Get ready for another exciting version of the daily roundup to help you stay abreast of the most noteworthy moments from the world of our favorite sport, MMA. We’ll kick off this edition with the news of Conor McGregor. The Irishman continues to top the list of the most-tested UFC fighters in 2024. Thereafter, we will take a look at what longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan had to say about current MMA rules. The 56-year-old believes that the current set of rules and instructions that every fighter needs to abide by only benefits the strikers.

Finally, we will end this compilation with the current chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, Turki Alalshikh, who wants to play the peacemaker between Dana White and renowned combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani.

Conor McGregor still holds the top spot in terms of drug tests

Ahead of his impending return, Ireland’s biggest sporting export, Conor McGregor, has undergone a lot of drug tests since the turn of this year. The UFC’s new anti-doping program undertaken by Drug Free Sport International updated its database recently and, guess what? According to that list, the former UFC double champion has undergone a total of 8 drug tests so far. However, McGregor’s former rival and UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo is not that far behind, as he’s been tested a total of 7 times so far.

With over a month left for Conor McGregor’s fight against Michael Chandler, we can expect ‘The Notorious’ to go through a few more tests. He has continued to top the list since he enlisted himself in the pool and we will have to wait and see if he remains untouched at the top when this year comes to a close. McGregor has certainly shut down the critics who were constantly nagging him about not entering the testing pool.

Joe Rogan calls for a change in MMA rules

Even if we try to look for it, we won’t find anyone better than Joe Rogan as the most vocal advocate of the sport of mixed martial arts. He loves this sport and even went on to defend it during an ESPN interview over a couple of decades ago. But the 56-year-old also has his qualms about certain aspects of MMA, especially the rules that are imposed on the fighters. Rogan recently had the legendary Royce Gracie on the ‘Joe Rogan Experience‘ podcast, where he opined about the current set of MMA rules favoring only those fighters who specialize in the striking department.

“The rules are set up much more for strikers than wrestlers,” Joe Rogan stated. He mentioned how strikers get the benefit of staying on the foot and trying to land strikes the entire five minutes of a round. But when we move over to the grapplers, they don’t seem to get the same opportunity to showcase their grappling skills or make use of them due to time constraints. “Say if you’re a jiu-jitsu guy and you’re fighting in the first round and rounds are five minutes long and you take the guy down 4:30 seconds into the fight, you only have 30 seconds to work.”

Joe Rogan claimed that if a round ended with both fighters on the ground, the fight should resume on the ground, in the same position, in the next round. It could be a tedious sight for the fans, but that is just the fight game, according to the longtime UFC commentator. “Once a guy takes you down the fight is on the ground. If it’s boring for the audience tough sh*t. If you’re on the bottom, get up, and if you can’t get up tough sh*t,” Rogan added. He concluded that assessment by recommending a 10-minute first round similar to how PRIDE used to do it back in the day.

Turki Alalshikh wants to help Ariel Helwani reconcile with Dana White

When Dana White hates somebody, he really hates them. Tito Ortiz and Oscar De La Hoya are perfect examples of the same. Similarly, White also has some problems with people from the media, especially Ariel Helwani, who’s one of the biggest journalists who covers MMA. But what led to their beef? Well, Helwani once leaked a surprise the UFC CEO had for the fans, which involved former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar making his return at UFC 200.

As a result of that leak, Ariel Helwani was banned for life and his credentials were taken away. Now, Saudi Adviser Turki Alalshikh, who recently appeared on ‘The MMA Hour’, expressed his wish to bring things back to normal between the renowned journalist and Dana White. “Small direct message for you [Helwani]. When you finish your fight with Dana White, we want to see you together… It is time to turn the page and beginning new page,” Alalshikh added. He added that he will fully get involved in actively trying to repair his relationship with the UFC CEO. “Let’s see. I will try my best because I want you [two] to be together,” the 42-year-old concluded.

Do you think White will reconcile with Helwani? Drop your views in the comments below.