MMA News: Colby Covington pays tribute to UFC legend, Jake Paul wants MMA bout, Tom Aspinall makes surprising Jon Jones admission: MMA News Roundup

Colby Covington pays tribute to Chael Sonnen ahead of UFC Tampa, Jake Paul talks potential Nate Diaz MMA bout and Tom Aspinall makes a surprising choice in regards to Jon Jones.

Find out more details in today's (Dec. 14) Sportskeeda daily news roundup.

#3. Colby Covington pays tribute to Chael Sonnen ahead of UFC Tampa bout

Colby Covington has heaped praise on Chael Sonnen during the build-up to his UFC Tampa clash against Joaquin Buckley.

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'The American Gangster' has long been a friend of Covington and is one of his biggest supporters. Their friendship was then on full display during the ceremonial weigh-ins this week, when 'Chaos' invited Sonnen to join him on stage and address the crowd.

Following the weigh-ins, Covington spoke to ESPN MMA's Megan Olivi, to which the 36-year-old thanked and praised Sonnen for everything he's done for him. He said:

"He's been the greatest honor. Whatever Chael says goes. Uncle Chael started me in this sport. I wouldn't be doing mixed martial arts if it wasn't for him finding me in an Oregon State wrestling room, coming up to me, and saying, 'Hey, I want you to come train at Team Quest for me, get me ready for some fights, help me out,' and taking some butt-whippings from him over the years. I'm so thankful to have him in my corner. He inspires me."

Catch Covington's comments here (0:36):

#2. Jake Paul talks potential Nate Diaz rematch under MMA rules

Jake Paul recently took part in a press conference alongside his friend and women's boxing star Amanda Serrano. During the presser, the former Disney channel star was asked about his fighting future and whether or not he's open to the idea of rematching Nate Diaz, but under MMA rules.

'The Problem Child' stated that whilst he's open to the fight and is sure it would be the biggest payday of the former UFC fighter's career, he doesn't believe the Stockton native would ever risk accepting an MMA fight against him. He said:

"It's funny that Nate Diaz is actually scared to fight me in MMA, actually. The biggest payday of his life would be me and him in an MMA [fight]. So, I'm ready."

Check out Jake Paul's comments here (8:38):

#1. Tom Aspinall picks between KO win over Jon Jones or "the best s*x" of his life

It doesn't appear as though there is anything Tom Aspinall wants more than a knockout victory over Jon Jones, according to a recent interview with Piers Morgan.

The interim UFC heavyweight champ has been calling for a unification bout against Jones since he picked up the title last November with a knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich. Jones, however, has continued to play down any chance of the fight happening and is expecting to be demanding the biggest payday of his career to accept the bout.

During the interview with Piers Morgan, the broadcaster was then keen to know just how much Aspinall wanted the victory over 'Bones'. He posed him the question of whether he'd rather knock out the UFC heavyweight champ or have the best s*x of his life. The British star responded:

"The best what? Oh, I'd take the knockout all day. Absolutely. Absolutely."

Check out Tom Aspinall's comments here (29:49):

About the author

Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

Will especially enjoys working on event days and feels his contribution to Sportskeeda’s UFC 300 coverage was one of the high points of his time with the organization. He ensures his articles are accurate by going through multiple sources, which also helps his writing be as informative as possible.

His interests away from work include football, gaming, live streaming, and listening to music.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi