Conor McGregor might go up against Dan Hooker in Riyadh. Or at least that’s what Israel Adesanya seems to be guessing. Oh, wait. So you haven’t been able to catch up with the trending news from the fighting world? Worry no more! EssentiallySports is back again with yet another episode of MMA News Roundup.  

First up, we’ll see ‘The Last Stylebender’ trying to pit his teammate against McGregor. Then we’ll get to know about Islam Makhachev’s next probable opponent. And finally, we’ll take a look at the new challenge thrown at Alexander Volkanovski.

Israel Adesanya has a plan for Conor McGregor and Dan Hooker

Israel Adesanya has often talked highly of his teammates on several occasions. However, there were times when he decided to take a hilarious approach while talking about his friends. One such instance was reflected on social media when an account by the name @stutwhisperer directly messaged the former 2-time middleweight champion on Instagram. The message had a post showing a picture of Dan Hooker beside Conor McGregor.

It was ‘The Last Stylebender’s reply that had the entire fighting community in splits. The T-shirt that Hooker wore during his interaction with Conor McGregor actually belonged to Adesanya. The text on the shirt read, “GASLIGHTING ISN’T REAL YOU”RE JUST CRAZY.” And the Nigerian-born fighter replied, “Funny thing is it’s actually my shirt. I asked for it back and he goes “what shirt?” Gaslighting 101.”

But when it came to seeing the City Kickboxing team captain and McGregor together, Adesanya had a plan for them. With the Riyadh season booming through the fighting community, Adesanya opined on his IG Story, “They should headline Saudi Arabia…”

Now, let’s shift our focus to the welterweight realm, as Islam Makhachev itches to move up the weight category. And the man who agreed to fight the Dagestani was none other than Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Shavkat Rakhmonov accepts Islam Makhachev as his opponent

Islam Makhachev has often claimed that he was done with the lightweight division. After all, he has already won three consecutive title defenses in a span of about 2 years. Moving to the welterweight division indeed seemed like a pretty viable option. However, he didn’t want to fight Belal Muhammad for the championship title. And neither did the welterweight champ wish to go up against one of his friends. But the same wasn’t true for Rakhmonov.

Adam Zuba, during a conversation with the welterweight #3, asked him if he fancied a fight against the lightweight champ. If Rakhmonov defeated ‘Remember The Name’ and became the new welterweight king, it would indeed clear Makhachev of any hesitation to move up to the WW class. And Rakhmonov would be ready to welcome him.

The Kazakh fighter said, “Well, if Islam himself wants to fight, why not? I don’t have such a desire to fight Islam. But if Islam himself wants… Well, I myself don’t strive for it, since I treat everyone well. But if he has a desire to move up, I won’t refuse. It will be purely sporting interest, I think. No problems.”

Some of you might know this, but Rakhmonov has a connection to Team Khabib just like Belal Muhammad. In his early days, Rakhmonov worked with the legendary Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. But that won’t stop him from fighting Makhachev if he has to. And as his words make obvious, he will likely keep it a respectful affair with nothing but sporting interest.

Now, we’ve come to the final stop of today’s episode. And it’s all about a new challenge for Alexander Volkanovski.

Alexander Volkanovski receives a new challenge

‘The Great’ lost the featherweight championship belt and the pound-for-pound throne in the span of a few months. But that doesn’t mean he is free from the fight business. One of Dana White‘s favorite prospects, Diego Lopes, has called out ‘The Great’ for a showdown early next year. The Brazilian is currently set to act as the back-up for the featherweight title fight between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway.

If UFC 308 goes as planned, then he has set his eyes on fighting Volkanovski. The timeline he has in mind is February 2025, the same that Volkanovski has in mind for a return. The Australian wants to fight on UFC 312 which was just announced for Sydney. Taking to X, Lopes wrote, “February sounds good to me.” It was the hint that the entire globe was waiting for. Needless to say, watching Volkanovski fight Lopes will have a special vibe.

That’s for today’s MMA News Roundup, folks! What did you make of Adesanya’s matchmaking skills? Will Makhachev fight Rakhmonov and climb up the weight ladder? Who will rise victorious if Lopes and Volkanovski actually fight each other? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.