In an exciting matchup, experienced strawweight fighters Gillian Robertson and Polyana Viana are slated to go head-to-head at UFC 297. Robertson confirmed this bout on social media, and an additional source knowledgeable about the booking verified it to MMA Fighting.

Both fighters are coming off recent setbacks. Robertson faced a decision loss to Tabatha Ricci at UFC on ABC 5, sending her back to the drawing board after a return to strawweight and an armbar victory over Piera Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Viana suffered an arm-triangle submission loss to Iasmin Lucindo, which came after her knockout win over Jinh Yu Frey in her previous outing.

Robertson and Viana hold UFC records of 9-6 and 4-5, respectively.

The UFC 297 headliner is expected to feature a featherweight title showdown between champion Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria.

No respite in sight for the exhausted... particularly when a mischievous caller disrupts their sleep at all hours.

UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa is pushing through rigorous training for the upcoming UFC 294 pay-per-view event, all while recuperating from elbow surgery. However, his preparations are marred by an individual affiliated with Khamzat Chimaev's camp, determined to make his journey as challenging as possible.

Coach Eric Albarracin, in a recent interview with The MMA Hour, expressed his concerns about the heightened tension between the two fighters. Their hostile history traces back to an altercation at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas before UFC 279, a feud that escalated on social media in the ensuing months.

In Albarracin's words, "After that happened, people started calling us in the middle of the night, waking us up. So, there’s just been some sabotaging going on on his end, trying to keep us with the jet lag."

Bobby Green caused a major upset at UFC Fight Night 229 by knocking out Grant Dawson in the first round. Green (31-15-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) displayed confidence throughout the lightweight headliner at the UFC Apex. He dropped Dawson (20-2-1 MMA, 8-1-1 UFC) with a left hand early in the contest and forced referee Keith Peterson to step in just 33 seconds into the fight.

Green, coming off a submission win over Tony Ferguson in August, secured back-to-back victories in the lightweight division, ending Dawson's perfect record in the UFC. Green refrained from making specific callouts post-fight and expressed his desire to stay active in the octagon.

At UFC Vegas 80, the fight between Philipe Lins and Ion Cutelaba was unexpectedly removed from the event. Lins fell ill on the day of the fight, despite efforts by medical professionals to salvage the matchup. The announcement of the cancellation was made during the UFC Vegas 80 broadcast, with initial reports coming from John Morgan on Twitter.

This marks the third occasion where Lins has been involved in a fight cancellation on short notice. The first instance occurred in 2021 when Lins withdrew from a heavyweight bout against Ben Rothwell just before the weigh-ins. In 2022, Lins' fight with Maxim Grishin was also scrapped during the broadcast at the UFC APEX.

Grant Dawson Sympathizes with Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili.

Grant Dawson, an emerging name in the MMA world, acknowledges the delicate balance between friendship and competition within the sport. While he hasn't faced the same level of pressure as his teammates Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili, who have refrained from fighting each other due to their close bond, Dawson foresees potential challenges ahead.

Currently training with five American Top Team (ATT) gymmates in the UFC's top 15 lightweight rankings, Dawson recognizes the privilege of being surrounded by elite fighters. However, this scenario also raises the prospect of future conflicts when it comes to choosing opponents.

At UFC Vegas 80, the scheduled five-round main event will feature Grant Dawson and Bobby Green, both of whom successfully made weight at 156 pounds during Friday morning's official weigh-ins at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

Dawson, currently ranked No. 11 in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings, boasts an impressive nine-fight unbeaten streak within the UFC's octagon and is set to compete in his inaugural promotional main event. Meanwhile, Green aims to continue his momentum following a third-round submission victory against Tony Ferguson at UFC 291 in July.

A new era dawns in the UFC middleweight division, ushering in a sense of unpredictability regarding the next title bout.

Sean Strickland's recent ascension to the throne, marked by his dominant victory over the highly favored Israel Adesanya in the UFC 293 main event at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, has left the division in a state of flux. While "The Last Stylebender" may not be an immediate rematch candidate in the eyes of many, discussions have swiftly turned to who "Tarzan" could face in his first title defense.

Jared Cannonier's recent bout against Roman Dolidze at UFC 295 has taken him out of the title picture for now, putting Dricus Du Plessis in a favorable position.

Following his victory at Polaris 25 on September 30, Sterling didn't hold back in accusing UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley of avoiding top contenders. He called upon O'Malley to exhibit the qualities of a true champion and face formidable opponents, given O'Malley's intention to defend his title against Marlon Vera.

Sterling specifically highlighted his teammate, Merab Dvalishvili, who boasts an impressive nine-fight win streak and occupies the No. 2 spot in the rankings. Vera currently stands at No. 6 and is coming off a loss to No. 4 Cory Sandhagen, another credible contender for O'Malley's first title defense.