Midnight Mania! ‘Killa Gorilla’ Battles ‘Italian Dream’ In June 17 Headliner
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Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Earlier on Thursday, UFC President Dana White announced an important Middleweight booking, naming Jared Cannonier vs. Marvin Vettori as main event of the June 17 “Fight Night” event, which will take place inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
No. 4-ranked Cannonier challenged for the UFC title in July 2022, coming up short via decision to Israel Adesanya. Prior to that loss, Cannonier rose up the ranks by winning five of his six Middleweight appearances, stopping men like Derek Brunson and Anderson Silva via strikes. Last time out, Cannonier returned to the win column with a split-decision nod over Sean Strickland.
No, 3-ranked Marvin Vettori also came up short versus “The Stylebender,” but his title shot came in June 2021. Since then, he’s won two of three, picking up important wins opposite Paulo Costa and Roman Dolidze but getting beaten up by Robert Whittaker between those victories.
Though neither man rides a huge wave of momentum into their latest main event slot, a match up between Top Five contenders should have some level of title implication. Stylistically, Cannonier is likely the hardest hitter Vettori has ever faced, but Vettori has the wrestling and five-round conditioning to really trouble his opponent too.
Who ya’ got?!?
Insomnia
The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner Mohammed Usman returns this weekend, but he doesn’t appear to be happy about it.
Mohammad Usman has the angriest resting face that I have ever seen pic.twitter.com/4eJR4g44tu
— Super Fan (@McGregorRousey) April 20, 2023
Most fighters and MMA personalities are losing their blue checkmark, which seems like a recipe for this column in particular to get bamboozled by trolls moving forward.
Gettin knocked out and losing my blue check all in the same week… yikes
— Billy Quarantillo (@BillyQMMA) April 20, 2023
Just want to verify that I am actually still myself and this is the real true Wonderboy…don’t want to
Cause any unnecessary stress to anyone if I can help it #UnverifiedGang #ItsStillMe— Wonderboy (@WonderboyMMA) April 20, 2023
Muhammad Mokaev tried to call out Brandon Royval and got absolutely roasted for his efforts. He also broke Conor McGregor’s no purse bet rule (basically)!
♂️ I’m fighting for gold and 6 figures next.. not for 38k. Maybe once you stop struggling with unranked opponents, you can add this to your wish list, considering all that lay and praying you do every fight
No quit acting like you don’t see Hadley’s tweets https://t.co/YtmrHxDcuc— Brandon (@brandonroyval) April 20, 2023
Imagine me being afraid of a wrestler who does 0 damage in a fight. Motherfuckers be walking out of Mokev fights healthier than when they walked in
Im weighing in as a back up in July & fighting for a belt by the end of the year. I’ll see you at the top dork.— Brandon (@brandonroyval) April 20, 2023
Bobby Green was in rare form for the media this week.
Bobby Green responds to Dan Hookers’s IV accusation of Islam Makhachev pic.twitter.com/QzjrqYyLf7
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) April 19, 2023
Nate Diaz and Dana White have an odd relationship.
“Thanks, but I don’t get it,”
Nate to Dana’s bizarre gifts pic.twitter.com/yhyFNaMStu— No Context Ariel Helwani (@NoContextAriel) April 20, 2023
I see this match up carrying roughly 100% of being a BANGER!
BREAKING
Featherweights Alex Caceres and Daniel Pineda meet inside the Octagon on June 3rd. pic.twitter.com/C1RGpDcXkX
— Marcel Dorff (@BigMarcel24) April 20, 2023
Slips, rips, and KO clips
This column featured a killer young Khabib clip earlier this week, so it’s only fair that a teenage Charles Oliveira also makes an appearance! Killer.
Charles Oliveira made his MMA debut at 18 years old
Won the Predador FC Welterweight Grand Prix
Defeating three men in one night pic.twitter.com/Nilw1hebmh
— Ocelot MMA (@Ocelot_MMA) April 18, 2023
If it scares Caposa, it’s serious.
This KO by Collin Reuter still lives in my mind https://t.co/WmlHEyXBsn pic.twitter.com/39jQmbn4O4
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) April 19, 2023
Another brutal one:
https://t.co/O92s6C9ElE pic.twitter.com/KixcgeQxnO
— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) April 19, 2023
Random Land
About as bad a situation as you can walk away from.
Midnight Music: Rock, 1977
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
https://www.mmamania.com/2023/4/21/23692175/midnight-mania-jared-cannonier-marvin-vettori-booked-june-17-fight-night-headliner-ufc-espn
