Midnight Mania! New Year, Same Outcome

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

In the three years since Stipe Miocic dominated Francis Ngannou, both men have gone on to do some pretty awesome things. Miocic lost his title next time out, but he earned it back by defeating Daniel Cormier twice in a trilogy that will likely help define his career in the history books. Meanwhile, Ngannou also lost his next match, but he’s been perfect since, knocking out four men in the time it takes to watch a couple Modelo commercials.

Speaking in broad strokes, rematches tend to favor younger athletes, regardless of who won the initial battle. The older fighter is likely to grow a bit slower, whereas the up-and-comer is more likely to have improved since. Despite the trend, Miocic is confident and promises a repeat performance.

“Francis is a super tough guy,” Miocic said on the “Oral Sessions” podcast with Renee Paquette (transcription via MMAJunkie). “He’s been knocking everyone out again and he’s on a tear, and unfortunately he’s going to have to fight me again. That’s the bad part. He’s definitely gotten better, but so have I.

“I know I’m getting old, but I’ve gotten wiser and I’ve got a few new tricks up my sleeve. (They say) you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, which is a lie. I’ve learned a lot since the last couple years ago. It’s the same outcome. I’m going to walk out with the belt around my waist: and still.”

The two are set to do battle at UFC 260 on March 27, 2021 from inside the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Elite heavyweights in a small cage — who ya’ got?

Insomnia

Dustin Poirier made his appearance on Hot Ones!

Is there any chance that UFC leaves “The Diamond” behind regarding the Lightweight title?

A small moment of class that was otherwise easy to miss.

The Avatar TV show is excellent. It’s also the source of Israel Adesanya’s “Stylebender” nickname, and in the second version of the show (Legend Of Korra), much of the martial arts animations are directly inspired by MMA!

Tony Ferguson sounds like he wants a shot at Nate Diaz, and I am here for it!

This man took the back like a flying squirrel!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Good to see Francisco Rivera is still doing “Cisco” things.

For one, this is actually a pretty solid double leg for a street fight filled with cat scratch punches. Secondly, a double leg on pavement is a definite fight-ender.

Don’t sleep on Alexandre Pantoja against the hyped debut of Manel Kape.

Random Land

A pretty sick kitchen setup!

Midnight Music: My girlfriend was in charge of the living room music tonight, and she’s a reggae gal.

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