We’re just moments away from one of the most electrifying cards the UFC has served up this year—UFC 314. From the return of Alexander Volkanovski to the comeback of Dominick Reyes, this stacked lineup is pure fireworks. But one matchup stealing the spotlight is the wild showdown between Jean Silva and Bryce Mitchell—a clash fueled by chaos and comedy. Their back-and-forth banter has been nothing short of hilarious, and in a bizarre twist, Mitchell has just agreed to something truly unexpected. Curious? Stick around—this is MMA Roundup, and we’ve got all the heat!
From the Mitchell-Silva news, we will move on to Alex Pereira, who seems to have embraced his roots ahead of his rematch against Magomed Ankalaev. Finally, we will conclude our segment with some information about Tony Ferguson. So, without any further ado, let’s get started.
Bryce Mitchell fires back at Jean Silva amid UFC 314 media day banter
‘Thug Nasty’ last entered the Octagon at UFC 310 last year, where he defeated Korn Gracie by knockout, cementing his status as one of the top featherweights in the division. However, Jean Silva looms on the horizon of the featherweight division rankings, and will probably be one of the most dangerous prospects of Bryce Mitchell’s career at UFC 314. To add to the intensity of the fight, the Brazilian claimed that everything was going well with the American fighter until he was knocked out by Josh Emmett at UFC 296.
Responding to Silva’s claim, Bryce Mitchell had only one thing to say: “I was born with brain damage, brother. I’ll be alright.” Bryce Mitchell has been climbing the featherweight rankings with his consistent performance. With a record of 8-2 under the Dana White-led promotion, Mitchell is looking to cement his status in the division. But his next challenge has taken the form of Jean Silva, who is one of the scariest up-and-comers in the featherweight division.
Yet to suffer a loss in the UFC, Jean Silva is one of the biggest talents to come out of the Dana White Contender Series. Now, let’s shift our focus from the featherweight division to the light heavyweight division with some news from Alex Pereira, ahead of his rematch with Magomed Anhalaev.
Alex Pereira is farming aura ahead of the rematch
After defending his title thrice last year against big talents such as Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka, and Khalil Rountree Jr, Alex Pereira finally lost his title to Magomed Ankalaev at UFC 313. The Dagestani took the Brazilian former champ to task in their UFC 313 showdown. Ahead of the fight, the current light heavyweight champion claimed that Pereira’s “black magic” wouldn’t work on him because his faith was strong—and we all saw what happened in the fight.
Alex Pereira via IG
“Recharging my warrior spirit with the energy of my ancestors” pic.twitter.com/7ubfWz1IEN
— Dovy (@DovySimuMMA) April 11, 2025
After losing the belt, Alex Pereira emphasized that he was suffering from a broken hand as well as norovirus going into the fight, but he refused to use these as an excuse for his loss. A month after his loss, Pereira appears to be getting back to his roots before the rematch with Magomed Ankalaev. From the video uploaded by ‘Poatan’ on his Instagram handle, we can witness some indigenous folks doing some shamanic rituals for him.
Well, shamanic ritual or not, Alex Pereira plans to bring his A-game to the Ankalaev rematch. Now let’s move on to our last segment where GFL might be in huge trouble, and this concerns Tony Ferguson as well.
Is Tony Ferguson vs. Dillon Danis cancelled?
The UFC former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson, was supposed to fight controversial fighter, Dillon Danis, this May 25th. However, it appears that the entire fight card had to be rescheduled because the investors of the promotion failed to fulfill their obligation. In a statement released by GFL’s founder, Darren Owens, it has been revealed that the promotion will hold the inauguration fight in June rather than in May.
“Our primary investor didn’t fulfill his April obligation, which has caused some issues. However, we have a solution in place. We are likely going to have to launch in June, but we are 100 percent moving forward,” said Owens in a statement to the media. As soon as the news was released, it spread like wildfire, and Danis took to his X handle to release his own statement: “Just got word, don’t believe everything you hear. My fight with Tony Ferguson is still on.”
Following Danis, Tony Ferguson took to his social media handle to say, “Great practice. F—— bet it’s on. Dillon gon’ get it. Will GFL’s first event happen happen in May or June? Or is this just a way to garner attention? We’ll have to wait and see. Regardless, what’s your take on the hubbub? State your opinion in the comments below.
The post MMA News Roundup: Bryce Mitchell’s Disturbing CTE Admission Before UFC 314, Alex Pereira’s Shamanic Ritual for Comeback, Bad News for Tony Ferguson appeared first on EssentiallySports.