Retired UFC fighter announces comeback, Khabib Nurmagomedov's father honored, Ryan Garcia's year-end fight in jeopardy: MMA News Roundup
A former UFC fighter has announced he is coming back from retirement. Elsewhere, Ryan Garcia's year-end exhibition fight seems to have run into trouble.
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Jorge Masvidal announces UFC comeback
Jorge Masvidal failed to capitalize on the UFC fame he gained after the 5-second flying knee KO win over Ben Askren and the high-profile inaugural BMF title fight against Nate Diaz.
Two title fight losses to Kamaru Usman, one grudge match defeat to friend-turned-foe Colby Covington, and a fourth loss in a row to Gilbert Burns later, 'Gamebred' hung up his gloves for good. UFC 287 was the last we saw of him, bowing his way out of the sport in front of a Miami home crowd.
In the interviews following his retirement, Masvidal maintained a 'Never say never' attitude about a potential comeback. Speaking to fellow retired ex-UFC star Jake Shields on the Fight Back podcast, Masvidal recently announced that he will return to the UFC in April 2025 in Miami.
''I'll be back [in] April next year in the UFC. We don't have any opponent yet. Hopefully, by December, we get the opponent and April - Miami card."
Take a look at Jorge Masvidal's comments below:
Fans were not too thrilled by the news. Most urged him to stay retired while others mockingly called him a "journeyman." A handful few called for a Colby Covington rematch.
Read the comments here.
PFL champion Gadzhi Rabadanov pays tribute to Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov
For someone who has never stepped inside the octagon to compete, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov has left behind an unparalleled legacy. Not only is his pedigree still producing some of the top champions in the sport, but his 'Father's Plan' is, to date, a much-talked-about gameplan in MMA.
Gadzhi Rabadanov, a student of his school that Khabib Nurmagomedov now runs, recently won the $1 million PFL lightweight championship in Riyadh knocking out Brent Primus. During his post-fight speech, Rabadanov paid a wholehearted tribute to his late coach:
"The belt is a continuation of the legacy of great trainer Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov who is not with us. I’m sad that he couldn’t see me succeed, this belt is for my school and Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. [He] is one of the few people who believed in me. He said 'I believe he can and will fight!'... There’s a lot of emotion right now but definitely it’s hard for us without him."
Watch Gadzhi Rabadanov's comments below:
Ryan Garcia's next fight could be in jeopardy
Ryan Garcia is set to make his first appearance in the boxing ring since the controversial Devin Haney fight plagued with the drug-fail debacle. The 26-year-old tested positive for ostarine in two separate tests done on samples taken before the April 20 fight and was suspended by NYSAC for a year.
He recently announced an exhibition fight against kickboxer Rukiya Anpo on Dec. 30 in Japan. The two held a press conference last week in Los Angeles announcing the fight as well.
However, Garcia's promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, spoke on behalf of his Golden Boy Promotions that no contract for such an event has been signed.
"Golden Boy Promotions has exclusive rights to Ryan Garcia’s fights. The organizers of this event have acknowledged as such and have agreed in writing that our sign-off is needed for this event to occur. As no such sign-off has been given, as of today there is no event with Ryan Garcia."
Garcia has not responded to the statement, except for an emoji on his X account.