While the fighting community was busy with the fight between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, the UFC head honcho, Dana White announced an impressive reward for Jon Jones. Wait, you didn’t know about it? Well, worry no more, because EssentiallySports has come up with yet another episode of MMA News Roundup. 

Today, we’ll learn about the bonus White has planned for his heavyweight champion. Next up, we’ve got news about Conor McGregor’s new possible opponent. And yes, he’s the same guy who defeated Mike Tyson. Finally, we’ll take a look at the heat between Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov. So, without any further ado, let’s get right into it!

Dana White promises the highest spot to Jon Jones if he wins at UFC 309

During a conversation with the UFC CEO, Kevin Iole inquired if Jon Jones’ performance against Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 would be the biggest determinant to rank him. But the UFC head honcho had already put the heavyweight champion on top of the P4P rankings. He said, “Not if he wins. When you think about this dude has never lost a fight in 16 years, in mixed martial arts, what else is there to say? He’s beaten all the greats, the all-time greats, right?” 

White even dragged Francis Ngannou into the discussion, claiming that the former HW champ fleed to PFL because he didn’t want to fight Jones. Dana White continued, “And I’m telling you right now, Francis left and went to the f–king goofy PFL, where he doesn’t have to f–king fight anybody, so he didn’t have to fight f–king Jon Jones. He is the pound-for-pound best fighter in the world. It’s undeniable! It’s ridiculous!” 

Now, let’s shift our focus to a matchup between Jake Paul and Conor McGregor. Well, it would indeed be one of the greatest fights in the history of boxing, and Paul actually needs an opponent. 

Will Conor McGregor fight Jake Paul?

‘The Problem Child’ garnered quite a bit of attention as he defeated Mike Tyson with a score of 79-73. Now, the question that revolved around the YouTuber-turned-professional boxer was who he would fight next. In the post-fight press conference, he hinted that Gervonta Davis might be his next opponent. But McGregor’s name also snuck up into the conversation. 

When a reporter asked Paul about the matchup between him and the ‘Mystic Mac’, the 27-year-old boxer said, “Yeah, he’ll never do that, though. He knows…” Paul went on to point out that the Irishman still had 2 fights left in his UFC contract, which apparently prevented him from fighting under any other promotion. 

Paul continued, “And it’s funny to say like, ‘Yo, Conor McGregor is scared of Jake Paul, and will never box him. But it’s the f–king truth!” He dug out a bit more dirt and claimed that McGregor went toe-to-toe against Nate Diaz, an opponent who Paul defeated with ease. ‘The Problem Child’ concluded, “He doesn’t ever want the smoke with me. It won’t ever happen.”

We’ve arrived at the final stop, with the temperature rising as Ian Garry accepted to fight Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 on short notice. But what do the welterweights have to say about it?

Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov charge at each other 

UFC 310 was all set to be headlined by Rakhmonov trying to snatch the welterweight belt from Belal Muhammad. However, medical issues put the Palestinian champ on the sidelines. Nevertheless, White had a plan, and he put Garry up against Rakhmonov. 

Taking to social media, Garry announced that he accepted the fight against Rakhmonov. He said, “The UFC called us 15 minutes ago and said, ‘Will you fight Shavkat, December 7th?’ I am going to say yes. I believe that it’s far more important to talk to you guys, that you guys know first… So now, we’re in Phuket, Thailand, for a chunky southpaw getting Joaquin Buckley. I’m going to change it all, fight a week earlier on December 7th in Las Vegas, which is where I wanted to fight when I wanted to fight.” While the Irish welterweight admitted that ‘Nomad’ was one of the strongest fighters in the division and called him the “boogeyman”, he promised the fight fans that he’d find a way to defeat Rakhmonov. 

‘Nomad’ was indeed pleased with Garry’s acceptance. Taking to X, he wrote, “I’m very disappointed in our division. Belal, Leon, Colby, Kamaru, Jack, Sean – you’ve all let fans down. The only one who backed up his words is Ian, and I respect that. But make no mistake, @iangarryMMA – I’m coming for your 0 and will fight for the belt after.” Garry agreed with Rakhmonov about the welterweight division being a disappointing one. However, he assured us that we’d indeed be entertained. 

What are your thoughts on Dana White’s stance about Jones? Do you think McGregor vs. Paul would be a good matchup? What do you think of the bout between Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.