Ex-fighter calls out UFC paycheck rule, billionaires to be drug-tested for their mega fight, long-haired Rose Namajunas steals hearts: 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 Dana White addressing Stephen Thompson not getting paid, Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg fight talks, and more.
#3. Ex-UFC fighter Tim Kennedy calls out the promotion for fighter pay rule
After Michel Pereira failed to make weight at UFC 291, his opponent Stephen Thompson refused to take the fight and the matchup was removed from the card. He explained in a social media post that it was a cautionary approach on his part to avoid risking his championship aspirations.
In the aftermath, 'Wonderboy' revealed that he did not get paid the show money for the fight despite making weight for the bout.
When asked to comment on the matter, Dana White clarified that in case of an opponent's weight miss, a fighter is offered another short-notice fight if the original matchup falls through. The fighter also receives a percentage of the overweight opponent's purse. However, the UFC president made it clear that there's little chance of the fighter getting paid his entire fight purse if he doesn't take the fight.
Reacting to White's comments, former UFC fighter Tim Kennedy chimed in with an experience of his own.
This is what happened to me after my scheduled fight with Rashad. I had to cut weight twice and fight a new opponents on short notice. Gustlem smashed me. twitter.com/bloodyelbow/st…
It seems like the rule UFC has in place for an opponent's weight miss is not always fair to a fighter. The contest Kennedy was talking about in the tweet was his last-ever MMA fight back in 2016. He got knocked out by Kelvin Gastelum in the third round. He re-enlisted in the U.S. Army after quitting the sport.
#2. Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg will be drug-tested, per Dana White
Dana White recently appeared on Hotboxin' with Mike Tyson podcast and spoke on a variety of topics. Among them, obviously, was the raging subject of the Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg fight.
The UFC president shared multiple bits of information on the matter, including that he has spoken with Italian authorities about the Colosseum being a potential venue for the contest.
He also disclosed that the two billionaires will be tested for PEDs before the fight:
"We were talking about the Colosseum for that fight. I actually did have a meeting with the Minister of Culture in Italy... No steroids, these guys will be drug tested."
He also predicted the fight would do a billion dollars in revenue.
During the Power Slap League post-event press conference, White confirmed that he has spoken with Musk and Zuckerberg in the last couple of days and is working on a date.
#1. Resurfaced photo of Rose Namajunas with long hair leaves fans stunned
Rose Namajunas has pulled off her buzz cut look incredibly well for years now. However, some long-time MMA fans would remember her long-haired days, which she chopped off before her main event fight against Paige VanZant back in 2015.
Here's a younger 'Thug' Rose with long, blonde hair:
Under a recent picture of hers in full hair posted by a Twitter user @DovySimuMMA, fans expressed that they loved Namajunas with long hair and preferred her with that look. Some even went ahead and said they'd 'invade Troy for her', an obvious reference to the beauty of Helen from Homer's Iliad and Odessey.
Read all the comments here.
She has given a couple of reasons behind her decision over the years. In an Instagram post last year, she reiterated that her hair was causing hindrance during her training, which is why she got rid of it.
In a media scrum ahead of the VanZant fight, when her look was still fresh and the talk of the town, she addressed the matter and said how it was like 'shedding her past' and becoming a new person:
"I don't even know how to do [my hair]. I just had to put a whole bunch of product in it. I just want to be able to wake up in the morning and feel pretty and not have to do a whole bunch of cr*p [to my hair]. It is definitely like shedding my past, being psychologically mean of my hair as well as physically, and just ripping it out."
Rose Namajunas is set to make her flyweight debut against Manon Fiorot at UFC Paris on September 2, 2023.