Midnight Roundup! UFC icon Mark Coleman speaks out after hospitalization, Ryan Garcia calls for support in potential presidential run, and more

Former UFC heavyweight champion Mark Coleman recently issued his first statement after being hospitalized. Meanwhile, Ryan Garcia appears to have set his sights on a potential presidential run and made his first set of promises.

Keep up with all the latest developments in MMA with Sportskeeda's Midnight Roundup.

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UFC pioneer Mark Coleman awake and responsive after hospital scare, issues first statement

Mark Coleman recently underwent a harrowing experience. The former UFC heavyweight champion saved his elderly parents from a massive house fire before going back to attempt to rescue their dog. In the aftermath, Coleman had to be hospitalized and intubated due to excessive smoke inhalation.

After fighting for his health, Coleman recently woke up and could respond to his family members who were by his side. Given his ordeal, it's no surprise he was full of gratitude and expressed it through his daughter, Kenzie Coleman, via an Instagram post. He stated:

"I want to thank my higher power above, without him, this isn't possible. Next, I want to thank each and every one of you for the prayers, support and generosity... I encourage you to do the things you want to do, better yourself and cherish every moment. Tomorrow is not promised."

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Ryan Garcia teases potential POTUS run, has X account deleted after threatening to sue NSAC

Ryan Garcia recently took to social media and revealed that he wants to run for president in the near future. The boxing star also stated that the current leadership was too old and promised every American citizen a million dollars if he were to win the presidential election.

In a series of now-deleted posts on X, Garcia took a sly dig at reigning POTUS Joe Biden and wrote:

"Just because you're older don't mean you're smarter... You got a due with dementia in office now... Not his fault but he shouldn't be running this country. I'm offering Americans 1 million dollars each. This is a no-brainer... #KingRyanForPresident."

Soon after, Garcia posted another video on X and stated that he planned to sue the NSAC for challenging him to undergo a mental health evaluation test. Garcia argued that his recent social media posts and statements were protected under America's freedom of speech laws and shouldn't cause a problem.

Garcia's X account was taken down soon after his rant was uploaded. Unsurprisingly, fans were concerned about him, and many took to social media to call for his boxing match against Devin Haney to be canceled.

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Daniel Cormier believes Islam Makhachev is a "more dangerous" fighter than "prime" Khabib Nurmagomedov

Daniel Cormier recently weighed in on Islam Makhachev's legacy in the UFC and stated that the reigning lightweight champion could surpass Khabib Nurmagomedov in some ways. 'DC' stated that Makhachev was a more dangerous fighter than Nurmagoemdov.

During a recent conversation with Ben Askren, Cormier expressed his thoughts on Makhachev and Nurmagomedov. He said:

"Dana came out a couple of weeks ago and said that when he talked to Dustin [Poirier] after the fight, he said he was freaking out, or was it Dustin or Conor [McGregor], one of them was freaking out because they said they never thought another man can do that to them under Khabib [Nurmagomedov] because of his strength and his control and the way he manipulated you on the ground."

'DC' continued:

"I think Islam [Makhachev] possesses a lot of those same qualities. Very similar when he gets you on the ground but because he's a better striker, I feel he is even more dangerous than Khabib was during his prime."

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Conor McGregor confirms "negotiations are ongoing" for UFC return

Conor McGregor recently spoke about his highly awaited return to action and shared some positive news. The Irishman revealed that his UFC comeback is still on the books and that fight negotiations are underway.

Speaking to a reporter during a 'Road House' promotional event, McGregor talked about "mapping" his octagon return and said:

"I'm looking forward to getting back and progressing, you know? Resetting and recalibrating and mapping my return to the octagon. I'm eager for that... I've got two fights left on my contract. Negotiations are ongoing."

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Steve Erceg to challenge Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title at UFC 301

The UFC recently announced that flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja would face Steve Erceg in a title fight at UFC 301 in Brazil in May.

Erceg is coming off a second-round TKO win over Matt Schnell at UFC Fight Night 238 and has a record of 12-1. Meanwhile, Pantoja is on a five-fight win streak and is coming off a strong win over Brandon Royval at UFC 296.

While many are excited to see this fight go down, others have questioned if Erceg was the right choice for a title shot. Fighters like Muhammad Mokaev and Sean O'Malley even expressed their surprised reactions online.