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Slated to return next weekend at UFC 302, former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier has shut the door on a fourth fight with three-time foe, Conor McGregor – claiming the “ship” has sailed proverbially on their heated rivalry.

Poirier, the current number four ranked lightweight challenger, is set to return next month in the main event of UFC 302, headlining in New Jersey in his third pursuit of an undisputed crown as he takes on pound-for-pound number one, Islam Makhachev.

As for McGregor, the former two-division champion has been out of action for almost three-years, having remained sidelined since he headlined UFC 264, fracturing his left tibia and fibula in a first round doctor’s stoppage TKO loss to Poirier.

Himself slated to return next month at UFC 303 during International Fight Week, McGregor is set to take on soon-to-be common-foe, Michael Chandler in a welterweight clash, snapping his long-standing hiatus from active competition.

Dustin Poirier shuts door on fourth Conor McGregor clash

And sharing his desire to round out his heated three-fight rivalry with Poirier in the form of a fourth clash despite losing two of three matches so far, McGregor’s hopes have been dashed by the Lafayette native, who claims he wants no part of that “energy” in his life anymore.

“I think that ship has sailed,” Dustin Poirier told ESPN of a fourth fight with Conor McGregor. “All I want is the UFC lightweight championship. I don’t feel the need to fight him again at all. I don’t need that energy in my life.”

Earning his title fight with Makhachev in Newark back in March, Louisiana fan-favorite, Poirier turned in a rallying win over the surging, Benoit Saint Denis – defeating the Frenchman with a spectacular second round knockout win in Miami.

Would you have liked to see Dustin Poirier fight Conor McGregor again?

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Former two-division champion, Conor McGregor has defended Jon Jones amid recent criticism over his apparent reluctance to face-off with current interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall – with the Dubliner claiming the latter still has “a way to go” in order to land a fight with the former pound-for-pound kingpin. 

Jones, himself a current heavyweight gold holder to boot, has been sidelined since March of last year, headlining UFC 285 in a first round guillotine win over Ciryl Gane to land the vacant heavyweight crown.

And ruled from a November return last year against Stipe Miocic after suffering a pectoral tendon tear, Jones leaked last week how he is all but set to return at UFC 309 later this annum in Madison Square Garden, in a rescheduled title defense against the Ohio veteran.

Conor McGregor defends Jon Jones from criticizm

As for the above-mentioned interim gold holder, Aspinall, the Manchester native returns in July in the co-main event of UFC 304, taking on Curtis Blaydes in defense of his interim heavyweight championship, with the pair rematching. 

Receiving mass flak on social media for apparently delaying a title unification bout with Aspinall, Jones has seen a former champion come to his defense in the form of McGregor, who claims the Atherton native has a lot to do before earning a fight with the former.

“Thoughts on (Jon) Jones avoiding (Tom) Aspinall? I disagree with that, I think the Jones [versus] Stipe (Miocic) fight is huge,” Conor McGregor said during a live stream. “I’m excited to see it. There’s a way to go for the English lad to come up and get that [title]. I think the matchmaking has been stellar, I think Curtis (Blaydes) and Tom is a good fight and you know, we’ll see after that.” 

Do you agree with Conor McGregor’s thoughts on Jon Jones?

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Michael Chandler is so confident about beating Conor McGregor that he’s working on a special spirit to celebrate the occasion.

This year’s International Fight Week festivities in Las Vegas will close out with UFC 303, headlined by a mega-sized matchup pitting Irish megastar Conor McGregor against former Bellator MMA champion Michael Chandler in a fight fans have been waiting more than a year to see.

With their high-stakes scrap a few short weeks away, Chandler is feeling as optimistic as ever. So much so that ‘Iron’ is establishing his own celebratory drink to send his comrades once he bags the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career.

“So Michael Chandler, dude I told you this guy is confident, I got a message and it’s a video of Mike and I’m pretty sure it went out to a lot of people and it said, ‘What’s up guys, see you at the top on June 29th, I want you to have a drink with me.” Daniel Cormier revealed on his YouTube channel.

“It’s the beat Conor McGregor (drink). And he said ‘Put your address in this text message and I’m sending you out a mixture of drinks to make for when I knock out Conor McGregor.’ It’s a list of ingredients that he’s sending to your house to make sure that when he knocks out Conor, he wants Instagram videos of people drinking this drink. It’s a very creative thing” (h/t BloodyElbow).

Michael Chandler joins the alcohol game, invests in hiatus tequila

In late 2023, Chandler invested in Hiatus Tequila, a brand founded five years ago and in collaboration with third-generation Tequila makers La Cofradía, near the town of Tequila in Jalisco, Mexico. At the time of their partnership, Hiatus was already available online and in 44 states, including Florida, New York, Illinois, and Tennessee.

With Chandler on board, the organization hopes to expand its footprint to those within the MMA community.

“I’ve always been a fan of Hiatus Tequila’s commitment to traditional methods and its naturally clean, complex flavors,” Chandler said in a press release. “I’m excited to be a part of the Hiatus family and help bring the brand’s exceptional Tequila to a wider audience. Everyone asks me how I got to where I am in my career; there is no true silver bullet other than my values of hard work and dedication.

“With this partnership, my core values will ring true. I am not just an MMA fighter but a true businessman. I look forward to helping Hiatus Tequila grow by getting out into the market, meeting the fans and educating them on what I believe is the best Tequila on the planet.”

Of course, when it comes to premium spirits, Conor McGregor is no stranger. After developing his popular brand of Irish whiskey, Proper No. 12, ‘Mystic Mac’ sold the company to Proximo Spirits for a staggering $ 600 million. McGregor still serves as a spokesperson for the brand.

He is also the proprietor of Forge Irish Stout which is currently served in his pub, The Black Forge Inn, in Dublin.

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Former undisputed welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman has hit back at former two-division gold holder, Conor McGregor amid a recent scatching attack from the Dubliner, claiming the incoming UFC 303 headliner rejected two opportunities to fight him during his run atop the 170lbs weight division.

Usman, who still retains the number one rank at the welterweight limit, last featured a division higher at middleweight back in October of last year, suffering his third consecutive loss in the form of a controversial majority decision defeat against the unbeaten, Khamzat Chimaev.

As for former undisputed lightweight and featherweight champion, Conor McGregor, the veteran striker is finally set to snap an almost-three year hiatus from the Octagon at the end of next month during International Fight Week, tackling former title chaser, Michael Chandler in a long-anticipated pairing.

Kamaru Usman hits back at Conor McGregor with a stark revalation

And firing shots at a host of foes and fellow UFC stars this week during a live stream session, McGregor rekindled his rivalry with Usman, claiming the Auchi native was “nobody” to him anymore, despite campaigning for a title fight against the former pound-for-pound number one on numerous occasions.

According to ONX Labs trainee, Usman to boot, McGregor did have that opportunity to stand opposite him twice in a bid to become the first three-weight champion in UFC history, allegedly he ultimately turned both fights down.

“What I have a little issue with is when you come around and say, ‘He’s a bum’, you can’t say that, Conor (McGregor),’ Kamaru Usman said on his YouTube channel. “I didn’t kick him when he was down, he’s had run ins with the law, he’s had back-to-back incidents and situations but you never heard me sit there and kick him while he was down.”

“I’m not a bum, clearly, because if you wanted the opportunity to fight me, I gave Conor two opportunities to fight me while I was champion,” Kamaru Usman explained. “What he needs to be worried about is Michael Chandler, because Michael Chandler is training and Conor, you need to put that whiskey bottle down and you need to get to training. This isn’t the time, this doesn’t call for you trolling.”

Who would win in a potential showdown: Kamaru Usman or Conor McGregor? 

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The husband and coach of UFC bantamweight standout Hailey Cowan has been arrested amid allegations of sexually assaulting a minor.

According to a report from KWTX-TV, Jacob Brennan, 40, was arrested and booked into the McLennan County (Texas) Jail on May 19 after a woman accused him of inappropriately touching her “hundreds of times” over a two-year period.

Brennan was charged with indecency with a child with sexual contact, a second-degree felony in Texas. If convicted, Brennan could face two to 20 years in prison.

Per the criminal complaint affidavit, the alleged victim was 13 years old when the assaults occurred. Brennan was 30.

Meeting with detectives in November 2023, the woman claimed that “Brennan kissed her hundreds of times and touched her vagina above and below her clothes hundreds of times between 2013 and 2015″ in the affidavit.

She goes on to state that the assaults happened in “various rooms throughout the gym almost every day,” and that “Brennan was concerned with getting caught and would stop touching her if he heard noises in the gym or believed someone was nearby.”

Prior to his arrest, an Instagram page popped up in February sharing screenshots of alleged conversations between Brennan and the woman along with Facebook posts showing the two of them together at Brennan’s gym, Next Generation/Blitz MMA in Robinson.

Hailey Cowan and Jacob Brennan were married in 2022

Hailey Cowan, a former Baylor University gymnast turned mixed martial artist, began training at Brennan’s gym in 2014. The two were married eight years later.

After a successful run under the LFA and Invicta FC banners, Cowan introduced herself to UFC fans on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, scoring a split-decision victory against Cláudia Leite. The victory was good enough to earn a contract and she made her promotional debut in April 2023.

Unfortunately, Cowan failed to make weight for her bantamweight bout with Jamey-Lyn Horth. The fight went forward as scheduled with ‘All Hail’ losing via unanimous decision.

Cowan has since been scheduled to compete in bouts against Zarah Fairn and Tamires Vidal, but both were scrapped after she withdrew due to injury. It has been more than a year since her last fight.

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Ilia Topuria knows the who. Now he’s just waiting on the when.

After Max Holloway’s incredible buzzer-beating KO of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, ‘Blessed’ was all but guaranteed a chance to challenge ‘El Matador’ for the featherweight title.

During a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Topuria revealed that Holloway will be his first challenger with a target date of September, presumably at UFC 306 when the promotion makes its debut inside The Sphere in Las Vegas.

“My target is to come back in September. Right now we are in the conversations,” Holloway said. “If Max Holloway is able to fight in September, we have a fight. If not, maybe we are going to the end of the year or something like that. I want to fight as soon as possible because next year I wanna fight in Spain.”

Though he has yet to defend his 145-pound crown since his sensational second-round knockout of Alexander Volkanovski in February, Ilia Topuria is already making an itinerary that will take him into 2025 and beyond.

Once he takes care of some business with Holloway, the Georgian has his sights set on a big-money matchup with Irish megastar Conor McGregor.

“I hope to defend the belt with Max Holloway, and then I wanna fight with Conor McGregor,” Topuria added. “It’s gonna be the biggest fight in MMA history.”

Ilia Topuria not interested in a superfight with Islam makhachev… for now

Topuria is even open to a potential scrap with Islam Makhachev — assuming the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ continues to reign over the lightweight division with an iron fist.

“Maybe [I could fight Islam] in the future,” Topuria said. “Right now I just see the Max Holloway fight, the Conor fight. Maybe if [Islam] keeps defending the belt and he keeps becoming bigger and bigger, maybe one day we can see that fight too. But for the moment he’s not in my list.”

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Former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier has reacted to a prediction of an “easy” fight from Islam Makhachev ahead of their UFC 302 title clash – claiming he will force the referee to pull him from an unconscious Makhachev next month in New Jersey.

Poirier, a former interim lightweight champion, is slated to headline UFC 302 just next weekend in Newark, attempting to land the undisputed lightweight crown at the third time of trying, following unsuccessful bids against both ex-champions, Charles Oliveira, and Khabib Nurmagomedov. 

As for Makhachev, the current pound-for-pound number one fighter, has been out of action since he headlined UFC 294 back in October, where he cemented his status as lightweight titleholder with a first round high-kick KO win over Alexander Volkanovski.

And drawing Poirier next month in what he claims may be his final foray at lightweight ahead of a run at the welterweight crown, Makhachev has vowed to likely finish the Lafayette native with relative ease at UFC 302, in the form of a one-sided rear-naked choke victory.

Dustin Poirier vows to KO Islam Makhachev at UFC 302

And responding to the Russian’s prediction, Poirier has issued a stern warning against Makhachev, vowing to knock him unconscious in the pair’s battle at the Prudential Center.

“I’m going to knock him (Islam Makhachev) unconscious,” Dustin Poirier told Yahoo! Sports. “And the ref’s gonna be pulling me off of him.” 

In his most recent outing, Poirier rallied in the co-main event of UFC 299 back in March, stopping the run of Benoit Saint-Denis with a stunning second round knockout win in Miami, Florida. 

Winning interim spoils back in 2019, Poirier landed a unanimous decision win over recently-minted BMF champion, Max Holloway in the pair’s title fight rematch in Atlanta.

Who wins at UFC 302 next weekend: Islam Makhachev or Dustin Poirier?

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Conor McGregor will be open to welcoming back Khabib Nurmagomedov to the Octagon, as it’s reported the Dagestani native has unpaid taxes.

According to reports, Nurmagomedov has allegedly been under investigation for underpaying his business taxes at an estimated $ 300 million rubles ($ 3.3 million United States dollars). Following the reports of the news, McGregor spoke about it and says he hopes that leads to Nurmagomedov returning as he wants that fight back.

“That’s typical rat behavior,” Conor McGregor said on a Duelbits live stream. “Scurrying rat. So, he has bills to pay. Two main events or something he has in the UFC and he owes his b*llocks to the Russian government. So, he’s gonna pay his f—kin’ money that he owes instead of siphoning it out through to other countries. I’m ecstatic and delighted that that’s coming on top of him.

“We all will welcome him back into the fight game where he’s ran from,” McGregor continued. “It’s a rat trap. The rat trap has been set. We’re excited about that and to see where it goes. We noticed a little rat scurrying on back. We see him back around. The fat rat we call him.”

McGregor and Nurmagomedov fought back at UFC 229 in 2018 and it was ‘The Eagle’ who won by fourth-round submission to defend his lightweight title. Nuragomedov fought two more times and then retired following his submission win over Justin Gaethje.

Conor McGregor set for highly-anticipated return

Conor McGregor will be ending his three-year layoff on June 29 when he headlines UFC 303 against Michael Chandler.

McGregor has not competed since July of 2021 when he broke his leg in the trilogy match against Dustin Poirier. Before that, he was knocked out by Poirier after a 40-second TKO win over Donald Cerrone in his return to MMA after his loss to Nurmagomedov.

McGregor is the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion and holds notable wins over Eddie Alvarez, Jose Aldo, Chad Mendes, Dustin Poirier, Max Holloway, and Nate Diaz among others.

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While incumbent heavyweight champion, Jon Jones has leaked he will likely make his return at UFC 309 in November in the promotion’s comeback to Madison Square Garden, undisputed welterweight kingpin, Leon Edwards is ready to stack the main card in a historic showdown with former two-division best, Conor McGregor.

Edwards, the current undisputed welterweight gold holder, is himself slated to make his return at UFC 304 in late July, headlining the organization’s return to Manchester in a rematch against surging contender, Belal Muhammad.

As for McGregor, the former undisputed featherweight and lightweight titleholder is set to return from an almost three-year layoff at UFC 303 at the end of next month during International Fight Week, taking on Michael Chandler in a return to the welterweight limit.

Conor McGregor offered title fight by Leon Edwards at UFC 309

And ahead of UFC 304, Edwards has suggested that should he topple Muhammad, and McGregor beat Chandler, why don’t the pair feature at Madison Square Garden in New York – offering the Dubliner a chance to become a first-ever three-weight champion in the promotion.

“That’d be good, that’d be good, you know,” Leon Edwards told MMA Fighting of a fight with Conor McGregor. “It would be good to give him the opportunity – yeah, 100 percent, why not? I feel like let’s give him the opportunity to become [a] three-division world champion, [and] give me an opportunity to take out a guy like Conor (McGregor). You know, New York – that would be perfect.”

“That is the fight, you know,” Leon Edwards explained. “He goes out there and takes out Michael (Chandler), I take out ‘No One Remembers His Name’ and we’ll go from there. We’ll go to New York – MSG, let’s go. That’s the fight. That’s the fight, that’s the fight, I feel. You know, two of us have business to take care of. That’s the fight, that needs to happen. It should happen.”

Who would win in a potential title showdown: Leon Edwards or Conor McGregor?

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Charles Oliveira may be ready for a change in scenery, and a move up to the welterweight division could give him just the very thing he is looking for.

Responding to a callout made by Colby Covington, Oliveira was asked about the prospect of moving up in weight and accepting that fight. Charles Oliveira smiled when he spoke about it and essentially admitted that he liked the idea of it. However, he also mentioned that it’s not really up to him, and the UFC would also have to weigh in on the matter.

“Man, in reality, it’s like I said,” Oliveira began, speaking to Championship Rounds. “It’s sitting down and looking at legacy, history, values. You have to sit down. When I woke up in the morning, thousands of people were sending me messages.”

Charles Oliveira opens up about the Colby Covington Callout

“I sent it to Diego (Lima),” Charles Oliveira continued. “And Diego said it too; I see what you think. I said, ‘Diego, just sit down, talk, think, see what’s good, see what the UFC thinks about it.’”

“It’s not just what Charles thinks,” the former lightweight champion said. “It’s about what the UFC thinks about it. Colby is a talkative guy, he’s a guy who talks a lot, so let’s see. Why not?”

When asked if he would be willing to move up in weight if the proposal “made sense” to him, Charles Oliveira also replied in the affirmative. “For sure, if it makes sense, if it’s something good for me, why not?”

Fans were ecstatic to hear about Oliveira’s potential fight and weight change. Many have said that there’s not much for the man left to do at lightweight and argue that a move to welterweight could be just the exciting change that he needs.

Would you like to see Charles Oliveira move up and fight Colby Covington?

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