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Welcome to Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC news updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In today's issue, we discuss Conor McGregor's return, Sean Strickland potentially fighting Israel Adesanya for the middleweight belt, and more.
#3. Another UFC Nashville fight canceled
UFC Nashville suffered a major setback when headliner Umar Nurmagomedov had to pull out after a shoulder dislocation suffered during training.
Journalist Marcel Dorff reported on Thursday that the light heavyweight bout between Ovince Saint Preux and Ion Cutelaba was now off the card as well.
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No further explanation behind the cancelation was provided.
Meanwhile, the other headliner Cory Sandhagen found a new short-notice opponent in Rob Font.
UFC Nashville goes down on Saturday, August 5, 2023, at the Bridgestone Arena.
#2. Conor McGregor may not return in 2023 after all
After much back-and-forth, it is more or less confirmed that Conor McGregor is not returning to the octagon in 2023.
After two years of inactivity due to a broken leg, the Irishman was set to return to the UFC this year against rival TUF coach Michael Chandler. However, not only has he shown any signs of fight-readiness, but has also been at the center of multiple controversies, including one accusation of sexual assault.
Fans have lost hope waiting for his return as well.
In an interview with MMA Junkie's Farah Hannoun, McGregor's manager and business partner Audie Attar made it clear that he will not return this year, but 2024 is certainly a possibility. He also provided an update on the USADA situation.
"We're in active discussions with the UFC, we've spoken to USADA, we're gonna do things the right way. That's all I will say about that... But certainly he is looking for a comeback in 2024."
Catch Audie Attar's comments below from the 5:20 mark:
#1. Sean Strickland speaks on possibly replacing Dricus Du Plessis against Israel Adesanya
Sean Strickland has opened up for the first time since the news broke that Dricus Du Plessis may not face Israel Adesanya at UFC 293.
In an expletive-filled rant, the middleweight champion welcomed Strickland as the new challenger as Du Plessis seemed unfit to compete.
Speaking to Helen Yee in a recent interview, Strickland said that he understood why the South African would hesitate to face the champion on such a short turnaround.
"I understand you Dricus. It is very natural just to fight, which I fought just a week before you, and then it'd be like, 'Hey you wanna fly across the world to fight a guy on seven weeks' notice'. It's very natural to say I might not want to do that. But I'm a f***ing man, I'm not a f***ing [expletive]. If you pay me, I have a price. You pay me money, I'll f***ing fight him right here."
Watch Strickland's comments from the 2:00 mark:
