Dana White confirms middleweight title fight, Bukayo Saka defends Conor McGregor, Khalil Rountree Jr. aims for 2025 UFC return: MMA News Roundup
Dana White confirms Dricus du Plessis' next opponent, Arsenal's Bukayo Saka defends Conor McGregor, Khalil Rountree planning UFC return in 2025.
Find out more details in today's (Oct. 9) Sportskeeda daily news roundup.
#3. Dana White confirms Dricus du Plessis next opponent, reveals issues hosting UFC events in South Africa
Dana White recently confirmed Dricus du Plessis' next opponent, in addition to explaining the issues the UFC is facing with hosting a potential event in South Africa.
During the latest Contender Series presser, White revealed 'Stillknocks' will defend his middleweight title in a rematch against Sean Strickland. The pair will run back their UFC 297 clash, which saw du Plessis win the title via split decision.
While chatting about the fight, White also stated the promotion is still far from hosting an event in Africa. He said:
"You know how bad I want this. I’ve been trying to get this thing done. The arena situation there is tough. It’s tough to pull off. So, that’s been the challenge with Africa as a whole; we’re trying to figure it out. The place that we would have to do it at is outdoors, and you know how I feel about that."
Catch Dana White's comments here:
#2. Arsenal's Bukayo Saka defends UFC star Conor McGregor after criticism
Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka recently felt compelled to defend Conor McGregor, after the Irishman faced criticism for sparring against Saka and his teammate Declan Rice.
Following Arsenal's Champions League win over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), McGregor, who watched the match from the stands, took to the pitch to meet the players. He then engaged in a friendly spar with Saka and Rice, throwing light kicks against them.
The incident reportedly prompted an internal investigation by the football club, who were concerned with how McGregor gained access to the pitch. Despite the incident appearing harmless, Arsenal are keen to avoid any potential accidents that could injure their star players.
Saka then took to Instagram amid the rumored investigation, however, and stated that there was no harm done by 'The Notorious'. He wrote:
"No harm done just a friendly spar 😂"
Check out the post, courtesy of MMA Orbit on X, here:
#1. Khalil Rountree Jr. eyeing UFC return in 2025, wants to face Jamahal Hill next
Khalil Rountree Jr. has revealed that he's already mapping out his plan to secure another run at the light heavyweight title. 'The War Horse' recently came up short on his first quest for UFC gold, suffering a fourth-round TKO loss to Alex Pereira at UFC 307 last weekend.
Following his defeat, the American spoke to MMA reporter Kevin Iole to discuss his future. Rountree Jr. is planning on resting up before returning in early 2025 and hopes to face former champ Jamahal Hill when he's back:
"I'm very excited to come back and fight again, but it will probably be Q1 next year...I want to come back and be very skillful and strategic and just make sure that I make the right decisions...I think it's almost inevitable [facing Hill], right? I think he's ranked No. 3. I think anyone up there in the top five is kind of inevitable, so let's see what happens."
Check out Khalil Rountree's comments here (11:20):