{
  "id": 9463900,
  "title": "UFC veterans in combat sports action Sept. 23-26",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/ufc-veterans-in-combat-sports-action-sept-23-26",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-24T02:00:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ufc-veterans-combat-sports-action-020031401.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "This week, the UFC returns to its home base in Las Vegas for UFC Fight Night 289 at the Meta APEX. Alongside the main event, several veterans of the promotion are competing in various combat sports this weekend. Here's a breakdown of upcoming events and results for some of these veterans.\n\nWill Chope is scheduled to face Mostafa Ashouri in a bareknuckle boxing bout at ZFC 2 on September 18. The official results are still pending. Don’tale Mayes suffered a unanimous decision loss to Jake Craig at Unified MMA 69. Darian Weeks secured a split decision victory over Hunter Lee, also at Unified MMA 69. Andre Fialho was defeated by Brayan Aspegren by unanimous decision in an ICF 8 fight.\n\nJames Llontop, with an MMA record of 18-9 and a 0-3 UFC record, will next fight Ricardo Romero at Inka 61 on September 23. Salim Touahri, who has 11-4 MMA and 0-3 UFC records, will compete against Daniel Rutkowski in a caged boxing match at MMA Attack 7 on September 25. Salim's last MMA fight was a knockout win against Gracjan Szadzinski at Clout MMA 5 on June 8, 2024.\n\nAlex Oliveira is set to face Juan Pablo Varela at LMC 3 on September 25. Alex's last MMA bout was a technical knockout loss to Omar Tuareg at Beazt Fight Night on June 13, 2026. His UFC record since his exit from the promotion stands at 4-6 in MMA and 0-1 in exhibition MMA and exhibition boxing.\n\nKarlos Vemola, with a 38-9 MMA record and a 2-4 UFC record, will take on Frederic Vosgrone at OKTAGON 94 on September 26. Vemola last fought a unified MMA victory against Attila Vegh at OKTAGON 72 on June 14, 2025. Yoel Romero, with a 16-7 MMA record and a 9-4 UFC record, will fight Darren Till at BKFC 94 on September 26. Yoel's last MMA fight was a unanimous decision win against Thiago Santos at PFL vs. Bellator on February 24, 2024. His final UFC bout was an unanimous decision loss to Israel Adesanya at UFC 248 on March 7, 2020.\n\nDarren Till, with an MMA record of 18-5-1 and a 6-5-1 UFC record, will also face Yoel Romero at BKFC 94 on September 26. Till's last MMA bout was a submission loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 282 on December 10, 2022. Lastly, Tony Ferguson, with a 25-11 MMA record and a 15-9 UFC record, will fight Mahmoud Fawzy Sebie at Cejudo vs. Walton on September 26. Ferguson's last UFC bout was a submission loss to Michael Chiesa at UFC on Aug. 3, 2024. Henry Cejudo, with a 16-6 MMA record and a 10-6 UFC record, is also set to fight Javon Walton at Cejudo vs. Walton on the same date. Cejudo's most recent UFC fight was an unanimous decision loss to Payton Talbott at UFC 323 on December 6, 2025.",
  "summary": "Check out which veterans of the UFC are competing around the globe this weekend.",
  "key_points": [
    "Will Chope to fight Mostafa Ashouri in bareknuckle boxing",
    "James Llontop and Salim Touahri compete in cage boxing",
    "Karlos Vemola and Yoel Romero face Darren Till at BKFC 94"
  ],
  "editors_take": "UFC veterans' upcoming bouts in various combat sports signal a shift in their careers, as several fighters with prior UFC experience now compete outside the promotion.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Bay Area sports calendar, Sept. 24-25",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/24/bay-area-sports-calendar-sept-24-25",
        "published": "2026-09-24T05:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}