Rabindra Dhant, 27, will walk into the Galaxy Arena in Macau on May 28 and do something no Nepali fighter has ever done: compete in a Road to UFC tournament, two wins away from a UFC contract.After trying for a few years, Dhant has got his big opportunity with Road to UFC – a win-and-advance tournament offering top MMA prospects from across Asia-Pacific a direct path to the UFC, and he will be taking on Kimbert Alintozon of the Philippines in the Quarterfinals.Ask him what it felt like to be selected for Road to UFC Season 5, and he will not give you the answer you expect.“Indifferent,” he says, through his coach and interpreter Diwiz Piya Lama while speaking to TimesofIndia.com. “This is not the first year we tried. As a team, we had been pushing for this for probably the second or third year running. So when it finally happened, it felt like a step in the right direction, but there’s still a long way to go. He’s been putting the work in the gym. It’s a job. Just a job he’s got to keep doing.”It’s a calm and measured response, even though he stands at the cusp of history. No Nepali has ever signed a UFC contract. No Nepali fighter has ever competed at this level of the sport’s global infrastructure. Dhant is, by any measure, in unprecedented territory for his country, yet when asked about pressure, his response remains unchanged.“The questions are putting more pressure on him than the fight,” Lama says, laughing. “He feels no pressure from the fight itself.”The Making of Nepal’s Top MMA ProspectDhant’s journey to the doorsteps of UFC tells a lot more about his mindset ahead of the biggest night of his career.Coming from Bajhang, a village in far-western Nepal, where there is no visibility for the sport, Dhant has had a tough and long journey that took him to India at a young age, doing manual labour, and an office job of serving tea and cleaning. MMA was never in the picture, but karate training at odd hours kept him going quietly, without family support or institutional structure.The results, however, were anything but quiet.He went 15 fights unbeaten across Indian regional amateur circuits. He won the Indian National Amateur MMA Championship back-to-back in 2019 and 2020, a feat that should have made him eligible for the World Amateur Championships.However, Nepal’s MMA infrastructure at the time was not equipped to send a fighter to an international amateur competition. He had qualified, but he simply could not go.“It was a salty phase,” he says, through his coach and interpreter Lama. “He had put in the work, won two tournaments back to back, and it counted for nothing on the international stage.”Then came a lucrative offer. Recognising his talent, he was given a way out: to assume Indian citizenship, compete internationally, and build a career on a more resourced platform. He turned it down. He decided to keep his Nepali passport.“Thank God he didn’t do that,” Lama says on his behalf, breaking into a laugh. “Right now, with where things stand, people would have burned us alive.”Diwiz Piya Lama: The Coach Who Backed HimLama, who has been Dhant’s voice throughout this interaction, has also been his guiding light. A jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai practitioner based in Kathmandu, Lama saw Dhant fight and decided to invest in him personally. Lama funded a training camp at the Fairtex Gym in Thailand, covering the costs out of his own pocket. It proved worth his while.In September 2023, Dhant made his ONE Championship debut in Bangkok, defeating Russia’s Torepchi Dongak by TKO in the third round. He became the first Nepali fighter to win a bout in ONE Championship. Then in August 2025, at Matrix Fight Night 17 in Greater Noida, he stopped unbeaten Indian bantamweight champion Chungreng Koren in the third round to become the first Nepali to win a major international MMA title.“The win was more important than anything else,” he says, when asked about the reception that followed – meeting the Mayor of Kathmandu, a cash reward, and recognition.“If he had lost, there would have been no President, no Mayor, no Minister. At the end of the day, it’s the win and the task at hand. These side quests don’t really mean much.”His original opponent, Australia’s Matty Iann, withdrew injured before the bout. Filipino fighter Alintozon, a 7-3 bantamweight with six finishes on his record, stepped in on short notice. Dhant’s preparation, he says, required no dramatic overhaul.“He didn’t train so specifically for Matty that an entire system needed to change. He did his due diligence and kept doing what he was doing. No drastic change.”Despite the accolades, Dhant is grounded, and as he says, it’s a job. A win moves Dhant to the Road to UFC semifinals. Two wins deliver a UFC contract: the first in Nepal’s history. So what does winning in Macau on May 28 mean to him?“A stepping stone towards what he’s destined for.”Watch Road to UFC (Day 1) – Round of 16 – Day 1 ( Rong Zhu vs. Martinez) on May 28th 2026 at 3:30 PM IST live and exclusive on Sony Sports Ten 1 SD & HD.

Following a controversy-filled offseason, Stefon Diggs is back at it. The veteran wide receiver has gotten a lot of people talking in the last couple of months for football and non-football reasons, and it seems that won’t be stopping soon as he prepares for the 2026 NFL season.

On Monday, a video of the four-time Pro-Bowler’s intense offseason training surfaced online. Diggs, who remains without a team after being released by the New England Patriots in March, was seen doing push-ups with two weight plates placed on his back by his trainers.

The clips quickly went viral among NFL fans, generating a lot of reactions mocking Stefon Diggs. While he appears to be putting quite a lot of work into the private training session, many fans were not impressed with his effort, sparking a series of classic social media trolling.

Workout videos like this have become signature content for Diggs on social media over the years. They are often focused on highly intense off-season conditioning, agile route-running drills and high-energy gym sessions, enabling him to showcase his footwork and athleticism.

Fans’ reaction to the latest highlights Stefon Diggs unique place in the NFL ecosystem. He’s become one of the players in the league whose every action, on and off the field, generates a lot of attention and reaction from fans.

Here’s a look at some of the reactions online:

Analyst links Stefon Diggs to the Pittsburgh Steelers

Stefon Diggs remains one of the top available free agents this offseason. In an article published on Monday, Christopher Knox of Bleacher Reports is linking the wide receivers to the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is despite the complete overhaul they’ve done on the offense this offseason.

“The Pittsburgh Steelers finally re-signed Aaron Rodgers, and the quarterback has admitted that this will be his final NFL season,” Knox wrote. “If Pittsburgh hopes to make Rodgers’ last ride a memorable one, it should add a little more to its receiving corps.

“DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. should make a solid receiver duo. However, rookies Germie Bernard and Kaden Wetjen are unproven, and Pittsburgh’s overall receiver depth is lacking. Adding a vet like Hopkins or Stefon Diggs would help give the Steelers a playoff-caliber offense.”

Diggs had a successful 2025 season with the Patriots, recording 85 receptions on 102 targets for 1,013 yards and four touchdowns. This means he will be looking for a prominent role in his next team. With the presence of DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. in Pittsburgh, there’s little chance he will accept going there.