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Former UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, watched the UFC 302: “Makhachev vs. Poirier” pay-per-view (PPV) card from the comfort of his couch, putting a particular emphasis on the five-round middleweight co-main event between Sean Strickland and Paulo Costa.

Adesanya may end up facing one of them in a rematch at some point in 2025.

“Costa sucks off the back foot — he’s not really good off the back foot,” Adesanya said on YouTube. “He’s doing better in this fight. Costa could set him up so bad here, man, because (Strickland is) so worried about that leg. It’s easier said than done, I’ll tell you that, but if you’ve worked on it, you know how to do it.”

Despite a wonky scorecard, Strickland captured an uninspired decision victory over Costa.

“This is what I thought he would do,” Adesanya continued. “He’s walking him down. He’s possibly losing the rounds because he’s not really landing as much but he’s just like, ‘You know what? I’ll break him and eventually I’ll just storm him.’ [Strickland] hammer fists your face, that’s how he throws his jab, he just throws a hammer fist.”

Adesanya, who defeated Costa at UFC 253 but fell to Strickland at UFC 293, is expected to face off against current middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis at some point later this year, with Strickland — or perhaps the winner of this fight — next in line.

For more UFC 302 results and fallout click here.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Conor McGregor isn’t giving many details but he’s addressed the sudden cancellation of a UFC 303 pre-fight press conference that was supposed to go down in Dublin, Ireland on Monday.

Late Sunday night, UFC officials announced the news that the planned press conference featuring McGregor, Michael Chandler and UFC CEO Dana White would no longer happen as scheduled. There was no reason given for the postponement, which led to immediate speculation about why the press conference was cancelled so suddenly.

McGregor released a brief statement on social media addressing the situation and issuing an apology for everyone who planned to attend the press conference.

“In consultation with the UFC, today’s press conference was cancelled due to a series of obstacles outside of our control,” McGregor wrote on Twitter. “I apologize to my Irish fans, and fans around the world, for the inconvenience and appreciate all your passion and support. I can’t wait to put on the greatest all-time show in the Octagon.”

McGregor didn’t explicitly state why the press conference was cancelled but obviously it all happened rather quickly with White stating at UFC 302 that he was scheduled to fly out to Ireland the next day.

Chandler was also preparing to board a flight bound for Ireland when he got news that the press conference was no longer happening.

There’s no word if the press conference cancellation holds any bearing whatsoever on the actual UFC 303 card scheduled on June 29 in Las Vegas.

McGregor is expected to make his return to action for the first time in three years after suffering a gruesome broken leg in his most recent outing back in 2021. As for Chandler, he’s sat out for well over a year waiting for the fight against McGregor to materialize after the served as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter this past year.

As of now, McGregor vs. Chandler is still happening on schedule but it’s unknown if the fighters will get the chance to come face-to-face again before meeting during fight week in Las Vegas.

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Former two-weight champion, Conor McGregor has addressed the cancelling of a pre-fight press conference ahead of his UFC 303 return in Dublin this evening, claiming “obstacles” out of the promotion’s and fighter’s control led to the event’s cancellation. 

Overnight, the UFC released an official statement confirming how their slated press event – featuring McGregor and incoming opponent, Michael Chandler, set to take place at 5pm GMT from the 3Arena, had been postponed.

“Dear UFC fans-” UFC posted on their official X account. “The #UFC303 press conference scheduled for Monday, June 3rd. in Dublin, Ireland at 3Arena has been postponed until further notice. We sincerely apologize to all the fans who were planning to attend. When we have further information on a new date and time, we will share it immediately. -Thank you.”

And amid speculation regarding the cancellation of the event, McGregor reportedly had himself cancelled media obligations with broadcast partners of the UFC, prior to the press conference’s cancellation.

Furthermore, reports also claimed that today’s cancellation of the Dublin press event had nothing to do with alcohol or drug-related issues for McGregor – despite continued speculation from fans and critics on social media.

Conor McGregor addresses UFC 303 presser postponement

Addressing the event’s postponement tonight, McGregor apologized to fans, before confirming he would still make his return to the Octagon at UFC 303 in a scheduled fight against Chandler on the 29. of this month in Las Vegas.

“In consultation with the UFC, today’s press conference was cancelled due to a series of obstacles outside of our control,” Conor McGregor posted on his official X account. “I apologize to my Irish fans, and fans around the world, for the inconvenience and appreciate all your passion and support. I can’t wait to put on the greatest all-time show in the Octagon.” 

What are your thoughts on Conor McGregor’s UFC 303 presser being cancelled?

LowKickMMA.com

Ahead of his UFC 302 showdown with Dustin Poirier, Islam Makhachev seemed to be suffering from staph infection.

Fans were quick to spot a wound on the Russian’s leg that looked like staph infection after media day pictures were released. After days of speculation, the lightweight champion has confirmed those rumors.

While speaking with UFC Eurasia following his title defense, Islam Makhachev revealed that the speculation was true. 

“Yes I had some [problems],” Makhachev admitted. “I had a staph infection. It was bothering me for a week or so when we arrived here in the US.”

“It did distract me a little so I didn’t train. I had some rest to make sure it wouldn’t get worse.”

“I saw the doctors. I don’t think it really affected me, I just had to take some time off.”

When asked whether he had any intentions of rescheduling the fight to heal from the infection, Makhachev simply stated that it was never an option.

“Not at all. After coming such a long way, we didn’t even think about pulling out, unless the doctor would [have forced me to].”

Islam Makhachev has solidified his spot as the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Even with staph infection, Makhachev was able to not only beat, but finish one of the greatest fighters to ever steph into the octagon.

Related: Islam Makhachev submits Dustin Poirier in UFC 302 main event

Dustin Poirier has shared the cage with the best of the best and always puts on a show for fans. Despite giving the champion a tough fight, it wasn’t enough to get the job done.

Makhachev showcased his elite striking and grappling all the way up until he secured the D’arce choke submission midway through the final round. While he had a good showing, the Dagestani did seem to fatigue quicker, meaning the staph infection possibly played a role in the bout.

Check out what Islam Makhachev had to say about his staph infection below.

'Islam Makhachev confirms staph infection rumors, but says he wouldn't have considered pulling out unless forced to by doctors. [UFCEurasia/IG] pic.twitter.com/P7RDP3wMOz

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) June 2, 2024

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Islam Makhachev is still the UFC lightweight champion following a gritty fifth-round submission of Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 302. While it seems pretty cut and dry who Makhachev will defend his title against next, does Poirier continue on with his fighting career after falling short in his third opportunity at undisputed gold?

On an all-new edition of On To the Next One, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Alexander K. Lee discuss what’s next for Makhachev and Poirier following their lightweight championship bout. Additionally, future matchups are discussed for Sean Strickland following his decision win over Paulo Costa in the co-main event, Kevin Holland following his nasty armbar submission victory in his middleweight return, along with fellow main card winners Niko Price and Randy Brown.

Watch the UFC 302 edition of On To the Next One in the video above. Audio-only versions of the podcast can be found below, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.

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UFC 302’s in-cage action failed to ignite the crowd for most of the night, so some fans took it upon themselves to liven up the festivities.

Fan footage from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., this past Saturday caught two members of the crowd involved in a heated brawl. The scrap escalated to the point that one of the participants was struck by a punch that sent him tumbling down the seats.

Watch the clip of the brawl below.

After the conflict moved down a few rows, the two men continued to throw punches as other people in the crowd also became involved. It’s unclear whether the people joining in were attempting to halt the fight or sneak in a few punches themselves.

Fortunately for all involved, no one fell over the railing even as bodies came precariously close to the edge.

UFC 302 was headlined by Islam Makhachev defending his lightweight title against Dustin Poirier. After four competitive rounds, Makhachev put Poirier away with a D’Arce choke submission in Round 5 to retain his championship.

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