MMA News Roundup: Veteran UFC referee nearly gets sucker punched, Dillon Danis vows to turn Andrew Tate into "feminist", Conor McGregor roasted for lack of humility
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 the latest issue, we talk about a UFC referee dodging a hit, fans trolling Conor McGregor for his arrogance, and more.
#3 Mike Beltran almost gets punched in the face at UFC San Diego
As an MMA referee, one is occasionally, if not often, at risk of getting caught in an exchange between two fighters. Mike Beltran almost faced a similar fate today at UFC San Diego.
Nate Landwehr and David Onama put up a banger for the co-main event, leaving no stone unturned in inflicting punishment upon each other. A violent fistfight till the last second, Landwehr managed to edge past Onama in a majority decision win. But before that, Landwehr almost caught Beltran, who was officiating the bout, straight in the face with a powerful right hook.
Beltran, being the veteran referee he is, was quick to move his head in time and get away unscathed.
Watch the incident in the closing seconds of the fight:
Mike Beltran ALMOST took a punch from Nate the Train. 😳
#UFCSanDiego https://t.co/bN056wLsJ7
MMA Twitter users were quick to get on the matter and left their opinions on the microblogging platform. UFC bantamweight Brian Kelleher joked that the referee getting knocked out at the end would be a fitting end to the chaotic scrap.
Could you just imagine if that right hand landed in the ref at the end and koed him haha would have made all the sense in the world after that chaos
Read more tweets here.
#2 Dillon Danis wants to get his hands on Andrew Tate
Other than being Conor McGregor's sidekick, the thing Dillon Danis is most well-known for is his myriad of call-outs on social media. Irrespective of whether there is any real possibility of facing the fighter, Danis does not shy away from making bold claims about taking out some of the A-listers of the combat sports world.
He is often trolled for his outlandish statements. But this time, he somehow comes across as a "lesser evil" of sorts, given the misogynistic reputation of the fighter he has challenged.
In a tweet yesterday, Danis promised to fight former kickboxer and internet provocateur Andrew Tate upon his return to mixed martial arts:
"When I come back to MMA I want Andrew Tate he's 1-0 and i'm 2-0.…. someone's 0 has to go! I'd beat him so bad he'd turn into a feminist."
When I come back to MMA I want Andrew Tate he's 1-0 and
i'm 2-0.…. someone's 0 has to go! I'd beat him so bad he'd turn
into a feminist. https://t.co/eCz9TnqE3i
A multi-time kickboxing champion, Tate is now known for his outrageous takes that cross the line of being offensive by quite a few miles. After being kicked out of Big Brother UK over physical assault allegations, Tate moved to Romania and accredited his decision to the country's lax laws surrounding sexual assault allegations.
Among his other bewildering takes are "women can't drive," "men are allowed to cheat but women are not," "depression is not a real mental condition," and many more, which have earned him the nickname "King of Toxic Masculinity".
Controversies aside, Andrew Tate is being touted as Jake Paul's next opponent.
#1 "Washed up MMA fighter" - Fans get snarky as Conor McGregor calls himself "underrated"
Conor McGregor, in his true self, is a lot of things. Humble is not one of them.
In a post earlier today, the Irishman claimed himself to be an "underrated athlete" in the sport of MMA, which got quite a bit of a laugh from his followers.
Underrated athlete. https://t.co/hLLD6B14ik
While some said he was the opposite of underrated, others straight up called him "egoistical" and "arrogant."
@TheNotoriousMMA I dont remember a time you were underrated to be honest, i do remember a time you were overrated though. You had a great career and made more money than everyone i dont see why you can let it go and just enjoy the money and time with your family.
@TheNotoriousMMA Stfu u r still a garbage human being. Dk t care how good of an athlete or fighter u r. Egotistical POS.
Read all the tweets here.
Some fans pointed out that he was looking shredded and had lost all the bulk from previous pictures, presumably cutting down for welterweight or lightweight. However, there is still no official confirmation regarding his UFC return.