UFC 300 card predicted, Paddy Pimblett details online abuse, Conor McGregor's return further delayed: MMA News Roundup
Find out about the biggest UFC updates and other stories with Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup.
Today's issue will discuss Conor McGregor's return, Paddy Pimblett's state of mind, and more.
#3. Chael Sonnen predicts how the UFC 300 card would look like
Veteran UFC legend Chael Sonnen has penned down a few fights and subsequent circumstances that he believes will take place at the much-hyped, much-anticipated UFC 300. From Conor McGregor's awaited return to Brock Lesnar and Ronda Rousey's surprise MMA comeback, a number of dream fights have been rumored to go down at the event. None of it has been confirmed by the promotion yet.
The former title challenger sees Israel Adesanya fight for a headlining rematch against the champion Sean Strickland or a grudge match vs. Dricus Du Plessis. It is important to note that 'The Last Stylebender' has stated he will not fight till 2027.
For the co-main event, Sonnen predicted a UFC return by Nate Diaz against Dustin Poirier, followed by a bantamweight clash between Henry Cejudo and Merab Dvalishvili. The sole female fight on Sonnen's card takes place between Julianna Pena and Valentina Shevchenko.
He also explained why the card will likely not include any Muslim or Mexican UFC fighters.
Take a look at his full predictions below:
#2. Hateful fans asked Paddy Pimblett to commit suicide
Paddy Pimblett's fans were polarized in opinion after his controversial decision win over Jared Gordon. Like many fights in recent times, it was labeled as a "robbery" by the MMA community, and many professionals also agreed with the assessment.
While everyone has the right to form their own opinions, it is the projection of the vitriol that renders the situation unbearable for many fighters. A longstanding advocate for men's mental health, Pimblett opened up on the harassment he faced ahead of his UFC 296 contest against Tony Ferguson.
'The Baddy' said to Sky Sports:
"I haven't handled it that well, it hasn't been easy... The amount of times I've been told that I lost that fight even though the only people that matter, the three judges, scored it for me. The last year has been quite hard, to be honest lad. The amount of people that have been giving me hell on social media and online. I have even been getting told by people to take my life and stuff light that. It's rough... I was the low-hanging fruit that was easy to jump on the hate bandwagon at that time."
Pimblett also weighed in on his opponent's bizarre 'Hell Week' training with David Goggins that got fans talking after Ferguson posted videos of him throwing up from the intense regime.
#1. Conor McGregor may not return before summer 2024
In a disappointing update on Conor McGregor's return, his coach John Kavanagh told Ariel Helwani that it will not happen till July. He confirmed that they were told the comeback would be scheduled for UFC 300. However, the promotion may have pushed it back as the tricentennial is already a huge enough event.
Speaking about the delay on The MMA Hour, Kavanagh said:
"We were hoping for April... That's what we were told. Now it seems to be the summertime... it's a knock back after hearing it was April. But now it's July but it's not the end of the world. It is an extra couple of months, it's not great."
He further added that the constant back-and-forth is hampering McGregor's mental health, who simply wants to return and fight an opponent. He seemed to agree with Helwani's assessment that the UFC is waiting to schedule his comeback for the most opportune moment. Kavanagh even drew comparisons with Alexander Volkanovski's recent statements regarding mental health.
Watch the clip below: