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The 2024 lineup features a mix of “who’s who” and “who’s that?” from the world of sports, business, and entertainment.

UFC CEO Dana White will once again speak on behalf of longtime friend and former United States President, Donald Trump, when he takes the stage this Thurs. (July 18) at the 2024 Republican National Convention (RNC). Trump is hoping to defeat current commander-in-chief, Joe Biden, after losing the 2020 election in somewhat messy fashion.

White won’t be the only non-political speaker during this week’s festivities, held at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Expect security to be on high alert after Trump survived an assassination attempt while campaigning last weekend in Pennsylvania — which may wanna rethink that whole “You’ve got a friend” shtick after the debacle in Butler.

Here’s the complete lineup of non-political speakers for the 2024 RNC:

• Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition
• Tucker Carlson, commentator
• Savannah Chrisley, TV personality and criminal justice reform advocate
• Franklin Graham, faith leader
• Lee Greenwood, country music singer
• Alina Habba, Trump campaign senior adviser
• Diane Hendricks, owner of ABC Supply
• Tom Homan, former acting ICE director
• Chris Janson, country music singer
• Perry Johnson, businessman
• Charlie Kirk, CEO of TPUSA
• Sean O’Brien, Teamsters president
• Vivek Ramaswamy, businessman
• Amber Rose, rapper and influencer
• David Sacks, CEO of Yammer
• Bob Unanue, CEO of Goya Foods
• Dana White, CEO of UFC
• Steven and Zach Witkoff, businessman

And here’s the rest of the 2024 RNC speakers:

Family members

• Donald Trump Jr.
• Eric Trump
• Co-Chairman and Trump daughter-in-law Lara Trump
• Kimberly Guilfoyle

RNC leadership:

• RNC Chairman Michael Whatley
• COA Chairwoman Anne Hathaway
• Host Committee Chairman Reince Priebus

GOP officials and candidates:

• Senator Katie Britt (R-AL)
• Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR)
• Senator Rick Scott (R-FL)
• Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL)
• Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO)
• Senator Steve Daines (R-MT), NRSC chairman
• Senator JD Vance (R-OH)
• Senator Tim Scott (R-SC)
• Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
• Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX)
• Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI)
• Senate candidate Kari Lake (R-AZ)
• Senate candidate Jim Banks (R-IN)
• Senate candidate Mike Rogers (R-MI)
• Senate candidate Tim Sheehy (R-MT)
• Senate candidate Sam Brown (R- NV)
• Senate candidate Bernie Moreno (R-OH)
• Senate candidate Dave McCormick (R-PA)
• Senate candidate Hung Cao (R-VA)
• Senate candidate Eric Hovde (R-WI)
• Senate candidate Gov. Jim Justice (WV) & Babydog
• House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-4)
• House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (LA-1)
• House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN-6)
• Rep. Richard Hudson (NC-9), NRCC Chairman
• Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY-21), House GOP Conference Chair
• Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL-1)
• Rep. Michael Waltz (FL-6)
• Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13)
• Rep. Byron Donalds (FL-19)
• Rep. Brian Mast (FL-21)
• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA-14)
• Rep. John James (MI-10)
• Rep. Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2)
• Rep. Nancy Mace (SC-1)
• Rep. Ronny Jackson (TX-13)
• Rep. Monica De La Cruz (TX-15)
• Rep. Wesley Hunt (TX-38)
• Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR)
• Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL)
• Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND)
• Gov. Kristi Noem (R-SD)
• Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX)
• Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA)
• Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird
• North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson
• Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, a former Democrat
• East Palestine, Ohio, Mayor Trent Conaway
• Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson
• Former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway
• Former Acting Director of National Intelligence Ric Grenell
• Peter Navarro, former director of the Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy
• Mike Pompeo, Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
• Former Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley
• Former Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon
• Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich
• Former Rep. Lee Zeldin

“I can’t WAIT to stand up on stage with [Trump] on Thursday and introduce him at the Republican National Convention and tell the WORLD exactly the character of the friend and man I KNOW!!” White told his Instagram followers.

For much more on White’s relationship with Trump click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Dana White still isn’t ready to speculate on when the long awaited fight between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler might actually happen.

This past weekend, McGregor responded to a message from Chandler and said he spoke to the UFC CEO about rescheduling the fight, which was originally supposed to happen at UFC 303 in June. The fight was scrapped after McGregor suffered a broken pinky toe in training that forced him off the card.

“I talked to Dana today about our new date, all looking good! 24’ for sure,” McGregor wrote.

On Monday, White confirmed that McGregor had texted him after an assassination attempt was made against former president Donald Trump, but he didn’t hint at an actual conversation regarding the fight booking.

Ever since McGregor suffered the injury that delayed the fight past UFC 303, White has insisted that he’s not going to speculate or announce anything until he knows that the Irish superstar is healthy and ready to compete again.

“As of sitting here right here, right now, no, I don’t have a date for it or a plan or anything like that,” White told The Pat McAfee Show. “Obviously, me, the fans, and ESPN would love it to happen in [2024], but we’ll see what happens.”

McGregor hasn’t fought in over three years with his last appearance coming in 2021 when he suffered a gruesome broken leg at the end of the opening round in his trilogy against Dustin Poirier.

He was eventually matched up with Chandler as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter but the reality show came and went without a fight between them actually being scheduled.

McGregor continued teasing his timeline to return before eventually announcing plans to fight at UFC 303, which was scheduled at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 29. Everything was moving ahead as scheduled until a planned press conference in Ireland was suddenly cancelled at the last minute.

It was later revealed that McGregor suffered an injury in training and he would no longer compete in June.

The UFC calendar is already set for the remainder of the year with UFC 304 in England, UFC 305 in Australia and UFC 306 set as Noche UFC in Las Vegas. UFC 307 is tentatively planned for early October with rumors swirling around a potential landing spot in Utah followed by UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi later that same month. As of now, UFC 309 is expected in New York in November and then UFC 310 would close out the year in December.

Based on that schedule and the current lineup of fights, the date in December would mostly likely serve as the best possible landing spot for McGregor but again nothing has been determined yet.

“That’s the fight that needs to happen,” White said about McGregor vs. Chandler. “We’ve been waiting for it. It’s an awesome fight, it’s a fun fight.”

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UFC CEO, Dana White has tonight offered his support to former United States president, Donald Trump after the latter was the subject of an assassination attempt over the course of the weekend whilst taking part in an election rally in Pennsylvania.

Trump, a former United States President who is the presumptive Republican candidate this year in a bid to begin a second reign against the incumbent, Joe Biden, was the subject of an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania – after he was struck in his right ear by shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was subsequently shot and killed by a member of the Secret Server Counter Sniper team, after killing Corey Comperatore, a rally attendee.

Offering his immediate support to the former United States president, the above-mentioned White was one of a host of prominent mixed martial arts community who rallied around Trump.

“I’m on a plane right now flying to Italy and my phone has been blowing up with text messages from people informing me @realdonaldtrump was shot,” Dana White posted on Instagram. “I am absolutely sick to my stomach and in complete shock. I still don’t know how bad it is or if he’s okay. But @mickmaynard2 just sent me this picture and I’m praying President Trump is 100% healthy.”

Dana White offers support to Donald Trump once more

“This image perfectly reflects EXACTLY the man I know Donald Trump to be,” Dana White continued. “He is the toughest, most resilient, AMERICAN BAD ASS on this planet. I hope the weak coward that show him gets what he deserves, and I can’t WAIT to stand up on that stage with him on Thursday and introduce him at the Republican National Convention and tell the WORLD exactly the character of the friend and man I KNOW!!”

White, who is set to introduce Trump later this week at the Republican National Convention, has echoed those sentiments once more today whilst speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, claiming the former President was the “ultimate American badass”.

“He is one of the toughest, most resilient human beings I have ever met in my life,” White said. “And let me tell you what, everyone wants to act like a tough guy, well, when the sh*t goes down, you find out who tough guys are and who tough guys are not. This guy is the legitimate, ultimate American badass of all-time.”

LowKickMMA.com

In October 2018, then lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor fought at UFC 229 after months of build up and trash talk.  Leading up to the heated matchup, McGregor threw a dolly into a bus window carrying Nurmagomedov and several other UFC fighters.  

In the fight, Nurmagomedov defeated McGregor in the fourth round via neck crank.  Following the win, Nurmagomedov taunted McGregor before leaping into the crowd to go after McGregor’s team.  Simultaneously, Nurmagomedov’s team members entered the octagon to attack McGregor.  

Their rivalry was one of the most heated in the promotion’s history.  Listen to fight with ‘no commentary just fight, crowd and corner sounds.’

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor – UFC Muted

“I f***ed you up,” Nurmagomedov said after McGregor tapped out.  “I f***ed you up, b**ch!’  He threw threw his mouthpiece at McGregor’s corner and leaped out of the cage.  

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Nate Diaz has filed a lawsuit against Fanmio, claiming the company still owes him $ 9 million from his contracted purse for his recent boxing match against Jorge Masvidal.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida on Monday. TMZ initially reported the news. Fanmio served as the promoter of the Masvidal bout.

In the 17-page document obtained by MMA Fighting, Diaz specifically singles out Fanmio and owner/president Solomon Engel for allegedly agreeing to pay him a sum of $ 10 million for the fight against Masvidal. The lawsuit alleges that Fanmio agreed to pay Diaz $ 1 million upfront with the additional $ 9 million payment due after the fight.

Diaz claims “outright fraud” by Fanmio and Engel after guaranteeing the $ 10 million payday both contractually and verbally.

Despite a sold-out Honda Center in Anaheim for the event, where Diaz scored a majority decision win over Masvidal, the lawsuit alleges that Fanmio is now refusing to pay him the full contracted purse. From the lawsuit filed on Monday:

“Fanmio and Engel are now reneging on their written and oral promises and guarantees to pay $ 9 million owing to Diaz because they claim they are going to lose money on the event. In a flurry of desperate calls to Diaz’s representatives following the event, Engel despondently groveled that he was going to lose more money than he had anticipated on the event if he paid Diaz what he had promised and that his wife might divorce him because of the financial losses. Engel went so far as to threaten he might have to declare bankruptcy to avoid paying Diaz what he owed.”

The lawsuit claims Fanmio and Engel “intentionally lied” to Diaz and his representatives about having money set aside to make the full payout for his contracted salary and stated that the company’s lawyer sent them paperwork in writing that guaranteed the payout, with the funds allegedly being held in an “independent collection account.”

Since the fight’s conclusion, Diaz claims he hasn’t been paid, which led to the lawsuit being filed against Fanmio and Engel.

Diaz is now seeking punitive damages as well “based on the intentional misconduct and fraud” allegedly committed by Fanmio and Engel.

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UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones has been charged with two misdemeanors involving a drug-testing agent who filed a police report about his alleged behavior after going to Jones’ home to collect a sample on March 30.

Jones was charged with assault — a petty misdemeanor — and interference with communications, a misdemeanor, with his virtual bond hearing scheduled on July 17 at 9:15 a.m. MT in New Mexico. Bernalillo County Court representatives confirmed the information in an email sent to MMA Fighting on Monday.

If convicted of both full charges, Jones could face jail time that would be less than one year total and up to a $ 500 fine for the petty misdemeanor and up to $ 1,000 for the misdemeanor.

The entire ordeal surrounds drug-testing agents from the UFC’s anti-doping partners at Drug Free Sport, who were sent to Jones’ home to collect a random sample. After arriving, an agent identified as Crystal Martinez claimed Jones “appeared agitated” after he was unable to provide a urine sample and he was offered the opportunity for a blood test instead.

Martinez claimed that Jones then began asking them questions including “if they had money” because he was going to sue them. She also claimed that Jones allegedly grabbed her phone and “started recording them.”

Martinez told police she was “terrified” with Jones standing less than a foot away from her during the alleged incident and she was “afraid Jones might hit her” after she contemplated terminating the drug test and leaving his property.

Jones later issued a statement of his own vehemently denying the allegations.

“I was recently visited by testers while I was celebrating a birthday and taking a nap,” Jones said in April. “Upon waking up, I was caught off guard by the unprofessionalism and protocol by one of the testers which caused frustration leading me to use some profanity I regret. However, I want to emphasize that at no point did I threaten, get in anyone’s face, raise my voice to anyone, or engage in any form of assault.

“It’s unfortunate that false news has been spread without proper fact-checking. I want to assure you that I will vigorously defend myself against these baseless accusations. The truth is, the incident simply did not occur.”

During Jones’ scheduled appearance on July 17, he’ll be informed about the charges against him and asked to enter a plea. The judge will then set conditions of release for the UFC heavyweight while the case is pending.

The case will then be set for a bench trial in 30 to 45 days.

Jones is currently in the beginning stages of preparing for his return to action where he’s expected to defend his heavyweight title against former champion Stipe Miocic with the fight currently expected for November at Madison Square Garden in New York.

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Love him or hate him, Paddy Pimblett is one of the biggest names in the sport today, but his time in the UFC could be coming to an end.

‘The Baddy’ has been a big name in mixed martial arts since the successful work he put in with Cage Warriors. That fame has only elevated throughout the duration of his UFC tenure, though he may take his expertise elsewhere in the near future.

Paddy Pimblett is approaching his sixth fight inside the octagon, which coincidentally is the final fight on his contract.

While a win in his next outing would earn him a ranking in the lightweight division, Pimblett is weighing up his career options.

“This is the last fight on my contract,” Pimblett said during an interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn. “We’ll be getting back to the negotiations table after this, so let’s see what happens.”

“I haven’t got a clue [about contract negotiations with the UFC], my manager sorts all of that. I leave all of that to him, I don’t think [there’s been a renewal proposal].”

While Pimblett does believe his future lies under the UFC banner, he is willing to leave to pursue big-money fights.

“I wouldn’t want to go to a different organisation, lad. The UFC is the cream of the crop…”

“You never know, though. Some of these stupid YouTubers that are boxing could end up offering me millions to fight one of them. So we’ll see what happens.”

Related: Paddy Pimblett gets heated about feud with Ilia Topuria and Terrance McKinney

Paddy Pimblett has had public feuds with both Logan Paul and Jake Paul, giving him two serious options for an influencer boxing match.

However, before he can think about venturing into other sports, Pimblett will have to put on a strong performance next time out.

The scouser is set to collide with ‘King’ Green at UFC 304 in Manchester, England, on July 27.

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