According to Conor McGregor, his return is set against Michael Chandler at the UFC’s International Fight Week in June. Although the promotion has yet to officially announce the matchup, it appears as if we’ll see the sport’s biggest star before the second half of 2024.
On an all-new edition of Between the Links, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Jed Meshew react to McGregor’s announcement that his bout with Chandler will not take place at UFC 300, but on June 29, along with the opening odds giving McGregor a slight edge. Additionally, the panel takes your questions about the bouts currently on the table for April’s UFC 300 event, Leon Edwards saying he’ll be defending his welterweight title on the card, what could be the main event, other big stories in the sport with the UFC on break until next Saturday, and more.
Watch the show live at 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT in the video above.
If you missed the show live, you can still watch above, or listen to the podcast version, which can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your pods.
Logan Paul will attempt to right the wrongs of a failed cryptocurrency game that eventually led to a class-action lawsuit getting filed against him and his former business partners.
On Thursday, the 28-year-old social influencer, boxer, and WWE superstar announced a new buyback program involving his CryptoZoo game, where users could buy and hatch “egg NFT’s,” which would then reveal an animal that that players could collect. Paul initially pitched CryptoZoo as a “game that earns you money,” but an online investigation revealed numerous issues with the program, which eventually led to a lawsuit being filed in Federal court in Texas.
Paul vowed to “make things right” in a video he initially posted in response to the allegations, and now, just under one year later, he’s launching a buyback program to refund users who were scammed.
“Today, I am incredibly happy to announce that I am delivering on my promise to buy back Base Egg and Base Animal CryptoZoo NFTs for their original purchase price,” Paul wrote on Twitter. “This buy-back program is being carried out at http://EGGNFTBUYBACK.COM. Claims can be submitted through this site through February 8.
“I approached the CryptoZoo project like everything else I am passionate about — with only the best possible intentions and success for everyone who shared our vision. I never made a single penny from the project, period. In fact, the opposite is true, because I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to make it happen. With this buy-back program, I am personally committing more than $ 2.3 million to buy back Base Eggs and Base Animals from every person who intended to play CryptoZoo. Like you, I was highly disappointed that the game was not delivered. As I said a year ago, CryptoZoo was derailed by bad actors. Bad actors who did steal money and who betrayed our team while internally sabotaging the game. This has now been confirmed by an extensive investigation that has involved a forensic analysis of blockchain activity and the review of thousands of communications.”
Today, I am incredibly happy to announce that I am delivering on my promise to buy back Base Egg and Base Animal CryptoZoo NFTs for their original purchase price. This buy-back program is being carried out at https://t.co/XIQzLAGKiG. Claims can be submitted through this site… pic.twitter.com/VMPDHvdXkq
— Logan Paul (@LoganPaul) January 4, 2024
Because cryptocurrency prices fluctuate and aren’t regulated, Paul’s original plan to repay users through his own crypto investment wouldn’t match what players initially paid to invest in the game. That led to a public outcry about users still losing considerable money on their investments, which obviously led to Paul’s plans for the buyback program at the original prices paid.
As part of his statement, Paul also revealed that he’s filed a separate lawsuit against those former business partners, who he blames for the myriad of issues surrounding the CryptoZoo launch.
The lawsuit was filed in Texas with Paul named as the plaintiff against defendants Eduardo Ibanez and Jake Greenbaum, calling them both “con artists” who “lied about their résumés, knowledge, experience, and intentions.” The lawsuit accuses Ibanez and Greenbaum of “fraud and deceit” and states that Paul never made any profit off the game.
“This lawsuit is not based just on snippets of conversations taken out of context,” Paul said. “This lawsuit is the result of an exhaustive investigation that included the review of the entirety of conversations and tracking nefarious trading activity related to the project. Nefarious trading activity taken behind our backs, without our knowledge, and with the intention of defrauding us all.”
With the buyback program in place, Paul also confirmed that the CryptoZoo game is dead and buried and will not be launched again as he once hoped.
“As far as the game itself, unfortunately it will not be released,” Paul said. “I personally spent $ 400,000 to have it developed and after its completion in early 2023 & some further diligence, unfortunately, there are too many regulatory hurdles that would need to be cleared that I did not originally understand and would ultimately delay this buy-back even further.
“This buy-back is a way for me to make whole those who intended to play CryptoZoo. The buy-back is not intended to compensate those who gambled on the crypto market and lost. It’s important to remember that the Zoo Token was created to support the CryptoZoo game and its players; it was “not intended as an investment vehicle,” as outlined in the original WhitePaper. This solution has been anything but simple, so I want to thank everyone for their patience as we figured out the logistics of making sure the first ever NFT buy-back is a smooth process.”
After shocking the world by finishing the terrifying Sergei Pavlovich in the first round, Tom Aspinall has been pushing for a title shot.
The Brit emphatically captured interim gold last time out and has since called for his chance at unifying the heavyweight championship against Jon Jones. It looks like the UFC is opting for a Jones vs. Miocic clash instead, which has understandably frustrated the surging prospect.
Tom Aspinall believes he should be next to fight for the undisputed title given Stipe Miocic’s inactivity. Letting his feelings be known on social media, the powerhouse went on a rant directed at the uncertainty in his division.
“Last time Stipe fought and won, GTA: San Andreas had just come out on PS2,” Aspinall joked regarding the title picture. “He will fight next for the undisputed heavyweight title, ahead of me, who’s the interim champ, active and ranked #1 in the world right now. This makes me quite upset.”
“Stipe is one of my favorites. Loads of respect to him, his resume is far superior to mine right now. That being said, the UFC has never been about this. It’s about who’s the best right now, and I believe that’s me and it’s only right I get to prove it.”
Aspinall wasn’t done there. He continued his rant, insisting anyone who holds interim gold should automatically be next in line to face the undisputed titleholder.
“Surely if you’re interim champ, your next fight should be to fight for undisputed? Come on.”
Last time Stipe fought and won, GTA: San Andreas had just come out on PS2. He will fight next for the undisputed heavyweight title, ahead of me, who’s the interim champ, active and ranked #1 in the world right now. This makes me quite upset
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) January 4, 2024
Stipe is one of my favourites. Loads of respect to him his Résumé is far superior to mine rn. That being said the UFC has never been about this. It’s about who’s the best right now, and I believe that’s me and it’s only right I get to prove it #freeaspinall
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) January 4, 2024
Surely if you’re interim champ, your next fight should be to fight for undisputed? Come on
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) January 4, 2024
Related: Alex Pereira hints at heavyweight title fight at UFC 300, Tom Aspinall responds
This isn’t the first time Aspinall has gone on a tirade about his position in the division not being taken seriously. The 30-year-old is desperate to get his hands on Jon Jones but knows if he’s not next for the Hall-of-Famer, he may never be given that opportunity.
However, ‘Bones’ isn’t the only one the interim champion is willing to fight. Speaking to fans during a brief Q&A on his social media, Aspinall insisted that he would welcome the winner of the forthcoming Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida bout next.
Hours later, Aspinall continued his attack on the heavyweight situation, posting two more social media posts.
“Final fun fact: Since Sipe last won a fight (August 2020), I have blown my knee out, went through the rehab process and had a year off, also had 7 UFC fights, including 4 wins vs. top 10 ranked opponents and won the interim title on 2 weeks’ notice.”
“Absolutely, Stipe has a great resume and is a legend in his own right. So has Tony Ferguson. Maybe we should give him a shot at the undisputed title next too?”
Final fun fact: Since stipe last won a fight (Aug ‘20) , I have blown my knee out, went thru the rehab process and had a year off, also had 7 UFC fights, including 4 wins vs top 10 ranked opponents and won the interim title on 2 weeks notice
— Tom Aspinall (@AspinallMMA) January 4, 2024
Absolutely, Stipe has a great Resume and is a legend in his own right. So has Tony Furgeson. Maybe we should give him a shot at the undisputed title next too?
Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images for CELSIUS
Jake Paul is still seeking a second clash with Nate Diaz.
2023 started less than ideal for Paul in the ring as he suffered his first career boxing loss (8-1) by split decision opposite Tommy Fury (watch highlights). Ultimately, “The Problem Child” turned things around and ended the year on a high note with two big rebound wins. Thus setting him up for an intriguing 2024.
Paul, 26, got back in the win column with a solid unanimous decision performance against longtime mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran, Nate Diaz, in August 2023 (watch highlights). He most recently scored a highlight-reel first round uppercut knockout (watch highlights) against Andre August last month (Dec. 15, 2023), and still hopes to put together a rematch with Diaz in MMA, where he plans to debut this year in Professional Fighters League (PFL)
“We aim to put on the biggest PPVs in MMA,” Paul said of PFL on his YouTube channel. “One of which being my first fight in MMA. Where you at, Nate? Come on over to the PFL and let’s do a massive fight.
“We at the PFL just bought Bellator, another massive MMA organization, signed Francis Ngannou, and are making big deals happen,” he concluded. “Nate, at the PFL, unlike the UFC, fighters can have their own sponsorships.”
Diaz, 38, hasn’t competed since his encounter with Paul, which was his debut as a professional boxer. Before that, Diaz fought out his UFC contract when he scored a fourth round guillotine choke against Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in September 2022 (watch highlights). The win was Diaz’s first since his unanimous decision over former UFC Lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis, in August 2019.
The fan-favorite Stockton, California native has been sour to the idea of fighting in PFL whenever presented to him. With the promotion set up to have its biggest year yet in 2024, perhaps it will be enough to pull Diaz over.
As for Paul’s immediate return to action, he’s expected to box against an opponent to be determined in Puerto Rico on March 2, 2024.
ONE Championship featherweight king Tang Kai and current interim champ Thanh Le will meet in a rematch and title unification bout at ONE 166.
The fight, scheduled to take place in Qatar on March 1 and air live in the U.S. on Amazon Prime Video, comes over a year after their first encounter ended with Tang winning a unanimous decision over Le to become the ONE featherweight champion. That victory extended Tang’s overall winning streak to 10, including seven straight in ONE; injuries prevented him from defending the belt.
With Tang out of action since August 2022, ONE moved forward with an interim title fight, and Le reclaimed a piece of his former championship when he submitted Ilya Freymanov this past October.
That win brought Le’s record to 6-1 overall in ONE, with the setback to Kai serving as the only loss with the Singapore-based promotion.
Now, Kai and Le will run it back as part of the ONE 166 card, which also features middleweight champion Reinier de Ridder defending his belt against ONE heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Anatoly Malykhin, who seeks to become a three-division champion.
UFC Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley shares his thoughts on Conor McGregor’s return potentially taking place at middleweight.
On New Year’s Eve, McGregor recently announced his official return to the Octagon, sharing a classic McGregor-style video. With a glass of red win in hand, McGregor confirmed that he would make his anticipated comeback on June 29.
“Ladies and gentlemen, a happy new year to you all. I’d like to announce the return date for myself, ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor, for the greatest comeback of all time. “It will take place in Las Vegas for International Fight Week on June 29th,” McGregor announced.
“And the opponent, Michael Chandler. And the weight, Mr. Chandler… 185 pounds.” (H/T Bloody Elbow)
Sean O’Malley discusses Conor McGregor’s potential 185lb debut
A McGregor fight is always going to dominate all MMA conversations, fuelling discussions on every MMA talk show or podcast. O’Malley would share his thoughts on McGregor’s fight on his podcast TimboSugarShow and claimed that McGregor, who ‘Sugar’ has shared his admiration, can further cement his legacy in the upcoming clash.
“I feel like he might be fiddling,” O’Malley said. “I think he’s just trying to – I don’t know … Chandler probably walks around max 185 (pounds), Conor probably 190-195. But interesting matchup there, 185. If he knocks out Chandler, he’d have a knockout at ’45, knockout at ’55, knockout at ’70, knockout at 185. That would be legendary.” (H/T MMAJunkie)https://www.lowkickmma.com/conor-mcgregor-warned-extra-weight-chandler-ufc/
If McGregor was to score a knockout against Chandler at middleweight, he would be the first fighter to ever score knockout wins over four divisions.
As for O’Malley, the 29-year-old is set to defend his 135lb strap against Marlon Vera in the main event of UFC 299 in March.
Do you think Conor McGregor will return at the middleweight limit?
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