Huge UFC debut leaked, Paige VanZant calls Taylor Swift x Travis Kelce "fake", Sean Strickland launches new verbal attack at Ian Garry's wife: MMA News Roundup
Today's MMA news will discuss a potential UFC debut, Sean Strickland's latest rant, and more.
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#3. UFC 297 could see a top MMA fighter debut in the promotion
If the background of a recent interview of Dana White is to be believed, then Michael 'Venom' Page is soon going to debut in the UFC.
With a professional record of 21-2, Page proved to be one of the most in-demand free agents in the combat sports market after parting with Bellator earlier this year. Dana White had expressed interest in signing Page around the same time. In a recent appearance on The MMA Fan Show, the fighter admitted that he was "flirting" with the UFC regarding an official signing.
However, during Dana White's appearance on the Full Send podcast recently, he was seen seated in the War Room of the UFC headquarters, where all the matchmaking magic happens. On the boards of the room, there was a plate dedicated to a fight between one "M. Page" and Kevin Holland at UFC 297, which takes place on January 20 in Toronto, Canada.
Eagle-eyed fans were quick to assume it was Page's debut in the UFC, as both Holland and him are in similar weight classes. However, the promotion has not yet announced the fight officially, which means it is not confirmed at the time of this writing. It could very well be a potential fight the matchmakers have pinned on Page if the negotiation goes through.
#2. Paige VanZant on Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's relationship - "100% fake"
While a very public relationship between Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs player Travis Kelce has brought the worlds of pop and NFL very close, MMA star Paige VanZant is not buying into the hype. She believes the relationship is not real and that they’re together simply for PR purposes.
On the second episode of the new podcast co-hosted by her and her husband Austin Vanderford, VanZant said:
"I think that the Taylor Swift [and] Travis Kelce love story is 100 percent fake. Come for me, Swifties... It is publicity [and] huge for the NFL. Yes, the NFL is big, but Taylor Swift is huge, and now she's getting an entirely different demographic to come watch the NFL... It's a huge publicity play on both fronts."
Watch the comment below:
#1. Sean Strickland calls Ian Garry's wife a "sexual predator"
After fans discovered a book Layla Anna-Lee authored a few years ago titled 'How to be a WAG', which she claims was merely satire, the couple has been receiving incessant backlash on social media, and so have other fighters who supported them.
Anna-Lee, especially, is being targeted because of the subject matter of the book and the age difference between her and Garry. One of the fighters who has been most vocal about it is Sean Strickland.
In his latest tirade, the UFC middleweight champion hurled more expletives at the two:
"I want to be clear..... I didn't bring Ian's predator into this conversation.... He did, when you let her design that shirt of Geof Neil's mug shot you did.. Be a man shut her up and put her in the kitchen. Act like a bitch get treated like a bitch.."
He followed up with more severe accusations, this time labeling her as a "sexual predator":
"Ian Garry's wife is a SEXUAL PREDATOR....... She sought out a young athlete to seduce because she's getting old and still wanted to be famous.. No buddy of fame wanted you so you preyed on a kid... You are and will forever be known as a succubus..."