Sean O'Malley defends Andrew Tate, UFC middleweight reacts to Israel Adesanya vs Sean Strickland, Henry Cejudo praises Paulo Costa: MMA News Roundup

Welcome to 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's defence of Andrew Tate and a middleweight contender reacting to the latest title fight news. Also, Henry Cejudo weighs in on Paulo Costa versus Khamzat Chimaev.

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#1. Sean O'Malley reacts to charges against Andrew Tate

Sean O'Malley defended Andrew Tate after his controversial interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Tate was arrested alongside his brother back in December 2022. The pair were accused of rape, human trafficking and conspiring to form a criminal group. After spending a few months in jail, they were eventually placed under house arrest whilst investigations continued.

Tate then opted to tell his side of the story and address the charges during his interview with Tucker Carlson.

In the latest episode of the TimboSugarShow, the bantamweight star weighed in on the interview and defended Tate, saying:

"He's getting charged with human trafficking, but the definition of human trafficking that they have, they said that he's forcing girls to make tiktok accounts and then taking the money from those videos... That's f**king crazy, bro... Daddy Tate ain't do that sh*t dude."

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#2. UFC middleweight Jared Cannonier weighs in on Israel Adesanya versus Sean Strickland

Jared Cannonier has revealed his displeasure at the news Israel Adesanya is set to defend his title against Sean Strickland.

Dricus du Plessis booked himself as the No.1 contender after causing the upset and defeating Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. The South African has, however, ruled himself out of a title bout against Adesanya due to a foot injury.

The UFC has since reportedly replaced 'Stillknocks' with Strickland, and the news hasn't gone down well with the 'Tha Killa Gorilla'. In an interview with The Schmo, Cannonier stated that he should be the one fighting for the title next:

"The way the rankings stack up, the way my last fights have gone, the way his last fights have gone, it doesn't make sense. I feel that I'm definitely ahead of Sean Strickland in the lineup for who gets a title shot next."

Catch Jared Cannonier's comments here:

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#3. Henry Cejudo says Paulo Costa's improvements could cause Khamzat Chimaev problems

Khamzat Chimaev looks set to become a permanent member of the UFC's middleweight decision when he takes on Paulo Costa in Abu Dhabi at UFC 294.

There has been much speculation about the match-up, with many giving the edge to Costa in the striking and Chimaev in the wrestling.

Weighing in on the fight was Henry Cejudo, who believes fans may be surprised by how the bout plays out. According to 'Triple C', 'Borz' has never faced a fighter the size of Costa before, and the Brazilian has made serious improvements in wrestling:

“Khamzat Chimaev, a guy with tenacity... He is going up to middleweight against a real middleweight, a big middleweight. The biggest challenge that somebody like Khamzat Chimaev is going to have a guy like Paulo is could he take this dude down. Could he take this dude and could he actually hold him down?”

Catch more of Cejudo's reaction here.