Midnight Mania! Wonderboy ‘Ain’t Going To Show Up’ Vs. Shavkat

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

We’re just a few short weeks away from UFC 296, which featured a Welterweight clash between surging contender Shavkat Rakhmonov and expert Karateka Stephen Thompson.

It’s a fight with both history and relevance behind it. Back in August 2022, “Wonderboy” denied the callouts of Rakhmonov, claiming that fans didn’t have any interest in the booking. A year later, things have changed, as Rakhmonov is knocking on the door to a title shot, and Thompson wants back into that mix for one last shot at gold.

The other reason for Thompson’s change of heart? A double salary to help compensate for his cancelled bout against Michel Pereira (allegedly). A potential title shot and bonus paycheck are about as good a reason as any for a veteran contender to show up against an undefeated finisher, but fellow Welterweight contender Joaquin Buckley doesn’t think it’s enough motivation.

“New Mansa” believes that “Wonderboy” won’t make it to fight night, and he plans on stepping up to the plate when that happens.

“For Dec. 16, I could definitely do that – easy work,” Buckley told Middle Easy (via MMA Junkie). “We looking at Shavkat and ‘Wonderboy’ fight. I mean no disrespect to ‘Wonderboy.’ He’s always been a tough guy and always willing to take a fight, but for some reason, it’s telling me he ain’t going to show up to that. Something tells me that ‘Wonderboy’ ain’t going to show up to that one, so let’s get ready.”

“Fighters know fighters, man,” Buckley continued. “To be honest with you, ‘Wonderboy’ for the longest time didn’t want to fight Shavkat, and I’m guessing the UFC gave him a good little bag in order to get up in there. Regardless, this sport is all mental, so for some reason, I’m throwing up a little lob. I don’t think ‘Wonderboy’ is going to be able to make it to that cage for whatever odd reason, so let’s get ready.”

If indeed Thompson is unable to make it to UFC 296, there are worse replacements than Buckley. The knockout artist is undefeated at 170 lbs., and he at the very least guarantees a fun fight!

Insomnia

Happy Thanksgiving Manias! Gratitude is a good habit.

An unfortunate update to tomorrow’s PFL card.

People fall out of cages every so often in this sport, so some caution is well-advised.

Similar to the Raymond Daniels clip last night, sometimes moves just don’t work!

Rafael dos Anjos has some of the best jiu-jitsu at 155/170 pounds.

MMA Twitter has really been roasting Ian Garry and his marriage today.

Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips is such a good Bantamweight fight. Think Munhoz has another crafty veteran over a top prospect win in him?

No horse-meat-for-everyone celebration.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

I respect the promotional effort, but this is a lot for an amateur kickboxing fight.

So many dudes who play weird high guard-style BJJ end up hurting themselves …

Some nasty highlight clips in the second slide.

Random Land

Some very colorful footage of Japan.

Midnight Music: A classic came on during dinner this evening.

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