Issue 226
March 2026
Fighters Only’s social media editor, Paul Browne, picks out his highlights from the past month on MMA social media.
ILIA TOPURIA ANNOUNCES HIS RETURN
Ilia Topuria returned to Instagram like a landlord checking rent with “The Champ is back !!! No opponent named, no explanation offered, just a statement so confident it feels like it pays its own taxes. In 2026, you don’t need a press conference. You need one sentence, and the internet does the matchmaking for you.
The champ doesn’t do subtle as he uploaded a close-up that looked less like a recovery update and more like a horror trailer. Blood-red eyes after surgery to repair the damage from Ciryl Gane. Heavyweight title reign. It’s something that makes you blink twice and check your own vision.
GARRY BOOKS A FLIGHT BEFORE THE CONTRACT
Ian Machado Garry decided that if the UFC ever books him against Islam Makhachev for the welterweight title, he’s heading straight to Georgia to sharpen the wrestling. Nothing says confidence like planning your Dagestani immersion program before the fight even exists. Most contenders call out the champ. In a division full of talkers, he’s at least committed to the bit.
Nate Diaz posted one of those “what do we have here” teasers, and Dustin Poirier and Mike Perry told him to pull up, because of course they did. Diaz also said he wants Conor McGregor, because of course he does. It’s 2026, and the lightweight division still runs on unfinished business and selective memory.
The fight exists in theory, and the internet has already sold out the arena. One sentence and timelines split into detectives, doubters, and people pricing whiskey in celebration. Until the contract lands, it lives in that sweet spot between headline and hallucination.
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