There’s been some making the rounds in the MMA world—could Khabib Nurmagomedov be making a return? The rumor mill is abuzz, and it’s sparking speculation that he might face the one man who gave him the toughest challenge of his career, Gleison Tibau. How could this play out? Stay tuned for the latest updates as we bring you all the action in bite-sized pieces in this week’s episode of MMA Roundup.

From the Khabib Nurmagomedov piece, we will move on to a former UFC champion who has a necessary piece of advice for the interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. Finally, we will conclude our segment with a piece of information about Dillon Danis and Mike Perry. So, without any further ado, let’s get started.

Khabib Nurmagomedov might meet Gleison Tibau under GFL

Khabib Nurmagomedov had that aura. The presence to take his opponents to the deep waters and defeat them. However, on July 7, 2012, ‘The Eagle’ came face-to-face with Gleison Tibau at UFC 148. These were the early days of Nurmagomedov in the UFC, when he was relatively unknown fighter in the promotion. Tibau not only held his ground, but took the Dagestani to the mat. Despite his best efforts, Tibau lost the fight on the judges’ scorecard, but it marked the most controversial win of ‘The Eagle’s career as many believed that Tibau won.

Fast forward to 2025, and these two fighters might meet each other under the pretext of GFL 1 and 2. The pair won’t each other inside the ring but will definitely run into each other. Why? Well, that’s because Tibau will be making a comeback in his career after years of hiatus. The former UFC fighter will be fighting against Alex Oliveira, while Khabib’s cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov will compete the following evening against Louis Glismann.

It would be interesting to witness how their meeting goes,. Regardless, for now, let’s move on to Demetrious Johnson, who has some advice for Tom Aspinall.

Demetrious Johnson advised Tom Aspinall to move on from Jon Jones

It’s been over 500 days since Tom Aspinall held the interim heavyweight belt, and yet there’s been no sign of a fight against Jon Jones. The heavyweight division remains in limbo, and many speculate the reason for this delay is Jones’ reluctance to face Aspinall. This stand-off has left the division in chaos and Dana White, in a statement, emphasized that he would for sure make this fight. The question is—when?

Amid the chaos, former UFC and One Championship flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson advised Tom Aspinall to move on from Jon Jones for now: “If I was Tom Aspinall, I’d be like, God, dude, like I’m not f——- waiting six months. Like y’all need to give me another fight… Then again, this could be the biggest fight of his career if he’s able to beat Jon Jones. I have mixed feelings on the six months.”

According to ‘Mighty Mouse’, Aspinall should defend his title rather than waste his time on Jon Jones: “Tom Aspinall should take another fight. I think when you put an athlete who’s very young like that on ice and they don’t get that ring time, they don’t get that opportunity to get out there and just fight and make the money. It’s a little bit different. If I was Tom Aspinall, say Jon Jones wants six months. I’m gonna pass on that fight. I’m gonna fight somebody else. I’ll defend the interim heavyweight championship.”

It is easier said than done! If Tom Aspinall defends his title, then he loses the leverage of challenging Jon Jones again, and it’s a risk the Briton might not want to take. Moving on from the hubbub, we look at the last montage of the day about Dillon Danis and Mike Perry.

Mike Perry revealed Misfits Boxing had a fight for him against Dillon Danis

After his departure from BKFC, Mike Perry has been exploring various ventures, including a boxing match with Jake Paul. There are currently no signs of him returning to Conor McGregor’s BKFC, aside from a statement from ‘Mystic Mac’ encouraging him to come home: “He should come home, Mike should come home.” And in these chaotic times, it appears that the bare-knuckle fighter has been invited by the Misfits Boxing to clash against controversial fighter Dillon Danis.

While having a conversation with Ariel Helwani, Mike Perry emphasized, “It looks like I might be getting a last-minute call, which I said ‘yes’ to. KSI is out. Dillon Danis wants to fight MMA. I’m saying ‘yes,’ but we gotta see what they’ve got going on at Misfits. So, I said ‘yes,’ but they’ve got to come correct because it’s a last-minute call. Danis is going to grab my foot, and I’m going to soccer kick him in the face, for sure — Pride rules, baby!. I’ll just stop those takedowns. He’s gonna have to pull guard, and I’ve got some ground and pound, too. Let’s do it.”

The situation is quite complicated, considering that Dillon Danis already has a fight booked against Tony Ferguson at GFL. There’s a palpable uncertainty regarding which match will actually take place. Given that, what are your thoughts on the matchup? State your opinion in the comments below.