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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

UFC 306 anticipation is high.

In a bubble, the card is already quite good. It’s hard to argue with two title fights, particularly when one features one of the sport’s bigger stars and a perfect stylistic foil. Furthermore, Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega promises to be one of the year’s best fights between all-action contenders, and the rest of the card is stacked with fun fighters from the first “Prelim” onward.

Adding to the excitement is THE SPHERE! The unique Las Vegas structure has never hosted a live sporting event and certainly not cage fights. UFC CEO Dana White is burning through millions to make this a show to remember, but nobody really knows what a UFC event in the Sphere will look like. Even as details start to trickle out ahead of Saturday night, it’s hard to grasp fully what the promotion intends.

In the latest Contenders Series post-fight press conference, White revealed at least a couple more details en route to a major announcement. The prize is not yet fully confirmed, but White explained that the broadcast will feature many hidden Easter eggs, and that he would like to award an eagle-eyed fight fan able to spot them all a cool $ 25k.

White explained, “The fight will live inside this world, and the world will evolve while the fights are going on, but it will be very subtle. Clouds will move, fires will burn, birds will fly, whatever the hell is going on in that world at that time — it will slowly evolve during the fight. There are also going to be Easter eggs in each one of these films. We’re working it out with legal right now, but what I want do: if somebody can find all the Easter eggs, we’ll give you $ 25,000.”

Expect more details and further confirmation (or not) in the coming days.

Insomnia

Merab Dvalishvili is a statistical anomaly … and a general anomaly too.

Gregory Rodrigues is calling for a fight versus Paulo Costa, and I’m all for it! He deserves a step up, and Costa needs a step back.

Bantamweight scrambles are heading to UFC Vegas 100.

What’s the opening betting line for Bo Nickal vs. a chimpanzee?

Khamzat Chimaev trash talk will continue to ring hollow until he’s able to fight consistently.

Recruiting basketball players is one way to prepare for Alexander Volkov!

Jiri Prochazka perhaps keeping his hands a touch higher? I’m looking forward to the return of “BJP!”

Slips, rips, and KO clips

This is a pure Leon Edwards-style clinch elbow.

Body work sets up the overhand, a story as old as MMA.

The best time to spin remains immediately after a failed kick/while regaining stance.

Random Land

This breaks down to 462 pull ups per hour and just under eight per minute. Insane!

Midnight Music: Folk, 1972

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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Off then on then on again.

Kody Steele (6-0) went through a bit of a rollercoaster of expectations throughout his would-be appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series tonight (Tues., Sept. 10, 2024). The talented Welterweight and Lightweight prospect was originally set to take on the first man to defeat Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, in mixed martial arts (MMA), Quemuel Ottoni, until the latter pulled out abruptly.

Ottoni, 31, initially pulled out an hour before the fight, according to Steele’s coach, William Tackett. The fight then was back on as Ottoni collected himself before inevitably having a panic attack that canceled the bout once and for all. White confirmed on the broadcast that Steele will be paid his show and win money, and get a fight on a later episode of Contender Series.

“@kody_steelebjj ‘s opponent just pulled out less than 1hr before the @ufc contender series due to ‘not feeling it,’” Tackett posted on Instagram. “We shockingly had to remove Kodys wraps just as he started to warm up. 5mins later we were notified that his opponent was back in, and the fight is back on! Mission stays the same [swords emoji] it’s go time.”

The fight cancelation is the 14th of Ottoni’s 15-fight career (12-3). Ottoni was briefly a part of Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) roster without fighting thanks to three consecutive cancelations. Earlier in his career, Ottoni was scheduled to fight future UFC Middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa, before that was also canceled. The aforementioned Pereira fight saw Ottoni win a third round rear-naked choke in 2015.

For more Contender Series news and notes, be sure to hit up our comprehensive archive right here.

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Boxing megastar Canelo Alvarez returns to MGM Grand to battle Brooklyn brawler Edgar Berlanga in a super middleweight title fight that runs head-to-head with UFC 306 at The Sphere! Who wins the battle of Mexican Independence Day pay-per-view (PPV) events? We’ll find out this weekend in Las Vegas!

Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga super middleweight title fight goes down this Sat. night (Sept. 14, 2024) LIVE on DAZN pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. This weekend’s boxing spectacle, carrying a price tag of $ 89.99, also features the championship title fight between Erislandy Lara (c) and Danny Garcia in the co-main event, as well as Caleb Plant vs. Trevor McCumby for the WBA interim super middleweight title.

Here’s the complete Canelo vs. Berlanga fight card and PPV lineup:

Canelo vs. Berlanga DAZN PPV Main Card (8 p.m. ET):

168 lbs.: Canelo Alvarez (c) vs. Edgar Berlanga for WBC, WBA, WBO, Ring Magazine titles
160 lbs.: Erislandy Lara vs. Danny Garcia for Lara’s WBA world middleweight title
168 lbs.: Caleb Plant vs. Trevor McCumby for WBA interim super middleweight title
140 lbs.: Rolando Romero vs. Manuel Jaimes (super lightweight)

Note: Main event ring walks expected at or around 11 p.m. ET.

Canelo vs. Berlanga YouTube Prelims Card (6 p.m. ET):

126 lbs.: Stephen Fulton vs. Carlos Castro
147 lbs.: Roman Villa vs. Ricardo Salas
130 lbs.: Jonathan Lopez vs. Ricky Medina
175 lbs.: Lawrence King vs. Vaughn Williams
160 lbs.: Yoenli Hernandez vs. Jose Charles
168 lbs.: Bek Nurmaganbet vs. Joshua Conley

“I feel like right now, it’s my time,” Berlanga told TMZ Sports. “Everything is destined for me, for this moment, for this opportunity that I got, the time, everything is just — I’m destined right now to make history, September 14 and to become a legend that day, and to take over the sport of boxing and become the face.”

“I feel like he did what he had to do in the sport of boxing, he a legend, but I think right now it’s my time,” Berlanga continued. “I feel like right now is our time to come over and just take over. It needs a new face at 168, you know what I’m saying.”

To order Canelo vs. Berlanga on DAZN PPV click here.

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Joshua has done a lot of rebuilding after some tough losses, and now we’re seeing the results of his hard work in his last four dominant wins.

After a tough stretch that saw Anthony Joshua lose his heavyweight boxing belts to Andy Ruiz Jr. and drop two decisions to Oleksandr Usyk, “A.J.” is looking back in top form with four wins in a row. His next challenge comes from Daniel Dubois on September 21st, and Joshua is feeling confident because he’s put the work into rebuilding himself from the ground up following those losses.

“You always believe in yourself, but it’s hard when people stop believing in you as well,” he said in a new interview with DAZN. “You have, like, an over-pressure from people saying that you’re not that same person anymore, so you go back and rebuild.”

“I went through that rebuilding process. And, if you look at the consistency, I’m not saying I’ve beaten world champion after world champion, but in order to get to the world championships, I’ve had to take steps. And each fight has led me here. Each fight has been a good progression: from going 12 rounds with Franklin, 7 with Helenius, down to 5 with Wallin, then to 2 with Ngannou.”

Joshua credits his easy second round KO win over Francis Ngannou back in March to working smarter.

“I look at the Ngannou fight — the guy was a juggernaut, he was massive,” he said. “And I thought to myself, ‘If I only depended on strength it would have been a lot tougher fight.’ But due to the fact that I’ve gone through a process where I’ve tried to improve my IQ, I was able to dispatch a Goliath in quick fashion.”

“I’m not saying he was an elite boxer, but I took it on the premise of what he did versus Tyson Fury, who was the WBC champion. He gave Fury one of his toughest nights in the ring. So I thought this guy, he knows what he’s doing. And due to the fact that I went away and I studied, I learned some different tricks. I was able to dispatch of him in two rounds when the WBC heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury struggled to take him in ten rounds.”

At 34 years old, “A.J.” believes he’s only getting better.

“Yeah, the best is always gonna be yet to come,” he said. “To me as a boxer, as I am giving a service to my fans, I’m giving a service to the sport. I should never sit back and be like, ‘Yeah. I’m the best I can be. I always got to look at myself and sit down on my team. How can we make this better? So yeah, I try and improve in every in every aspect.”

He’ll have a chance to show off his latest improvements in Wembley Stadium against Daniel Dubois on September 21st, in front of a record crowd of 96,000 fans.

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Demetrious Johnson is one of the most accomplished MMA fighters of all time. The surefire future Hall Of Famer captured UFC gold in 2012 then defended it a record 11 times, showing dominance in every facet of MMA. After being traded to One Championship in 2018, “Mighty Mouse” again became a champion, defended his belt, and retired on top.

All told, Johnson was a professional fighter for 14 years and 30 professional fighters, retiring with a 25-4-1 record. It was a long and successful career by any metric, but even with winning fighters who walk away at the right time, there’s still concern about longterm health when it comes to combat sports.

Fortunately, Johnson believes himself to be in a good spot. In a recent appearance on Six Feet Under with Mark Calaway, Johnson revealed that he’s been monitoring his brain health for over a decade with the Cleveland Clinic, a top medical facility sponsored in part by UFC putting research into the effects of head trauma on professional athletes.

According to Johnson, his brain health isn’t only well, but it’s outright better than ever and has improved over the course of his fighting career.

“After doing the whole testing from 2012 to 2023, he looks at my brain scan and he goes, ‘Demetrious, your brain has not aged one bit in your whole entire career. You’ve gotten smarter. You enunciate better than you did in 2012.’ Which is supposed to happen, as you age you’re supposed to get more wisdom, more intelligent.

“He goes, ‘Your brain hasn’t changed one bit. You’re lucky.’”

Despite Johnson’s dominance in the cage, he certainly was hurt on a few occasions. Adrian Moraes became the only man to stop “Mighty Mouse” in 2022 after landing a huge uppercut and grounded knee, but men like Joseph Benavidez and John Dodson also floored him with punches. There’s also countless rounds of sparring to consider, which makes it all the more impressive that Johnson appears to be walking away from the sport with his health fully intact.

Insomnia

Finally, a meme I can endorse with 100% of my being.

Charles Oliveira rolling Charles Oliveira in a blind ranking is perfect.

Belly-to-back suplex!

At this point, Alex Pereira’s low kicks are nearly as famous as his left hook. The man genuinely might be made of steel!

Martial arts gone very traditional!

Darren Till loving chocolate is a very believable bit of trash talk.

It’s somewhat of a miracle this Welterweight veterans match up hasn’t happened before at some point. I like the booking!

Sassy Suga Show.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Straight up hit him with the Sweet Chin Music.

Heel to the chin and some nasty follow up shots …

Reis loaded up heavy on this left hook, and it paid off!

Random Land

A truck is towed, chaos ensues.

Midnight Music: Alternative, 1995

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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Imagine if UFC CEO, Dana White, celebrated himself during a UFC event. Well, you can head on over to ONE Championship and see the equivalent of that.

The Cayman Islands-based promotion returned to the United States for ONE 168 in Denver, Colorado this past weekend (Fri., Sept. 6, 2024). The event was ONE’s first stateside since ONE Fight Night 10 in May 2023. Therefore, it was a big night for celebrations and announcements.

Along with mixed martial arts (MMA) all-time great and ONE 135-pound Flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson, announcing his retirement on the night, ONE Founder, Chatri “Sityodtong” Trisiripisal, also took some of the spotlight. During one of his usual hype segments with ONE commentator, Mitch Chilson, Sityodtong was “surprised” by legendary grappler, Renzo Gracie, who randomly awarded Sityodtong with his Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) black belt. The video of the moment can be seen in the embedded player above.

Sityodtong, 53, had plenty to say in reflection below.

Master Renzo Gracie gave me the biggest surprise this past weekend, promoting me to black belt on the ONE 168 live global broadcast. Without a doubt, earning a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has long been one of my biggest dreams in life.

The journey from white belt to black belt ranks among the hardest things I have ever done in my life, especially given my crazy workload and hectic travel as a CEO. I have wanted to give up more times than I can count. I have gone home discouraged more times than I care to admit. I have been submitted more times than I can remember. Yet, my love for jiu-jitsu has somehow always found a way to conquer all. I kept returning to the mats, even through setbacks, injuries, excuses, breaks, and illnesses. The old saying that, “A black belt is just a white belt who never quit,” is 100% true.

I started jiu-jitsu in 2005 in the legendary blue basement of the Renzo Gracie Academy when I was still living in New York City. I received my blue belt in 2007, my purple belt in 2019, my brown belt in 2021, and now my black belt in 2024. During my days as a purple belt and a brown belt, I trained obsessively 5-6x a week wherever I was in the world. I usually just hopped into advanced group classes, be it at EVOLVE in Singapore, Renzo Gracie Academy in New York, Arete BJJ in Bangkok, Carpe Diem in Tokyo, Roger Gracie Academy in London, etc. Everyone knows that Muay Thai has been my greatest passion in life for the last 40 years, but what people don’t know is that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been my greatest obsession.

This journey would not have been possible without the incredible masters and professors who have helped me along the way:

Renzo Gracie
Leo Vieira
Alex Silva
Thales Nakassu
Martin Hartono
Mikey Musumeci
Teco Shinzato
Leandro Brodinho
Gamal Hassan El Amin
Valdir Rodrigues
Eduardo Rigatto Novaes
Guli Kozama
Rodrigo Marello
Almiro Barros
Achilleus Ralli
Roger Gracie
Rafael Gordinho Lima

Without each of you, I would not be here today. Each of you gave me a piece of your game and shared your love of the gentle art with me. You beat me up and made me suffer, but I am eternally grateful for all of the lessons on and off the mats. I would also like to give a shoutout to all of the jiu-jitsu students at EVOLVE in Singapore, Arete BJJ in Bangkok, Carpe Diem in Tokyo, Roger Gracie Academy in London, and of course, Renzo Gracie Academy in New York.

I would also like to give a special shoutout of gratitude to Thales Nakassu for kicking my ass almost every day as a brown belt. I could never have made it to black belt without your teachings and beatings. You played a huge role in getting me to this level. Thank you for everything, Thales!

Thank you all for making me a better martial artist and a better human being. Martial arts is what I love. Martial arts is who I am.

In our suffering, we discover our greatness. OSS!!!

ONE returns to the U.S. with ONE 169 in Atlanta, Georgia in two months (Nov. 8, 2024). ONE events have primarily taken place in Bangkok, Thailand since the start of 2023.

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Dana White just named his Mount Rushmore of UFC.

Topping the list of all-time greats is current heavyweight champion and former 205-pound titleholder Jon Jones, who also places No. 1 on White’s pound-for-pound list. Next up is ex-bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey for her role in ushering women into modern day mixed martial arts (MMA).

“Rowdy” wasn’t the first female MMA star, but she was certainly the biggest.

Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre was also named by White. The former “king” of pay-per-view (PPV) cards carried Canada on his back for the better part of a decade. Last but not least is one-time featherweight champion Conor McGregor, who also held gold at 155 pounds.

I guess “Notorious” can finally say he beat longtime rival Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“I gotta go with Jon Jones,” the UFC CEO said emphatically during his interview on ESPN’s First Take. “You have to go with Ronda Rousey. Women would not be fighting in UFC if it wasn’t for her. You would have to put ‘GSP’ in there, and absolutely, positively, Conor McGregor. He elevated and changed the game, globally.”

He also changed the value of the company, globally.

Whether or not Jones, Rousey, St-Pierre, and McGregor remain atop White’s Mount Rushmore (even solid rock can be transformed) may depend on the next generation of UFC superstars and their impact on the fight game. Until then, that’s a pretty solid list, even if it ignores some of the other needle-moving trailblazers (like this ex-champ).

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight scrappers Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes will go to war this weekend (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024) at UFC 306 from inside The Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Both Ortega and Lopes did UFC a huge favorite by stepping up on short-notice to save UFC 303 after Conor McGregor broke his pinky toe and was forced to withdraw from the main event (seriously). Unfortunately, Ortega is a huge Featherweight, and the attempts to make 145 pounds on short-notice made him ill and ended up canceling the fight entirely (details here).

Lopes stuck around to heroically fight Dan Ige on a few hour’s notice (not exaggerating), lining up the duo for this rescheduled match up on one of the biggest cards of the year. Lopes has the opportunity to break into the title mix, whereas Ortega can make an argument that he’s ready for his second UFC title shot.

Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:

Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images

Ortega vs. Lopes Betting Odds

• Brian Ortega victory: +145
• Brian Ortega via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
• Brian Ortega via submission: TBD
• Brian Ortega via decision: TBD
• Diego Lopes victory: -175
• Diego Lopes via TKO/KO/DQ: TBD
• Diego Lopes via submission: TBD
• Diego Lopes via decision: TBD
• Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

How Ortega Wins

Ortega is one of the most opportunistic fighters in the game. If he senses any weakness in his opponents, he has a true gift for snatching finishes out of thin air both on the floor and on the feet. Ortega is also one of the most durable men in the business, capable of taking a monstrous beating and still coming back big.

I would not advise playing the role of nail versus Lopes, however. The Brazilian seems to hit seriously hard, possibly hard enough to crack Ortega’s legendary chin. Ortega doesn’t really have the defense to not get hit entirely, so he would be wise to meet fire with fire and step to Lopes with confidence.

Ortega is dangerous in the pocket too and has a knack for timing hard counter shots. He can stand toe-to-toe with Lopes, but ultimately, top control might be his best path. If Ortega can survive the early wildness, he could replicate Evloev and Ige’s success in dragging Lopes to the floor late. Unlike the Russian wrestler, however, Ortega has the grappling to advance position and perhaps threaten Lopes with his submissions.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

How Lopes Wins

In just a few fights, Lopes has proven himself one of the best offensive talents in the sport. He’s just vicious everywhere: from his back, in the clinch, at distance, and in the pocket. Large and athletic for the division, Lopes is growing increasingly confident in his ability to just blow opponents out of the water.

Perhaps that happens here, but it wouldn’t be wise to bet on a first-round finish of the inhumanly tough Ortega. There is a real risk that Lopes cracks Ortega, empties his gas tank trying to finish “T-City,” then has to deal with an undeterred Ortega for several more rounds.

That’s a situation to be avoided, which means managing energy levels. In general, Lopes’ victory hinges on his ability to make good choices against an elite opponent. He’s got the tools to do a ton of damage, but he has to pick and choose when to engage and when to circle off. Similarly, he doesn’t want to get too submission-happy and end up on bottom repeatedly.

A touch of patience will go a long way for the action fighter.

Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images

Ortega vs. Lopes Prediction

I still don’t feel like I have a full read on Lopes’ ability. Going 15 minutes with Ige certainly helped fill-in some gaps, but it was also such a bizarre circumstance that who really knows how much we can trust that information.

All the same, I have a difficult time seeing the first five minutes going well for Ortega. Lopes is an offensive dynamo, and Ortega’s face seems like a magnet for damage. Two questions arise though: can Lopes finish him with his first-round onslaught, and if not, what does the rest of the fight look like?

I expect Ortega to be bloodied but still swinging come round two. How does Lopes handle that? We’ve seen plenty of prospects crumble when veterans refuse to go away. Still, I have confidence Lopes can hold it together. He may be just 29 years old, but Lopes is not some fresh-faced rookie. The man has 30 professional fights, including one that went five rounds. He shouldn’t be shocked if the finish refuses to materialize, and he was able to endure some bad spots and big punches against Ige without coming undone.

Again, it’ll likely come down to patience and shot selection, but Lopes seems like a cerebral fighter who understands his path to victory. So long as he manages the gas tank, he should be able to stay a step ahead of “T-City.”

Prediction: Lopes via decision (odds not yet released)

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 306 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPNews at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 306: “O’Malley vs. Merab” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

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UFC Vegas 97 went down last night (Sat., Sept. 7, 2024) from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a Welterweight showdown that saw Sean Brady defeat Gilbert Burns, after 25 minutes of action (recap here). In the co-main event, Natalia Silva defeated Jessica Andrade in a back-and-forth women’s Flyweight matchup, the biggest win of her surging career.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Winner: Sean Brady

Who He Should Face Next: Ian Garry

Brady called for this fight after his big win over Burns, and I like it. Garry is coming off a win over Michael Page, and he and Brady are only separated by one spot in the rankings. It’s a great stylistic matchup and the winner would without a doubt crack the Top 5, and get one big step closer to a title fight. Brady also called for a Colby Covington showdown, so if this one doesn’t materialize, “Chaos” works, too.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Winner: Natalia Silva

Who She Should Face Next: Erin Blanchfield

Silva secured her twelfth straight win, sixth inside the Octagon, after taking out former Strawweight champion, Jessica Andrade, so her stock is on the rise. I am feeling a fight between her and Blanchfield next. Blanchfield is coming off a tough loss to Manon Fiorot. And while I don’t normally like pairing up a streaking fighter against one coming off a defeat, this one makes sense since Blanchfield is ranked No. 3 at the moment, and Silva is holding down the No. 8 spot.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Winner: Steve Garcia

Who He Should Face Next: Edson Barboza

Garcia upped his win streak to five after taking out Kyle Nelson, so his momentum is growing with each and every win, especially with one finish after another. Garcia did the promotion a solid by stepping in to face Nelson after Calvin Kattar got injured, so let’s see if the promotion returns hims the favor and give him a ranked for next. Barboza fits the bill because not only is he sitting at No. 15, he has a great reputation for putting on exciting fights, as well.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Winner: Cody Durden

Who He Should Face Next: Alessandro Costa

Durden snapped his two-fight losing streak with a big win over Matt Schnell, submitting him in the second round (see it again here). Not only did he get some newfound confidence he sent him into retirement. Since Durden stepped in for Alessandro Costa, why not have them square off against one another to see what’s what.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Winner: Yanal Ashmouz

Who He Should Face Next: Charlie Campbell

“Red Fox” secured his second win inside the Octagon by defeating Trevor Peek via unanimous decision, and in the process improved his overall pro record to 8-1. Up next for Ashmouz, a showdown against Campbell sounds right. Campbell is currently on a three-fight win streak, and is 2-0 under the UFC banner. His last win, interestingly enough, also came against Peek earlier this year.

For complete UFC Vegas 97 results, coverage and highlights, click HERE.

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Paul says the UFC is slow-playing McGregor’s contract in order to improve their position during upcoming media rights negotiations.

Jake Paul is shining a light on what he thinks has kept Conor McGregor out of the cage for so long despite the UFC superstar being healthy and ready to go since mid-2023.

We’re still waiting for UFC to announce a new date for Conor McGregor’s return fight. Currently, it’s been penciled in for UFC 310 on December 7th. But the promotion continues to be extremely shifty about locking McGregor in. UFC CEO Dana White regularly shoots down Mac return dates and even suggests Conor may never fight again.

So what’s going on? Why would the UFC continue to delay the return of their biggest superstar? In a new episode of Jake Paul’s BS podcast with special guest Francis Ngannou, “The Problem Child” shared his theory on the situation.

“For the people at home who don’t understand it, they’re like, ‘Why is Conor not fighting?’” Paul said. “So Conor has two fights left on his fight deal, but the UFC is trying to renew their [broadcast] rights deal because they license their content, which are the fights, to platforms. So they’re trying to renew their deal — they’re negotiating to let multiple people, but let’s say they’re gonna go with ESPN. They’re trying to renew the deal and get the most amount of money.”

“A part of that negotiation is, ‘Hey, we have Conor McGregor for two more fights.’ But if you were to fight now, that wouldn’t be a part of the negotiation. The company would be like, ‘Oh, well, you only have Conor for one fight.’ So that’s why Conor is not fighting right now.”

The UFC is set to start negotiating new broadcast deals at the start of 2025 in anticipation of their ESPN deal ending later in the year. Those deals will be worth billions with or without McGregor, but we don’t doubt he could sway the value of a package by hundreds of millions of dollars.

But this could be a much simpler story we’ve seen many times before. In general, the UFC likes re-signing fighters before their contracts expire. And if you’re a big star like Francis Ngannou that has turned down a new contract, they’ll slow-play the remaining fights on your contract as much as possible.

“I feel like they were applying this financial pressure on me [by not booking me] because they know that I need to fight to make money to live,” Ngannou told Paul. “And then by not getting those fights, giving me excuses all the time, I will probably crawl back and say, ‘Okay, I take the contract and I take the money,’ or something like that.”

“I fought once for 20 seconds in the last 16 months,” Ngannou wrote on X (formerly Twitter) back in October 2020. Things wouldn’t get much better. He’d fight just once in 2021, and once in 2022.

Are there similar cut-throat business practices at play with Conor McGregor? “The Notorious” has definitely vented his frustration at return delays multiple times, and the promotion definitely could have gotten him back in the cage earlier if they really wanted to. Back during the pandemic lockdowns they admitted to shelving him because they’d lose too much money without a gate. So financial concerns have already resulted in us getting less Mac fights.

We’ll have to wait and see if his expected December return booking materializes. If it doesn’t, it certainly adds to the evidence that some behind-the-scenes business chicanery is at play.

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