Ryan Garcia says beer was fake, Israel Adesanya claims influencer wanted to fight him, Islam Makhachev rejected by UFC lightweight: MMA News Roundup
Ryan Garcia claims his beer at the weigh-ins was fake, Israel Adesanya reveals Bradley Martyn tried to fight him in 2020 and Islam Makhachev says a UFC lightweight has declined to fight him.
Find out more details in today's (April 24) Sportskeeda daily news roundup.
#3. Ryan Garcia claims he drank apple juice in a beer bottle to take home an extra $12 million in winnings
Ryan Garcia appeared to dupe almost everybody after revealing that the 'beer' he chugged on stage at the weigh-ins was actually apple juice.
Garcia delivered a career performance when he faced Devin Haney last weekend, dropping the WBC super lightweight champion on multiple occasions before getting the nod on the judges' scorecards.
Before the fight, however, much of the build-up was centered around 'King Ryan' and his erratic behavior, with many believing he wasn't taking the fight seriously. This culminated in him chugging a beer at the weigh-ins before he stepped on the scales 3.2 pounds over the championship limit.
Garcia has now revealed, however, that the beer was actually part of his strategy. Speaking on a recent episode of the PBD Podcast, 'KingRy' stated the beer was apple juice and that it was a strategic ploy to make Haney/fans doubt him:
"Yeah, I mean it just, it was an investment. It was an investment. One, I'm gonna be healthy. Two, that's gonna make it look worse. I'm drinking a beer on the scales. That's f****** crazy. But, nah, let's be honest, we put apple juice and sparkling water in it."
Catch Garcia's comments here:
#2. Israel Adesanya reveals Bradley Martyn once tried to fight him at a house party in 2020
Israel Adesanya revealed he was once challenged to a fight by Bradley Martyn in 2020.
Martyn, a popular fitness influencer and podcaster, made a name for himself in the MMA space for his interviews with fighters, where he regularly claims he could defeat them in street fighting.
Adesanya then appeared on Demetrious Johnson's MightyCast podcast and the pair discussed Martyn. According to 'The Last Stylebender,' he once had a run in with the influencer at a house party and was challenged to a fight by him:
"I met Jake Paul at the hotel and then he invites me to his house. I get there, crazy...There's a ring in the backyard and I got word through someone that, 'Oh, this guy is trying to get Izzy in the ring,' and I said, 'Nah, I'm just here to have fun, I ain't doing none of that,' And it was [Bradley Martyn]."
Catch Adesanya's comments here:
#1. UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev claims Arman Tsarukyan has declined to fight him on multiple occasions
Islam Makhachev said he wasn't surprised to hear Arman Tsarukyan rejected a fight with him.
Tsarukyan recently earned his No.1 contender status with a split-decision win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. He was then offered the chance to fight Makhachev for the title at UFC 302 in June, however, it has been reported that Tsarukyan declined the bout due to it being on short notice.
Following Tsarukyan's rejection of the fight, Makhachev said he wasn't surprised at the news. Speaking to NY Post Sports, the Russian claimed Tsarukyan has actually declined multiple bouts against him. He said:
I'm not surprised [he turned it down] because this guy talks about rematch all his life, but... This is maybe the 3rd or 4th time UFC gave him a chance to fight me and he said no... The UFC told me 'We give you opponent after UFC 300' I knew if Arman beat Oliveira he [would] never take this fight."
Check out his comments here (9:00):