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UFC is returning to Austin!
From Khabib Nurmagomedov's contract details to Sean Strickland's wild Halloween take, here are your top news updates of the day, presented by Sportskeeda's MMA News Roundup.
#3. Dana White announces huge lightweight fights for UFC Austin
In a new announcement on Monday night, Dana White confirmed that the UFC will head back to Austin, Texas on December 2, 2023. The card will be headlined by a lightweight banger between No.4-ranked Beneil Dariush and No.8-ranked Arman Tsarukyan. In the co-main event, Dan Hooker will be taking on Bobby Green in a five-round bout.
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Tickets for the event will go live on November 3 on official platforms, per UFC. The card will take place at Moody Center.
Dariush will be looking to bounce back from his first loss in five years and find his way back to the title. Tsarukyan, widely considered the one with the most chance of dethroning Islam Makhachev, is riding on two consecutive wins.
#2. Khabib Nurmagomedov gets dragged into antitrust lawsuit
Despite retiring from the UFC 3 years ago, Khabib Nurmagomedov's name has come up in the antitrust lawsuit the promotion is battling. One of the former lightweight champion's early contracts with the organization was recently used as an exhibit in the case brought by former middleweight Cung Le.
The development was highlighted by the Twitter account @SpinninBackfist that Nurmagomedov's second contract, which he signed in December 2013, was made public as part of the legal case.
Subsequent tweets highlighted that the contract ran from his fights against Rafael dos Anjos to Edson Barboza. This was before he fought Conor McGregor for a whopping $2 million disclosed base pay.
The account also pointed out that 'The Eagle' must have renegotiated for higher pay for the Barboza fight, as his disclosed earnings for the bout was $160,000.
Read more on the contract here.
#1. Sean Strickland weighs in on Halloween dress-ups
Sean Strickland has done it again.
Known for his extremely outspoken views on socio-political and cultural matters, the UFC middleweight champion has weighed in on the rights and wrongs of Halloween costumes.
North America and many other parts of the world celebrate the festival on October 31 by dressing up in vivid costumes - fictional characters, anime cosplays, mythical creatures, and so on. However, certain dress-ups, which can be insensitive to other cultures, are considered offensive and avoided by a majority of the population.
Strickland seems to believe this distinction is heavily biased. He wrote on Twitter:
"So I think this is only fair.... If I can't dress up like a Indian for Halloween next time I see a native American driving a car it's fucking on..... even a horse! I got you spain.. NO fu**ing more...."
This opinion is just one of many other controversial takes he has on different matters of the world.
