Fans react to Conor McGregor's coach 'confirming' UFC comeback, Andrew Tate's first video since prison release causes Twitter frenzy, Israel Adesanya reveals how Alex Pereira damaged his movement: MMA News Roundup

Welcome to Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.

In today's issue, we talk about John Kavanagh 'confirming' Conor McGregor's UFC return date, Andrew Tate's prison release, and Israel Adesanya's breakdown of his loss to Alex Pereira.

---

#3. Fans react to Conor McGregor's coach 'confirming' his UFC return

John Kavanagh had MMA fans on strings after pulling off a successful April Fool's Day prank earlier today. The Straight Blast Gym head coach took to Twitter to 'confirm' that Conor McGregor will be returning to face Michael Chandler during International Fight Week.

Kavanagh wrote on Twitter:

"Finally have a date!! See all at International Fight Week....Don't call it a comeback!"

Some fans initially fell for the bait, with one unable to contain their excitement about the 'news':

"Lettsssss gooooooo!"

Another fan wrote:

"Got me so bad. Happy April fools everyone."

Twitter user @Ruthlesswolf12 admitted that he was fooled by Kavanagh:

"I wish it wasn't April fools. f***ing got me"

The award-winning coach then replied to his own tweet with a sarcastic GIF.

Eagle-eyed fans would have noticed the impossibility of International Fight Week 2023 featuring Conor McGregor. The fight week will take place from July 3-9 and the Irishman is yet to re-enter the USADA testing pool. The rules dictate that a fighter must return clean samples whilst in the pool for at least six months.

'The Notorious' has been out of action since his trilogy bout with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. Conor McGregor suffered a freak leg break in the first round, which required surgery. The Irishman has since recovered and is expected to face Michael Chandler and headline a UFC pay-per-view card before the end of the year.

Check out more reactions here.

---

#2. Andrew Tate's latest Twitter video causes frenzy

Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan were released from a Romanian prison and placed under house arrest following three months of being inside a jail cell.

The controversial internet personality was arrested in December 2022 in a police probe. The brothers were accused of rape, human trafficking and conspiring to form a criminal group, but both maintained their innocence. Despite never being formally charged, the Romanian government repeatedly extended their detainment for 30-day periods, until yesterday.

'Cobra' soon had access to his social media accounts and updated fans by posting a video of himself. In the video, Tate can be seen pacing up and down whilst smoking a cigar. The 36-year-old wrote:

"Since last year, I've been in 24 hour lockdown. No yard time. Pacing a 3metre cell with zero electronics or outside contact. Absolute clarity of mind. Real thoughts. Real plans. Vivid pain. One hour home and I can't stand my phone. Some habits die hard. We must defeat Shaytan."

Fans have flooded the replies to Tate's video, with many commenting on his bulky physique, unkempt beard, and hair. One fan wrote:

"This guy went to prison and turn a Yardman"

Another fan compared his new look to Batman supervillain Bane.

"A Beast built like Bane. Let's go."

Check out more reactions here.

---

#1. Israel Adesanya reveals how Alex Pereira compromised his movement in UFC 281 clash

Israel Adesanya is currently preparing for the biggest fight of his career to date as he looks to recapture the middleweight title versus long-time rival Alex Pereira at UFC 287.

'Poatan' stunned the world when he stopped 'The Last Stylebender' in the fifth round and put an end to his dominant title reign at UFC 281 last November. The Brazilian's win meant he moved to 3-0 in their combat sports head-to-head, with two victories in kickboxing and now one in MMA.

With their UFC rematch just a week away, Adesanya recently sat down and rewatched their UFC 281 bout on his YouTube channel. According to the Nigerian-New Zealander, Pereira's leg kicks won him the fight.

Adesanya explained that 'Poatan' caught a nerve in his leg whilst kicking him early on in the fight, which hindered his movement for the remaining rounds:

"[The leg kicks] were just like snappy ones, but I think the second one that landed properly, I stepped into it [and] I felt like the nerves got struck. Like a guitar chord almost, I just felt the vibration like an electric shock. I was still able to control the round and do what I do."

Adesanya added:

"In Round 2, I'm controlling, that's when my leg started to drag a little bit, my left leg. [I was like] what the f**k. Like [when] I was trying to plant it, and it felt weird. So I was against the fence a little bit more, he hit me a little bit more... His leg was compromised as well, but mine, he actually affected the movement by striking the nerve."

Check out the video here: