MMA News & Rumors: McGregor Calls Out USADA, BJ Penn Wants to Fight JP Next & More

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If you are a fan of the UFC, you are probably already stoked for UFC 261, which is set to go this coming weekend. After all, there are 3 title fights on the main card, so definitely the promise of a lot of fireworks. The good news is that there is plenty of action to keep fight fans occupied while they wait for this one, with several organizations hosting events throughout the week. We will hit as many of those as we can, plus we will breakdown all the main card fights at UFC 261 later in the week. For now, let’s take a look back to see the MMA stories that made the headlines this past week so you can keep making your bets against their UFC odds.

2021 MMA Betting News & Rumors Update | Apr. 19th Edition

Over the past year or so, late postponements of fights have had more to do with COVID than anything else. This past weekend, though, we saw the co-main event cancelled for an entirely different reason, and one that was totally avoidable. During the weigh-in for this fight, Jeremy Stephens pushed Drekkar Klose, with the unexpected shove leading to neck and brain damage for Klose. It wasn’t until the morning after the shove that Klose began to feel the effects. A CT scan showed the damage, which ultimately led to the cancellation of the bout.

Ever since the Mayweather/McGregor bout, which generated a ton of money, there has been a growing interest in pitting boxers against MMA guys. Some will argue that it has been all downhill since that first fight, with the fight between YouTuber Jake Paul and former MMA fighter Ben Askren this past weekend probably as low as it gets. These bouts generate a ridiculous amount of PPV money, so it’s no surprise that more fighters want in. Former UFC fighter BJ Penn called out Paul and is ready to step into the ring next. Paul wants a shot at McGregor, but he is probably going to need to settle for fighters of a lesser caliber.

Speaking of McGregor, the Irishman is back in the news after taking to social media to call out USADA and how he believes they are hiding positive test results. His out of nowhere post came after submitting to a pair of drug tests last week as he prepares for his rematch with Dustin Poirier in July. Specifically, McGregor was talking about an incident with Nate Diaz back in 2019, where Diaz was allowed to fight after testing positive for what was claimed to be a tainted supplement. There are still cases of fighters being warned or sanctioned by USADA, as seen on their website, so is there really any validity to McGregor’s claims?

There were several things to take from UFC Vegas 24 this past weekend, but the most notable is that Robert Whittaker deserves another shot at the title. He went the full 5 rounds with Kevin Gastelum in his decision victory, but he was dominant in every facet right from the opening bell. Whittaker continues to beat quality opposition and has emerged as the #1 contender. Surely his next bout will be a shot at the champ.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?