Sneako opens up on sparring with Sean Strickland, Ilia Topuria wants to fight UFC Hall of Famer, Nate Diaz hints at UFC return: MMA News Roundup

Sneako & Sean Strickland (left), Nate Diaz (right) [Images courtesy of @sneako & @natediaz209 on Instagram]
Sneako & Sean Strickland (left), Nate Diaz (right) [Images courtesy of @sneako & @natediaz209 on Instagram]

Sneako opens up about sparring session with Sean Strickland, Ilia Topuria claims he'd beat Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Nate Diaz hints at UFC return.

Find out more details in today's (Feb. 26) Sportskeeda daily news roundup.


#3. Sneako discloses why Sean Strickland unleashed brutal beatdown in sparring session

Sean Strickland recently made headlines when his sparring session against influencer Sneako went viral.

In the clip, which was livestreamed to tens of thousands of people on Rumble at the time, both 'Tarzan' and Sneako donned a pair of boxing gloves and protective gear as they stepped into the octagon.

The former middleweight champ opted to pull no punches and went full throttle with the streamer, eventually leaving him bloodied and bruised.

Following the backlash Strickland recieved for his actions, Sneako has finally weighed in on what transpired.

According to the streamer, he never antagonized Strickland in anyway, instead believing his actions come from him being just an angry person. He said:

"No, I never said anything bad. I think he's a perpetually angry person. I think he's the type of guy where if he wasn't fighting, he would probably be in jail. And I don't mean that as an insult. I just mean that. And I think he would agree. I think he's the type of person, without the UFC, like, it would be bad."

Catch the comments here (6:10):

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#2. Ilia Topuria claims he'd "100%" defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov

Following his title win at UFC 298, Ilia Topuria has claimed he'd have no issue defeating Khabib Nurmagomedov in a dream bout.

'El Matador' shocked the world earlier this month when he stopped Alexander Volkanovski in the second round with a vicious knockout to win the featherweight belt.

In a recent interview, the 27-year-old claimed that a matchup against Nurmagomedov would be his dream bout.

The Georgian-Spaniard also believes he would have no issue handing the Russian the first loss of his career should a fight happen. He said:

''I would be happy to enter the octagon with Khabib Nurmagomedov. He had an undefeated record at 29-0 and he had an attractive record for me, then also history. He is a worthy and honourable champion for me. [I would 100% defeat him].”

Watch the clip here:


#1. Nate Diaz hints at UFC return

Nate Diaz walked away from the octagon to try his hand at boxing following his submission victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 in 2022.

After a brief dabble in the squared circle in a bout with Jake Paul, it appears as though the Stockton native has opened the door to a return to MMA.

The former lightweight title challenger took to X (formerly Twitter) and dismissed appearing on the upcoming UFC 300 card, instead hinting his comeback fight could be at UFC 306 at the Las Vegas Sphere on September 14. He tweeted:

"I’ll be here f**k 300."

Check out Diaz's post here:

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