Michael Chandler defends Jon Jones, Usman Nurmagomedov drug test & UFC 306 referee assigned

I'll be breaking down the news from around the combat sports world and giving you my take on it in this new daily column. Check back every morning to see the biggest or most obscure headlines and what I think about them below.

Michael Chandler defends Jon Jones

Michael Chandler has stepped up to defend UFC heavyweight Jon Jones for waiting on Stipe Miocic for a legacy fight and refusing to fight Tom Aspinall in the meantime. "Legacy is not tied to a certain opponent… bet on yourself," he wrote after Jones spoke about why he's waiting.

It's clear that Chandler is really talking about himself. Chandler is sitting on the sidelines for Conor McGregor for the very same reason so it's no wonder he supports Jones doing the same thing.

Usman Nurmagomedov finally responds to drug test

Bellator champion Usman Nurmagomedov was suspended for a failed drug test last October and is finally now speaking out about the issue. The CSAC says Nurmagomedov was able to provide proof that the unknown substance was "prescribed for therapeutic use.” Nurmagomedov still hasn't revealed what the substance was or why he used it, but he did say this while talking to MMA Junkie: "If it were a steroid, they have to say, ‘This was a steroid.’ And they have to give me more time for suspension. They have to give me like one year, two year, and we have example from other guys. It was medication, and this was like nothing. Everything is good now.”

It's hard to tell anyore who to believe when it comes to situations like these. If it was prescribed then he should have reported it, I assume. Without knowing the full details, it's hard to make any judgements. We have to just trust the athletic commission to do their jobs right.

The UFC 306 main event referee's have been announced

Herb Dean will be refereeing the UFC 306 main event between Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili. The judges will be Mike Bell, Sal D'Amato, and Chris Lee.

Normally I don't really pay much attention to these kinds of assignments but i know that there's an issue for Dvalishvili and referee Marc Goddard after he had some questionable early stoppages. This is good news for Dvalishvili who believes fighters should be given more time to fight and fight back.