Lil Wayne boycotts UFC; Conor McGregor and Jon Jones' return makes rapper go back on vow
Islam Makhachev's win over Alexander Volkanovski almost cost the UFC a loyal fan in rapper Lil Wayne. However, Conor McGregor and Jon Jones' upcoming MMA returns saw 'Weezy' backtrack on his comments.
After UFC 284, the rap star took to social media to express his disappointment over the result of the main event, suggesting that Volkanovski was robbed and deserved the judges' nod.
The judges' unanimous decision in favor of Makhachev angered Lil Wayne so much that he proclaimed that he was considering boycotting the UFC for good. He tweeted:
"Not sure if I'll ever watch UFC again."
The American quickly backtracked on his earlier tweet when he realized what's set to follow in the UFC schedule, including the returns of superstars Jon Jones and Conor McGregor, and the Alex Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya rematch.
In his next tweet, Lil Wayne wrote:
"Wait, 'Bones' Jones komin back?! Ok, I lied and you know I can't miss dat [Alex] Pereira v '[Last] Stylebender'!!!! And Conor [McGregor] coming bak right?? Yeah, I lied."
Islam Makhachev's win divided the MMA community, with many going on to slam the judges' decision. Even UFC commentator Joe Rogan was left shellshocked by the scorecards, so Lil Wayne's frustrations are understandable. Nevertheless, there are some mega fights to look forward to on the horizon.
After a three-year hiatus from the sport, former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will make his highly anticipated heavyweight debut against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285. Just months after former champion Francis Ngannou's UFC exit, Jones and Gane will contest the vacant title.
The middleweight title rematch between Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira is scheduled for UFC 287 in Miami, Florida. Adesanya will look to re-claim his title from the boogeyman of his professional career, 'Poatan'.
Conor McGregor is set to coach the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler, with the duo slated to lock horns inside the octagon later this year.
Conor McGregor praises UFC 284 headliner
Although Conor McGregor has a troubled history with Dagestani fighters, the Irishman had nothing but praise for the lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski this past weekend.
McGregor's bitter rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov is well-documented, so him giving praise to the Russian's protégé is certainly out of the ordinary. Expressing his delight at the recently concluded pay-per-view, 'The Notorious' took to Twitter to give props to the headlining fighters and the Australian crowd:
"That was a great fight last night lads! No losers there [are] just winners. The Ozzie and the Ozzie’s showed out and I f*****g loved seeing it! Perth looks f****n’ tasty too, now I see why so many Irish are there. I should’ve went out, former titles on the line 🌞 congrats all at @ufc."