Welcome to Bloody Elbow’s daily round-up of combat sports news on a day when the huge rematch between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao was announced.
This is your one-stop shop for the top five stories from February 23, 2026. By far the biggest talking point of the day was the announced rematch between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
That wasn’t the only topic of conversation this Monday, though, as UFC star Conor McGregor seemingly continued to vent his frustration with the UFC regarding his return to the sport.
Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao 2 is announced by Netflix
Potentially the most surprising news so far this year, is that ‘Money’ Mayweather and ‘Pac Man’ Pacquiao will finally fight in a rematch, 11 years in the making.
This Monday evening, it was announced by Netflix that the rematch between the two will take place from the $2.3 billion Sphere in Las Vegas.
On September 19, the two boxing icons will clash in the first professional boxing fight to take place in the unique venue.
- READ MORE: Manny Pacquiao claims rematch against Floyd Mayweather at the Sphere will be even bigger than first clash
Conor McGregor airs anger with the UFC over potential return
For several months now, the former UFC double champion has been teasing his potential return on the scheduled UFC White House event.
And although initially it seemed as though he and the promotion were on the same page regarding his comeback, things have seemingly stalled.
This past weekend, ‘The Notorious’ claimed that he had accepted a fight against a ‘no-name’ opponent, but during the UFC Houston post-fight press conference, Dana White shut down the idea of a McGregor fight being close to being announced.
And with that, McGregor vented his anger online this Monday in a now-deleted post on X, stating: “Day 15 of ‘I accept, send the contract’.”
Sean O’Malley reacts to Conor Benn’s $15 million Zuffa Boxing signing
Just a few days ago, it was announced by Zuffa Boxing that they have signed British boxer Conor Benn to their promotion.
Not long after the surprising signing was announced, reports surfaced that White’s new boxing promotion are paying Benn $15 million for just a one fight contract.
UFC star Sean O’Malley reacted to Benn’s $15 million deal this Monday, suggesting that he’s never heard of the boxer, doubting the accuracy of the figure.
Ronda Rousey takes a subtle dig at the UFC during conversation with Nakisa Bidarian
The shockwaves of Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano continue to tremor around the combat sports world.
This past Saturday, White reacted to the fight between Rousey and Carano, claiming that he is happy for both fighters despite the fight not landing in the UFC.
Despite that, Rousey has taken somewhat of a dig at her former promotion during a conversation with MVP owner, Nakisa Bidarian.
During the conversation, Rousey claimed that she is ‘helping the UFC’ by giving them some much-needed competition.
Paddy Pimblett unhappy with Joe Rogan’s commentary of his UFC 324 title fight
In what now seems like a lifetime ago, Paddy Pimblett finally watched his UFC 324 main event against Justin Gaethje back on the big screen.
Ultimately, ‘The Baddy’ probably wishes he didn’t bother, as it left him even more frustrated than he already was after watching it back.
The Englishman came to the conclusion that the fight should have been scored a draw, claiming that Gaethje should have had points deducted for eye-pokes.
Pimblett stated that he was ‘infuriated’ with the commentary of his fight for not picking up on continuous fouls by his opponent.