The MMA realm boomed with shockwaves as Tony Ferguson reignited his rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Well, it was more of a mockery after ‘The Eagle’ got humiliated by Frontier Airlines, not too long ago. If this sounds like news to you, then my friend, you must have missed out on the hot gossip from the MMA land. But don’t worry, because EssentiallySports has come up with a brand new episode of MMA News Roundup. 

Today, we’ll start with what Ferguson had to say about Nurmagomedov, and then move on to the fate of Jon Jones and Conor McGregor in 2025. Then, we’ll take a look at the heat between Umar Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili before UFC 311. Finally, we’ll stop with some exciting news regarding Khamzat Chimaev. Let’s get on it.

Tony Ferguson takes a strike against Khabib Nurmagomedov

A fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov would have greatly entertained the fighting community. However, their fight, which was slated for UFC 209, never really happened. But the drama was real. The two faced off against each other on the media day for UFC 209, and Ferguson let out a ‘wooooooo!’ that seemingly jumpscared Dana White. Now, after about 8 years, ‘El Cucuy’ took to IG and shared a video of the media day interaction. Well, he seemed to claim that it would have been ‘The Eagle’s only defeat. 

In the caption, Ferguson wrote, ““29-1” Wooooooooooo!!! 👊🦹‍♂️ Thought Something Smelled Funny That Day,… Knew It Was Either Fear,.. Or.. That Bad Batch Of Tiramisu Good Ol’ Fathead Had Before Din’Din’ During Fight🙃Week *Mack* 🤦‍♂️ What A Mallard *quack* 🦆 # JustSayNoCrew🍃- Champ ⚔️🕶️ -CSO- 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 # ReadEm’LikeABook 🐓💨🍃 # TeamTiramisu 👨‍🍳 # UFC209 🎇 Keep It Classy MF’as 🥋 # TheFightForTheCenturies ✍️ New Age Johnny Cage 🕶️.”

Now, let’s jump on White’s promise regarding the future of Jon Jones and Conor McGregor. Well, they are indeed set to compete in the Octagon this year. 

Dana White confirms the 2025 plan for Conor McGregor and Jon Jones

During his recent appearance on the Jim Rome Show, Jim Rome asked White about Jones vs. Tom Aspinall fight. The UFC head honcho announced, “We’re in the works. I’ve said that I’m very confident that fight happens this year.” This made Rome wonder if something was holding the fight up. White replied, “Nothing. Nothing’s holding it up. It’s just a matter of getting it done. It’s not as easy to put these type of fights together as people think they are. They take time, and we’ll get it done.” 

And as far as ‘The Notorious’ was concerned, the talk of the town has linked him to a fight with Logan Paul in India. But White, while addressing the topic on the ‘Pardon My Take’ podcast, denied any such happenings. So when would McGregor return to the UFC? White said, “Hopefully, Conor McGregor returns in the fall of this year.”

It’s time for us to take a look at the bantamweight realm. Umar Nurmagomedov is set to challenge the champ, Merab Dvalishvili, at UFC 311. But no title fight can proceed without some friction between the fighters. And the Dagestani has finally addressed the heat between him and Dvalishvili. 

Umar Nurmagomedov lashes out at Merab Dvalishvili

During the press conference for UFC 311, a reporter asked Nurmagomedov to talk about his interaction with ‘The Machine’, back in December. That was the time when Dvalishvili asked why Nurmagomedov disrespected him. Well, ‘Young Eagle’ had a stern response for the champ. He said, “Of course. I remember that moment. And when he asked to me, okay, I saw him, right? I smiled to him and go to do interview. And he come to ask to me, ‘Why you disrespect me?’ Okay, he have question, ‘Why you disrespect me?’ I want to tell him, ‘What are you talking about?’ Exactly what I said. What like, ‘You’re too sensitive, explain to me.’ And he talking about that, ‘Why you disrespect me? Why you disrespect me?’ I’m not his son, you know. He can’t ask to me like father and son, like why you do this! He not my father.”

Nurmagomedov wanted Dvalishvili to explain what he wanted. He further clarified that he never really talked bad about Dvalishvili’s name. But when ‘The Machine’ role played a teacher and explained why Petr Yan deserved the fight more than Nurmagomedov, he had to say something. And he asked Dvalishvili not to get scared. After all, White, Joe Rogan, and many others stood in the Dagestani’s support.

He continued, “And everywhere he try to avoid, right? But it’s not like me, what I said, all world said, all fans said, Merab trying to avoid this fight. He looking like bad, and what else? What I have to do?” Now, it’s time for the finale. Let’s see what Khamzat Chimaev has in store for the fight fans, shall we?

Khamzat Chimaev gets a new endorsement

The Chechen Wolf has shaken hands with ‘Kvartal 777’. It’s indeed a construction brand, which specializes in residential complexes. A viral IG post showed Chimaev shaking hands with a representative of the company. The caption of the post read, “Friends, we have great news! We have signed a contract for a long-term cooperation with the undefeated UFC fighter Hamzat (Borz) Chimaev🐺.”

The caption continued, “If you remember, the athlete recently bought an apartment in one of our residential complexes (“Black Rock”). Hamzat is known and respected the world over and we are honored to have such a prestigious fighter representing our company.” This is exactly as translated by Google from Russian to English.

What do you think of Ferguson’s verbal assault on ‘The Eagle’? Do you think McGregor and Jones would actually fight in 2025? What are your thoughts on Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili’s battle of words? Is there any other brand that Chimaev should approach for endorsement? Drop down to the comments below and keep the conversation flowing.