MMA News Roundup: Fedor Emelianenko retires, Indian fighter makes history in the UFC, Conor McGregor's USADA status revealed after fight announcement
Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In today's issue, we talk about heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko's retirement, Indian fighter Anshul Jubli creating history and more.
#3. Fedor Emelianenko retires at Bellator 290
After a decorated fighting career spanning over two decades, Fedor Emelianenko hung up his gloves on Saturday night following his second defeat to Ryan Bader.
The two heavyweights clashed at Bellator 290 where the Russian sought to avenge his previous first-round TKO loss against 'Darth'. However, he ended up losing in a similar manner, while Bader became the first-ever fighter to defeat Emelianenko twice.
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Heavyweight Champion @RyanBader becomes the first man ever to defeat Fedor twice.
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MMA fighters and fans showered respect and paid tribute after 'The Last Emperor' walked out of the cage, leaving his gloves at the center. He was joined by the who's-who of MMA history inside the cage that surely created a frame to be treasured.
Renzo Gracie, Rampage Jackson, Chael Sonnen, Royce Gracie, Chuck Liddell, Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett, Matt Hughes, Frank Shamrock, Randy Couture, Mark Coleman and Dan Henderson (2023)
πΈ @BellatorMMA https://t.co/qS0c0in8KW
However, the president of the UFC remained stern in his take that Emelianenko was not one of the best to ever do it.
At the post-fight conference after UFC Vegas 68, Dana White stated that he doesn't consider Emelianenko to be "one of the greatest of all time," because the Russian never got tested in the UFC and also got knocked out by "middleweight" Dan Henderson.
#2. Indian MMA fighter Anshul Jubli is now in the UFC
The Road to UFC tournament came to a conclusion at Saturday night's event featuring the crème de la crème of Asian MMA talent.
Anshul Jubli of India looked to avenge the loss of compatriot Pawan Maan Singh, taking on Indonesia's Jeka Saraigh in the lightweight finale. Landing a TKO in the second round, Jubli became only the second Indian-born fighter ever to earn a UFC contract after Bharat Khandare.
Other winners of the tournament included Sung Hyun Park at flyweight, Rinya Nakamura at bantamweight, and Jeong Yeong Lee at featherweight.
Watch all the highlights of the fights here.
#1. Has Conor McGregor returned to the USADA pool yet?
After Dana White announced the massive news of Conor McGregor's return against Michael Chandler as a TUF coach, fans began to speculate whether the Irishman has rejoined the drug testing pool.
It came to light a few weeks ago that McGregor had removed himself from USADA, possibly to recover from his leg break against Dustin Poirier. Much was discussed on the matter, but the bottom line was that he would need to be in the pool for at least six months to fight in the octagon again.
Marc Raimondi of ESPN revealed McGregor's current USADA status after the return was announced. He confirmed that 'The Notorious' has not re-entered the drug testing pool as of today.
Conor McGregor has not re-entered the USADA drug-testing pool as of today, according to the agency. USADA reiterated that he would need to be in the pool for six months and pass at least two drug tests to compete again in the UFC.
He added that if McGregor and Chandler fight at the end of the TUF season in August or September, there is still enough time for the Dubliner to re-enter the pool and provide samples for the stipulated number of times.
Conor McGregor has not re-entered the USADA drug-testing pool as of today, according to the agency. USADA reiterated that he would need to be in the pool for six months and pass at least two drug tests to compete again in the UFC.