The entire MMA world went up in arms against Jon Jones when it seemed like he was trying to avoid a fight against Tom Aspinall. However, to everyone’s surprise, Joe Rogan swooped in to defend Jones and awarded him some time to set his mind straight. If this came as a surprise to you, then my friend, you might have missed out on the exciting gossip from the MMA realm. But don’t you worry, because EssentiallySports has come forth with yet another episode of MMA News Roundup.

Today, we’ll begin the journey with Rogan defending Jones, and then move on to the Dagestani team’s plans for UFC 311. And lastly, we’ll take a look at the problems PFL is currently facing. So without any further ado, let’s dive right into it!

Joe Rogan defends Jon Jones against scrutiny

Jon Jones left the whole world in shock as he executed a phenomenal spinning back kick at UFC 309, to seal his maiden heavyweight belt defense. As soon as he rose victorious against Stipe Miocic, the fighting community started pushing ‘Bones’ to fight the interim heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall. Needless to say, it was high time for the MMA promotion to unite the heavyweight belts. 

While the world continued pelting the heavyweight champion, Joe Rogan swooped in to defend him. The JRE host claimed that we should give Jones at least 6 months of time, before we begin scutinizing him for evading a fight against Aspinall. He said, “Give the man all the time he wants. He could fight whenever he wants to fight. That’s Jon Jones—he’s the GOAT. So leave him alone. If he decides one day to come back and wants to fight Tom Aspinall for the heavyweight title, let him do it.”

Now, let’s put some light on UFC 311. It’s going to be the biggest event for the Dagestani team, with 2 championship titles on the line. But it seems like Javier Mendez has complete faith in Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov.

AKA coach is confident regarding Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov’s performance at UFC 311

UFC 311 is a big event, as Makhachev would defend his lightweight championship title, while Nurmagomedov would be fighting for the bantamweight title. On top of that, Tagir Ulanbekov would also be striving to climb the flyweight ladder. No doubt, the pressure on top of the fighters must be heavy. However, the AKA coach seems to have faith in the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s vision. He believed that it’d be the Dagestani team that would dominate the Octagon at UFC 311. 

In a behind-the-scenes video, Mendez said, “Last day of sparring and I can say we are ready for Father’s plan to prevail. Islam, Umar, Tagir Ulanbekov are on point. I asked them on Monday to give me their best sparring today Wednesday and they delivered what was expected.”

Now, it’s time to put up the charts for the Professional Fighters League. While trying to compete with the UFC, it seems like the PFL has experienced a severe downhill slope. After all, the organization was forced to slash the prize money in half. 

PFL ends up cutting its prize money in half

The PFL is set to drop its tradition of giving $1 million to its divisional champions. Starting from April 2025, the champions would now receive $500K in prize money. The news was shared on Instagram by ‘mmabreez,’ who shared a a picture of Brendan Loughnane receiving the $1 million cheque. But the captions read, “PFL will no longer host the million dollar MMA tournaments. They have decreased the winning incentive to $500,000.”

On top of that, PFL have also seemingly ditched their point system, which used to reward the fighters for finishing their opponents quickly. It has to be noted that this cut would not reflect on the fighters’ salaries. They would receive what they have been receiving in the past. Needless to say, this must have made Dana White smirk and point his fingers at Francis Ngannou’s last paycheck. 

And that concludes today’s episode of MMA News Roundup. What are your thoughts on Rogan coming to defend Jones? Do you think the Dagestani fighters will be able to dominate at UFC 311? What do you think of PFL cutting its prize money in half? Let us know in the comments down below.