MMA News Roundup: Conor McGregor's return to grappling reminds fans of Chad Mendes fight, Ariel Helwani criticizes UFC over Bo Nickal, Daniel Cormier gets flak for laughing at Islam Makhachev's insults
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 Conor McGregor's return to grappling training, Daniel Cormier getting grief for laughing at Islam Makhachev's insults at Charles Oliveira, and more.
#3. Conor McGregor's grappling practice reminds UFC fans of Chad Mendes fight
A new video of Conor McGregor working himself back into fighting shape recently went viral on social media. Fans seemed to be impressed with what they saw from 'The Notorious' in the 30-second-long clip.
McGregor was seen working on his defensive grappling with his Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach John Kavanagh. Towards the end of the video, the former UFC champ-champ was able to break free and gain an advantageous position.
The sequence impressed McGregor's supporters on social media, including UFC women's flyweight Molly McCann. 'Meatball' hopped on the comments section to say she was reminded of the Irishman's battle against Chad Mendes.
#2. Ariel Helwani slams Dana White for snubbing Bo Nickal
Ariel Helwani slammed the UFC for passing on the opportunity to sign collegiate wrestling standout Bo Nickal. The former Penn State freestyle wrestler competed on Season 6, Week 3 of Dana White's Contender Series, where he made short work of Zack Borrego.
Still, White decided not to hand Nickal a UFC contract, citing the fighter's lack of professional experience. The decision irked Ariel Helwani, who criticized the UFC president on an episode of The MMA Hour:
"Don't give me the, 'Oh, is he good enough? Slow your roll,' all that nonsense. Come on, it's very disingenuous and I feel like it's insulting to the audience. Why are we playing this game? Why the charade? The next guy he fights, he's gonna be a -4000 [favorite]."
Watch the clip below:
🧢How I would have handled the @NoBickal situation last night. 🚫🧢 https://t.co/GPmTkAC9bT
#1. Daniel Cormier gets flak from fans for laughing at Islam Makhachev's insults at Charles Oliveira
Daniel Cormier received backlash for laughing when Islam Makhachev mocked Charles Oliveira's inability to speak English.
Appearing on the DC & RC show on ESPN, Makhachev took a dig at his upcoming opponent for wanting big-money fights. According to the Russian, Oliveira shouldn't expect to become a marketable star if he can't even speak a language everybody understands.
Cormier couldn't help but laugh, which rubbed some fans the wrong way. For what it's worth, though, Cormier pointed out the irony of the situation, since Makhachev himself speaks in broken English.
Watch the clip below: