MMA News Roundup: UFC legend marks boxing debut with win, Logan Paul and KSI make UFC partnership official, Khamzat Chimaev was allegedly held in isolation at UFC PI
Welcome to today's (February 11) 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 a UFC legend marking their boxing debut with an emphatic win, Logan Paul and KSI officially announcing a partnership with the UFC, and Khamzat Chimaev's alleged detainment back at UFC 279.
#3. Jose Aldo wins via unanimous decision in boxing debut
Jose Aldo is widely considered one of the greatest MMA athletes of all time. The Brazilian is a legend of the octagon and will mostly be remembered for his iconic featherweight title run that saw him go undefeated for over a decade.
Aldo decided to call time on his MMA career at UFC 278 last year when he came up short against Merab Dvalishvili. The 32-year-old had snapped Aldo's three-fight winning run, with the veteran deciding it was the right time to step away following a loss.
Jose Aldo retires. 🇧🇷
Congratulations on an amazing career. 👑
Read More: sherdog.com https://t.co/w5MvCsMfos
Aldo wasn't away from combat sports for long though because soon after his retirement, the 36-year-old announced he'd be making his boxing debut, which took place last night.
Aldo walked out to a cheering crowd as Quentin Tarantino's famous soundtrack from Pulp Fiction played throughout the arena.
Fans were eager to see the Brazilian put on a show and weren't left disappointed as the MMA veteran showcased his elite level of striking. The Brazilian dominated Emmanuel Zambrano from the off and whilst he didn't score a knockdown, Aldo comfortably earned a unanimous decision victory in his home country of Brazil.
Jose Aldo’s return to boxing:
https://t.co/IlKJFTPt6N
#2. Logan Paul and KSI's PRIME drink makes its official UFC debut
Last month, Dana White announced that the UFC had partnered with KSI and Logan Paul to make their PRIME Hydration Sports Drink, the official drink sponsor of the organization.
As part of the deal, the red and blue corners of the octagon have been renamed 'Prime Hydration Recovery Zones' and will also see the promotion's iconic stools changed to feature PRIME branding. Whilst discussing the partnership, the 53-year-old said:
"We’re excited to name PRIME the Official Sports Drink of UFC and an official partner of the UFC Performance Institute. Logan and KSI have worked hard to build PRIME into the best-tasting, hottest sports drink on the market."
He added:
"We're going to get the PRIME brand in front of hundreds of millions of fans all over the world. Whether you’re a professional athlete or if you just love working out, PRIME should be your first choice for a go-to sports drink."
This weekend's UFC 284 pay-per-view marks the beginning of the official partnership, with Logan Paul taking to Twitter to show off some of the key areas where PRIME branding has been featured.
"On the canvas! Still can't believe Prime is the Official Sports Drink of @UFC"
On the canvas 🤯 still can’t believe Prime is the Official Sports Drink of @UFC https://t.co/2OB44c3roU
In just over a year, Logan Paul and his British counterpart have taken PRIME to levels beyond what they both had dreamed. Discussing the partnership with KSI on the IMPAULSIVE podcast, 'The Maverick' was visibly emotional as he labeled the deal as one of the biggest achievements of his life:
"This is the coolest thing of my life. I'm not kidding, probably top three accomplishments I've ever done. Prime, a drink that KSI and I created, is now the official sports drink of one of the biggest global fight organizations in the world."
Check out Paul's comments here (0:53):
#1. Khamzat Chimaev was allegedly held in isolation due to UFC 279 weight-cut fiasco
UFC 279 is infamously known as one of the most chaotic Pay-Per-Views that took place last year.
The card was originally set to be headlined by a showdown between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz in what would be the Stockton native's final fight with the company. Drama ensued beforehand as backstage brawls took place between Diaz and Chimaev's camps, with Dana White canceling the pre-fight press conference as a safety measure.
The issues didn't stop there, however, as 'Borz' later stepped onto the scales and missed weight by a staggering 7.5 lbs. The card was thrown into jeopardy yet again before Dana White and his team managed to salvage the night. Chimaev instead fought Kevin Holland and Diaz faced Tony Ferguson.
The new UFC 279 poster https://t.co/VlMyo91M7g
Now, months on from the event, Khamzat Chimaev has claimed that he offered his full $1 million fight purse to Diaz to accept the fight after missing weight, as well as stating that Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov had even offered $2 million to the Stockon-fighter. The 28-year-old said:
"For the fight against Diaz it was $1,000,000 [Chimaev's fight purse] and the PPV percent. When everything changed they still paid $1,000,000. I offered everything to Diaz, all my money to make it happen. Then Ramzan called me and told me that he was ready to even pay Diaz $2,000,000 for the fight. I told Nate that they called and offered more money but he refused anyway."
Here are Chimaev’s comments: https://t.co/QE9oNk8deb
Nate Diaz has now hit back at Chimaev's claims, with his representative Zach Rosenfield sending a statement to ESPN. According to them, Diaz was never contacted by either 'Borz' or Kadyrov. The statement also alleges that the biggest scandal was in fact that Chimaev was being kept at the Performance Insitute to prevent the story of his weight miss from leaking.
Nate Diaz rep Zach Rosenfield sent ESPN a statement on Khamzat Chimaev’s claims that Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov offered Diaz $2 million to take the Chimaev fight back in September after Chimaev missed weight https://t.co/Xu1kF59iuh