Bringing you the weird and the wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight …
Welcome to Midnight Mania! Tonight, we’ve got Cain Velasquez with a message to his fans, Dillon Danis — Conor McGregor’s Brazilian jiu-jitsu coach — signing with Bellator MMA, Jorge Masvidal as a hitman, the return of sumo, sweet sweet knockouts, including some incredible knees, podcasts, fight posters and much more.
Insomnia
Cain Velasquez isn’t training much these days, according to his coach, but that’s on purpose. He’s still in recovery from surgery, and is taking his time (for once) to work back into fighting shape. He says he owes it to his fans not to try to take fights when he’s not 100 percent healthy — the kind of thing that got his last fight canceled.
Hopefully, that means Cain is finally learning to listen to his body and avoid the repeated injuries that have plagued his career. Hopefully. Although, if he manages to get back to full health and win a title shot just as Junior Dos Santos wins the belt back… you can count me out of watching that a fourth time, folks.
Bobs and Weaves
Conor McGregor’s jiu-jitsu coach and ace grappler Dillon Danis has signed with Bellator MMA.
Dillon Danis signed with Bellator.
— Flyin’ Brian J (@FlyinBrianJ) March 14, 2017
Here’s where his skills were developed —- on the mats … against the best in the world.
Jorge Masvidal gets a chance to spoil Demian Maia’s Welterweight hopes and dreams at UFC 211. After his comment on UFC using him as a hitman to take out 170-pound fighters it doesn’t like, some fans have begun to embrace that image. It suits “Gamebred” well.
Welterweight Hitman @GamebredFighter pic.twitter.com/DBZKObeMei
— MMA Fan Jesse (@MMAFanJesse) March 7, 2017
Even the way he gets his jewelry is gangster.
Jorge Masvidal’s left hand just got a little bit heavier.#UFC‘s welterweight @GamebredFighter doesn’t shop at just any jewelry store. ?? pic.twitter.com/ZlnOydGRHS
— FOX Sports: PROcast (@PROcast) March 10, 2017
This is pretty creative!
@GamebredFighter and one more just for fun. pic.twitter.com/ovKgTo1bD9
— MMA Fan Jesse (@MMAFanJesse) March 13, 2017
He isn’t the only Welterweight able to pull off the gangster image. Gunnar Nelson fights Alan Jouban this Saturday at UFC Fight Night 107.
Bosslogic poster magic for the stacked UFC 211:
Posted a day ago, but here is a banner version @markpeilua Man I hope you brainstorming that UFC 211 Card pic.twitter.com/0ILqBVEu89
— BossLogic (@Bosslogic) March 13, 2017
Slips, Rips, and KO Clips
Did you see this double KO yet?
Alan Vasquez vs. Axel Cazares double KO. Vasquez (red gloves) stood up and was declared winner. #MMAThings pic.twitter.com/LuMI2nhIK5
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 13, 2017
Sumo is back!!!
Ura wins his Makuuchi debut pic.twitter.com/EWQmDpfjHv
— MEGATON (@BasedDongeezus) March 12, 2017
Kotoshogiku shows some fire after his demotion from Ozeki, blows through Harumafuji pic.twitter.com/g4QJfAVb5h
— MEGATON (@BasedDongeezus) March 12, 2017
Shodai hands Hakuho a day one loss pic.twitter.com/7Fi3X7mwFA
— MEGATON (@BasedDongeezus) March 12, 2017
This is what Mackenzie Dern’s opponent was trying — and failing — to pull off:
— MEGATON (@BasedDongeezus) March 13, 2017
Grabaka Hitman with the top five KOs from the weekend (you’ll never believe number 2!)*
It was a violent 24 hours in the MMA world. Top 5 KO’s yesterday:
#5 – Dean Garnett def. Michael Tobin – ACB 54 pic.twitter.com/Qk2fwsfKJ5
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 12, 2017
#4 – Brendan Loughnane def. Mike Wilkinson – ACB 54 https://t.co/m7TnPMn9cu
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 12, 2017
#3 – Kai Asakura def. Heili Alateng – ROAD FC Young Guns 32 pic.twitter.com/xZonzwwjOl
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 12, 2017
*I love listicles. Clickbait listicles are the cat’s pajamas
#2 – Mamed Khalidov def. Luke Barnatt – ACB 54 (21 seconds) https://t.co/sLCxlBftrX
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 12, 2017
The #1 knockout started off a sequence of great knees landed:
— Streetfight Bancho (@streetfitebanch) March 12, 2017
The OG!
Igor Vovchanchyn showed the effectiveness of counter knees in MMA/NHB way back in 1998 at WVC 5. pic.twitter.com/f9CDew7r17
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 12, 2017
Daniel Stefanovski #SuperKombat pic.twitter.com/ouaCSkvmCz
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 12, 2017
Moriba Kosiah #SuperKombat pic.twitter.com/j5dBUeFfTV
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 12, 2017
Gokhan Saki is a legend.
Gokhan Saki with one broken arm is still creative as fuck. That left combination is pic.twitter.com/QmvysOzYdn
— AcidHaze (@AcidHaze) March 10, 2017
HEAD KICK FROM @BelizeanBruiser rocks Correia! #UFCFortaleza pic.twitter.com/7B7aPtS0QJ
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) March 12, 2017
Quick Hits
- Read the Naked Gambler’s insight into how this weekend was an experiment in process vs. athleticism
- Hector Lombard was in a car accident this weekend. (photos included)
- Tony Ferguson vs. Nate Diaz is such an appetizing fight, and Tony wants it. (it’s probably not happening, though)
Podcasts and Video
The MMA Hour
Jack Slack’s Fights Gone By, where Jack introduces his new book on Conor McGregor
Monday Morning Analyst
The Co-Main Event podcast
On the new CME, @benfowlkesMMA & I talk Vitor’s many bods, Gastelum’s future, Paper Boy vs. Beastin’ OT & minivans. https://t.co/IK2b6SPeC4
— Chad Dundas (@chaddundas) March 13, 2017
Stay woke, Maniacs!