Midnight Mania! ‘I Be Out Soon’

Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Nate Diaz is a polarizing figure, but he’s also a man with more options than most. Diaz and UFC have clashed several times over the years, but the Stockton-native has indeed proven himself a needle-mover, as Diaz is partially responsible for some of the most profitable UFC pay-per-views (PPV) events of all time.

Two fights with Conor McGregor and his BMF title match up opposite Jorge Masvidal generated beaucoup bucks.

However, Diaz’s negotiating has come at a cost. The boxer has spent literal years on the sidelines, and while the payoffs have typically been worth it, fighters cannot compete forever.

At the moment, Diaz is seemingly booked in a rematch with Masvidal — a big money fight! However, the details are not yet set, and with a lukewarm reaction from fans, UFC could instead side with the Colby Covington vs. Masvidal grudge match angle. At any rate, something is up, as Diaz expressed an interest in making an exit of some kind on Twitter.

Could this also be a reaction to McGregor accepting a fight with Diego Sanchez (???) and chasing Manny Pacquiao? That seems fairly likely, as retiring/stepping away is also a classic McGregor move.

Ultimately, we may end up trading one semi-retired Diaz brother for the other!

Shameless Self-Promotion

Weigh-ins are complete, and we are good to go for tomorrow night! I woke up at about 130 lbs. this morning and cut down to 124.2 by mid-afternoon. Not easy, but smooth! As always, full details and pictures in my post-fight write up.

HERE is the PPV stream link for anyone interested.

I’m keeping the name list open through fight day, so for anyone reading who enjoys my writing and would like to support/enter the raffle, $5 or more puts your user/nick/real name on the banner. I have Venmo (AndyLRichardson), PayPal ([email protected]), and a GoFundMe.

Insomnia

Safe to say, UFC 253 weigh-ins were eventful today!

Amanda Nunes has officially become a mom champ, ruining Michelle Waterson’s hopes and dreams. Congrats to Nunes and Nina Ansaroff!

One more sleep before UFC officially returns to Fight Island.

Muay Thai referees remain undefeated.

Before this becomes old news: here’s the medical breakdown behind Tyron Woodley’s rib injury.

A trilogy of title fights summed up in a single meme:

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Want to watch a 16-year-old show more expertise in something than most of us will ever attain?

Standing still along the fence and letting the other guy drop bombs is seldom a good strategy.

This is one of the nastiest examples of “knocked stiff” that I’ve ever come across.

Random Land

The cleanest flying knee in the history of this column!

Midnight Music: There’s no other option but my walkout song for tomorrow night. Once more, thanks readers for all the support (or at least tolerating my self-promotion) in the last two weeks. Let’s do this!

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