Dillon Danis gets sued, belt reveal triggers 'UFC is scripted' accusations, Sean Strickland blasts Israel Adesanya for using his platform wrong: 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 Dillon Danis getting sued, Israel Adesanya's upcoming title fight against Sean Strickland, and more.
#3. Nina Agdal sues Dillon Danis for harassment
Dillon Danis' distasteful actions in the lead-up to his boxing clash with Logan Paul may have come back to bite him.
In the name of promoting the fight, Danis launched an all-out attack on Paul's fiancee Nina Agdal, posting a series of real and doctored pictures and making derogatory comments about her throughout.
Danis stooping as low as dragging his opponent's partner to promote a fight earned sharp criticism from the fans. However, Agdal had been silent about the matter up until today.
According to a TMZ Sports report, Paul and Agdal have finally taken it up with the authorities.
They filed a restraining order against Danis on Wednesday, with a lawsuit alleging Danis of humiliation, emotional distress, and reputational harm. One particular post made on August 11 had reportedly violated federal and state law as well.
Agdal also accused Danis of hacking into her Snapchat archive to obtain certain videos that she had not publicly posted before. She wants no less than $150K in damages per violation of the federal law prohibiting the sharing of intimate images.
In response, Danis has shown no remorse and has been unapologetic. He stated that with the lawsuit in tow, their fight now may be in jeopardy.
#2. New Noche UFC belt sparks 'scripted' debate
Dana White took to social media on Wednesday to reveal a new championship belt, which he said would be presented to Alexa Grasso at the Noche UFC event.
Noche UFC is the nickname given to the Fight Night card set to take place on September 16, 2023, which is also the Mexican Independence Day. The new belt was custom-designed for the flyweight champion to reflect her Mexican roots and culture.
However, the UFC president unveiling a new belt for Grasso a week before she puts her title on the line in a rematch against Valentina Shevchenko got fans to make wild speculations. While some wondered what would happen if 'Bullet' won the fight, others straight-up accused the UFC of being scripted.
"So Grasso wins confirmed. Thanks for leaking the script," one user said. Another wrote, "Sooo Valentina just gonna lay down for her or...?"
Read all the comments here.
#1. "You could've talked about Ukraine" - Sean Strickland pokes holes in Israel Adesanya's superstardom
Throughout the fight camp, Sean Strickland has been critical of his opponent's personality and lifestyle. Come fight week, he has ramped it up by several notches.
In an interview with Daniel Cormier, 'Tarzan' took multiple shots at how Adesanya handles being a UFC champion and uses the platform his fame provides:
"Izzy is the embodiment of a superstar. You have these people [like Adesanya] that are artificially inflated by the world. They wear the belt, they drive the car, they wear the jewelry... It means absolutely nothing."
In comparison, Strickland presented himself as someone who can't "take off the glasses" and turn a blind eye to all the issues around him, like the superstars seem to be able to do.
He also slammed the middleweight champion for a recent choice of wardrobe. 'The Last Stylebender' showed up at UFC 290 wearing a black t-shirt that said, 'He's Not Your Bank,' which triggered some divisive reactions among the UFC fans. It was widely presumed that it was a shot at his ex-girlfriend, whom he called out for blackmail and extortion.
Adesanya had the now-viral, profanity-laced face-off with Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290 after the latter defeated Robert Whittaker in the main event.
"World stage, man. You're about to announce the next big fight, and you take that opportunity to sh*t on your ex-girlfriend... You could've said anything bro, you could've talked about Ukraine, you could've talked about hungry Africans, you could've said anything. You open your mouth and the world listens, and you wear a shirt that says 'He's Not Your Bank' and then you get drunk and try to race bait Dricus [Du Plessis]."
Watch Strickland's comments below from the 4:30 mark: