UFC 308 loses major matchup, Merab Dvalishvili alleges bias, Mike Tyson makes his election endorsement: MMA News Roundup
A major matchup scheduled to take place at UFC 308 has reportedly been scrapped. Elsewhere, Merab Dvalishvili made serious allegations against his employers of bias and favoritism.
Check out today's top combat sports updates with Sportskeeda MMA's News Roundup.
Alexander Volkov is forced out of UFC 308
UFC 308, set for Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi, was supposed to feature a heavyweight rematch between Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov. According to a report by French outlet La Sueur, Volkov has been forced out due to an injury, and the fight is now scheduled for UFC 310 in December.
The promotion is yet to make the change official. The two previously fought in an Apex headliner in 2021, in which Gane secured a unanimous decision win.
The Abu Dhabi card will be headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway for the featherweight title. In the co-main event, Khamzat Chimaev will face Robert Whittaker in a rebooking of their previously scheduled fight.
Merab Dvalishvili accuses Umar Nurmagomedov of "disrespect"
In a recent Facebook post, Merab Dvalishvili accused Umar Nurmagomdov of being disrespectful towards him with his title-shot call-outs. He also said that he is using his familial connection with Khabib Nurmagomedov and alleged support from Saudi Arabian authorities, who are now in business with the UFC, to his advantage.
Dvalishvili said:
"Umar's big ambitions and disrespect were driven by me... Because he is Khabib's cousin, he also has white porridge, is undefeated, and has financial support from Arab Sheikhs who sponsor, UFC also promotes and they realized that the ratings would be good."
He continued:
"In short, the UFC is planning to champion this because it will be financially beneficial for the organization."
Nurmagomedov addressed the allegations on Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman's Pound 4 Pound podcast.
"[He thinks I'm disrespectful] because I want to fight with him? I don't know what for him respect means. If I say to him, 'Hey I don't want to fight with Merab,' I respect him? Leave him alone, and let him be champion until he wants to retire? Is it respect for him? If yes, sorry, I will disrespect you."
Mike Tyson endorses Donald Trump
Mike Tyson revealed during a recent appearance on the It Is What It Is podcast that he wants Donald Trump to win the 2024 U.S. elections.
He did not divulge his reasons for the support but insisted that the former president is a "good man" and it would be "nice" if he wins:
"Trump is going to win. Yeah, it'd be nice if he wins, yeah. I have my reasons [for wanting him to win]... He is just a good man. Listen, I don't agree with all his sh*t. Nobody agrees with all my sh*t, but you know, they [are] good people. No one is perfect in this world."
Catch Mike Tyson's comments below (40:00):