Latest news with #ReturnoftheMac
The Irish Sun
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Conor McGregor issues four-word statement after taking biggest step yet to UFC return
CONOR MCGREGOR has doubled down on his recent insistence that he will return to the UFC. The 37-year-old hasn't set foot inside the octagon since 5 Conor McGregor hasn't set foot inside the octagon in over four years Credit: GETTY 5 The Notorious took a giant step towards returning to the cage by returning to the UFC's drug testing pool Credit: INSTAGRAN@THENOTORIOUSMMA 5 The 37-year-old recently gave blood and urine samples to drug testers Credit: INSTAGRAM@THENOTORIOUSMMA 5 The Irishman has doubled down on his insistence that he will return to the cage Credit: INSTAGRAN@THENOTORIOUSMMA He was set to make his grand return to the cage last June but was forced to withdraw from his comeback clash with Michael Chandler due to injury. The prospect of the former two-division champion returning to the cage seemingly took a step in the right direction earlier this week. The fan favourite was drug tested for the first time since re-entering the UFC's drug testing pool on board his luxury yacht . And the Irishman has once again taken to social media to insist that his long-awaited comeback will come to fruition. Along with a selfie of himself smiling with his bold new mohawk, McGregor wrote on Instagram: "Return of the Mac." The post even included a snippet of Mark Morrison's 1996 platinum hit song 'Return of the Mack'. McGregor's latest drug test has yet to be logged in the UFC 's Anti-Doping database. Fighting has seemingly been at the back of McGregor's mind for the last few months, with the SBG Ireland star setting his sights on running for political office in his homeland. Most read in MMA SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN 5 But they returned to the forefront of his mind after he got wind of the UFC's plans to host a fight card at the White House next July. He said: 'It's looking like I'm headed to the Oval Office again. Conor McGregor shows off bizarre new hair after whisking fiancee Dee Devlin away amid UFC star's kiss with mystery woman "So that's where I'm headed next . "But I'll let these men fight for this one and I'll support them and back them all the way." If McGregor does ever fight again, his next outing will be his first since being found civilly liable for assaulting Nikita Hand at a Dublin Hotel in December 2018. The former two-division champion appealed the verdict returned at Dublin 's High Court last November. He is expected to learn the verdict of his appeal this week.
Scottish Sun
31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Conor McGregor issues four-word statement after taking biggest step yet to UFC return
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) CONOR MCGREGOR has doubled down on his recent insistence that he will return to the UFC. The 37-year-old hasn't set foot inside the octagon since breaking his left leg against Dustin Poirier over four years ago. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Conor McGregor hasn't set foot inside the octagon in over four years Credit: GETTY 5 The Notorious took a giant step towards returning to the cage by returning to the UFC's drug testing pool Credit: INSTAGRAN@THENOTORIOUSMMA 5 The 37-year-old recently gave blood and urine samples to drug testers Credit: INSTAGRAM@THENOTORIOUSMMA 5 The Irishman has doubled down on his insistence that he will return to the cage Credit: INSTAGRAN@THENOTORIOUSMMA He was set to make his grand return to the cage last June but was forced to withdraw from his comeback clash with Michael Chandler due to injury. The prospect of the former two-division champion returning to the cage seemingly took a step in the right direction earlier this week. The fan favourite was drug tested for the first time since re-entering the UFC's drug testing pool on board his luxury yacht. And the Irishman has once again taken to social media to insist that his long-awaited comeback will come to fruition. READ MORE ON MCGREGOR TESTING TIMES McGregor drops huge UFC return hint as he shows off drug test on his yacht Along with a selfie of himself smiling with his bold new mohawk, McGregor wrote on Instagram: "Return of the Mac." The post even included a snippet of Mark Morrison's 1996 platinum hit song 'Return of the Mack'. McGregor's latest drug test has yet to be logged in the UFC's Anti-Doping database. Fighting has seemingly been at the back of McGregor's mind for the last few months, with the SBG Ireland star setting his sights on running for political office in his homeland. SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN 5 But they returned to the forefront of his mind after he got wind of the UFC's plans to host a fight card at the White House next July. He said: 'It's looking like I'm headed to the Oval Office again. Conor McGregor shows off bizarre new hair after whisking fiancee Dee Devlin away amid UFC star's kiss with mystery woman "So that's where I'm headed next. "But I'll let these men fight for this one and I'll support them and back them all the way." If McGregor does ever fight again, his next outing will be his first since being found civilly liable for assaulting Nikita Hand at a Dublin Hotel in December 2018. The former two-division champion appealed the verdict returned at Dublin's High Court last November. He is expected to learn the verdict of his appeal this week.
Scottish Sun
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Dana White opens door for Conor McGregor to return at UFC White House card after shock Donald Trump announcement
The Notorious has once again shared his private messages with the UFC supremo MAC TO THE OVAL OFFICE Dana White opens door for Conor McGregor to return at UFC White House card after shock Donald Trump announcement Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DANA WHITE has seemingly revealed he LOVES the idea of Conor McGregor fighting on the proposed UFC card at the White House. President Donald Trump, a long-time supporter of mixed martial arts' top promotion, stunned fight fans at a rally in Iowa on Thursday by revealing his intention to hold a UFC card on the grounds of the White House next year. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 President Donald Trump recently revealed plans to host a UFC card on the White House grounds next year Credit: AFP 5 UFC icon Conor McGregor immediately expressed an interest in fighting on the card Credit: X 5 McGregor shared a screengrab of his Instagram DM's with UFC supremo Dana White, who was seemingly keen on the idea of him fightng on the card Credit: X@THENOTORIOUSMMA He said: "Speaking the day before the 250th anniversary of the USA's independence, he said: "All of our national park battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honour of America 250. "And I even think we're going to have a UFC fight. 'Does anybody watch UFC [and] the great Dana White? "We're going to have a UFC fight, think of this, on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there.' Trump added: "A championship fight, full fight, like 20, 25,000 people.' READ MORE UFC NEWS HOUSE OF PAIN Trump to host UFC fight at the White House as Dana White 'confirms' plan It didn't take long for Trump's pledge to have a UFC card take place on the grounds of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to come to the attention of McGregor, the promotion's long-time poster boy. The Irishman tweeted: "Happy 4th of July, USA. 🇺🇸 "Excited with President Trump announcing a UFC fight event at the White House. I would be honoured! Count me in!" He then shared a screengrab of his direct messages with UFC supremo White, whom he appeared to voice note about the card. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 5 And veteran promoter White was seemingly in on the idea of the Return of the Mac topping the UFC White House Bill. He replied to the voice note: "I love it." Conor McGregor explains reason for major career changes amid UFC 'plateau' as MMA return remains a mystery McGregor visited President Trump in the Oval Office in March, where he voiced his concerns over the levels of immigration in his homeland. He also doubled down on his intention to run for political office in the Emerald Isle. McGregor, 36, hasn't set foot inside the octagon since breaking his left leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier nearly four years ago. He was set to make his cage comeback last June in a long-overdue showdown with rival Ultimate Fighter season 31 coach Michael Chandler. But he pulled out of their Sin City showdown with a broken left pinky toe. The former two-division champion's fighting future has been in serious doubt since last November after a jury of his peers found him civilly liable for assaulting Nikita Hand at a Dublin hotel in December 2018. McGregor vehemently denied the allegations and quickly filed an appeal, which is currently being heard.
The Irish Sun
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Dana White opens door for Conor McGregor to return at UFC White House card after shock Donald Trump announcement
DANA WHITE has seemingly revealed he LOVES the idea of Conor McGregor fighting on the proposed UFC card at the White House. President Donald Trump, a long-time supporter of mixed martial arts' top promotion, stunned fight fans at a rally in Iowa on Thursday by revealing his intention to hold a UFC card on the grounds of the White House next year. 5 President Donald Trump recently revealed plans to host a UFC card on the White House grounds next year Credit: AFP 5 UFC icon Conor McGregor immediately expressed an interest in fighting on the card Credit: X 5 McGregor shared a screengrab of his Instagram DM's with UFC supremo Dana White, who was seemingly keen on the idea of him fightng on the card Credit: X@THENOTORIOUSMMA He said: "Speaking the day before the 250th anniversary of the USA 's independence, he said: "All of our national park battlefields and historic sites are going to have special events in honour of America 250. "And I even think we're going to have a UFC fight. 'Does anybody watch UFC [and] the great Dana White? "We're going to have a UFC fight, think of this, on the grounds of the White House. We have a lot of land there.' Trump added: "A championship fight, full fight, like 20, 25,000 people.' READ MORE UFC NEWS It didn't take long for Trump's pledge to have a UFC card take place on the grounds of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to come to the attention of McGregor, the promotion's long-time poster boy. The Irishman tweeted: "Happy 4th of July, USA. 🇺🇸 "Excited with President Trump announcing a UFC fight event at the White House. I would be honoured! Count me in!" He then shared a screengrab of his direct messages with UFC supremo White, whom he appeared to voice note about the card. Most read in MMA JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 5 And veteran promoter White was seemingly in on the idea of the Return of the Mac topping the UFC White House Bill. He replied to the voice note: "I love it." Conor McGregor explains reason for major career changes amid UFC 'plateau' as MMA return remains a mystery McGregor visited President Trump in the Oval Office in March, where he voiced his concerns over the levels of immigration in his homeland. He also doubled down on his intention to run for political office in the Emerald Isle. McGregor, 36, hasn't set foot inside the octagon since breaking his left leg in his trilogy fight with He was set to make his cage comeback last June in a long-overdue showdown with rival Ultimate Fighter season 31 coach Michael Chandler. But he pulled out of their Sin City showdown with a broken left pinky toe. The former two-division champion's fighting future has been in serious doubt since last November after a jury of his peers found him civilly liable for assaulting Nikita Hand at a Dublin hotel in December 2018. McGregor vehemently denied the allegations and quickly filed an appeal, which is 5 Conor McGregor hasn't fought since breaking his left leg nearly four years ago Credit: AP
New York Times
16-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Mac McClung flashes perfect score, pulling off historic third straight NBA dunk contest win
SAN FRANCISCO — He may still not be a household name, nor is he really an NBA player, but Mac McClung can now say he is the greatest dunk champion in league history. McClung, 26, who plays for the Osceola Magic in the NBA G League and played in just one game for the Orlando Magic this season, became the first player in dunk contest history to win the event three years in a row — pulling off a perfect score of 200 with four dunks not quite seen before and beat San Antonio rookie Stephon Castle in an entertaining final round to finish off All-Star Saturday night at the Chase Center. Advertisement McClung jumped over a car. And Evan Mobley. He contorted his body in strange ways while already in mid-air, and dunked two balls at the same time when he began the attempt with his hands empty. So you can say the field was lighter compared to past dunk contests, but in the first such event in the Bay Area since Vince Carter's historically grand performance in Oakland, in 2000, McClung was by far the best dunker on the court and will be remembered forever for what he did at the Chase Center, and for being able to win three years running. Only Nate Robinson had won three dunk contests before McClung, but Robinson's wins were not consecutive. McClung's night began with him taking the court to 'Return of the Mac,' an appropriate title given his name and prowess as repeat champion. For his first dunk, organizers backed a Kia sedan onto the court and parked it in front of the basket. Yes, dunkers have jumped over cars before (Blake Griffin in 2011), but McClung not only jumped over the car — he also pulled the ball off of a friend's head, who was standing through the sun roof. MAC MCCLUNG ARE YOU KIDDING ⁉️🤯@Kia | #KiaK5 — NBA (@NBA) February 16, 2025 For McClung's second dunk of the first round, he jumped over the same friend and again took the ball off of his head to do it, but this time turned nearly 180 degrees toward the rim after his back was already facing the basket. To begin the final round, McClung's friend spun on a hoverboard while another man climbed a ladder parked next to the basket. With a running start, McClung timed his jump to not only clear his friend, but again lift the ball off of his head, and then as he was ready to dunk it, he knocked the ball out of the hand of the man on the ladder into the hoop, for dunks of two balls on the same turn. Advertisement Castle, MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge on All-Star Friday, made it interesting with a 50 on his last dunk — a 360 in which he moved the ball behind his back and dunked left handed — giving himself a score of 99.6. There wasn't much margin for McClung to play with, and he pushed the limit by soaring over the Cavs' Evan Mobley, who is not only 6-11, but was standing on a box that was at least a few inches tall. Stephon Castle GLIDES in for the 360 Behind-The-Back 😱#ATTSlamDunk — NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 16, 2025 Bulls rookie Matas Buzelis and Bucks second-year man Andre Jackson didn't get out of the first round. Buzelis failed to convert his first dunk all together (each player had three attempts per turn) and Jackson was plagued by misses before converting on simplified versions of his dunks. Tyler Hero, a first-time All-Star who is currently tied for fourth in 3s this season, unseated Damian Lillard as 3-point champion by narrowly escaping round one (by one point, over Lillard) and then finishing with a final-round tally of 24 points — beating hometown favorite Buddy Hield, of the Warriors, by a point. Herro had the most 3s this season of anyone in the eight-man field. Most shots in the 3-point contest were worth one point, money balls were worth two points and two shots were worth three points. Hield took the opening round with a score of 31, and had a chance to catch Herro if he had made the entire rack of money balls in the championship round. Hield connected on the first three but missed his fourth shot, dooming him to finish one point behind Herro. 'I was definitely nervous going into the first round. But I thought I shot it pretty well in the second round, and then Buddy had the chance to tie it at the end, ' Herro said. 'Obviously a great competition, a bunch of great shooters. … Also, it felt cold in the arena the first time I went. For the second time, I felt more loose going right away.' Advertisement Cleveland's Darius Garland also advanced to the final round. He wore a No. 22 Cavs jersey (his number is 10), to honor his father, Winston, who wore 22 when he played for the Golden State Warriors in 1990. Lillard, who was not only the two-time defending 3-point shootout champion, but is also from nearby Oakland, didn't get out of the first round. Had Lillard won again, he would have joined 18 Larry Bird (1986-88) and Craig Hodges (1990-92) as the only players to win three consecutive 3-point shootouts. The Cavaliers' duo of Donovan Mitchell and Mobley, both All-Stars, won the annual skills challenge, emerging victorious in individual rounds of an obstacle course, passing contest and shooting competition over the host-Warriors' Draymond Green and Moses Moody. To the extent that there is any interest or intrigue in the skills challenge — which is always the first of the Saturday events and has been tweaked several times — the Spurs' team of Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama proved it. They were actually disqualified — kicked out, booted, canceled, if you will — for deliberately throwing up shots quickly to save time during the first round. 'If they weren't disqualified, I think we probably would have just did the same thing to be honest with you,' Mitchell said. 'Play to win, I guess.' 'I feel like my first round I tried to do a similar thing but made it look like a real shot, but that didn't work really well, so I switched up my strategy,' Mobley added. This story will be updated.
