UFC news: Conor McGregor & Justin Timberlake, MVP notices something about Ian Garry & MMA fighter killed a man

I'll be breaking down some 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.

The Conor McGregor Justin Timberlake DUI connection

THE NEWS: Conor McGregor shared a photo of pop star Justin Timberlake's mugshot on his Instagram Story with the phrase "Free JT!" Timberlake was arrested for a DWI (which is what it's called in the state he was arrested) in the Hamptons on Tuesday, June 18.

MY THOUGHTS: At first I was a bit shocked to see McGregor respond to the news. It's not like him to react to things even within MMA. But then I remembered that they have some connections to each other, one might even call them friends. They've been photographed together several times and Timberlake even quoted McGregor on stage once. Not to mention McGregor has had his own issues with the law.

Michael 'Venom' Page has an observation about Ian Machado Garry [Via MMA Junkie]

THE NEWS: Michael "Venom" Page will be fighting Ian Machado Garry at UFC 303 and he's noticed that his opponent isn't acting like his usual self. “There’s definitely a lot of respect there – he even sounds a lot more respectful than he has with any other fighters in terms of his promotion and stuff,” Page told MMA Junkie. “I think just in general he’s just trying to promote and make some noise in the build-up of the fight. He’s actually been a lot more respectful than he has (in the past), so I think that says a lot."

He continued, “He doesn’t seem to be his usual self. But for me, it’s all fun and games. At the end of the day, the most important thing is the result in the cage. I like to have fun and go back and forth here and there and have a little banter, but I don’t over-read into those things. It’s all about fight day.”

MY THOUGHTS: Now that I think about it, he's right. We haven't heard much coming from Garry and that is unusual. It makes me wonder if he's finally learned from his previous trash-talking mistakes or if he wants to remain in hiding due to all the wife drama. Or, maybe even still, he thinks MVP is the toughest test to date and he's spending more time in the gym. But I honestly think the biggest reason we don't see Garry trash-talking is because MVP is better at it and he knows it. Garry doesn't want to be embarrassed.

MMA veteran Shannon Ritch killed a man in self-defense [Via MMA Mania]

THE NEWS: MMA veteran Shannon Ritch was allegedly threatened by a man with a knife in Phoenix, Arizona on June 15. The man identified at Alejandro Samplina was shot and killed by Rich in a parking lot over a parking issue, Rich claimed. “Ritch was able to retrieve his handgun from the open door of his vehicle,” Phoenix Police Sgt., Mayra Reeson told Fox 10 Phoenix. “Samplina proceeded to walk towards Ritch with the knife in a threatening manner. In response, Ritch fired one round, striking Samplina.”

THE REACTION: This sounds like a terrible act of road rage turned deadly. It's terrifying how quickly someone can snap and it's a reminder to always stay on guard and to carry something to defend yourself.