Midnight Mania! Doo Ho Choi vs. Andre Fili announced for UFC 214

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania! Tonight we’ve got a new fight announcement, Cody Garbrandt getting lit, Mike Perry’s gifted hands, Henry Cejudo issuing a statement on his injury, podcasts, news, and much more. And oh, Yoel Romero is actually fighting Bisping for the Middleweight title now.

The New Adventures of The Korean Superboy

And now, for something completely different. The UFC has booked Doo Ho Choi against Andre Fili at UFC 214. Doo Ho Choi is coming off that 2016 Fight of the Year contender against Cub Swanson, while Fili soundly defeated Hacran Dias to rebound from his flying switch kick KO loss to this weekend’s Yair Rodriguez.

First fight officially confirmed for #UFC214 PPV: Doo Ho “The Korean Superboy” vs. Andre Fili, featherweights. More at @latimessports

— Lance Pugmire (@latimespugmire) May 11, 2017

It’s not exactly what most fans had in mind, but Fili is not boring, and his breakneck style should be a fun test for Doo Ho Choi as he bounces back from his first defeat since 2010. Fili has alternated wins and losses like a checkerboard since 2013.

Doo Ho Choi vs. Cub Swanson Highlights

Insomnia

Georges St. Pierre is no longer fighting Michael Bisping next! Instead, Yoel Romero will get the title shot he’s long searched for.

UFC President Dana White tells FOX Sports in Australia that plans for Bisping vs. GSP are OFF. @YoelRomeroMMA gets the next title shot.

— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohnMMA) May 11, 2017

Dana announced the news on FOX Sports in Australia, via FoxSports.com:

“Georges St-Pierre was coming back. Bisping-St-Pierre – they both wanted that fight. We asked Yoel to step aside, he did. It doesn’t look like that fight is gonna happen now.

“Georges St-Pierre is saying he will not be ready to compete now until November. Who knows if that’s even the case. It could be next year.

“So we’re not waiting for Georges St-Pierre anymore. We’re moving on with the division, and Yoel Romero will get the next shot.”

The fallout from this very good decision should ripple through the middleweight division, possibly causing the stack of dissatisfied contenders to begin to settle out.

Also, now Anderson Silva can un-retire and we can finally get that Anderson Silva-George St. Pierre bout we’ve been waiting years for.

Bobs and Weaves

I love poetry

*snap*
*snap*
*snap* #TUFRedemption pic.twitter.com/mslW3fSkKD

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) May 11, 2017

Mighty Mouse with all his belts

GOLD!!! pic.twitter.com/0HZxMXrsTr

— Demetrious Johnson (@MightyMouseUFC) May 10, 2017

Mike Perry certainly has gifted hands, and probably a lot of laughably erroneous ideas about history and politics.

Just finished watching @PlatinumPerry‘s biopic and I’m now inspired to change bum lives. inspirational stuff! #platinumnation #teamMMA4life pic.twitter.com/Fvx7DoKa7O

— Jehannum (@jehannumma) May 11, 2017

Shits hilarious https://t.co/RXAswEACd8

— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) May 11, 2017

Uh oh. This is how great movies begin.

Hanging with the Boyzzz!!! Haha that’s why I hardly ever drink!! #Lightweight #GoodTimesWithTheBoyz #TeamNightRiders #TUF25

— Cody Garbrandt (@Cody_Nolove) May 11, 2017

How the striking metrics shake out for UFC 211

Who are the best strikers at #UFC211?
Well, @DustinPoirier makes a pretty strong case.

Best of the rest here:https://t.co/h4p49irta2 pic.twitter.com/Vrol7mz9kF

— Fightnomics Reed (@Fightnomics) May 10, 2017

Henry Cejudo issues a statement on having to pull out of his fight with Sergio Pettis.

It is with regret that I have to announce I have had to pull out of my fight with Sergio Pettis this Saturday at UFC 211 due to injury. I really want to apologize to the fans and to Sergio Pettis for this unfortunate event. About two weeks ago I injured my hand sparring, and went to the doctor to get it examined after I was unable to grapple or punch. The doctor looked at x rays and informed me my hand wasn’t’ broken, so I assumed it was just bruised or sprained. I stopped using my hand for the next week and a half to allow it to rest as much as possible, and I had multiple prp treatments as well as an ultrasound in hopes of breaking up any build up or swelling. After arriving in Dallas on Tuesday evening, I hit mitts with my striking coach to get my timing down, and after I threw my first punch, a sharp pain shot through my wrist and hand. My team and I contacted the UFC to see if a cortisone shot would be allowed. The UFC sent me to a hand specialist, and he told me I had a cyst in my wrist as well as a ruptured capsule with the possibility of a tear in the ligament. He informed me the cortisone shot could possibly do more damage than any benefit and told me it would be insane to fight. He contacted the UFC doctors and informed them that my wrist and hand were unfit to fight this Saturday. I will schedule an appointment with a hand specialist next week and figure out the next course of action. Thank you and I will be back stronger than ever. #photogrid @photogridorg

A post shared by Henry Cejudo (@henry_cejudo) on May 10, 2017 at 7:01pm PDT

Joe Benavidez is out of his fight against Ben Nguyen in June, as well. The MMA Gods don’t want these flyweights to be great.

Jiu Jitsu is the sport of celebrities now

Wiz Khalifa Is Studying Jiu Jitsu https://t.co/2GItQ9Mf9I pic.twitter.com/fG6lUm41k5

— FIGHTLAND (@FIGHTLAND) May 10, 2017

Slips, Rips, and KO Clips

Watch Joanna beat the ish out of Julianna Pena (who was just flagged for a banned substance)

This is an awesome sequence.

So is this

Watching my favorite sport. pic.twitter.com/p87128X7f4

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) May 11, 2017

Welcome to Goodreads, Home of the Good Reads

  • Andrew Richardson analyzes Demian Maia vs. Jorge Masvidal, and whether Masvidal can replicate Rory Macdonald’s success against the peerless Brazilian grappler. For what it’s worth, I think he can and will. Masvidal has the best takedown defense of any fighter Maia has faced since Macdonald, and really good footwork. If I’m wrong, I will be very wrong.
  • Jack Slack explains why that Tai Chi master didn’t know how to fight and why it’s a systemic problem for traditional martial arts. Oh, and did I mention the other day that the Tai Chi master said he lost because he didn’t want to let his full internal strength go? No? That’s the kind of excuse my classmate Glenn used to give in third grade for why he got beat up. No one believed him then, either.
  • Connor Ruebusch breaks down Junior Dos Santos’ improvements in cagecraft and whether he will be able to use them against Stipe Miocic.

Podcasts and Video

Heavy Hands

Nate Diaz Won an Emmy by Tommy Toehold

Jack Slack’s Fights Gone By

Junior Dos Santos talks to Luke Thomas on what he learned from his first bout with Stipe.

.@junior_cigano reflects on his last fight w/Miocic & what he learned from his loss to Overeem #TLTS @lthomasnews https://t.co/rVMTAr0N67

— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) May 11, 2017

Flyin Brian J breaks down Jedrzejczyk-Andrade

Flyin Brian J breaks down Stipe-JDS

Random Land

Very High Man Thinks Bear Dies; Bear is Okay

This dude was high af and thought this bear died for a second lmfao pic.twitter.com/aZinATlFjW

— Taking Five (@TakingFiveHQ) May 10, 2017

Stay woke, Maniacs!

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania! Tonight we’ve got a new fight announcement, Cody Garbrandt getting lit, Mike Perry’s gifted hands, Henry Cejudo issuing a statement on his injury, podcasts, news, and much more. And oh, Yoel Romero is actually fighting Bisping for the Middleweight title now.

The New Adventures of The Korean Superboy

And now, for something completely different. The UFC has booked Doo Ho Choi against Andre Fili at UFC 214. Doo Ho Choi is coming off that 2016 Fight of the Year contender against Cub Swanson, while Fili soundly defeated Hacran Dias to rebound from his flying switch kick KO loss to this weekend’s Yair Rodriguez.

It’s not exactly what most fans had in mind, but Fili is not boring, and his breakneck style should be a fun test for Doo Ho Choi as he bounces back from his first defeat since 2010. Fili has alternated wins and losses like a checkerboard since 2013.

Doo Ho Choi vs. Cub Swanson Highlights

Insomnia

Georges St. Pierre is no longer fighting Michael Bisping next! Instead, Yoel Romero will get the title shot he’s long searched for.

Dana announced the news on FOX Sports in Australia, via FoxSports.com:

“Georges St-Pierre was coming back. Bisping-St-Pierre – they both wanted that fight. We asked Yoel to step aside, he did. It doesn’t look like that fight is gonna happen now.

“Georges St-Pierre is saying he will not be ready to compete now until November. Who knows if that’s even the case. It could be next year.

“So we’re not waiting for Georges St-Pierre anymore. We’re moving on with the division, and Yoel Romero will get the next shot.”

The fallout from this very good decision should ripple through the middleweight division, possibly causing the stack of dissatisfied contenders to begin to settle out.

Also, now Anderson Silva can un-retire and we can finally get that Anderson Silva-George St. Pierre bout we’ve been waiting years for.

Bobs and Weaves

I love poetry

Mighty Mouse with all his belts

Mike Perry certainly has gifted hands, and probably a lot of laughably erroneous ideas about history and politics.

Uh oh. This is how great movies begin.

How the striking metrics shake out for UFC 211

Henry Cejudo issues a statement on having to pull out of his fight with Sergio Pettis.

It is with regret that I have to announce I have had to pull out of my fight with Sergio Pettis this Saturday at UFC 211 due to injury. I really want to apologize to the fans and to Sergio Pettis for this unfortunate event. About two weeks ago I injured my hand sparring, and went to the doctor to get it examined after I was unable to grapple or punch. The doctor looked at x rays and informed me my hand wasn’t’ broken, so I assumed it was just bruised or sprained. I stopped using my hand for the next week and a half to allow it to rest as much as possible, and I had multiple prp treatments as well as an ultrasound in hopes of breaking up any build up or swelling. After arriving in Dallas on Tuesday evening, I hit mitts with my striking coach to get my timing down, and after I threw my first punch, a sharp pain shot through my wrist and hand. My team and I contacted the UFC to see if a cortisone shot would be allowed. The UFC sent me to a hand specialist, and he told me I had a cyst in my wrist as well as a ruptured capsule with the possibility of a tear in the ligament. He informed me the cortisone shot could possibly do more damage than any benefit and told me it would be insane to fight. He contacted the UFC doctors and informed them that my wrist and hand were unfit to fight this Saturday. I will schedule an appointment with a hand specialist next week and figure out the next course of action. Thank you and I will be back stronger than ever. #photogrid @photogridorg

A post shared by Henry Cejudo (@henry_cejudo) on

Joe Benavidez is out of his fight against Ben Nguyen in June, as well. The MMA Gods don’t want these flyweights to be great.

Jiu Jitsu is the sport of celebrities now

Slips, Rips, and KO Clips

Watch Joanna beat the ish out of Julianna Pena (who was just flagged for a banned substance)

This is an awesome sequence.

So is this

Welcome to Goodreads, Home of the Good Reads

  • Andrew Richardson analyzes Demian Maia vs. Jorge Masvidal, and whether Masvidal can replicate Rory Macdonald’s success against the peerless Brazilian grappler. For what it’s worth, I think he can and will. Masvidal has the best takedown defense of any fighter Maia has faced since Macdonald, and really good footwork. If I’m wrong, I will be very wrong.
  • Jack Slack explains why that Tai Chi master didn’t know how to fight and why it’s a systemic problem for traditional martial arts. Oh, and did I mention the other day that the Tai Chi master said he lost because he didn’t want to let his full internal strength go? No? That’s the kind of excuse my classmate Glenn used to give in third grade for why he got beat up. No one believed him then, either.
  • Connor Ruebusch breaks down Junior Dos Santos’ improvements in cagecraft and whether he will be able to use them against Stipe Miocic.

Podcasts and Video

Heavy Hands

Nate Diaz Won an Emmy by Tommy Toehold

Jack Slack’s Fights Gone By

Junior Dos Santos talks to Luke Thomas on what he learned from his first bout with Stipe.

Flyin Brian J breaks down Jedrzejczyk-Andrade

Flyin Brian J breaks down Stipe-JDS

Random Land

Very High Man Thinks Bear Dies; Bear is Okay

Stay woke, Maniacs!