Welcome to MMA News Today, a daily feature running down the most interesting stories in the world of mixed martial arts. For March 28, 2024, we’re taking a look at:
After nearly four years to the day, Georges St-Pierre made an incredible UFC comeback in 2017, going on to become the UFC middleweight champion.
Beating Michael Bisping at UFC 217 completed a long-awaited return for one of the greatest of all time but his time spent back in the promotion would be short-lived.
In a recent appearance on the Pound 4 Pound podcast with former champions Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo, GSP revealed the health concerns that cut his comeback short.
He explained how despite his concerns that he may have cancer, he put getting any treatment off until after the event in order to make the middleweight limit for the first time in his career.
"The reason why I really retired is because it took a lot out of me and I started developing a condition called ileocolitis, it's an inflammation of the intestine and my last fight, when I fought Bisping, I tried to eat to gain weight and I have a very hard time gaining weight and I force myself to eat and maybe the doctor told me that's probably why I developed that.
"When I get diagnosed with ileocolitis, in terms of stress, I got relieved but also I started doing intermittent fasting and it cured all my symptoms. I'm no longer on medication, I used to be on severe medication.
"I used to go to the bathroom and it was a lot of blood, I thought maybe I had cancer but I was telling myself during training camp I was like, whatever it is, I'm going to wait until the end of the fight because to find out what it is, you need to what they call a colonoscopy. It's a camera they put up and for that, they put you on laxatives and I was trying to gain weight, not lose weight."
In a recent social media post, former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling spoke about one of his several sources of income.
As a long-time teammate of Al Iaquinta, "The Funkmaster" has also dipped his feet into the realtor business and has trained to become one whilst being a UFC fighter.
"Yes, I have my license with Al Iaquinta brokerage in Long Island. We are allowed to refer deals all around the country tho. It’s hard to promote that bc a lot of ppl call in to waste our time. But sometimes we get some serious inquiries."
Yes, I have my license with Al Iaquinta brokerage in Long Island. We are allowed to refer deals all around the country tho. It’s hard to promote that bc a lot of ppl call in to waste our time. But sometimes we get some serious inquiries. https://t.co/F7bjHDj3cp
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) March 28, 2024
One fan responded to the post, calling out the UFC's fighter pay as the reason why Sterling maintains other pursuits whilst competing at the top level.
He responded to the post and explained why he chooses to have multiple cards in play that allow him to make money alongside and after his fighting career.
"I’ve been a real estate agent since 2017. And I’ve had my teaching degree since 2011. These are life choices, my man, to make sure I have options. I’d like to think I was pretty reasonable and smart with my earnings, as sporting life isn’t your typical 30 year career."
I’ve been a real estate agent since 2017. And I’ve had my teaching degree since 2011. These are life choices, my man, to make sure I have options. I’d like to think I was pretty reasonable and smart with my earnings, as sporting life isn’t your typical 30 year career. https://t.co/M5pSIMQFrL
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) March 28, 2024
Maycee Barber's post-win celebrations after UFC 299 were put on hold after she found herself dealing with an incredibly serious yet unexplainable illness.
After beating Katlyn Cerminara to earn the biggest win of her career to date, "The Future" found herself bed bound in a hospital for nine days.
Barber recently revealed that the condition was so bad that at one stage, she didn't believe that she would ever fully recover.
The 25-year old explained everything during a recent interview with Sportskeeda MMA where she revealed just how worrying her conditions were.
"We still, to this day, there's no like, 100 percent answer," Barber stated. "It (105 fever) lasted for like three, four days. They couldn't get the fever to reduce... My body was just in a rough shape. It was scary, honestly. My leg was in so much pain. I spent nine days in the hospital.
"The two things that crossed my mind were, one, that I could potentially lose my leg. The other part was, there was a night... day three, four, or five. I was laying in the bed and they had given me some sort of medication that did not mix well with my body. My blood pressure dropped, heart rate dropped, oxygen dropped... They had to keep me awake to the point where I didn't think I was gonna make it through the night."
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