MMA News Roundup: Top UFC fighter rejects new contract extension, Ariel Helwani debunks "lies" by Paddy Pimblett, Conor McGregor acknowledges debutant's bold aspirations

Welcome to today's edition of 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 a top middleweight fighter declining a new contract, the out-of-the-blue beef between Paddy Pimblett and Ariel Helwani, and more.

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#1. Paulo Costa turns down UFC's multi-fight deal

Paulo Costa turns down a multi-fight deal

Paulo Costa revealed on Twitter that he "politely declined" a six-fight deal that he was offered.

Costa sounded off last month on how "miserable" his UFC contract was and hinted at a move to boxing after its expiry.

He also gave insight into his conversation with Hunter Campbell, the Chief Business Officer of the promotion, on the matter. Earlier, he shared on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour that he was looking forward to becoming a free agent. He justified his stance by disclosing his purse for the Marvin Vettori fight, which was a meager $35,000.

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#2. Ariel Helwani calls out Paddy Pimblett and Dana White for making untrue claims

Paddy Pimblett and Dana White went on a rant against Ariel Helwani

Paddy Pimblett went on an uncharacteristic rant at veteran MMA reporter and podcaster Ariel Helwani on his show Chattin Pony. He was joined by Dana White on the show.

Pimblett accused Helwani of making money off fighters and demanded that he start paying the athletes for their time. White then went on a profanity-filled rant at Helwani as well. Fans were furious at 'The Baddy' for his "ill-informed" comments soon after the episode aired.

Addressing the matter on The MMA Hour, Helwani stated that he has grown immune and desensitized to criticisms of this manner from Dana White as well as other fighters, although he was surprised by Pimblett's demeanor. He believes Pimblett did it to impress his boss, whose dislike of the Canadian journalist is well documented.

However, Helwani disapproved of the lies that were told about him and clarified that he made no money from the clicks his interviews got, but is rather paid on a contractual basis by MMA Fighting's parent company, Vox Media:

"In my entire career dating back to 2006, I have not earned a single penny from YouTube off any of the MMA stuff I put out there... I've never gotten a bonus, I've never gotten a dime because a show did a hundred thousand views, ten thousand views, a million views. We had Izzy [Israel Adesanya] in studio, it got like 800 [thousand]. I didn't earn a single penny more or less. I have a contract."

Take a look at his comments below from the 3:45 mark:

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#1. Conor McGregor reacts to Raul Rosas Jr.'s championship aspirations

Raul Rosas Jr. wants to become the youngest champion [via @raulrosasjr on IG]

18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr. has been causing quite a stir since signing with the UFC after an impressive performance in Dana White's Contender Series. The young prospect's popularity soared rapidly enough for him to get a place on the UFC 4 game's roster.

Rosas Jr. has been quite vocal about his dream of becoming the youngest UFC champion in history, a position now held by Jon Jones. His opponent for this weekend, Jay Perrin, mocked his aspirations on Wednesday's media day, but Rosas Jr. found support from an unexpected corner.

Conor McGregor took to Twitter to give Rosas Jr. a virtual 'pat on the back' and encourage him to follow his dreams:

"That's incredible! The youngest ever. Good luck young man, in your career with the @ufc."

Read the tweet below: