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It’s always nice to see a little positivity in the fight world, especially after two would-be competitors hurled some jabs each other’s way.

As soon as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion, Sean O’Malley, began his reign over the division, he tossed out the idea of colliding with Ilia Topuria at Featherweight. This was before Topuria had become his division’s champion one month before O’Malley earned his first successful title defense earlier this year (March 9, 2024). However, “Sugar” always had the hope of speaking an eventual champion vs. champion super fight into existence.

Topuria, 27, was less interested than O’Malley from the idea’s inception. The pair had some verbal exchanges on Twitter and O’Malley recently noted how he’d be upset to be the co-main event on a Topuria card. Ultimately, “El Matador” has changed his tune about his fellow champion after they met as guests at UFC 300 last month (April 13, 2024).

“He’s doing a great, amazing job of becoming bigger, and bigger in the sport,” Topuria told Sportskeeda. “He’s a big star in the United States. Even as a fighter, I like his fight style, too. I like his movement, everything he does — he’s a showman, right? I like him. He’s doing a great job.

“We just spoke once, at UFC 300,” he concluded. “We had a short conversation. We spoke [for] about one minute, but he was nice to me. He was nice.”

Neither champion has their next title defenses booked, but each is expected to be lined up against Max Holloway for Topuria and Merab Dvalishvili for O’Malley. The champions have some big ideas in mind for their futures afterward. Whether or not that includes a bout against each other remains to be seen.

Dustin Poirier settled the score with Conor McGregor in 2021.

When Poirier and McGregor met as Featherweight contenders at the stacked UFC 178 card in 2014, no one expected to see a rematch between the two seven years later at Lightweight. McGregor notoriously won the first encounter via a first round technical knockout that further sent him into the superstar stratosphere as he went on to fight Dennis Siver before challenging for UFC gold.

Poirier vs. McGregor 2 took place at UFC 257 in January 2021. Highly respectful towards each other this time around, unlike their first fight, Poirier scored redemption in the form of a second round knockout of the Irishman. Fast-forward to the summer and it was time for the trilogy at UFC 264 in July. Ultimately, Poirier once again bested McGregor, battering him until the final bell of round one when McGregor suffered a nasty broken leg (watch highlights).

In 2024, both are set to headline the next two UFC pay-per-view (PPV) events on schedule. At this stage, “The Diamond” has no interest in a fourth fight after the previous results and what came with them.

“I think that ship has sailed,” Poirier told ESPN. “All I want is the UFC lightweight championship. I don’t feel the need to fight him again at all. I don’t need that [bad] energy in my life.”

Poirier will attempt to capture undisputed UFC Lightweight gold for the third time when he faces the champion, Islam Makhachev, at UFC 302 next weekend (Sat., June 1, 2024). Poirier’s second shot at gold came directly after his previous two McGregor wins. In the end, he’d lose via third round rear-naked choke to Charles Oliveira at UFC 269 in December 2021.

As for McGregor, his first fight since that injury loss comes against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 next month (Sat., June 29, 2024).

Paddy Pimblett is getting his chance to crack the Lightweight Top 15.

UFC 304 will see the return of one of England’s biggest stars when Pimblett battles Bobby Green in Manchester, England on July 27, 2024. The fight will be Pimblett’s first against a ranked opponent with Green at No. 15. It will also be his first fight on home soil since July 2022.

Pimblett, 29, admits it’s not the match up he was hoping for as his sights were on the No. 10-ranked Renato “Moicano” Carneiro. His next fight was only recently announced and “The Baddy” is already annoyed with his opponent.

“He’s a proper tool, lad,” Pimblett told The Mac Life. “He’s a proper weapon. The funniest one is he says he mentioned me. I didn’t mention you. You mentioned me first. So then I mentioned you, ya little sausage.

“Everyone talks about me so it’s all the same,” he continued. “He’s just a proper tool, lad. I think he’s a proper s—t human being. He’s just a proper wanker, lad. He’s saying that I mentioned him first, lad. He’s just lying. Why would I mention you? Why would I mention Bobby Green, lad?”

Pimblett and Green share two common opponents ahead of their fight, Jared Gordon and Tony Ferguson. While Pimblett defeated both via unanimous decision, Green’s Gordon clash resulted in a no-contest (watch highlights) before he submitted Ferguson with a third round arm-triangle choke (watch highlights).

Since Green’s Ferguson win in July 2023, “King” has gone 2-1 with his loss coming via a vicious first round knockout against Jalin Turner (watch highlights). Green rebounded in his following fight against Jim Miller via unanimous decision at UFC 300 last month (April 13, 2024). However, Pimblett believes his upcoming dance partner will never be the same.

“He’s got very good striking,” Pimblett said. “He’s got good hands, but his chin’s gone after what happened with Jalin Turner. Jim Miller’s no knockout artist and he wobbled him once or twice in that fight on UFC 300. I think that is off Jalin Turner absolutely obliterating Bobby Green’s skull into the canvas.

“His striking’s very good, his takedown defense is very good and that’s what he’s gonna try and do,” he continued. “He’s gonna try and use his takedown defense to keep it on the feet ‘cause he thinks he’ll outstrike me. As I say, his chin’s gone so strike with me, we’ll see what happens. I can see me knocking him out. I can see me submitting him.”