Welcome to Sportskeeda’s daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC news updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.
In today’s issue, we talk about a female fighter addressing online hate, Julianna Pena’s latest comments about Amanda Nunes, and more.
#3. UFC flyweight Miranda Maverick pens emotional message about getting death threats
UFC women’s flyweight prospect Miranda Maverick faced Jasmine Jasudavicius on the UFC 289 prelims and fell short of a win.
The 25-year-old recently took to Instagram to reveal the darker side of being a popular figure on social media. She admitted that she has been receiving hateful messages, including death threats and instigation of suicide.
She penned a heartbreaking message addressing the matter on her Instagram story:
“I’ve received so many death threats, messages telling me to commit suicide, kill myself, etc in the past 2 days, it is insane. Just because we have a blue check by our names doesn’t mean we are invincible. Mind you, I ignore these clowns but to those who struggle with what social media thinks of you, remember most keyboard warriors don’t have much to show for their lives.”
She added:
“Go after something with all the effort you have and regardless of the result know you put your all on the line. And to you pieces of who say such hateful things, I hope you never experience the pain of having someone say/do the same to you. God bless you all.”
Hailing from Missouri, Maverick said she was going to head home for a week and stay off the internet to give herself a break.
Earlier, she took to Instagram to congratulate her opponent and reveal that one of her eyes went completely blind during the fight.
#2. Jorge Masvidal ‘bans’ Conor McGregor for jinxing Miami Heat
Die-hard fan Jorge Masvidal blames Conor McGregor for Miami Heat’s NBA finals loss to Denver Nuggets.
Last week, Conor McGregor took part in a promotional skit where he knocked down the Miami Heat mascot on the court. He accidentally punched hard enough to send the man dressed as ‘Burnie’ to the ER, where he recovered well.
However, Masvidal is not ready to let the gimmick pass. He launched a profanity-laden tweet at McGregor and accused him of jinxing the team’s ‘chakras’.
“Connor u f***ing p**sy u came here and threw the chakras of the mascot and team so for that u banned b**ch”
McGregor’s antics were criticized by UFC president Dana White as well, who slammed the idea of mascots signing up to get punched in the face by professional fighters.
#1. Julianna Pena declares herself the female GOAT and gets laughed at
Amanda Nunes retiring at UFC 289 without granting a trilogy to Julianna Pena is not sitting well with the latter.
Starting from her cage-side reactions, where she boo-ed at Nunes during her retirement speech, to her recent interview with Ariel Helwani, Pena has made her discontentment clear. In return, she has amassed heavy backlash from fans.
Pena irked fans after claiming she was the greatest female fighter of all time on The MMA Hour.
“The greatest fighter of all time to me, is me. You want to know why? Because I’m not a fighter, I’m a warrior. I am a warrior inside and there’s a difference, Amanda is a fighter. I’m a warrior… I’m the greatest warrior, I’m the greatest fighter of all time.”
A clip of the segment was shared on Twitter by Jed I. Goodman. UFC fans ripped Pena apart in the comments, hilariously mocking her for the take.
Read more reactions here.