MMA News Roundup: Conor McGregor’s $20M Feat for UFC 303, Dana White Rejects Joaquin Buckley’s Demand, Derrick Lewis Pulls Another NSFW Stunt

With the UFC Fight Night in St. Louis wrapped up, we have some significant stories shaping up in the MMA space. Hence, we have another daily roundup just for you to stay a step ahead and learn about the most noteworthy moments over the last 24 hours. We will start this edition with Dana White, who confirmed that the UFC 303 headliner has earned a $20 million gate collection. Apparently, the excitement surrounding the impending return of Conor McGregor is real.

Then we will be shifting our attention to Joaquin Buckley, who made a wild Conor McGregor callout following a successful homecoming win. However, Dana White seemed to believe that the callout was impractical. Finally, we will end this news compilation with Derrick Lewis, who performed an NFSW stunt after knocking out the Brazilian Rodrigo Nascimento.

UFC 303 Conor McGregor headliner registers biggest gate collection

Three years out of action is a long time, but it doesn’t matter when it comes to Conor McGregor. Being the big star that he is, the Irishman has already made a record before even stepping inside the eight-sided cage for the first time since 2021. As Dana White put it, the UFC recorded their biggest gate collection, amounting to $20 million for UFC 303. This is the first time in the promotion’s history that they have crossed the threshold of the $20 million mark.

“It’s [UFC 303 gate] way over twenty million,” Dana White stated during the recent UFC post-fight press conference. Meanwhile, certain reporters present during the presser happened to bring up former Showtime president Stephen Espinoza‘s comments about how the UFC would never reach the point they have as per White’s admission. It just riled up the UFC CEO who totally dismissed Espinoza with a rant.

“Espinoza? Who gives a flying f*** what Espinoza [says]? Where is Espinoza? Who gives a sh*t?” the 56-year-old added. Clearly, there is no love lost between the two combat sports executives. It remains to be seen if Espinoza decides to drop a rant on Dana White after these distasteful comments.

No McGregor fight for Joaquin Buckley, claims UFC CEO

Earning an impressive win in his hometown was already a special moment for ‘New Mansa’ Joaquin Buckley. But he wanted to make that even more special by calling out Conor McGregor since ‘The Notorious’ will return at 170lbs on June 29. However, the UFC’s head honcho was not too keen on entertaining that callout as he shut down Buckley’s wish to fight the biggest UFC star. “Mm-hmm. No,” stated a disinterested Dana White during UFC St. Louis’s post-fight pressers when asked if there was a possibility for a Buckley-McGregor matchup.

For starters, Joaquin Buckley may never get a piece of Conor McGregor in the near future, especially because the Irishman has only two fights left in his contract (including the UFC 303 fight). Some other contenders are already in the hunt for their biggest payday against the former double champion. Therefore, realistically, Buckley mentioned that he could be eyeing a fight against welterweight stalwart Gilbert Burns in an attempt to rise in the rankings.

Derrick Lewis celebrates his KO win with an explicit move

Derrick Lewis could not avoid the loss against Jailton Almeida in his last UFC outing, but he could bounce back from the loss. That’s what he did after securing his 15th UFC knockout win against the Brazilian Rodrigo Nascimento to close the Fight Night event. The 41-fight veteran capped off his win with his signature vintage celebration that we all have come to love and enjoy. But that wasn’t it because Lewis would follow up his celebration by taking his shorts for the crowd to have a glimpse of his rear end.

Drawing inspiration from WWE legend, Rikishi may have been a fun thing to do for ‘The Black Beast’, but the fans weren’t really getting on the bandwagon. They would sound off on Derrick Lewis, calling his actions to be “cringe” and “constant degeneracy.” The fact that the veteran did not think of the women and children in attendance has made fans even more angry with someone who is most loved by the MMA community for his funny antics. It remains to be seen if these celebratory actions will be witnessed in Lewis’s upcoming bouts.