UFC has had another amazing year fighting wise. To be honest it wasn’t lacking in drama either. In the aftermath of the UFC 323 event we have seen just how passionate and emotional fighters can be even after the duel is over. At times it is hard to differentiate the hardest sports out there from a soap opera. With a year almost over, and only one UFC event on the horizon in 2025, let us walk you through the most dramatic events that marked the past few weeks in the UFC.
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan is a Rivalry We Didn’t Know We Needed
At UFC 323 we witnessed one of the better main events in recent history of MMA. With Merab being a heavy favorite against Petr Yan according to every bigger UFC 323 sportsbook, seeing The Machine losing sparked an online debate among the fans of both fighters. What’s even more interesting is that both men continued to throw punches long after their fight ended. Most people who saw the fight between Yan and Merab saw that the Georgian fighter was outclassed, and that his otherworldly cardio was no match for Yan’s match preparation.
Dana White is already laying down the foundation for their rematch. The plan is to wrap up the Merab vs. Yan rivalry with a trilogy bout, and if we’re going to judge the possibility of having that duel based on both men’s comments post match, we’re in for so much fun. To show that he’s more eager than anyone to face Yan again, Merab took his soul out on Twitter where he had a few selected words to say about Petr Yan, calling him a liar among many few things. Not only that Merab was not fond of the way Yan talked about him in the press, he was also taking aim at Yan’s friends such as Anatoly Malykhin. Dvalishvilli was quite open about having a rematch, and stated as much that Dana White already told him that a trilogy duel is in the works as we speak.
While Dana and Merab are on the same page as far as a new duel goes, Petr Yan has a different opinion. The Russian fighter wants Merab to earn his return back at a title shot. Yan is the new bantamweight champion at UFC, and he believes that it’s up to him to be a part of the process that will decide on his next rival as far as the belt goes. Yan jokingly said that Merab needs to go back to Jacuzzi with his boys and to think about everything before asking for a rematch. In Yan’s eyes, he is the champ now, and for the second time at that, and that everyone was calling Merab the best bantamweight of all time, those people and The Machine need to eat their words, and rethink what was said. As far as the trilogy goes, Yan wants to see Merab defeating Umar Nurmagomedov before he’s back in line at a title shot.
Dana White Doesn’t Want Any Part of Francis Ngannou Mess
The average UFC and MMA fan wants to see Ngannou back in the octagon. He is a heavyweight deserving of the brightest lights, and many believe that he left the UFC during what could have been his prime era. Yet, when you have an issue with Dana white it is difficult to remain in a company that the man runs. The former UFC heavyweight champion said that he only has one fight left in his PFL deal, and that after that he would be eager to get back to UFC and continue where he left off at 18 record. What Francis Ngannou has in mind is the White House card in which he would cross spears with none other than Jon Jones. As far as PFL goes, it is planned for Ngannou to fight the winner of the Vadim Nemkov and Renan Ferreira fight and for that to be his last match with the promotion.
As far as the UFC goes, their heavyweight division is not in a good state right now. Tom Aspinall has cleared out the division, and then was a part of the eye poking duel that saw his match against Cyril Gane as no contest. The UFC heavyweight division would be rejuvenated with Francis Ngannou back, and if the rumours that Gable Stevenson is also on the way, it would become one of the most competitive divisions within the company overnight. Yet, while every fan of MMA would be in for having the possibility of Francis fighting Tom, Dana White wants none of it.
Dana has made it clear that the two parties have parted ways on bad terms and that he sees no path toward reconciliation. Back at the start of 2024, Dana White said that UFC tried everything possible to have Francis back, even trying to make him the best paid heavyweight of all times, but that the Cameroonian fighter refused the offer. Instead, he accepted what PFL put on the table, and we’ve been stripped of the opportunity of seeing him at the UFC.
While it is a hard path of seeing Ngannou coming back to UFC it is by no means a mission impossible. Back in the day, Dana and Tito Ortiz had a feud, and Tito got back to the UFC eventually. This situation is even less graver, and while Stake.com still doesn’t have the odds released of Francis Ngannou coming back to UFC we are sure they would be favorable in the case they decide to have that betting market.
For people close to both the company and the fighter, this is Francis and Dana testing the battleground. One side will have to make concessions to make the deal happen, and the only question remaining is which side it’s going to be.
Conor McGregor is Still Out of Touch
The Irishman is one of the most entertaining fighters to ever grace the octagon. He was a top draw both inside and out of the UFC. The Notorious one hasn’t fought in ages and yet, he fills the newsstands. Many fans believe that he is out of touch for mocking his return, but the Irishman remains confident he will fight in the summer, at the White House event, he has a purse set, and as you could have guessed he has an opponent in mind too. Four years is a long time not to fight, and MMA is an unforgiving sport. Also, McGregor has lied to fans so many times, that even his hardcore ones are not too trustworthy of his Twitter rants.
Conor is 37 years old, and hasn’t fought for four years, and yet he believes he will be ready to fight next year, will be cleared by both UFC and CSAD, and that the opponent he hand picks will be Michael Chandler. What’s even more ludicrous is that McGregor is so confident in his win, that he has plans beyond the White House card, and that is to fight Islam Makhachev at welterweight in what would be a continuation of his long standing rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The goal is, as you could have guessed, to get his hands on a triple belt. While McGregor was a wonder maker in his heyday, he is so far removed from his glory days that it is hard seeing him defeat Chandler, and even less Makhachev. Fans all over the web were quick to call Conor’s plans out and to call him delusional. We must agree here with the entire MMA fandom, as not only that Conor was inactive for so long, he wrapped up his career with a couple of losses while he was still taken seriously by the UFC community. He is all but unofficially retired, and White House card or not, we just don’t see Conor stepping his foot into the octagon ever again.
Henry Cejudo Retires
While not as dramatic as some of the news from above, in what was his last fight, Henry Cejudo has retired from the sport after an UFC 323 defeat in the hands of Payton Talbott. This is Cejudo’s second retirement, but this time, it appears that there will be no going back. Henry has deserved the rest as he was and remains one of the most decorated athletes as far as combat sports go. Cejudo lost his last match via an unanimous decision, and thus has wrapped up his MMA career with a 16-6 record. For Cejudo, as far as his legacy goes, he was better off without returning. In 2020 he retired as the bantamweight champion, and was well renowned as a two weight champion. Since his return, the time has run over the 38 year old fighter, and he lost all four of his fights. A sad end to a career that was so much more than what Henry showed the younger audience during the last few events.
Paddy Pimblett: an Undeserving Champion
Paddy is not a champion yet. He said he would be one during his UFC debut back in 2021, but he still hasn’t had a proper title shot. Now, Ilia Topuria has granted him an opportunity. After announcing that he will not be fighting for the next six months or so, The Matador forced UFC to make their move. They responded with an interim title fight between Pimblett and Justin Gaethje. The stage has already been set for UFC 324 at T-Mobile in Las Vegas, Nevada. With the interim belt on the line, many fighters see Pimblett as not deserving of the shot. The first one who spoke out against it was Dan Hooker who said that Paddy has been cherry picked and given this opportunity.
While Paddy is the 5th ranked fighter in the division, he doesn’t have a victory against another fighter ranked in the top ten. While you will find plenty of people who share Dan’s view, there is an argument to be made that Paddy is a fine pick as any would be. While Paddy has not been the best fighter possible, he is a fighter who understands the business side of UFC, and has made a name for himself in that regard. Starting from 2026, UFC will no longer have PPVs, but a different type of deal with Paramount+ which is probably one of the reasons they put Paddy at the forefront of their first major event of the year.
Joe Rogan Laughs off Donald Trump’s Plans
Joe Rogan is a big name in the world of entertainment, but Donald Trump is even bigger and is now also the POTUS. Yet, that didn’t stop Joe from claiming that Trump has some nuts plans for the White House card. What Trump announced is seen as crazy by many UFC fans as he said that there could be eight or nine title bouts during that one event. That’s not something that has ever happened in UFC history. While such an event would be the biggest thing the MMA world has ever seen, Rogan doesn’t see it as a viable option. What Rogan did, and that might anger Trump a bit, is that he showed that the President doesn’t know the world of UFC all that well. There’s only eight weight classes, so it is hard to see nine title bouts happening. Of course, unlike Rogan, it is possible that Trump was speaking about both the men’s and female divisions.
In addition to the number of title bouts, Rogan has had a few more issues with the hole event. For one, he believes that many fighters would want to avoid the pressure that comes with a card like this one. Secondly, no one is thinking about the weather right now. Wind, rain, humidity, and warmth could all pose an issue for many fighters. There’s a reason why the UFC rarely does outdoor events. It just now seems that Dana White and Donald Trump haven’t thought this one through.