New twist in Conor McGregor vs. Logan Paul, Alex Pereira vs. Khamzat Chimaev, Kamaru Usman's next fight: MMA Rumor Roundup
Between insider opinions and fan theories, the world of MMA is always full of rumors. Be it a top UFC fighter's next outing, a potential coming-out-of-retirement fight, or a high-profile mega fight, there is never a dearth of ideas floating around social media.
Following are the rumors that took the combat sports world by storm this past week:
New twist in Conor McGregor vs. Logan Paul rumor
Conor McGregor shook up the MMA world last week by teasing a massive fight with Logan Paul, organized by the billion-dollar business magnate family from Maharashtra, India, the Ambanis. Ever since, opinions from both fans and experts have been pouring in.
Ariel Helwani added to the rumor by revealing that the McGregor camp's first choice was to fight Jake Paul:
"The top choice was Jake Paul versus Conor McGregor. That was the pie-in-the-sky idea... This is not me trying to take a shot at Logan or anyone else."
Helwani also shared that he spoke to Logan and there is "validity" to McGregor's claim. It is good news for fans hoping to see Conor McGregor in the boxing ring again, although no report on whether it would be in a squared circle or the cage has come out yet.
UFC to book Alex Pereira vs. Khamzat Chimaev?
Even though the two UFC superstars are in different divisions and at no point Dana White has hinted at a fight between the two, the MMA community has managed to dream up a matchup between Alex Pereira and Khamzat Chimaev.
The rumor intensified after Pereira hinted at being "happy" after a recent meeting with the UFC in Las Vegas. Ever since, fans and pros have been weighing in, sharing their predictions.
Robert Whittaker, who has fought 'Borz' recently, leaned towards the Chechen-born grappling maestro. Sean O'Malley's MMA coach Tim Welch also believes that Chimaev will be able to take the Brazilian down with ease.
Kamaru Usman's next MMA fight
Kamaru Usman, who hasn't fought since losing to Khamzat Chimaev in October 2024 at UFC 294, is rumored to face Jack Della Maddalena in his next MMA outing. The fight was theorized to go down at UFC 312.
Speaking with MainEvent, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' gave a cryptic reply to the matter, neither denying nor confirming the news:
"I’ve heard that… I’ve seen interviews of him wanting to lobby for that fight which is great… more power to him for doing that. But at the end of the day, like I said now isn't my time. It’s time for me to be honest with myself and if I’m prepared to go in and do that, absolutely… as long as I’m prepared and this vehicle is ready to go, I’ll jump in there and put it to test."
Watch Kamaru Usman's comments below (0:10):