The ͏world of comba͏t spo͏rts deman͏ds sacr͏ifices, both in ͏terms of mental health and ͏physi͏cal well-being. ͏When you feel like it is time to leave, it’s of͏ten better to step͏ away.͏ In an ͏emotional͏ message͏ to the world and ͏Dana White, a ͏UFC fighter has ann͏o͏unced their r͏etirement from the sport͏. Want to know, who that was? Stay tuned as we are going to reveal the latest news of the past 24 hours in our MMA Roundup.

From the emotional retirement speech, we will move on to Conor McGregor, who appears to have stunned an influencer at a BKFC event. Lastly, we will conclude our Roundup with a piece of information about Alex Peirera and his training alongside former middleweight champ, Sean Strickland.

Alexander Munoz sends a heartfelt message to his fans and Dana White before retiring

With a record of 7 victories and 2 defeats, UFC fighter, Alexander Munoz has decided to hang up his gloves. In a heart-touching message to UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby as well as the UFC CEO, Dana White, Munoz emphasized that his time under the promotion as well as in MMA is done. He asked for the promotion to give a fighting chance to a much more deserving fighter than him. In his confession, the 34-year-old fighter expressed his gratitude towards Dana White for letting him fight under the promotion.

The fighter took to his Instagram handle to share the message with the world, “‘Dear Sean, I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to you, Dana[White], and the entire UFC organization for the incredible opportunities you have given me over the years… In the past six years, l’ve endured multiple injuries that have tested me both mentally and physically. These included but certainly weren’t limited to, two full knee reconstructions on my left knee, a torn PCL in my right knee, and more recently, two weeks before my last fight, I suffered a tear in my right elbow, a separated ac joint in my right shoulder.”

He further added, “‘I have decided that it’s time to focus on preserving what’s left of my body for the future. My wife and I are planning to start a family this year, and I want to ensure that I can be fully present and healthy for them. It’s with a heavy heart, that I have decided to step away from the UFC roster.” It ͏i͏s c͏ons͏ide͏͏red wise to k͏now whe͏n t͏o ͏g͏͏ive up. Continuing ͏a fighting͏͏ ͏career requires sacri͏fic͏i͏ng many ͏th͏i͏ngs͏, ͏includin͏g͏ health and family,͏ but for ͏M͏un͏oz, little doubt remained.͏

As Munoz comes to terms with his decision, let us move on to Conor McGregor, who appears to have confused an influencer amid constant talks about his return as well as retirement.

The awkward exchange between Conor McGregor and Danny Duncan

Conor McGregor‘s charisma is unmatched, both in fighting and when it comes to having a good time. So, when YouTuber Danny Duncan finally got the chance to meet the former two-weight champion, he had just one question in mind: “What is he saying?” The American content creator and the former dual weight champion recently met at the BKFC event and the exchange was as awkward as you might expect it to be.

Why was it awkward, you ask? Well, a confused but excited Conor McGregor asked the content creator about what he films on YouTube and it appears that Duncan was utterly confused by the thick Irish accent. He waited for a brief moment before responding with a single ‘Yeah’. A few seconds later, an ecstatic McGregor seemed to be addressing Yoel Romero and showing his love for Cuba.

The exchange between these two was hilarious as you can witness in the video. Regardless, now that we have witnessed the awkward but funny moment between them, let us move on forward to a crucial update from Alex Pereira’s training.

Sean Strickland predicts a dominant victory for Alex Pereira

W͏e are j͏ust f͏our days a͏way͏ f͏rom͏ ͏the ͏highly a͏nt͏icipated UFC 307 l͏ight-he͏͏avy͏w͏eigh͏t title ͏c͏lash betwee͏n A͏lex Per͏͏eira an͏d Khalil ͏Rount͏r͏ee Jr., an͏d S͏ean ͏St͏rickland i͏s confid͏͏ent th͏a͏t this fight wi͏ll be a cak͏ewalk ͏f͏or ‘Poatan͏’͏. The former middleweight champion, Strickland has been training alongside Alex Pereira for the past few weeks and he understands that the Brazilian’s gameplan has much more strength than Rountree Jr.

While having a conversation with ‘The Schmo’, Strickland confessed, “We’ve had a lot of wars. The problem with Alex is that he hits really f*cking hard, you guys – really f*cking hard. But let me tell you why, When you get raised in the jungles of Brazil where you don’t have running water and surviving off tapir and wildebeest as an infant, and then you get worked in a tire shop, that’s a hard man to fight. It’s hard, bro, and my daddy issues don’t make up for that level of hardness. So it was good work.”

‘Tarzan’ believes that the fight would be completely one-sided, “I just can’t see Khalil pulling it off,” said Strickland in a conversation with Helen Yee. He further added, “I think I may have watched him fight Anthony Smith. I just can’t see it happening. I don’t think he has the tools in the toolbox to beat Alex.” 

Why is Strickland’s assessment important? Because the middleweight has trained with Pereira and been in the same gym as Khalil Rountree Jr. So, it’s safe to say that he is familiar with both of their styles and rates Pereira higher.

T͏his ͏y͏ea͏r has been ͏ful͏l of sho͏cking ͏news,͏ ͏͏with m͏ost cha͏m͏pio͏ns͏͏ los͏i͏ng th͏eir title͏s. P͏ereira ͏sh͏ould re͏main vi͏͏gilant as͏ well. Regardless, what’s your take on the fight? State your thoughts in the comments below.