Dana White just received a new and exciting matchup request. And it aligns pretty well with Michael Chandler’s next probable fight. If you didn’t know this already, then my friend, you might have missed out on the exciting news from the MMA world. But worry no more, because EssentiallySports has come forth with a brand new episode of MMA News Roundup. 

Today, we’ll tackle the new matchup request from Chandler, and then learn what Robert Whittaker had to say about Israel Adesanya’s ground game. Finally, we’ll lend Francis Ngannou an ear as he breaks down the matchup between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes. So let’s get started!

Michael Chandler puts Dana White on alert with a request for a fight against Paddy Pimblett

About a month after his loss at the hands of Charles Oliveira, the former Bellator lightweight champion, Michael Chandler has asked for his next fight. Well, he targeted the British phenom, Paddy Pimblett. In a conversation with InstantCasino, ‘Iron’ said, “I like the idea of fighting Paddy Pimblett and making a ton of money… Let’s just say I like the fight statistically.”

He claimed that ‘The Baddy’ wasn’t as dangerous as the fighting community deemed him to be. Of course, Chandler admitted that the British fighter was young and hungry for victory. But that’s where the difference lay. ‘Iron’ has been fighting for more than a decade, and has much more experience than Pimblett. Nevertheless, he said, “Whether I’m a 1000-1 underdog or a 1000-1 favorite, I put in all the work necessary to be successful on fight night.”

Now, let’s shift the focus to the middleweight division. What exactly had the former 2-time middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, done to leave Robert Whittaker stunned? Let’s find out!

Robert Whittaker recounts how Israel Adesanya caught him by surprise

After sharing a heated rivalry and trying to settle it out in the Octagon twice, ‘The Reaper’ and ‘The Last Stylebender’ found their way to a new friendship. Well, Whittaker tracked his way to City Kickboxing and trained with his former opponent. Needless to say, it was an eye-opening experience for him. Not only did he get to train with some of the best fighters in the world, he also got a chance to develop new relationships with former rivals.

However, there was one thing that caught ‘The Reaper’ by surprise. During a conversation with Ariel Helwani, he said, “The thing I was most surprised about with Adesanya was actually his Jiu-Jitsu. I don’t know how he’s kept it so hidden. It’s really good.” No doubt, getting to see Adesanya dominate the Octagon with Jiu-Jitsu was always a fight fan’s dream.

Now, it’s time for the final stop. Francis Ngannou has seen Nurmagomedov and Hughes pretty closely. Let’s hear what he had to say about the matchup, shall we?

Francis Ngannou opens up on Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes

With less than 2 days left for the PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series, ‘The Predator’ weighed in on the matchup between Nurmagomedov and Hughes. He reflected on the time ‘Big News’ fought AJ McKee and said, “I fought in the same card with Paul in Riyadh. I mean, personally, I count him out. But he managed to pull AJ McKee out properly clean. No argue about that. And from that moment, he get my respect.” 

Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, has been dominating the lightweight division at Bellator for a long while now. With Khabib Nurmagomedov backing him up, he was indeed a super fighter. Ngannou continued, “And Usman, I mean, he’s been around for so long. We see him like, pulling people and then drag them into like ocean. Yeah, he just drown them into like ocean. And I think he’s very backed up with Khabib.”

And that brings us to the end of today’s MMA News Roundup. Do you think Chandler vs. Pimblett is the fight to make? Are you excited to see Izzy grapple in the Octagon? Who do you think would win at Nurmagomedov vs. Hughes? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.