UFC star teases retirement, Joe Rogan defends Donald Trump's "p***y" comment, Colby Covington gives fiery response to Jon Jones: MMA News Roundup

A UFC fighter who has long been on a hiatus wants to have his final few bouts in the promotion. Elsewhere, Colby Covington retorted at Jon Jones' sarcastic comments about the former's UFC Tampa loss.

Read today's top combat sports updates below.

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Marvin Vettori teases UFC retirement

Marvin Vettori, who last fought in June 2023 against Jared Cannonier, is ready to return to the octagon. However, he is also ready to hang up his gloves after a few times.

The UFC middleweight mainstay tweeted on Wednesday that he wants to fight an opponent in eight weeks.

He followed it up with an open notice to the 185 pounds roster:

"So who wants to fight an easy top 10 guy on his way to retirement?? I'm ok with anyone, just my last few so maybe I can call it."

While some fans were surprised at Vettori's decision, others wanted him gone from the UFC. Read the comments here.

Vettori has fought the likes of Israel Adesanya, Paulo Costa, Robert Whittaker, and Jack Hermansson during his time in the promotion.

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Joe Rogan defends Donald Trump's "grab 'em by the p***y" comment

Joe Rogan had former Illinois governor Rod R. Blagojevich on his podcast in episode #2245 and discussed, among other things, how things are often taken out of context in the American socio-political landscape. As an example, Rogan brought up Donald Trump's infamous comment about forcefully manhandling women by their genitalia.

Trump said it during a Hollywood Access filming in 2005, which later went viral before the 2016 elections that saw him become the president of the United States for the first time.

The UFC commentator recalled the remark, stating that it is how "guys talk" without intending to follow through:

"Well, that's the same thing as the 'grab 'em by the p***y' comment. Guys talk like that. It doesn't mean they mean it. Guys talk like that all the time for fun. It's not... you know, you could say it's misogynist, it's this [it's that], it's just sh*t-talking. It's what guys do and they know that the other person doesn't mean it, that's why it's funny to say."

Watch Joe Rogan's comments below (16:35):

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Colby Covington gives an unfiltered response to Jon Jones' sarcasm

Jon Jones made a sarcastic remark about Colby Covington blaming Donald Trump for his UFC Tampa loss. 'Chaos' claimed that because he was helping the President-elect with the 2024 campaign, he could not prepare for the fight. He also called out the doctor for an "unfortunate" stoppage and said that he was only getting started.

Covington and Jones share a history, as they were roommates at Central Iowa Community College back in the day. Over the years, they fell out, and the UFC welterweight now has nothing good to say about his former friend.

Reacting to Jones' comment on his Twitch stream, Covington said:

"He wishes he looked like me, a guy that was this beautiful and had this much respect. He has no respect. He lost all respect when he started doing drugs and hitting pregnant ladies... Cheated his whole career, on his wife, on his taxes, so he’s a terrible person."

"Of course, he talked about a saint and someone who is a law-abiding citizen like myself! Someone who stands for law and order, the military, troops. So f*** Jon Jones, he’s nothing!"