Midnight Mania! Bisping has no patience with Yoel Romero’s drug test failure: “One day, somebody’s gonna die”

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Welcome to Midnight Mania! Tonight we’ve got Bisping sounding off on Yoel Romero in a verbal battle with Yoel’s manager, Stipe Miocic being awesome, Krylov signing with EFN, insane knockouts and highlights, podcasts, randomness, and much more.

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Insomnia

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Michael Bisping and Yoel Romero’s manager, Malki Kawa, got into a verbal sparring session on Bisping’s show. It was great back and forth, starting with Bisping’s desire to fight GSP. Kawa claimed Dana told him Bisping had turned down the fight, a claim Bisping said isn’t entirely accurate. He said the supposed refusal was down to needing knee surgery. Then Bisping went in on Romero for ‘repeated’ drug test failures. This really fired Kawa up.

“He’s the number one contender. That fight should have happened January 21st, you went for a knee injury that just popped up… you could have had this thing done in December, you did it now. Man, listen, you played it beautifully… all I’m saying is the following: stop the PED shit and the whole-

Bisping interrupted:

“No. I won’t. I have a very strong stance against it and I will never stop. You take performance enhancing drugs then I have zero respect, and if you defend someone, then Malki, I gotta lean towards zero respect as well, because, you know, it is a black spot on this beautiful sport that we have, and unfortunately, one day, somebody’s gonna die, and then it will be taken a lot more seriously, okay. Until that day- and God forbid that day comes… if you test positive for performance enhancing drugs, you should be banned for life and never given the opportunity to fight again, and that’s how I feel. Call me an idiot, call me whatever you want.”

Kawa tried to explain that Romero was cleared by USADA for taking a tainted substance, but Bisping wasn’t having it.

“There’s no smoke without fire. I’ve been tested one of the most guys in the history of USADA working with the UFC, and I’ve never accidentally failed a test. How does one accidentally fail a test, because I tell you what, I’ve never done it… I’m pretty carefree to be honest, but I just avoid steroids.”

Listen to the whole segment below for how Bisping believes Romero cheated.

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Bobs and Weaves

I’ve had sparring partners go too far, but never this:

Stipe Miocic, who faces Junior Dos Santos at UFC 211, on his motivation:

He has been training out in Long Island with Chris Weidman and company:

Well hello:

TJ Dillashaw stepping up his social media game.

Now we know what happened to Krylov: he signed with EFN. Unexpectable.

Power against volume, the classic judging dilemma that left their Fight of the Night bout at UFC 205 a draw.

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Quick Hits

• This isn’t actually a quick hit, but its an old, excellent longform recently come to the internets: the story of MMA fighter Lee Murray and how he pulled off the biggest cash heist in history.
• In an ironic twist, the UFC is requesting crucial financial documents from Bellator as part of the ongoing anti-trust lawsuit against the UFC. This, of course, would have a compromising effect on Bellator’s ability to compete with the UFC, so they are fighting it.

• Joe Rogan is saying the obvious: the UFC done screwed up by not having UFC 209 feature one or both of the Diaz brothers. Even if it meant ponying up the 20 million.
• Joanna Jedrzejczyk is fighting at UFC 211 in Dallas against Jessica Andrade after all

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Slips, Rips and KO Clips

This might be the most ridiculous knockout I’ve ever seen in the ring

These angles are awesome

Excellent preview:

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Podcasts and Video

Sometimes MMA is depressing, and some people like going back and finding old depressing fights.

Damon Martin’s Fight Society Podcast:

Jack Slack’s Fights Gone By:

Joanna Jedrzejczyk had some things to say about Rose Namajunas:

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Random Land

Your dose of adorable for the day

This drunk lady tries cartwheels to pass a sobriety test. It doesn’t work.

These are adorable AND deadly. For anyone who played Half Life 2 back in the day, Infamous Second Son more recently, or any video game with drones really, this is satisfying to witness:

Stay woke, Maniacs!