A dramatic fifth-round submission at the Meta APEX, championship tournament finalists determined in Morocco, and a shock upset in bare-knuckle boxing highlighted a packed week across mixed martial arts, boxing, and combat sports. Here is the breakdown of the top six stories and results from the second week in October 2026.
6. Fight Week Momentum Builds for UFC Edmonton And ONE SAMURAI 4
The two major promotions finalized their fight week build-ups for dual international blockbusters scheduled for Saturday, October 17.
- 6.1 UFC Fight Night: Buckley vs. Malott (Edmonton, Canada): Ranked welterweights No. 10 Joaquin Buckley and Canadian standout No. 13 Mike Malott hit media day ahead of their headliner at Rogers Place. The co-main event features top-10 flyweights Erin Blanchfield (#4) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (#7).
- 6.2 ONE SAMURAI 4 (Tokyo, Japan): ONE Championship finalized a 12-bout card at the Ariake Arena. Jonathan Haggerty defends his ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Title against Hiroki Akimoto, while Nadaka Yoshinari defends his ONE Atomweight Muay Thai World Title against Rifdean Masdor.
5. Rolando Dy Retains Title And Brian Hyslop Upsets JoJo Diaz Jr. At BKB 60
Bare Knuckle Boxing delivered high drama on Saturday, October 10, at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, England.
- Main Event: BKB Super Welterweight Champion Rolando Dy retained his world title, stopping Scott McHugh via TKO at 0:47 of Round 3. Dy dropped McHugh in the third frame before the referee stepped in, advancing Dy’s BKB record to 7-1 with six knockouts.
- Major Upset: In a crossover super lightweight bout, local fighter Brian Hyslop upset former IBF Boxing World Champion JoJo Diaz Jr. via split decision (48-43, 46-45, 45-46. Both fighters were knocked down and penalized points for clinching fouls across five chaotic rounds.
4. Zabit Magomedsharipov Inks Deal With Real American Freestyle
Former UFC featherweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov is officially returning to active competition after signing a multi-fight agreement with Real American Freestyle (RAF).
Magomedsharipov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, and RAF officials confirmed the contract signing early in the week. The fan-favorite Dagestani striker and wrestler, who stepped away from the UFC in 2021 with an 18-1 MMA record, is scheduled to make his promotional debut in November 2026.
3. PFL Africa Semi-Finals Lock In Inaugural Finals In Casablanca
The Professional Fighters League established its inaugural PFL Africa Finals matchups following the semi-final card on Saturday, October 10, at the Mohammed V Complex in Casablanca, Morocco.
Three division finals were officially set for the upcoming championship show in Rwanda!
- Welterweight Final: Shido Boris Esperança vs. David Samuel
- Lightweight Final: Patrick Ocheme vs. Demba Seck
- Bantamweight Final: Raphael Uchegbu vs. Dwight Joseph
In heavyweight action on the card, Abdoulaye Kane made quick work of Badr Medkouri, earning a first-round TKO to set up his next campaign.
2. Floyd Schofield Jr. Outpoints Lucas Bahdi in Chicago Lightweight Clash
In a high-stakes lightweight co-promotion between Golden Boy Promotions and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), Floyd “Kid Austin” Schofield Jr. defeated Lucas Bahdi by unanimous decision on Saturday night at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
Schofield established his jab early, controlling distance against the power-hitting Bahdi through 12 sharp rounds. Despite late aggression from Bahdi in rounds 10 and 11, Schofield’s punch volume and lateral movement earned him scores across all three judges’ cards, preserving his undefeated record and pushing him closer to a world title shot at 135 pounds.
1. Brendan Allen Submits Christian Leroy Duncan In Fifth-Round UFC APEX Main Event
Middleweight contender Brendan Allen secured a dramatic fifth-round victory over Christian Leroy Duncan in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday, October 10, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas.
After four rounds of grinding grappling exchanges and standing strike exchanges where Duncan connected on 106 significant strikes, Allen shifted into high gear in the final round. Allen landed his fourth takedown of the fight, secured back control, and locked in a deep rear-naked choke to force the tap at 2:46 of Round 5.
Offerings From The Undercard Included
- Jai Herbert outpointed Matheus Camilo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in the co-main event.
- Featherweight Andre Fili delivered a brutal single-punch knockout against Kai Kamaka III just 22 seconds into Round 2.
- Niko Price earned a first-round TKO over Leon Shahbazyan at 1:58.
As October rolls on, the combat sports landscape shows no signs of slowing down. Between dramatic late-round finishes in Las Vegas, historic tournament milestones in North Africa, and bare-knuckle shockers in the UK, the past seven days showcased the chaotic, high-stakes nature of the fight game. With championship gold on the line in Edmonton and Tokyo this coming weekend, alongside long-awaited comebacks on the horizon, fight fans have plenty to lock into as the autumn battleground continues to heat up.
