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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 former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya showing off his new neck tattoo, while Aljamain Sterling makes bold accusations against a former champ. Furthermore, a UFC veteran has called out Tony Ferguson for a showdown.
#3. Israel Adesanya shows off cryptic new neck and face tattoos
Former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya recently added to his large collection of ink as he took to Instagram to show off his new tattoos. Additionally, 'The Last Stylebender' tasked his followers with decoding the meaning behind the artwork.
Posted on his Instagram Stories, the Nigerian-New Zealander put his fans to work.
Images posted by Adesanya highlight his neck piece and eagle-eyed fans will be able to spot a small feather that has been tattooed underneath the left eye of the 33-year-old fighter.
One fan was right on the mark with his guess as he DM'ed Adesanya to let him know the neck tattoo depicts the Egyptian deity Montu, a god of war.
Adesanya is expected to make his UFC return later this year. 'The Last Stylebender' last stepped into the octagon at UFC 281 where he lost the middleweight title to Alex Pereira by knockout in the fifth round.
Despite now being down 3-0 in their head-to-head, 'Izzy' is expected to immediately rematch the Brazilian to try and recapture his title.
#2. Aljamain Sterling accuses Henry Cejudo of using PEDs during his UFC hiatus
Aljamain Sterling recently made a strong accusation towards Henry Cejudo after discussing USADA and a testing loophole on his YouTube channel.
Sterling tweeted a clip from his podcast, The Weekly Scraps, in which he spoke about fighters retiring and there being a loophole between USADA testing and when they make their return. Conor McGregor has also been accused of abusing such a loophole.
"Looks like everyone is finding a loophole in the testing pool these days. I'm just gonna sip this tea."
In the clip, Sterling accuses Henry Cejudo of using PEDs to recover and heal his body after he retired from MMA in 2020:
"Henry [Cejudo] deserves an a** whooping because he's been on the sideline taking all that s*** he's probably been taking healing his body... Oh, 100 percent, he's out of the testing pool. Why would you not try to get your body back to a 100 percent?... That's what it seems like."
The accusations from 'Funk Master' add another element to their long-standing rivalry and the pair are expected to battle it out for the 135lbs title next. 'Triple C' had confirmed that the UFC were working to book the pair's bout in March, but Sterling is currently out injured with a bicep tear.
With Sean O'Malley also in the mix as the No.1 in the bantamweight rankings, it remains to be seen what the UFC's plans are with the stacked division.
#1. UFC veteran Michael Johnson calls out Tony Ferguson
Michael Johnson believes he's offering Tony Ferguson the chance to turn his career around after calling out 'El Cucuy' on Twitter.
Ferguson was, at one time, one of the scariest competitors in the lightweight division. The American fighter amassed a seriously impressive record of 15-1 between his debut on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 13 in 2011 and his UFC 249 bout with Justin Gaethje in 2020.
Amongst those 15 wins was a 12-fight win streak that saw him capture the interim lightweight title as well as put away elite opponents such as Edson Barboza, Anthony Pettis, Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos. His only loss in that nine-year period was to Michael Johnson in 2012.
Johnson stated on Twitter:
"Yo @TonyFergusonXT not sure if you're still in the big game, but if so and you want to come back to 55 I'll guve you a chance to redeem yourself. Or we can do it 170 also!! Let's give the fans what they want!!!"
The call-out from Johnson comes as 'El Cucuy' is on the worst run of his MMA career. Since his UFC 249 TKO loss to Gaethje, Ferguson has never looked the same in the octagon. The 38-year-old has lost all of his last five fights, including a devastating front-kick KO he received at the hands of Michael Chandler in May last year.
Should Ferguson choose to accept the fight, it could be the turning point that he has been looking for. Tony Ferguson's string of five losses have, in fairness, come against some of the most elite competitors in the UFC. A bout against 'Menace', who has himself lost four of his last six, may be the spark that brings 'El Cucuy' back into the fold.
Catch the Ferguson vs. Johnson bout from 2012 here:
