UFC Kansas City generated numerous significant developments. Ian Machado Garry secured a win, Anthony Smith announced his retirement, and several other fighters took advantage of the opportunity to shine away from the familiar environment of the APEX facility.
Garry`s performance followed a competitive bout against the undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov. However, his victory against Carlos Prates didn`t impress everyone. Garry started strong, controlling the action comfortably through the first three rounds. The tide turned late in Round 4 when Prates` noted knockout power surfaced, putting Garry in serious danger. This momentum carried into the fifth round, with Prates seemingly on the verge of a finish.
Despite the late trouble, Garry survived the final 30 seconds—or perhaps Prates couldn`t land the finishing blow—to keep his hopes for a championship alive. UFC CEO Dana White has confirmed that Garry will serve as the official backup fighter for the upcoming UFC 315 welterweight title main event between champion Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena. Nevertheless, fan reactions indicate considerable skepticism about Garry`s readiness for a title challenge at this point.
Separately, though not reported by us, widespread rumors suggested Dricus du Plessis would not only be unable to defend his middleweight title against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 317 but might even be sidelined until 2026.
Du Plessis directly addressed these claims, posting a message urging people to stop spreading “fake news,” which was well-received.
In other news, the often-controversial Chael Sonnen made conflicting statements within a 24-hour period. He first confidently asserted that Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall had a scheduled date for their heavyweight championship unification fight, only to later correct himself, stating Aspinall was actually set to fight someone else.
As usual, Sonnen`s pronouncements should be treated with significant caution.
Meanwhile, Belal Muhammad predictably supported his teammate Islam Makhachev`s view that Ilia Topuria should not automatically be designated the number one contender. Similarly, fan opinions appear divided regarding “El Matador” receiving an immediate shot at the lightweight title.
