Midnight Roundup! UFC CEO Dana White shares update on Mike Tyson's training for Jake Paul fight, Brandon Moreno announces MMA hiatus, and more

UFC CEO Dana White recently revealed that he's been in touch with Mike Tyson's wife and it appears 'Iron Mike' is taking his boxing match against Jake Paul very seriously. Elsewhere, Brandon Moreno recently announced that he'll be taking some time away from MMA after losing his second consecutive fight.

Check out Sportskeeda's Midnight Roundup for all the latest developments in the world of mixed martial arts.

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UFC frontman Dana White reveals that Mike Tyson is training hard for Jake Paul fight

UFC CEO Dana White recently shared his thoughts on the highly anticipated boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. He also revealed that he's been in touch with the boxing legend's wife and she informed him that her husband's taking his training process quite seriously.

During a recent appearance on the Lex Friedman Podcast, White was asked for his thoughts on the unusual boxing matchup. He replied:

I love Mike Tyson and I'm not a fan of anybody fighting at our age, but he's a grown man, obviously, and he's going to do what he's going to do, but at least I know I talked to his wife a couple days ago and he's taking it serious and he's training for it and you know, so we'll see how it plays out."

White continued:

"I think that Mike Tyson is actually one of those unique guys who has crossed over. Any of these other boxers from his era, they have no way of making money other than fighting. Mike Tyson has made a lot of money outside of fighting. I mean, Tyson still has that aura. You could be at a restaurant and he walks in and you're like, 'holy f**k, Mike Tyson's here'."

Catch Dana White's comments below (1:02:34):

Tyson and Paul are scheduled to throw down at the AT&T Stadium in Texas on July 20. Despite the hype, many have slammed the fight for being grossly unfair due to Paul being three decades younger than Tyson.

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Brandon Moreno announces hiatus from MMA, dismisses retirement

Former two-time UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno is taking a break from fighting and recently announced that fans won't see him competing in the octagon for a while. However, Moreno made it clear that he isn't retiring and will return to fighting after charging himself up.

Moreno is coming off a razor-sharp split decision loss against Brandon Royval at UFC Mexico City last month. Before that, Moreno lost the flyweight title to Alexandre Pantoja via split decision at UFC 290 last July.

In a video shared on Instagram, Moreno reflected on his past few performances and stated that he needed a break to get his mind and body back in the right place. He said:

I just think I’ve reached a limit in my mind, and I’m tired. It’s not goodbye or anything like that, it’s just wait for me, be patient with me, let my body, but more than anything my mind, my head, compose itself and recover — recover and we’re going to get back to doing things right."

Moreno continued:

"The last time that happened, I came back, and I became a world champion. I’d like to think I can do the same, and when I return, I’m going to go on a tear. I still think I’m an incredible fighter, and I have all the qualities and abilities to be a champion again."

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Sean O'Malley seemingly reveals next opponent for bantamweight title shot

It appears Sean O'Malley knows who he's fighting next and recently revealed who he had in mind for his next title defense. The reigning UFC bantamweight champion is targeting a fight against Merab Dvalishvili, who incidentally has been calling out 'Sugar' for quite some time.

O'Malley secured his first title defense against Marlon Vera via unanimous decision at UFC 299 earlier this month. In the aftermath, 'Sugar' called out featherweight champion Ilia Topuria for a super fight and expressed interest in moving up to 145 pounds to make it happen.

However, it appears he's focusing on defending his title against contenders in his division for now.

During a recent episode of the TimboSugarShow on YouTube, O'Malley stated that he's looking to grant Dvalishvili his wish and dismissed the idea that he was ducking the Georgian-American. He said:

"Merab's next. Merab is fu**ing next. Your wish is granted. A lot of people said I'm ducking him. I just really am not ducking that little dude. I like the fight for me, there's multiple ways to win, I'm excited about the fight now, finally... Merab's next and be careful what you wish for, buddy."

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UFC lightweight Renato Moicano slams Paddy Pimblett for untimely callout

Fast-rising UFC star Renato Moicano has no love for Paddy Pimblett and recently slammed the Liverpudlian for calling him out after he had a fight booked.

Moicano is gearing up to face Jalin Turner at UFC 300 next month. Ahead of his next outing, the Brazilian spoke to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani about a potential fight against Pimblett. He revealed that while he would have loved to fight Pimblett next, he was already booked against Turner before the opportunity came up.

He said:

"[Paddy Pimblett] seems to be a very tough guy when people have fights scheduled. Because when I got the fight [with Jalin Turner] he made a video calling me out. If that video was two weeks before, 100% I would've accepted to fight him. But don't worry Paddy Pimblett. Be careful what you wish for. If you want to fight Moicano, I'm going to f*** you up, my brother."

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Coach Javier Mendez in favor of potential Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier lightweight title bout

American Kickboxing Academy founder Javier Mendez recently shared his thoughts on a potential Islam Makhachev vs. Dustin Poirier lightweight title tilt. The veteran coach backed the matchup and stated that he would love for Makhachev to face Poirier next.

After beating Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 via second-round knockout, Poirier expressed a keen interest in fighting for the title again and facing Makhachev next. Considering that most of the top contenders in the lightweight division have bouts booked and will be unavailable for the next few months, the idea of facing Poirier next appealed to Makhachev.

During a recent interview with MMA reporter Drake Riggs, Makhachev's longtime coach discussed a potential Poirier fight and said:

"Islam’s a true professional, and he wanted to fight at a time that he’s gonna be ready to defend his title at the best ability that he can do.

He added:

“If it’s Dustin, fantastic. If it’s Justin [Gaethje], fantastic. But from my perspective, because of who’s available now, who would be available sooner: Dustin. I believe that’s the reason why this is going on... I’m all for Dustin. Dustin’s injury-free, he’s a great fighter, a great human being, he’s my pick also because of the circumstances fitting perfect for Dustin and Islam. Perfect."