Midnight Mania Conspiracy: Jiri Faked His Shoulder Injury In A USADA Cover Up?!?
Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!
Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Jiri Prochazka looked good on the scales earlier on Friday (Nov. 10, 2023), his first weigh-in since June 2022. In truth, the beacon of masculinity looked about the same as we’ve come to expect throughout his UFC career.
According to some fight fans, that’s a red flag! This may come as a surprise, but there are quite a few conspiracy theorists who hang out in MMA social media circles, and they have come to an interesting conclusion. According to handful of fight fans, Prochazka looks too good on the scale, as he should be showing more wear-and-tear from the shoulder injury that cost him his belt — an injury UFC CEO Dana White described as “He f—king ripped the s—t out of it.”
Why fake an injury? Prochazka is accused of pretending to get injured to cover up a USADA suspension, which is the REAL REASON that he’s been sidelined for most of a year.
Check out some of the accusations from MMA Twitter:
Jiri was never injured.
USADA tested him more in a month than any other fighter on the roster in the entire year of 2022.
Then he had the “worst shoulder injury in the history of the UFC”.
Returns a year later with no scar and it’s as if it never even happened.
— cotydankh (@CotyJitsu) November 10, 2023
The UFC is the same company that fucked over Mark Hunt by hiding Brock’s positive PED tests. This can 1000% be true ngl
— (@JayMMA4) November 10, 2023
THIS DUDE DID NOT GET SHOULDER SURGERY #UFC295 pic.twitter.com/9P4Vc25OUd
— Mᴀʀᴛʏs Hᴀɪʀʟɪɴᴇ (@MmaUnderdogs) November 10, 2023
There is at least an element of truth to the conspiracy theory. Prochazka is the most frequently tested fighter by USADA on the roster, to the point that the frequent testing is keeping him up at night. The rest, however, seems a little bit far-fetched.
MMAmania’s own Alex Behunin was there when Prochazka hurt himself, and he did his best to reply and shut down the rumors. “I was there the day it happened and I have never heard someone scream in pain like he did,” Behunin tweeted. “Terrible stuff.”
Regardless of whether or not Prochazka wrecked his shoulder or pulled off one of the greatest deceptions in recent memory, he’s another few hours away from facing off with Alex Pereira in the main event of UFC 295 from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
Hopefully his shoulder is up to the task!
Insomnia
It’s always cool to see former opponents friendly outside of the cage.
Glover and Jamahal pic.twitter.com/fz48h40fCq
— Full Violence ™ (@Full_Violence) November 9, 2023
Mackenzie Dern has been a Top Five-ranked Strawweight in the world for a while now, yet she just recently learned what is pretty much a Day One striking concept …
Henry Cejudo taught Mackenzie Dern about range pic.twitter.com/AS0syS4w0V
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) November 9, 2023
Terrance McKinney started filling out his back with new ink.
T mother fuckin wrecks urbantattoos Instagram @tattoosbychucky pic.twitter.com/QcBCkDNnG2
— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) November 10, 2023
In case anyone was unaware, Sergei Pavlovich is a BIG LAD!
Y’all thought Mike Perry was satisfied trading body shots with Eddie Alvarez? Not likely!
Just guys being dudes pic.twitter.com/gjgEDqNTma
— ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ (@TheArtOfWar6) November 9, 2023
Tito Ortiz’s nearly five-decade war with the English language continues.
“Fighting for 25 years has been easy but really hard physically and mentally.” — Tito Ortiz pic.twitter.com/SCSfQ8yBgf
— Borrachinha Depot (@FullContactMTWF) November 10, 2023
The hours for Tito’s restaurant are kind of confusing. pic.twitter.com/u77SirBkCK
— Borrachinha Depot (@FullContactMTWF) November 10, 2023
Prochazka’s reactions are ON POINT!
Jiří Procházka gives Bisping a little uppercut pic.twitter.com/yopTdl0uHR
— ᴍᴍᴀ ᴍᴀʀᴄᴜs ️ (@mmamarcuss) November 10, 2023
Slips, rips, and KO clips
A great knockout from early in the career of the legendary Roberto Duran:
I’m always raving about Duran’s jab. Not because it’s the best, but because he could get the guy jabbing back and then time the counter. Lazy jab, lazy jab, slip, time to go. pic.twitter.com/tX9zEAbzol
— Jack Slack (@JackSlackMMA) November 9, 2023
Such a random KO off a sequence we saw all the time in MMA.
Crazy KO this morning at EFC. David Mambo takes down Guide Moyo after catching his kick and slams his head into the canvas. #EFC109 pic.twitter.com/GivZxLMZNa
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) November 9, 2023
Delayed reaction KO off a rear straight to the body, one of the more underutilized punches in four ounce gloves.
Khunsuk with a NASTY shot to the body!#ONEFridayFights40 pic.twitter.com/zndpi4xnJR
— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) November 10, 2023
Random Land
Florida is a wild ecosystem.
Burmese pythons are considered invasive in the Florida Everglades: they prey upon a variety of mammals, birds, reptiles even alligators of considerable size.
Recently, a 5-ft alligator was found in the stomach of an 18-ft python by national park workers.pic.twitter.com/jtrtG63CVc
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) November 10, 2023
Midnight Music: Hip-hop, 2019
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
https://www.mmamania.com/2023/11/11/23955911/midnight-mania-jiri-prochazka-accused-crazed-fans-faking-injury-usada-cover-up-ufc-295