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Jiu-Jitsu & Judo

IBJJF No-Gi Europeans open Oct. 28 as Caracas, Charleston follow

A five-day no-gi championship, streamed live, anchors a crowded week-plus on the grappling calendar

The IBJJF European No-Gi Championships run Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, with FloGrappling streaming the event live. The platform's entry preview was posted Wednesday, and it ran as a 'Who's In' list of notable black belts. The tournament follows the Pan No-Gi in New Jersey earlier this month and comes ahead of The Crown on Nov. 8 in Long Beach. FloGrappling's schedule shows several other events around it. Elevate Submission Series Cage Event 28 is set for Oct. 24. The ADCC Caracas Open is Oct. 31, and the PBJJF Charleston Fall International Open is Nov. 1. The ADCC Vancouver Open is also on the Oct. 24 schedule. Divisional brackets for the Europeans had not been confirmed at the time of the preview.

Why it mattersThe Europeans are the last major IBJJF no-gi stop before The Crown. They are a test of how the no-gi field looks after the ADCC World Championships.

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Dushanbe juniors this weekend, then Abu Dhabi and Tokyo, shape judo's closing stretch

IJF calendar lists 402 athletes from 61 nations for Abu Dhabi, while Kazakh reports cite 415

DUSHANBE — The International Judo Federation calendar shows Tajikistan hosting the Hoji Sharif Dushanbe Grand Prix for juniors on Oct. 24-25, with 233 athletes from 19 nations. The Abu Dhabi Grand Slam follows on Oct. 29-31. The IJF lists 402 athletes from 61 nations, while Kazakh outlets citing the IJF press office report 415 entries from 61 countries. Kazakhstan has named seven men for the senior event, including Olympic champion Yeldos Smetov at 60 kg and Olympic bronze medallist Gusman Kyrgyzbaev at 66 kg. Later dates on the calendar are the Tashkent junior world team event on Nov. 22 and a cadet Grand Prix on Nov. 24-25. The Tokyo Grand Slam, listed for Dec. 5-6, is the next senior tour stop after Abu Dhabi. Entry totals can change as federations make late edits.

Why it mattersThe Abu Dhabi and Tokyo events are the remaining senior tour stops listed before the year-end break.

IJF - World Judo Tour calendar primary · Sports.kz - Kazakhstan squad for Abu Dhabi Grand Slam foreign · Offside.kz - Smetov to compete in Abu Dhabi after Asian Games silver foreign

IBJJF returns to Memphis Sports & Events Center on Feb. 6, 2027

Registration is open for the Memphis International Open, with free spectator entry

MEMPHIS — The IBJJF has scheduled the Memphis International Open Jiu-Jitsu Championship for Feb. 6, 2027, at the Memphis Sports & Events Center, 995 Early Maxwell Blvd. Standard registration is $143 until Jan. 8 and $174 until Jan. 29. A combo entry is $245 and $295 over the same windows. Spectator entry is free. The affiliation deadline is Jan. 14, and the athlete correction deadline is Jan. 30. Schedule and brackets are due Feb. 5, with brackets posted on bjjcompsystem.com. Divisions run from juveniles through Master 7, with white through black belts at adult level. All adult black belts are eligible for open class. This year's edition was held at the same venue on Feb. 14, 2026.

Why it mattersThe event is the largest sanctioned jiu-jitsu tournament on the Memphis calendar, and it draws academies from across the Mid-South.

IBJJF - Memphis International Open 2027 primary · IBJJF - Memphis International Open No-Gi 2026 primary

MMA

Nunes says she will not retire again if she beats Harrison

The returning former two-division champion meets Kayla Harrison for the bantamweight title in the UFC 334 co-main event at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 14

NEW YORK — Amanda Nunes says her comeback is not a one-night return. On the UFC's Deep Waters podcast she said she would not retire again if she beats Harrison. She said she would have come back anyway and found it hard to be away. Nunes has not fought since she beat Irene Aldana in June 2023 and then retired. Her return slipped after Harrison needed neck surgery, which scrapped the champion's first title defense earlier this year. Harrison has since said she doubted herself after the operation and knows she is near the end of her career. The two were once teammates at American Top Team in Florida. Nunes says she sparred with Harrison there and believes the same flaws remain. Ciryl Gane defends the heavyweight title against unbeaten Josh Hokit in the main event of the Nov. 14 card.

Why it mattersA legend's return against a champion who has said the end is near puts the women's bantamweight title in play for the next phase of the division.

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Volkanovski pitches champion-versus-champion farewell with Gaethje

Featherweight titleholder renewed the idea at UFC 333 media day, days before his Abu Dhabi defense

ABU DHABI — Alexander Volkanovski has proposed a lightweight-title superfight against Justin Gaethje as a joint send-off, a pitch first reported by ESPN and repeated at UFC 333 media day. Volkanovski, 38, said Gaethje has questioned the point of rematches and has hinted at one more fight. He said both men could then leave and let the divisions sort themselves out. Gaethje, 37, won the 155-pound title at the White House card in June and has not committed to fighting again. He has said his next challenger is likely Arman Tsarukyan. Volkanovski is 0-2 in lightweight title fights, both against Islam Makhachev. He said he has recently signed a new UFC contract and could do three more fights. He also said that losing to Movsar Evloev on Saturday would end the idea. Neither Gaethje nor the UFC has agreed to anything.

Why it mattersThe idea sets up a possible 2027 title fight that depends on Saturday's result and on whether Gaethje decides to keep fighting.

ESPN · ESPN (Volkanovski on retirement) · MMA News trade

Pereira's claim UFC steered fans to Gane-Hokit draws denials

White and Cormier reject the accusation. Pereira has been booked against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 335

LAS VEGAS — Alex Pereira has accused the UFC of manufacturing support for the Ciryl Gane-Josh Hokit heavyweight title fight, which he says cost him a rematch. He told Brazilian journalist Laerte Viana that commentators, including Daniel Cormier, talked up the bout before it was announced. He also said the UFC cited a fan poll he has never seen. Cormier denied being told what to say. He said Pereira had asked whether beating Gane would make him the greatest of all time, not whether it would make him champion. Dana White called the claim untrue and said the UFC does not tell commentators what to say. No independent evidence has surfaced that the UFC directed anyone's commentary. Pereira, who lost to Gane by second-round knockout in June, faces Sergei Pavlovich in a five-round co-main event at UFC 335 on Dec. 12. Gane and Hokit meet on Nov. 14.

Why it mattersThe dispute shows how the UFC's heavyweight title queue is being shaped, and how the promotion handles a star left out of it.

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