UFC CEO Dana White announces blockbuster fights, Dricus du Plessis slams Bo Nickal's will, Jon Jones addresses "ducking" allegations: MMA News Roundup
UFC CEO Dana White recently sent the combat sports world into a frenzy by announcing a host of blockbuster fights. Elsewhere, Dricus du Plessis doubled down on his criticism of Bo Nickal following his UFC Des Moines loss, and Jon Jones addressed allegations of ducking Tom Aspinall's callouts.
Catch up on all the latest news in the mixed martial arts world with Sportskeeda's MMA News roundup.
UFC CEO Dana White announces fights for Dricus du Plessis, Khamzat Chimaev, and more
During a recent Instagram Live session, Dana White dropped some major news regarding the UFC's upcoming bouts. The UFC CEO confirmed that Islam Makhachev will be vacating the lightweight title and will face Jack Della Maddalena at welterweight next.
Apart from that, White confirmed Khamzat Chimaev's title shot against Dricus du Plessis at UFC 319 in August. Chimaev is coming off a dominant first-round submission victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, while du Plessis last beat Sean Strickland in their rematch at UFC 312 in February.
White also revealed that Charles Oliveira will fight Ilia Topuria for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 next month. Paulo Costa will fight Roman Kopylov in a middleweight bout, while Renato Moicano will face Beneil Dariush in a lightweight battle on the same card.
Dricus du Plessis questions Bo Nickal's willpower after UFC Des Moines knockout loss
Dricus du Plessis doesn't think Bo Nickal showed much heart during his fight against Reinier de Ridder at UFC Des Moines. Despite many banking on his wrestling prowess to get the job done, Nickal couldn't take de Ridder's pressure and lost via second-round knockout.
In a recent interview on The Sias du Plessis Show, 'Stillknocks' shared his thoughts on Nickal's knockout loss and said:
"That knee, it was a proper knee, Bo Nickal gave up. Bo Nickal was broken mentally. That's why he took a knee. He wasn't dropped by the knee, the knee caught him and it was a good knee, but if you're getting downed by knees like that, good luck at the top because the shots are a lot harder."
Catch Dricus du Plessis' comments below (35:04):
Jon Jones on "ducking" Tom Aspinall for a title unification bout
UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones recently addressed allegations that he has been avoiding a fight against Tom Aspinall. Aspinall has been calling for a title unification fight against 'Bones' since winning the interim heavyweight championship against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.
Over the past several months, Aspinall has ramped up his callouts and has been adamant about fighting Jones next. Despite his best efforts, Jones didn't show a positive response, which led to many accusing him of "ducking" Aspinall.
During a recent Instagram Live, Jones addressed these allegations and claimed he was living his "best life," saying:
"I’ve got people in the chat calling me a duck. Meanwhile, I’m living my absolute best life. I don’t know if it’s considered ducking when you’re living good. I don’t think it works like that.”