MMA News Round-Up: Dustin Poirier Slaps Fan, UFC Cuts William Knight After Poor Performance, Jon Jones-USADA News

MMA fans might find it difficult to choose which incident to dive into in the midst of a lot of ongoing happenings. The following is a roundup of the most notable and latest MMA events, compiled in our MMA news roundup. We start off by talking about Jon Jones, who is set to return to UFC 285. ‘Bones’ has called for reparations for his past drug-related suspensions. On the other hand, two light heavyweight fighters from UFC Vegas 69 card, William Knight and Jordan Wright, have been released from the UFC. And lastly, the former interim UFC lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier, slapped a fan during the Youngsville Mardi Gras parade due to a derogatory comment about his wife.

Jon Jones calls for USADA reparations for past drug failures

During Jones Jones‘ rivalry with the former champion and UFC legend Daniel Cormier, ‘Bones’ failed several drug tests. He even tested positive for having cocaine in his body. However, he was allowed to compete in his fights as the drug was used for recreational activities, rather than to enhance his performance. Jones then tested positive for using PEDs, which resulted in the cancelation of his fight with Cormier at UFC 200. The rematch at UFC 214 turned in favor of the 35-year-old, but he tested positive again for the use of steroids. The fight was declared a no-contest.

However, after years of drug failure scandals, Jon Jones took to social media and expressed his desire for the decision to be overturned. He also mentioned that he wants to get reparations from the drug testing agency, USADA. He wants the UFC 214 fight to be restored as his win over the former double division champ Daniel Cormier.

UFC release William Knight and Jordan Wright

The UFC recently released two light heavyweight fighters from the roster. The first fighter is Wiliam Knight, who has an MMA record of 11 wins and 5 losses. He appeared in Dana White‘s Contender Series, impressing the boss with two knockout victories in the 24th and 31st editions of the show, earning him a UFC contract. However, he was released after amassing only 3 wins and 4 losses during his time with the promotion.

The second light heavyweight fighter is Jordan Wright. He performed better than William Knight at UFC Vegas 69. But the UFC decided not to negotiate a new contract with him and both parties parted ways. Wright made his UFC debut in 2020. He was undefeated at that time. But he failed to make an impression on the UFC boss after winning just two from a total of seven fights. Wright finds himself as a free agent now.

Dustin Poirier slaps a fan at the Madri Gras parade

Former UFC interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier, has been inactive as a fighter since his last bout against Michael Chandler. He was recently seen attending the Youngsville Mardi Gras parade in Los Angeles, California. ‘The Diamond’ was there in attendance with his wife as they greeted the people while moving in a car. However, a fan came up to him with a sign that wrote: “Hey Dustin, your wife’s in my DMs.” 

The UFC lightweight star didn’t seem too pleased with the derogatory words toward his wife. Moreover, Dustin Poirier felt so angry that he reached out to the stranger with his hand. He tried to lure him in and hit him with a slap. Poirier even wanted to get out of the car and confront the stranger at the parade. But he refrained from getting involved in any form of further physical altercation. The whole incident was caught on video and went viral online.

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This isn’t the first time fans have tried to take shots or heckle professional fighters. Even an ex-UFC fighter, Francis Ngannou, found himself in a similar situation after a fan came up to him and looked like he meant business. But Ngannou didn’t indulge in any form of violent behavior.

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