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UFC light heavyweight king Alex Pereira recently dismissed Magomed Ankalaev's callout for a title clash in Abu Dhabi. The Brazilian explained that he'd like to fight sooner and outlined his possible fight plans for the year.
Elsewhere, Ryan Garcia and Sean O'Malley went back and forth on social media over a potential boxing match, with 'KingRy' ultimately sending warning shots at the UFC bantamweight champion.
Catch up on all the latest news and developments in the MMA world with Sportskeeda's Midnight Roundup.
Alex Pereira dismisses Magomed Ankalaev's title fight callout for UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi
Alex Pereira recently shared his response to Magomed Ankalaev's callout. After beating Jamahal Hill via an incredible first-round knockout at UFC 300, Pereira secured his first title defense.
In the aftermath, Ankalaev called out Pereira for a title fight and proposed UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi for a potential showdown. While many seemed interested in the matchup, it appears 'Poatan' is not interested unless Ankalaev fights earlier.
During an interview with MMA Fighting, Pereira addressed Ankalaev's callout and said:
"I don't want to fight at the end of the year. I want to fight sooner, so maybe that shows he won't be ready. I don't know why he said that. This guy is complicated. Honestly, I have to see what's best. I'm here to fight, but I don't understand best about other things like where is best [to fight] and where isn't. If I have to fight there, I will, but if it's not a date I want, then it's not best for me. I can say no." [H/T MMAFighting.com]
Ryan Garcia and Sean O'Malley exchange shots on social media over potential boxing match
Ryan Garcia recently went up against Devin Haney in a highly anticipated boxing match last weekend. Given Garcia's erratic behavior in the weeks leading up to the fight, many predicted Haney would win comfortably. However, Garcia surprised fight fans by bringing his 'A' game and dominated Haney for the majority of the fight.
Garcia ultimately won the contest via majority decision. However, UFC bantamweight king Sean O'Malley wasn't impressed and performed a hilarious skit, making fun of Garcia's defensive skills in the ring. It's no secret that Garcia and O'Malley have exchanged insults before, and this time was no different.
After O'Malley stated that he was two fights away from securing a Garcia fight and was confident in his boxing skills. He said during an episode of his podcast:
"I still gotta become bigger. Two more sick performances, then we’re talking about being able to do whatever the f**k we want... They [UFC] told me, you can do a boxing fight 100%, if it makes us enough money. So the options there. But Ryan being a f*ckin freak like that, you need two A-sides to make a Floyd [Mayweather] vs. Conor [McGregor] fight."
'KingRy' later took to X and sent the UFC champ a cold warning. He wrote:
"RAINBOW CACA BRAIN. WANTS TO BOX. BE PREPARED TO BLEED RAINBOW."
Former UFC champion Kamaru Usman on Jake Paul potentially beating Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz in MMA
Former UFC welterweight king Kamaru Usman recently shared his thoughts on Jake Paul potentially facing Jorge Masvidal or Nate Diaz in the cage. Paul has previously called out the two MMA stars for a fight and has offered both of them $10 million to face him under mixed martial arts rules in the PFL.
While many dismiss Paul's chances against veteran MMA fighters like Masvidal and Diaz, Usman believes the YouTuber-turned-boxer could have the skills to raise his hand. During an episode of the Pound 4 Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo, he said:
"Honestly, at this point I don’t even know what to think anymore… I don’t completely say it’s a wash, that [Jake] has no chance in there...Everybody has a chance, and like I said, the world is upside down for me right now… it’s not far fetched, it could happen.”
Michael Chandler analyzes Conor McGregor clash at UFC 303, shares prediction for blockbuster matchup
Michael Chandler recently shared his thoughts on the upcoming Conor McGregor fight at UFC 303 in June. Chandler pointed out that McGregor had been out of action for a long time and speculated that his time away from the octagon would have negatively affected his fighting skills.
Speaking to Shawn Ryan during a recent interview, 'Iron' detailed his thoughts on the Irishman and said:
"I'm a better fighter, a tougher fighter, and the guy who deserves it more. Whether that be getting in his face, putting him up against the cage, picking him up, putting him down, welting his spirit a little bit more, and getting the wind out of his sails."
He continued:
"I don't need to get into a firefight with a guy who has a bigger rifle than me, and I think I hit harder than he does. His time out of the cage has lent itself to his timing, movement and reflexes not being what they used to be. I will go out there and get the finish and absolutely outclass and dominate him."
Jake Paul predicts strong fan showing for Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano rematch
Jake Paul recently took to X and shared some bold predictions for the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight.
Paul is set to face Mike Tyson on July 20 at the AT&T Stadium in Texas. While their fight will serve as the headliner, the Taylor-Serrano bout will feature in the co-main event of the evening.
In their first meeting in April 2022, Serrano lost to Taylor via split decision and lost the undisputed female lightweight championship. The two women's boxing superstars are now set to run it back and Paul believes they will pull huge numbers for their event.
In a recent X post, he wrote:
"I am declaring that Amanda Serrano vs Katie Taylor 2 will once again be up for fight of the year, and it will be in front of 80,000 people, and 10s of millions of people will see it live on Netflix."
