Anxiety costs fighter UFC dream, Dana White "can't stand" men's mental health talk, Conor McGregor's thoughtful 9/11 deed: MMA News Roundup

An MMA fighter lost a chance to fight in the UFC because of anxiety ahead of a scheduled fight. Meanwhile, Dana White made it very clear that he does not care for all the conversation surrounding men's mental health.

Catch up with today's top combat sports updates with Sportskeeda MMA's News Roundup.

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Quemuel Ottoni misses out on UFC dream because of an "anxiety crisis"

Known for being the fighter to hand Alex Pereira his first MMA loss, Quemuel Ottoni had the golden opportunity to land a UFC contract. On Tuesday, he was set to fight Kody Steele at Dana White's Contender Series but pulled out at the last minute. A win could have earned him a UFC contract from Dana White.

Ottoni deleted all DWCS-related posts from his Instagram account and later posted a video to address his withdrawal [Translation courtesy: Guilherme Cruz]:

"I ended up not fighting yesterday after really having an anxiety crisis, adrenaline, freezing a bit after seeing all that... There’s no excuse for what happened. I made weight. It was a struggle to gain back the weight, I felt sick on the way back [up in weight], but even that isn’t an excuse."

He continued:

"It was a mix of everything, the anxiety, seeing the camera, seeing the cutman doing my hands, people I’ve seen the most, and that’s it."

Speaking on the matter at the press conference, Dana White said that it was evident Ottoni did not have it in him to handle the pressure of competing in the UFC. He has not competed since May 2022 and has now had four canceled MMA fights in a row.

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"As a man, you suck that sh*t up" - Dana White

At a time when UFC fighters like Paddy Pimblett and Khalil Rountree Jr. have opened up on their mental health struggles and urged other men to do the same, Dana White shared a rather stoic view on the matter.

Speaking with Time Magazine, White weighed in on the difference in how the Republicans and the Democrats define masculinity and what it means to him to be a man:

"In my world, I run a company. I am the leader of that company. You lead by example. Do you really care about your employees? Do you really care about who they are and what's going on with them in their life? I would say most don’t. I definitely care about my people."

The UFC CEO continued:

"I believe that, as a man, there’s all this talk about men’s mental health - I can’t stand that sh*t. Yes, guess what? Life is hard. It’s a nasty, ugly world out there. It’s not perfect. And you can’t afford to be a man and talk publicly about, "Oh, my mental health." We all have bad days and good days. And I believe that as a man, you suck that sh*t up."

White added that he believes in gestures like holding the door open for women and not splitting bills 50-50.

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"It was an honor" - Conor McGregor on 9/11 remembrance

Conor McGregor is well known for his philanthropic activities.

He has been an active donor to the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, a charitable organization supporting first responders, financially backward military veterans, and other similar groups. This year, the Irishman helped raise "millions" with the proceeds going to Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund:

"Let’s remember, give back, and pay forward the kindness shown in the aftermath of 9/11."

The Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund is a non-profit organization focused on providing direct financial support to families and individuals affected by natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and other emergencies. The fund was established to honor the 658 Cantor Fitzgerald employees who lost their lives in the World Trade Center terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The UFC star also paid tribute to the "61 Euro Brokers" - the 61 employees of brokerage firm Euro Brokers Inc. who suffered a similar fate that day.