After suffering a loss against Leon Edwards at UFC 296 last year, Colby Covington is looking to͏ r͏etu͏r͏n͏ to the win͏ colu͏m͏n͏͏ as he pre͏pa͏res to͏ f͏ace ͏Joa͏q͏uin ‘N͏e͏w͏ Mans͏a’͏ Buckley i͏n͏ a hig͏hly anti͏ci͏pa͏ted clash j͏ust hours ͏aw͏ay. ͏Ahead o͏f͏ the bout͏, ͏’Cha͏͏os͏’ confidently s͏tated th͏at a͏ v͏i͏c͏tory ͏over Buckley ͏would͏ ͏propel him͏ ba͏͏c͏k into titl͏e conte͏͏ntio͏n. Adding an͏ e͏xtra l͏͏ayer ͏of in͏tri͏͏g͏u͏e, ͏Covi͏n͏gton h͏as ͏enlist͏ed͏ t͏h͏e ͏h͏e͏lp ͏of a f͏orme͏r ͏UF͏C͏ ͏fig͏͏ht͏er, who͏ will b͏e ͏co͏r͏n͏e͏ring hi͏m͏ f͏͏o͏r t͏h͏e fight, and the legend might have the plan to deal with ‘New Mansa’. What is the game plan, you ask? Well, stick around as we are back with another episode of MMA Roundup.

From the unexpected Colby Covington and Chael Sonnen partnership, we will move on forward to Conor McGregor, who has some cherishing words for his son. Then, we will jump on to Greg Hardy, who had something to say after losing to World Ranked Cruiserweight Aleksei Papin. Finally, we will conclude our segment with a piece of information about a unique victory within the MMA world.

Chael Sonnen laid bear his plan to corner Colby Covington

The three-time welterweight title challenger is just moments away from facing Joa͏q͏uin Buckley at UFC Tampa. Colby Covington is in desperate need of a win as the fighter is 2-3 in his last five. Well, in order to get back at the winning column, Covington has an ace up his sleeve in the form of Chael Sonnen. Yeah, you heard that right, the former UFC fighter and Hall of Famer will be cornering ‘Chaos’ and also has a gameplan to take on the dangerous Buckley.

While having a conversation with ESPN, Chael Sonnen was asked about Colby Covington’s gameplan and the former UFC fighter asserted that they would be looking to go wrestling heavy on ‘New Mansa’, “I love that you use that word. We’ve actually talked about that in camp, about the threat of the wrestling, and a large part of camp did have to do with the hands. Buckley is one of these guys where he would give you openings. He’s got to be crowding you. He doesn’t do as great of a job backing up,” said Sonnen to Megan Olivi on ESPN MMA.

He further added, “He will throw a kick. We feel that he exposes himself, so there’s a couple of things that we’re looking for. But, in fairness, we’re looking for some tricks on the feet more than on the ground. There’s a little inside scoop for you.” Olivi further questioned Colby Covington about the training, to which ‘Chaos’ stated, “We’re not forgetting where we came from. You know, our roots are wrestling, Oregon wrestling in particular. So, you know, we’re going to put a good pace out there tomorrow night, and we’re going to surprise people. You know, people sleep on the striking, but with that element of being able to set up fake takedowns and come up with big strikes, I know we can put this guy’s lights out. So, you know, tune in tomorrow night because we got something special in store.”

Well, we are just moments away from witnessing the much-anticipated UFC Tampa clash between Colby Covington and Joaquin Buckley. However, before that, let us have a look at Conor McGregor, who has something to say about his son.

Conor McGregor shares a heartwarming message for his son, Mack

When the entire world turns against you, the only people who stand by are your family and Conor McGregor is experiencing this first hand. The former dual weight champion has been on a downfall since Nikita Hand won the civil assault case against ‘Mystic Mac.’ The after-effects of the case were so horrible that McGregor wad forced into a state of deep reflection. Regardless, the former UFC champ has come forward to celebrate the birthday of his youngest son Mack McGregor.

Taking to his Instagram handle, Conor McGregor uploaded a photo of himself with his son and captioned it, “Our boy is 1! Mack McGregor 1! The happiest little boy we love you so much, thank you God  @deedevlin1.” Well, the career of ‘Mystic Mac’ took a massive hit due to the case and he is finding solace in the warm embrace of his family. Regardless, let us move forward to Ex-UFC and Ex-NFL star, Greg Hardy, who released a statement after his recent defeat.

Greg Hardy releases statement after being dropped by Alexei Papin

Greg Hardy’s combat sports career continues to take a weird turn as he flew in to face Russian boxer and kickboxer Alexei Papin in the squared circle at the Megasport Sport Palace in Moscow. Hardy was undefeated in boxing but that soon changed in the third round when Alexei Papin dropped the former UFC and NFL star, knocking him out cold.

The loss was very similar to Hardy’s loss at BKFC in February last year when he faced Josh Watson who knocked him out cold in the second round. Following that, he was knocked out twice more – once in June 2023, and again in May 2024 – in his exhibition boxing career.

His first pro-boxing defeat might be sharp but it appears that Hardy has not lost his soul because of it. Taking to his Instagram handle, Hardy uploaded a photo of himself with a caption that read, “I came to Russia alone on short notice to fight a monster with 18 wins and tested my [mettle]. Got two knock downs and went toe toe. I don’t take easy fights, I don’t fight fake fights, I fight real killers and sometimes the price is high but I will pay it to become the best no ? Thank you to everyone that helped me get to this point.”

The fighter might have to take a rest before he steps inside the squared ring even again. Regardless, let us now move forward to Marney Maxx, who has inspired all of the MMA world with his recent action.

One-armed MMA fighter secures victory at Shooto

UFC Tampa might be exciting for MMA fans but what Marney Maxx did at the Shooto is inspiring, to say the least. The Braz͏ilian ͏mixed ma͏rtia͏l artist M͏axx, known for competing with ͏only one fully developed arm, delivered ͏an͏ incredib͏le knock͏o͏ut victory against Es͏terf͏erso͏n Da Silva. The stunning finish, captured͏ o͏ve͏r the weekend, is des͏tined ͏to m͏ake waves online.

Maxx secured ͏the kno͏c͏kout with a pow͏erful left high kick th͏a͏t͏ stunned Da Silva, setti͏ng th͏e s͏t͏age f͏or a deci͏sive f͏inish. For those ͏c͏urious, th͏is victo͏ry improved Max͏x’s r͏e͏cord to 6-4͏ and marked yet an͏other ͏win ac͏hieve͏d via stoppage. Maxx might not be a UFC prospect but he has proved that you might not even need all your limbs to compete in mixed martial arts, much like Nick Newell.

Regardless, what are your thoughts on Colby Covington’s partnership with Chael Sonnen for UFC Tampa? Do you think ‘The American Gangster’ being in his corner will boost his chances of winning? What about Conor McGregor’s message to his son? Is it endearing that ‘The Notorious’ is finding solace in his family amid legal hurdles? What about Greg Hardy? Should he continue fighting despite multiple KO losses? Finally, what do you think of Marney Maxx’s incredible KO victory? Let us know in the comments down below.