UFC 303 fight falls through, Tyson Fury blames war for loss, Drake loses half a million on fight: MMA News Roundup
One UFC 303 fight fell through due to unfortunate circumstances. Meanwhile, Tyson Fury blamed the Russia-Ukraine war for his loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
Here are your top combat sports updates from Sportskeeda MMA's News Roundup.
UFC 303 co-main event falls through
Khalil Rountree Jr. revealed on his social media on Saturday that he was out of UFC 303 due to the consumption of a banned substance by accident.
He said that it entered his system through a blended supplement containing the banned substance, DHEA, sent by mistake by the company he was associated with. Upon finding out the matter, Rountree Jr. contacted respective UFC officials.
He said in the statement:
"I'm gutted to deliver this news to you all, but I will not be fighting at UFC 303 due to consuming a banned substance. I did not do this intentionally, and I am doing everything I can to get this situation taken care of... I've provided [UFC] with all of the information to show that this was not a matter of cheating or to engance performance."
Read the full statement below:
DHEA, or Dehydroepiandrosterone, can help increase testosterone levels in the body.
Rountree Jr. was set to fight former light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill in the card's co-main event, which Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler will headline.
Tyson Fury blames war for title loss
Oleksandr Usyk handed Tyson Fury the first loss of the latter's boxing career on Saturday in the main event of Ring of Fire in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While at it, the Ukrainian became the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
After losing the fight via split decision, Fury made a controversial comment about the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. 'The Gypsy King' claimed that the war might have sparked bias among the judges and influenced the scorecard in Usyk's favor, who also happens to have served in the military.
He said:
"We both put on a good fight, the best we could do. And you know, his country's at war. So, people are siding with a country at war. Make no mistake - I won that fight, in my opinion, and I will be back with our rematch clause."
Watch Tyson Fury's comments below:
Fans did not take kindly to Fury's comments and expressed their anger on social media.
Oleksandr Usyk costs Drake half a million-worth bet
Aubrey Drake Graham, popularly known by his stage name Drake, is known for wagering on fights on a fairly regular basis. He's even more well-known for losing money on his bets - to the point where the phenomenon has been named 'Drake Curse' by the internet.
Drake posted on his Instagram story that he had bet $565,000 on Tyson Fury winning against Oleksandr Usyk. The estimated payout for the wager was $1,000,050. With the Brit losing the fight via split decision, it became another one in the long list of sporting bets that Drake has lost.