Midnight Mania! Four-Time NCAA Wrestling Champ Kyle Dake Hints At MMA Future

Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images

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I’m not trying to sell the clip above as impressive. It’s a basic striker (in phenomenal shape) working the basics, and there’s plenty to improve upon. Yet, the second Kyle Dake steps into a cage, he instantly has an argument as the most credentialed wrestler competing in mixed martial arts — so any striking practice at all makes an already terrifying prospect even more scary.

For those who don’t know, Dake is one of only four men in history to win four NCAA championships at the Division 1 level, and he’s the only one who did so in four separate weight classes. On the international circuit, Dake has won the last two World Championships at 79 kilograms (173.8 pounds).

As a final note of interest, Lightweight contender and super decorated wrestler, Gregor Gillespie, responded in the comments offering to help with his stand up as “I’d be of no use to you wrestling wise.” When a fan questioned that comment and brought up Gillespie’s own credentials, Gillespie reaffirmed that “what @kyledake444 would do to me would be an arrestable offense.”

Welterweights beware!

Insomnia

Is this the greatest f***ing post in the history of Midnight Mania? The longer you look the better it gets.

UFC 246 is going to be expensive.

Normally, I trust Diego Sanchez to provide the “weird” content, but this is an awesome clip!

An engagement with the Women’s MMA GOAT has its perks.

Never underestimate the power of an “accidental” headbutt.

I’m not even going to try to explain the picture below … but I will still include it!

A quick look at the evolution of Alexander Volkanovski over the years:

Hilarious cracked.com writer Seanbaby returned with an MMA article for the first time in many years, so do yourself a favor and read it ASAP!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

A full two minutes of SUMO highlights!

On one hand, this is a pretty incredible flying knee, but unfortunately, this fight should have been stopped before it ever had the chance to land.

Roberto “Cyborg” Abreu looking slick as ever on the mats.

Random Land

These landscape shots in Utah are pretty incredible.

Midnight Music: Continuing with circling back to acclaimed 2019 albums, I listened today to David Berman’s album Purple Mountains, a complicated listen. Berman was a main force behind well-loved indie rock band Silver Jews, and Purple Mountains was to be his return to center stage after the band dissolved in 2009. Tragically, Berman committed suicide just weeks after the album released, which makes an already sad album even more difficult.

Even without the above context, it’s one of the best written albums I’ve heard this year. For me, however, I don’t love his singing, and it is a bit strange how upbeat the instrumentation is compared to the lyrical content.

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