Author: Dan Hiergesell

Conor McGregor is trying to bring a massive boxing rematch to his home country of Ireland and he’s willing to put his money where his mouth is to get it done.

As talks regarding a rematch between women’s boxing greats Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano continue to heat up fight fans are wondering where the contest could take place. The first installment happened in New York City back in April 2022 which saw Taylor defeat Serrano via split decision in an epic fight for the ages (highlights HERE).

Taylor, who is one of the greatest combat athletes to ever come out of Ireland, is still undefeated at 22-0. Not only does the former Olympic gold medalist deserve another massive payday opposite Serrano, but she’s done enough to earn the right to compete in front of her home crowd.

However, booking a fight in Croke Park is not an easy task. Just ask McGregor himself, who has been trying to book a UFC fight at the venue since he made his Octagon debut all the way back in 2013. One of the biggest obstacles stopping Taylor vs. Serrano 2 from going down inside Croke Park is the massive cost needed for ample security, which is why McGregor is stepping up to help pave the way for the rematch to take place.

Earlier this week, McGregor took to social media to offer to pay for a security detail for a potential Taylor vs. Serrano 2 clash. That caught the attention of boxing promoter, Eddie Hearn, who helped put together the first matchup between Taylor and Serrano and would be orchestrating the rematch as well.

“The extra security bill is 500k to have Katie Taylor fight at Croke Park?” asked McGregor. “I will sponsor the event to see this happen.”

“Let’s talk,” replied Hearn.

McGregor, who is now expected to coach the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter before returning to the Octagon against lightweight contender Michael Chandler later this year, certainly has enough money to throw around to actually make this happen. “Notorious” has also helped promote/sponsor a few events in the past so this wouldn’t be completely out of his wheelhouse.

Add in his admiration for Irish sport and friendship with Taylor and this seems like a simple fix. We’ll have to wait and see if all parties bite and the rematch can be booked. For now, fight fans will get to see Serrano back in action this Saturday night against Erika Cruz live on DAZN.

Jon Jones isn’t the only Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) star to score a new eight-fight deal to start 2023.

On Saturday, UFC president Dana White rolled out another special announcement to unveil the new coaches for the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter. It will be Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler, who will fight at the end of the season at an event yet to be determined.

In addition, White revealed that the promotion has signed surging UFC bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley to a new eight-fight deal. The specifics of the new fight contract are unknown at this time, but this is huge news for both sides.

O’Malley, who is undoubtedly one of the promotion’s fastest rising stars today, has steadily become a household name over the past few years. Coming off White’s Contender Series back in 2017 the young bantamweight has had to prove his worth along the way. Even after suffering a TKO loss to Marlon Vera back in 2020 O’Malley was able to regroup and push his UFC stock to new heights.

In 2022, O’Malley captured the biggest victory of his career when he earned a unanimous decision win over former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 280. It was a war of attrition and O’Malley proved that he’s a top contender in the division ready to compete for UFC gold. Nothing has been booked as of yet, but “Sugar” is on the very short list of contenders deserving of the next bantamweight title shot.

O’Malley has gone on record stating that he believes he can become UFC’s next big star and now he’ll have the chance to prove it (again). Signing the bantamweight contender to a new eight-fight deal is a good indication that UFC believes O’Malley can become just that.

What say you, fight fans? Does O’Malley deserve this new contract?

Sound off!

It looks like Conor McGregor will be coaching the next season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) after all.

On Saturday, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White returned for another special announcement from Las Vegas to share some breaking fights news (watch HERE). After reviewing some upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) cards White confirmed that Season 31 of TUF will be coached by none other than McGregor and fellow lightweight contender Michael Chandler.

More importantly, White also confirmed that “Notorious” and Chandler will fight one another when the TUF season concludes. The TUF season will run from May 30 to August 15. White was unable to confirm a date or location for McGregor vs. Chandler, but fight fans finally know who McGregor is going to meet in his long-awaited return to the Octagon.

McGregor, who has been calling for a return at 170 pounds, has been sidelined since his second-straight TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 back in 2021. “Notorious” has been nursing a badly broken leg since then while dedicating the rest of his time to Hollywood movies and valuable yacht time. Fight fans don’t know what to expect from “Notorious” when he steps back inside of the Octagon since he’s fought just three times since his infamous loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov back in 2018.

Chandler, on the other hand, has been incredibly active since his UFC debut in 2021. The 36-year-old veteran has only produced a 2-3 record along the way but he’s been involved in some of the greatest fights of the past two years. This includes his infamous knockout win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 274. Chandler has been calling for a matchup with McGregor dating back to his days in Bellator MMA so this is a well-deserved opportunity for the lightweight contender.

Stick with Mania for more news on TUF 31 and McGregor vs. Chandler.

Hamdy Abdelwahab has received a two year suspension from United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) after testing positive twice for anabolic agent methenolone and a “tampering violation,” per an official announcement on Friday.

As a result, Abdelwahab’s split-decision win over Don’Tale Mayes at UFC 277 back in July in Dallas, Tex., has been overturned to a no decision. This was Abdelwahab’s official Octagon debut.

“Abdelwahab did not declare the use of methenolone on his onboarding declaration forms and did not establish a compelling justification for his failure to do so,” the USADA announcement read. “Based on USADA’s investigation, it was determined that Abdelwahab used the prohibited substance and knew of his obligation to declare it. The evidence constitutes a tampering violation in addition to the violation for his positive test for methenolone.”

In addition to his two-year USADA suspension, Abdelwahab will now be investigated by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), which overturned his decision win.

“When a combative sports contestant in Texas tests positive for a banned substance, we place them on a 90-day suspension,” TDLR public information officer Tela Mange said in a written statement to MMA Junkie. “If the contestant won the bout, we list the bout as ‘No Decision.’ We can also pursue an administrative penalty and a monetary penalty could also be issued against the contestant. This case has been referred to our Enforcement Division for further investigation.”

Abdelwahab, 30, was 4-0 before he made his UFC debut last July. The Egyptian Greco-Roman wrestler looked to be a nice addition to an evolving heavyweight division, but now Abdelwahab will have to wait much longer for his second Octagon appearance. He is eligible to return to competition on July 30, 2024, which will be two years removed from the first positive test for methenolone.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President, Dana White, is making another “special announcement” this morning (Sat., Feb. 4, 2023) beginning at 10 a.m. ET. Watch it in the video player above.

For complete details on White’s announcement — including Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler, Sean O’Malley’s future, etc. — click here.

Laura Sanko will make history later today (Sat., Feb. 4, 2023) as she becomes the first-ever female broadcaster to call a Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event live. She will do so this evening at UFC Vegas 68 from inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sanko, who made her debut for UFC back in 2016, has been working hard over the years to earn her respect around the combat community and put her name on the map. From her role as color commentator on Dana White’s Contender Series to her appearances on UFC pre-fight shows, Sanko has been exceptional across the board.

Much like anyone in her position, especially a female in a sport dominated by men, Sanko has had to work hard to get to where she is today. Unfortunately, Sanko has had to push through a ton of negativity around the combat community which includes sexiest treatment on social media.

The newest member to the UFC broadcast team discussed this with reporters on Friday.

“I’ve been sticking my head in the sand a little bit because social media is a double-edged sword,” said Sanko. “I’m thankful that the reception has been so warm and I’m glad I was able to work my way into it. Whether it was fans who saw me call Invicta, and then LFA, and then the Contender Series for a few years, at least some core of the fanbase has been on this ride with me.

“You’re always going to have detractors. I think woman in particular get commented on in a particular vein that even men who are new to a role would never get. Any time you do something for the first time people are going to have something to say about it. I’m incredibly thankful that the reception has been overwhelmingly good.

“But on the way up there is a lot of questioning. I’ll just say it. The number of people I’ve supposedly slept with is just endless. It’s so long. And it would be exhausting if it was true. I don’t see other well-respected voices in the sport get that.”

Despite what people may say on social media Sanko deserves to be in this position. She is well-educated about the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) and has become an entertaining addition to the Contender Series booth. Sanko will look to add UFC color commentator to her resume this weekend at UFC Vegas 68.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 68 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 10 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 1 a.m. ET early Sunday morning.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 68 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Lewis vs. Spivac” fight card and ESPN+ line up click here.