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Bellator MMA standout and Conor McGregor teammate Peter Queally has offered some insight into when we might see the Irish megastar step back inside the Octagon.

After nearly three years on the shelf, ‘Mystic Mac’ was scheduled to headline UFC 303 on June 29 opposite ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler in Las Vegas. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case after McGregor withdrew from the bout due to an undisclosed injury.

Speaking with talkSPORT, Queally confirmed that he has some inside information on McGregor’s injury, though he refused to disclose those details. He did however offer fans a timeline for when we could see McGregor finally throw hands with the former Bellator champ.

“It seems like they will endeavor to make that fight in September time,” Queally said. “Something like that maybe. That’s what I’m hearing. That’s what you can look forward to if they can make it happen.”

Peter queally disappointed by conor McGregor’s sudden withdrawal

Having traveled the world with Conor McGregor and witnessing his rise to superstardom firsthand, Queally was gutted to learn about McGregor’s withdrawal from International Fight Week.

“I’m so disappointed. Obviously, I’m his friend,” Queally added. “You didn’t want to see a guy experiencing anything bad who you are friends or close with. Just as a fan, I was looking forward to going out, enjoying the week in [Las] Vegas, going to the fight, and taking in everything that is a Conor fight. There’s nothing like it on Earth. Anyone who hasn’t been to one, I’d save your pennies, go, and try to experience that. It’s pretty crazy. I’ve been lucky to have been at all of them.

“That’s what I was looking forward to and that’s what I’m most disappointed about. I just wanted to be involved again and experience that another time.”

While Queally has not booked his own return to the cage following a disappointing no-contest against Daniele Miceli at Bellator 299, ‘The Showstopper’ will be on the call this Saturday, June 22, when the Bellator Champions Series returns to 3Arena in Dublin.

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UFC CEO, Dana White has again echoed prior claims that former undisputed heavyweight champion and promotional alum, Francis Ngannou turned down the chance to fight current divison titleholder, Jon Jones during their time with the organization – despite their apparent best efforts.

Ngannou, a former undisputed heavyweight gold holder, made his second outing in professional boxing earlier this year in Saudi Arabia – suffering a stunning second round KO loss to former two-time world champion, Anthony Joshua.

Making a professional boxing debut last year in Riyadh, former UFC star, Ngannou forced former WBC heavyweight champion, Tyson Fury the distance in his boxing debut, dropping a controversial split decision loss.

Departing the White-led organization in January of last year amid a contract dispute, Batié native, Ngannou has since signed to fight with the PFL (Professional Fighters League) – and has been tipped to make his debut in a clash against Brazilian contender, Renan Ferreira.

Dana White talks failed Francis Ngannou – Jon Jones fight

Sharing his latest thoughts on Ngannou’s failed fight with Rochester native, Jones – amid continued links to an eventual showdown, UFC boss, White claimed the Cameroon knockout star simply had no interest in fighting the former pound-for-pound number one.

“We [the UFC] did everything we in our power to try and make that Jon Jones fight [with Francis Ngannou],” Dana White said during an interview with Shannon Sharpe. “And it is what it is.”

“Not only is Jon Jones not afraid of Francis, Jon Jones is the baddest fighter to ever live, in any combat sport,” White continued. “If you look at – Jon Jones is undefeated in the UFC – he’s got one loss on his record. He lost to Steve Mazzagatti. Do you know who that is? He’s the worst referee to ever f*cking ref any fight. [Jones] never lost, and he went through murderer’s row.”

Do you think Francis Ngannou and Jon Jones would ever fight in the future?

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ONE Championship’s three-division world titleholder Anatoly Malykhin has his next title defense lined up.

Headlining the promotion’s highly anticipated debut inside State Farm Arena on November 8, ‘Sladkiy’ will put his 26 pounds of heavyweight gold on the line against Senegalese standout Oumar ‘Reug Reug’ Kane.

Malykhin has established himself as a one-man wrecking machine inside the Circle, amassing an undefeated record of 14-0 with a 100% finish rate. Along the way, he has captured the heavyweight, light heavyweight, and middleweight championships, making him MMA’s first-ever simultaneous three-division king.

In his last outing, he dispatched ‘The Dutch Knight’ Reinier de Ridder for the second time, securing a third-round TKO to claim the middleweight belt. As a heavyweight, his most recent victory came against former titleholder Arjan Bhullar.

Now, Malykhin will test himself against a world-class wrestler ready to cash in on his first shot at a ONE world title. Overall, ‘Reug Reug’ is a solid 6-1 with five of his six wins coming inside the Circle. In August, Kane shocked everyone with a stellar performance against previously undefeated MMA standout and former 16-time BJJ world champion Marcus ‘Buchecha’ Almeida at ONE Fight Night 13.

Tawanchai vs. Nattawut III joins Anatoly Malykhin vs. ‘Reug Reug’ at ONE Championship’s ‘Hotlanta’ debut

Also announced for ONE 169 in ‘ATL’ is a trilogy fight between current ONE featherweight Muay Thai world champion Tawanchai and ‘Smokin’ Jo Nattawut. After Nattawut took Tawanchai to the limit in a critically acclaimed kickboxing clash at ONE Fight Night 15, the two tussled on June 7 in a Muay Thai clash for Tawanchai’s coveted title.

After five intense rounds of action, Tawanchai was declared the winner unanimously—a decision that drew the ire of fight fans inside Bangkok’s iconic Impact Arena and ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

“I thought Jo Nattawut won,” Sityodtong said during the ONE 167 post-fight press conference. “It was a very close fight, very close. But I thought Jo did enought to win. For me, I would have gone to damage. Tawanchai had more damage on him that Jo did.”

Tickets for ONE 169 go on sale on Friday, July 12 via Ticketmaster with pre-sale tickets starting on July 5.

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Slated to return on short-notice at UFC 303 next weekend, former light heavyweight title challenger, Anthony Smith claims workings behind the scenes are pointing to the promotion’s wish to pair him with event headliner, Alex Pereira – as he prepares to clash with Carlos Ulberg. 

Smith, the current number ten ranked divisional challenger, snapped a losing run back in May at UFC 301 in Brazil, handing the highly-touted, Vitor Petrino a stunning opening round defeat in the form of a guillotine choke submission.

And replacing an injury-ridden former titleholder, Jamahal Hill at UFC 303 next weekend during International Fight Week, Nebraska native Smith will share a card with incumbent light heavyweight best, Pereira – with the duo sharing a distinct rivalry in recent months in particular. 

Anthony Smith envisions Alex Pereira title fight soon

Sharing his thoughts on his chances of facing the Sao Paulo knockout king in the future, Smith claimed workings behind the scenes point to the organization’s plans to put the two together in the Octagon – sooner than later.

“It’s not lost on me the promotional situation that we’re being put into,” Anthony Smith told Submission Radio. “There’s some stuff behind the scenes that are happening that I understand why they’re doing it. Every UFC event is set up for whatever the next matchups are for the next people, so I know what I’m getting myself into.”

“I anticipate that he’s (Alex Pereira) going to continue to do what he always does and take shots at me and poke at me, if you poke at me long enough you’re going to get what you want and it’s been fun for me because I like him, honestly.” 

Headlining the card, former middleweight champion, Pereira rematches another ex-champion, Jiri Prochazka in a short-notice title fight re-run at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Would you like to see Anthony Smith fight Alex Pereira in the future?

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Dana White offered an update on when fans can expect to see Jon Jones back inside the Octagon.

Sort of…

After sitting on the sidelines for nearly three years, ‘Bones’ returned to action at UFC 285 and quickly dispatched No. 1 ranked Ciryl Gane to claim the vacant heavyweight title. Jones has not defended the title since. In the weeks leading up to his anticipated scrap with former two-time titleholder Stipe Miocic in November 2023, Jones suffered a pectoral tear, forcing him out of the fight.

In the time since, the UFC has established an interim heavyweight champion in Tom Aspinall, but Jones has remained adamant that he will fight Miocic before potentially settling some business with the UK-based star.

When exactly Jones returns for his superfight with Miocic remains a mystery. Recently, both fighters have indicated that their rebooked bout will go down this November when the UFC heads back to Madison Square Garden.

Asked for a more official update during an appearance on The Jim Rome Show, White revealed that we would see Jones “soon,” and added that the champ’s return would happen sometime in the summer or the fall.

“He’s doing well,” White told Jim Rome when asked for an update on Jones. “We’ll see him soon. We’ll either see him in the summer or the fall.”

Essentially, White is telling us that ‘Bones’ will fight sometime before 2024 comes to a close. When and where is anyone’s guess.

Tom Aspinall Happy to Hold Down the Heavyweight Fort While Jon Jones heals up

In the meantime, Tom Aspinall will become the first fighter in more than a decade to defend an interim belt when he puts his temporary title on the line against Curtis Blaydes in Manchester on July 27.

Aspinall lobbied hard for a fight with Jones before opting to move on, recognizing that his dream fight would likely never happen with ‘Bones’ already toying with the idea of retirement following his next fight.

Still, that hasn’t stopped ‘Bones’ from running off at the mouth on social media, discrediting Aspinall’s status as a UFC champion and his star power outside of the UK.

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And the Oscar goes to… The Rock?!

Dana White, the CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship, believes we could all hear that phrase once fans and critics get a glimpse of The Smashing Machine, a film based on the like of MMA legend Mark Kerr.

Dwayne Johnson, best known by the WWE Universe as The Rock, will portray Kerr in the biopic appropriately named after the two-time UFC heavyweight tournament winner’s moniker. Though the film is not scheduled for release until sometime in 2025, the hype train is already full steam ahead courtesy of a few promotional pics showing Johnson’s incredible transformation into the embattled MMA icon.

“I don’t know if you saw it, but he was showing on his Instagram the other day that he messed up his elbow,” White told Collider. “The Rock will kill this. He will nail this role. I know how serious he’s taking this, I know who’s working with him, and I know how hard he’s working on this film. I think that this could be the opportunity for The Rock to actually be nominated for an Oscar.”

The Smashing Machine is directed by Benny Safdie, the man behind the critically acclaimed 2019 film Uncut Gems starring Adam Sandler.

Ryan Bader and Oleksandr Usyk join The Rock in The Smashing Machine

Recent additions to the cast of The Smashing Machine include Ryan Bader as former UFC and PRIDE star Mark ‘The Hammer’ Coleman and undisputed heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk as Ukrainian mixed martial artist and kickboxer Igor Vovchanchyn.

Check out some behind-the-scenes stills from The Smashing Machine below:

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After fighting to a draw with Anderson Silva this weekend, Chael Sonnen is not planning on slowing down now as he looks to usher in the next phase of his combat sports career.

After the battle, Sonnen wasted no time before cutting a sinister promo on the mic during the post-fight media scrum. Blasting Jorge Masvidal for his foolish business practices and claiming he couldn’t remember the last time Masvidal won a fight.

Chael Sonnen Speaks on Looming Jorge Masvidal Fight

“This whole thing was just part of the process,” Chael Sonnen began, speaking on the Anderson Silva fight (H/T MMA Fighting). “I’m boxing Jorge Masvidal. I got called out for that fight, I have agreed to that fight, this was all part of the training process, and I learned some stuff tonight. Anderson, when he gets going, he tricked me a number of times, and I do not like to get tricked in there. I like to see that stuff coming. But, I mean, he would move one way and hit you with the other, he’d show you the right hand and then hit you with the left. He was very tricky and he was very fast.

“I only say that because the guy is the better part of 50. If he is tricking me to the point that he can get some of those hands on me, I’m going to have to respect Jorge Masvidal a little bit more than I wanted to.”

Despite already being booked for a fight against Nate Diaz, Masvidal and Sonnen have publically traded insults a few times now.

“Masvidal’s a little bit overrated, in all fairness, within his own mind,” Chael Sonnen said. “I can’t remember the last time that he won a fight. He gave me a threat, he said, ‘I won’t even use my right hand. I’ll put that in the contract.’ I’m like, ‘OK, stupid, put that in the contract. I didn’t ask for that, but go ahead and put that in there.’ Then he talks about, ‘I’m going to pay you $ 10 million.’ Well, I didn’t ask for $ 10 million, but again, stupid, put that in the contract. Just keep talking.

“It just keeps getting worse for Jorge Masvidal. There’s some people you play with, there’s some people you don’t; put me in the category of ‘don’t.’ Do not challenge me unless you want to fight me.”

Do you think Chael Sonnen stands a chance against Jorge Masvidal in a boxing match?

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Dustin Poirier seems to be recovering well from the brutal beatdown he received from Islam Makhachev in front of his wife and child at UFC 302.

Despite a valiant effort, Poirier would be submitted by Makhachev in the fifth round and left the cage to console his obviously traumatized daughter. So, it seems fitting that such a father would wish some of his other “children” a sarcastic, happy Father’s Day.

On the social media platform Instagram, Poirier would release a photoshopped image of Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler sitting on his knees, with a caption that read: “Happy Father’s Day!”

Dustin Poirier clowns McGregor and Chandler while he recovers from Brutal UFC 302 Beat Down

The Instagram story hasn’t seemed to garner any snapbacks from McGregor or Chandler, but the picture is indeed funny.

Conor McGregor and Poirier go way back, all the way back to 2014, actually. Back then, McGregor was on his way up to superstardom, and he starched Poirier in the first round. Flash forward almost a decade later, and the two men would be solidified rivals.

Dustin Poirier has since made the score 2-1 over McGregor and also picked up a victory over Chandler soon after at UFC 281. This is likely the root of why he is implying the men are his children, and in classic fashion, he has likely traumatized them as he did to his daughter at UFC 302.

All jokes aside, though, many fans did feel that Dustin Poirier’s daughter got traumatized for life that night at UFC 302. The look on her face was petrified as the camera panned to Poirier’s family, and what made it worse was that his wife had seemingly no concern for her child. The child obviously wanted to be picked up and held by her mother, but her mother practically pushed her away before her daughter forcibly buried her face into her belly, sobbing.

One can understand the mindset behind wanting your child to possibly see you attain a world championship, but on the other side of things, one must put the well-being of their child over any selfish needs or desires. Many fans also claimed that they had lost respect for the man for what he said during his post-fight interview.

In the post-fight interview, Poirier claimed that he didn’t know what he was fighting for anymore, despite failing to see that he was fighting on behalf of America that night against Russia and failed.

How do you feel about Dustin Poirier after his actions at UFC 302?

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There is nobody Ilia Topuria loves more than himself.

Even before strapping the 145-pound title around his waist in February, ‘El Matador’ was singing his own praises and making some pretty big plans for the future. To be fair, Topuria has lived up to his self-induced hype, smashing former featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski in the second round of their UFC 298 headliner while keeping his ‘O’ intact.

To celebrate all he’s accomplished, Topuria took to social media where he paid tribute to the person who has provided him with everything he has. … Himself.

“Today I want to express my gratitude to this person for providing me with everything I have, for supporting me to withstand any circumstance and for never losing faith in God and in the attraction of all good things to me,” Topuria wrote in a translated post. “Always relying on me and giving me the life I now enjoy. Today I want to thank myself for all the times I’ve respected myself, loved myself, forgiven myself.

“Long live the Matador that lives inside me! I will always be proud and with a smile on my face, remembering all that I have accomplished.”

Max Holloway Ready to add Ilia Topuria to his already impressive resume

Ilia Topuria’s first defense of the featherweight title has not yet been announced, but all signs currently point toward a September return against the promotion’s reigning BMF titleholder, Max Holloway.

In the eyes of many, Holloway was already the next man in line, but an insane buzzer-beating knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300 to claim the bragging rights belt seemingly pushed him over the edge.

Blessed’ is certainly no stranger to strapping gold around his waist, having already captured the interim and undisputed featherweight titles in addition to the BMF belt.

Along the way, Holloway has shared the Octagon with some of the best fighters in the history of the sport, including ‘The Korean Zombie’ Arnold Allen, Alexander Volkanovski, Frankie Edgar, Dustin Poirier, Brian Ortega, Jose Aldo, Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis, and Charles Oliveira.

Will he add Ilia Topuria to his hit list in 2024?

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Confirming he has suffered an undisclosed injury just weeks before his UFC 303 return, Conor McGregor has received some well wishes from former lightweight title challenger, Michael Chandler – who still vows to chase a fight with the Dublin veteran.

McGregor, a former undisputed lightweight and featherweight gold holder, has been sidelined for three years after fracturing a left tibia and fibula against common-foe, Dustin Poirier.

And forced offically from his return at UFC 303 later this month during International Fight Week, McGregor confirmed he had suffered an injury – which is still yet to be disclosed, however, confirmed his optimism of finally making good on a return to the Octagon.

“Very tough to be ruled out of my scheduled return bout,” Conor McGregor posted on his official Instagram account. “I picked up an injury prior to the press conference that required more time than was available to me. The decision to postpone the fight was not made lightly, but one made in consultation with my doctors, the UFC, and my team.”

“My fans and opponent deserve me at my best for this fight and we weill get there!” Conor McGregor continued. “Thank you for the messages of support, I am in good spirits and confident I’ll be back!”

Michael Chandler wishes Conor McGregor well through injury

And replying to McGregor’s statement confirming an injury ruled him from UFC 303, Missouri veteran, Chandler wished the ex-champion well, before noting his interest in facing him in the future still.

“No hard feelings,” Michael Chandler posted on his official X account. “Heal up. My heart is full. See you soon.” 

Himself out of action for the last two weeks, former Bellator MMA lightweight champion, Chandler suffered a third round rear-naked choke submission loss to Poirier at Madison Square Garden.

Do you expect to see Conor McGregor fight Michael Chandler this year?

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