Israel Adesanya predicts UFC 307, Sean Strickland's apology, Conor McGregor's ruined boxing plan: MMA News Roundup
Israel Adesanya predicted the outcome of the UFC 307 main event between his arch-rival Alex Pereira and title challenger Khalil Rountree Jr. Elsewhere, we find out why Conor McGregor's potential next boxing match fell through.
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Israel Adesanya predicts the winner of the UFC 307 main event
In a recent appearance on The Adam Carolla Show, Israel Adesanya predicted the main event of the upcoming UFC 307 pay-per-view in Salt Lake City between Alex Pereira and Khalil Rountree Jr.
Adesanya and Pereira's bittersweet rivalry with equal amounts of bad blood and respect is the stuff of legend. Surprisingly, 'The Last Stylebender' picked his nemesis to win this time around, having wagered against him in the last few instances:
"Just off the cuff, I'll go [Alex] Pereira because of momentum right now... Rountree doesn't gapple. He likes to kickbox. He's never going for a takedown. If you are going to do that Pereira - I'm the only one who has ever rocked or stood with him in the UFC. Everyone else, he washed."
Adesanya went on to say that Rountree Jr. has a chance if he can "make it dirty and catch him" but pulling that off is quite difficult against Pereira. If anyone would know the effort it might take to knock Pereira out, it is Adesanya, being the only person ever to do it in MMA.
"This weekend, I'm going to go Pereira and I'm going to go TKO or KIO... two or three rounds."
Adesanya also wants Pereira to retire without losing any more fights in the UFC so that he can remain the only person with the feat of beating him.
Check out Israel Adesanya's comments below (50:00):
Khalil Rountree Jr. says Sean Strickland apologized for past comments
After Khalil Rountree Jr. opened up about suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts and advocated for conversation around men's mental health, Sean Strickland made fun of the 34-year-old on multiple occasions. At one point, he even called Rountree Jr. a "liberal c*ck beta male". However, none of it was seemingly too personal for Strickland.
During the UFC 307 media day interview, Rountree Jr. revealed that Strickland has apologized to him since and even admitted to liking him:
"Honestly, the last interaction that I had with Sean Strickland was at the UFC P.I. ... Out of the blue, Sean Strickland comes up to me. He approached me, and he just said, ‘Khalil, I apologize, I’m a dumba*s. I actually kind of like you. I think you’re liberal, but overall, I like you, or I respect you,’ something along those lines... Almost squashing whatever beef."
Why Terence Crawford turned down Conor McGregor
Back in 2020, Terence Crawford showed interest in fighting Conor McGregor in MMA. He even claimed that he could beat the Irishman by using the ground game. However, when the opportunity came up recently, 'Bud' seemed to have turned it down.
McGregor recently revealed in a live stream session with Duelbits that he was in talks with Crawford for a two-fight deal - the first one in MMA and the second one in boxing - but the latter turned it down.
Speaking with Bernie Tha Boxer, Crawford confirmed that the UFC star's claim was true:
''I told Conor [McGregor], 'Hell no.' They called me and they offered me the fight and me and Conor got on the phone and started trying to figure something out, and I just told him, 'Man, I ain’t getting into no octagon with you so you can be kicking me and elbow me and sh*t.'"
"He started laughing and sh*t and he said 'Man, I respect that. You respect my sport just like I respect your sport and you understand that if you get in an octagon, you’re going to be at a disadvantage.'... He was like, 'But we'll make a sh*t ton of money.' I said, 'Yeah, sometimes it ain't about the money.'"
Watch Terence Crawford's comments below (18:25):