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This edition already went out on February 23, 2024. Subscribe to never miss an edition.

Edition 65February 23, 2024

We've got a stacked day of fights today. PFL vs. Bellator and UFC Mexico. Enjoy the action.

1
Francis Ngannou Announces Return to MMA

Breakdown: Francis Ngannou is returning from his boxing adventure after his fight against Anthony Joshua, which goes down March 8th. Ngannou announced that he'll be facing the winner of the fight between Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader, which headlines the PFL vs. Bellator card on February 24th.

When? The date for the matchup is currently unknown. Ngannou first needs to get through his fight with Anthony Joshua. After that, the situation will become more apparent. But this means following March 8th, Ngannous's next fight will occur inside the PFL Smart Cage.

2
Henry Cejudo will not retire from the sport

Details: Henry Cejudo released a video on his YouTube channel confirming that he’s not going to retire and he will still fight.

Why? He didn’t want to end his career on a loss like that. He feels no shame in losing to Merab Dvalishvili and believes Merab will become the Champion in his next fight.

3
Chael Sonnen Replaces Ryan Clark on DC/RC

Why? According to Ryan Clark, he and ESPN could not agree on contract negotiations. However, many fans have speculated that he has been removed due to his criticisms of the Women's Bantamweight title fight between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva.

What's next? Chael Sonnen announced that he'd be taking over for Ryan Clark to create a new show, "Good Guy / Bad Guy," with Daniel Cormier remaining as the other co-host. The show will also continue to air on YouTube and ESPN.

4
Khamzat Chimaev Still Having Troubles Fighting in The US

Why? The reason Khamzat Chimaev has not been able to fight in the US is believed to be connected to Ramzan Kadyrov, the Head of the Chechen Republic. Ramzan Kadyrov has multiple serious allegations against him, including kidnapping and assassination, which has led fans to believe he is the reason why Chimaev is unable to obtain a visa to the US.

What do we know? In an interview ahead of UFC 294, where Chimaev defeated Kamaru Usman, Alan Nascimento (Chimaev's BJJ coach) revealed that Chimaev was struggling to obtain a visa. This discussion recently arose because the UFC wished to book Chimaev on UFC 300 but could not do so as it will go down in Las Vegas.

5
Michael Chandler Crashes WWE For McGregor Callout

What? At the WWE Raw event on February 19th, Michael Chandler did what Michael Chandler does best, and that's screaming a callout down the microphone. "Iron" announced that the two had unfinished business, clearly trying to re-ignite the fire that has fizzled out over the last few months surrounding the matchup.

Will the fight happen? We don't know, and we don't think anyone knows either. Chandler and McGregor competed in TUF 31 between February and March of 2023, which aired across the summer of that year, so fans expected a winter showdown at UFC 296. However, the date was pushed back to April 13th (UFC 300), then to June 29th, and now even further based on Dana White's comments.

6
Alex Pereira Wants to Fight on UFC 300 and 301

The Story: Alex Pereira will be headlining UFC 300 vs. Jamahal Hill but wants a quick turnaround if he can get through "Sweet Dreams." The UFC will be returning to Brazil for UFC 301, just three weeks after UFC 300, and Pereira wishes to fight in his home country for the first time since September 2017.

Is it likely? It's not impossible, but a lot of events need to go Pereira's way. First, he'd have to make easy work of the #3 ranked Hill and take little to no damage in the fight. He'd then have to make a second weight cut down to 205 lbs and have an opponent ready to fight him on the date, potentially Magomed Ankalaev.

7
Kamaru Usman Exits UFC PFP Rankings After 5 Years

2019-2023: In 2019, Kamaru Usman entered the UFC Pound-For-Pound rankings following his dominant victory over Tyron Woodley at UFC 235. "The Nigerian Nightmare" would continue to climb the rankings, racking up 5 title defenses against Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, and Gilbert Burns. Closing out 2022, Usman was the #1 PFP fighter.

2023-Present: Following his shock defeat to Leon Edwards at UFC 278, Usman dropped from the #1 spot but regained his top-15 ranking. But after majority-decision defeats to Edwards again and Khamzat Chimaev, plus the addition of Ilia Topuria to the PFP list, Usman has dropped out of the rankings after 1,813 days.

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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.