Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is the one thing that has plagued the fighting community for ages. And now, Nick Diaz and his brother Nate Diaz have find themselves in the thick of it afters rumors started to swirl over their potential onset of CTE. That’s what we’d cover in today’s episode of EssentiallySports’ MMA News Roundup.

Of course, we’ll look at the Diaz brothers’ CTE issues first. Then, we’ll see how Tony Ferguson managed to troll Dana White ahead of Christmas. And finally, we’ll look at Robert Whittaker’s lofty aspirations. So, without any further ado, let’s dive right in. 

Sean O’ Malley’s coach highlights the possibility of Nick and Nate Diaz having CTE

Nate Diaz and Nick Diaz are infamous for their habit of going all out in sparring. This indeed puts them at risk of getting brain damage. Well, the Stockton natives are pretty tough when it comes to fighting. And that’s exactly what has fuelled their CTE speculations.

Nevertheless, Sean O’Malley’s coach, Tim Welch decided to weigh in on the Diaz brothers’ sparring style in a recent episode of his YouTube talk show.

Welch said, “I mean dude both the guys, the style they have and not even the damage they take in fighting… But you know they’re sparing boxing like that. They’re just wearing 10-15 shots to just stay back on you. But guys like that, who pressure you, they’re not super fast and athletic. They’re gonna have to eat those shots and then keep pressuring.”

Now, let’s take a look at the present that Tony Ferguson has for the fighting community. Let me tell you. You might end up laughing a bit too hard.

Tony Ferguson trolls Dana White

‘El Cucuy’ recently took to Instagram and shared a video where he propped up a cutout of Dana White. With Sugarcult’s ‘Bouncing Off The Walls’ blaring out in the background, the former interim lightweight champion showed off his muscles. 

In the caption, Ferguson wrote, “Deck💪The🎅Halls🤌MF’as!!!l” Woooooooooooooooo!!!!!! Tis’ The Season Ladiez 💃& 🕺 Gentlemen!!! 💯 Remember: Keep It Jolly Foos 📝 Snag a Pinch By The🎄Mistletoe 🎁 & Tell ‘Em’ The Champ Sent’Cha🍃- Champ 🦹‍♂️ -CSO- 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 # 🐺💨🍃 # Happy🎄Holidayze & Merry🎅Christmas 🤝 Share A Smile Crew🍃 🫂 # VanWilderDayze 🔥

Well, it was nothing short of a hilarious Christmas present. But let’s raise the excitement levels with Robert Whittaker’s latest announcement, shall we?

Robert Whittaker wants to move up to the light heavyweight category

Following his latest defeat at the hands of Khamzat Chimaev, ‘The Reaper’ had enough time to think about his next big move. He seemed to have realized that with someone like the Chechen Wolf standing between him and the middleweight belt, he’d have to go through a lot of trouble to become a champion again. However, attaining the light heavyweight division strap seemed like a better option.

Taking to the MMArcade podcast, the former UFC middleweight champion revealed, “I’m still playing with the idea of moving to light heavyweight. I’m a big dude, bigger than people think, but I don’t know.” But whether it’ll be successful for ‘The Reaper’ or would face even more trouble is something that we as fans will have to wait and watch.

Do you think Diaz actually has CTE? What do you think of Ferguson trolling the UFC head honcho? Is Whittaker doing the right thing by thinking of moving to the light heavyweight division? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.