If the UFC is known from one thing apart from the fights inside the Octagon, it’s the bitter rivalries that ensure between fighters, whether they’re opponents or not. In a rivalry that spans almost 9 years, Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov are in the news again. For what? Well, that’s what we’re here to find out in the latest episode of MMA Roundup, where bring you the latest information about the MMA world from the last 24 hours in bite-sized pieces,

From Nate Diaz taking shots at ‘The Eagle’, we will move on to a former champion and top contender, who might have a perfect challenger for the flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. Then, we will jump to news about the arrest of an ex-UFC fighter. Finally, we will conclude our segment with two new fight additions to the UFC 312 card. So, without any further ado, let’s get started.

Nate Diaz calls out Khabib Nurmagomedov as a scam

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Nate Diaz’s rivalry goes back to 2015, when both their camps were involved in a brawl, following an incident where the Stockton native allegedly slapped ‘The Eagle’. Since then, both camps have been at odds, with Diaz taking numerous potshots at the former lightweight champion over the years. In the latest attack, the California native thrashed Nurmagomedov’s fighting style, referring to him as a ‘jock’.

According to MMA Weekly, Nate Diaz doesn’t consider Khabib Nurmagomedov as a real fighter, let alone the lightweight GOAT. “Khabib is the worst. Just look at him, he ran off, he’s a jock. It’s not my style of fighting. I don’t like it.” The Stockton native didn’t hesitate to include former two-weight champion Daniel Cormier in the conversation as he went off, “[Khabib], DC, certain guys. I’m just not interested in that kind of fighting at all. Not wrestling because I love wrestling. It’s just the jocky attitude. I’m a real fighter.”

Nate Diaz and Team Khabib recently clashed at a UFC event when the former UFC fighter threw a water bottle at their team, prompting them to retaliate by throwing a bottle in return. This moment was very similar to when Diaz hurled water bottles at Conor McGregor during the UFC 202 press conference.

Former champion puts Alexandre Pantoja on alert

If you ask, ‘what is dominance?’, we will show you Alexandre Pantoja‘s last title defense against Kai Asakura at UFC 310. There was massive hype around the MMA community that the former bantamweight champion of RIZIN might be the answer to stopping ‘The Cannibal’ but the exact opposite happened as Pantoja stopped the Japanese’s hype train via second-round submission. As Pantoja has nearly cleared out his division, former flyweight champion, and top bantamweight contender Deiveson Figueiredo expressed his intentions to come back to the flyweight division.

“I saw he challenged Demetrious Johnson, and I volunteered to fight him,” Figueiredo told MMA Fighting. “Demetrious is retired, and if Pantoja is looking for someone, why not mention me?” Figueiredo is one of the few people who despite losing, gave Pantoja the toughest fight of his MMA career. However, years have passed since their last clash and the Brazilian still believes that he has what it takes to take on ‘The Cannibal’, “I fought at flyweight before and beat him. If the UFC wants me to fight him, I’ll drop down to 125.”

Considering Pantoja has virtually cleaned out his division (except for Kai Kara France), this might be a good opportunity to make a high-profile, ticket-selling fight for the division’s lightest weight class. From champions, we move on to ex-UFC fighters who find themselves in hot waters, outside the Octagon. This time, it’s none other than ace grappler Vinny Magalhaes who was arrested last weekend. Let’s see what got him into trouble.

Ex-UFC Fighter Arrested in Las Vegas for armed assault

Former UFC fighter, Vinny Magalhaes has been taken into custody on three counts of felony assault with a deadly weapon. The former fighter is being held and questioned at the Clark County Detention Center. According to the sources, the fighter has his court hearings on Tuesday and is scheduled to reappear in front of the jury on December 23rd. If found guilty, Magalhaes could face up to 18 years in prison.

Further reports suggest that the fighter was arrested in Las Vegas last Saturday. Witnesses claimed that the former UFC light heavyweight fighter threatened three members of his own family with a gun. The police arrived at the destination soon after and rescued the civilians. ‘Pezão’ rose to prominence back in 2008 when he reached the finals of The Ultimate Fighter season 8. Throughout his MMA career, the fighter had a record of 19 victories and 12 defeats. Regardless, Magalhaes has not made any statements about the incident and is expected to appear in court later this month. For this dark turn of events, let us move on to lighter news about the upcoming UFC 312 in February.

Dana White adds more stacked fights to the UFC 312 card

For the fight world, next year is going to start with a bang, as the promotion has already booked UFC 311 as well as UFC 312 with action-packed fights. While UFC 311 is as exciting as it gets, UFC 312 is also set to deliver as it will also feature two title fights. The event will be headlined by middleweight champion, Dricus Du Plessis, who will go up against former champion and former opponent, Sean Strickland. The event also features a strawweight championship showdown between Zhang Weili and Tatiana Suarez, ensuring an unforgettable night for fight fans.

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Borshchev, known as “Slava Claus,” signed with the UFC through DWCS in 2021. His journey in the promotion has been a mixed bag, holding a record of 3-3-1. In 2024, he split his results, losing to Chase Hooper in May, but edging out James Llontop via a split decision in August.

What’s your take on the upcoming February card? Who takes the middleweight title in the main event, and the strawweight title in the co-main? Will the current champions reign supreme, or will they fall to the contenders? Do let us know in the comments down below.