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Former two-division champion Conor McGregor returns to action on June 29 in the UFC 303 main event against Michael Chandler.  It will be the first time he’s stepped foot inside the octagon since July 2021.  

McGregor suffered a broken leg in the final moments of the opening round in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.  In his three years away from the sport, McGregor has recovered from the injury and made his motion picture debut in the remake of the 1989 classic ‘Road House.’  He also went through a dramatic body transformation.  

During most of the time outside of competition, McGregor wasn’t being tested for performance enhancing drugs.  He eventually re-entered the testing pool 27 months after breaking his leg and was specifically mentioned in the very public split between the UFC and USADA.

“We can confirm that Conor McGregor has re-entered the USADA testing pool as of Sunday, October 8, 2023. We have been clear and firm with the UFC that there should be no exception given by the UFC for McGregor to fight until he has returned two negative tests and been in the pool for at least six months. The rules also allow USADA to keep someone in the testing pool longer before competing based on their declarations upon entry in the pool and testing results,” USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart said in a statement announcing the split between the fight promotion and the anti-doping agency.

Taking all of that into account, the original ‘BMF,’ Jorge Masvidal, believes McGregor was on PEDs and could be still on them.        

“How much juice is Conor on too?  That’s another question too because that motherf***er had to wait until USADA left to come back in this b*tch and compete with all of us,” Masvidal said on Sean O’Malley’s YouTube channel.  “While all of us was training and getting tested, this motherf***er was clearly on some sh*t as we could see by the f***ing movies.”  

McGregor’s return at UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas has already set records.  It surpassed a $ 20 million gate over a month in advance, making it the highest gate in the promotion’s history.  

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On the second episode of UFC 302 Embedded, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev caffeinates. Sean Strickland and Grant Dawson hit the gym. Michal Oleksiejczuk takes a water tour and Paulo Costa arrives in Newark by air.

UFC 302 takes place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Saturday and is headlined by a lightweight title bout between Makhachev and former interim titleholder Dustin Poirier. In the co-main event, former middleweight titleholder Strickland takes on former title challenger Paulo Costa. 

UFC 302 Embedded, Episode 2

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Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev puts his title on the line in the UFC 302 main event on Saturday against former interim titleholder Dustin Poirier.  

Poirier has had a legendary UFC career but a world title has eluded him.  Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey will likely be his last chance to win UFC gold and could be his final octagon appearance.  Poirier has stated that he could retire regardless of this weekend’s outcome.  

Former middleweight champion Michael Bisping gave his prediction for the lightweight title clash and doesn’t think it will have a storybook ending for Poirier.    

“This is a phenomenal fight.  We all love Dustin Poirier.  The way that he came back and was able to defeat Benoit Saint Denis in the second round after taking an absolute a** kicking was so inspirational.  It just epitomizes why we all love Dustin Poirier,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel.  “I don’t think it’s going to be the sendoff that Dustin Poirier’s looking for.”  

“Benoit Saint Denis was able to go out there and dominate Dustin Poirier early.  He mixed up his wrestling, used the Thai clinch perfectly, was punishing Dustin with knees, was taking him down,” Bisping continued.  “On the feet, that is Dustin’s best chance.  He’s got to stay off the fence.  He’s got to dance around the octagon.  He’s got to use the jab.  He’s got to sprawl and brawl.  He’s got to do whatever he can to try to avoid a clinch situation.”

Each round starts standing, but at some point Makhachev will likely get the fight to the ground.  If he does, Bisping believes that he’ll win the fight.  

“On the feet, I give him (Poirier) the edge.  Of course I do, but it doesn’t matter.  This is mixed martial arts and Islam Makhachev will get that takedown.  And if he gets the takedown I believe he gets the fight and he gets to defend the belt, and he gets to remain the lightweight champion of the world,” said Bisping.  “Islam is just incredible.  He’s the pound-for-pound number one on the planet and I believe on Saturday night he’s still going to be the champion.  

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Ozempic has been taking the world by storm of late but current UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley isn’t sold on the idea of it.

While primarily used as a medicine for adults who suffer with type 2 diabetes, Ozempic does have other uses. The medicine is being consumed by a larger group of people worldwide lately for its weight loss benefits.

Countless celebrities jumped in on the craze and are now using Ozempic to lose weight. Despite its recent rise in popularity, Sean O’Malley has spoken out against the medication.

“I mean, I don’t know enough about it,” O’Malley said. “I’ve witnessed people that I know on it and they definitely lose a lot of weight.”

“I don’t think you should get on it, I really don’t. I just don’t know if there’s enough science behind it to get on that.”

“I think it f***s you up in more ways than just turning off the f***ing sensors in your brain… Let’s just [do some] good old fashioned hard work… Yeah, good old fashioned hard work is the answer to that, buddy.”

Cutting weight is an essential part of combat sports. While it’s in place to sort fighters into specific weight divisions and make competition more balanced, it has received backlash from fans over the years.

A large number of supporters tend to dislike the often severe punishment that it puts on athletes bodies.

Check out what Sean O’Malley had to say about Ozempic and much more in the video below.

Jorge Masvidal’s Prediction For UFC 302 / Fighting McGregor?! | TSS | EP.287

0:00:00 – Intro
0:00:20 – Montana Trip Recap
0:01:13 – Dumb & Dumber To
0:03:45 – Fast Food Challenge
0:07:33 – Schmitty Goes On A Date
0:08:50 – Suga & Tim’s Chickens
0:10:00 – Tammy Might Be Preg..… pic.twitter.com/OmGJaLhwe1

— Sean O'Malley (@SugaSeanMMA) May 27, 2024

Related: Sean O’Malley gets ‘swatted,’ police arrive at his home with guns drawn

When is Sean O’Malley fighting next?

Sean O’Malley has become one of the biggest stars in the sport since his rise from the Contender Series.

The flashy knockout artist has captured the eye of the casual mixed martial arts fan and is greatly benefitting from it.

Last time out, O’Malley’s elite kickboxing was on display once again as he beat Marlon Vera in dominant fashion–and defending his title for the first time.

‘Suga’ is ready to put his bantamweight gold on the line once again. Though nothing has been made official, all signs are pointing toward Merab Dvalishvili being given the next shot at O’Malley. The fight is rumored to be taking place at the Las Vegas Sphere toward the end of the year.

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On the first episode of UFC 302 Embedded, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev got a training session in with his team, Sean Strickland worked out and Dustin Poirier hit the miss.  

UFC 302 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Saturday and is headlined by a lightweight title bout between Makhachev and Poirier.  In the co-main event, former middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland takes on former title challenger Paul Costa.  

UFC 302 Embedded, Episode 1

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Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev puts his title on the line against former interim titleholder Dustin Poirier in the UFC 302 main event on June 1.  The two haven’t fought before but Makhachev has closely studied Poirier in the past.  

When Poirier fought Makhachev’s coach and mentor, former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, at UFC 242 in September 2019, Makhachev helped Nurmagomedov prepare for the fight.  He was also involved in setting the game plan for Nurmagomedov to defeat “The Diamond.”  

“When Khabib was preparing for him, we trained together, and I was already involved in the discussion of the fight preparation plan against Dustin. I don’t think the preparation and plan for the fight will differ much because we know Dustin’s strengths and weaknesses,” Makhachev said in a YouTube video.

Makhachev and Nurmagomedov’s roles have switch with Nurmagomedov now assisting Makhachev in his preparations to defend his title against Poirier.  While Nurmagomedov and Makhachev respect Poirier’s abilities and legacy, they plan to use the same blueprint that Nurmagomedov employed back in 2019.  Nurmagomedov finished Poirier in the third round, and he hopes Makhachev will do the same.     

“Many people underestimate Dustin Poirier,” Nurmagomedov said in the video. “I personally fought him, spent three rounds and over 10 minutes with him, and I have a good sense of his strengths and weaknesses. We are working hard on these aspects.”

“Dustin is very experienced.  He’s been in many battles already,” Nurmagomedov continued. “Yes, he has lost, but he also has many victories in the UFC, more than 22 or 23 wins. Using our slang, he’s a seasoned warrior. You can’t take him lightly. We have great respect for Dustin, but on June 1, he is our opponent. We have a clearly developed plan for the fight, and I believe Islam will follow it. I really hope that Islam will finish him off in the second or third round.”

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UFC 392 Countdown takes a closer look at the co-main event clash between former middleweight champion Sean Strickland and hard-hitting Brazilian Paulo Costa.

For Strickland (28-6), it’s his first fight since losing the belt to Dricus Du Plessis in January.  He’ll have to win on June 1 to remain the top contender in the division.  Costa (14-3) has lost three of his last fought fights and is coming off a loss to former champion Robert Whittaker.  A win over Strickland would put Costa right back in contender status.  

UFC 302 Countdown: Strickland vs. Costa    

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UFC 302 Countdown previews the return of the number one pound-for-pound king, Islam Makhachev, as he defends his lightweight title against former interim champion, Dustin Poirier.

UFC 302 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 1.  The lightweight title bout headlines the fight card.  Makhachev (25-1) enters his third title defense riding a 13-fight winning streak.  Poirier (30-8, 1 NC) is coming off a knockout win over Benoit Saint Denis in his last outing.  

UFC 302 Countdown: Makhachev vs. Poirier   

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In 2011, Jon Jones won the light heavyweight title and defended it twice.  He had captured the title in March of that year by stopping Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and defended it against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson six months later in September.  In December, he was paired against former champion Lyoto Machida.    

The event took place at Air Canada Centre in Toronto.  Jones defeated Machida late in the second round via guillotine choke.

Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida Full Fight Video 

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Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen fought twice inside the octagon.  Their trilogy match will take place inside the boxing ring.  

The two first fought at UFC 117 in August 2010.  It was Silva’s eighth title defense and Sonnen dominated Silva for 22 minutes.  In the final round, Silva locked on a triangle choke after being taken down and finished Sonnen pulling victory out of the clutches of defeat.  

The two rematched two years later at UFC 148 in 2012.  Silva stopped Sonnen in the second round.  Despite Silva winning both bouts, their rivalry was one of the greatest in the promotion’s history.  

Once the trilogy boxing match was signed, many questioned why Sonnen would agree to box the prolific striker.  Sonnen answered the question on his YouTube channel.

“I have my own personal reasons against Anderson and I would imagine they’re not even.  I think about that man for the last 12 years at every single day at some point,” Sonnen said.  “I don’t think he thinks about tme.  My experience with Anderson is the single most important piece of my career.  Whether that means something to your or not, it was my career, it means something to me and without him it doesn’t work.”

To Sonnen, accepting a boxing match against Silva was a no-brainer.  The rules do not matter to Sonnen.  The environment the fight takes place in isn’t a concern.  Sonnen simply will fight Silva anywhere, anytime and under any rules.      

“There is a code and either you’ll understand it or you won’t,” Sonnen said.  “Here’s the answer to your question.  If there is ever a time that I am breathing air on this Earth and that man wants to fight me, I must fight him.  Not everybody.  Not anybody.  If that man ever asks me to fight him, I must fight him, and you either get that or you don’t.”  

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