MMA News Roundup- Colby Covington Targets LeBron James; Charles Oliveira Offers Backup for UFC 311: Makhachev vs Tsarukyan 2; Israel Adesanya Fight All but Confirmed

Colby Covington just went after LeBron James again, this time over Diddy. Wait, you didn’t know? Don’t worry, because EssentiallySports has come up with another episode of MMA News Roundup, where we’ll walk you through the latest topics from the past few hours. 

Today, we’ve got all about the latest chapter in the heat between Colby Covington and LeBron James. Then, we’ll take a look at Charles Oliveira’s update about UFC 311. And lastly, we’ll see who Israel Adesanya will face in his next fight. So without any ado, let’s get right into it!

Colby Covington lashes out at LeBron James over Diddy parties

The beef between Colby Covington and LeBron James was all but settled. ‘Chaos’ has gone off on James several times in the past. And at the press conference for UFC Tampa, he did it once again. And the reason behind it? Well, it was the basketball legend’s praise for ‘Diddy Parties’. The welterweight fighter said, “I’m going to start this off, you know, since I’m the man of the hour. The man of the show. I just wanna ask LeBron. What does he mean by, ‘There’s no party like a Diddy party’? I truly want to know. And not only that, LeBron, how many Diddy parties have you actually been to? I’m really curious to know.”

But Covington wasn’t done. He continued his rant about James partying with Diddy. He said, “Is that the reason why you don’t have social media? Because of the backlash that you’re going to get going to so many Diddy parties? Just pathetic, man. People think this guy is a role model. Wants to defund the police. The most patriotic people in America. Serving and protecting our country. LeBron, you’re a f–king scumbag. And I hope you get locked up in the same cell with Diddy.”

While the NBA and MMA worlds clash, let’s take a look at the second story. Apparently, Charles Oliveira could be the backup fighter for Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311.

Charles Oliveira might weigh in as a backup fighter for UFC 311

In a conversation with TNT Sports, the former UFC lightweight champion sent a shockwave through the MMA realm. Being the #2 contender in the division, the Brazilian would indeed get the chance to fight for the championship title in his next fight. But before that, he’d have to wait and watch Makhachev and the #1 ranked Tsarukyan fight at UFC 311. And with just a few weeks to the bout, ‘Do Bronx’ has come forth with an offer to weigh in as a backup fighter. 

The Brazilian lightweight contender said, “I’ll be there even if I have to sit close to the cage. If the UFC wants [me as backup], why not? They have similar styles. I think Islam is a little bit ahead. I also think it’s going to be a very good fight but for me, it doesn’t matter who wins. I’m next.”

Well, it’s highly unlikely that either Tsarukyan or Makhachev would opt out of the fight. But with Oliveira as the backup, the event can’t possibly go into jeopardy. Now, let’s shift our focus to the final stop.

Israel Adesanya gets his return fight set

Israel Adesanya has been faced defeats in his last 2 fights. Despite that, he hasn’t really had a shortage of callouts. But there is one fight that ‘The Last Stylebender’ didn’t refuse. During his appearance in the Overdogs Podcast, Caio Borralho revealed that Adesanya would now fight Nassourdine Imavov. He said, “Yeah, [Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov is] confirmed. I think the UFC offered Izzy two fights—me or Imavov.”

The Brazilian continued, “Actually, I sent a message to Izzy and was like, ‘Bro, why are you choosing that?’ And he was like, ‘We’re going to fight next year, we’re going to dance next year for the belt.’ I respect you if you choose that. I think [Adesanya] chose right because I think Imavov is a better fight for him.”

It would indeed be a great matchup for Adesanya. And as per Borralho, it’s the former 2-time MW champion, who has a better chance of winning. Needless to say, Adesanya is close to getting a title shot once again. 

And that brings us to the end of today’s episode of MMA News Roundup. What did you think of Covington’s rant about Lebron James attending Diddy parties? Do you think Oliveira did the right thing by offering to go in as a backup for UFC 311? Will Adesanya be able to overturn his losing streak against Imavov? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.