MMA News Roundup: Sean O'Malley climbs 10 spots in rankings, UFC judge faces felony charge for sexual assault on minor, Georges St-Pierre to co-host Paul vs. Silva
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 Sean O'Malley becoming the No. 1 bantamweight contender, an MMA official facing sex-related felony charges involving a minor, and more.
#3. Sean O'Malley goes up 10 spots in bantamweight rankings after win over Petr Yan
Sean O'Malley is now the No. 1 contender in the bantamweight division after climbing 10 spots in the rankings. His rise up the ladder comes after he defeated Petr Yan in a controversial decision.
With that, 'Sugar' is seemingly to get the next title shot against Aljamain Sterling, even though several MMA experts are of the opinion that he's not ready to fight the champion yet.
Petr Yan, meanwhile, has dropped down to the No. 2 position. T.J. Dillashaw, who lost his title fight to Sterling this past weekend, is now down to No. 5.
New UFC Bantamweight rankings (per TSN) https://t.co/I9Esuo7VM7
The latest rankings update also saw Islam Makhachev, the newly crowned lightweight champion, enter the pound-for-pound rankings at No. 3.
Read the full rankings update report here.
#2. UFC judge arrested and charged for sexual offences on minor
A Texas-based MMA official, who has worked as an Ultimate Fighting Championship judge on three different occasions, is currently facing two felony charges in Galveston County.
A report by MMA Junkie says that Robert Griffin Alexander, 49, was arrested on October 14 and booked for two offenses — a first-degree felony charge of aggravated sexual assault on a minor younger than 14 years of age, which allegedly occurred in January 2000, and a second-degree felony charge of sexual contact indecency on a minor under 17 years of age that took place around January 2010.
Bond was initially set at $40,000 for each offense and a hearing is currently scheduled for November 29.
Alexander served as a judge at UFC 271, UFC 265, and UFC 247.
Read the full report here.
#1. Georges St-Pierre to co-host Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva boxing match
Retired MMA legend Georges St-Pierre will be co-hosting the upcoming boxing match between Jake Paul and Anderson Silva. The bout is scheduled to go down at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona on October 29, 2022.
Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions revealed the news on Twitter:
"We are honored to announce UFC legend GSP @GeorgesStPierre will be the official co-host of #PaulSilva"
Read the tweet below:
We are honored to announce UFC legend GSP @GeorgesStPierre will be the official co-host of #PaulSilva https://t.co/cnOeKFK6cd
Paul retweeted it, showing respect and appreciation for the former welterweight champion.
Unlike his previous fights, Paul has shown immense respect for 'The Spider' in the buildup to their clash. They also had a dance-off to The Jackson 5's Shake Your Body.
The card seems to be a huge success so far, having recorded the second-highest revenue in the history of the Desert Diamond Arena. It trails behind only UFC 263.