Remember when Chael Sonnen fought Jon Jones? Yeah, that fight happened 12 years ago at UFC 159, where ‘Bones’ finished ‘The American Gangster’ with vicious ground-and-pound in the first round. But why are recalling this iconic fight? Well, stick around, as we’re back with another episode of MMA Roundup, where we summarize the biggest developments in the world of mixed martial arts from the last 24 hours in bite-sized chunks.
From Chael Sonnen, we’ll move on to news of a fight announcement by UFC CEO Dana White. Finally, we will conclude our segment with some information about the Fighting Nerds team captain, middleweight contender Caio Borralho. So without further ado, let’s get right into it.
Chael Sonnen confesses to using PEDS during Jon Jones’ fight
At UFC 159, Dana White pitted Jon Jones against Chael Sonnen after their heated rivalry and stint as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter 17. Jones’ refusal to fight Sonnen on short notice at UFC 151 fueled the tension, ultimately leading to their showdown on April 27, 2013. ‘The American Gangster’ had the opportunity to stop soon-to-be legend Jones in that fight, but ‘Bones’ derailed Sonnen in the first round to clinch the victory.
Madison Square Garden NEW YORK CITY, NY -NOVEMBER 16:Jon Jones meet in the octagon for a 3-round bout for UFC309 – Jones vs Miocic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City, NY Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages Louis Grasse / SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xLouisxGrassex/xSPPx spp-en-LoGr-lrg2411164283787_UFCVegas309
Approximately 12 years later, Uncle Chael came forward to reveal something that we’ve all known for a while now. While conversing with his fans in a Q&A session, Sonnen asserted that he used PEDs when he fought Jones. And echoing Nate Diaz’s sentiments, he said that “everyone does it.” He later stated, “Once you make the decision that you’re going down the performance enhancement route through synthetic chemicals to be placed in your a*s, there’s only three that work. Of the three; EPO is king, growth hormone, testosterone.”
He further added, “Now of those three, growth hormone really is not a performance enhancer. Scientifically, many scientists believe growth hormone should be removed from the list, that it does nothing bigger, faster, stronger. It does nothing to make you better… So you have your EPO, you have your growth hormone, you have your testosterone.”
One of the reasons fans love Sonnen is because he’s real to the point of admitting that he’s used banned substances in the past. Of course, there was a fair bit of plausible deniability on the part of ‘The American Gangster’ back in the day, but he admitted in 2023 that he has “taken everything.” Regardless, let’s move on to the next story of the day featuring two top flyweights.
Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape has been rebooked
The former UFC flyweight title challenger, Brandon Royval, was supposed to share the stage against Manel Kape at UFC Fight Night 253 on March 1st. But the fight didn’t materialize because ‘Raw Dawg’ suffered back-to-back concussions in the space of a couple of months while training. In the absence of Royval, Kape had to fight Asu Almabayev on short notice.
Brandon Royval will fight Manel Kape at #UFC317 on June 28th
(per @laertevianamma) #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/YMbL8wTqIG
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 4, 2025
While that setback temporarily detailed Dana White‘s plan, we now have a go-ahead for the flyweight stars to have their showdown at UFC 317 on June 28th. The news was initially leaked by Laerte Viana and was later shared by Championship Rounds. The UFC CEO, Dana White, has yet to make an official announcement of the fight. However, if the news is true, this is the first announced fight of UFC 317. And now, from the flyweight division, let’s move five weight classes up to middleweight and look at what Caio Borralho has for us.
Caio Borralho teases opponent in secrecy
Riding a 16-fight winning streak, the Brazilian sensation Caio Borralho is just steps away from challenging the middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. With an undefeated record within the UFC, ‘The Natural’ is looking to conquer the middleweight division. However, who will be his next opponent? After defeating Jared Cannonier at UFC Vegas 96, Borralho tested his grappling against Brendan Allen at Karate Combat 53, securing another victory. Now, he wants to return to the UFC.
Caio Borralho reveals he has a date and an opponent for his next fight, but can’t reveal anything just yet
“We already have a fight, we already have a date, we already have an opponent. I just can’t say anything yet, absolutely nothing. That’s the most I can say.”
(via.… pic.twitter.com/syNVapb9Qi
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 3, 2025
Speaking to AG Fight, the team Fighting Nerds sensation revealed that the UFC already has an opponent for him. However, ‘The Natural’ is not at liberty to reveal his name until the UFC officially announces the bout, “We already have a fight, we already have a date, we already have an opponent. I just can’t say anything yet, absolutely nothing. That’s the most I can say,” said Borralho.
Quite a sneaky tactic by the UFC to manage its fighters, and they have every right to do so, especially given the recent fight cancellations. Dana White doesn’t want to announce a fight that won’t happen. Who do you think is his opponent? Is it Robert Whittaker? Israel Adesanya? Sean Strickland? What are your thoughts on the hubbub? State your opinion in the comments below.
The post MMA News Roundup: Jon Jones’ Rival Makes Steroid Revelation, Dana White Books UFC 317 Bout With Title Implications, Du Plessis’ Rival Reveals Fight appeared first on EssentiallySports.
