MMA News Roundup – Conor McGregor Tight-Lipped Over UFC 2024 Return; Tom Aspinall Finally Blasts Dana White and Jon Jones; Israel Adesanya Comes Clean on ‘Max Holloway Moment’ Against Dricus Du Plessis

Have you missed out on the biggest MMA headlines over the past 24 hours? Well, we have a new edition of the daily roundup just to help you stay abreast with all the key happenings in our favorite sport. This edition will start with Conor McGregor, who still hasn’t opened up on how long it would take for fans to witness his highly anticipated comeback.

Then, we’ll turn our attention to interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. The English fighter has come unglued on Dana White and heavyweight champion Jon Jones during a recent interview. Finally, we’ll end this compilation with Israel Adesanya, who spoke about a particular moment from his fight against Dricus du Plessis.

Is Conor McGregor losing faith in his return?

With an impressive UFC 305 pay-per-view in the rearview, people are back to speculating about ‘The Notorious’s return. When Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen weighed in on the situation in their ESPN show, ‘The American Gangster’ appeared to claim that he’d been in contact with Conor McGregor himself. However, he failed to bring out any piece of vital information about the return.

“I talked to team McGregor over the weekend. I actually went to Conor and just last night, I said, ‘Hey, you’d really make me look good if you could give me something I could use with Daniel on our show,’” said Chael Sonnen. “‘Finish this sentence for me. Conor McGregor wants to fight this year. Dana says it’s not going to happen’… I get nothing back.”

While Conor McGregor’s stayed silent, Michael Chandler has been vocal that there is life for him besides waiting for the Irishman. It remains to be seen if a 2024 return is on the cards for the former ‘champ champ’. Now, let’s take a look at the other news in the roundup.

Tom Aspinall goes off on Jon Jones and the UFC CEO, Dana White

With 8 finishes in his 9 UFC fights so far, it was only a matter of time before Tom Aspinall saw himself crowned champion. But despite his impressive resume and performances, he doesn’t feel like he’s given the respect by Dana White and Co. that he thinks he rightfully deserves. “I am the best heavyweight in the world and I’m not [getting] my credit for it. They’re holding the belt hostage, mate. And Jon Jones is loving it,” Aspinall stated on Michael Bisping‘s YouTube channel.

The fact that Dana White never fails to mention Jon Jones’s name whenever he makes any podcast appearances or during interviews has been an advantage for Jones in avoiding the clash with Tom Aspinall. That’s why the self-proclaimed ‘Honey Badger’ has a problem with the UFC.

“He’s loving the fact that Dana White is getting on every interview possible, freaking hell, you talk about bantamweight and Dana White flips it back and starts talking about how good Jon Jones is,” Aspinall added. With the UFC CEO praising Jones whenever he can, the only thing the interim champion has suggested is that “If he’s that good, let’s fight.” We’ll have to see how White and Jones react to these statements.

Israel Adesanya opens up on his UFC 305 ‘Max Holloway’ moment

It’s safe to say that the UFC 305 headliner did not disappoint because the champion and challenger both put up one of the best fights in recent memory. Although Israel Adesanya lost, there was a moment during the fight when he pointed down after getting hit with a shot from Dricus du Plessis. And Daniel Cormier, who was in the commentary booth, believed that he was trying to bring out his inner Max Holloway, but that was far from the truth.

“It looked like I was rocked but like, [I] got up and circled out and I pointed at the ground looking at him [du Plessis] and DC goes, ‘He’s pointing at the ground like Max Holloway, like come here.’ Nope,” Israel Adesanya stated on his YouTube channel. The gesture was actually a message to Dricus du Plessis. Adesanya claimed that he wanted to tell the South African star that his offense wasn’t very effective. “What I said to him was like, ‘I tripped. You didn’t rock me.’ I don’t want him to think that he rocked me or anything,” Israel Adesanya added. Well, that fight is in the past now and it will be interesting to see whom he fights next. Just like Adesanya said, he’s not “f***ing leaving.” 

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