The 10 | Spotlighting September’s Most Exciting Matchups

Grasso fought Shevchenko three times, and the result got worse for her each time. She won the first, shocking the world by submitting the champion, and then got a questionable draw to retain her title at the first Noche UFC event before dropping the belt at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas. After a loss to Natalia Silva in Montreal on the night Shevchenko beat Fiorot, she returned to action in March and obliterated Maycee Barber, knocking her out and submitting her in the same fight, looking like a world-beater once again.

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It’s difficult to say that a title opportunity is on the line here given that both have had opportunities in the past and there is another key divisional matchup on tap next month in Edmonton, but the winner of this one will definitely claim a place on the short list of possible title challengers heading into 2027.

Tommy McMillen vs Marwan Rahiki

Let’s start with the positives here: McMillen and Rahiki have been two of the top rookies in 2026, with each earning a pair of stoppage wins to begin their UFC journeys while showing a ton of promise and upside. They’re young, skilled, and have some real “future star” potential to them going forward.

McMillen showed out in Oklahoma City against Alberto Montes, distancing himself from “The Promise” as the fight wore on before finally stopping him in the third. It was the kind of overwhelming win that makes you believe that underneath the swagger and bravado is a truly dangerous talent who is still just learning how to play to his strengths and put everything together.

Rahiki battered Harry Hardwick in his promotional debut, breaking the jaw of the former Cage Warriors champion before earning a first-round finish over late replacement Ollie Schmid in a bout that was supposed to see the recent Dana White’s Contender Series grad face Jack Jenkins. The fact that the promotion was angling to put the 24-year-old in there with the more seasoned Jenkins in his second appearance should tell you all you need to know about how they view him.

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The downside, to me, is that these are two promising young talents, and having them cross paths at this point automatically knocks one back a step, with one of them losing their unbeaten record during their first year on the roster. I’d much rather see this fight a year or two from now, especially if they’re both still undefeated, but it should be electric for as long as it lasts, and I’m absolutely going to enjoy watching it later this month regardless.

Brandon Moreno vs Joseph Morales

A week before the flyweight title goes up for grabs in Los Angeles, a former champion battles a resurgent TUF winner in what is a truly critical contest for both men.

Moreno is 2-2 since returning from his brief pause in 2024, having beaten Amir Albazi and Steve Erceg before dropping consecutive contests to Tatsuro Taira and Lone’er Kavanagh ahead of this one. Though he’s still young — he’s younger than Morales — Moreno has been through some battles, and his last couple outings have left people wondering if his days as a contender in the loaded flyweight ranks are behind him.

Delgado steps in for Yair Rodriguez, looking to make the absolute most of an impromptu opportunity to headline for the first time. The MMA Lab product has already earned a pair of wins over Andre Fili and Austin Bashi this year but now takes a massive step up in competition to face Silva in what is a low-risk, high-reward situation for the 28-year-old Arizona native.

Featherweight is one of several divisions where it’s difficult to determine who is next in line at the moment and how a win for Silva (or Delgado too, I suppose) would impact things because we’ve entered a weird period of inactivity again for a lot of the top contenders. This is a chance for Silva and Delgado to control their own fates and deliver a stellar performance that elevates them to the top of the list of potential title challengers, and while not the matchup that was initially expected, it should be absolutely lights out, nonetheless.

Crypto.com UFC 331: Van vs Pantoja 2 — Saturday, September 19 (Los Angeles, CA)

Arman Tsarukyan vs Mauricio Ruffy

After spending much of 2026 winning wrestling matches, Arman Tsarukyan finally returns to the Octagon for a showdown with Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 in Los Angeles.

The Armenian has won five straight overall but only stepped into the Octagon twice in the last two years, most recently last November in Qatar, where he submitted Hooker in the second round. There is no question that Tsarukyan is one of the best lightweights on the planet and has already done enough to merit a championship opportunity, but something extra usually tends to happen that gets in the way of that, which is why he’s still waiting to actually step into the Octagon and challenge for the lightweight title.

This is a massive fight for Ruffy, who has scored consecutive stoppage wins over Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler since losing to Benoît Saint Denis this time last year in Paris. It’s well established that “Aussie Moz,” as his training partner Alexander Volkanovski and crew have taken to calling him, can style on anyone willing to stand with him, but the key to his long-term viability as a contender is whether or not the Brazilian can defend takedowns and work back to his feet if his butt hits the canvas.

UPCOMING UFC EVENT TICKETS: UFC Edmonton | UFC 332 | Noche UFC

Things are on hold at the top of the lightweight division at the moment as champion Justin Gaethje ponders his future and everyone else jockeys for position. The winner of this will be in the title mix regardless of what direction things go, and it should be a deeply instructive contest no matter how it plays out.

Joshua Van vs Alexandre Pantoja

Nine months after their first encounter lasted just 26 seconds, Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja run it back with the UFC flyweight title hanging in the balance.

Van had a magical year in 2025, winning four fights and closing things out by claiming the title at UFC 323, pushing his overall winning streak to six in the process. He added to that number in May with a hard-fought successful title defense against Tatsuro Taira and now gets the opportunity to silence any questions about his standing atop the division by facing off with Pantoja once again.

The Brazilian suffered a gruesome-looking elbow injury in their first meeting last December but is now healthy and ready to try and reclaim the title he carried for the previous two-and-a-half years. Pantoja was coming off a pair of dominant title defenses against Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France, and had won eight straight prior to UFC 323, so it’ll be interesting to see if he can immediately pick up where he left off before the unfortunate injury halted his reign.

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Will Van cement his standing as the top man in the 125-pound weight class by dispatching Pantoja, or will the Brazilian veteran reclaim the title and kick off another championship reign?

UFC Fight Night: Rosas Jr. vs Raoni Barcelos — Saturday, September 26 (Las Vegas, NV)

Norma Dumont vs Ailin Perez

Two of the top active contenders in the women’s bantamweight division go head-to-head at the Meta APEX towards the end of the month as Norma Dumont battles Ailin Perez.

Dumont landed on the wrong side of the scorecards in a clash with Joselyne Edwards in April that halted her six-fight winning streak, where the first three wins came in the now-shuttered featherweight division. The Brazilian has gone the distance in 11 consecutive UFC appearances and is 9-3 overall inside the Octagon, with a win over Perez likely to keep her in place as one of the few names on the short list of possible title challengers heading into 2027.