Midnight Roundup! Alexander Volkanovski reflects on UFC 298 loss, Dustin Poirier talks retirement, Jake Paul predicts next fight result, and more

Alexander Volkanovski recently opened up about his title loss against Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, and Dustin Poirier revealed how he sees every fight as potentially his last. Additionally, UFC icons Jorge Masvidal and Chael Sonnen went at each other online after 'Gamebred' accused 'The American Gangster' of doping.

Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates in the world of MMA with Sportskeeda's Midnight Roundup.

Alexander Volkanovski explains how Ilia Topuria disrupted his usual fighting style at UFC 298

Alexander Volkanovski recently broke down how Ilia Topuria forced him to change his fighting style during their featherweight title fight at UFC 298 last month.

After promising a spectacular victory over Volkanovski to become the new 145-pound king, Topuria kept his word and secured a vicious second-round knockout victory over the Australian.

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In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Volkanovski revealed that he was in two minds during the fight and was trying to avoid Topuria's combos rather than focus on his own fight. He said:

"Did I feel like myself in there? No not really. I think it's probably clear to most people that I didn't look myself in there...He [Topuria] did what we expected him to do but there's things I could have done better. I didn't fight my fight, I was fighting to not get caught and that's just not my style...I'm pretty disappointed."

Catch Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (1:00):

Dustin Poirier discusses retirement ahead of UFC 299 bout against Benoit Saint Denis

Dustin Poirier is among the biggest stars in the UFC today and is known for putting on a show for the fans every time he steps into the octagon. He's a former interim lightweight champion and has a record of 29-8.

As one of the most decorated lightweights in promotional history, Poirier boasts wins over high-profile fighters like Conor McGregor, Max Holloway, Eddie Alvarez, Michael Chandler, and Anthony Pettis.

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'The Diamond' is booked for a lightweight clash against Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299. Ahead of his upcoming fight, the Louisiana native spoke to TMZ Sports about retirement and how every fight could potentially be his last. He said:

"I look at it, fight to fight, man. I'm not even looking at the next fight [or] the next year. I'm looking at next weekend. Show up [and] be ready to perform for 25 minutes at the highest level once again, get my hand raised, and then I'll assess my career... See what's next... Every fight could be it [my last fight in MMA]. Where I'm at, [at] 35 years old, this is my 30th fight in the UFC, every fight could be it."

Catch Dustin Poirier's comments below (3:04):

Jorge Masvidal and Chael Sonnen fire shots at each other online

Jorge Masvidal and Chael Sonnen hurled insults at each other earlier this week. Their feud heated up after Masvidal recently called out Sonnen for his failed drug tests during his time as an active UFC fighter, and Sonnen fired back.

During his recent appearance on The MMA Hour, 'Gambred' brought up Sonnen's previous issues with doping and stated that he would love to fight him in the cage. He said:

"Chael would be one guy that I would love to break his eye orbital. Just because he's such a cheating f***. Like he's gotten caught with more substances in his body than any other competitor in the history. At one time he had like six or seven different substances in his body for one of his title fights. It's like you're a f****** piece of s*** human being."

In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen responded to Masvidal's statements and took issue with the former BMF champion calling him a "fake gangster" during his rant. Sonnen pointed out that he had more felonies than Masvidal and said:

"Jorge Masvidal tried to come at me and call me a fake gangster. I have more felonies than he does, which is jail house talk, I wouldn't expect you to be impressed by that but it means he sleeps on the bottom bunk and he knows what that means."

Catch Chael Sonnen's comments below (3:00):

Khabib Nurmagomedov confused by Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway fight at UFC 300

Khabib Nurmagomedov recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway BMF title fight at UFC 300 and stated that he didn't understand why the matchup had been booked.

During an interview with MMA Junkie, 'The Eagle' pointed out that the Gaethje-Holloway fight could jeopardize Islam Makhachev's future title defenses and disrupt the lightweight title picture. He said:

"You know, all respect for Max Holloway but I don’t know and I don’t understand why UFC make this fight, Justin Gaethje vs. Max Holloway. It’s no make sense... Holloway supposed to fight with [Ilia] Topuria next, maybe September. Justin Gaethje supposed to fight with Islam [Makhachev], May [or] June. And [Arman] Tsarukyan vs. [Charles Oliveira], they fight April. April who win and May-June who win [between] Islam Makhachev vs Justin Gaethje, they supposed to fight end of the year in Abu Dhabi. This is, I think more make sense."

He continued:

“Now, Topuria, he will fight with who if Holloway loses?... No make sense why they don’t give Islam, Justin Gaethje. Why they make fight versus Holloway? I don’t understand what UFC have plan but Islam ready to fight with anybody.”

Jake Paul shares bold prediction for upcoming Ryan Bourland clash

Jake Paul is confident of picking up another victory in the squared circle. The former Disney star is set to fight Ryan Bourland in the co-main event of the Amanda Serrano vs. Nina Meinke card tomorrow evening at Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani after the official weigh-ins, 'The Problem Child' stated that he was going to finish Bourland within two rounds and said:

"KO, easy money. You already know how I do it, bro. Stop playing with me, Ariel, stop playing with me... [I'll finish him in] two rounds or less."

Paul is currently 8-1 in his pro boxing career. Tommy Fury handed him his sole loss via split decision in February 2023. The YouTuber-turned-boxer has defeated notable MMA stars like Anderson Silva, Tyron Woodley, and Nate Diaz. Meanwhile, Bourland has a record of 17-2 and is a former Golden Gloves champion.