MMA News Roundup – Islam Makhachev Tries Out New Gloves Before UFC 302; Dana White Gets Huge Help From Turki Alalshikh for UFC 306 and Saudi Arabia Event, Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway Fueled Again

MMA enthusiasts, get ready for another collection of the biggest headlines in the MMA world with our latest daily roundup edition. Today, we will kick off this news compilation with Islam Makhachev. The lightweight champion recently tried his hands at the newly introduced gloves by the UFC.

Then, we will shift our focus to an update about UFC’s partnership with Saudi Arabia. The chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, HE Turki Alalshikh, has confirmed signing an agreement with Dana White‘s promotion. Finally, we will end the roundup with ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor. It seems like the talks about him fighting Max Holloway do not seem to take a backseat.

Islam Makhachev tests new gloves before UFC 302 showdown

Besides putting in the hours in the gym with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev recently caught up with his manager, Ali Abdelaziz. During their meeting, the UFC’s 155-pound champion decided to test the waters with the new gloves the promotion has introduced ahead of his title defense against Dustin Poirier. Moreover, it looks like the UFC has introduced some new gloves for certain occasions with a new color.

The gloves Islam Makhachev tested were gold in color, which, according to reports, will be used during championship bouts. However, there are no updates regarding whether both fighters will wear the gloves or just the champion. Despite the new color of the gloves, it failed to garner positive reviews from fans online. Some complained about the low-padding issue, while others were convinced that eye pokes could be a common thing since the fighters were pointed. We will have to wait and see how the gloves come into play on June 1.

An agreement has been finalized between the UFC and the General Entertainment Authority

The 2024-25 season will be a big one for the Las Vegas-based MMA outfit. As well all know, the UFC CEO is planning the biggest and best combat sports event at the 7-month-old and $2.3 billion arena, the Sphere. Reports indicate that the event Dana White has in mind will be the UFC 306 PPV, and apparently, the 54-year-old got a huge boost from Saudi officials. UFC 306 will now have the Riyadh Season as the event’s official sponsor.

All the merchandise that the promotion will sell at UFC 306 will have the ‘Riyadh Season’ branding displayed on it. Shortly after the agreement was made public, Dana White shared his reaction regarding the deal, and he was over the moon about it. Moreover, the UFC CEO also mentioned in an interview that he is aiming to make MMA a mainstay in Saudi Arabia, just like boxing.

Max Holloway advised to fight Conor McGregor by Dan Hardy

Now that Conor McGregor is back in the mold, people are talking about some potential matchups for ‘The Fighting Irish’. He had already disclosed the details in his current contract some time ago and after the Michael Chandler fight, only one fight will remain. Meanwhile, former English fighter Dan Hardy, who had a conversation with Ariel Helwani, talked about the possibility of a battle between McGregor and the BMF champion Max Holloway because he believes ‘Blessed’ deserves to be in that spot. “I’d like to see Max get that really big payday and I think the rematch with McGregor, you can sell that because he went to distance with McGregor,” Hardy stated.

When Max Holloway squared off against Conor McGregor back in 2013, he went to distance against the Irishman, who was on a fiery streak at that point in his career. Dan Hardy argued that ‘Blessed’ made the former champion. We will have to wait and see who gets their hands on the money-making machine that is McGregor after his UFC 303 fight against Michael Chandler.