Midnight Mania! GSP Vs. Diaz 2 Delayed

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Not every rivalry ends when the final bell sounds.

All-time great Welterweight and champion a dozen times over scored one of the final defenses of his legendary career at UFC 158 in March 2013 by defeating Nick Diaz. The heavily promoted grudge match turned out to be mostly one-sided, as St. Pierre effectively wrestled through Diaz for most of five rounds.

It wasn’t without controversy, however. Diaz accused St. Pierre of missing weight, and alleges that the Canadian commission covered up for him. “GSP” also later confessed to poisoning Diaz, which perhaps had an effect on the final outcome.

With the two in states of at least somewhat retirement but also continuing bad blood, a grappling match was recently deemed a dream bout. As it turned out, TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter revealed that it nearly came to fruition in December, but injuries to both parties postponed the booking. Likely, the duo will face off some time next year.

St. Pierre has been officially retired for years now, having walked away from the sport with the Middleweight belt after defeating Michael Bisping in 2017. As for Nick Diaz, he made a surprise return in 2021, coming up short in disastrous fashion to Robbie Lawler. He’s spoken publicly about wanting another UFC fight, but since then, nothing has materialized.

Since walking away from the sport, St. Pierre has remained in incredible shape, constantly flaunting his ridiculous retirement physique. Diaz, conversely, has struggled with serious injuries and is known to frequent the clubs. I’m not sure how competitive a 2024 showdown will be, but the Diaz brothers are certainly known for their ability to play spoiler!

Insomnia

While on the topic of the great “GSP,” here’s at his induction into the Canadian sports hall of fame:

Is Hasbulla the best or worst part of Islam Makhachev fights?

I continually hope bad things on the people who try to hard spar Saenchai when he’s gifting their gym knowledge via a seminar.

It ultimately didn’t pay off, but Sodiq Yusuff brought several interesting looks to his Edson Barboza fight.

A former title challenger surprising gone after a competitive loss and debatable decision.

I enjoyed this breakdown of Alexander Volkanovski’s excellent posture and wrestling along the fence.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Phil Hawes really does have an unfortunate habit of looking great until he gets obliterated.

Clubbing punches from Artur Beterbiev:

Upward elbows can produce nasty kicks.

Random Land

Funky throw.

Midnight Music: Alternative, 1995

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