The entire world of mixed martial arts was taken aback when news of Randy Couture’s accident started circling the internet. The 62-year-old former UFC light heavyweight champion was engaged in a racing event and was in the process of completing his licensing. But before he got the chance to race in the Pro Mod program in the NHRA, an accident left the world in worry about his health. 

Cory Sandhagen has asked the UFC head honcho, Dana White, for a fight in December. And that’s what we have for the second story in today’s episode of EssentiallySports’ MMA News Roundup. Finally, we’ll have a look at the challenge that Craig Jones had for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team. But first, it’s time to take a look at the updates about Couture’s accident.

Update on Randy Couture’s health following a nasty accident

The former UFC champion was pretty excited about his racing venture. He said, “This is a new way to tickle that competitive spirit that I’ve had most of my life; a new place for me to get competitive and make a mark in racing. I’ll bring all the things I developed as a wrestler and martial artist into this realm and see what we can do. I have no idea how it’s going to go, but I’m excited about the opportunities.” However, ‘The Natural’ wrecked the car that he was driving during the preparation for his NHRA debut. This resulted in first and second-degree burns, along with smoke inhalation and trauma injuries. Couture was airlifted to a hospital in Kansas City for treatment. As of now, he’s out of danger, and according to TMZ Sports, he is expected to recover. 

With Couture’s speedy recovery in mind, let’s see what ‘Sandman’ has asked of Dana White for his next UFC battle. And yes, it’s a demand for a shot at the bantamweight championship title. 

Cory Sandhagen has a request for Dana White

‘Sandman’ inched one step closer to his dream of becoming a bantamweight champion after he defeated Deiveson Figueiredo with a round-two TKO at UFC Des Moines. Sandhagen cemented his spot as the #1 bantamweight contender with the win. But during a conversation with MMA Fighting, Sandhagen put forth an unusual demand for his title fight against Merab Dvalishvili. The 33-year-old bantamweight contender said, “I hate fighting in New York. The state tax is crazy— December in Vegas [against Merab] sounds really good to me.”

Meanwhile, Craig Jones had a strong challenge for the members of Team Khabib. He appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show as he continued to promote CJI 2. And that’s where he showered a challenge for the Dagestani team.

Craig Jones has a challenge for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammates

Hyping up Mica Galvao, Jones claimed, “I think Mica could probably run through consecutively the entire Khabib team back to back to back to back. I’m putting the call out on the show. If you guys really mean business, give us your best five jiu-jitsu guys. Versus Mica Galvão. I reckon Mica would submit every guy on Khabib’s team in under a minute.” 

When Helwani asked the NCAA star to clarify if he was talking about a five-versus-one format, Jones confirmed that it was a favorable stance for Galvao. Jones continued, “Khabib talks a lot about how good Sambo is. My opinion is Sambo is just a bunch of judo guys who decided to take their pants off and wrestle. That is really what Sambo is. So, I want him to put up or shut up basically.”

As Couture gets on the process of recovery, let’s offer our well wishes to the former UFC champion. Do you think Sandhagen can secure a win against ‘The Machine’? What do you think of Jones’ challenge for Nurmagomedov?