MMA News Roundup: UFC prospect plans to become next Israel Adesanya, Joe Rogan gives opinion on Andrew Tate's misogynistic stances, Dana White's league pushed back after slap incident
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 a rising prospect eyeing to become the next Israel Adesanya, Joe Rogan's take on Andrew Tate's personality, and more.
#3. Bryce Mitchell says he'll knock Alexander Volkanovski out cold, make $10 million, and become the next Israel Adesanya
A heartbroken and disappointed Bryce Mitchell nearly retired from MMA after tapping out against Ilia Topuria at UFC 282. However, he attributed the decision to his then state of mind and clarified that he was prepared to fight again in a recent interview with ESPN's Brett Okamoto.
Moreover, he stated that he plans on making $10 million in the next three years and mapped out how he would do that:
"Dude, would you agree in three years I could have $10 million in my bank and be like the next Israel Adesanya. Say I knock out [Alexander] Volkanovski cold and then go on three fights knockout, three other contenders, that would be $10 million in the bank, don't you think?"
'Thug Nasty' went on to claim that the featherweight champion was not facing the "toughest motherf***ers" and picking easy fights. Alexander Volkanovski has faced Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega, The Korean Zombie, and Max Holloway (x3) in his last six fights, and these are some of the best fighters to ever grace the octagon with their presence.
#2. "A very intelligent and calculated guy" - Joe Rogan on Andrew Tate
Joe Rogan doesn't agree with everything Andrew Tate says. However, he believes that there is substance behind some of his comments.
Speaking with Dave Portnoy on his podcast, the UFC commentator speculated that the reason behind Tate's surging popularity is that a certain section of people relate to his messages. Rogan, however, made sure to clarify that he doesn't support Tate's misogynistic stances.
"You get to see this is a very intelligent and calculated guy. You might not agree with his message. You might not agree with all the misogynist stuff. And I don't agree with it. You might not agree all the crazy antics, but you cannot deny that that's been incredibly successful because it resonates with a lot of young men who don't feel represented in the media."
As for Tate's controversial comments on women, Rogan said that it was bound to have a negative impact on everyone, including himself.
"The misogynistic stuff - like, if you have daughters or if you have a wife or if you have sisters, you don't want that. That narrative, putting that out there, that's negative - to everybody. It's not even positive to him. It's like, it's not necessary."
This is quite a neutral stance to take, given that Tate was recently arrested on charges of rape and human sex trafficking. There are several videos of him online openly admitting to said crimes as well. However, Rogan has never been one to impede freedom of speech, no matter where on the spectrum of right and wrong it lies.
Watch the full video below:
#1. UFC President Dana White's Power Slap League delayed after slap incident
It seems like Dana White has compromised the airing of his new league with the unfortunate New Year's Eve incident.
Rumors started spreading on Thursday morning after TBS removed the league from their programming schedule for next week. The MMA community jumped to the conclusion that the channel had pulled the plug on the league.
Brett Okamoto cleared the air with confirmation that the broadcast has been pushed back one week to January 18, 2023.
Per a UFC official, Dana White Power Slap league’s debut on TBS has been pushed back one week to Jan. 18. Still no response on a request for comment to TBS on the matter.
No reason for the delay was known at the time of this writing.