Midnight Roundup! UFC accused of acting "shady," Mackenzie Dern shows off her boyfriend, Ian Garry seeks revenge, and more
Fans suspect something "shady" is going on with the UFC regarding Conor McGregor's return. Elsewhere, Mackenzie Dern broke hearts flaunting her boyfriend on Valentine's Day.
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MMA fans smell something fishy with Conor McGregor's comeback
Dana White recently told Kevin Iole that the reason behind Conor McGregor's delayed comeback was his leg injury, followed by the Irishman's financial success.
However, fans are not ready to believe him, especially since McGregor has been vocal about his willingness to return. A large number of fans suspect that there are some "shady politics" going on regarding McGregor's UFC contract, in which there are only two fights left.
One fan said, "Dana lying there," while another said, "The UFC is freezing him out so he's forced to re-sign."
Read the comments here.
Mackenzie Dern celebrates Valentine's Day with Antonio Trocoli
It was evident for quite some time from both their social media posts that Mackenzie Dern was in a close relationship with former UFC fighter Antonio Trocoli. Dern divorced her ex-husband, Wesley Santos, with whom she shares a daughter, in 2022.
The two celebrated their first anniversary together less than a week ago. On the occasion of Valentine's Day, Dern posted a picture with Trocoli and a video of them enjoying music inside their car.
The post sparked vivid fan reactions on social media, where one pointed out that Trocoli looked similar to Andrew Tate.
Read the comments here.
Ian Garry wants revenge against Sean Strickland
While the media coverage of Sean Strickland's comments about Layla Anna-Lee has died down, Ian Garry is not forgetting or forgiving anytime soon.
Speaking at the media day for UFC 298, where he's fighting Geoff Neal, 'The Future' said:
"My wife was called a pedophile by Sean Strickland. No woman ever deserves to be called that. That's the truth... I'll pump the f**king mouth off Sean Strickland one day and there'll be nothing he can do about it."
He also said:
"Sean Strickland is not the f**king voice we should all be listening to. He's deeply, deeply indebted with trauma. He should just be silent and try to deal with his own personal issues himself."
Ex-Manchester United soccer star wants to box
After an ill-dated coaching stint with Birmingham City, England's Wayne Rooney is reportedly in "early talks" with Misfits Boxing for a one-off boxing match, as per a report by Mirror.
KSI had previously disclosed that the former Manchester United legend had reached out to him about facing him inside the ring. He also messaged Eddie Hearn and jokingly asked him to set up a fight at one point. It seems like Rooney could be serious about his intentions this time.
Ilia Topuria steals Alexander Volkanovski's belt
During a UFC 298 photoshoot, Ilia Topuria put on Alexander Volkanovski's belt when the Australian was not yet around for "a couple of pictures". When Volkanovski showed up, he took it sportingly:
"Take pictures now because you won't have it after."
Watch the interaction below:
One Nurmagomedov removed from the UFC roster
Abubakar Nurmagomedov has failed to live up to the name of his clan despite being Khabib Nurmagomedov's elder cousin. He was reportedly no longer on the UFC roster. The news was reported by UFC Roster Watch on X.
In his last promotional outing, Nurmagomedov not only lost the bout but also slapped his opponent across the face in a rather unsportsmanlike show.
Midnight Jokes!
Watch Merab Dvalishvili mess around with Henry Cejudo's coach Eric Albarracin after the firing fiasco: