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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

The world of high-level jiu-jitsu competition just grew a little more interesting.

Australian grappling ace Craig Jones is a longtime black belt and elite competitor, a two-time silver medalist at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) tournament, widely regarded as the highest stage in jiu-jitsu competition. Jones will not be returning for the 2024 ADCC event, however, because he’ll be holding his own invitational tournament scheduled for August 16 and 17, directly competing against the ADCC event.

Why? On the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) website, Jones described his tournament as “A nonprofit dedicated to elevating sport and athlete compensation, while simultaneously raising money for charitable causes.“ In other words, Jones isn’t impressed by the prizes offered by ADCC and other organizations like IBJJF and is trying to raise the stakes. He’s offering up a $ 1 million grand prize in two separate weight classes, above and under 80 kilograms.

As part of the promotional effort, Jones appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience MMA Show podcast. He wouldn’t reveal his financial backer, but Jones did offer one form of proof that he’s secured funds: dumping $ 1 million in cold hard cash all over Joe Rogan’s desk! It stunned the UFC color commentator, who remarked, “I’ve never seen a million dollars in one place! I’ve never even seen a million dollar check.”

Jones has already convinced several top talents like Nicky Ryan, Mason Fowler, and Nicky Rodriguez, to jump ship from ADCC to the CJI. Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Middleweight king Luke Rockhold will be there competing too! Oh, and Jones himself will be grappling legendary female grappler and undefeated MMA fighter Gabi Garcia in a wild super fight match up.

Sounds like an event worth watching?

Insomnia

A fun bit of back story to a UFC 302 “Prelim” fight:

Report: PRIDE OG Enson Inoue is suspected of drug smuggling.

Julian Erosa has to be the most unpredictable fighter on the roster. He’ll look bad in two out of three appearances then stunt on a really good fighter and make it look easy.

For the IPA drinkers reading:

I think people are taking Joaquin Buckley’s social media yapping way too seriously, Cub Swanson included. He gets an impressive amount of info wrong here, but who cares?

Niko Price has an incredible gift for hurting people in silly ways.

This photoshopped picture of Khamzat has been making rounds online — don’t believe the lies!

Jiri Prochazka is back in public, longing for the dark and empty room.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Entered the pocket with his lead hand by his hip …

The start of the Machida era.

It didn’t produce a finish, but a picture-perfect wheel kick into a faceplant feels worthy.

Random Land

Give her a Strawweight title shot.

Midnight Music: Soul, 1965

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

MMAmania.com – All Posts

Frank Warren believes the rematch between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk will be even bigger.

This past weekend, Fury and Usyk battled it out over 12 rounds to determine the first undisputed heavyweight boxing champion in nearly 25 years. Usyk took home a split decision win, handing Fury the first loss of his professional boxing career. Immediately after, Fury denounced the decision, saying he felt like he deserved to win the bout, and even upon rewatch, his promoter, Frank Warren, believes he did as well.

“I watched it back — I’m biased,” Warren told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. “How I scored the fight, I scored the first round to Tyson. I thought the second could have gone either way, probably a draw, and I thought Tyson won rounds 3, 4, 5, 6. … [Usyk] came out like a train in [Round 8]. He found a second wind or whatever that was … and took the fight to Tyson. Tyson got caught on the nose, he kept touching his nose … and he just lost a little bit of focus during that moment. He lost his composure a bit. Usyk won that round. Then Usyk 10-8 round for the ninth, he won the 10th and he won the 11th, but I thought Tyson won the 12th round.

“So for me, a couple of rounds maybe you debate. So I thought he just did it, or it was a draw, or you could look at a couple of those rounds, if I got those wrong, it was a round to Usyk. Whatever way you want to look at it, there was nothing in the fight. …

“But that’s my opinion. Everybody sees fights differently. You can only be honest.”

While the fight was considered by many to be an instant classic and among the best bouts of the year, one aspect did leave a bad taste with many viewers. Afterward, Fury suggested that Usyk only won the bout because his country Ukraine is at war, which earned Usyk sympathy with the judges. But Warren puts that down to the rigors of boxing and Fury’s bipolar disorder.

“In lots of sports, especially football, after the match, and there will be be some contentious issues taking place, they go to their dressing rooms and they don’t do the interview for 20 minutes later,” Warren said. “They go and get themselves composed, they probably think about things, and they come out and can do it with a cool and clear head.

“A boxer, who has gone to war like no other sportsman, dug so deep within himself, exhausted, 12 brutal rounds … you come back from that and get a microphone shoved up your nose asking you questions. … They say how it is. They don’t get any chance to compose themselves, not a minute. It’s straight from the heart, straight from the mind, and if somebody has a condition, and they say things, I’m afraid that’s what it is.”

Whatever the cause of his comments, Fury gets the chance to put that behind him as he and Usyk appear to be headed for a rematch. The contract for their bout including an immediate rematch clause, and Warren says that despite advising his charge to take some time off before deciding, “The Gypsy King” has already made up his mind on the matter.

“Immediately after, he said ‘I want the rematch,’” Warren said. “When we got out the ring, before we did the press conference … I just said to him, look, the rematch is signed. It was signed before the fight. It was part of the contract. So just think about it. Go back to your family. You’ve got plenty of time. No rush to say anything. That’s how it was, so at the press conference, that’s what he said. …

“On the Monday, I spoke to him, we both got back and I rang him up to see how he is: ‘How are you, champ? It was a great fight.’ … He said, ‘I want a rematch. Get it. I’m going. The rematch is on. It’s on. That’s it. That’s what I want.’ That’s Tyson Fury. He’s a fighter. He said, ‘I know I can beat him. I’ll beat him next time.’”

Rumors have already begun about the two possibly meeting for the rematch in October, but Warren was not ready to commit to that. However, Warren is confident that whenever the rematch does end up happening, it’s going to be bigger and more dramatic than the first encounter.

“One thing about it for sure, it was such a good fight, when the rematch happens, I think it will be bigger and better next time,” Warren said. “It’s going to be interesting to see what the fight has taken out of both boxers. Because I was in the dressing room with both boxers and you see them — I’ve been doing this for 47 years now. I can look at a guy and know how it’s affected him. Especially when fighters get a little bit older, how are they going to be? So especially if the rematch happens, which I believe it will, one of them or both of them will be effected by being in that battle. It was such a battle and it took a lot out of them.”

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Newark’s own, Joe Rogan will make his return to the commentary booth this weekend following his recent absence amid the Octagon’s travel to South America, calling the action as part of a three-man team in New Jersey for UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier.

Rogan, a long-time color commentator stalwart under the banner of the promotion, has been sidelined from duties since he called the monumental UFC 300 event back in April in Las Vegas, watching on as light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira rounded out the card with a blistering knockout win over Jamahal Hil.

Joe Rogan calls the action from UFC 302 this weekend

And this weekend, the veteran broadcaster returns home to his native Newark, forming a three-man booth alongside fellow color commentator, Daniel Cormier, and staple play-by-play lead, Jon Anik. News of Joe Rogan’s inclusion on the pay-per-view return to the East Coast was first reported by MMA Fighting.

Set to call the action in a championship setting once more – Rogan and co will watch on as undisputed lightweight champion and current pound-for-pound pacesetter, Islam Makhachev attempts to rack up his third successful defense of the title in a showdown against former interim gold holder, Dustin Poirier.

In the night’s co-main event at the Prudential Center, former undisputed middleweight champion, Sean Strickland returns as he takes on former middleweight title challenger, Paulo Costa – with the pair vying for a potential title-eliminator in their immediate future. 

Rogan, who typically centers his commentary duties to North American events – particularly flagship cards, was drafted out of UFC 301 last month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – with former lightweight contender, Paul Felder replacing the veteran caller on the microphone. 

UFC 302 takes place this weekend from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey – with Islam Makhachev’s title clash with Dustin Poirier slated to take main event honors in ‘The Garden State’.

Are you happy to see Joe Rogan return to the booth for UFC 302?

LowKickMMA.com

On the second episode of UFC 302 Embedded, lightweight champion Islam Makhachev caffeinates. Sean Strickland and Grant Dawson hit the gym. Michal Oleksiejczuk takes a water tour and Paulo Costa arrives in Newark by air.

UFC 302 takes place at the Prudential Center in New Jersey on Saturday and is headlined by a lightweight title bout between Makhachev and former interim titleholder Dustin Poirier. In the co-main event, former middleweight titleholder Strickland takes on former title challenger Paulo Costa. 

UFC 302 Embedded, Episode 2

MMAWeekly.com | UFC and MMA News, Results, Rumors, and Videos

Douglas Lima is staying put.

The promotion announced that the former Bellator welterweight champion signed a new, multi-year agreement with the PFL — who also owns Bellator as of this past November.

Head of Fighter Operations Mike Kogan also revealed in the announcement that Lima will make his return to the cage sometime this fall.

Lima was one of several outspoken fighters on the Bellator roster that wasn’t particularly happy with the PFL after the acquisition, citing that the “PFL didn’t want to pay and honor my last fight on my contract.” Lima sent the tweet following his most recent opponent Costello van Steenis earning a second-round submission win at Bellator Paris earlier this month.

It seems cooler heads prevailed, and Lima will remain with the organization for the foreseeable future. “The Phenom” defeated van Steenis at Bellator 296 after moving up to middleweight in May 2023, which snapped a four-fight skid. Lima is a two-time Bellator welterweight champ, and fell short in his attempt to become a two-division champion when he lost a decision to then-middleweight champ Gegard Mousasi at Bellator 250 in October 2020.

Lima would go on to lose the 170-pound title to Yaroslav Amosov at Bellator 260 in June 2021, then went on to lose decisions to Michael Page and Jason Jackson before moving up to 185 pounds. His overall record stands at 33-11.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

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Invicta FC has their first card of 2024 locked in.

The promotion revealed following an announcement on Sirius XM that Invicta FC 55 will take place June 28 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. The event will be Invicta’s first since this past October, and marks their return to Kansas City since May 2022.

The main event for the promotion’s return will be a bantamweight championship bout between former UFC fighter Talita Bernardo and Olga Rubin.

Bernardo captured the title with a decision victory against Taneisha Tennant at Invicta FC 51 in January 2023. Bernardo enters the bout on a four-fight win streak since parting ways with the UFC following a 1-3 run inside the octagon.

Rubin, a six-time Bellator veteran, enters the championship contest on the heels of consecutive victories over Serena DeJesus and Claire Guthrie.

In a follow-up answer on Twitter, the promotion revealed that they are targeting events “for every six weeks” beginning with the June 28 card. Invicta also revealed that a new distribution deal will be announced soon, and that the rest of the lineup, along with ticket information, will be announced on Friday.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Lightweight champion Islam Makhachev puts his title on the line in the UFC 302 main event on Saturday against former interim titleholder Dustin Poirier.  

Poirier has had a legendary UFC career but a world title has eluded him.  Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey will likely be his last chance to win UFC gold and could be his final octagon appearance.  Poirier has stated that he could retire regardless of this weekend’s outcome.  

Former middleweight champion Michael Bisping gave his prediction for the lightweight title clash and doesn’t think it will have a storybook ending for Poirier.    

“This is a phenomenal fight.  We all love Dustin Poirier.  The way that he came back and was able to defeat Benoit Saint Denis in the second round after taking an absolute a** kicking was so inspirational.  It just epitomizes why we all love Dustin Poirier,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel.  “I don’t think it’s going to be the sendoff that Dustin Poirier’s looking for.”  

“Benoit Saint Denis was able to go out there and dominate Dustin Poirier early.  He mixed up his wrestling, used the Thai clinch perfectly, was punishing Dustin with knees, was taking him down,” Bisping continued.  “On the feet, that is Dustin’s best chance.  He’s got to stay off the fence.  He’s got to dance around the octagon.  He’s got to use the jab.  He’s got to sprawl and brawl.  He’s got to do whatever he can to try to avoid a clinch situation.”

Each round starts standing, but at some point Makhachev will likely get the fight to the ground.  If he does, Bisping believes that he’ll win the fight.  

“On the feet, I give him (Poirier) the edge.  Of course I do, but it doesn’t matter.  This is mixed martial arts and Islam Makhachev will get that takedown.  And if he gets the takedown I believe he gets the fight and he gets to defend the belt, and he gets to remain the lightweight champion of the world,” said Bisping.  “Islam is just incredible.  He’s the pound-for-pound number one on the planet and I believe on Saturday night he’s still going to be the champion.  

MMAWeekly.com | UFC and MMA News, Results, Rumors, and Videos