Midnight Mania! Hardy Opens As Small Underdog To Volkov

Photo by Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Color me surprised on several levels.

UFC has definitely been raising Greg Hardy through the ranks slowly and carefully — perhaps more so than is necessary. Even with his recent Inhalergate and “No Contest” result, his performance last weekend did make it clear that Hardy was ready for a more established UFC veteran.

Alexander Volkov, though? The Russian was one win away from a title shot last year! He knocked out Fabricio Werdum! That’s a tough task for just about any Heavyweight on the roster. It’s an absolute massive step up in competition from Ben Sosoli.

Yet, the opening odds placed Hardy at a mere +150, which is really minor!

That is dramatically closer than I would have expected. Hardy has some physical talent and definite punching power, sure, but Volkov can match his range and is the far more refined striker. Perhaps Volkov’s most recent result, a last-second knockout loss to Derrick Lewis, is really being held against him, but “The Black Beast” is the king of those crazy come-from-behind victories!

Anyone thinking of dropping some dough on either “Drago” or “Prince of War?”

Insomnia

Perfection.

Demian Maia vs. Ben Askren has the MMA By The Numbers account feeling extra sassy this week.

Francis Ngannou cannot get a fight booked despite his best efforts.

Yair Rodriguez gets the Red Dead Redemption treatment:

“El Cucuy” highlights … forever.

Injures are tough, but who would you like to see Dustin Poirier face upon his return? The timing for a Conor McGregor rematch could work out…

In case you were wondering how Alexander Volkanovski became such an effective wrestler in MMA:

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Sometimes, lunging forward with a punch pays off.

This is a pretty perfect example of laying a trap. No fight likes to absorb a clean low kick, which means most will fire back right away. Barkhudaryan knew that, stepped back, and then fired hard from a better stance.

Incredible elbow KO:

Random Land

Don’t slip!

Midnight Music: This doo-wop cover of George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” popped up on my Discover Weekly playlist. I didn’t find it particularly interesting until about halfway through, when The Belmonts seamlessly start singing the lyrics to The Chiffon’s “He’s So Fine” instead — the song is perhaps the easiest way to explain why my favorite Beatle lost millions of dollars in the ensuing lawsuits.

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