Midnight Mania! Meet ‘All-American Wrestler’ Derrick Lewis

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Fighters don’t come much more entertaining than Derrick Lewis. Not only does “The Black Beast” hold the record for knockouts in the Heavyweight division — which, frankly, makes him a king of kings — but Lewis is well-known for his hilarious interviews and massively popular Instagram account.

Who can forget “My balls was hot” or “where’s Ronda Rousey’s fine ass at?” The man has a bonafide greatest hit record of quotes … and he’s still going! Lewis drops some real gems in the interview montage below, so check it out:

Some quick hits for those unable to listen:

• “Whenever I watch Curtis fights, I believe that he’s one of the best strikers in the UFC. I’m going for the takedown right off the bat!”
• “I don’t wanna get knocked out, I gotta go for the wrestling.”
• “I believe that I’m an All-American wrestler now. I don’t wanna do anymore striking or stand with anyone anymore, I just want take ‘em down, just hold ‘em there, win on points.”
• “They say I might have the most knockouts in UFC history but … a lot of those guys just took falls.”

What’s the over-under on Lewis gaining top position at some point in a 25-minute fight with Curtis Blaydes? Alexander Volkov pulled off a brief takedown, why not “Black Beast?”

Insomnia

MORE BETTING: How many times will Lewis “just stand back up” on Saturday night?

Highlighting a small moment of defense:

This young man has HANDS!

When you’re willing to put your UFC title on the line twice in less than a month, your bonus is delivered in CASH!

Reminder: an insane person (Spike Carlyle) returns to the cage on Saturday night, and it’s going to be lots of fun.

Controversial topic of the night: Kamaru Usman is the latest UFC fighter to visit dictator Ramzan Kadyrov, who is confirmed to have committed substantial and brutal human rights violations. The fighters flown over there are reportedly paid in the six-figure range, so dear readers, let’s put morality to a poll …

Joe Rogan tattoos never stop, but they do grow progressively weirder.

Slips, rips, and KICK clips

Every once in a while, the missed-kick-turned-into-a-spin-kick actually lands, and it’s always a jaw-dropper.

What is there to say about the Rolling Thunder, other than it’s status as the coolest kick in the game?

There’s no need to get fancy: firing a bunch of hard kicks works just fine.

Random Land

#YoloBaggins

Midnight Music: Believe it or not, someone that isn’t me put on a Tom Waits playlist today, so that decided the night’s music choice!

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