Welcome to today's edition of Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In today's issue, we talk about Sean O'Malley shutting down Henry Cejudo's callout, Jake Paul breaking his silence after being accused of fight fixing, and more.
#3. Sean O'Malley says Henry Cejudo is desperate to make money after interim title callout
Former two-division champ Henry Cejudo recently tried to set the table for a potential interim title bout against Sean O'Malley.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
However, O'Malley doesn't appear to be on board with Cejudo's idea. The rising bantamweight star, who recently defeated Petr Yan at UFC 280, thinks Cejudo's callout is nothing more than a desperate plea.
Appearing on a recent edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the No.1-ranked bantamweight said:
"That dude [Henry Cejudo] is... I heard from someone close to Henry [Cejudo] that he's got like thirty-seven dollars in the bank. He's literally just trying to do anything to get some money... trying to book a fight... Even if he and 'Aljo' [Sterling] go fight, they'll probably be some co-main event."
Watch the interview below:
#2. Jake Paul responds to accusations that his bout with Anderson Silva was rigged
Jake Paul hit back at critics who claimed that his victory against Anderson Silva was fixed.
Appearing on the latest episode of The MMA Hour, 'The Problem Child' disputed allegations that he paid Silva off to take a dive. He also stressed that he worked so hard to get to where he's at, saying:
"I lose faith in my generation and my peers, and us in a society in a world just when I see that type of stuff and that type of stupidity. Yeah, it just sucks. It sucks because I work so hard for this. I dedicate everything. Sacrifice everything every single day..."
Watch the video below:
#1. Askar Askarov among 11 fighters released by the UFC
Askar Askarov is on the shortlist of title contenders in the UFC flyweight division.
However, the Russian won't even get his chance to fight for the title. The Twitter account @UFCRosterWatch announced on Monday that Askarov was among the 11 fighters removed from the UFC roster.
Joining Askarov on the list are the following fighters:
- Jason Witt
- Darian Weeks
- Cameron VanCamp
- Jesse Ronson
- Charlie Ontiveros
- Magomed Mustafaev
- Nick Maximov
- Louis Cosce
- Misha Cirkunov
- Krzysztof Jotko
Check out the tweets below: