With UFC 312 right around the horizon, the MMA world is buzzing with new news. But if you have been busy and unable to catch up to all the latest developments, fret not, as EssentiallySports’ MMA news roundup has come to the rescue. To begin, we will talk about the major update about Joe Rogan and whether or not he would be calling the fights this time at UFC 312.

Next, we turn our attention to Dricus Du Plessis, who has responded to Kamaru Usman’s latest “Four Horsemen” comment. Usman’s statements were a startling shift in a previously heated conversation over African UFC champions. Finally, we take a lighter detour when Zhang Weili has a very awkward moment with Charles Oliveira. So, without further ado, let’s begin!

Joe Rogan gets replaced at UFC 312

UFC 312 is all set to go down in Sydney, Australia. However, that also means that fan favorite Joe Rogan will not be part of the commentary team. The longtime color commentator had made it clear in the past that he would be avoiding international events, and this time is no exception. So, it seems like while the UFC goes to Australia, the commentator would be at his Texas home recording the next edition of his Joe Rogan Experience podcast. But who will replace him? Well, Michael Bisping, the UFC Hall of Famer who has previously worked in the broadcast booth, will take his place.

The former middleweight champion has been a vital member of the UFC’s commentary crew for years and will join Jon Anik and Daniel Cormier at the pay-per-view event. It is worth noting that Dana White recently made history in Saudi Arabia by adding Laura Sanko to the commentary list. As a result, she became the first female to do cage-side commentary on an MMA event in Saudi Arabia. So, it seems like Joe Rogan not attending international events would surely give the UFC more such opportunities to create more star voices.

Dricus Du Plessis responds to Kamaru Usman’s “Four Horsemen” comment

The UFC’s African representation has been a topic of discussion for years, particularly after the rise to prominence of Kamaru Usman, Israel Adesanya, and Francis Ngannou. These three UFC veterans dubbed themselves the ‘Three African Kings,’ referring to their dominance in the sport as the kingpins of their respective divisions.  However, the narrative has transformed since Dricus Du Plessis defeated ‘The Last Stylebender’ at UFC 305. Despite previous tensions over his claims to be the “real” African champion, Usman finally acknowledged him as a member of the elite club. Usman stated on the Pound 4 Pound Podcast that he sees Du Plessis as the fourth member of the exclusive club.

In fact, he even changed its name from the ‘Three African Kings’ to ‘The Four Horsemen.’ Now, ‘Stillknocks’ has acknowledged this massive honor and welcomed the former UFC welterweight champion’s words with respect. Ahead of UFC 312, ‘DDP’ told the media, “Yeah, absolutely. It’s a massive honor and privilege to be a part of that group, and you know, if you look at guys like Kamaru, Francis, and Israel—absolute greats in this sport—and now Dricus Du Plessis to era and being part of that group is a massive honor. A massive honor because it’s a small portion of very special people, a small percentage of Champions.”

He further added, “Fighting at UFC makes you one in millions; being a champion makes you even more. And being part of that group is something that doesn’t mean anything to anybody else, but to me, as an African-born fighter, African-raised, African-residing Champion, just like for them, it means the absolute world to be a part of that group.” With that settled, we move on to the other champion fighting at UFC 312.

Zhang Weili’s awkward encounter with Charles Oliveira

Zhang Weili is all geared up to defend her strawweight title against Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312. But while the events before such fights are always intense, she had an interesting mix-up before entering the Octagon that made fans giggle.  In a video that went viral on social media, Weili was seen meeting former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. Instead of a standard greeting, she lifted her hand and said, “Chama.”

For those unfamiliar, “Chama” is Alex Pereira’s signature phrase, not Oliveira’s. The term, which means “Flame” in Portuguese, has become synonymous with ‘Poatan,’ making the mistake all the more obvious. Oliveira, being the ever so humble good guy that he is, did not correct ‘Magnum.’ However, fans online quickly pointed out the error. While this was a harmless mistake, it added a bit of comedy to the otherwise intense atmosphere leading up to UFC 312. But what did you think of the encounter? Are you excited to see the fights at UFC 312? Let us know in the comments.