Welcome to Bloody Elbow’s daily round-up of MMA news during yet another week without a UFC fight.
This is your one-stop shop for the top five stories from February 14, 2026. After six weeks of silence between the end of 2025 and 2026, we were spoiled with consecutive UFC events and now have another bye week.
However, there was still news happening throughout the sport, with Karate Combat’s fallout continuing and one BJJ legend even explaining how one might beat Islam Makhachev or Khamzat Chimaev.
- Who is Islam Makhachev? Step inside the life of the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet
Valter Walker and Johnny Walker’s war of words continues
On Friday night at Karate Combat 59, UFC heavyweight Valter Walker had a grappling match with bantamweight Zion Clark, who as a result of being born with no legs couldn’t become the latest victim of a heel hook.
The bout ended as expected, with the much bigger grappling expert winning easily in two-and-a-half minutes. However, what was even more bizarre than the match was Walker’s post-fight interview where he called out his own brother; light-heavyweight Johnny Walker.
Johnny has now spoken out, insisting that he is ‘ashamed’ of his brother and claiming he is in fact ‘not a Walker’ after disrespecting his brother’s wife. Valter wanted the pair to fight, but both men are booked in the coming weeks so no talks can happen just yet.
Gordon Ryan claims to know the technique that will defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov’s fighters
Gordon Ryan has spoken out on Mike Perry’s podcast Overdogs, insisting that he knows the secret to finally stop the Russian dominance in the UFC. Ryan is a BJJ icon, but other grapplers have tried and failed to nullify the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and now Islam Makhachev.
Ryan believes that the ‘Granby roll’ is key to avoiding the high-pressure attacks from Russian fighters, noting that its brief uses against the likes of Nurmagomedov or Khamzat Chimaev have been effective in the past.
The manoeuvre involves diving onto one shoulder, rolling across the shoulder blades, and coming back to the knees or feet to face your opponent.
Ryan Garcia hit with $5,000 fine ahead of title fight
It wouldn’t be a Ryan Garcia build-up without some drama right as fight week is about to begin. The controversial star has been slapped with a $5,000 fine for failing to meet the deadline for a WBC-mandated weight check.
The popular American missed the 140lb weight by 143.2lb for his crowning victory over Devin Haney back in 2024, and has since moved up to welterweight where he can weigh 147lb. He claimed to be in the low 150s during a recent interview.
Garcia was required to provide video proof that he was within five percent above the contracted limit of 147 pounds for his title clash with Barrios by February 7. The Californian was reportedly notified of a $5,000 fine by the WBC on February 10 after missing the deadline.
Dricus Du Plessis predicts Sean Strickland’s fight at UFC Houston
Luckily, we are away from the octagon for only a week as the biggest promotion in the world returns with UFC Houston next Saturday. Sean Strickland will headline against Anthony Hernandez in a high-stakes middleweight clash that could have title implications.
Dricus Du Plessis has battled through ten rounds with Strickland, marking just under an hour of world championship competition in the octagon. And he is backing his once bitter rival to get the job done in a massive main event that could establish a new divisional contender.