Putting his final preparations in place for his short-notice return this weekend, undisputed light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira took in some sparring rounds with 6ft 6in heavyweight boxer, Dempsey McKean – ahead of his UFC 303 return against Jiri Prochazka on Saturday night.
Pereira, a former undisputed middleweight gold holder and the incumbent light heavyweight titleholder, is slated to make his return this weekend in a short-notice headliner during International Fight Week at UFC 303.
Taking on former-foe, Prochazka, Pereira looks to rack up his second win over the Czech Republic star as well as his second successful defense of the 205lbs crown in his return to Las Vegas.
Headlining the monumental UFC 300 card earlier this year, Sao Paulo striking phenom, Alex Pereira stopped returning former gold holder, Jamahal Hill with a stunning opening round KO – improving his winning spree to three straight fights at the weight limit.
And replacing an injury-stricken, Conor McGregor at this weekend’s UFC 303 card during International Fight Week, Brazilian fan-favorite, Pereira more than held his own over the course of four rounds against the above-mentioned Australian heavyweight puncher, McKean.
Alex Pereira spars Demsey McKean before UFC 303
Sparring the Ipswitch native, Pereira managed to land notable shots on the 22-1 former WBO world championship victor – whose sole loss came in the form of a final round TKO defeat to Croat striking star, Filip Hrgovic back in August of last year in London.
First sharing the Octagon with former light heavyweight champion, Prochakza at UFC 295 back in November of last year at Madison Square Garden, Pereira would stop the Czech finishing ace with a second round TKO in New York, felling him with a slew of elbow strikes at the fence before landing ground and pound blows.
Who are you picking to win at UFC 303: Alex Pereira or Jiri Prochazka?
We need to actually appreciate all these MMA fighters. We don't see it but they've all worked so hard to make a living out of this sport, and most of them don't even make enough having to sacrify many things.
We need to actually appreciate all these MMA fighters. We don't see it but they've all worked so hard to make a living out of this sport, and most of them don't even make enough having to sacrify many things.
McGregor details one of the treatments he had on his broken pinky toe, and how it may have made the toe worse than before.
Conor McGregor is opening up about his toe injury and some of the treatments they used to try and keep him on June 29th’s UFC 303 card.
McGregor was forced off the card last week, and finally he revealed it was due to a broken pinky toe. There was a lot of effort put into keeping the nature of his injury secret, but “The Notorious” can’t even wear a shoe right now. So it was either let the cat out of the bag or hide from the public eye until he was healed.
McGregor chose to show off x-rays of the injury, and on Saturday night he turned up to Bellator Dublin in slippers. He discussed the broken toe with Severe MMA and how a stem cell shot into the injured pinky may have caused more pain than gain.
“This is it. This run is for the parish, you know what I’m saying?” he said about his comeback fight. “So I’m getting this right, and that’s it.”
As for a return date?
“I’m hoping soon as … August. September I’d love,” McGregor said. “You know the way it is. I’m in recovery mode. It’s three weeks to the day, it happened three weeks ago today. I’m still rocking around here in the slippers. They’re not bad slippers, thankfully, and they’re cozy enough. But I can’t get into a shoe.”
“They put stem cells into me,” he revealed. “They took ‘em from my back, they put ‘em in my foot. 20mg of stem cells out of my own back bone marrow, in. Right into the break. There was a little bit left over so I said ‘Yeah, lob it into me shoulder, it feels a little bit sore.’ The shoulder’s actually feeling amazing.”
I will never enter a fight hurt again and I will never lose another fight.
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 22, 2024
“Them stem cells are good stuff, I’m reading a bit about them, it’s an eye opener with them stem cells. But my toe is f—ing sore, and I don’t know if the stem cells into the break was the right move. Because now it’s like, you know when the chicks put filler in their face? My baby toe looks like that. I don’t think it’s the swelling any more, it’s the fluid, it’s the stem cells in my toe.”
“So it’s looking like I’m gonna have a swollen toe thing, all the time,” he concluded. “I don’t know. But I’m just recovering man, and that’s it. Day by day.”
With this latest delay, there’s some indication that Michael Chandler may move on to a new opponent. For his part, McGregor said “Iron Mike” was still the target opponent.
“I would hope so, I would say so,” he said. “But again I’m on my journey, I’m on my path. I need to get this right for my team, the fans, we deserve this. And I’m gonna f—ing bring it home, and that’s it.”
We need to actually appreciate all these MMA fighters. We don't see it but they've all worked so hard to make a living out of this sport, and most of them don't even make enough having to sacrify many things.
The war of worlds — and social media posts — between Michael Chandler and Conor McGregor continues after their scheduled main event for Saturday’s UFC 303 event was scratched.
McGregor recently revealed a broken toe was the reason surrounding his removal from the fight and event. Shortly after making the injury public, McGregor posted a meme about Chandler, poking fun at the former Bellator champion saying that he’ll still appear at UFC 303 even though he’s not fighting, saying he “made a commitment.”
pic.twitter.com/QK2SdXt7va
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) June 22, 2024
On Sunday morning, Chandler clapped back at McGregor after the former two-division champion attended Saturday’s Bellator Dublin event at the 3Arena — which was the location of their scheduled press conference to promote their fight earlier this month that was cancelled.
CONOR MCGREGOR ARRIVES! #BellatorDublin | LIVE NOW on MAX https://t.co/Dpuq4XvEyP pic.twitter.com/KQ0MnbCGOh
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 22, 2024
“Speaking of showing up to events… glad you finally made it to the 3Arena where the press conference was supposed to be [June 3],” Chandler said. “Sweet slippers. Who’s the Bellator Tick now?”
McGregor appeared at the event to corner teammate Sinead Kavanagh, who was submitted by Arlene Blencowe in the second round. Following the fight, Dan Hardy actually interviewed McGregor in the cage before Blencowe, and the broadcast focused on McGregor throughout the rest of the event.
Chandler is now in an interesting position: Does he continue to wait for McGregor after being on the sidelines since his UFC 281 loss to Dustin Poirier in November 2022? Or, does he move on from his fellow coach on the 2023 season of The Ultimate Fighter?
McGregor is eyeing a return in August or September, but with the UFC calendar set, it’s unknown when the fight could be rebooked.
Jon Jones has been granted 50/50 custody of his son.
‘Bones’ announced the news on social media recently, much to the surprise of fight fans unaware that the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion even had a son.
“I was just granted 50/50 custody of my son, I’m the happiest dad in the world today,” Jones wrote on X.
Few other details were revealed regarding the situation, but the news was celebrated by many, including interviewer Nina-Marie Daniele who offered her congratulations to the consensus GOAT.
“Congratulations Jon,” she wrote. “God bless!”
Of course, not everyone was as kind as Daniele, many of them taking a dig at Jones with some even suggesting that the child would be worse off with ‘Bones’ in their life.
Besides his mystery son, Jon Jones is well known for being the father of three daughters he shares with his longtime fiancée Jessie Moses.
Jon Jones expected back inside the octagon before the end of 2024
After dominating the light heavyweight division for more than a decade, Jones took three years off from fighting to focus on a transition to heavyweight. That proved to pay off as ‘Bones’ made quick work of Ciryl Gane in his return at UFC 285, submitting ‘Bon Gamin’ in two minutes to claim the vacant heavyweight belt.
Jones has not defended the title, though that’s not entirely his fault. He was scheduled to square off with Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 last year, but a pectoral tear took him out of the fight, prompting the promotion to crown an interim champion. No official announcements have been made, but ‘Bones’ is expected to return to the Octagon in November for his fight with Miocic.
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