UFC 287 matchup falls through, Andrew Tate broke prison laws and jeopardized bail, unexpected Jorge Masvidal and Khamzat Chimaev beef: MMA News Roundup
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 one UFC 287 fight getting canceled, recent updates on Andrew Tate's bail denial, and more.
#3 Li Jingliang out of UFC 287
The upcoming UFC 287 card suffered a major setback with less than two weeks remaining.
A welterweight matchup between Li Jingliang and Michael Chiesa was set for the prelims. However, 'Leech' recently announced on the Chinese social media platform Douyin that he had suffered a spine injury and will not be able to compete on Apr. 8.
"I got injured. I went to get the MRI today. I had a little nerve compression. I squeezed my spine. I can’t compete April 8th." [Translation: Calfkicker]
Jingliang added that it was a repeat of a similar injury he suffered in 2018. He also revealed that the pain has made it difficult for him to sleep at night.
#2 Breaking jail laws may have affected Andrew Tate's imprisonment
Andrew Tate's appeal to be released on bail and stay under judicial control instead of in prison has recently been turned down by the Romanian court. A report by Spy News suggests that Tate may have jeopardized his case by committing an offense while behind bars.
According to the laws of Romania and most other countries, inmates are allowed to make phone calls to a previously approved list of numbers. Tate reportedly attempted to exploit the advantage by talking to people he did not have the clearance to communicate with. He called people from his list, who then connected him to third parties, and they allegedly spoke about bribing Romanian authorities for release.
According to inside sources at Spy News, these actions impacted the decision the court took of not granting Andrew and his brother Tristan bail. What Tate seemingly did not know was that the allowed phone conversations are closely monitored by prison authorities.
#1 Jorge Masvidal and Khamzat Chimaev have a war of words
Jorge Masvidal has become the newest in the long list of fighters complaining about Khamzat Chimaev's conduct at the controversial UFC 279 event. After being the reason for the complete reshuffle of the card, 'Borz' resorted to physical altercations with several fellow fighters too.
'Gamebred' condemned Chimaev for expecting title shots after missing weight by a massive margin and not fighting a ranked opponent.
Chimaev retaliated with a somewhat stale argument of how "gangsters" do not care about weight classes and fight whoever possible, which may be true for street fights but not in the UFC.