MMA News Roundup: Petr Yan claims he wasn't 100% fit at UFC Las Vegas, Power Slap League accused of lying, TUF participants mimic Conor McGregor
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 Petr Yan's statement after the loss to Merab Dvalishvili, Power Slap League's potential transgressions, and more.
#3. Petr Yan felt the need for physical therapy ahead of UFC Las Vegas
The MMA community unanimously believes Merab Dvalishvili handed Petr Yan the most decisive loss of his career at UFC Las Vegas. However, the Russian has claimed that there were several "slowing factors" that impacted his performance.
In his statement after the fight, Yan said [via Google Translate]:
"I was pleased with the preparation in general. There were several slowing factors - about which I thought and believed that I would manage! Flew to the United States, a couple of days away from the flight and started working. Feeling the need for physical therapy!"
Here's his full statement below:
#2. Power Slap League gets accused of faking social media engagement
Dana White's Power Slap League finds itself in the middle of yet another controversy.
Like all combat sports events, PSL puts up tweets by fans and experts on television during live broadcasts. They recently shared two apparent tweets from the accounts @Aleksis_Vilums and @CjGaudet14.
However, MMA Junkie's Matthew Wells pointed out that neither of the two tweets existed on the platform.
https://t.co/oXU5cEsuqf
Even though the accounts existed, their last tweets were posted many days ago, according to screenshots by Wells.
🤔 https://t.co/GvwF2dbJ7G
This allegation comes amid the UFC president's bold claims that the Power Slap League is doing as well on social media as the NBA and NFL, if not better.
He even claimed that the slap-fighting posts did better than the UFC Las Vegas posts on Saturday. Power Slap League held its season finale after Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili's headliner.
Dana White says the worst Power Slap social media post did more views than the worst #UFCLasVegas social media post today #PowerSlap1
#1. TUF participants do their best Conor McGregor impressions
The Ultimate Fighter 31 contestants gave their best shot at impersonating Conor McGregor in a fun interview with The Schmo.
The veteran journalist asked some of the participants to mimic the Irishman and they did not disappoint. While most copied what McGregor possibly looked like while mentoring them, one brought back the unforgettable 'Who the f**k is that guy?' quote that was aimed at Jeremy Stephens.
Watch the video below:
The filming of the show started earlier this month, with the season scheduled to premiere on May 30. McGregor and his opponent Michael Chandler shared their first takes on the season shortly afterwards.