UFC icon predicts Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira, Ariel Helwani goes off on Jon Jones, Khalil Rountree Jr. reveals knee injury: MMA News Roundup

Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda MMA News Roundup! Jorge Masvidal has made his pick for the UFC 317 main event. Ariel Helwani didn’t hold back on Jon Jones, calling out the retired UFC fighter's legacy and refusal to face Tom Aspinall.

Meanwhile, Khalil Rountree Jr. fought through a torn meniscus to win the main event at UFC Baku. Here’s everything you need to know:

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Jorge Masvidal backs Ilia Topuria to beat Charles Oliveira at UFC 317

Jorge Masvidal has trained with killers, but he says Ilia Topuria was different from the start. Even when Topuria was a rising name in the gym, Masvidal saw something special. Ahead of Topuria’s lightweight title clash against Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, Masvidal isn’t hedging his bets.

He believes Topuria has what it takes to dethrone one of the division’s most dangerous men. Speaking in an interview with Red Corner MMA, Masvidal said:

"So at the time, I’m like number three in the world at 170, number two in the world at 170, you know, and me and Ilia are working out... He was always very respectful, never throwing his hardest, but I could just feel, you know, I blocked the shot, I blocked the shot, boom boom, and I go and I told him after the first time we trained, I go brother, 'God willing you will be champion bro."

He added:

"Because Ilia is one out of ten thousand. I’ve trained with everybody. Hey, think of a name, say their name. I trained with everybody, brother, this guy’s special, and I think he’s gonna be a world champion at 155. He’s gonna beat Charles, man. He’s gonna find a way to beat him. Charles is bigger. Charles has kicks, knees, elbows, great jiu-jitsu, good wrestling, and skill everywhere. Charles is good. But Ilia is just different brother. This guy’s special."

Check out Jorge Masvidal's comments below:

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Ariel Helwani blasts Jon Jones, questions GOAT status after retirement

Ariel Helwani delivered a verbal takedown of Jon Jones’ legacy, questioning everything from failed drug tests to his decision to skip a fight with Tom Aspinall. Helwani called out what he sees as a lack of accountability from Jones, saying a true all-time great doesn’t duck the top contender.

Helwani said that Jones' decision exposes a gap between what fans want to believe and reality. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, the veteran MMA journalist said:

"I don't want to hear the GOAT talk. I'm sorry. I'm tired of beating around the bush here. You cannot be the GOAT if you have multiple PED infractions on your record. You can't. And you cannot be the GOAT if you did not want to do what others did for you. Time-honoured tradition - You fight the top contenders. Not only was Tom Aspinall the top contender, he was the interim champion for almost two years. You didn't want to fight him."

Check out Ariel Helwani's comments below:

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Khalil Rountree Jr. reveals he fought through torn meniscus at UFC Baku

Khalil Rountree Jr. admitted he had suffered a torn meniscus midway through his training camp for the recent Jamahal Hill fight. He felt the pain while rolling in jiu-jitsu, and the injury made it difficult for him to even stand during the final stretch of camp.

However, Rountree Jr. never pulled out and cut down on sparring and contact. Despite the injury, he looked composed and controlled the fight across all five rounds, outstriking Hill to notch a clear decision win. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Rountree Jr. said:

“I’d say about halfway through training camp, when I was training jiu-jitsu, is the first time I felt some discomfort in my knee. Just from training with bigger guys and doing four sessions per day, on top of running, jiu-jitsu, and pads, that’s when I first started feeling the discomfort. It only grew from there until one day I woke up and it was really hard for me to walk and even stand. So I got it checked out and ended up having a torn meniscus."

Check out Khalil Rountree Jr.'s comments below: