UFC flyweight withdraws from bout, Sean Strickland challenges Michael Chiesa, Petr Yan mocks Sean O'Malley: MMA News Roundup
Manel Kape pulls out of UFC Vegas 91 main event, Sean Strickland challenges Michael Chiesa to a fight and Petr Yan mocks Sean O'Malley.
Find out more details in today's (April 3) Sportskeeda daily news roundup.
#3 Manel Kape withdraws from UFC Vegas 91 main event bout against Matheus Nicolau
Controversial men's flyweight Manel Kape has once again caused a stir, after it was announced he has pulled out of his main event bout later this month.
Kape was set to face Matheus Nicolau in a rematch on April 27. at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The pair had previously fought back in 2021, which saw 'Starboy' narrowly lose the fight via split-decision.
The reasons behind Kape's withdrawal remains unknown, however, the promotion wasted no time in announcing his replacement. Nicolau will now instead face former title contender Alex Perez in the main event.
#2 Sean Strickland challenges Michael Chiesa to a fight following back-and-forth on social media
Sean Strickland has challenged Michael Chiesa to a fight, after the pair traded blows on social media.
'Tarzan' is known to be one of the most controversial and outspoken fighters on the roster, never shying away from providing his opinion on any given situation. Recently, the former middleweight champ took aim at men, like himself, who don't have children.
According to Strickland, men who own dogs are leading shallow lives and should instead be focused on having children and starting a family. He tweeted:
Chiesa soon responded to Strickland's post and claimed it was him, who should be reevaluating his life. He wrote:
"If you're a grown a** childless man hating on someone for loving a dog... you gotta rethink your life. Rich or poor."
Strickland then fired back at Chiesa and suggested that they settle their disagreement with a fight. He said:
''@MikeMav22 I'm not saying you're wrong but you talk a lot of shit to me and you haven't earned that right. You're not just a random person on X. No free pass. I think it's time you get an opportunity to be my equal. Not at the PI but I think it's time.''
#3 Petr Yan mocks Sean O'Malley for his relationship with the UFC
Petr Yan recently took aim at Sean O'Malley and criticized him for what he believes is an 'over-attachment' with the UFC since becoming the bantamweight champion.
Yan and O'Malley's rivalry began at UFC 280 when the pair fought in a grueling back-and-forth contest. 'Sugar' went on to clinch the victory via split-decision and also earned the opportunity to face Aljamain Sterling for the title.
During a recent interview with Gorilla Fighting, 'No Mercy' opted to re-ignite his feud with O'Malley by claiming that the bantamweight champion is too reliant on his relationship with the MMA promotion. He explained:
"For Sean [O'Malley], the UFC is everything. It's not everything to me. I don't have the attitude that I overvalue it and I don't see myself in other organizations. MMA is not everything to me."
Catch Yan's comments here: