Conor McGregor’s anticipated return to the UFC might happen sooner than expected as the former dual-weight champion has emphasized that he will be returning to the combat sports world next year to fight Logan Paul. However, what does the YouTuber-turned-fighter have on his bucket list for next year? Stay tuned as we are back with another episode of MMA Roundup, where we will cusp the latest updates in bite-sized pieces.

From the Logan Paul news, we will move on to bad news for Dana White as the first event of the year might face a fight being canceled. Then, we will have a conversation with Israel Adesanya and his thoughts about the new age of middleweight fighters. Finally, we will conclude our segment with information about Donald Cerrone and the challenges that lay ahead for him. So, without any further ado, let’s get started.

Logan Paul teases big announcement ahead of next year amid Conor McGregor fight news

Conor McGregor shocked the entire world when he announced that he would be making a comeback to the combat sports arena by fighting with Logan Paul in India. The former dual-weight champion emphasized that he has undergone a discussion with the Ambani family for an exhibition match with the older Paul brother in the South Asian country. Other than ‘Mystic Mac’, neither the Ambani family nor Logan Paul made any statements about the clash. Regardless, as the year is ending, ‘The Maverick’ has come forward to put forth his three goals which will be on the top of his priority list.

Taking to his YouTube handle Paul emphasized that next year would be a big one for him and he is not planning to waste any moment of it. “2025, I’m not f***ing around. WWE, I will become a champion. I will also get married, and I will continue to keep the world hydrated with the greatest hydration beverage in history, PRIME. I love all of you. Thank you for the support, as usual. I ain’t going anywhere. More good days to come. Take it easy. Peace!”

Despite being linked to sharing the arena with Conor McGregor, Logan Paul has not uttered a single word about the matchup, and neither did he talk about his return to the boxing world. From boxing, let’s move to MMA, where Dana White might have some troubles with February’s UFC 312 card.

Dana White’s gets a shocker ahead of 2025

The promotion might have ended this year with a lot of excitement with back-to-back successful events and the next year is packed with some of the biggest matches riddled with amazing rivalries. However, even before stepping into 2025, Dana White has sustained a setback as Jacob Malkoun is arguably out of his clash against Rodolfo Vieira which is scheduled to happen on February 15th, 2025.

According to the reports Jacob Malkoun sustained an injury during a training session which forced him to withdraw from the match. Dana White and Hunter Campbell have yet to comment on the happenings. However, it must be noted that White might pull in another fighter for the Brazilian BJJ champion. If not, then the fight will stand canceled. Next, let us move on to Israel Adesanya, who has something to say ahead of his UFC Saudi Arabia bout.

Israel Adesanya praises up-and-coming middleweight fighter before UFC Saudi Arabia

Arguably, the biggest sensation within the promotion in recent times, Israel Adesanya has been marred by back-to-back defeats to Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis. After the 2-fight losing streak, the Kiwi fighter is looking to clash against the formidable Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia. However, despite coming face-to-face against such a dangerous opponent, Adesanya has his eyes on a growing middleweight prospect: Caio Borralho.

While having a conversation with the media, Adesanya emphasized, “Bro, I already told you when it’s you and me, it’ll be for the belt, it’ll be for the throne.’ I respect a guy who just wants to be strictly business. It’s like, I understand that. What do I call it? Goku spirit. It’s like, ‘Oh, you fight? How good are you? I bet. Let’s see.’ Yeah, I respect that. But, the Imavov fight came about, and now we’re here.”

Caio Borralho has one of the most stacked UFC careers and the Brazilian is undefeated within the promotion. With a career record of 17 victories and only 1 loss, ‘The Natural’ is looking to clinch the middleweight title. Regardless, now that we know about Adesanya’s thoughts on Borralho, let us move on to a challenge Donald Cerrone might face after he announced his return to the UFC.

Rafael Dos Anjos called out Donald Cerrone for a fight

Donald Cerrone shocked the MMA community with the announcement of his return to the sport, re-entering the UFC’s testing pool. The former UFC fighter plans to compete one or at most two more times before ending his MMA career on a high note. Interestingly, it seems Cerrone has already identified a potential opponent even before receiving Dana White’s approval.

A post was shared by MMA Junkie where Donald Cerrone stated that he has re-entered the UFC testing pool, “I just re-entered the testing pool. I have to be six months clean. Probably June, July we will make the comeback.” The post got tons of comments and one of them was from former lightweight champion, Rafael Dos Anjos, who challenged Cerrone through a single comment, “Trilogy @cowboycerrone ??”

Donald Cerrone needs an opponent and there can be no better fighter for ‘Cowboy’ than Dos Anjos considering RDA has two wins over him. Regardless, what’s your take on Cerrone’s return to the Octagon? State your thoughts in the comments below.