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After moving to 29-0 back in October, Khabib Nurmagomedov abruptly retired from the UFC following the death of his father earlier in 2020. While he stepped away from the fight game, the UFC hadn’t formally acknowledged Nurmagomedov’s decision, leaving the door open for his return and a shot at the coveted 30-0 record.

On Friday, UFC president Dana White met with Nurmagomedov and promised to announce how that meeting would affect next weekend’s Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier main event. On Saturday, White did just that, announcing Nurmagomedov wants to be impressed by next weekend’s card, leaving the door open to his return.

McGregor hasn’t fought since he TKO’d Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds in January. With no opportunity to make good on his promise to fight three times in 2020, he settled for a rematch against Poirier seven years in the making at UFC 257 next Saturday. McGregor’s last fight against Poirier ended with “Notorious” earning a first-round knockout. McGregor has been angling for another shot at Nurmagomedov after their explosive 2018 showdown.

In the co-main event, Dan Hooker will face off with UFC newcomer Michael Chandler. White acknowledged during his interview on UFC Fight Night on Saturday that any four of the lightweight contenders next weekend could earn Nurmagomedov’s attention in addition to Charles Olivera, who demolished Tony Ferguson in December.

By just about any objective measure, Deshaun Watson is one of the best quarterbacks in the world. The issue is that the Houston Texans are in the midst of major turmoil right now — the team went 4-12 this year, fired head coach Bill O’Brien, and seems to have absolutely zero idea how to move forward despite the fact that it has an MVP-caliber signal caller.

This has led to some speculation that Watson is unhappy about a number of things, with rumblings making the rounds that suggest he could want out. In fact, a new report from Greg Bishop and Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated indicates that Watson’s teammates are ready to get behind him, no matter what the future might hold, with one particular moment from after the team’s final game looming large.

As he and Watt, two of the most respected players in the NFL, walked off the field following the 41–38 Week 17 loss to the Titans, the final indignity in a 4–12 season, Inside the NFL cameras caught a dejected Watt telling the quarterback, “I’m sorry, we wasted one of your years.” Many players, according to the same sources, felt the same way as Watt—and support Watson’s doing what’s best for himself moving forward.

The reporting goes on to indicate that Watson may be ready to move on altogether, citing a recent incident in which Texans legend Andre Johnson made it clear that the best thing for him is his new team.

On Tuesday, Johnson, the lone member of the franchise’s Ring of Honor, posted on Twitter that Watson should stand his ground, writing that “nothing good has happened” since Easterby’s hire. When Watson saw the tweet, the first for a person of Johnson’s significance to name Easterby directly, he laughed. Asked why he might find a tweet that heavy in sentiment funny, one of the people close to Watson says, “He just wants out.” Then Watson watched the Houston Rockets play Tuesday night—when he posed for a photo with Johnson, which Johnson posted to his Instagram page, reiterating the “stand your ground” message from hours earlier. Only this time, Watson was in the frame.

Watson and the Texans inked a four-year, $160 million contract last September, and while that would be a major financial load for any team to shoulder, 25-year-old Pro Bowl quarterbacks do not become available all the time. Last year, Watson led the NFL in passing, throwing for a league-best 4,823 yards.

It hasn’t been hard for the FBI to locate and arrest the thousands of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol last week: Many of them gleefully posted clear evidence of them committing illegal acts over social media. Among them was “Baked Alaska,” aka Anthime Joseph Gionet, a former BuzzFeed staffer-turned-far-right personality. Now, according to AP News, Gionet become one of the many involved who have been nabbed by the feds.

Gionet livestreamed himself inside the trashed office of Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, among other places inside the federal building. He was ecstatic about the mayhem, which ultimately resulted in five deaths. “We’ve got over 10,000 people live, watching, let’s go!” he said during the video. “Hit that follow button — I appreciate you guys.” A week-and-a-half later, Gionet was arrested by FBI agents in Houston.

In a piece for The New York Times published last week, former BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Ben Smith recounted his experiences working with Gionet. He arrived in 2015, and he quickly made a name for himself making eye-catching Vines, the short-form videos that enjoyed a brief popularity before being destroyed by Instagram and SnapChat in 2017. Smith says Gionet’s politics took a sharp turn rightward in 2016, and by the end of the year he had gone to work as the “tour manager” for the soon-to-be dethroned far right instigator Milo Yiannopoulos.

But Smith argues that Gionet’s real beliefs may not be sincere, that it could stem from his combative nature, or even just an addiction to clicks and online interatction. “Still, it’s not clear what Mr. Gionet actually believes, if anything,” Smith writes. “And really, I’m not sure I care.”

(Via AP News and NYT)

The struggle to get Aaliyah’s full catalog on streaming services has been a long and hard one, as her estate has spent much of the last two decades fighting to regain control of her music. In a recent statement, the group gave an update on when they would be able to listen to her music on DSPs, but not without addressing some of the difficulties first.

“We hear you and we see you. While we share your sentiments and desire to have Aaliyah’s music released, we must acknowledge that these matters are not within our control and, unfortunately, take time,” her estate wrote. “Our inability to share Aaliyah’s music and artistry with the world has been as difficult for us as it has been for all of you. Our priority has always been and will continue to be Aaliyah’s music.”

The news comes after the group announced earlier this month that they had won control of the late singer’s official YouTube channel and promised to launch it at some point this year. Despite the difficulties that come with the fight for her music, Aaliyah’s estate promised to continue the battle.

“In the meantime, however, we are working diligently to protect what is in our control — Aaliyah’s brand, legacy, and intellectual property,” the message read. “In doing so, we will continue to release unique and exciting projects to keep Aaliyah’s legacy and light shining. While we understand this may be challenging, we need the support of the fans Aaliyah loved so dearly, until we can resolve all the issues in freeing her music. Undoubtedly, we understand how frustration can lead to angry and disappointment.” They also asked supporters for their “continued support and love as we aim to achieve these goals for all of you and our babygirl.”

It’s been ten months since the coronavirus pandemic began in the United States, and one aspect of our life that we lost is large gatherings, including live concerts and festivals. Unfortunately, many artists have continued to hold shows in very unsafe environments, with often maskless attendees crowded together. On Friday night Meek Mill and Bow Wow held a packed show in Houston. Naturally, video of it circulated on Twitter.

Bow Wow caught most of the flak. A video posted on 2Cool2Blog Twitter page showed maskless individuals in close contact with each other as the rapper performed on stage, causing viewers to question why attendees opted to risk catching coronavirus in order to see him perform live. One person also pointed out that those in attendance may eventually go to work, their local grocery store, or other places without entering quarantine or getting tested, thus spreading the virus.

Meek and Bow Wow are not the first artists to upset people this way. Mulatto, DaBaby, Chase Rice, and others have done so, too.

You can watch footage from the rappers’ show above and read some more reactions below.

Meek Mill is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Paul George has been quite good for the Los Angeles Clippers this season. The former MVP contender is averaging 25.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game while connecting on 51.5 percent of his shots from behind the three-point line. George’s latest big night came on Friday in a 138-100 thrashing of the Sacramento Kings in which he scored 26 points in 30 minutes of work.

Considering how last season ended for the Clippers and George in particular, seeing him get off to this sort of start has to be encouraging for everyone in L.A. And after Friday night’s game, George made clear that he is motivated by the team laying an egg en route to their shocking elimination in the Western Conference Semifinals at the hands of the Denver Nuggets last season, along with the discourse that surrounded him as the team got bounced.

Via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN:

“I’m coming back with vengeance,” George said of his mindset entering this season after he and the Clippers blew a 3-1 series lead in the second round to Denver last postseason. “I didn’t like, not so much of the noise and everything around [the way last season ended], but just the fact that people saw weakness.

“And I had to address that. I had to answer that. That fueled me. That put me in a place where I wanted to come back and be myself again.”

George put forth some major stinkers in the postseason last year — he had a stretch against Dallas where he scored 34 total points in three games — and while he turned things around against Denver, he scored 10 points on 25 percent shooting in the Clippers’ Game 7 collapse. He was open about the toll being in the Bubble took on his mental health, and as he explained on Friday, he believes he’s in a much better place now, in part because of the health of his surgically-repaired shoulders.

“Almost two years removed from having my shoulders operated on,” George said. “So I am just in a healthier mind state, I am in a healthier place.”

In a pretty obvious statement, while Kawhi Leonard is brilliant, George has to play at an All-NBA level if the Clippers are going to come anywhere near their championship aspirations. At the very least, the team can take solace in knowing he agrees and is motivated to make sure that happens.

Since the failed MAGA riot last Wednesday, those who participated have been summarily rounded up by the feds. That wasn’t hard: Many gleefully broadcasted their illegal activities on social media. Some even posted pictures on the dating app Bumble. But after their attempts to woo potential partners with pictures of them committing sedition were made public, the app has gone and removed the politics filter entirely.

A Bumble spokesperson reached out to Mashable, saying they prohibit “content that encourages any illegal activity including terrorism and the incitement of violence.” They also crack down on “the spreading of misinformation, such as the certified results of the U.S. Election, is prohibited.”

So when Bumble brass learned that some users were using their service to brag about trying to forcibly overturn the 2020 election, they went one step further:

On January 6, we immediately ensured that our hate speech scanning and protocols addressed the attack on the U.S. Capitol and began removing any insurrection-related content from our platform. If we see anything that would suggest someone has or is in the process of committing a potentially criminal act we will take appropriate steps with law enforcement.

News of Bumble being overrun with law-breaking Trumpists was first spread over Twitter the day after the storming of the Capitol.

“There are DOZENS of men on DC dating apps right now who were clearly here for the insurrection attempt yesterday,” tweeted a public servant. “Some say it directly, others are obvious from MAGA clothing, location tags, etc.”

But some did more than merely take to Twitter.

“She’s matching with MAGA bros and they’re bragging and sending her pics and videos of them in the Capitol,” said one person. “She’s sending them to the FBI.”

The lesson? If you commit illegal activities, such as attempt to overthrow the government, don’t post about it online. Or better yet, don’t try to overthrow the government.

(Via Mashable)

After going more than three years without dropping an album, The War On Drugs ended their drought in November with the release of Live Drugs. Just a couple of months later, the band stopped by The Late Show With Stephen Colbert to perform “Arms Like Boulders,” which they played from separate locations, each member positioned in their very own screen.

The newish live album offers 10 songs, and they have described it as “a collection culled from over 40 hard drives of recorded live shows spread out across years of touring behind multiple albums” that “is sequenced to reflect how a typical 70-minute show would flow.” Granduciel also said the album allowed them to “put something out that’s a really good interpretation of the way we interpret our music live.”

In addition to Live Drugs, the band also revealed in a press release that they’ve been working on a new full-length album “over the last six months,” meaning their fans should be able to get their hands on another body of work in the near future.

Press play on the video above to watch their “Arms Like Boulders” performance.

Live Drugs is out now via Super High Quality Records. Get it here.

Last month Warner Bros. sent shockwaves across the industry: They announced their entire 2021 slate of movies would be headed to HBO Max, their newish streamer, the same day they hit theaters. It wasn’t only theater owners who were enraged. The production companies behind some of their films — notably Legendary Entertainment, who oversaw Godzilla vs. Kong and Dune — were also peeved, suggesting Warners’ decision had been more rushed than expected. But the two companies worked out some kind of deal, and as a result you’ll actually be able to watch Godzilla tussle with Kong a bit earlier than planned.

As per The Hollywood Reporter, the long-threatened mash-up between the two behemoths, originally scheduled for May, will now drop two months earlier, on March 26. The big fight has been in the works for years. Warners’ new version of Godzilla — the towering, city-destroying kaiju first seen in 1954 — was first seen in 2014, and again last year, with Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Meanwhile, Kong — who made his debut in the 1933 classic — came back in 2017’s Kong: Skull Island.

Of course, this latest duel isn’t the first time the two gargantuans have squared off. They fought in 1962’s King Kong vs. Godzilla, made in Japan and helmed by original Godzilla director Ishiro Honda. That one ended in a kind of stalemate, so we’ll see how their rematch goes in just over two months.

(Via THR)

On Friday, Blackpink’s Jennie celebrated her 25th birthday, and to commemorate it she launched her very own YouTube channel, sharing her first video, entitled “Hello World. From Jennie.” It shows a typical day in her life looks like, with the singer giving a small tour of her house, interacting with her dog Kuma, and singing a light-hearted cover of Mandy Moore’s “When Will My Life Begin?” At the end, she thanked her fans for watching and promised to share more videos in the future.

Jennie has plenty to celebrate over the past year. She and her Blackpink collective successfully orchestrated a successful comeback with the release of The Album last year. Its arrival was preceded by a number of big moments, including their “Ice Cream” collaboration with Selena Gomez and their video “How You Like That,” which broke a YouTube record for the biggest video premiere ever on the platform, with 1.65 million people tuning in. After the release of The Album, the K-pop group went on to share their Netflix documentaryLight Up The Sky. They followed that up with The Show, a livestream event they described as the “first of its kind.”

You can watch Jennie’s new video above.