UFC fighter slaps opponent after bell, lesbian MMA couple announces baby's birth, Dana White sounds skeptical about Conor McGregor: MMA News Roundup
Welcome to Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC news updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In today's issue, we talk about the recently concluded UFC Fight Night: Kara-France vs. Albazi, the latest update on Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, and more.
#3. Abubakar Nurmagomedov shows lack of sportsmanship at UFC Vegas 74
Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov competed at Saturday's UFC event. He took on Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in the main card opener of the night. The two went three rounds, where dos Santos proved to be the better striker throughout.
Early leg kicks by dos Santos started to pay off in the final round, as Nurmagomedov seemed slowed down thus giving a significant edge to the Brazilian.
Frustrated with the situation, Nurmagomedov resorted to a rather unsportsmanlike gesture, slapping dos Santos across the face after the final bell had rung. Referee Dan Miragliotta quickly stepped in, but the strike came too abruptly to be stopped.
Watch the incident below:
DAGESTANI SLAP B!TCH 🔥🔥🔥 https://t.co/Lhj6a7uL5E
Credit to dos Santos for reacting in a calm demeanor instead of any violent retaliation.
#2. Raquel Pennington and Tecia Torres announce birth of baby girl
UFC couple Raquel Pennington and Tecia Torres announced the birth of their first baby on Friday.
Pennington shared the news of Torres giving birth to a girl, whom they have named Alayah Rose Pennington, with a video montage. The clip includes images from the delivery room and moments after birth as well.
Fellow fighters like Amanda Nunes, Nina Nunes, Donald Cerrone, Carla Esparza, Molly McCann, and others congratulated the couple on the happy occasion.
June is going to be a big month for Pennington, as she has been announced to be the backup for UFC 289 main event title fight between Amanda Nunes and Irene Aldana on June 10.
#1. Dana White remains tight-lipped about Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler
Dana White looked and sounded quite hesitant when asked about Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler at the press conference after Saturday's fight card. He remained tight-lipped about any potential date or venue and even made some cryptic comments about the Irishman's fighting motivation.
White revealed that McGregor had called him a couple of days ago to give his opinion on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) premier. In the same breath, he added that it is quite a lengthy task to get someone of his stature back to fighting ways:
"The one thing you guys have to understand is this kid has so much money. It’s like Khabib now. These guys got sh*tloads of money and it’s hard to reel these guys in and get them fired up to get in and fight."
The fight announcement is long overdue. The fight that was supposed to happen at the end of the TUF season has yet not been booked. McGregor's luxurious yacht trips, posing with female boxers, and party antics are probably not helping the process either.
With fans slowly losing hope for the fight, only time will tell if Dana White can pull off the impossible once again. Speaking of impossibles, later during the press conference interview, White offered to book Tyson Fury vs. Jon Jones in the octagon if the boxer is up for it.
Catch Dana White's comments in the video below from the 20:50 mark: