Conor McGregor suggests communication breakdown with UFC about return fight: ‘No talk about anything’

The latest comments from Conor McGregor regarding his return to the UFC are a mixed bag, at best.

If you’re a [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] fan anxiously awaiting the return of the UFC’s biggest star to the octagon, here’s some good news: He’s at least somewhat optimistic about fighting before 2024 comes to a close.

The bad news? An announcement doesn’t appear to be imminent based on his latest public comments.

In an interview with talkSPORT released Monday, McGregor alluded to having to get through a current period of promoting the upcoming release of the “Road House” remake – in which he co-stars with Jake Gyllenhaal – before he can turn his attention completely to a return to fighting.

“After that, it’s a closed door,” McGregor said. “So I get to go in and close the door and map my plan. And then gym-home, gym-home, gym-home. And I hope we get some clarity with a date, and I can push towards it. I’m sure we will get something in by year’s end. That’s what I’m hoping.”

Back on New Year’s Day, McGregor announced on social media that he would return June 29 at UFC 303 to fight Michael Chandler, a long-anticipated showdown after the two men coaches against each other last year on “The Ultimate Fighter 31.” But the UFC never officially co-signed on the date, with promotion CEO Dana White only speaking ambiguously about potential negotiations.

Since then McGregor has openly talked about wanting a fourth fight with Dustin Poirier and a trilogy with Nate Diaz, in addition to meeting Chandler as planned. McGregor was even so specific as to say his ideal scenario is to fight Chandler on June 29 in Las Vegas and then return to “Sin City” in September to fight Diaz at the promotion’s highly anticipated Noche UFC event from the Sphere.

McGregor, who has two fights left on his UFC contract, reiterated his desire for that timeline in the talkSPORT interview, but his words cast doubt that he’s been in any serious discussions with the UFC.

“That would be great for me – June 29th and then the Sphere,” McGregor said. “And then what? What happens then? I don’t know. And I wonder do they know? There’s been no talk about anything. So I wonder what next. …

“There was cold water put on (fighting Diaz at the Sphere) publicly off the bat, and I wasn’t happy with that. I need discussion or conversation, because if I lose interest – and I’m not getting anything back – I just drift off, my man. So I hope I can get something in and get dialed in.”

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UFC on ESPN 53: Make your predictions for Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 53 event in Las Vegas.

We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 53 event in Las Vegas.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those reader consensus picks will be part of the main card staff predictions we release Friday ahead of UFC on ESPN 53 (ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Make your picks below.

Francis Ngannou hints MMA might stay on hold: ‘I feel like boxing owes me something now’

Francis Ngannou is seeking redemption in the ring.

[autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] is seeking redemption in the ring.

Ngannou (0-2) was knocked out cold in Round 2 of his boxing match against Anthony Joshua (28-3) earlier this month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The loss doesn’t sit well for the former UFC heavyweight champion, who surprised the masses in his boxing debut with a valiant effort against WBC champion Tyson Fury. Ngannou has a sour taste in his mouth, which appears to have him contemplating boxing again before returning to the cage.

“What’s next for me? Maybe a third boxing match,” Ngannou said on his YouTube channel. “I feel like boxing owes me something now. I have to regain what boxing took from me. I think my ego will not let me step back and let this go like this without doing everything to reinstall and prove to the world that I am the man of this job.

“I can do it, you know. I slipped, but I didn’t fall. I stumbled, but I didn’t fall. I think if I go back, train, learn from it and use it as an advantage and experience for my personal growth, for my professional growth, I think it will not be a loss. I will be able to reverse it and make it a victory – a life victory, not only a sports victory.”

Ngannou never intended on leaving boxing. The plan was always to lace up the gloves again, but with PFL heavyweight Renan Ferreira awaiting him in the cage, many believed a return to MMA could be next after his loss to Joshua.

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For more on the fight, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Joshua vs. Ngannou.

Tom Aspinall reacts to Jon Jones faceoff: ‘I wasn’t there to be disrespectful’

Tom Aspinall meant no harm when he approached UFC champ Jon Jones at a convention in the U.K.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] meant no harm when he approached [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] during a meet and greet, he said.

UFC interim heavyweight champion Aspinall caught heavyweight champion Jones off guard when he walked over to him during a sponsorship appearance at Arnold’s Sports Festival UK in Birmingham, England. The two had a friendly conversation, but it turned slightly awkward when Jones removed Aspinall’s hand from his shoulder.

Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) says he was just trying to be friendly.

“I think he thought I was putting my hand on his shoulder being disrespectful,” Aspinall said in an interview with JN Media U.K. “But I wasn’t there to be disrespectful. I was doing it in a friendly way, I’m not trying to cause no beef. I’m trying to fight the guy and take his belt. That’s what I want. I have no beef against the guy and just wanted to meet him. Just friendly, nothing crazy.”

It’s no secret Aspinall has been campaigning for a title-unification bout with Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC). However, with the UFC insistent on rebooking Jones vs. Stipe Miocic once Jones comes back from injury, Aspinall won’t hold his breath on a fight with Jones ever happening.

“I don’t think he’s going to fight me anyway,” Aspinall said. “I’d be very, very surprised if me and Jon Jones ever stepped into the octagon together. I’m trying to get the fight, but I’m not like trying to get it realistically. I’m trying to have a bit of fun and see what he’s all about.

“I don’t expect a fight to be off the back of this because in all honesty, I don’t think the UFC is going to go for it, and I don’t think Jon Jones is going to go for it, either. So I’m not deflated at all because I wasn’t expecting the fight anyway.”

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UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman readmitted to hospital for pneumonia

UFC Hall of Famer Mark Coleman is back in the hospital hours after he was released and is being treated for pneumonia.

The unpredictable week continues for UFC Hall of Famer [autotag]Mark Coleman[/autotag].

Friday, the same day he was released from an Ohio hospital, Coleman was readmitted and diagnosed with a case of pneumonia, his daughter Kenzie announced through her father’s social media channels Saturday.

“It’s been a worldwind [sic] of a week,” Kenzie wrote. “Yesterday my dad was released from St. Vincent’s in Toledo where they thought he was stable enough to go home. We were only home for about an hour in Columbus when he started to have numbness in his arms and chest pain. Of course my sister and I rushed him back to the hospital where we found out he has now developed pneumonia.

“Despite all of this he is still his same positive, spunky, spitfire self just as you can imagine from the video above. He wants to again thank you all for the support and love you have shown him and us during this extremely difficult time. I have read him so many of your guys comments and he is so overwhelmed with joy. He is getting rest and I promise to take the best care of him.

“He is the true definition of a fighter and defines strength like no other. Sometimes I even think he’s a super human. He loves you all so much. He always says without his supporters he’s nothing. It feels good to be home with my daddy. Please continue to pray for his healing and health during this recovery process. Hammer house 4 life.”

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Coleman, 59, was admitted to the hospital Tuesday for smoke inhalation after he rescued his parents from their burning home in Fremont, Ohio. Coleman was airlifted to a nearby hospital, sedated and intubated. A GoFundMe was launched to assist with his medical bills.

Thursday, a video of Coleman alert and speaking in the hospital was posted on social media. An emotional Coleman called himself “the happiest man in the world” as he embraced his daughters from his hospital bed.

Coleman released a written statement Friday in which he thanked members of the MMA community for their support and voiced optimism about his recovery.

Bryan Battle says Ange Loosa milked UFC Fight Night 239 eye poke: ‘A no contest is better than a loss’

UFC Fight Night 239 co-headliner Bryan Battle doubles down on Ange Loosa criticism, which almost sparked a brawl post-fight in the cage.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Bryan Battle[/autotag] exits UFC Fight Night 239 with a mix of emotions, but none make him feel anything less than a winner despite a no contest ruling.

In Saturday’s co-main event, Battle (10-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) thumbed opponent [autotag]Ange Loosa[/autotag] (10-3 MMA, 2-1 UFC) in the eye at the UFC Apex. After a timeout, Loosa said he could not see and the fight was waved off.

Bruce Buffer read the no contest ruling, and then the two fighters were separated after Battle called out Loosa – an energy he carried into his post-fight news conference.

Battle thinks Loosa exaggerated the eye poke’s damage to avoid a loss.

“What triggered the argument is that I looked at him and called him a p*ssy,” Battle told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “I knew it wasn’t that bad. I knew it wasn’t that bad. I’ve been poked in the eye before. I’ve accidentally poked people in the eye before. I’m sitting there looking at him and he’s fine.

“It was really just one of those things where he was getting his ass whooped. He knew there was no way he was going to win that fight. He knew without a shadow of a doubt there was no way he was going to win that fight. So when he had an opportunity to act like he couldn’t see, that they would call it a no contest (he did).

“I mean, a no contest is better than a loss, which is clearly what he was headed for. He didn’t have the speed. He didn’t have the power. He didn’t have the size. He didn’t have the grappling technique. He didn’t have the striking technique. None of that. He didn’t have any of those areas to compete with me. It’s unfortunate but whatever. We move on. That’s life. That’s the fight game. I’ve got bigger and better things on the horizon anyway. We just keep on moving.”

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It’s not uncommon practice the UFC runs back fights that end in controversial fouls, though the promotion has not indicated that will be the case with Battle vs. Loosa.

While Battle would happily accept a second crack at Loosa, he indicated he’s otherwise moved passed the matchup.

“I don’t see how he agrees to a rematch,” Battle said. “That’s an easy paycheck for me. I would prefer to keep on moving up in the rankings. I’d prefer to fight someone with more of a name. We’re the co-main event but we’re not the co-main event if he’s the A-side. I was the A-side of this match. I’m ready to move onto something bigger and better. If the UFC hits me up and they’re like, ‘Ange Loosa (on) such-and-such date,’ I’m like, ‘All right, fine.’ I’ll whoop his ass again.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.

UFC 2024 post-fight bonus winners: Inside the numbers

Check out a running tally of UFC bonus-related stats for the 2024 calendar year.

The UFC handed out more than $9 million in disclosed $50,000 post-fight bonus checks in 2023. What will the totals be this year?

Here’s a running tally of all kinds of interesting UFC bonus-related stats that will update throughout the year after each event.

(Story updated following UFC Fight Night 239 on March 16.)

UFC Fight Night 239: Best photos from Las Vegas

Check out these photos from the fights at UFC Fight Night 239 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Check out these photos from the fights at UFC Fight Night 239 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. (Fight and venue photos courtesy of the UFC via Getty Images)

UFC Fight Night 239 results: Marcin Tybura sees own blood, promptly submits Tai Tuivasa

Tai Tuivasa was left snoring thanks to a Marcin Tybura rear-naked choke in the UFC Fight Night 239 main event.

In a division known for power and knockouts, [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] showed that for a big guy, he knows a thing or two about grappling.

In the UFC Fight Night 239 main event, Tybura (15-7 MMA, 8-7 UFC) overcame a slicing Thai attack and submitted [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] (24-9 MMA, 11-8 UFC) by rear-naked choke at 4:08 of Round 1.

Tuivasa drew blood early with a hard standing elbow that gashed Tybura’s forehead. Relatively unfazed, Tybura stood for a few more exchanges. He ducked under a Tuivasa combination and grabbed a double leg. Though Tuivasa initially defended successfully, Tybura eventually muscled him down.

Once on the canvas, Tybura moved from half guard to back mount and landed ground-and-pound all the way. Tybura wrapped his arm under Tuivasa’s neck. There was a brief struggle as Tuivasa attempted not to slip under, but eventually his consciousness evaporated. A few snores later, referee Herb Dean intervened and the fight was over.

With the win, Tybura reenters the win column after a quick July loss to Tom Aspinall. Tybura has now won three of his most recent four outings.

Since his UFC debut, Tuivasa has proven streaky when it comes to results. He started his UFC tenure 3-0, then lost three straight. He then won five in a row, and has since lost four straight.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 239 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.