Conor McGregor is facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit ahead of his UFC 257 headliner against Dustin Poirier on Saturday. An unnamed woman filed the personal injury case on Monday over an alleged sexual assault that happened in December 2018. 

More: 

• The alleged incident happened at a hotel in Dublin. According to the woman, McGregor became aggressive towards her after she refused his advances. 
• The woman is now seeking compensation of up to $2.13M for lost earnings, purchase of a new home in Dublin, and unspecified medical expenses. 
• The case came to light publically in March 2019. McGregor wasn't charged at the time but was arrested two months prior for questioning. 
• McGregor, through his representatives, denied the allegations. According to spokesperson Karen Kessler, the 32-year-old Irish fighter "is confident that justice will prevail." 
• Saturday's fight against Poirier will be the return of "The Notorious" after a yearlong layoff. It will take place at the Etihad Arena on "Fight Island" in Abu Dhabi. 

After serving a full two-year suspension, former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw is eligible to fight again. Dillashaw's ban officially ended on Monday. 

More: 

• In January 2019, Dillashaw tested positive for Erythropoietin, a banned substance. He was tested before his flyweight title fight against Henry Cejudo, whom he lost to via a knockout inside 32 seconds. 
• The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency decided to impose the two-year ban on the then-32-year-old Dillashaw to have him "held accountable in a real and meaningful way." According to the UFC VP for athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky, Dillashaw's EPO violation is "near the top" in terms of "seriousness" in anti-doping. 
• Dillashaw has been regretful of his actions. In a 2019 interview, he admitted he "sold his soul to the devil" for deciding to use the substance despite full knowledge of its prohibition.
• Despite his break from fighting, Dillashaw expects an immediate title shot at bantamweight upon his return. 

Veteran MMA fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu royalty Ralph Gracie was sentenced to six months in jail on Tuesday. The verdict was in relation to a 2018 assault case he was involved in with fellow BJJ athlete Flavio Almeida. 

More: 

• Gracie will also be on probation for three months, must pay a $50,000 fine, and attend anger management classes. 
• The incident happened during the World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu championships in Anaheim. According to witness accounts, Gracie approached Almeida and blindsided him with an elbow strike to the head. Almeida was knocked down and suffered three broken teeth. The incident was caught on video. 
• Close sources say Gracie assaulted Almeida because of the latter's plan of opening a jiu-jitsu school in the San Francisco Bay Area. San Fransisco is known to be Gracie's territory, where he's been running his Howard St. academy since 1994. 
• The 49-year-old Ralph is a cousin of Rorion Gracie, the UFC's co-founder. He is also the brother of Renzo, another legend in the BJJ and MMA scene. 
• As an MMA fighter, Gracie holds a record of 6-1. He last competed in 2004 against UFC veteran Takanori Gomi and lost via TKO inside six seconds of action. 

UFC veteran Diego Sanchez admits he went through post-fight trauma. According to the 39-year-old fighter, it happened right after his 2009 title fight against then-champion B.J. Penn. Sanchez lost via fifth-round TKO after suffering a deep gash on the forehead.

More: 

• Sanchez remembered the beating he took from Penn after seeing Max Holloway's battering of Calvin Kattar last weekend. According to him, Holloway "took a piece" of Kattar's soul. 
• "The Nightmare" later explained how a fighter's confidence decreases after going through a beatdown. Sanchez never fought for a UFC title again after the Penn bout. 
• Sanchez remains to be one of the most respected veterans in the UFC today. He is also the last remaining cast member of the first-ever Ultimate Fighter reality show/tournament who is still part of the active roster. 

Undefeated UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov shut down the possibility of coming out of retirement. According to the 32-year-old Dagestani, he intends to focus on "business projects" that don't involve fighting. 

More: 

• For the past two months, UFC president Dana White has been trying to convince "The Eagle" to unretire. Over the weekend, the two men had a closed-door meeting in Abu Dhabi to discuss the idea. 
• White didn't get a definitive answer from the sitdown. According to him, Khabib is only willing to return if the four lightweight contenders of Saturday's UFC 257 fight card showed something "spectacular." He was referring to former champions Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, top-ten fighter Dan Hooker, and newcomer/ex-Bellator champion Michael Chandler. 
• Nurmagomedov retired in October after defeating challenger Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. He ended his career with a 29-0 record. Despite his retirement announcement, Khabib remains to be the UFC's undisputed 155-pound champion and top pound-for-pound fighter. 

Former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt is confident he can knock out future Hall-of-Famer Jose Aldo. The 29-year-old Garbrandt believes he has the speed and power advantage over the Brazilian legend. 

More: 

• Garbrandt was unsuccessful in dropping down to flyweight (125 pounds) in 2020. He is now targeting an April fight with Aldo back at bantamweight (135 pounds) to prove that he is the best in his weight class. 
• Aldo is regarded as one of the greatest champions at featherweight (145 pounds). But after going on a 2-3 run in his last five fights, the 34-year-old decided to move down a weight class. Aldo is now 1-1 at bantamweight.
• Garbrandt hasn't fought since June when he knocked out Raphael Assuncao in the second round to break a three-fight skid. He tested positive for COVID-19 in August, and he's been out of commission since. 

QUICK HITS:

• Khabib Nurmagomedov's younger cousin Umar made a successful UFC debut on Wednesday. The 24-year-old bantamweight choked out Sergey Morozov in the second round to keep an undefeated record of 13-0. 
• Number two-ranked Brian Ortega opened as a slight +170 betting underdog against reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. The two-men will co-headline UFC 260 on Mar. 27. 
• UFC veteran Michael Chiesa wants former interim welterweight champion Colby Covington as his next opponent. Chiesa dominated Neil Magny to win a unanimous decision in their headliner fight on Thursday in Abu Dhabi.