Midnight Mania! Fake Belt, Fake Coach, Fake Fighter

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

The Alex Pereira vs. Khamzat Chimaev beef is really starting to thrive. Though Chimaev remains somewhat committed to the Welterweight title, the Chechen wrestler has flirted at a Middleweight title run too. Since his ability to make 170 lbs. is in question, that’s become a more likely option for Chimaev, particularly since the division is helmed by a pair of elite kickboxers.

Kickboxers quite a few analysts think would fall easily to “Borz.”

Pereira himself isn’t scared. In fact, the Brazilian is taking bets on himself over the wrestler, and he recently claimed that Chimaev turned down a short-notice fight against him at Light Heavyweight in January. Why is the Middleweight champ calling out a Welterweight contender for a 205-pound fight? Well, Pereira cuts a ton of weight, and Chimaev has threatened to make a run at Light Heavyweight too, so it sort of makes sense.

Per Pereira, Khamzat turned that offer down. However, Chimaev has since responded online, denying such an offer exists and labeling his opponent a “fake fighter.”

Ultimately, a short-notice Light Heavyweight fight would be cool, but it’s far from the most intriguing possible fight between to the two. If Chimaev does fully decide on a Middleweight move, then just a single win could really line him up to face the winner to the likely Pereira vs. Israel Adesanya rematch sometime in 2023.

This storyline isn’t likely going away anytime soon.

Insomnia

Perhaps the relationship between Paulo Costa and Adesanya is finally improving? It’s nice to see.

Khamzat Chimaev rolling with Neil Magny at Renzo Gracie’s gym in New York City.

Jiri Prochazka elaborates on his emotions regarding his injury and vacated belt (in classic Jiri fashion):

Shoutout Tenshin Nasukawa!

Curtis Blaydes would run through a PFL Heavyweight tournament. Think other UFC fighters are considering making the switch?

Kicking elbows/knees/shins hurts really bad. If you ever wondered why a UFC fighter suddenly stops kicking when it was previously working, hitting a wrong target is a major possibility.

Tony Ferguson at Harvard is an unexpected event, but good for “El Cucuy!”

Slips, rips, and KO clips

A brutal knockout with some hilarious backstory — Caleb Plant sent a message!

Pantoja inverted nicely to wrap up the leg in a fight that didn’t seem to be going his way from the clip:

IN CASE Y’ALL FORGOT ABOUT THE DAMAGE!

Random Land

This looks incredibly difficult.

Midnight Music: Pop, 1982

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