The coach of former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland, Eric Nixick, said the promotion's matchmakers were hoping to set up a fight between his charge and Khamzat Chimaev.
"I know that the UFC wanted to put Shawn together with Chimaev. But I'm not sure if Shawn has the opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia. But I know that Hamzat's name has been discussed as a possible opponent. Chimaev is a big star in Saudi Arabia. And here it was the venue itself that mattered more than the name of the opponent for Hamzat," Sportskeeda quoted Nixik as saying.
Recall that Strickland will share the octagon with Paulo Costa on June 1 at UFC 302 in Newark, USA. As for Chimaev, he will fight Robert Whittaker in the main event of the debut show in Saudi Arabia on June 22.
Retired British mixed martial arts veteran Dan Hardy explained why he has little faith in UFC lightweight Michael Chandler winning his upcoming bout with the promotion's former two-division champion Conor McGregor.
"I can't underestimate Conor's skills. He has done exceptional things in the most intense moments of his career. He knows how to control distance and provoke his opponents with deceptive strikes. And the current Chandler is not the same as he was in Bellator, when he acted carefully and clearly chose the moment to attack.
Michael can beat anyone with his speed, but he's a lot less cautious now. And that's all McGregor needs. Chandler is out for the money, he wants to put on a show. He's not thinking about exactly how he wants to beat Conor, he's just going to come out chopping," Hardy said on The MMA Hour show.
Recall that McGregor and Chandler will fight in the main event of UFC 303, which is scheduled for June 29 in Las Vegas, USA. The fight will take place in the welterweight limit.
Former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Porier expressed his opinion, current full belt holder Islam Makhachev is superior to Khabib Nurmagomedov in striking technique and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Former dominant UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson has made it clear that he's not thrilled with the level of current belt holder Alesandre Pantoja.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Orlovsky expressed his opinion that lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev will confidently defeat Dustin Porier in their upcoming fight.
Irish UFC welterweight prospect Ian Harry has once again called on former interim division champion American Colby Covington to sign a contract to fight.
Australian UFC lightweight division fighter Steve Erceg commented on his loss to Brazilian champion Alesandre Pantoja.
American mixed martial arts veteran Matt Brown has revealed that he has made the decision to hang up his gloves.
Famed American mixed martial arts veteran and former UFC champion in two weight classes Randy Couture named two of the most notable knockouts in mixed martial arts history.
Undefeated British prospect Muhammad Mokaev of the UFC's lightweight division rated his fighting skills on a 10-point scale.
