Sean Strickland sends message to Ryan Garcia, Francis Ngannou says Anthony Joshua is "nervous," Dustin Poirier talks UFC retirement: MMA News Roundup

Sean Strickland sends a message to Ryan Garcia, Francis Ngannou alleges Anthony Joshua is nervous for their bout, and Dustin Poirier discusses retirement ahead of UFC 299.

Find out more details in today's (March 6) Sportskeeda daily news roundup.

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#3. Sean Strickland pens heartfelt message in light of Ryan Garcia's recent struggles

UFC middleweight Sean Strickland has spoken out about mental health struggles amid Ryan Garcia's recent erratic behaviour.

Garcia has worried his fans and family over recent weeks with his posts on social media, which has also led to speculation that he is dealing with a potential drug addiction.

The former UFC middleweight champion has since weighed in on the situation and chose to deviate from his typical controversial behaviour by instead offering a message of support to the struggling boxer.

In a video shared to X, 'Tarzan' urged Garcia to seek help and reconsider his friendship group. He said:

"When you truly are mentally unstable, when you have a chemical balance in your head and it's something you struggle with all the time, you do not see clearly. I'll wake up some days and even when the sun is shining and the birds are chirping and I'll wanna f*cking murder someone...What you have with Garcia is this mindset where he's probably happy he's so chemically inbalanced...there's nobody around him bringing him back down to earth."

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#2. Francis Ngannou alleges Anthony Joshua looked "nervous" during pre-fight photoshoot

Francis Ngannou has opened up about the latest promo shoot for his upcoming bout against Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia this Friday.

'The Predator' is set to make his second walk to the squared circle when he faces the former heavyweight champion later this week. His impressive performance against Tyson Fury last year put the heavyweight division on notice, and he is now set to try and do the unthinkable once again.

During the open workouts for his bout this Friday, Ngannou shared some details about a promo photoshoot he did with 'AJ'. He said:

"We were doing a promo and it was very chilled, very relaxed. I get to ask him if he's okay because he looked nervous. I asked him if he was okay because I was okay, I have no problems. I was just talking around, laughing, you know, it was a promo. Nothing was going to happen there. I think we are both professional enough to know what we have to do to get to where we want to go."

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#1. Dustin Poirier discusses retirement ahead of UFC 299 showdown against Benoit Saint Denis

Dustin Poirier, who is set to face Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299, has hinted at the possibility of retirement in the near future.

Despite still competing at the top of the UFC's lightweight division, and his status as one of the sports biggest stars, the 35-year-old believes his time in the octagon is coming towards the end.

Speaking in a recent interview with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto, 'The Diamond' discussed the toll that fighting has taken on his body and the time he has spent away from his family. He said:

“I know [the end] is coming. I can’t do this forever. This is my 40th professional fight. I have a family to be there for... Every time I get in there, Saturday night a piece of me is gonna leave that I can never get back... I can’t love something so much to where it takes away from what’s most important. Fighting is just something I do.”

Catch Poirier's comments here (9:41):