MMA News Roundup: UFC vet supports Conor McGregor, Kayla Harrison's manager gets accused of cheating, Paddy Pimblett hails upcoming foe (Nov. 29, 2022)
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 UFC veteran supporting Conor McGregor amid his latest controversy, Kayla Harrison's manager getting slammed by Larissa Pacheco's team, and more.
#3. Brendan Schaub comes out in support of former UFC champion Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor found himself in the middle of a controversy after he left the United States Anti-Doping Agency's (USADA) testing pool. Many speculated that the only reason he did so was so he could use performance-enhancing drugs as he recovers from his injury.
But as far as former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub is concerned, McGregor has a perfectly understandable reason for using PEDs. On his Thiccc Boy YouTube channel, Schaub stated:
"UFC? He's the cash cow. Do what you gotta do to get back. Because when he does compete, he's going to be clean. It's a gray area... You guys judging Conor or anybody that's done things out there and [suffers] a horrible injury like that, you don't know what the f**k you're talking about."
Check out the video below:
#2. Kayla Harrison's manager Ali Abdelaziz accused of cheating during her recent loss to Larissa Pacheco
Kayla Harrison's manager Ali Abdelaziz has been accused of cheating by Larissa Pacheco's team after their fight this past weekend.
Abdelaziz was caught on video giving advice to Harrison from a neutral corner. Under MMA rules, it is illegal for team members or management staff to yell out instructions unless they're one of the sanctioned cornermen.
With that in mind, Pacheco's team was unhappy with Abdelaziz's actions and protested immediately. Pacheco's manager Alex Davis lashed out at Abdelaziz during a recent episode of The MMA Hour:
"So, what happened there was the manager came to the neutral side and started giving instructions. There’s two problems with that. One, you’re giving her [Kayla Harrison] instructions. It’s a third corner. Second, Pacheco could not hear her corner because you had someone yelling nearby and he was getting right up near the cage. He walks up blatantly and starts giving instructions from there."
Watch the video below:
Pacheco’s corner @Alexdavismma breaking down Ali going around the cage barking instructions here ⬇️ https://t.co/Y6NH3BqoPM
#1. Paddy Pimblett claims upcoming opponent's story will help raise mental health awareness for men
Paddy Pimblett is happy that he's on the same page as his upcoming opponent, Jared Gordon, when it comes to the issue of men's mental health.
After his most recent fight, 'The Baddy' tried to raise awareness about the issue by telling the story of a friend he lost due to suicide. That said, Pimblett is stoked that his upcoming fight could further shed light on the issue, as Gordon is also an advocate for his cause.
However, the UFC rising star claimed that he feels bad that he'd have to knock out Gordon. Talking about Gordon on an episode of Pub Talk, Pimblett said:
"He's had a lot of struggles himself with mental health, depression, and addiction. So I think with this we're gonna raise a lot of awareness for men to speak up more, which is nice. But I actually feel bad because I wanna knock him out in the first round."
Catch Paddy Pimblett's interview below: