Barnett steps in on two weeks’ notice to face Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 308, which takes place Oct. 26 at Etihad Arena. The news was announced during Saturday’s UFC Vegas 98 broadcast.
The fan-favorite Barnett replaces Justin Tafa, who has been removed from the bout for undisclosed reasons. Barnett was slated to fight on Saturday’s event at the UFC APEX but was unable to compete due to reasons associated with Hurricane Milton.
Barnett returns to the octagon for the first time in over two years, a second-round TKO win over Jake Collier at UFC 279 in September 2022. “Beastboy” is 2-2 in his UFC run, including a memorable stoppage of Gian Villante at UFC 268 in November 2021 at Madison Square Garden.
Nzechukwu looks to snap a two-fight losing streak as he competes at heavyweight for the first time in his UFC career.
UFC 308 is headlined by Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway for the featherweight title.
McGregor is still fishing for a Mayweather rematch, this time at a higher weight with less rounds.
Is a Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather rematch really in the works? There’s been an uptick of chatter recently regarding the fight, but no clear indication that anyone is close to signing a contract.
What we do have, however, is Conor McGregor’s word that talks are ongoing, to the point where discussions on weight and rounds are being had.
“You know, there is conversations ongoing,” McGregor told Spanish news outlet Marca. “I fought Floyd at 153 pounds, which is a low weight. So he brought me all the way down. It was over 12 rounds. I’d never fought 12 rounds. Now the discussion is: at my weight, higher, heavy weight. 170 pounds. And maybe less rounds. So … I would fancy it.”
As for how he perceives the first fight to have gone?
“I had him bent over!” McGregor declared. “You see me I had him bent over. What more do you want me to do? Do you want me to finish the job while I have him bent over?”
McGregor did look decent through the first couple of rounds against Mayweather, forcing the boxing legend to turn his back at one point so the ref would step in and slow the action down. For his part, Mayweather claims he carried Mac through the fight before turning up the heat his gassed opponent. Both have said a rematch will happen, but neither seems in any rush to make it happen next.
All of this sounds promising, but these days “The Notorious” is in entrepreneurial overdrive. There’s not a weekend where he isn’t out there hawking a new product or Bare Knuckle FC event. He clearly wants to fight … but is under contract with the UFC, who seem in no rush to get him back in the cage. Recent talk of a February fight are already being rebuffed by sources MMAMania.com has spoken to.
Would UFC loan him out for a boxing event at some insane price tag? Maybe, if it means they still get to keep him on a leash with the two fights left on his UFC contract.
Whatever happens, McGregor claims he’s cool with it.
“I don’t need,” he said. “I am so blessed by God. I don’t need nothing. I don’t need. I have, but I’d like a fight.”
As Jorge Masvidal plots his comeback to the UFC, he’s got a lot of ideas on potential opponents. Don’t expect Conor McGregor to be one of them.
To be clear, that’s not from a lack of interest on Masvidal’s side. Prior to his retirement from MMA in 2023, the UFC’s first-ever “BMF” champion called for a showdown with McGregor numerous times. Now that he’s planning to return to action sometime in late 2024 or early 2025, Masvidal sees a lot of possibilities for his first fight back, but he highly doubts McGregor ever competes again after sitting out for the past three-plus years.
“We’ll see him at a bar and shit,” Masvidal responded to MMA Fighting when asked if we’ll see McGregor again. “Are you talking about in the cage? Like as an official or to be judges? You mean fighting? I don’t think so. I hope he proves me wrong but I don’t think so.”
McGregor has been teasing his comeback for well over a year already after he healed up from a devastating broken leg suffered in his trilogy fight against Masvidal’s longtime teammate and friend, Dustin Poirier.
Following his recovery, McGregor coached on The Ultimate Fighter opposite Michael Chandler with a fight originally expected between them sometime in 2023. Instead, a broken toe forced McGregor to withdraw from their scheduled meeting at UFC 303 this past June.
There were rumors swirling that perhaps McGregor could fight before the end of 2024 but UFC CEO Dana White nixed those plans and instead pointed towards 2025 for the Irish superstar to return. With each passing day more and more doubts are creeping in about whether or not McGregor will actually return and Masvidal knows with absolute certainty that he won’t be the opponent if that happens.
“Conor, under no circumstances, is fighting me,” Masvidal said. “He’s backed out of fighting Chandler — poor little Chandler, I don’t know how many times he let that dude eat dust. Imagine me?
“That guy is never fighting me. He can’t do enough cocaine to f*cking get [jacked] up to fight me.”
If McGregor remains absent from the UFC, Masvidal wouldn’t mind taking his place in the fight against Chandler, although he sees that as just one of many options open to him.
Chandler has been out of action for nearly two years in anticipation of fighting McGregor and Masvidal doubts that ever comes to fruition. If Chandler finally wants to return to action, Masvidal invites him to a fight where he should know without a shadow of a doubt that the opponent will show up.
“That wouldn’t be a bad fight to get my feet wet again with MMA,” Masvidal said about fighting Chandler. “Kind of an introductory course to MMA. I wouldn’t mind that fight. But there’s a lot of fights that I would take. I was just throwing that one out there.
“You can’t sit in silence forever. Let’s go. You want to throw down with one of the most f*cking electrifying motherf*ckers that ever touched the sport? Let’s f*cking go.”
Ariana Grande, Celine Dion, and the UFC. What could they possibly have in common?
The funny folks at Saturday Night Live answered that question this weekend with a hilarious sketch in which Grande lampooned her fellow superstar singer’s recent promo for Sunday Night Football. This time, however, Grande’s version of Celine Dion employed her legendary vocals to honor another enduring American institution: The UFC.
Watch the sketch below, which also doubled as a sly advertisement for UFC 308 on Oct. 26.
Celine Dion Sports Promo pic.twitter.com/xvBo0EtrkR
— Saturday Night Live – SNL (@nbcsnl) October 13, 2024
Referencing Dion’s classic ballad It’s All Coming Back to Me Now (as Dion did in her NFL tribute), Grande paid homage to moments in UFC history that every fight fan would agree agree are unforgettable—for better or for worse.
“There was breaking of bones and there were knees to the balls,” Grande sang, before also poking fun at Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Mike Perry.
Even cageside commentators Daniel Cormier, Joe Rogan, and Jon Anik weren’t safe, as Grande cracked, “Dozens of commentators. All bald and in the shiniest of shirts.”
The most biting line of all might have been Grande noting the damage that MMA fighters take, saying, “It’s all coming back to me, though maybe not to them because of the concussions, no?”
After this, you’ll never look at Keith Hackney repeatedly punching Joe Son in the groin the same way again, that’s for sure.
Brandon Royval held on to his top contender spot. And now he wants what’s his.
“Raw Dawg” made it two straight wins on Saturday with a thrilling split decision victory over Tatsuro Taira in the main event of UFC Vegas 98. The top-10 flyweights went back and forth for 25 minutes, with the more experienced Royval gutting out the victory.
Since losing to UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja in February, Royval has scored wins over the previously unbeaten Taira and two-time titleholder Brandon Moreno, so another championship opportunity is within reach. Should Royval grasp it, he vows to put on a more spirited effort this time around.
“I’m going balls to the wall,” Royval said at the evening’s post-fight press conference. “I trust my pace, I trust my cardio. A fifth-round Raw Dawg is a dangerous Raw Dawg. I trust myself. I think if I ever fought Pantoja again—maybe I shouldn’t be telling my secrets—but I’m going straight after him. I think I played it too safe, I was a little too worried. That being said, I’m going forward, I’m going guns a blazing and that’s what I’m going to do.”
When Royval fought Pantoja eight months ago, he came out on the wrong end of a unanimous decision following a fight in which he was uncharacteristically timid. Prior to that fight, Royval was known for his intensity and aggression, scoring 12 of his first 16 wins by knockout or submission and earning three Fight of the Night bonuses (he collected another Saturday for his fight with Taira).
Royval is also known for fighting only the best competition, having shared the octagon with ranked opposition since making his UFC debut in 2020. Add it all up and he doesn’t see how the matchmakers can deny him another shot at gold.
“I see a title shot next, there’s no way about it,” Royval said. “I have a win over the whole top 5 of the division. I’m all about rematches, but that being said, I earned my way to a title shot. I took a short-notice against the No. 1, I just took out the hottest prospect in the division, I think a title shot is what’s next for me and I’ll be the backup for the title fight Dec. 7.”
That Dec. 7 title fight features Pantoja defending his flyweight championship against UFC newcomer Kai Asakura in the co-main event of UFC 310. The Japanese star made a name for himself in his native country’s RIZIN promotion and holds notable wins over Kyoji Horiguchi, Manel Kape (who avenged his loss to Asakura in 2019) and, most recently, Bellator standout Juan Archuleta.
Royval is a fan and thinks Asakura has a chance of dethroning Pantoja, but he won’t be surprised if Pantoja retains and ends up fighting Royval a third time.
“I’ve been watching Kai Asakura for a while,” Royval said. “I think he’s sick. I think there’s a lot of cool things. He’s yet to make flyweight, so I’ll be there and I’ll be ready just in case he doesn’t. That being said, I’ll give that man his roses. I think that he brings a lot of excitement to the division, I think he could take out Pantoja. I think if Pantoja grapples him at all, it’s going to be over. That being said, the fight starts on the feet.”
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