UFC 180 is officially in the books and a new interim heavyweight champion has been crowned, but what else has been going on in the UFC?

Here are the major stories from the past week...

1) Could Cain Velasquez be stripped of title?

After UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez was forced out of his UFC 180 defence with an MCL tear, UFC President Dana White appeared to insinuate that he may be stripped of the belt if he cannot defend it again by March.

Video Loading

Velasquez has not competed inside the Octagon for 13 months and, in his absence, Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt fought for the interim title over the weekend.

Dana White said, "We're headed in that direction now. This next fight in Mexico is for the interim title. So if Cain couldn't compete again, the winner of this fight would be seen as the champion."

The UFC President later clarified those comments in an interview with Fox Sports, noting that he didn't say that Velasquez would definitely be stripped of the belt.

UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has not defended his title since October 2013

White added, "That is so not what I said. I've literally answered that question all night tonight.

"What I said was, if we end up in a situation where Cain got injured again, severely injured – if he blew his shoulder out again, if he had to have knee surgery that would keep him out six to a year – then Werdum would become champion."

2) GSP regrets not voicing anti-PED stance earlier, still unsure on return

Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre is still unsure whether he will ever return to competition.

St. Pierre told MMA Canada, "I don't know if I will go back to competition. That's why I didn't call it 'a retirement,' I called it 'a break' because I don't know.

Video Loading

"People ask me, 'Are you coming back?' I just don't know. Right now, I just came back from a knee injury, I took a break, had the knee injury, just came back from rehab. It's time for me to enjoy my life. Training, do it for fun. We'll see. I need some time."

In a separate interview with MMA Junkie, St. Pierre reiterated that if he is to fight again, random drug testing must be involved.

St. Pierre said, "If I ever come back and fight again, (random drug testing) is mandatory.

"I'll do it for myself and for my opponent. I will pay for it. I don't mind. If the other guys in the sport don't want to be tested, that's fine. But for me and my opponent, it's mandatory."

Former UFC champ Geroges St. Pierre wishes he had raised the issue of PEDs when he was competing (

Image:

Getty)

The 33-year-old Canadian went on to say he regrets not speaking up earlier on the issue of performance enhancing drugs.

He added, "My regret is I should have done it a long time ago, but I didn't have – in the UFC, the problem is a lot of fighters don't have the star power and the money.

"I used to be one of these guys. I started from the bottom, and I didn't have enough money to say what I think about out loud. Now that I have the money, I can speak out. If I fight again, I can put my condition down (for random testing)."

3) Conor McGregor and Ricardo Lamas Twitter beef

'The Notorious' Conor McGregor has been attacking more UFC featherweights on social media this week (

Image:

Getty)

'The Notorious' Conor McGregor took to his Twitter account again during the UFC 180 event, first to praise Dennis Bermudez for wearing one of his signature hats, and then to respond to Ricardo Lamas' callout.

Conor McGregor (

Image:

Twitter / @TheNotoriousMMA)

Not to be outdone, Lamas shot right back with a jibe of his own, suggesting a better use for the Irishman's clothing line.

McGregor already has a fight booked - against Dennis Siver on January 18 - so any potential grudge match with Lamas will have to wait for now.

Conor McGregor (

Image:

Twitter / @TheNotoriousMMA)

4) Nate Diaz feels "under appreciated" and "underpaid"

Taking a leaf out of his older brother's playbook, Nate Diaz has been sounding off about fighter pay and his UFC contract.

Appearing on Chael Sonnen's podcast, Nate spoke about the contentious contract negotiations prior to his 2012 title shot.

Nate Diaz is the latest athlete to speak out against UFC fighter pay (

Image:

Getty)

As transcribed by MMA Junkie, Diaz said, "I went to sign this contract to fight for the title against Henderson, and when I went to sign my contract, they were locking me down for eight fights for s***** pay.

"I was like, 'This is a world title fight, and you're going to pay me this chump change?' I'm like, 'Okay, this is ridiculous, still, because this is a world title fight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. That means I'm fighting to be the No. 1 fighter in the world at 155 pounds.'"

Video Loading

The younger Diaz brother went on to explain why he asked for a new deal and the bitter renegotiation process, before claiming he is still underpaid.

Diaz added, "I feel like I've been taken advantage of for a lot of years with the whole situation.

"More so because I kind of grew up in this, and I didn't understand or know what was what with money and contracts, and what was happening, until one morning I woke and for some reason I was like, 'Hold up. I've been really underappreciated, underpaid, under-all-kinds-of-s***.'"

5) Brock Lesnar UFC return in 2015?

UFC President Dana White fuelled rumours of a Brock Lesnar Octagon return in 2015 with his comments at a recent press conference.

Will UFC fans see Brock Lesnar in the Octagon again in 2015?

Former UFC heavyweight champion Lesnar is currently contracted to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) but his contract expires at the end of March next year.

As reported by Fox Sports, when asked about Lesnar, White said, "Brock Lesnar's under contract with the WWE. We have a great relationship with him. He's healthy and he has said that he's interested in fighting again.

"We'll see what happens."

poll loading

Will Brock Lesnar return to the UFC in 2015?