The Monday Grind: November 24, 2025
KO of the Weekend: Waldo Cortes Acosta
Waldo Cortes Acosta had already packed more into his 2025 than most UFC fighters, but the No. 6-ranked heavyweight contender continued his incredible year when he accepted a short-notice bout on just THREE DAYS’ NOTICE to step in and face Shamil Gaziev.
It was a dangerous test for Cortes Acosta, but he rose to the occasion again and elevated his status even further with a brilliant first-round knockout.
Taking all of the circumstances into account – the short-notice call, the willingness to risk his ranking, and the stunning finish he produced – it looks like “Salsa Boy” has earned himself some serious kudos and goodwill with the UFC’s matchmakers.
Cortes Acosta asked for a fight on the UFC’s next card, UFC 323 in Las Vegas on December 6. But if he doesn’t get that wish, expect to see him in there with top-five opposition early in 2026. After the year he’s had, and the favour he just did the UFC this past weekend, he’s deserved it.
Championship callouts: Arman Tsarukyan and Ian Machado Garry
The top two fights on the card saw two top contenders register important victories in the Octagon, then deliver emphatic championship callouts as both Arman Tsarukyan and Ian Machado Garry staked their respective claims for title fights in 2026.
Tsarukyan produced a hugely impressive performance to finish Dan Hooker in the main event, then called out lightweight champion Ilia Topuria for a title fight.
Machado Garry, meanwhile, claimed a unanimous decision victory over former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad in the co-main event, then used his mic time to send a message directly to newly-crowned 170-pound champ Islam Makhachev.
Both men have strong claims for a shot at their respective titles. But with other options also on the table for the UFC, it remains to be seen if they’ll both get their wish.
Will Tsarukyan get his lightweight title shot over Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett? And will Machado Garry get his welterweight title shot ahead of Michael Morales, Carlos Prates, and maybe even Kamaru Usman?
These are two of the big questions heading into 2026 as the title pictures at 155 and 170 pounds will be addressed in the coming weeks.
Storyline to Watch: Kyoji Horiguchi returns with a win
Before he departed the UFC, Japanese contender Kyoji Horiguchi was already one of the best flyweights on the planet. And nine years after his last Octagon appearance, Horiguchi returned to the UFC and claimed a statement victory over Russian contender Tagir Ulanbekov.
Horiguchi’s performance alone would have been enough for him to be a major talking point today, but his post-fight interview elevated his stock even further, as a hugely enthusiastic Horiguchi called for a title fight against his longtime American Top Team teammate Alexandre Pantoja.
Often in MMA, teammates won’t fight each other, but clearly that isn’t a problem for Horiguchi, whose championship goal may mean he has to fight his friend and teammate.
But, as Horiguchi himself said, it’s all respect, and all business. What a title fight that would be.
Fighter to Follow: Luke Riley
UFC Qatar also featured the Octagon debut of one of Europe’s top emerging talents, as England’s former Cage Warriors featherweight star Luke Riley made his UFC bow in the night’s featured preliminary card bout.
Riley took on the hard-hitting Contender Series graduate Bogdan Grad, and after (knocked out the Austrian in spectacular fashion in the second round to make a brilliant first impression on the sport’s biggest stage.
Riley’s willingness to stand and trade with anyone on the planet at 145 pounds will make him a matchmaker’s dream, and with the Next Generation MMA fighter joining arguably the most stacked weight class in the UFC, there’s a plethora of potential matchups in Riley’s future, and he’s going to be must-see TV whenever he steps into the Octagon.
Fingers crossed he lands a fight on home soil at UFC London next year.
