Conor McGregor claims he will compete for the BMF title on his return in a confusing Twitter post
It seems Conor McGregor has his eyes on the UFC’s infamous black and silver ‘BMF’ belt. The Irishman recently insinuated that he wants the ‘Baddest Motherf**ker’ title and took to social media to call out the next contenders for the special one-of-a-kind honor. The BMF title was something that came out of Nate Diaz calling Jorge Masvidal out after his spectacular victory over Anthony Pettis at UFC 241. The Stockton slugger boldly proclaimed himself the “baddest motherf**ker in the game” and wanted to prove it by facing ‘Gamebred’ in the cage. Masvidal ultimately beat Diaz in a welterweight contest to take the symbolic belt home and held it till his retirement in April. With Justin Gaethje set to go up against Dustin Poirier at UFC 291 for the now-vacant BMF title, Conor McGregor recently fired shots at both top-ranked lightweights and named himself Masvidal’s successor. Claiming that the title was meant for him, he tweeted: “And don’t think for one second that the BMF belt isn’t being lined up specifically for the Mac Dad. Little one-division twerps.” Ariel Helwani on the one obstacle that could prevent Conor McGregor from returning. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani recently offered his two cents on Conor McGregor potentially returning to action this year. ‘The Notorious’ has been away from the octagon for two years due to suffering a nasty leg fracture during his last fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. After an extended period of recovery, he made his return as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler this year. The two coaches were highly expected to throw down in the octagon sometime later this year, but there has been no progress on that end so far. However, Ariel Helwani believes the Irishman wants to return and put on a show for his fans. In a recent interview with Daily Star, the MMA journalist claimed that the only problem with McGregor returning is time and stated: “I think we’ll see him come back. I think he wants to come back, and I think by this time next year, he will have already, it’s just a matter of where he fits in… Father Time is undefeated, as they say, and it’s hard as you grow older, and you have those long lay-offs, to get back. I think the fires there, the question is like, is he gonna train as much and all that?” In a previous interview, Conor McGregor told Ariel Helwani that he’s certain that his fight against Michael Chandler will happen this year, and mentioned December as the most probable month.
“You’re a coward bro” – Sean Strickland calls out Belal Muhammad for “propagating war” and “divisive” ideologies on social media
It is no secret that Sean Strickland and Belal Muhammad share a contemptuous relationship. Strickland recently recalled engaging in a war of words with Muhammad on the Israel-Palestine issue and explained why he despised the UFC welterweight. ‘Tarzan’ recently appeared as a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast and discussed various topics with Rogan. During their conversation, the two men touched upon the subject of why Muhammad and Strickland disliked each other. The 32-year-old American explained that they once clashed over his opinions on how Palestine should stop fighting and seek peace with Israel for a better future. In a recent edition of the JRE MMA Show (#143), Sean Strickland claimed that he hated Belal Muhammad’s virtue-signaling behavior regarding Palestine’s issues with Israel. ‘Tarzan’ then lambasted ‘Remember The Name’ for spreading enmity and said: “Palestine would be way better if they threw out Hamas and went to Israel saying, ‘Hey, let’s make this shit better.’… But then you have someone like Belal Muhammad, who lives in Miami and barely ever goes to Palestine… Propagating war instead of bringing the olive branch… You’re a coward bro. You sit here in America and say divisive sh*t on your couch with your Twitter thumbs.” Brendan Schaub reacts to Sean Strickland dominantly beating Abus Magomedov at UFC Vegas 76 Former UFC heavyweight fighter Brendan Schaub recently weighed in on Sean Strickland beating Abus Magomedov at UFC Vegas 76 and praised ‘Tarzan’ for his incredible performance. Although some fans criticized Strickland for agreeing to fight a newcomer in the promotion, others suggested that ‘Tarzan’ may face difficulties against the larger and more powerful Dagestani fighter. However, the 32-year-old American proved his doubters wrong by putting on a striking clinic to secure a second-round TKO stoppage. In a recent episode of The Schaub Show, Brendan Schaub opened up about the No.7 ranked middleweight’s masterful performance and how impressed he was with Strickland He said: “He melted this dude and on paper, there’s a reason why Strickland was the favorite, but on paper, you look at Magomedov, the way he fights, his skill level… He’s a bigger dude than Sean, good wrestling, good skill set…Thought it would maybe go five rounds and Strickland would edge it out maybe… Just his pressure and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Dagestani mentally break like that, he just beat the s*** out of this kid.” In the aftermath, Sean Strickland angled for a fight against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and called for a title shot. However, with a title eliminator between Robert Whittaker and Dricus du Plessis scheduled for UFC 290 this weekend, it seems ‘Tarzan’ might have to wait longer for his shot at the belt.
Sean Strickland offers Joe Rogan his view of the Ukrainian president – “Zelensky is a piece of s**t”
Sean Strickland is seemingly not a fan of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. The UFC middleweight recently weighed in on the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict and lambasted Zelensky for his undemocratic behavior and for “dooming” his country. For context, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the two nations have been involved in a serious armed conflict ever since. More than a year after the initial invasion, the war has shown no signs of ending anytime soon and has caused extensive loss of human life. In a recent appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show (#143), Sean Strickland and Joe Rogan went deep on the Russo-Ukrainian war and discussed how complex the situation was. However, ‘Tarzan’ admitted that he despised Volodymyr Zelensky and asked how the masses viewed him as an upholder of democracy. He stated: “Putin’s a piece of sh*t… By the way, Zelensky is a piece of sh*t. The president of Ukraine. He’s like throwing political parties in jail, he’s a piece of sh*t himself. I don’t know how we look at him as a democracy… You have doomed your country. Did you see the pictures of the cities? Just rubble. Everything’s f**ked… How do you come back from that as a country.” Michael Bisping makes a case for a Sean Strickland vs. Israel Adesanya middleweight title fight Michael Bisping recently weighed in on Sean Strickland calling for a title shot against middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. ‘The Count’ claimed that ‘Tarzan’ has rightfully earned himself an opportunity to compete for the championship. Strickland recently faced Abus Magomedov at UFC Vegas 76 this past weekend and defeated the Dagestani fighter via second-round TKO. The 32-year-old then called for a title shot against ‘The Last Stylebender in his post-fight press conference. Strickland’s title shout was a much-debated topic among MMA fans considering that a pivotal title eliminator between top-ranked middleweights Robert Whittaker and Dricus du Plessis is booked for UFC 290 this weekend. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Bisping opined that if Robert Whittaker beats Dricus du Plessis, Sean Strickland should be getting the call-up to fight the middleweight champion. Citing Whittaker’s past two failed attempts to beat Adesanya, Bisping said: “Sean Strickland got the job done… What a performance… He wants to fight…. He wants to fight Israel Adesanya. He feels that Israel Adesanya has fought everyone… He’s fought Robert Whittaker twice… He also said people don’t want to see Whittaker fight him again. I’ll be honest, after that one last night [win over Magomedov], I wouldn’t mind seeing it. And, of course, the trash talk in the lead-up to the fight would be phenomenal.”
Sean Strickland tells Joe Rogan what stopped him from killing a man – “That’s a hard case to beat”
UFC middleweight Sean Strickland is undoubtedly among the most outspoken fighters in mixed martial arts and is well-known for boldly expressing his unfiltered opinions on sensitive social issues. ‘Tarzan’ recently opened up about his dark past, revealing that he almost took a man’s life once. In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show (#143), Strickland spoke to Rogan about various topics ranging from martial arts to politics. During their conversation, ‘Tarzan’ told the podcaster about an incident when he had a gun to a man’s head but refrained from pulling the trigger after realizing how hard proving his innocence in court would be. The 32-year-old narrated a story about getting into an altercation with an armed man at his house party after damaging his wall. However, Strickland managed to snatch the gun away and turn it on the other man. He explained what made him not pull the trigger, saying: “Right as I’m about to pull the trigger, his girlfriend jumps on top of him crying… The problem was, that’s a hard case to beat. You have the gun, he’s defenseless. That’s a hard case to beat.” Sean Strickland goes off on MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz for his unethical actions before Abus Magomedov fight Sean Strickland recently went off on Dominance MMA Management founder Ali Abdelaziz and viciously slandered the Egyptian for spying on him before the Abus Magomedov fight. Last weekend, Strickland went up against Magomedov at UFC Vegas 76 in a middleweight bout. ‘Tarzan’ opened the fight strong and dominated his opponent with his striking to secure an impressive second-round TKO victory. The win also earned the 32-year-old a Performance of the Night bonus. In the same JRE episode with Joe Rogan, Sean Strickland explained how Ali Abdelaziz attempted to hamper his chances against the Dagestani fighter by snooping on him while he sparred in the gym. In an expletive-laden rant, Strickland claimed that managers shouldn’t be allowed into MMA gyms and said: “So this f**king c*nt, Ali… He comes to the gym, he watches me spar with Marvin Vettori… I don’t give a f**k, Marvin’s a friend, I’m trying to help him. And f**king three weeks later you pull out this f**king guy to fight me? And then you start betting that he’s going to beat me… You f**king rat. You watch me spar, and you pull this f**king guy out of your hat… I don’t think managers should be in the gym.”
“Man that was crazy!” – Jalin Turner on training with Khamzat Chimaev ahead of UFC 290
Jalin Turner recently opened up about his experience training with Khamzat Chimaev earlier this year and described what sparring with the grappling phenom was like. ‘The Tarantula’ is set to face Dan Hooker in an exciting lightweight contest at UFC 290 this weekend. The 28-year-old was initially booked to fight Hooker at UFC 285, but an injury forced ‘The Hangman’ out and their bout was rescheduled. Given that Turner came up short in his last outing against Mateusz Gamrot, ‘The Tarantula’ has left no stone unturned to sharpen his fangs against Dan Hooker. This includes training with ‘Borz’. At a recent UFC 290 media presser, Jalin Turner was asked about the time he spent training with the undefeated welterweight phenom Khamzat Chimaev in Dubai. While stories about the Chechen-born Swede’s cardio and intensity giving heavyweights trouble are quite widespread, Turner verified many of those tales and said: “Man, that was crazy… Khamzat is legit… He’s a strong fighter, great grappling, good striking too. Man, he’s dope… It was intense. I wish I was up a weight class so I could have endured a lot more… I haven’t been pushed or tested like that in the gym for years. I didn’t even think anybody could do that to me at the point I’m at. But he did.” Jalin Turner opens up about his recent altercation with internet prankster Jalin Turner recently made headlines after a video of him reacting violently to an internet prankster who tried to joke around with the UFC lightweight fighter. While their altercation turned physical, the attention-seeking influencer was ultimately spared a severe beat down at the hands of a professional MMA fighter. Popular MMA-based Twitter handle @BenTheBaneDavis posted a video of the scuffle, which clearly showed the prankster creeping up behind Turner on an escalator. He then tried to intimidate the 28-year-old pretending to speak into a phone and ended with Turner’s hand wrapped around his throat. After the UFC lightweight’s crew dealt with the matter, the prankster can be seen running away after one last rile-up attempt. In the same UFC 290 media day presser, Jalin Turner was asked to comment on the viral incident and explain what went down during the altercation. He stated: “It went exactly how it was supposed to go. He said something, and I grabbed him. He was lucky it was fight week, or I probably would have thrown some hands. But it’s okay.” Jalin Turner will make his next walk down to the octagon against Dan Hooker this weekend. ‘The Tarantula’ is coming off a split decision loss against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 285, whereas Dan Hooker last beat Claudio Puelles via second-round TKO to break a two-fight losing skid.
“No chance this one gets monetized” – Internet reacts to Sean Strickland seemingly appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast
It seems UFC middleweight Sean Strickland will share his infamous pearls of wisdom with Joe Rogan on the UFC commentator’s famous The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast. The ever-outspoken fighter, who is notorious for his unfiltered and raw personality, recently shared a picture of him and Rogan at the 55-year-old’s podcast studio. Given ‘Tarzan’s reputation for stirring the pot, fans were unsurprisingly shocked and excited to see Strickland hinting at recording an episode with Joe Rogan. While many couldn’t wait for the episode to drop, others were worried about the podcaster getting into trouble for inviting someone as polarizing as Strickland. Popular MMA-based Twitter handle @SpinninBackfist shared the picture of Joe Rogan posing with Sean Strickland and fans made their reactions known in the post’s comments section. UFC lightweight contender Matt Frevola replied with one word, stating: “Epic.” One fan opined that the episode could get a demonetization strike and wrote: “No chance this one gets monetized.” Another fan claimed: “JRE is gonna get canceled now.” One user excitedly claimed: “I might sit through 3 hours of Joe Rogan just to listen to Strickland talk for the duration of the podcast.” One fan hilariously joked about Twitter fact-checkers getting tired, with a meme showing an exhausted restaurant worker. They wrote: “Twitter fact checkers after this episode.” Joe Rogan makes huge claim about Conor McGregor switching to bare-knuckle boxing Given his extensive involvement in the world of MMA, Joe Rogan also knows a thing or two about the fight promotion industry. The podcaster recently weighed in on UFC superstar Conor McGregor potentially making his bare-knuckle boxing debut and made an incredible pay-per-view sales prediction in case the Irishman did a bare-knuckle fight. In a recent episode of the JRE MMA Show (#141) with former UFC fighter Mike Perry, Joe Rogan discussed McGregor making a surprise appearance in the bare-knuckle ring this past April after accepting a face-off invitation from Perry following ‘Platinum’s victory over Luke Rockhold at BKFC 41. Commenting on the Irishman hinting at potentially accepting a bare-knuckle boxing fight against Mike Perry, Joe Rogan said: “If somehow or another he agreed to fight bare-knuckle, do you know how big that would be? Mike, you versus him… If they did that bare-knuckle, it would get a million pay-per-view buys at least… Probably more. Probably get two or three [million pay-per-view buys]. I was trying to be conservative.” Joe Rogan is undeniably one of the foremost authorities in the world of mixed martial arts and the 55-year-old is a regular behind the broadcasting desk at most major UFC events. Apart from being a fan-favorite UFC commentator, he also hosts his top-rated JRE podcast and regularly performs as a stand-up comic.
“I’m in some sort of dream” – Video of Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones receives mixed reactions from fans
It’s no secret that Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones shared a contentious relationship and lost no opportunity to hurl insults at each other on social media. However, Adesanya and Jones unexpectedly showed each other respect during their interviews over the past few months. To top it off, ‘The Last Stylebender’ recently sent shockwaves through the MMA community after posting a video of himself and ‘Bones’ having a jolly time together at a restaurant. The video was uploaded on Meta’s latest social media platform, ‘Threads.’ When popular MMA-based handle @TheArtOfWar6 shared the video on Twitter, fans couldn’t help but take to the comments section to express their shock and surprise. The original poster shared a screenshot of Israel Adesanya and Jon Jones embracing and wrote: “I’m in some sort of dream.” One shocked fan couldn’t believe what they saw and wrote: “Literally just woke up, had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn’t tripping.” Another fan wrote: “I’m watching it and I still don’t believe it. it’s good seeing them being cool with each other.” One user speculated about living in the meta-verse and wrote: “We’re definitely in a different timeline for real.” Another user joked about Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov making up and wrote: “Now we’ll wait for Conor and Khabib.” Check out some more reactions below: Israel Adesanya warns Alex Pereira to be careful of Jan Blachowicz ahead of Brazilian’s UFC 291 fight Israel Adesanya ran into his longtime combat sports rival Alex Pereira at an airport in Australia, and the two shared some light-hearted moments before boarding their airplanes. With Pereira set to make his light heavyweight debut against Jan Blachowicz at UFC 291, Adesanya revealed that he gave the Brazilian some tips about fighting the former light heavyweight champion. Given that Blachowicz is one of two fighters ever to beat Adesanya, the Nigerian-born Kiwi has some experience sharing the octagon with the Polish fighter. Interestingly, Alex Pereira is the only other fighter to beat ‘The Last Stylebender’ in MMA. With both of his white whales set to fight each other, Israel Adesanya finally revealed what advice he gave to ‘Poatan’ during their airport run-in. In an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Adesanya stated: “I think [Pereira] might knock him out… We talked for about a good two minutes or so and I gave him some advice on how to handle Jan… I warned him, “Look, just be careful because he knows your striking is really good so he’s going to be patient with you like he was with me”… He had the same idea, but I feel like if Jan doesn’t take him out, [Pereira] is going to knock him out.”
When is UFC 290? Check out all the details here
The highly anticipated UFC 290 pay-per-view event is set to go down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 8. The fight card will be part of the 11th edition of the promotion’s annual International Fight Week, which will take place from July 3 to July 9 in Las Vegas. This weekend’s enthralling fight card will cap the week-long MMA bonanza. The event’s main card includes two huge title fights and several pivotal matchups between fighters who always guarantee fireworks. Featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will look to defend his title against interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez in a title unification bout in the headliner of the UFC 290 event. In the co-main event, flyweight king Brandon Moreno will face Alexandre Pantoja in the second title fight of the card. The main card also features a middleweight barnburner between former champion Robert Whittaker and surging contender Dricus du Plessis. Elsewhere on the card, lightweights Dan Hooker and Jalin Turner will go head-to-head with middleweight prospect Bo Nickal facing Val Woodburn. American fans can catch the fights live on ESPN+ pay-per-view, while Indian fans can tune into Sony TEN 1/TEN 2/TEN 3 or Sony Live at 7.30 am IST. Alexander Volkanovski downplays Dricus du Plessis’s chances against Robert Whittaker at UFC 290 Alexander Volkanovski recently weighed in on the highly anticipated Robert Whittaker vs. Dricus du Plessis middleweight fight at UFC 290. The UFC featherweight champion doesn’t think that the South African sensation stands a chance against the former middleweight champion. Whittaker and du Plessis will fight at UFC 290 this weekend in a pivotal title eliminator. The winner of this bout is highly expected to challenge Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title next. While the Nigerian-born Kiwi has publicly stated that he’s pushing for ‘Stillknocks’ to win due to his personal grudge against the South African, many fans have lobbied for an Adesanya vs. Whittaker trilogy fight. In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Alexander Volkanovski explained why the middleweight champion probably won’t get his wish of facing Dricus du Plessis granted. He stated: “Look man, obviously Izzy wants new blood. He definitely would like to see Dricus go out there (and win) so that he could fight him… But beating Robert Whittaker is not going to be easy for him… Robert Whittaker is just too well rounded, he’s too good everywhere, and his skill set is gonna be too much. I think you’d be mad to think that Dricus can get it done.“
Dan Hooker on UFC 290 bout against Jalin Turner – “I can’t see the judges getting involved in this one”
Dan Hooker recently donned his soothsaying hat and claimed that he doesn’t see the result of his next fight against Jalin Turner being decided by the judges. ‘The Hangman’ is set to go up against ‘The Tarantula’ in a lightweight contest at UFC 290 this weekend. Considering their explosive fighting styles and propensity to aim for knockouts, Dan Hooker recently claimed that he believes the fight will end with a finish. In a recent interview with ‘The Schmo,’ Hooker was asked for his thoughts on Jalin Turner and his upcoming fight, to which he replied: “Yeah, he’s a good fighter. Very dangerous. Lot of knockouts on his record, and a lot of knockouts on my record. I can’t see the judges getting involved in this one over the fifteen minutes. I’m ready for both, we go out there and get in a gunslinging match, or it’s a technical fight for the full fifteen minutes. I’m prepared for both.” While Hooker was initially booked to fight Turner at UFC 285 in March, the New Zealander suffered an unfortunate hand injury and was forced to withdraw from the bout. The 33-year-old is coming off an impressive TKO win over Claudio Puelles at UFC 281, whereas Turner will be looking to redeem a loss against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 285. Dan Hooker on Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje for the ‘BMF’ title Dan Hooker recently weighed in on the highly anticipated Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje fight for the ‘BMF’ (Baddest Motherf**ker) title at UFC 291, and it’s safe to say that ‘The Hangman’ is not a fan of this matchup having the symbolic title on the line. The BMF title was originally meant to be a unique one-off belt awarded to the winner of Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz at UFC 244. After Masvidal won the belt, he held on to it for the remainder of his career and vacated the title after announcing his retirement at UFC 287 in April. With the BMF title now vacant, the promotion decided to find it a new home and matched up two of the lightweight division’s hardest-hitting strikers. However, Dan Hooker believes that while a fight between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje is undoubtedly exciting, the bout being called a BMF title fight dampens its significance. In a recent video uploaded to Israel Adesanya’s YouTube channel, the 33-year-old Kiwi weighed in on the headliner of UFC 291 and said: “It’s a little bit of a silly fight, you know what I mean? We’re prizefighters at the end of the day… What does it actually mean though?… Of course, I’d take it because there’s money that comes with it, which is the main objective of doing it. But having a BMF title and hanging that on my wall and being proud of that is not the same as a world title.”
Conor McGregor invokes “The most high God” in bizarre Twitter post after confirming he is preparing for Michael Chandler bout
Conor McGregor had a busy day on social media and recently took to Twitter to invoke a higher power to help him against his enemies. While the Irishman is widely known for his polarizing and unfiltered tirades on social media, he seemed to take a more sectarian path this time. ‘The Notorious’ reacted to a tweet with a picture of him catching Donald Cerrone with a tremendous flying knee during their fight at UFC 246 and quote tweeted the post, saying: “By the power vested in me by the Most High God, I decree anything contrary to my well-being, God will collide with it in Jesus Name.” Interestingly, Conor McGregor also shared an exciting update with his fans regarding his comeback plans. After being sidelined for over two years due to the leg fracture he suffered against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, the Irishman is expected to face Michael Chandler in his long-awaited return to the octagon later this year. Soon after his bizarre Twitter post invoking God, McGregor posted another Tweet potentially confirming that he has booked a fight and is preparing for the same. He wrote: “I look forward to my upcoming fight. I am well in preparation.” Conor McGregor shares the strategy he plans on using to knock Michael Chandler out Despite his extended layoff from active competition, Conor McGregor is confident about securing a statement knockout victory over Michael Chandler. Ahead of his highly anticipated comeback, McGregor has been roped in as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season 31 opposite Michael Chandler, following which the pair will face off in the octagon. This will mark the Irishman’s second stint as a coach on the UFC’s popular reality show, having previously won it against Uriah Faber in 2015. In a recent episode of TUF 31, Conor McGregor discussed his next fight and revealed how he plans to beat Chandler using his striking skills. He said: “That’s what I’m gonna do to Chandler. And I told him that. I’m going to pin you, I’m going to pin you and rifle you down to the mat. He just falls apart after a few scrambles and that I’m going to have him pinned and literally rifle [the punches] down. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM.” Conor McGregor is currently on a two-fight losing streak and last tasted victory against Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in January 2020. He has gone 3-2 in his last five outings and will be looking to make a statement against Michael Chandler whenever they face each other.