MMA News Roundup: Not Dwayne Johnson, Max Holloway Wants Mark Coleman for BMF Strap, Islam Makhachev’s Testing Status and UFC P4P Rankings Update

Buckle up for yet another edition of the daily roundup to stay abreast with the most noteworthy moments from the world of MMA in the last 24 hours. Today, we will start with Max Holloway, who expressed his desire to have a particular Hall of Famer coronate the winner of the BMF title fight at UFC 300. Then we will shift our focus to Islam Makhachev, who provided an update on his drug testing process. Finally, we will sum up the daily news compilation with the major changes that took place in the UFC rankings. Let’s start with any further ado!

Max Holloway wants Mark Coleman at UFC 300

Max Holloway will make his return to the lightweight division at UFC 300 against BMF champion Justin Gaethje. ‘The Highlight’ will become the first BMF champion to defend the belt, that too, in a historic pay-per-view. To make the occasion even bigger, Holloway recently mentioned during an interview with ‘MMA Junkie‘ that he wished to have the Hall of Famer Mark Coleman present there to wrap the belt around the winner’s waist, instead of someone like Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, who has done it before. This is because of ‘The Hammer’s recent heroic act of saving his parents from a house fire but losing his pet dog.

“I mean, the only correct answer is Mark Coleman [to wrap the belt], especially when what he went through recently… Guy’s a ‘G’ bro. That’s a real life BMF,” said Max Holloway. Mark Coleman has just recovered from his injuries from the incident. It will be interesting to see if Dana White considers this proposal from ‘Blessed’ to create a memorable moment at UFC 300.

Islam Makhachev has started his drug testing process

Islam Makhachev is currently out of action due to Ramadan but he hopes to make his return in June. Meanwhile, he has been fulfilling his obligation as an athlete, including following the drug testing protocols. Makhachev shared a story on Instagram recently, where he wished people “good morning” and confirmed that he has begun his drug testing process for the first time in 2024.

The UFC turned to their new anti-doping partner, Drug Free Sport International, and Islam Makhachev’s story also confirmed he had enrolled in their program. It remains to be seen what the outcome of that test turns out to be since the lightweight champion was recently reminded of his failed drug test in 2016 by former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos.

Major changes in UFC rankings, including the P4P list

The results of UFC Atlantic City caused a change in the rankings list, which has been a frequent occurrence in 2024. Manon Fiorot, who emerged victorious in the main event against Erin Blanchfield, made significant jumps in more than one list.

For starters, the Frenchwoman jumped two places higher from the 6th spot to the 4th spot in the women’s P4P rankings. Then, Fiorot also made a jump from the 3rd to the 2nd spot in the women’s flyweight rankings. Meanwhile, former two-time champion Rose Namajunas jumped to the 6th spot following her win over Amanda Ribas last weekend.

On the men’s front, Joaquin Buckley made his UFC rankings debut and shares the 11th spot with Neil Magny. And in the flyweight rankings, David Dvorak jumped one place higher and has been placed at the 14th spot. We will have to wait and see how the UFC rankings list shapes up at the end of this year since we can expect more changes to come soon.

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