Conor McGregor goes behind UFC's back, Joe Rogan claims he's not Republican, Khabib Nurmagomedov settles Ireland beef: MMA News Roundup

Conor McGregor has gone behind the UFC and Dana White's back and indirectly announced what could potentially be his next fight. Elsewhere, Joe Rogan made his political leaning crystal clear.

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Conor McGregor's next fight may not be in the UFC

Conor McGregor, who is a co-owner of Bare Knuckle FC, attended Saturday night's KnuckleMania V headlined by his former UFC foe Eddie Alvarez and Jeremy Stephens of 'Who the f*ck is that guy' fame.

Following the main event, which Stephens won, McGregor walked into the ring and had a heated face-off with 'Lil' Heathen'. BKFC president David Feldman later announced during the press conference that McGregor had requested him to announce that he would fight Stephens next in BKFC. However, Feldman made it clear that the fight is not confirmed by the brass:

"One more thing. As I was walking out of the arena, Conor [McGregor] actually tapped me on the shoulder and told me to make sure I tell everybody he's fighting Jeremy Stephens in BKFC. That's what he said. I don't know if it's happening."

Check out David Feldman's comments below (13:45):

McGregor is still under contract with the UFC. He recently revealed that the Dana White-helmed promotion did not get on board with the rumored $500 million fight with Logan Paul that he claimed was being set up by the Ambani family in India.

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Joe Rogan claims he's neither a Republican nor a Democrat

Joe Rogan endorsed Donald Trump on the eve of the 2024 elections leading many to believe that his political ideology aligned with the Republican Party. Many of his beliefs and comments, as shared on his podcast, also point at the same. He even attended Trump's inauguration, alongside UFC CEO Dana White and UFC megastar Conor McGregor.

However, the UFC commentator recently claimed that he is politically neutral, neither a Republican nor a Democrat.

During The Joe Rogan Experience (#2261) episode with Warren Smith, the comedian-podcaster said:

"I don't consider myself a Republican. I don't consider myself a Democrat either. I consider myself an American - a human being. There's a lot of things that the Democrats believe that I believe too. There's a lot of things they say that make a lot of sense to me. There's a lot of things that the Republicans say that make a lot of sense to me too. The idea that I have to ignore things that make sense to me because it's coming from the wrong team is just stupid."

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Khabib Nurmagomedov praises Ireland

A few weeks before Dagestan's Usman Nurmagomedov's PFL Dubai title clash with Ireland's Paul Hughes, Khabib Nurmagomedov's comment about the two countries' MMA skills went viral on the internet.

The former UFC lightweight champion claimed that Ireland has no accomplished fighter other than Hughes and Conor McGregor, and Dagestan's athletes are miles ahead in every major combat sports league. Many people did not like his remarks, including McGregor, who retorted in the signature brash manner he generally uses for Khabib and his associates.

However, 'The Eagle' tried to de-escalate the situation after Usman's victory by heaping praise on Ireland for supporting Palestine:

"All these things started from my side and the other guy [Conor McGregor] when we were fighting. But, don't forget. Ireland is the biggest supporter in the world for Palestine. Don't forget this. We love you guys. You, your government, everybody. We are inside the cage, only competition. MMA [is] all about respect. We love you guys because you guys support our brothers in Palestine. We love you guys. I just wanted to let you know. Thank you so much."

Watch Khabib Nurmagomedov's comments below (0:50):