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Don’t worry, nothing has happened to Conor McGregor or Dustin Poirier.

Yet.

With the UFC doing another big sold out arena show in Las Vegas for their July 10th UFC 264 event, it only makes sense that they’d want a little something prepared just in case a worst case scenario develops and one of their big headliners drops off the card. You’d think lightweights would be lining up for the job, too … but according to UFC president Dana White he’s having a hard time securing something decent.

“I’m actually looking for someone right now to be the backup on that card,” White told Bleacher Report’s Tom Taylor. “Nobody’s jumping out. Nobody’s kicking down my door.”

White may just be too used to Michael Chandler scooping up every opportunity like this at 155. But now that “Iron Mike” has failed in his quest for UFC gold, he publicly declared he’s looking for a little rest and relaxation before getting back in the hunt. So count him out.

Justin Gaethje would be a sweet replacement fighter, but we have our doubts he’s interested in any role that isn’t a starring role. Last we heard, Gaethje wasn’t too jazzed about being passed over for the vacant UFC lightweight title fight at UFC 262. So chances of him bending over backwards right now to play third banana at UFC 264? Slim to none.

So what do you think, Maniacs? Anyone you’d like to see slip into that backup slot? Or would you rather see what kind of wildcard magic might come at a variety of different weight classes should Conor McGregor once again find himself accepting a last minute replacement?

Despite what seemed like an acrimonious split from the promotion, UFC boss Dana White wants to make it clear that he’s still there for Diego Sanchez.

When Diego Sanchez exited the UFC it felt like some pretty significant bridges had been burned behind him. Largely the work of his now former trainer and guru Joshua Fabia, Sanchez was involved in confrontations and bizarre situations with UFC staff, the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and even other athletes before his release in late April of this year.

Several weeks after the UFC terminated their contract with the Ultimate Fighter Season 1 winner, Sanchez and Fabia officially parted ways as well—with an attorney representing the fighter making it clear that the former Jackson-Wink talent and the ‘School of Self Awareness’ owner no longer had a business relationship.

It’s in the wake of that news that Dana White has extended an olive branch of sorts. Speaking to MMA Junkie in a recent interview White was adamant that while he has no interest in hearing from or speaking about Joshua Fabia, he’d absolutely welcome a call from Diego Sanchez.

“Diego Sanchez can pick up the phone and call me – any of those ‘TUF (1)’ kids. You know what I mean?” White said. “I had a falling out a few years ago with Josh Koscheck. If Josh Koscheck picked up the phone and called me, I would talk to Josh Koscheck. If any of those kids needed me, all they’ve got to do is pick up the phone and call me.”

“Diego Sanchez, this will always be his house,” he continued. “He will always be a part of the history of this company. As long as I’m here, he’ll always be respected for what he’s done for the UFC and ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ I don’t really follow any of that sh*t. I don’t really follow any of that sh*t. I don’t really care what anybody says. When I tell you I don’t give a f*ck, I could not be more honest when I tell you I don’t give a f*ck. I love Diego Sanchez. I always will. If Diego needs me, all he needs to do is pick up the phone.”

That’s a very different story than the one the ‘Nightmare’ was telling back in early May, when he took to Instagram saying that Dana White wouldn’t answer his calls and that he had spent the last several weeks visiting the UFC PI in Vegas trying to get a meeting with the UFC boss. Maybe now that Fabia is no longer working as Sanchez’s intermediary, White and Sanchez can talk things over.

The former UFC and current Bellator champion sounds off on Dana White’s apparent rejection of a grappling match between her and Miesha Tate.

Cristiane Justino is riding high as the Bellator featherweight champ, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t still looking for other ways to test herself in combat sports. While that has, at times, included talk of a potential move to the boxing ring, at the moment ‘Cyborg’ is looking to take part in some high level submission grappling. Unfortunately for her, however, the shadow that the UFC casts still looms large to limit her aspirations.

In a recent interview with James Lynch, Cyborg talked about a potential Submission Underground grappling match against another former UFC champion, Miesha Tate. A match that apparently fell apart after interference from UFC president Dana White.

“I’m not surprised, you know? I’m not surprised,” Cyborg responded, speaking of White reportedly stopping Tate from participating in the SUG grappling bout. “He’s the one to shut [it] out. He doesn’t want this [to] happen. She wants to have a couple fights more, she says [it’s] not the end of the line, now she can have the opportunity to do this fight in the future. And she said she’d really like to do it but they won’t let her do it. You know the story. Dana wants nothing to do with Cyborg. I’m the one rock inside Dana White’s [shoe]. But I believe in the future maybe the fans would like to watch.”

White’s intervention in a planned boxing match with Georges St-Pierre was also brought into the conversation. The former UFC welterweight and middleweight champion was recently blocked from competing against the ‘Golden Boy’, Oscar De La Hoya, in an exhibition boxing match by the UFC president, despite having retired from the UFC in 2018.

“Yeah, but it’s like… you have to — OK, fighters don’t have forever,” Cyborg said, of White exerting control over UFC fighters. “We have to use every moment of opportunity that we have. Okay, your manager and you decide one thing is good for a career, [the promoter] is supposed to let it go, let them do it. They’re not helping with the fighter. They’re gonna make extra money, extra publicity, extra matches, it’s going to be better. But I don’t know, I’m glad to be free of this. I am free, you know? I don’t have to ask anything from him to do anything.”

Cyborg’s freedom to pursue opportunities outside the Bellator cage is one of the major perks that several high-profile signings have reported as a major reason they chose to fight under the now Showtime-based promotion. Obviously many UFC fighters are still granted permission to participate in grappling competitions—with Carlos Condit & Gillian Robertson competing earlier this month at SUG 23.

With the UFC booking Tate for a high profile return from retirement, however, it seems likely that the UFC is being extra cautious about protecting her from potential injury before July 17th. Considering the UFC’s often volatile history with Cyborg, however, it isn’t all that surprising that the Brazilian may feel the decision is a personal slight.

For now, it seems Cyborg will have to settle with her successful title defense against Leslie Smith. Miesha Tate is scheduled to face Marion Reneau in an upcoming UFC Fight Night event. The July card is set to be headlined by a featherweight fight between Max Holloway and Yair Rodriguez,