Midnight Roundup! Dana White's "secret" meeting, UFC 300 opening fight, further delays in Conor McGregor's return, and more

Fans suspect Dana White seems to have something new up his sleeve after the UFC CEO had a "secret" meeting recently. He also announced when Conor McGregor is realistically expected to return, and it's not the same as what was previously reported.

Here are your top tidbits from the world of MMA, brought to you by Sportskeeda's Midnight Roundup.

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UFC x RIZIN!!!

RIZIN president Nobuyuki Sakakibara recently had a meeting with Dana White at the UFC headquarters in Las Vegas on a rainy day, which he found to be unusual in the "desert-based" city. However, he refused to spill what the meeting was about. Several fans predicted it had something to do with reviving PRIDE.

"Visited the UFC headquarters and had a meeting with Dana White. It was raining all day that day, which is very unusual in the desert-based Las Vegas. What we talked about is a secret. lol. Stay tuned!"

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Dana White reveals UFC 300 opening fight

Elsewhere, Dana White disclosed which fight will be the first one of the night and open the prelims for the marquee event on April 13. Speaking with Las Vegas Review Journal, White said:

"I want to deliver the best card that’s ever been built. Every fight on the card right now could be a main event at either a Fight Night or a pay-per-view. We're opening the card - the first prelim of the night - is Garbrandt-Figueiredo."

Watch the interview below:

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Conor McGregor may not return in June

After it became clear that Conor McGregor would not be fighting on the UFC 300 card, the Irishman declared that he would return during International Fight Week in June. However, as per Dana White's latest statement, fans may not get to see McGregor before fall.

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Paulo Costa reacts to petition to kill him

Paulo Costa's social media game went from being non-existent to one of the best in the business. In a recent tweet, he hilariously reacted to a meme shared by @Rafaelprestes on X which seems to be a screenshot of a petition to "kill Paulo Costa if he pulls out of UFC 298". This comes after the Brazilian's last few fights were canceled due to his withdrawal.

Always a good sport, Costa reacted:

"It's going so far tbh."

Paulo Costa is set to fight Robert Whittaker at the event.

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"Good. I got under your skin."

Michael Johnson recently explained why he blocked UFC Vegas 86 opponent Darrius Flowers ahead of their fight despite once connecting before to share advice. He stated:

"He has been crying about me blocking his a** for so long, bro. Of course, I blocked him... I don't need him looking at everything I post... We're fighting. You're my enemy. We're not friends. There's no love between me and him... If you're gonna be a little crybaby about it and think about it that much, then good, I got under your skin just from a little block."

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Joaquin Buckley gets distracted by ring girls

Joaquin Buckley thinks it is "unfair" for ring girls to walk around the cage announcing the round, as the "b**ty motivation" hits differently.

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Midnight Teaser!

Ilia Topuria has a movie on his journey to the title filmed and prepared to release after UFC 298. The movie will have its world premiere on Feb. 17. Talk about confidence!

Watch the teaser of the movie below: