Midnight Roundup! UFC champion lauds Joe Rogan's new deal, Alexander Volkanovski warns Ilia Topuria, Renato Moicano targets Paddy Pimblett, and more

Joe Rogan's new bumper deal with Spotify shocked the entire MMA community and even drew praise from a reigning UFC champion. Meanwhile, featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski recently warned Ilia Topuria ahead of their title fight at UFC 298 this month.

There was a lot happening in the world of mixed martial arts over the past 24 hours and you can catch up on all the latest news here on Sportskeeda's Midnight Roundup.

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UFC champion praises Joe Rogan for securing new big-money deal with Spotify

Joe Rogan recently signed a new deal with streaming giant Spotify for The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) podcast. The deal is reportedly worth a whopping $250 million for the UFC commentator, and JRE will now be available to stream on alternate platforms as well.

Given Rogan's popularity among UFC fans, it's no surprise that many lauded the 56-year-old's success. UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley was among Rogan's most prominent well-wishers. He reacted to the new Spotify deal on The TimboSugaShow, and said:

"That's insane. Yeah, that would be sweet, that's insane if they're paying him that much, and it's not going to be exclusive... That's f**king gangster."

Sean O'Malley has been a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience twice. He first appeared in episode #133 and then again in episode #147, where he was joined by his longtime friend and coach, Tim Welch.

Catch Sean O'Malley's comments below (25:20):

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Alexander Volkanovski sends Ilia Topuria a chilling warning ahead of UFC 298 title fight

Alexander Volkanovski doesn't seem affected by Ilia Topuria's consistent trash-talking over the past week. The UFC featherweight king recently discussed his upcoming title defense against 'El Matador' and promised to "embarrass" him.

Over the past few days, Topuria has been firing shots at Volkanovski during interviews, and the Georgian-Spanish fighter's supreme confidence has impressed many. He also changed his Instagram biography to include "UFC world champion" to imply that he's already reigning over the 145-pound division.

While Volkanovski let Topuria's taunts and jibes slide for the most part, he recently sounded off on the Georgian-Spanish fighter for his brashness during an interview with ESPN MMA and said:

"My goal for this one isn't just winning... I want to embarrass this bloke... I want him to realize that there are levels. I want him to be like, 'Oh, wow. I'm nowhere near this level.' Which is going to be very embarrassing after all the talk he's been doing... He will be embarrassed."

Watch the full interview below:

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Renato Moicano eyes Paddy Pimblett fight after Englishman's social media jibe

Renato Moicano recently fired a warning shot at Paddy Pimblett. The Brazilian fighter cautioned the Englishman that no one could protect him in the cage after their latest social media exchange.

Moicano recently defeated Drew Dober via unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 85 last weekend. After the bout, he took to X and urged 'Paddy The Baddy' to take on Dober to prove himself. The Liverpudlian fired back at Moicano by suggesting that they should fight instead and stated that he would "smoke him easily."

During a recent interview with Michael Bisping, Moicano called out Pimblett and said:

"He said, ‘Why would I fight Drew Dober if I can smoke you.’ He sent me that and I said, ‘Okay, now you’re in trouble.’ UFC is not going to protect you because you started that sh** brother... I can guarantee you I’ll finish that [redacted] in the first round.”

Catch Renato Moicano's comments below (8:30):

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Francis Ngannou shares bold prediction for upcoming Anthony Joshua fight

Francis Ngannou is set to make his sophomore outing in the boxing ring against Anthony Joshua in a ten-round heavyweight bout on March 8 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Given the Englishman's resume, it's no surprise that many favor him to win the fight. Nevertheless, Ngannou isn't fazed by Joshua's success in the ring and is looking forward to shocking the combat sports community.

During an appearance on the High Performance podcast, Ngannou pointed out that Joshua's strength is unknown. Nevertheless, 'The Predator' is confident of getting his hand raised and said:

"Nothing is impossible, right? We don’t know the strength of Anthony Joshua, but even though I don’t believe he has that strength, but we’re going to find out. We’re going to find out, and I think the reverse is going to happen. I’m going to be the one taking his soul."

Catch Francis Ngannou's comments below (55:05):

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Colby Covington responds to Ian Garry's callout for a grudge match

Colby Covington recently responded to Ian Garry after the undefeated Irishman called him out for a fight. The two have been feuding since 'Chaos' joked about Garry's marriage with Layla Anna-Lee during interviews and press conferences.

During his latest appearance on Submission Radio podcast, Covington once again joked about Garry's marriage and addressed the Irishman's callout. He said:

"When I come back, you got cuckboy out there who's talking, you know... You know he hasn’t denied it yet but allegedly. Yeah I mean, how many names can the UFC fit on those fighter kicks... If he can get through the bus boy and UFC deems that to be the biggest and best business the UFC can do in the welterweight division, then let's do it. UFC knows what Colby ‘Chaos’ Covington is about."

Catch Colby Covington's comments below (13:46):

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Tristan Tate addresses the controversy surrounding Alexander The Great documentary on Netflix

Controversial social media influencer Tristan Tate recently opened up about the contemporary interpretations of historical personalities. Referring particularly to the latest Netflix docuseries about Alexander The Great, he slammed pop culture for twisting the sexualities of such figures to fit today's "modern woke agenda."

Tate recently took to X and slammed the inaccurate representation of figures like Cleopatra and Hannibal. However, he conceded some facts about the Greek conqueror and wrote:

"I love history and I hate historical inaccuracies snuck into movies in the name of pushing a modern woke agenda into the past. Cleopatra being black upset me. Hannibal, played by Denzel, will upset me. But Alexander the Great did, in fact, have male lovers. It is what it is.”