Midnight Mania! NBA Star Jamal Murray Defeats Volkanovski In Grappling Challenge

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Alexander Volkanovski’s innate competitive drive is a huge part of what makes him a champion. He’s highly motivated, determined to win every second of every exchange, which tends to add up to extended periods of dominance. It’s an important aspect of his 13-0 Featherweight run, which has seen him climb into the ranks of the all-time greats.

All of this is to say that Volkanovski is not the type to take it easy when the gauntlet is thrown down. Yet, Denver Nugget Jamal Murray managed to hold his own with Volkanovski on the floor, actually winning their grappling challenge … by a very slim margin in a very generous rule set!

In the video above, Volkanovski walks Murray through a handful of striking and wrestling drills. When the prospect of doing jiu-jitsu live is brought up, the 2023 NBA champion immediately establishes his goal, “I’m just not going to get submitted in a minute.” The two come to terms, and Murray again clarifies, “I’m just going to try to survive.”

The match and timer start at about the two minute mark. Murray is able to Schaub Shutdown Volkanovski for the first 30 or so seconds, then the Australian sneaks onto his back. “Blue Arrow” manages to fight hands and survive, but when Volkanovski realizes the clock is running out on him, he jumps on a guillotine! It’s a photo finish, but slow-motion reveals Murray survived the full 60 seconds.

A bit of size and strength go a long way in fighting off a choke!

As for his more professional endeavors, Volkanovski is expected to face streaking contender Ilia Topuria for his next title defense, and he recently hinted at a January return. If victorious, Volkanovski is expected to make another run at the Lightweight crown.

Insomnia

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Random Land

I was originally going to post this terrifying carjacking video, but then the random video in the a reply made me laugh, so … here’s both!

Midnight Music: Alternative, 1994

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