Chris Weidman returning to UFC, fighter apprehends pedophile, Power Slap allegedly outdid Celtics vs. Heat: MMA News Roundup
Welcome to Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC news updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In today's issue, we talk about Chris Weidman's return, Power Slap numbers, and more.
#3. Chris Weidman is set to return to action at UFC 292
After a long hiatus for recovery, Chris Weidman is finally returning to the octagon.
According to a report by Newsday Sports' Mark La Monica, the former middleweight champion is going to fight Brad Tavares at UFC 292 on August 19, 2023, in Boston.
Weidman broke his leg in a devastating manner, minutes into his fight against Uriah Hall at UFC 261. Ironically, it was almost the same way Anderson Silva had broken his leg against Weidman.
Weidman currently has a 15-6 record with three losses in his previous five UFC outings. His last win came against Omari Akhmedov in August of 2020.
#2. Dustin Lampros catches another alleged pedophile
MMA fighter Dustin Lampros is quite the hero without a cape.
A few months ago, news of him apprehending a pedophile and handing him over to the authorities went viral. Recently, in a similar incident, Lampros seemingly got another alleged pedophile arrested.
In his latest Instagram post, Lampros is seen questioning a man who allegedly sent lewd and age-inappropriate texts to a 13-year-old and even attempted to meet with her with questionable intentions. The in-video caption claimed the man was 33 years old and had traveled in an Uber cab for 1.5 hours to 'spend the night' with two teenagers, including the one he texted.
At the end of the video, the man is seen getting handcuffed by the police.
Watch the video below:
Lampros is a TUF alum who represented Team Alexander Volkanovski on The Ultimate Fighter season 29.
#1. Power Slap League did better on social media than the NBA Conference Finals: Dana White
Whenever Dana White is asked about how Power Slap League is doing, he drops a list of numbers comparing the sport with the likes of WWE, NBA, NHL, and NFL. He has been called out for the same by fans. MMA analysts like Ariel Helwani have cast doubt on the claims as well.
In a recent interview with Robbie Foxx on My Mom's Basement podcast, White revealed that Power Slap 2, which went down at the UFC Apex on May 24, did more numbers on social media than the historic Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
"We did almost 2 million viewers, and 4 billion media impressions... We gained 253k followers, from a Monday to a Monday. We had 125 million video views... This thing fu**ing crushes it on social media... Total video views for them, games 4 through 7, the Heat had 20 [million], Celtics had 29, Power Slap had 31. As far as video views go, it was 65 million to 90 million."
Watch White's comments below from the 2:10 mark: