Welcome to Bloody Elbow’s day by day round-up of combat sports news on a day when the massive rematch between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao was announced.
That is your one-stop shop for the highest five stories from February 23, 2026. By far the largest talking point of the day was the announced rematch between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
That wasn’t the one 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 game.
Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao 2 is announced by Netflix
Potentially probably the most surprising news thus far this 12 months, is that ‘Money’ Mayweather and ‘Pac Man’ Pacquiao will finally fight in a rematch, 11 years within the making.
This Monday evening, it was announced by Netflix that the rematch between the 2 will happen from the $2.3 billion Sphere in Las Vegas.
On September 19, the 2 boxing icons will clash in the primary skilled boxing fight to happen within the unique venue.
- READ MORE: Manny Pacquiao claims rematch against Floyd Mayweather on the Sphere can be even larger than first clash
Conor McGregor airs anger with the UFC over potential return
For several months now, the previous UFC double champion has been teasing his potential return on the scheduled UFC White House event.
And although initially it seemed as if he and the promotion were on the identical 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 throughout the UFC Houston post-fight press conference, Dana White shut down the thought of a McGregor fight being near 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 just a few days ago, it was announced by Zuffa Boxing that they’ve signed British boxer Conor Benn to their promotion.
Not long after the surprising signing was announced, reports surfaced that White’s latest boxing promotion are paying Benn $15 million for only 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 on the UFC during conversation with Nakisa Bidarian
The shockwaves of Ronda Rousey vs Gina Carano proceed to tremor across the combat sports world.
This past Saturday, White reacted to the fight between Rousey and Carano, claiming that he’s comfortable for each fighters despite the fight not landing within the UFC.
Despite that, Rousey has taken somewhat of a dig at her former promotion during a conversation with MVP owner, Nakisa Bidarian.
In the course of 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 looks as if a lifetime ago, Paddy Pimblett finally watched his UFC 324 most important event against Justin Gaethje back on the large screen.
Ultimately, ‘The Baddy’ probably wishes he didn’t hassle, because it left him much more frustrated than he already was after watching it back.
The Englishman got here to the conclusion that the fight must have been scored a draw, claiming that Gaethje must 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.