From fighter departures to title shot comments, the last 24 hours have been understandably buzzing with new stories from the MMA world. Hence, we have another edition of the daily roundup to highlight the key and noteworthy headlines, starting with a new ruling from the Nevada State Athletic Commission regarding anti-doping violations.

Thereafter, we’ll shift our attention to the news of the end of a heavyweight fighter, Robelis Despaigne‘s UFC run, having fought thrice in Dana White‘s promotion. Finally, we’ll sum this compilation up with a former UFC champion, who weighed in on the current middleweight title picture, involving Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland. Let’s get into it!

NSAC removes a substance from the banned list

Remember when Nick Diaz got slapped with a lengthy ban when he tested positive for cannabis? Or, when the UFC fired Matt Riddle because of his cannabis use? Well, that doesn’t seem to be an issue for the Nevada Commission anymore. The NSAC has decided that it’s better to remove cannabis from the banned substance list, and fighters will no longer get slapped with an anti-doping violation if the substance is found in their body.

“The possession, use, or consumption of cannabis or cannabis products will not be deemed an anti-doping violation,” the NSAC wrote in a recent statement as reported by MMA journalist John Morgan. This rule change seems to have come into effect at the right time because Nick Diaz, who was previously reprimanded for cannabis use, will be returning to Las Vegas to butt heads against Vicente Luque. It remains to be seen how this rule change goes on to impact professional MMA in the fight capital of the world.

Now, let’s move over to the other big story in this roundup.

UFC parts ways with Robelis Despaigne

Robelis Despaigne started his MMA career pretty later than the standard age that’s been set by the fighters of today. After acquiring a 4-0 record, Dana White decided to sign him, and yes, he did well in his first fight, registering an 18-second 1st round knockout. However, that seemed to be the last time fans saw Despaigne as a victor inside the Octagon because he went on to lose the next couple of fights.

The 36-year-old is not getting any younger, and hence, found himself on the departure list with six other fighters, including flyweight contender Matheus Nicolau. Robelis Despaigne is a highly accomplished martial artist who has a 4th-degree black belt in Taekwondo and has even won an Olympic bronze medal in the sport in 2012. ‘The Big Boy’ is also a two-time world champion. So, what next for the Cuban national? Only time will tell. Now, let’s dive into the final piece of noteworthy news regarding the UFC title scene discussion.

Former UFC champion believes Khamzat Chimaev deserves a title shot

Khamzat Chimaev’s middleweight return last year didn’t impress fans as much as he would have wished it did. He edged past Kamaru Usman, a career welterweight, via decision, but he put all doubts to bed when he defeated former champion Robert Whittaker in a pretty dominant fashion. Chimaev pushed ‘The Reaper’s teeth in, after all. Seeing how ‘Borz’ pumped up the crowd with his UFC 308 performance, former UFC and ONE Championship king, Demetrious Johnson backed the Chechnyan-born for a title fight.

‘Mighty Mouse’ claims that he could put up a much more “exciting” fight against Dricus du Plessis than Sean Strickland, who’s slated to take on the South African for the belt. “I think Chimaev deserves a title shot next. Everyone remembers Sean Strickland’s last fight; it wasn’t exciting. Khamzat is undefeated, uninjured, and exciting,” Demetrious Johnson stated on his YouTube channel. What do you think? Does Strickland deserve a title shot rematch or should Chimaev get ahead in line?

Let us know your thoughts on this roundup edition in the comments down below.