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After months of back and forth, Conor McGregor's USADA status is finally confirmed. The good news is, when he eventually returns to the UFC, he will be able to carry the Irish flag while walking out if he wants to, as Dana White announced the removal of the controversial flag ban.
Catch up with the top updates of the day with Sportskeeda's MMA News Roundup.
#3 UFC no longer bans fighters from carrying flags
The UFC had stopped allowing fighters to carry flags on live events after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The promotion was extremely strict about the rule, and in one instance, even snatched the Chinese flag away from Li Jingliang.
Despite the rule in place, Joe Pyfer was seen carrying around the U.S. flag after his second-round submission win over Abdul Razak Alhassan at UFC Vegas 80.
When asked about the matter at the post-fight press conference. Dana White confirmed that the ban has been overruled. Turns out, the Noche UFC event is what changed his mind about the regulation. Moreover, he hinted that he was never quite in favor of the ban.
About the ban and its overrule, the UFC CEO said:
"There's a lot of things that go on in a company this big and you can't micromanage everything and sometimes things are done for the intentions of the right reasons... When the decision was made to do this, I was kind of like 'meh, you know, what's the big deal if they don't have flags', Mexican Independence Day flipped the switch for me and I was like 'that's enough, I'm done with the no flags.' If any flags hurt your feelings, too f***in bad."
White had previously refused to elaborate on the reason behind the ban, simply saying, 'You guys know why' when asked about it.
Watch Dana White's comments below [8:55]:
#2 Philipe Lins gets trolled online for last-minute pull-out
The light heavyweight scrap between Ion Cutelaba and Philipe Lins got canceled on the day of UFC Vegas 80. MMA journalist John Morgan was the first to report it on Twitter, where he also claimed that the fight being scrapped off the card was the reason behind the delayed start.
The broadcast soon confirmed that the 205-pound clash was indeed not taking place.
This is the third time that Lins pulled out of a fight on extremely short notice. The exact reason behind the withdrawal is still unknown. Dana White stated in the post-fight press conference that Lins did not feel well and was checked by the doctors. According to White, Lins made the final decision to pull out, while Cutelaba got paid for showing up.
Fans trolled Lins brutally on social media for pulling out of yet another fight. One admonished the fighter for costing them wager money; another demanded that Lins be cut from the roster.
Read all the comments here.
#1 Dana White gives update on Conor McGregor's return
Conor McGregor stated in a recent Instagram post that he has submitted test samples to USADA. Dana White provided more clarity on the matter speaking at the post-fight press conference.
White said that McGregor has indeed submitted his documents to USADA, but he hasn't been added back yet.
"He's not officially in the USADA pool. He has submitted the paperwork. Probably by Monday, he will be submitted."
As for his return fight, White said that nothing has been planned yet and they plan on 'playing it by ear'.
Watch Dana White's comments below [3:10]:
