Conor McGregor changes his mind about return, fans spot Andrew Tate's "clone" at UFC 291, Arianny Celeste a ring girl no more: 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 will discuss UFC 291 which went down this Saturday in Salt Lake City, headlined by a banger lightweight BMF title fight.
#3 Conor McGregor sets eyes on Justin Gaethje's BMF belt
UFC 291 proved to be one of the most exciting cards of the year, with nine finishes throughout the event.
On one hand, long-time UFC fans had to undergo the heartbreak of watching Tony Ferguson suffer yet another defeat at the hands of Bobby Green. On the other hand, Kevin Holland secured a spectacular submission, Derrick Lewis won a TKO in 33 seconds and took off his shorts, and Alex Pereira became the next light heavyweight contender edging past Jan Blachowicz with a split decision.
As a cherry on top, Justin Gaethje knocked Dustin Poirier out flat with a Leon Edwards-style head kick in the second round. Despite no ugly rivalry, the two managed to do complete justice to the BMF belt, but only one could've emerged victorious.
True to tradition, Conor McGregor took to Twitter immediately afterwards to make disrespectful comments about the victor.
"Justin, I'll slap you around," he first wrote.
He followed it up with a call-out to Gaethje for the BMF belt, snubbing Michael Chandler in the process.
"I’m the real bmf, he can fight for pennies if he wants but I want spirits, I call the shots, I’m in it to launch shots, f*ck chandler, you want it call for it."
Chandler took notice of McGregor's tweet and replied:
"Just pee in the cup @TheNotoriousMMA it ain’t that complicated…. #ufc291"
This is a reference to McGregor not providing USADA with a sample yet, which has been triggering a lot of controversy surrounding his return.
However, Chandler also hinted at his interest for the BMF belt, and being Gaethje's next opponent.
"Well now @Justin_Gaethje has the #BMF belt - he has to defend it against a worthy adversary🤔"
#2 Fans make fun of UFC 291 fighter for being an Andrew Tate lookalike
Vinicius Salvador, who went up against CJ Vergara at UFC 291 on Saturday, became the subject of social media jokes for sharing an uncanny resemblance with Andrew Tate.
With a bald head and similar facial hair, Salvador does look like a doppelganger of the mega social media sensation at first glance. Fans had a field day after spotting the similarity between the two. While some called him a 'long lost brother' or 'cousin' of Tate, others said he was a 'mutant clone' or a less bulked-up, "off-steroid" version of the influencer.
🤣
Salvador looks like the movie “honey I shrunk Andrew Tate “ 😄🤣
#MMA #UFC291 #UFC291Live pic.twitter.com/EUmDXqcXqv
Check out the comments here.
#1 Arianny Celeste may have retired from being a ring girl
Arianny Celeste is an absolute mainstay among the UFC ring girls. Crowned with the nickname of "UFC mama", she made regular appearances at pay-per-view events, delighting the fans with her beauty and charming presence.
However, she has not been spotted at events of late, which led a fan to ask another ring girl, Brookliyn Wren, about her status. Wren was working the event in Salt Lake City and had put up a post about the firecracker fights of the night.
A fan asked if Celeste is a ring girl anymore or not, to which Wren replied:
@_Dinner7 No, she’s still with the company though
The information disappointed the fan, who then stated that Arianny Celeste and Brittany Palmer made a 'dream team' as octagon girls.