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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Dustin Poirier didn’t capture Lightweight gold at UFC 302, but he impressed just about everyone watching in his gutsy attempt to upset Islam Makhachev (watch here). A notably impressed viewer was former United States President Donald Trump, who was attending live in Newark, New Jersey back in June.

On a recent episode of This Past Weekend with comedian and fight fan Theo Von, Trump recalled the Lightweight title clash and heaped praise on Poirier. In particular, Trump was impressed by Poirier’s resilience and refusal to go down easily to the overwhelming wrestler.

“Oh, he’s great,” Trump said of Poirier (via SportsKeeda). “… He’s a warrior! That last fight he had [versus Makhachev]. Whether you like it or not, he is a warrior.”

Trump continued, “No, he didn’t lose that fight. He really… Man, his fighting was tough. He was tough and didn’t expect that same fight. But he oftentimes, well he makes people suffer. There’s no question about it. You know, he’s all, he’s a pro. He’s a professional. As that fight went along he just got stronger and stronger. And he was getting pounded, and he was going to be choked out about four different times and he just wouldn’t let it happen.”

Alas, Poirier did, in fact, lose that fight. “The Diamond” gave Makhachev hell and landed more strikes than anyone else on the bloodied champion, but ultimately a fifth round ankle pick and subsequent d’arce choke kept the title in Dagestan.

Speaking of, Trump recently revealed that Makhachev’s coach and longtime training partner, Khabib Nurmagomedov, was his favorite UFC fighter … much to Conor McGregor’s chagrin. Think we’ll get another response from “The Notorious” for this praise of his other rival?

Insomnia

Sean O’Malley is looking fast, loose, and accurate in this mitts footage.

Pure Robocop energy in these shots.

Get to know one of the latest Ultimate Fighter (TUF) finalists!

Oh yeah, this clip definitely belongs in Midnight Mania.

I hope this man is being paid well to suffer Ilia Topuria’s body punching this often.

Casey Kenney’s domestic abuse allegations combined with a two-fight losing streak would appear to be the end of his UFC career.

The only thing more surprising than Henry Cejudo being able to make 125-pounds at 37 years of age would be if he actually performed well afterward. Bad idea!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

A few nasty left hooks in this clip with different setups each time.

Threw that same left hand to the body three times in a row then all of a sudden …

Doubling up on same-side punches catches opponents off-guard all the time, stance shift or no shift.

Random Land

Inside an Alaskan glacier.

Midnight Music: Samba, 1963

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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Henry Cejudo isn’t trying to go out on a loss.

The former two-division Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion ended his mixed martial arts (MMA) retirement when he challenged Aljamain Sterling for Bantamweight gold at UFC 288 in May 2023. Unfortunately for Cejudo, he came up short via a split decision before going on to suffer a unanimous decision loss to the upcoming title challenger, Merab Dvalishvili.

Cejudo, 37, has called for possible opponents since his Dvalishvili loss but has revealed he’s been dealing with a nagging injury. Thanks to the delay, the Bantamweight contention line has grown longer with Umar Nurmagomedov and Deiveson Figueiredo emerging as the likely top two next up. Therefore, don’t count out a Cejudo return to the first division he won UFC gold in.

“There could be a potential return at Flyweight,” Cejudo told MMA Junkie. “These are a lot of things I’m contemplating, potentially going back down. With the Bantamweight division getting hot and with the newcomers coming in, there’s been a lot of thought of me going back down and getting a fight with [Brandon] Moreno and winning the belt once again. There’s a lot of cool stuff. These are kind of things I really want to think about and really decide once I get home and once I’m injury-free. It’s just one little thing, but it’s a major thing. Because I’m going to be making a commitment to go out there and just do another run, do another run at these titles, and dedicate myself like I was before.”

Although he’s clearly toward the tail-end of his career after already retiring once, Cejudo doesn’t just want to take any fun fights or “legacy” match ups. The two-time Olympic gold medalist has always targeted proving he’s the very best in the world, and that hasn’t changed.

“I’m after gold now. I think if I do go down to 125 pounds and stay disciplined, I don’t think there’s anyone that can beat me,” Cejudo said. “Plus, I think there’s a fun fight with Brandon Moreno. He wanted to fight me at 135 and then he backed out like a little b*tch. Now, I think if I go down and I beat him in Mexico, in his own country, I think that could be a big-ass payday, too.

“I don’t want to be fighting people just to fight people,” he continued. “I want to get close to that belt. I think that’s the position that I fall in right now. … If it’s something that I do decide to do, the biggest thing for me is going to be discipline and taking myself back there once again. It is the weight cut. But at the same time, I’ve been thinking about it. It’s what I need. Maybe I need more discipline. Maybe I need… if the bar is set that high, that means I have to have more commitment on that side.”

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Ilia Topuria is the featherweight champion while Max Holloway is the “BMF” belt holder.

When they collide atop the upcoming UFC 308 pay-per-view (PPV) event, recently made official for Sat., Oct. 26, 2024 at Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi, UAE, only one championship strap will be up for grabs. And that’s just fine with the 145-pound titleholder, who expects to end the “BMF” stupidity in emphatic fashion.

“No, the BMF title is not going to be on the line,” Topuria told MMA Junkie. “To be honest, I don’t care. They took that decision and at the end of the day it’s like, when I’m going to beat him, he can’t say he’s a BMF or however they want to call him. I’m just concentrating on my title defense and that’s it. I don’t care about anything else.”

“What makes me so excited about this fight is that no one could knock him out. There’s no way I’m not going to knock him out. I will be the first one to knock him out because every time I watch him fight I’m like, ‘I’m way better than him.’ If you put me with him in kickboxing or boxing, even in a chess match, I beat him.”

This marks the first title defense for the undefeated Topuria, who captured the crown with a second-round finish over Alex Volkanovski at UFC 298 back in February. “El Matador” has been criticized for dragging his feet in the months following his crowning achievement but can put those complaints to bed by finishing Holloway at UFC 308.

“Blessed” is currently the betting underdog for his Abu Dhabi return.

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White apologized to Israel Adesanya over a clip during UFC 305 Countdown that edited mention of Ngannou out of Izzy’s speech.

Dana White is denying he had anything to do with Francis Ngannou’s erasure from a UFC 305 countdown show, while at the same time taking full responsibility for it happening.

Ngannou has been persona non grata within the UFC since leaving the promotion in January 2023. Since then we’ve witnessed several snubs in official UFC programming, from ignoring his place as one of the first Cameroonians to compete in the organization to full blown quote-editing to delete mention of Ngannou from a statement given by Israel Adesanya.

Adesanya wasn’t happy with the sketchy behavior and called the UFC out on it. But UFC CEO Dana White didn’t hear about any of it.

“If that’s true and that was done and it was something that we produced, then somebody in the company made that decision,” White said during a Contender Series post-fight press conference. “You know me, right? If I said we did it, I’d say, ‘Yeah, f— him and this is why we did it.’ I know nothing about it. Nobody ever asked me about it, and this is the first we’re hearing about it or I would tell you.”

White then reached out to reporter Kevin Iole following the event to take responsibility.

“My production team are a bunch of rock stars and they are truly f—ing awesome,” White clarified. “I make it so hard on them sometimes with some of the crazy s— I say and it’s tough. When you asked me about that, I didn’t know anything about it. But someone was editing that and made a conscious decision, thinking that was the right thing to do, that that’s what we would have wanted, what I would have wanted.”

“I didn’t know about it and that was nothing that ever came across my desk,” he continued. “I’m in charge of everything production-related, so at the end of the day, the fact that it happened falls on me 100 percent. It’s my responsibility and I accept it. Blame me for that. I put them in such a tough spot sometimes saying all this crazy s—, it’s hard for them.”

“Whoever was editing it, they thought that was the right decision and did what they thought I wanted. That’s not what I wanted and had I known that, I would have not authorized that. But that’s on me. Totally on me. I already called Israel Adesanya and apologized for it.”

White may not have specifically asked his team to remove Ngannou from the UFC 305 Countdown show, but it’s standard business procedure to remove fighters like Ngannou that have angered UFC brass from any and all mention in promotional material.

This goes back all the way to former middleweight champion Frank Shamrock, who left the UFC shortly after White took control of the company. Since then we’ve seen it with several others, most notably Randy Couture.

When White says he puts his staff in “tough spots saying all this crazy s—,” he may be referring to past instances where people have reportedly been reprimanded and even fired for not adhering to expectations when it comes to keeping various names off the broadcast.

Considering this is all very well documented, this latest statement feels like a bit of a dog and pony show in a time where the UFC is about to head to court over alleged monopsony antitrust violations. Even if it is, here’s hoping it signals the end of the practice, because it really is petty and not necessary at all.

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Noche UFC is one of the most anticipated fight cards of the year, but its main event may be at risk.

Top-ranked Bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili has won a remarkable ten fights in a row to secure his title match versus Sean O’Malley, one of the sport’s most popular fighters at the moment. However, “The Machine” has hit a training mishap, revealing on social media today that he suffered a cut above his eye requiring stitches. “Suga” already reacted, and Dvalishvili is adamant that the cut won’t affect his ability to fight.

Reminder: Noche UFC is scheduled for September 14, less than a month away. Even if Dvalishvili is unbothered by the cut, he’s drawn attention to himself in the eyes of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), whose doctor is now more likely to closely inspect the cut area. Oh, and he gave O’Malley an obvious target from the first bell of their 25-minute contest.

Though he’s not worried about the fight getting canceled, UFC CEO Dana White is outraged at Dvalishvili’s decision to post the cut online. In the aftermath of Contenders Series, White revealed his anger at the Georgian talent.

“The whole world knows about Merab’s cut, he posted it,” White began. “Our guys are so dumb, it’s next level, unbelievable. All the stuff I talk about boxing — what I will give boxing is when something happens in a camp, it does not leak. Our guys can’t f—king wait to throw it up on social media.

“It’s a small cut, no big deal, but obviously it needed to be posted … Why the f—k would you want [Sean O’Malley] to know that? It’s next level stupid. Some of these guys are so stupid, it’s mind-boggling. It’s unbelievable.”

Oddly enough, it’s not the first time White has buried Dvalishvili after a fun night of fights on Contenders Series. Just about a year ago, White dropped a legendary rant against Dvalishvili for choosing friendship over a title shot. Obviously, Dvalishvili has persevered to finally score his title opportunity, but will Dvalishvili get the last laugh here as well?

Hopefully, we’ll find out in a few weeks.

Insomnia

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu drama is always at least a little cringy.

Holly Holm looks very energized for four in the morning.

On the flip side of the partying equation, imagine a scene where Dominick Cruz and Casey O’Neil are the life of the party.

Unfortunately for those still doubting, the Dricus Du Plessis praise is starting to add up.

Junior Tafa didn’t handle the heel hook well while defending it, immediately afterward, or even the entire night of the event.

A couple weeks ago, Urijah Faber picked up the victory in a grappling rematch opposite fellow OG Bibiano Fernandes.

Darren Till has a few hot takes.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Crashing forward into an upward elbow:

20-year-old Abdullah Mason showed off some fast hands this weekend in his victory over Mike Ohan Jr to remain undefeated.

Silva’s combination left him in Southpaw after starting in Orthodox, and he never saw the open stance high kick coming.

Random Land

This wasn’t very well thought out.

Midnight Music: Country, 1971

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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It’s that time of year again!

Contender Series is back with 10 straight weeks of mixed martial arts (MMA) action. This week’s show starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ for the first two weeks (because of The Ultimate Fighter 32 final episodes), and then things switch back to the usual 8 p.m. ET time slot moving forward. Week No. 2 of Contender Series also has three returning fighters from past seasons.

In the main event, Middleweights collide as Sweden’s Andreas Gustafsson (10-2) fights Canada’s Pat Pytlik (9-1). The co-main event sees Rizvan Kuniev (12-2-1) return for a second shot at a UFC contract against Brazilian Heavyweight, Hugo Cunha (8-1). The “Featured” bout has former UFC fighter, Michael Imperato (12-6), seeking redemption (he was cut in 2014 for using homophobic and racist slurs) against a returning Cortavious Romious (8-2). Torrez Finney (8-0) looks to nab a contract after missing out last year against Australia’s Cam Rowston (8-2). Finally, 25-year-old Australian prospect, Cody Haddon (6-1), takes on Billy Brand (5-1) to kick off the show.

‘Contender Series’ Quick Results:

Andreas Gustafsson defeats Pat Pytlik via KO (knees) Round 2, 3:20
Rizvan Kuniev defeats Hugo Cunha via TKO (punches) Round 1, 4:49
Cortavious Romious defeats Michael Imperato via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Torrez Finney defeats Cam Rowston via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Cody Haddon defeats Billy Brand via submission (rear-naked choke) Round 1, 3:09

‘Contender Series’ Highlights & Results:

185 lbs: Andreas Gustafsson defeats Pat Pytlik via KO

265 lbs: Rizvan Kuniev defeats Hugo Cunha via TKO

135 lbs: Cortavious Romious defeats Michael Imperato via unanimous decision

185 lbs: Torrez Finney defeats Cam Rowston via unanimous decision

135 lbs: Cody Haddon defeats Billy Brand via submission

For more Contender Series news and notes, be sure to hit up our comprehensive archive right here.

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Casual UFC fans, the ones who buy tickets and actually pay for their pay-per-view (PPV) streams, love highlight-reel finishes — particularly knockouts. And as we saw against Jamahal Hill (UFC 300) and Jiri Prochazka (UFC 303), reigning light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, is one of the best in the business when it comes to switching off the lights.

Perhaps that’s why matchmakers are working overtime to protect the “golden goose.”

The promotion drew criticism for booking Pereira against No. 8-ranked contender Khalil Rountree Jr., bypassing No. 2-ranked Magomed Ankalaev (who now fights No. 5-ranked Aleksandar Rakic). The “War Horse” showdown at UFC 307 also leaves former champ Jan Blachowicz without an opponent for his end-of-year return.

“No f*cking idea, I don’t know, you tell me because I am confused,” Blachowicz told Middle Easy. “What the f*ck, you know? Why did they book Ankalaev with Rakic, why? Why don’t they ask me about this? Maybe I’d be ready a little bit earlier. Nobody asked me. I just don’t understand. Like I said on the internet, I feel like it’s special protection for Pereira.”

Pereira scraped past the No. 4-ranked Blachowicz when they first went to war at UFC 291 last summer. The 41 year-old Pole has remained sidelined in the months that followed as a result of shoulder surgery but hopes to blast his way back into the 205-pound title picture upon his inevitable return.

“I believe that I won this fight against [Pereira] and maybe they don’t want to make this fight again because they know this time he’s going to lose 100 percent,” Blachowicz continued. “Maybe that’s also why they don’t want to give Ankalaev to him because Ankalaev is also very strong. Maybe they want to make another nice win for him, another knockout win. I just don’t understand it.”

UFC 307 takes place on Oct. 5 in Salt Lake City.

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Du Plessis declared Whittaker is his favorite fighter, and laid out a laundry list of reasons why ‘Reaper’ deserves a middleweight title shot.

After defeating Israel Adesanya at UFC 305, Dricus Du Plessis is expected to face Sean Strickland for his next title defense. That’s the word from UFC execs on high, and Du Plessis has said he’s not in the business of choosing opponents. But if he were, he’d choose Robert Whittaker.

“Robert Whitaker is one of the biggest legends of the sport, in my opinion,” Du Plessis said in an interview with FOX Sports Australia. “That’s why he’s my favorite fighter. You know, that’s why I’ve always been such a big fan of Robert Whitaker before being in the UFC even. The man has an understanding for the game. He knows. He’s been in those wars.”

“I’m gonna say it: I believe that they’re doing Robert Whittaker a little bit dirty with what he’s done. The Strickland fight, obviously, more people want to see it. I want to fight the best guy. I want to fight the guy people want to see me fight. I want to fight the guy who is clearly the best next guy and … right now that’s Sean Strickland, apparently?”

Du Plessis laid down Whittaker’s accomplishments compared to Strickland.

“Robert Whittaker, especially if he wins over Khamzat [Chimaev], how do you not give the man [a title shot]?” the South African asked. “Strickland beat [Paulo] Costa in a very subpar fight. Whittaker beat Costa in an amazing fight. Then goes to fight Khamzat. Khamzat steps out. Whittaker fights a nobody, Alikserov, a great fighter, just risk, no reward. Does UFC, does everyone a favor, steps up, makes it look easy, shows everyone the level he is at. Then asks for Khamzat again!”

“And even with a win doesn’t get a shot?”

“I’ve said it many times, that’s the fight game,” Du Plessis concluded. “Right now more people want to see Strickland. And I’m in a position where I’m not refusing any fights. I’m going to fight the guy they put in front of me and I’m going to win the belt again.”

Robert Whittaker (hopefully) faces Khamzat Chimaev on October 26th in the co-main event of UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi, UAE. If he wins, he may want to consider staying ready given Sean Strickland’s tenuous ability to stay out of trouble and stay in foreign countries.

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya was exactly as wild as most expected (watch here).

The UFC 305 main event saw a back-and-forth war for most of four rounds. Both men started strong on the feet in the first round, then “DDP” took over in the second momentarily with his wrestling attack. Adesanya took back the third with active body punching that seemed to really push momentum into his corner, but Du Plessis managed to hurt him and secure the late finish via rear naked choke.

During the finishing sequence, there was a moment where Adesanya was stumbled by a “DDP” left hand. After regaining his feet, Adesanya pointed to the ground then was promptly rocked by big punches and submitted. The commentary crew thought “Stylebender” was trying to copy Max Holloway’s signature point-and-brawl, a move made famous by his Justin Gaethje knockout win.

Adesanya explained differently on his YouTube channel. The former champion explained that he was merely pointing out that he tripped and didn’t want to encourage a surging Du Plessis.

“Let me explain this because the commentary booth got it wrong,” Adesanya began. “I was moving, then my right ankle rolled, and I tripped as he was throwing. To the untrained eye, in the moment, it looked like — I think maybe [Dominick Cruz] said, ‘That was a really bad shot he got hit with’ — and it looked like I was rocked.

“I got up and circled out, and I pointed at the ground, looking at [Du Plessis]. [Daniel Cormier] goes, ‘He’s pointing at the ground like Max Holloway, like come here!’ Nope. What I said to him was like, I tripped. You didn’t rock me. I didn’t want him to think he rocked me.”

Since Holloway’s legendary finish over Gaethje, we’ve seen quite a few fighters try to copy the “Blessed” stand-and-bang point at the ground. It has yet to pay off, which perhaps serves as further evidence that Holloway really is the baddest dude around.

As for Adesanya, it remains to be seen what’s next for “The Stylebender.”

Insomnia

I have very much enjoyed the post-fight show of respect between Adesanya and Du Plessis. I somewhat expected continued bitterness from at least one side, so this is cool to see.

Nate Diaz didn’t want that Gabi Garcia smoke!

The downside of being on the UFC roster for a while is that you’ll eventually end up on the wrong side of somebody’s highlights.

Elite jiu-jitsu scrambles are so fun.

Joe Rogan and company seem to have been rooting for “Stylebender.”

I cannot get over how good of a fight Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway is. Two generational talents are going to try to take each other’s heads off!

Luke Rockhold’s CJI debut didn’t go according to plan.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Sanchez stood his ground and caught his opponent mid-shift with a nasty two-punch counter combo.

A perfect high kick from multiple angles:

Watching this produces a dull ache in my left knee ligaments.

Random Land

The risk of oceanside property.

Midnight Music: Soul, 1967

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones don’t appear any closer to fighting after UFC 304 last month (July 27, 2024).

England’s best fighter continued to prove he’s exactly that with his first successful interim title defense against Curtis Blaydes at the event. Needing just one minute to score redemption via technical knockout (watch highlights), Aspinall put away “Razor” and further staked his claim to an undisputed title shot. Unfortunately, the former two-time champion, Stipe Miocic, is still ahead of him to fight Jones, according to UFC CEO, Dana White.

White has made it clear at every possible opportunity he gets how Jones is undeniably the greatest combat athlete that has ever lived. Meanwhile, Aspinall’s activity levels and success have doubled what both Jones and Miocic have done in the past four years combined. So, he just wants the shot he earned when he won the title UFC created for him.

“The way I look at it, I’m the best Heavyweight in the world,” Aspinall said on Believe You Me (h/t MMA Junkie). “I’m not getting my credit for it. They’re holding the belt hostage, mate, and Jon Jones is loving it. He’s loving the fact that Dana is getting on every interview possible. You’re talking about Bantamweights, and Dana White flips it and starts talking about how good Jon Jones is. I’m like, ‘Mate, if he’s that good, let’s fight.’

“I’m the No. 1 Heavyweight right now,” he continued. “Let’s put it on the line, and let’s see who the man is — me or Jon. It’s as simple as that.”

Jones, 37, lashed back at doubters ahead of the fight, expecting Blaydes to surprise and possibly pull off an upset. Ultimately, that didn’t happen and a stance has been (publicly) changed from Jones regarding fighting the Brit over Miocic.

“We know he’s a bit overweight these days,” Aspinall said. “The guy sat there with the Cheetos fingers or whatever, the Doritos fingers with his iPhone in his hand, waiting for me to get knocked out so he can start tweeting about it. Let’s be honest: Since I won that fight, he’s been completely silent and continues to go completely quiet about me because there’s no way on Earth that he’s going to fight me. I’ll retire Jon Jones without even fighting him.”

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