MMA News Roundup: Dana White and Vince McMahon’s $21B UFC-WWE Merger Finalized by Endeavor; Khusein Askhabov Gets Arrested in Thailand; Ian Garry Plans Return on Rumored Conor McGregor Card

Many occurrences have taken place in the world of MMA. As such, we have yet another edition of the daily roundup to save you from missing out on some of the most significant stories from our favorite sports. In just a few minutes, catch the biggest news over the last 24 hours.

We will start off with the news of the UFC and WWE merger set to be finalized. Then we will shift our focus to a UFC fighter who got arrested in Thailand. Finally, we will end our daily news compilation with Ian Garry. He has expressed his wish to fight on the same card, where Conor McGregor is rumored to make his UFC return.

An update on the Dana White and Vince McMahon’s promotion’s $21 billion merger

The UFC and WWE, two of the largest combat sports organizations globally, are poised to undergo significant transformations imminently, as their impending merger is imminent. It is anticipated that the merger will conclude within the current week. The scheduled date of September 12th remains unchanged, and as of today, it is the intended timeline.

Moreover, today will be the last day for Vince McMahon to exercise his independent majority control over the world’s biggest professional wrestling promotion. Following the merger, he will join the TKO Holding Group’s board of directors.

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TKO Holding Group will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange with a value of $21 billion. Additionally, Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel will also act as the CEO of the new company. Moreover, Dana White will keep running the UFC.

UFC fighter gets arrested in Thailand for a harrowing incident

Khusein Askhabov is a UFC fighter who is vastly experienced despite being only 28 years old. Prior to his UFC debut, the Russian fighter was unbeaten with 23 wins. It made people that he could be a game-changer in the featherweight division. However, his undefeated streak came to an end after Askhabov lost his first UFC fight via decision to Jamall Emmers. Months after his loss, he was recently training Muay Thai in Thailand with his twin brother when the news broke that both of them were arrested.

A day after UC 293, Khusein Askhabov and his brother Khasan were arrested in connection with three Kazakh individuals. The unnamed Kazakh men reportedly beat up and tortured an Italian man, following which they stole some valuable goods, amounting to almost 12 million Thai baht ($338,038). The news of the arrest spoiled the UFC’s plan for Askhabov’s next fight. He was set to take on Daniel Pineda in October, but his arrest forced the UFC to cancel that bout.

Ian Garry wants to fight on the same card as Conor McGregor

Ian Garry successfully defeated Neil Magny at UFC 292 in a dominating fashion. Now he has his sights set on the next opponent. In a recent appearance on ‘The MMA Hour’, ‘The Future’ revealed that he wished to fight for the fourth time in 2023 on December 16th. Incidentally, it is the same event that Conor McGregor is rumored to return at, and Garry wishes to fight Stephen Thompson on that card.

“I have made it very clear to the UFC and everyone involved what I want,” said Ian Garry. He added, “I want December 16th, I want the UFC PPV in Las Vegas, and I wanna fight Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson.” We are yet to know what the UFC’s plans for Garry is going forward and fans will have to wait for the official announcement.

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