Midnight Mania! A Stuntman’s Worst Nightmare

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

In just two days (Thurs. March 21, 2024), the highly anticipated Road House remake will release on Amazon Prime (not theaters). Notably, it’s the silver screen debut of Conor McGregor, a project he’s spent a lot of time on while on the sidelines in the last couple years. McGregor will play the villainous Knox opposite Dalton, UFC castoff and bouncer portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal.

Quite a few interesting stories have emerged from McGregor’s time on set. According to McGregor himself, for example, he made more than one enemy while in tinsel town. McGregor also channeled his inner Terminator for a nude scene and taught Gyllenhaal some important lessons about fight game intensity.

Now, McGregor is revealing more behind-the-scenes tales, including throwing down with Hollywood stuntmen. The Irish athlete revealed the exchanged blows got pretty serious, and he even put a few of his co-workers on the floor with “real shots.”

“I put a few of them down,” McGregor told ESPN. “Spinning back kicks and all, yeah? Spinning back kicks to the ribs, a couple head kicks. A couple of side kicks to the head as well. … I won’t tell the story, but there were some real shots for sure.

“I hit the guys, they hit me and I had no issue with that,” McGregor continued. “And they had no issue. They told me to. ‘F—king no, hit them for real.’ [I said,] ‘Are you sure?’”

At the moment, McGregor’s next UFC bout remains unbooked. However, his latest statements indicate a confidence that he’ll be back in the cage over summer against Michael Chandler. Hopefully, there are no further delays in his return to action.

Insomnia

It feels like there’s a close to zero chance Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya actually goes down in South Africa, which is a massive bummer. Could you imagine the scene?!?

Magomedov Sharabutdin secured a visa, maybe there’s hope from Khamzat too?

Robelis Despaigne gets a step up in competition! Think the fight lasts longer than 60 seconds?

Colby Covington is unlistenable per usual, but he sneaked some decent roasts into this response video.

A few classic ways to defend against kicks! Good little self-defense video.

I think Ilia Topuria might just be a star …

Paulo Costa is a menace.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Collins was wobbling all over the ring! His legs were completely gone.

Cory Sandhagen is one of my favorite active fighters, and his commitment to body work is a significant factor in that.

Two Heavyweight legends young and hungry, 20 years ago!

Random Land

Stilt walking.

Midnight Music: Rock, 1982

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