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In this week's edition of Sportskeeda's MMA News Roundup, we'll be taking a look at the biggest updates from the UFC as well as other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
Today's edition features the confirmed return of a women's strawweight prospect, and Sean O'Malley's defense of Dana White following the UFC president's latest controversy. Furthermore, Alex Pereira is hailed a hero as he returns to his tribe as the middleweight champion.
#3. Tatiana Suarez will face Montana De La Rosa at UFC Fight Night 220
Highly rated women's strawweight fighter Tatiana Suarez is now confirmed to make her long-awaited comeback to the UFC after nearly four years away from the sport.
Suarez, once tipped as one of the biggest prospects in women's MMA, last fought at UFC 238 where she defeated Nina Nunes via unanimous decision. The 32-year-old is 5-0 in the organization and is yet to taste defeat in her professional MMA career (8-0).
Suarez is an elite level wrestler and grappler, winning bronze in women's wrestling at the 2008 and 2010 World Championships.
Fans of Suarez will be happy to see her mark her UFC return after struggling with a multitude of injuries across the last few years. Suarez has been due to return to the octagon on several occasions, but the fighter and her team seem confident about her health for the February bout.
The fight with Montana De La Rosa was confirmed earlier this week after De La Rosa shared the news on her OnlyFans to her subscribers.
#2. Sean O'Malley backs Dana White after slap incident, says alcohol was to blame
UFC bantamweight star Sean O'Malley has been in the firing line this week after defending Dana White and his actions on New Year's Eve.
Earlier this week, TMZ released a video of the UFC president and his wife Anne out celebrating the New Year in Cabo, New Mexico with friends. In the video, the pair are seen drinking and arguing before Anne slaps her husband across the face. White responded by slapping her back before the pair were separated by their friends.
Dana White appeared on TMZ shortly after the video's release and apologized, stating there is absolutely no excuse for his actions.
Following the incident, a multitude of MMA personalities have weighed in on the situation, including Sean O'Malley. On The BrOMalley Show, the No.1-ranked bantamweight explained that he doesn't believe Dana White would have hit her back if it had not been for the alcohol:
"I would assume sober, no drinks, she slaps him, I don't think his initial reaction is to slap back. When that alcohol's flowing, I've never hit a girl but I've been blacked out and I've done things that I can't believe I've done... I don't think it was right. Obviously, you should not hit, especially a little girl like that. But alcohol is flowing, and she hit him first."
O'Malley added that he believes White's apology was genuine:
"He came out with an apology which I watched. I thought he said everything he needed to say but it seemed genuine. God, it's hard with alcohol. There's two things, alcohol and chicks don't mix."
Catch the full podcast here:
#1. Alex Pereira takes middleweight belt back to Pataxó tribe in Brazil
Alex Pereira has given MMA fans a glimpse into his personal life this week after he traveled back to Brazil to visit his Pataxo tribe.
'Poatan' made headlines in the build-up to his UFC 281 bout against Israel Adesanya as he donned a traditional headdress and war paint of his tribe at the ceremonial weigh-ins. The tribe is over 11,000 members strong and the group resides in Bahia.
In photos uploaded by @MMAMania on Twitter, fans can see the middleweight champion once again in his headdress and paint, sharing the belt with members of his tribe.
The 35-year-old stunned the world at UFC 281 when he defeated his bitter rival Israel Adesanya to capture the middleweight gold. Pereira moved to 3-0 in their personal head-to-head and now holds two wins in kickboxing and one in MMA over the New Zealander.
'The Last Stylebender' is expected to return later this year to attempt to recapture his title versus Pereira, but nothing has yet been confirmed by the promotion.
Place your bets for the upcoming UFC Fight Night main card and earn $$$.
