Several UFC-related stories have emerged. Jon Jones stated he has hung up his gloves and is now only "businessman Jon Jones," though the seriousness of this retirement claim is unclear. Paulo Costa has declared his hatred for Russian fighters and called out Khamzat Chimaev after his upcoming fight. Video surfaced showing Costa struggling to make 93 kg, notably higher than his previous 84 kg weight class. Josh Hockett reportedly dropped his controversial persona immediately after cameras stopped rolling at a recent event, apologizing to those present. Merab Dvalishvili plans to fight twice more this year despite a broken nose.
A busy news cycle in the UFC has produced several separate storylines worth tracking, from a heavyweight legend's retirement declaration to a wild middleweight callout and an in-cage persona that apparently evaporated the moment the cameras switched off.
Jon Jones, the 38-year-old heavyweight whose 28-1-0 record stands as one of the most decorated in MMA history, declared that he has put his gloves away for good and is now operating solely as "businessman Jon Jones." The six-foot-four, 213-centimeter fighter, whose 84-inch reach and striking accuracy of 58 percent made him a nightmare for any opponent across two divisions, offered the statement without elaboration, and the seriousness of the claim remains genuinely unclear.
In the middleweight division, Paulo Costa has been generating noise of his own. The 35-year-old Brazilian, ranked 13th at 185 pounds with a 16-4-0 record, called out number-one contender Khamzat Chimaev following his upcoming fight, declaring a particular hatred for Russian fighters. Costa also drew attention after video surfaced showing him struggling to reach 93 kilograms, a number significantly above his previous 84-kilogram competition weight. Costa lands 6.26 significant strikes per minute, one of the higher rates in the division, though he averages fewer than half a takedown attempt per 15 minutes.
Chimaev, the 32-year-old UFC-flagged Chechen competing out of the UAE and ranked tenth pound-for-pound, carries a 15-1-0 record and averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes, a figure that would present Costa's wrestling defense with serious questions.
Why it matters
- Jones's retirement comment, however ambiguous, clouds the immediate future of the heavyweight division's most prominent name.
- A Costa-Chimaev fight would pit one of middleweight's highest-volume strikers against its most dominant wrestler.
- Costa's weight footage raises questions about where he competes next and at what limit.
- Josh Hockett's apparent backstage behavior following his televised persona has drawn its own scrutiny within the community.
Merab Dvalishvili, meanwhile, is said to be targeting two more fights in 2026 despite carrying a broken nose.
