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This edition already went out on December 1, 2023. Subscribe to never miss an edition.

Edition 62December 1, 2023

We're going to make a big announcement before the end of the year. We're going to give you something you've been asking for.

1
The Sean Strickland and Ian Garry drama

Context: Ian Garry's wife wrote a book in 2012 called "How to be a WAG." The book is "The ultimate guide to catching the man of your dreams," per the Amazon description, and discusses how to be the wife or girlfriend of a famous athlete. Garry's wife said this week that she wrote the book for comedic purposes.

Sean Strickland's involvement: He posted a video on Instagram stating that he texted Garry saying "Dicks before Chicks" and told Garry he needed to run away. Garry responded to Strickland by saying he'd sue him if he didn't take the video down. Not only did Strickland not take the video down, he continued to go after Garry on X.

2
The PFL signs an extension with ESPN

Details: The agreement ensures that the PFL's regular season, playoffs, and World Championships will continue to be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+ in the U.S. as part of a "multiyear" arrangement. Additionally, ESPN will handle the distribution of the organization's pay-per-view Super Fight Division, showcasing Jake Paul and ex-UFC Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

What about Bellator? There are no specifics yet. As it stands, "The Bellator International Champions Series" will consist of eight fight events each year. This series won't be broadcast on ESPN.

3
Bobby Green gets into a scuffle during his fight week

What happened? Green alleges that Arman Tsarukyan's team ran up on him at the host hotel and got in his face. That led to Green punching someone in the face on Tsarukyan's team.

Background: Green previously called Tsarukyan a boring fighter and said he wouldn't fight him: "Would I wanna fight (Tsarukyan)? That Arman guy's f*cking boring. I can't stand watching him fight. Every time I watch him fight, I go to sleep. And then he calls out, '50 Gs! Dana, give me 50 Gs!' I'm like, 'For what!? What did you do!? That was terrible!"

4
Dricus du Plessis targets a move to Light Heavyweight in the future

The game plan: DDP wants to beat Strickland, then ideally defend his Championship against Israel Adesanya. He expects the UFC to push Khamzat Chimaev as his next challenge first. After defending his title, he wants to challenge for the Light Heavyweight title.

Would the UFC allow it? It's not likely that the UFC brass would allow someone to challenge for another title without defending their own Championship several times. The only exceptions to this rule have been Conor McGregor and BJ Penn.

5
Robert Whittaker vs. Paulo Costa is potentially in the works

Who reported this? Robert Whittaker posted a training picture on Instagram and tagged Paulo Costa with the caption, "Let's give it another go." He used the hashtag #UFC299, which is set to take place on March 9th in Miami, Florida.

Background: Whittaker and Costa were supposed to fight at UFC 284 last year, but the fight was scrapped only a few weeks prior because Costa said that he didn't sign a contract to fight Whittaker and wasn't planning to. This upset Whittaker, who had been in training camp for the fight. He didn't end up fighting a replacement.

6
Dana White doubts Dillon Danis will be in the UFC

Why? Dillon Danis causes chaos everywhere he goes, and Dana White doesn't want to deal with that in the UFC. Dana told the Nelk Boys that athletic commissions go crazy and hand out fines any time there's a backstage altercation, and Dillon gets into a lot of those.

Can it still happen? Probably. Love him or hate him, Dillon Danis makes people watch his fights, and that's always a good thing when you're putting on events. A conversation between Dillon and Dana could smooth things over if Dillon actually wants to compete with the best fighters in the world.

7
Brandon Moreno has targeted his next fight

Who? Moreno wants to fight Amir Albazi in a title elimination fight.

When? There are rumors that the UFC is targeting a return to Mexico in Q1 of 2024. If that is true, it makes a lot of sense to fight Moreno in that region, given his superstardom.

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OverUnder
All of your weekly MMA updates in one place.
Keeping up to date with combat sports news can take up a lot of time, so we’re simplifying the process by bringing the most important stories directly to you. We read the internet all week and then summarize what you need to know in 3-4 minutes.
Enter your email to sign up for the OverUnder newsletter. The first email newsletter in MMA.
By subscribing, you will receive a weekly MMA newsletter from Verdict MMA. You can unsubscribe at any time.