MMA News Roundup: Israel Adesanya wants controversial referee for Alex Pereira fight, ex-JRE producer reveals business email he sent behind Joe Rogan's back, Michael Chandler admits he was unhappy with UFC debut matchup
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 today's issue, we talk about Israel Adesanya naming the referee he wants for the Alex Pereira fight, Michael Chandler talking about his UFC debut, and more.
#3. Israel Adesanya wants the referee Dana White once called a "toolbox"
Israel Adesanya wants Steve Mazzagatti for his UFC 281 battle with Alex Pereira.
Mazzagatti was notoriously infamous for late stoppages and letting fighters get hit for much longer than they needed to. He's one of the MMA officials who has earned Dana White's wrath over the years for poor refereeing, much along the lines of Mario Yamasaki and Al Guinee.
In fact, White has gone on lengthy rants about his disapproval of Mazzagatti's officiating, At one point, he even called Guinee the "Arizona Mazzagatti" for a seemingly delayed stoppage in the Paul Craig vs. Jamahal Hill fight at UFC 263.
Here's a video showing White calling Mazzagatti a "toolbox," among other things:
Despite Mazzagatti's reputation, Adesanya wants him to officiate his UFC 281 title fight with Alex Pereira in the hope of being able to punch 'Poatan' in the face 50 times.
In an interview on his YouTube channel, FREESTYLEBENDER, Adesanya said:
"Bring back Steve Mazzagatti to ref my fight because I want to hear 'fight back' as I'm punching him in the face like 50 times. I want to hear, 'Fight back, you need to move Alex, you need to move, fight back, now hook him up.' I wanna hear that like 50 times before they drag me off of him."
While Adesanya was likely exaggerating and doesn't condone unnecessary violence, his statement is proof of how personal the fight is for him.
Watch Israel Adesanya's comments below (starting at the 15:25 mark):
#2. Brian Redban shares old email that Joe Rogan wasn't aware of
Brian Reichle, better known as Brian Redban, was fired from the Joe Rogan Experience in 2013 due to lack of technical proficiency and co-hosting skills. However, in a recent tweet, Redban shared an old email that shows he wasn't lacking in enthusiasm when it came to leading the JRE show to success.
Redban shared an email he had sent to Rockstar Games, the company that created legendary video games like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, in December 2011. He wrote in the caption that the email was his attempt to 'hustle' and Joe Rogan "had no idea" about it, even though the UFC commentator is mentioned in the mail body.
"This is a real email... @joerogan had no idea about this... I was just hustling... @RockstarGames," Redban captioned.
In the mail, Redban identified himself as the producer and co-host of JRE and proposed a business idea. He suggested that the company uses their podcast as a radio station in one of their video games.
"Me and Joe Rogan are constantly looking for new ways to reach people with our podcasts, and I think it would be a unique way for us both to win win."
Take a look at the tweet below:
This is a real email… @joerogan had no idea about this… I was just hustling..@RockstarGames https://t.co/x9hVoNxvFi
#1. Michael Chandler didn't want Dan Hooker for UFC debut
Michael Chandler's arrival in the UFC was a big deal for the lightweight division, especially after the wars he had waged in Bellator.
He proved his mettle with a first-round TKO of Dan Hooker at UFC 257. The losses to Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje were barely a scratch on his resume given his performances in the fights. He then bounced back with a vicious highlight reel front-kick KO of Tony Ferguson at UFC 274.
However, Chandler wasn't too happy about his debut matchup against Hooker.
With a feud-fueled bout with Dustin Poirier coming up, Chandler told MMA On Point that he didn't want to face "long, rangy striker" Hooker for his first outing in the promotion.
"I didn't really wanna fight Dan Hooker. You're coming in the UFC, Dan Hooker's 6'7. He is a long, rangy guy... I didn't wanna fight Dan Hooker. He had just gone 25 minutes with Dustin Poirier, heart of a champion, long, rangy striker. Even if you do get him, he wiggles and moves and wall-walks and gets up. He's a scary one."
Not one to back away from a battle, Chandler fought Hooker all the same and gave the fans one of the most explosive debut performances of all time.
Catch the full interview below: