Jan Blachowicz out of UFC 297, ex-champion talks "conspiracy theory", Francis Ngannou defends Conor McGregor: MMA News Roundup
Find out about the biggest UFC updates and other stories with Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup.
Today's issue will discuss a former champion's theory about the UFC, Francis Ngannou going to bat for Conor McGregor, and more.
#3. Jan Blachowicz out of UFC 297, per Aleksandar Rakic
Jan Blachowicz has seemingly pulled out of the rematch against Aleksandar Rakic.
The two were set to lock horns at UFC 297 on Jan. 20, 2023, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario. However, Rakic claims that Blachowicz has withdrawn from the fight with a month and a half remaining before the fight.
He labeled Blachowicz's alleged pull-out as "bullsh*t" and called upon Jiri Prochazka, who lost the light heavyweight title fight to Alex Pereira a month ago, to step in.
Rakic took to X to write:
"You can never lose a rematch when you pull out for the second time. Legendary Bullshit. Let's see if the Samurai has the balls to step up on Jan 20th. @Mickmaynard2 @danawhite
Blachowicz previously vowed to secure a win in their rematch. There has been no official announcement or confirmation yet from the UFC or Blachowicz.
#2. Eddie Alvarez talks UFC "conspiracy theory"
Eddie Alvarez touched upon the recently released email conversation between UFC matchmaker Joe Silva and the promotion's top brass, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta.
Dating back to 2010, the email thread exposed how the organization deliberately "lowballed" Nate Diaz and planned on punishing him with a prelims position for rejecting their offer. The court documents stemming from the ongoing class action lawsuit also revealed Diaz's payouts during his tenure.
Speaking on The MMA Hour, Eddie Alvarez stated that the emails expose how the decision-makers truly think about the fighters behind their backs.
He told Ariel Helwani:
"That's [email exchanges] are important for up-and-coming fighters who want to be in this business for them to understand that if you're not cooperative what the conversation is in the board room. They are the real conversations that are being had about you, the fighter... The emails are so like... Boom in your face! It's talked about, I guess it's a conspiracy theory, but now we see that this is how they speak about us [fighters] when we're not around."
Alvarez recently fought and lost to Mike Perry at BKFC 56.
#1. Francis Ngannou staunchly defends Conor McGregor
In a recent interview on Club Shay Shay, Francis Ngannou sat down to chat with ex-NFL star and MMA enthusiast Shannon Sharpe.
At one point during the interview, Sharpe referred to Conor McGregor as a "one-dimensional fighter", with which 'The Predator' took issue.
"Really? He has a good ground game too... There's always somebody who has a better ground game than somebody (else)... It's a sport of multiple disciplines. You have to be decent at somethings. Most of the time, champions aren't great at one thing. They're just good at a lot."
Watch the video below: