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Dan Hooker | Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Dan Hooker is on the road back to recovery, stitches and all. On Monday, the veteran UFC lightweight provided an update via social media on the hand surgery he recently underwent to address an injury that recently forced him out of a UFC 313 clash with Justin Gaethje. Watch the video below. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dan “Hangman” Hooker (@danhangman) Hooker previously shared pictures of his hand post-surgery and it appears that he has progressed to the stage where stitches can be removed and healing can continue. The final scene of the uploaded video shows Hooker’s hand to be in relatively good condition. There is no timetable for Hooker’s return nor is it known if matchmakers are still eyeing him to fight Gaethje. “The Highlight” went on to fight short-notice replacement Rafael Fiziev in a rematch at UFC 313, with Gaethje winning a unanimous decision and both fighters going home with a $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus. Hooker is likely eager to make his comeback as soon as possible given that he’s on his first three-fight win streak since 2020. In his most recent outing this past August, he won a split decision over fellow top contender Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305.

Photo by Heather McLaughlin/WWE via Getty Images Logan Paul has long talked about potentially making a move into MMA, but it turns out the YouTuber and professional wrestler actually attempted to make his debut in 2024 but his offer was rebuffed. While he’s got plenty keeping him busy these days, the 29-year-old WWE superstar revealed on the latest episode of his podcast that he reached out to Dana White about potentially appearing one of the marquee events held this past year. Unfortunately, Paul says the lack of response from White essentially gave him the answer. “I told Dana for UFC 300, I texted him ‘Hey man, consider me available to fight on the undercard in the Sphere,”” Paul said. “Basically completely ignored me, which I think speaks volumes. I haven’t bothered him about it since. “I think for the right fight, the right amount of money [I would do it], and I’m an entertainer at the end of the day.” Now Paul actually referenced two different cards with UFC 300 taking place this past April at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas while UFC 306 was held at the Sphere. Either way, Paul didn’t exactly receive an enthusiastic response from White so he just let the idea go. For all the ways Paul might actually be better suited for a potential career in MMA with a background in wrestling — he was a third-place finisher in the state finals in Ohio — he feels like perhaps another WWE standout might have ruined it for everybody else. Back in 2014, CM Punk — real name Phil Brooks — signed a multi-fight deal to compete in the UFC after he left WWE. He made his debut less than two years later but things did not end well for him with Punk suffering a lopsided first-round submission loss to Mickey Gall and then he dropped a unanimous decision to Mike Jackson in his only other UFC fight in 2018. Since then, Punk has returned to WWE where he’s one of the biggest stars in the organization, but Paul can’t help but wonder if his failed experiment in the UFC might have convinced White to pass on any future professional wrestlers looking to make the same move. “He f*cked it up,” Paul said about Punk. “He f*cked it up and after that Dana was like ‘I’m never doing this again.’ “But dude, I’m not CM Punk. He’s a great wrestler, not a UFC fighter. I think I would be a much better UFC fighter than I would just a boxer. My skill is wrestling. I’m a wrestler.” Paul’s background in amateur wrestling, combined with the skills he picked up through a few boxing matches, including a showdown against Floyd Mayweather, might make him better suited to at least try MMA, but it doesn’t sound like that’s ever going to happen. As much as he seriously considered the move when he reached out to the UFC CEO with his offer, Paul says he’s now dedicated more than ever to his career in WWE. “I think I found a path,” Paul said. “I’m a WWE superstar now, and it’s one of the only things I’ve done in my life where I feel so at home like ‘oh you were kind of meant to do this thing.’ I don’t know if I want to turn away from that at the moment and dedicate time to something that would be like a side quest at this point.”

Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria went back and forth through interviews and social media posts over the weekend, and “do Bronx” has made it clear what he wants next. The former UFC lightweight champion posted a video on his Instagram page urging UFC officials Dana White, Sean Shelby and Hunter Campbell to give him a call and get the deal done for a rematch with Islam Makhachev. “I wanna fight on International Fight Week,” Oliveira said, referring to UFC 317, a pay-per-view show planned for June 28 in Las Vegas. “Makhachev wants it too. Dana, Sean Shelby, Hunter, let’s make it happen. I really want this fight. I’m coming after this belt. I want to become champion again, you know? I’ll write this story one more time. UFC, let’s make it happen. This is the fight everybody wants to see. I’m ready.” Oliveira lost by submission to Makhachev in October 2022, when they collided for the vacant belt, and has since 2-1 int he cage with a close decision to Arman Tsarukyan sandwiched between bonus-winning victories over Beneil Dariush and Micheal Chandler. Makhachev won four in a row since choking out Oliveira, defeating Alexander Volkanovski (twice), Dustin Poirier and late-notice replacement Renato Moicano. “Makhachev is saying he wants this fight, and it will definitely be a great war,” Oliveira said. “[International] Fight Week, is that the fight you want? That’s the fight you’ll get. Dana, UFC, Sean, Hunter, let’s make it happen. Call me.” “Do Bronx” contemplated a rematch with Max Holloway for the BMF belt as a backup plan in case he didn’t get the Makhachev rematch in June, and didn’t sound interested in welcoming Topuria to the division. Topuria reacted to Oliveira saying it wouldn’t be “a big fight,” attacking the Brazilian on social media. Charles, it’s better if you stay quiet. You have 10 losses: 5 by knockout, 4 by submission, and 1 by decision. You are the contender, while I am the champion, the father of the entire division. I haven’t come here to ask anything. Here, I am the one in charge.— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) March 22, 2025 “UFC and MMA have a lot of guys that talk too much.” Oliveira said on the video. “I can talk about UFC history. I’ll complete 15 years here. Record of bonuses, of submissions. A guy that breaks records? That’s me.”

Jan Blachowicz | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC Jan Blachowicz isn’t saying he was robbed at UFC London, but he’s not not saying it either. This past Saturday, Blachowicz squared off with Carlos Ulberg in the co-main event of UFC London. It was a close affair with neither fighter doing too much to assert themselves over the 15 minutes, but ultimately all three judges saw it 29-28 for Ulberg. It’s a tough loss for the former light heavyweight champion, who has now failed to get his hand raised in his past three fights, and while he didn’t outright dispute the decision, in a statement released on Monday, Blachowicz threw some shade at Saturday’s outcome. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jan Blachowicz (@janblachowicz) “This camp was one of the best I’ve had. I missed this, every part of this game. The welcome and support during fight week UFC London from the whole UFC team was amazing – I knew you missed me, but I didn’t know it was like this! Thank you! “More controversy on the record, as it turns out the approach to significant strikes doesn’t align with the actual meaning. I’ll leave the verdict for discussion. What happened in the stands after the announcement, and what’s happening online right now, is pretty telling I appreciate it, but the verdict is out there, and unfortunately, it will stay on my record. We keep moving forward, going for more. Your support has been huge, and I’ll remember this moment for a long time #TeamJanek #LegendaryPolishPower” There certainly was some fan backlash on Saturday after the bout, though it’s hard to tell whether fans were more upset about the lackluster fight than about the decision. MMA media was split on the decision as well, with most favoring Ulberg. That’s all little comfort to Blachowicz who, despite giving competitive performances against Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira — the two top light heavyweights in the world — now finds himself well-outside the 205-pound title picture.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC Former GLORY champion Artem Vakhitov is no longer planning to fight for the UFC. The Russian born striker earned a contract with the promotion after winning on Dana White’s Contender Series this past October. That set up a perfect storyline with former UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who Vakhitov defeated in his final kickboxing bout before the Brazilian ultimately decided to transition to MMA. Overall, the fighters split two back-to-back bouts in GLORY but any unfinished business between them won’t get settled after Vakhitov and his management team passed on the offer to sign with the UFC. He now instead turns his attention to a showdown against GLORY heavyweight kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven in June. “Obviously I was delighted to win my fight on DWCS and get offered a contract,” Vakhitov told MMA Fighting. “It was cool that Alex was there, also. It felt like the trilogy fight was very close, just a win or two away. Unfortunately, when it came time to finalize the UFC contract, it became clear that the UFC has strict policies for fighters coming through DWCS. “Under their protocols, they were only able to offer me the standard contract given to all DWCS signings. My team tried to negotiate, but the UFC’s rules left no room for adjustments. I want to be clear that I don’t take issue with their approach—I respect their structure. But I am a prizefighter, and I have a family to support. I have a limited window to make the most of my career.” At 33, Vakhitov is one of the most accomplished kickboxers to make the move to MMA and his history with Pereira was perfect fodder for conversation after he was offered a UFC contract. Overall, Vakhitov holds a 3-1 record in MMA competition with all three wins coming by knockout. Following his win on The Contender Series, Vakhitov’s management team discussed terms with the UFC on his contract but the two sides were just not able to come to an agreement. “Artem Vakhitov and Alex Pereira had one of the closest rivalries in GLORY, and when the UFC opportunity arose, they both had identical 3-1 records in MMA,” Vakhitov’s manager Andrey Busygin told MMA Fighting. “Given that, we felt it was reasonable to request that Artem receive the same kind of deal Alex got when he joined the UFC. Seems only fair, we thought. “However, the UFC’s policy is that all Dana White Contender Series fighters receive the same contract with fixed terms. Personally, I found this unfair to Artem, considering his combat sports accomplishments and the fact that he was on par with Alex at the time he entered the UFC. But rules are rules, and we understood their stance. So, we ultimately had to pass on the offer. Of course, it’s disappointing that we won’t get to see Artem and Alex complete their trilogy in the Octagon right now. But there’s no animosity—our negotiations with Hunter [Campbell] and his team were very professional and respectful. The doors are not closed.” With Vakhitov passing on a UFC contract, he’s now returning to kickboxing with a huge fight booked against Verhoeven at the GLORY 100 card set for June 14 in the Netherlands. “This is a fight I’ve wanted for a long time,” Vakhitov said about the matchup against Verhoeven. “I’ve been calling for it since 2017. For years, nobody wanted to fight Rico—he’s called ‘The King’ for a reason, he’s dominated this division for so long. “But I’ve always believed I’m the best pound-for-pound kickboxer in GLORY, and that belief hasn’t changed. And now at last the king is finally ready to face the Tsar.” Busygin says that GLORY really stepped up with a lucrative offer for Vakhitov to return to kickboxing for the fight against Verhoeven and it just made the most sense to go there instead for now. “Our attention now turns to a huge fight in June where Artem will face the GLORY Kickboxing World Heavyweight Championship holder Rico Verhoeven,” Busygin said. “GLORY made a really big money offer for this fight and Artem is delighted because he’s wanted this fight since 2017 and now it’s finally happening. So the trilogy will have to wait a while it seems.” Vakhitov isn’t shutting the door on potentially returning to make his UFC debut at some point in the future and he holds no ill will towards the promotion for the way things played out. “Joining the UFC would have been an incredible opportunity, but the financial terms didn’t make sense for me on the face of other offers which were also coming in,” Vakhitov said. “So, we had to politely decline. “That said, our discussions were respectful, and who knows what the future may bring?”