The UFC’s heavyweight division has been at a standstill due to the ongoing Jon Jones–Tom Aspinall fiasco. With the heavyweight gold essentially held hostage, the division’s top contenders are eyeing matchups among themselves—waiting for ‘Bones’ to either face Aspinall or vacate his title. Amidst the chaos, a prominent heavyweight has just announced his return to the Octagon. Who is he? Stay tuned, as we bring you another episode of MMA Roundup!

From the heavyweight chaos, we will move on to Michael Bisping, who has some words for his countryman Paddy Pimblett. Finally, we will end our montage with a piece of information about Sean O’Malley and Aljamain Sterling. So, without any further ado, let us get started.

Russian Heavyweight announces comeback after setbacks

Former UFC interim heavyweight title challenger, Sergei Pavlovich, has announced his comeback to the Octagon after going 2-1 in his last three fights. The Russian hotshot tried to take on Aspinall back at UFC 294, however, he had to face a crushing defeat as the British fighter knocked him out in the very first round, which shattered his heavyweight gold dreams.

Approximately a year later, Dana White matched him up against his friend, Alexander Volkov, and once again, he was defeated via unanimous decision. This match might have broken their friendship because Pavlovich was a bit sour after the fight. Well, the Russian came back to the Octagon this February against Jairzinho Rozenstruik and won his battle, but it was a lackluster one.

Well, after his multiple setbacks, the Russian fighter took to his X handle to upload a photo of himself with a caption that read, “I’ll be back soon!  #ufc #sport.” We have no information about his opponent and when he is going to fight but what we do know is the fact that it will be a big name. For now, let us move on to Michael Bisping and Paddy Pimblett.

Michael Bisping leads Paddy Pimblett to fight against Islam Makhachev

The Briton will take on former Bellator champion Michael Chandler, as all roads to lead glory at the Kaseya Center in Miami on April 12. Paddy Pimblett, who remains undefeated in the promotion, will face Chandler, who is currently on a two-fight losing streak. As the beef between the fighters continues, Michael Bisping has come forward with a major revelation about his fellow countryman.

While having a conversation on his YouTube handle, Bisping asserted that if Pimblett extends his winning streak by defeating Michael Chandler at UFC 314, then he could very well be on his path to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight belt: “Paddy Pimblett is not necessarily put up or shut up for him. If he loses to Michael Chandler, he is still a young guy. It’ll be his first loss in UFC, but it’s not the end of the world. It’ll be a bump in the road, he’ll have to regroup, he’ll have to rebound, and he’ll have to start the win streak again.”

He further added, “But if he gets the job done against Michael Chandler. And he just might do that if he can do that. I’m telling you, Paddy Pimblett is probably one fight away from fighting for the belt.” Quite a bold prediction from the former middleweight champion but this can certainly happen. If you remember, Islam Makahchev was practically gifted the title fight after his victory against King Green. So, if Pimblett gets past Chandler, then the story can repeat itself. And now, from the lightweight division, let us take our attention over to bantamweight.

Aljamain Sterling rips apart Sean O’Malley techniques

“I haven’t mast——d once this year — not once in 2025. I haven’t mast——d or been on social media,” said Sean O’Malley as he laid out his plan to reclaim the bantamweight belt from Merab Dvalishvili. The two are set to face off once again at UFC 316, exactly one year after their initial encounter, where ‘Suga’ conceded defeat. O’Malley now has a focused strategy to overcome the Georgian fighter, which includes abstaining from social media and other instant gratifications.

After O’Malley announced his abstinence, former bantamweight champion and longtime rival Aljamain Sterling came forward to mock him. In a skit uploaded to his social media, Sterling poked fun at O’Malley’s confession about abstaining from mast—-tion. As the day of the fight draws near, Sean O’Malley has seriously taken an exile from social media. So, will that help him get his edge back against Merab Dvalishvili the second time around? What are your thoughts on the fight? State your opinion in the comments below.