Midnight Mania! Usman’s Greatest Threat?

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

We are less than 24 hours away from the return of Kevin Lee, who has been sidelined for over a year following major knee surgeries. “The MoTown Phenom” also returns as a Welterweight, which is relatively new territory for the man who mostly competed at 185 lbs. Prior to his disastrous injuries, Lee was struggling, losing three of his four most recent bouts.

Despite all that uncertainty, Lee is absolutely filled to the brim with confidence ahead of his bout tomorrow night vs. Daniel Rodriguez. So much so, in fact, that he’s hardly mentioned his opponent, preferring to offer his two cents on Conor McGregor and Tony Ferguson.

Speaking with Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com, Lee elevated his sights yet again, declaring himself a major threat to the title reign of Kamaru Usman. Lee was at least respectful of the champion’s skill set, but in the mind of Lee, he stands alone as a style threat to “The Nigerian Nightmare.”

it’s a wide-open division. Usman’s at the top, who’s no joke, I think right now he’s the number one pound-for-pound so he’s the guy I’m chasing,” Lee said. “Beyond that, he needs challengers and there’s nobody else that has my style that can take it to him. I’m excited to put together a few wins and show I’m the guy who can beat him.”

“You have to at least have the threat of the takedown. Being underneath someone like me is a nightmare, he’s going to know that,” Lee explained. “Masvidal isn’t a threat of a takedown, Colby is, but he more pushes you against the fence and wears on you. My jiu-jitsu is a lot more complete than most of these guys. I bring a lot of things to the table that he hasn’t seen before. People on the outside don’t really recognize that.”

At the moment, Lee is still several victories away from a title shot. Most importantly, he has to work his way through Rodriguez tomorrow, as “D-Rod” is a veteran who will be throwing bricks!

The Return Of Shameless Self-Promotion

Hey y’all, I’ve once again got a fight booked. This time, we’re heading back to Florida to compete for CFFC, one of the best regional shows in the country.

As with all my pro fights, I raise funds to cover camp costs/actually make a profit via the fight banner. $5 or more gets your name/screen name/nickname on the fight banner, and it enters you into a raffle to win the banner itself. Payment options include venmo: AndyLRichardson (1572), PayPal, or the latest GoFundMe page. Complete details are HERE!

And, for those that don’t care for my fight career and its associated e-begging, all the coming Midnight Manias will have the same amount of content as usual. Simply skip this section each night and it’s like nothing happened!

Insomnia

An incredibly wholesome Edson Barboza moment that is very much worth watching:

Remember when Sean O’Malley was supposed to fight Frankie Edgar? Nope!

I like this Kayla Harrison milk crate cartoon, but it does miss the obvious answer of hanging out in PFL and continually collecting million dollar checks.

In case anyone was worried, we have at least four more years confirmed of Michael Bisping hot takes!

Aaron Pico has some terrifying speed and power in his hands for a highly decorated wrestler.

Tim Kennedy apparently pissed a bunch of military and veterans off by acting on his own.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Karate Combat continues to provide the violence.

Does Pat Sabatini manage to drop the hammer once again opposite Jamal Emmers tomorrow night?

Also on the UFC Vegas 35 undercard, Makhmud Muradov looks to score his 15th straight victory — one to watch at 185 pounds!

Random Land

Who else did not know that dragon fruit come from cacti?

Midnight Music: A classic track from Big Star!

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