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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Ryan Garcia (24-1) is one of the biggest names in boxing currently. The former WBC interim Lightweight champion recently rebounded from the first defeat of his professional career to knock out Oscar Duarte (watch highlights), a victory that once again sets him up for high-profile match ups and potentially major pay-per-view (PPV) events.

Initially, Garcia was targeting a long-awaited match up with multiple-division champion Devin Haney (31-0), a man Garcia boxed multiple times while the two were coming up on the amateur scene. After going on a run with Floyd Mayweather, however, Garcia changed his tune and decided he’d rather fight Rolly Romero (15-1), the current WBA Super Lightweight champion.

Mayweather’s sudden influence on Garcia comes at an interesting time. Since coming up short vs. Gervonta Davis, Garcia has switched up his training environment, and he’s also expressed displeasure with Golden Boy promotions and its founder, Oscar De La Hoya. Tensions have run high between the two, and “Money” in the mix is unlikely to help.

Consequently, De La Hoya wrote on his Instagram story a fairly short message for the boxing legend: f—k off!

“Pre-run with Floyd = Ryan wants Haney. Post-run with Floyd = Ryan wants Rolly. Golden boy has worked with Ryan Garcia since he turned pro, and together have made him the biggest draw in boxing. We will make his fight with Rolly into a huge event, as we always do. Floyd, if you want to give Ryan the secret to defense in the ring, that’s great. Other than that, if you are still a promoter like it says here, f—k off.”

That doesn’t sound insecure to anyone else, right?

At the moment, Garcia vs. Romero remains unsigned, but it’s an event is likely to be announced sooner than later. Stay tuned for further updates, both to potential fight news or more drama between Garcia and Golden Boy promotions.

Insomnia

Aljamain Sterling has completely revamped his game and is ready to get back in the jiu-jitsu competition scene.

Rafael dos Anjos succinctly explains his decision to move back to 155 lbs. for his next fight.

Ahh, the latest edition of “Will he, won’t he?” with Paulo Costa.

Dominick Reyes fight announcement, which means I’m preparing to be sad again.

Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev are trying to be active and fight the best. This is the way!

Such a clean sweep:

Good scrambles between Sean Strickland and Magomed Ankalaev!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Hid the shift behind the first right hand, and the left power kick opened up as a result.

Speaking of setting up high kicks, TJ Dillashaw is one of the best in UFC history at setting up his head kicks from both stances.

I love a good playing possum moment.

Random Land

Maybe there is a benefit to everyone in modern society carrying around an HD camera.

Midnight Music: RIP David Bowie, gone eight years today.

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

MMAmania.com – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

The Mixed Martial Arts Hour is back in your life! Below is a rundown of Wednesday’s show, which begins at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. UK time.

1 p.m. ET: All of your questions are answered on the latest edition of On The Nose.

1:30 p.m.: Paulo Costa takes a look ahead to his UFC 298 battle against Robert Whittaker.

2 p.m.: Callum Smith previews Saturday’s boxing bout against unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev.

2:25 p.m.: We tackle more of your On The Nose questions.

3 p.m. Living legend Mark Hunt returns to catch up with his old friends.

3:30 p.m.: Arnold Allen previews his UFC 297 bout against Movsar Evloev.

4 p.m.: The Parlay Boys hit their best bets for the combat sports weekend.

For the latest episodes of The MMA Hour, subscribe on Spotify or iTunes.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Undisputed strawweight champion, Zhang Weili is set for her return to the Octagon at UFC 300 on April 13. in Las Vegas, Nevada, taking on compatriot and incoming title challenger, Yan Xiaonan in the first-ever all-Chinese championship pairing under the banner of the promotion.

Weili, the current and two-time undisputed strawweight champion, most recently featured at UFC 292 back in August of last year in Boston, landing a dominant unanimous decision shutout win over Brazilian foe and title challenger, Amanda Lemos, successfully defending her title for the first time as part of her second reign.

As for Xiaonan, the surging number two ranked strawweight contender competes in her first championship bout at UFC 300 in April, riding an impressive run of two consecutive victories into the clash, and fresh from a blistering first round KO win over common-foe, former champion, Jessica Andrade at UFC 288 last year.

Zhang Weili books UFC 300 comeback against compatriot, Yan Xiaonan

UFC CEO, Dana White confirmed the pairing of Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan in an undisputed strawweight title fight at UFC 300 during an announcement on his official social media account tonight. 

In the midst of a three-fight winning run, which includes a stunning spinning-back fist KO win over former champion, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Hebei native, Weili struck strawweight spoils for a second time back in November 2022 at UFC 281, stopping Carla Esparza with a gruesome second round rear-naked choke win at Madison Square Garden.

Boasting an impressive 24-3 professional record, Weili has landed other notable victories over the likes of Tecia Torres, Jessica Andrade, and the above-mentioned Jedrzejczyk during her Octagon tenure.

An alum of the UFC since her 2017 landing, Xiaonan had turned in a prior decision win over Mackenzie Dern to snap a two-fight skid to former champion, Esparza and Marina Rodriguez – which ended her perfect-promotional run. Xiaonan also holds victories over former title challengers, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, and Claudia Gadelha. 

The addition of Weili Zhang’s strawweight title fight against Yan Xiaonan comes as the first championship bout officially set for UFC 300 – which is expected to bring with it a host of high-profile title matchups. 

Who wins at UFC 300 in April: Zhang Weili or Yan Xiaonan?

LowKickMMA.com

UFC

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Yan Xiaonan got her wish, and she will challenge for the UFC strawweight title against champ Zhang Weili at UFC 300, UFC CEO Dana White announced Wednesday.

The Zhang vs. Yan fight marks the first time two Chinese fighters have challenged each other for a UFC title and bolsters the title lineup for the blockbuster event, set for April 13 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“This fight has badass written all over it,” White said on Instagram.

Yan, who’s gone 6-2 in her past eight fights, hoped to fight for the title in China, and she told The MMA Hour that White backed the idea. Surprisingly, she estimated she had more “haters” in her native country than fans. But now, the challenger won’t have to deal with that as she and the champ head to the UFC’s backyard.

In her most recent outing, Yan knocked out ex-champ Jessica Andrade at UFC 288 to extend her current winning streak to two fights. The streak came from a two-fight skid that included setbacks against ex-champ Carla Esparza and Marina Rodriguez.

Zhang attempts the second title defense of her second reign as UFC strawweight champ. She most recently defended the belt by outpointing Amanda Lemos at UFC 292.

UFC 300 still is without a headliner, and White has promised “at least” two more announcements on the banner fight card on Thursday. A pivotal lightweight fight between ex-champ Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan is among several high-profile bouts headed to the card.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts