We are just moments away from witnessing Dagestan vs. Ireland 2.0 as both Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes are finally facing each other at the massive Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. And ahead of the PFL fight, Team Khabib has taken the opportunity to humiliate their biggest rival Conor McGregor. So what exactly are they up to? Stay tuned as we’re back with another edition of MMA Roundup, bringing you the latest in the mixed martial arts and UFC world from the last 24 hours in bite-sized chunks.

From the Dagestan vs. Ireland 2.0 news, we will move to news of the anticipated clash news between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. Then, we will move on to rather bad news for flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. Finally, we will conclude our segment with some information from ONE Championship. So without any further ado, let’s get started.

Usman Nurmagomedov promises to finish his clash as Khabib Nurmagomedov did to Conor McGregor

There was a fiery confrontation between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes during the PFL Dubai promotional shoot. The two fighters nearly went at each other after Nurmagomedov displayed a hint of arrogance toward Hughes, who had stated, “It’s my time.” Regardless, in his recent conversation, the Dagestani has asserted that he would decimate Hughes exactly the way Khabib Nurmagomedov beat Conor McGregor back in 2018 at UFC 229.

While having a conversation with the media, Nurmagomedov asserted, “I think I was living in Australia at the time, in Sydney. I remember just the energy around it and how excited people were for that [UFC 229 fight]. I mean, Ireland vs Dagestan number one was the biggest event in MMA history.”

He further added, “We’re not quite there with Ireland vs Dagestan number two, but I’ll tell you what; we’re making a good splash at it. The first time, we all see what happened. The first time, we all see what happened.” Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Conor McGregor via submission after a grueling four rounds for the Irishman. This time his cousin looks to recreate that moment, and carry on his legacy.

From Ireland vs. Dagestan, let’s move on to USA vs. England, in a matchup between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall, where Englishman Michael Bisping desperately wants to see that matchup, much like all of us.

Michael Bisping wants Jon Jones to face Tom Aspinall at UFC’s International Fight Week

Jon Jones has put forth his terms for facing Tom Aspinall next, with three specific words; “f**k you money”. And it seems like the promotion is doing everything in its hands to make it possible for the fight to take place. Former middleweight champion, Michael Bisping asserted that the only fight that the UFC should be making right now is the heavyweight clash between Jones and Aspinall.

“I sign off on all of this. I love Charles Oliveira, I love the fact that he wants to be active and I love Max Holloway, I think he’s an absolute legend of the sport. This rematch, International Fight Week, put it as the co-main event for Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall. That’s the fight that’s gotta go down this year. I’m saying International Fight Week, co-main event Charles ‘do Bronx’ taking on Max Holloway for the BMF belt,” said Michael Bisping.

That fight remains one of the most intriguing matchups of this year, and if the UFC manages to bring that fight to fans, it could potentially be the biggest fight in the UFC’s modern era. From the heaviest division, we’ll move on to the flyweight division, to Alexandre Pantoja.

Robert Whittaker gives reality check to UFC flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja

Alexandre Pantoja has been unstoppable within the flyweight division. His last victory against Kai Asakura at UFC 310 cemented his status as one of the greatest flyweight fighters to have ever embraced the Octagon. It must be noted that the Brazilian fighter has nearly cleared out his entire division, and he might be in the best position to move up a weight class.

However, according to former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, Pantoja shouldn’t even think about moving up, at least while Merab Dvalishvili is the champion. Speaking on the MMArcade podcast, Whittaker asserted, “I love Pantoja, but Merab murders him, murders him.”

He further added, “If Pantoja goes up to Merab, Merab murders him… bad. I like Pantoja. He’s won me over a lot. He’s killed the division, but I don’t think Merab is where his double belt lies.” Pantoja might have superior grappling for him but Dvalishvili’s out-of-this-world cardio has all the necessary power to defeat him fair and square. Well, Pantoja might not move forward to the bantamweight division but for now, let us move on forward to Thailand as Tawanchai Vs. Superbon II results have come up.

There might be some sense in what ‘The Reaper’ stated as Merab Dvalishvili is at his most dominant at the moment. A move to challenge for the bantamweight title might spell trouble for ‘The Cannibal’, given the bantamweight champion’s resilience, iron chin, and superior grappling abilities. For our final story, let’s move from the UFC to ONE Championship, more specifically to a Muay Thai bout between one of the greatest practitioners of the ‘art of eight limbs’.

Tawanchai Vs. Superbon II rematch was nothing less than an absolute cinema

Tawanchai PK Saenchai added yet another feather to his crown as he successfully defended his ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Championship title against Superbon Singha Mawynn at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand. The main event of ONE 170 was aired live on January 24th.

The clash ma͏rke͏d their second meet͏ing, f͏oll͏owi͏ng a hard-f͏ought ͏major͏ity d͏ecisi͏on win ͏for Tawanc͏ha͏i in ͏their thril͏ling encounter at ONE Friday Fights 46 in 2023. Aware of ͏the chal͏lenge ahe͏ad, the reigning cham͏pion rose to the occasion with an unforg͏ettable display.

Th͏e victor͏y improved Tawanchai’s ͏professional record to 134-31, and 10-1 under͏ the ON͏E Cha͏mpionship ͏b͏anner. His sixt͏h finish in the org͏an͏iz͏ation also came with a͏ U͏S$5͏0͏,000 performance bonus, fur͏ther cem͏enting his sta͏tu͏s as one of the best͏ i͏n ͏the sport.͏

Are you excited for the lightweight PFL clash between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes? What about Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall? Do you think we’ll see that fight happen? Is a move up to bantamweight the wisest for Alexandre Pantoja? Finally, do you believe Saenchai is the greatest Muay Thai practitioner of our time? Let us know in the comments below.