Michael Chandler vows to retire Conor McGregor, Colby Covington denies fight offer, UFC signs new deal with Saudi Arabia: MMA News Roundup

Michael Chandler vows to retire Conor McGregor, Colby Covington rubbishes Ian Garry fight offer and Turki Alalshikh announces new Riyadh Season partnership with the UFC.

Find out more details in today's (May 8) Sportskeeda daily news roundup.

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#3 Michael Chandler vows to retire Conor McGregor at UFC 303

Michael Chandler believes UFC 303 could be the last time fans see Conor McGregor in the octagon, but has acknowledged the Irishman is capable of pulling off one of MMA's greatest ever comebacks.

The pair will headline the event on June 29 to round off International Fight Week at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The bout marks a return for both fighters, as McGregor has been out of action since 2021 due to injury and Chandler hasn't fought since 2022.

Chandler discussed the fight in a recent interview with New York Post Sports and said:

''You have to buy this Pay-Per-View because this could be the last time you see Conor McGregor fight. I truly believe what I will do to him on June 29th will warrant and merit him ever stepping back in the octagon. That being said, Conor might be able to pull off the greatest comeback in combat sports history.''

Catch Chandler's comments here:

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#2 Colby Covington rubbishes claims of receiving Ian Garry fight offer

Colby Covington recently denied that he has been offered a fight against Ian Garry, despite the pair being locked in an intense feud.

'Chaos' released a video on social media back in March and offered Garry the chance to face him. His proposal was controversial, however, as he included three stipulations in relation to Garry's wife, Layla Anna-Lee.

Following the video, Garry has claimed he has now signed a deal to face Covington, but the former welterweight title challenger had yet to accept. However, Covington has squashed that narrative by stating that isn't the situation at all.

Speaking in a recent appearance on The Rush Podcast, 'Chaos' said:

"We all know that he’s a cu*k, but now we know he’s a liar. Hunter [Campbell], Dana [White], they haven’t talked to me about this fight. This fight has not been presented. He’s just lying, and he’s trying to get clickbait and people to talk about him."

Catch Covington's comments here:

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#1 Turki Alalshikh announces new "strategic" agreement between UFC and Riyadh Season

Turki Alalshikh, the General Entertainment Authority chairman of Saudi Arabia, revealed this week that a new deal between the UFC and Riyadh Season has been agreed.

The new deal includes Saudi sponorship on the upcoming UFC 306 card at The Sphere in Las Vegas, Power Slap events as well as a major MMA event taking place in Saudi Arabia in either 2024 or the beginning of 2025.

Taking to X to announce the deal, Alalshikh wrote:

''A strategic agreement has been signed between Riyadh Season and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, including the sponsorship of the UFC event in Las Vegas, the UFC event in Riyadh, and Power Slap competitions''