Sean Strickland goes off at UFC, Conor McGregor spotted with ex-mafia Paulo Costa fumbles MLB first pitch: MMA News Roundup
Sean Strickland blasted UFC on fighter pay days before a huge fight against Paulo Costa in Newark, New Jersey. In Dublin, Conor McGregor partied with a former crime family member.
Here are today's top combat sports updates, presented by Sportskeeda MMA's News Roundup.
Sean Strickland: "The UFC does not do the f-ing right things"
Sean Strickland has never been one to pull punches when it comes to telling the brutal truth. He has often been critical of the UFC, especially regarding the fighter pay disparity. In a recent sit-down interview with Daniel Cormier, the former middleweight champion got candid about his opinions of the promotion:
"The guys that run the UFC what they’re making to what guys [fighters] gets paid, its f**king sh*t dude, the UFC does not do the f**king right thing and unless you hold them at f**king you know gunpoint, they ain’t going to do it."
Strickland went on to draw a parallel with corporate organizations which has long been accused of fostering a culture where the wage gap between the upper and lower echelons is stark.
Check out Sean Strickland's comments below from 3:45:
Conor McGregor parties with ex-mobster
From throwing punches to birthday parties, Conor McGregor's association with the mafia continues to make headlines.
In a recently shared Instagram post, the Irishman was spotted celebrating the birthday of Michael Franzese, a former "caporegime" in the Colombo crime family. The party, attended by the friends and family of both personalities including McGregor's fiancee Dee Devlin, took place at Black Forge Inn, the gastropub in Crumlin owned by the fighter.
With only a month remaining before McGregor's return against Michael Chandler, fans expressed concern for the health and fitness level of the former double champion.
McGregor previously came in the bad book of Ireland's infamous Kinaham crime cartel after allegedly assaulting the father of the group's top lieutenant, Graham 'The Wig' Whelan. There was reportedly a $1.06 million bounty on his head after the incident.
Paulo Costa's first pitch throw leaves the internet in splits
On Tuesday, Paulo Costa was honored with the opportunity to throw the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the New York Mets vs. Los Angeles Dodgers game at Citi Field in Queens, N.Y. Costa made a valiant attempt but missed the target by nearly a yard.
Check out the first pitch below:
Addressing the throw during UFC 302 media day, Costa joked that he was "a little bit" off the mark:
"A little bit outside, yeah. It was amazing, great, I just missed the guy. I put too much power, I think. I tried to put a lot of speed on the ball and then I was not accurate, but it was funny."
Conor McGregor threw a similar first pitch back in 2021 at the Chicago Cubs vs. Minnesota Twins game.