MMA News Roundup: Islam Makhachev on Problems With New Gloves, Conor McGregor Gets Unexpected Praise From Dricus Du Plessis, Georges St-Pierre Insulted

Did you miss the important updates of the past 24 hours in the MMA world? Worry not, as we have brought the daily MMA roundup, summarising all the interesting information in tiny bite-size pieces. So, without any further ado, let’s get started. We will start the roundup with Islam Makhachev’s opinion on the new MMA gloves. Then we will shift our focus to Dricus Du Plessis, who seems to have given a new respect to Conor McGregor and then we will finally stop at Joaquin Buckley, who seems to have been called out by a UFC pro.

More cuts and bruises: Islam Makhachev

What did the UFC do to improve their gear ahead? Well, UFC did make some changes to the new gloves. However, it seems like they failed to live up to the standards of the fighters. UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev believes that the gloves have failed to defeat the purpose, for they were developed as the new enhanced gloves will lead to more cuts and bruises.

While having a conversation with Sports24, Makhachev said, “The [new gloves] are very stiff. They will cause more cuts, as the previous UFC gloves were softer. These are stiffer. They don’t let you fully open your hand just to make sure the fingers don’t extend straight forward. But overall, they are pretty much the same. I am going to frame them next to the belt, as the first golden gloves in the UFC.”

UFC 302 would be the event from which the fighters would be using the new gloves for the bouts. Well, the constant criticism of the new glove might propel the UFC to make some minor changes. Now let us move forward to Dricus Du Plessis, who seems to have a newfound respect for Conor McGregor.

Dricus Du Plessis wants every fighter to thank Conor McGregor

It is a well-known fact that the existence of Conor McGregor in the promotion made UFC one of the most famous and well-known promotions in the entire world. The impact that the Irishman made laid the foundation for many UFC fighters to come into the organization. Even though McGregor might have a bad reputation among many, Dricus Du Plessis believes that everyone should thank him for what he did for the UFC. While having a conversation on ‘The Sias du Plessis’ show, Du Plessis said, “I mean that guy, everything he touches [turns to gold] man. He’s such a legend in this sport, what he’s done for the sport. He’s transformed it into such a mainstream sport.”

He added, “I can understand disliking the persona but knowing, I don’t know him personally but meeting him, different person and even if you don’t like him, you can’t ever discredit what he’s done for this sport because every single fighter needs to thank him in my opinion for the raise in pay, the raise in awareness for this sport cuz I think Conor McGregor might be one of the most famous people on earth.”

Well, Conor McGregor is about to make a comeback to the MMA next month to fight against Michael Chandler at UFC 303. According to Dana White, it would be the biggest comeback of the UFC’s history. Now that we know about Du Plessis’s real feelings about McGregor, let us wrap up our MMA roundup with a piece of news about Joaquin Buckley.

Cub Swanson rips apart Joaquin Buckley for disrespecting GSP

Georges St-Pierre, also known as ‘GSP’, was one of the most dominant fighters of his time, having won the welterweight and the middleweight belt, so it’s no surprise that he is a legend of the sport. The Canadian native lived by the code of bushido and was one of the most respected fighters of his time and even today. However, for Joaquin Buckley, ‘GSP’ is no less than an ordinary fighter.

Buckley is at the peak of his career and seems like his continued success has given him confidence like none other. The fighter, in his latest escapade, took to his X to share a video of GSP fighting with BJ Penn and stated, “NGL if me and Gsp fought at the same age( 30 ) I’d knockout the goat TBH.”

Cub Swanson took cognizance of Buckley’s behavior as he ripped apart the young fighter for his words. Swanson replied with, “Better men have tried and couldn’t do it.” However, Swanson didn’t get to Buckley’s ear, as the latter advised Swanson to focus on his career. In the end, Swanson replied, “I’ll work on that homie. Go ahead and keep chasing clout. Just don’t disrespect the legends of this sport. You haven’t done enough yet.”

What are your thoughts about the feud between Swanson and Buckley? Drop your views in the comments below.