MMA News Roundup: Jorge Masvidal Unloads on Colby Covington After Plea Deal, Dana White Snubs Chimaev for UFC 297: Strickland vs Du Plessis, Mike England Veteran Referee Passes Away

There have been some important developments in the world of MMA over the last 24 hours. But the lack of time and the strenuous schedules in the daily lives of the fans often make them miss out on the most significant events. However, there is nothing to worry about as we bring to you the latest edition of the daily roundup. Catch the biggest headlines in just a few minutes of your time.

Firstly, we will take a look at Jorge Masvidal, who accepted a plea bargain for the Colby Covington assault charges. Then we will shift our focus to Dana White, who announced that Sean Strickland will defend his title against Dricus du Plessis. Finally, we will sum up the daily news compilation with the sad news of a former UFC referee recently passing away.

Jorge Masvidal accepts a plea deal relating to the Colby Covington assault charges

Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal were involved in a physical altercation outside a restaurant in Miami in 2022. As per reports, ‘Gamebred’ attacked his former friend after ‘Chaos’ made some remarks about his children. Moreover, Masvidal broke one of Covington’s teeth and even damaged the latter’s $90,000 Rolex watch.

Now, more than a year after that incident, Masvidal accepted a plea deal and pled guilty to all the charges. Furthermore, the prosecution team also dropped two other felony charges on ‘Gamebred’. He was sentenced to time served and court costs and will no longer serve jail time. Masvidal later shared a video on Instagram after leaving the courthouse.

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“I want to thank God, I also want to thank [my attorney] because I’m a free f***ing man,” said Jorge Masvidal. He also sent a message to Colby Covington as well. ‘Gamebred’ added, “F*** you, Colby. It’s going to be a f***ing movie now.” We will have to wait and see how Covington reacts to this news in the days to come.

Dana White snubs Khamzat Chimaev to set up a middleweight title bout between Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis

Before UFC 294, there were reports that the winner of the Khamzat Chimaev and Kamaru Usman fight would be in line for a shot at the middleweight championship. However, Dana White recently announced three title fights for the first three pay-per-views of 2024, and there was no sign of ‘Borz’ fighting in any one of them. Instead, the UFC CEO reverted to the earlier plans and gave Dricus du Plessis a title shot against Sean Strickland for UFC 297.

“In January, we’re [The UFC] doing Sean Strickland vs Dricus du Plessis,” announced Dana White. Moreover, there were two more title fights in February and May, which involved the featherweight championship and the bantamweight championship, respectively. It remains to be seen what is next for Khamzat Chimaev after getting snubbed from the title fight.

Former UFC referee Mike England passed away

The MMA world is mourning the death of referee Mike England. He has been a referee in many promotions, including the UFC, Bellator, LFA, Invicta, and Shamrock FC. England was one of the most recognized MMA officials in the Midwestern scene and had immersed himself in the world of combat sports and mixed martial arts.

Mike England had a profound love for the martial arts. He is one of the most respected figures among many MMA fighters. It is safe to say that his legacy will continue to inspire many athletes and fans due to his contribution to the sport. Moreover, he will always be regarded as one of the officiating pioneers in the world of mixed martial arts.

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