Ahead of ͏UFC 310, Dana White has revealed two massive matchups for UFC 311. While many saw the first fight coming, the second surely went against the dream Merab Dvalishvili once had for his first title defense. So who is his mystery opponent? Stay tuned as we bring you ͏another episode of MMA ͏Roundup, where we’ll cover the late͏st h͏appeni͏ngs fr͏om͏ the past 24͏ ho͏urs in͏ bite-sized pieces͏.

Followi͏ng ͏Dana White’s massive announcement, w͏e’l͏l move on to͏ Alexander Volkov, as the UFC 310 star gives his verdict on the Jon Jones-Tom Aspinall dream fight. We’ll then watch Shavkat Rakhmonov drop a savage reply to co-main event rival Ian ‘Machado’ Garry. In the end, we will concl͏ud͏e the͏ episode w͏i͏th an unexpected ͏shot on Gordon Ryan taken by none other than Mikey Musumeci. So, without further ado, let’s get started!͏

Dana White reveals ugly rivalry between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov

UFC head honcho Dana White has ensured that 2025 begins with a bang! What better way to gift fans with than a PPV they will remember for a lifetime? So, in a recent surprise announcement, the UFC CEO revealed that a long-awaited rematch between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan will be taking place at UFC 311 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on January 18. To raise the stakes even further, he announced the co-main event that truly would stun many.

Merab Dvalishvili’s first title defense as bantamweight champion has been defined. Now the Georgian will defend his belt against Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of UFC 311. But how did the sudden matchup occur? Well, Dana White provided the answer to this question that many fans would’ve definitely had. He said, “Merab came into the office late last night, told us that he is tired of listening to Umar disrespect him, and wanted to make this fight happen as soon as possible. We called Umar. He was sleeping in Dagestan, and he said, ‘Hell yes, anywhere, anytime.’.”

This is a matchup to look out for since ‘The Machine’ is on an eleven-fight win streak and maintains victories against former champions such as Henry Cejudo, José Aldo, and Petr Yan. On the other hand, Nurmagomedov got into the top 3 of the Bantamweights with a dominant decision over Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC on ABC 7. The Dagestani is undefeated in MMA with a record of 18–0.

Alexander Volkov gives a verdict on Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall

The world is waiting with bated breath to see Alexander Volkov go one-on-one against former interim champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 310. This is a rematch that everyone has been waiting to see; however, it seems like ‘Drago’ has already started making headlines even before the event. Talking to the media on the UFC 310 media day, the heavyweight gave his opinion on the Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones debate. Rather than making his pick between who is the better fighter, ‘Drago’ decided to reveal who is more worthy to hold the belt.

His answer surely would break Dana White’s heart since Alexander Volkov called Tom Aspinall’s path to the title to be a more honest one compared to ‘Bones.’ He said, “In my opinion, Tom is more deserving of the champion belt in Heavyweight than Jon Jones. I can’t say Jon Jones is a bad fighter or that he can’t beat Tom Aspinall or something, but the way Tom Aspinall got exactly in Heavyweight, his way to take this belt in Heavyweight, it was more honest to give him this Heavyweight belt. I mean, Jon Jones kind of cut the line, you know?” Well, it would be interesting to see what Jon Jones’s and Dana White’s responses would be to ‘Drago’s claims.

Ian Garry gets a befitting reply from Shavkat Rakhmonov before UFC 310

Just days ahead of their UFC 310 fight, things are heating up between Ian Garry and Shavkat Rakhmonov. Ian Garry claimed that he wants to close out his 2024 by shaking the foundations of the Welterweight division. The Irish contender faces the biggest test of his career when he takes on Shavkat Rakhmonov in a duel of undefeated fighters that will give the winner a shot at the undisputed title. Garry, who is undefeated in the Octagon with an 8-0 record, not only plans to defeat Rakhmonov but also fantasizes about the idea of fighting Colby Covington next.

However, Shavkat Rakhmonov has now come up with a befitting reply to the plans that ‘Machado’ laid out for his future. At UFC 310 media day, the Kazakh fighter revealed that he believes ‘The Future’ might be going a bit crazy. Talking about Ian Garry’s future plans, Rakhmonov said, “I don’t think that’s how it’s going to happen; I think he’s delusional. I think I’m going to beat him and get to my goal.” Well, it surely looks like the 18-0-0 is confident that he will be putting an end to Garry’s winning streak. But only time will tell if he manages to do it, or if Garry actually makes his future plans come true.

Mikey Musumeci takes a shot at Gordon Ryan’s steroid use

Mikey Musumeci is the name new in the UFC after the Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner inked a contract with the Dana White-led promotion after competing in ONE Championship for the past few years. With this, he became the first BJJ practitioner to sign an exclusive contract with the organization. And why did he do so? To make others treat grappling as a professional sport. However, it cannot be done with the rampant use of steroids in BJJ. Talking about the same, ‘Darth Rigatoni’ took a shot at former rival Gordon Ryan ahead of his first showing as a part of the UFC in the UFC Fight Pass Invitational 9.

At the UFC 310 media day, he said that the use of PEDS is harming the sport, especially with top stars using it. While they give the sport popularity, they also set the wrong principles. “Other people like Gordon, Craig, they definitely help this sport grow in different ways. But I feel like what I’m doing right now is definitely the most important thing for grappling in terms of having a stable platform.” It is worth noting that this isn’t the first time that Musumeci has talked about steroid use. He has previously accused Ryan of using steroids based on his remarkable physique.

Musumeci further added in the media day interview, “Because it hasn’t been a professional sport, jiu-jitsu, with people they blatantly use PEDs. They’re not athletes. They really don’t have the values of martial artists. I really just want to change that and give us this platform at UFC and become professionals.” According to Musumeci, sporting bodies should get the fighters off steroids for about six years to a year to help them adjust. But what do you think? Will this idea and effort work in the UFC? Let us know in the comments.