Within a 24-hour span, Chael Sonnen, known for his often controversial statements, first claimed definitively that a date was set for a heavyweight championship unification bout between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. Shortly after, he contradicted himself, stating that Aspinall would actually be facing a different opponent. As is often the case, Sonnen`s remarks should be interpreted with significant caution.
Predictably, Belal Muhammad supported his teammate Islam Makhachev`s stance that Ilia Topuria should not be immediately considered the number one contender for the lightweight title. Opinion among fans is also divided on whether “La Leyenda” deserves an immediate shot at the lightweight championship.
