Midnight Mania: Mike Perry Versus … Le’Veon Bell?!?!

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Mike Perry may be the face of bare knuckle boxing, but that doesn’t mean “Platinum” is afraid to lace up the gloves. One way or another, Perry’s next move isn’t fully confirmed due to his status as Dillon Danis’ back up versus Logan Paul. Danis is currently in a will-they, won’t-they relationship with competition as a whole, so it’s distinctly possible that Danis pulls out officially any day now and is replaced by Perry.

He’s hinted as much this week.

If by some divine miracle Danis does make it to the ring, Perry has stumbled into another option: former Pro Bowl NFL running back Le’Veon Bell. The longtime Pittsburgh Steeler’s NFL career officially fizzled out in 2022, but he’s rebounded inside the boxing ring. He knocked out fellow football star Adrian Peterson in an exhibition bout last year (watch it), and he’s 1-1 as a pro overall after losing his debut to ex-UFC Middleweight Uriah Hall.

Apparently, Bell wants a piece of Paul as well, and he’s not happy that Perry scored the backup slot. He questioned Perry’s comparative star power, and accused “scared” Logan Paul of avoiding a fight with him.

It didn’t take Perry long to respond. “Platinum” has grown into a genuine star in the combat sports community, even if he’s not as well known in the general public as Bell. Perry then advised him to “Save yourself the embarrassment,” but offered, “You and I can square up tho, lmk.”

Surprisingly, Bell seems to be down. He wrote back to Perry, “I been SEARCHING for a dance partner.”

It’s an odd match up, but one that could prove lucrative for both men. Perry is far more experienced and proven in the ring, but he would be facing a significant size disadvantage, and Bell can certainly crack. Maybe it ends up on the undercard of Paul vs. Danis if that fight makes it to the ring?

Insomnia

How is everyone feeling about Francis Ngannou’s chances at achieving the impossible?

A rare UFC signing from outside of Contenders Series.

Remember the bottle cap challenge? We need more cool martial arts challenges, that was a fun couple weeks.

Credit to Tom Aspinall, he always seems to be training with really good people across disciplines and around Europe.

Lightweight banger alert!

A totally real and very encouraging look into Paulo Costa’s weight cut:

Can we expect to see more bibles in the cage?

… What about flags?

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Ezekiel chokes are on the rise! Cool to see a non-Heavyweight finish one.

An expert at his craft:

It’s always cool when future UFC fighters cross paths on the regional scenes, let alone when one turns out to be an all-timer delivering a nasty KO.

Random Land

The first guy is an absolute hero.

Midnight Music: Folk rock, 1969

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