Sports

Jiu-Jitsu & Judo

Dakar Youth Olympics judo opens Nov. 1 with 96 athletes from 95 delegations

Eight individual medal events, split evenly by gender, will be the first Olympic judo on African soil

DAKAR — The International Judo Federation has published the final list of judoka picked for the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar. The Games run Oct. 31 to Nov. 13. Judo takes place Nov. 1 to 3. The field is 96 athletes, 48 young women and 48 young men, from 95 delegations. Senegal, as host, is the only nation with two entries. The programme has eight medal events, all individual, with equal places for men and women. The IJF describes Dakar as the first Olympic sporting event ever staged on African soil. The selections were announced Oct. 6, during the Baku world championships. The Youth Games follow the senior tour's Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, which opens Oct. 29, and give the sport's youngest prospects a global stage before the tour's year-end break.

Why it mattersThe event shows where the next generation of judo talent is coming from, and it is the sport's first Olympic-family showcase in Africa.

IJF.org: DAKAR 2026, The Road to an Historic Youth Olympic Games Begins primary · IJF.org World Tour calendar primary

PBJJF holds its World Championship in Maryland on Saturday, streamed on FloGrappling

Single-elimination gi and no-gi event at Bel Air shares the day with Rei do Rio in Brazil

BEL AIR, Md. — The Professional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation stages its 2026 World Jiu-Jitsu Championship on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 401 Thomas Run Road in Bel Air, Maryland. According to the event listing, doors open at 8 a.m. and competition starts at 9 a.m. Gi and no-gi divisions are offered. Every division uses single elimination. A loss ends an athlete's run, the two semifinal losers meet for bronze, and medals are handed out only at the podium during the event. FloGrappling will stream the event from Oct. 24. It will also carry Rei do Rio, a separate Brazilian event, the same day. The IBJJF No-Gi Europeans follow from Oct. 28, and the PBJJF Charleston Fall International Open on Nov. 1, so the federation circuits overlap heavily this month.

Why it mattersPBJJF, a challenger to the IBJJF, is using a fixed-format, athlete-friendly event to build its profile on the U.S. circuit.

PBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship 2026 (Smoothcomp) primary · FloGrappling: Stream PBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships trade

Judo historian says Gordon Ryan's conduct would not be tolerated in judo

Remarks from the Chadi podcast add to a month of criticism of the sidelined grappling star

A judo historian known as Chadi said on a podcast that judo's governing culture weighs conduct on and off the mat, so a competitor could not behave like Gordon Ryan and still advance. Reports from BJJEE and BJJDoc quote him saying world-tour athletes can be sanctioned for social media behavior and that belt promotions assume respect and humility. This is one commentator's opinion, not a ruling by any federation. The remarks arrived after BJJDoc reported in September that Ryan was reportedly told to leave a seminar in Ukraine over his past posts, which BJJDoc said prompted hosts to rescind their invitation. That account rests on social media video and has not been independently confirmed. Ryan has not competed in years because of health problems, and he has not been reported to have responded to Chadi.

Why it mattersThe argument pits jiu-jitsu's brash, personality-driven culture against judo's formal conduct rules, a recurring debate as the two sports overlap.

BJJEE: Judo Historian Says Gordon Ryan's Behavior Would Not Be Tolerated In Judo trade · BJJDoc: Judo Influencer on Gordon Ryan's Social-Media Antics trade · BJJDoc: Gordon Ryan Reportedly Asked To Leave Seminar In Ukraine trade

MMA

UPDATEVolkanovski and Evloev trade final words before UFC 333 title fight

Champion says he has seen undefeated challenger's puzzle before; Evloev says he will prove he can take the fight anywhere

ABU DHABI — The final UFC 333 news conference left the featherweight title fight with Movsar Evloev set for Saturday at Etihad Arena. Alexander Volkanovski, 38, said Evloev is the most well-rounded fighter he has faced and still does not have enough to beat him. He also said he wants to take the 20-0 Russian's unbeaten record. Evloev, 32, said he has no game plan and can solve whatever the champion brings. He added that if Volkanovski claims he cannot be taken down, he will show otherwise. A win would give Volkanovski a ninth featherweight title-fight victory, passing Jose Aldo's division record. In the co-main event, bantamweight champion Petr Yan said he plans to beat Merab Dvalishvili again in the trilogy bout. Tapology lists 14 fights on the card.

Why it mattersThe weekend's biggest card could extend Volkanovski's featherweight record or hand a first UFC title to an unbeaten wrestler.

The National (Abu Dhabi) foreign · The National (Abu Dhabi), title-fight preview foreign · Tapology UFC 333 event page research

Chimaev offers Strickland $1 million as pay dispute clouds middleweight title

Former champion tells ESPN the champion should take the rematch if he wants more money

LAS VEGAS — Khamzat Chimaev says Sean Strickland should accept an immediate rematch if he wants a bigger payday. Chimaev lost the middleweight belt to Strickland in May. He told ESPN he still believes he should be champion and claimed he earned five times Strickland's purse. Strickland has complained on social media this month about UFC pay and has floated leaving his contract to box Jake Paul. UFC CEO Dana White replied that Strickland signed a new deal in May. Nassourdine Imavov earlier offered $500,000 of his own money to get Strickland to fight him. Chimaev has pledged $1 million, with a loose deadline of Oct. 22, but says it stands if Strickland takes him next. The UFC has not announced a booking, and Strickland's camp had not publicly responded in the reports reviewed.

Why it mattersA champion in a public pay dispute leaves the 185-pound title picture stalled and tests how far the UFC will bend on fighter compensation.

ESPN · Bloody Elbow trade

Buckley says next UFC fight will be his last

Welterweight cites grandmother's plea, his children and a third straight loss

Welterweight Joaquin Buckley said in an Instagram video on Thursday that he will retire after one more UFC fight. Five days earlier, Mike Malott knocked him out with a second-round knee in the Edmonton main event. It was Buckley's third straight loss, after decisions to Kamaru Usman and Sean Brady. He said his grandmother, upset after watching the knockout, urged him to quit. He agreed but told her he does not want to leave on a loss. Buckley, 32, is 21-9 overall and 11-7 in the UFC, with 18 UFC fights in six years. Right after the Edmonton loss he had said he would keep fighting. No opponent, date or event has been announced for the farewell bout. MMA Mania reports Malott's win pushed Buckley out of the welterweight top 10.

Why it mattersA knockout artist leaving at 32 puts fighter health and career length in focus, and gives the welterweight division a high-profile farewell booking to fill.

MMA Mania trade · MiddleEasy trade