Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight
Welcome to Midnight Mania!
UFC 145-lb. champion Max Holloway went on tour to entertain the troops with comedian Jon Stewart and Paige VanZant (among others) and got into a staredown with Stewart. Everyone was intimidated when the middle-aged comedian tore his shirt off, including the featherweight champion of the world, who found himself backing away from laughter… er… fear.
It’s about to go down — Jon Stewart vs. @BlessedMMA! #USOViceTour pic.twitter.com/E5Vm8ahACh
— USO (@the_USO) April 30, 2018
The experience seemed like a pretty positive experience for everyone.
What a team! Thank you to @PaigeVanzantUFC, @BlessedMMA, @RobertIrvine, Richard “Rip” Hamilton and Jon Stewart for visiting thousands of service members around the globe on the #USOViceTour. You are the Force Behind the Forces! pic.twitter.com/jOpa15EF2P
— USO (@the_USO) April 30, 2018
First #usovicetour trip done. Was an honor to be apart of it. Thank you to the men and women and there families for what they do. Takes a special person to do it. Again from my family to yours thank you pic.twitter.com/TkDoHOrQcw
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) April 29, 2018
Max Holloway faces Brian Ortega for the title in the co-main event of an extraordinarily stacked UFC 226 on July 7th.
Insomnia
It might be too much too soon, but Israel Adesanya is getting a big step up against Brad Tavares in a main event.
Houston traffic leaves me deeply existentially angry, but this guy found a way to make it fun.
Robert Whittaker’s training location looks both incredibly hard to run up and incredibly idyllic.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, world traveller
This guy works in one of my favorite genres, art memes.
MMA, but with guns looks fun
This was the first MMA fight I bet money on, and both because of that and because this was the peak of Matt Brown’s run as the Immortal, it remains one of my favorite fights ever.
Sage in the north, cutting logs with his bare hands.
— Sage Northcutt (@sagenorthcutt) April 29, 2018
How I feel rolling with a black belt in grappling.
Northern Water Snake VS Catfish pic.twitter.com/M7vNsYdkyM
— Nature is Scary (@TheScaryNature) April 30, 2018
Gunnar Nelson had to withdraw from his fight with Neil Magny, and of course both athletes were extremely respectful about it.
Unfortunately I have to withdraw from my fight against @NeilMagny on May 27th in Liverpool. Last weekend I injured my knee. I will undergo an operation right away and I´ll be out for 8-10 weeks.
Longer statement on my fb: https://t.co/ypdDEGRxaN #UFCLiverpool @UFCEurope @ufc pic.twitter.com/bv4Xuc5IDy— Gunnar Nelson (@GunniNelson) April 29, 2018
Thank you Neil, your always very respectful.
Maybe we will meet in there in the near future, wish you all the best.— Gunnar Nelson (@GunniNelson) April 29, 2018
Will Brooks speaks up against racially biased police brutality.
A lot of people will see this and will still be shocked and surprised by what they see. This has been going on for GENERATIONS… Only difference now is there’s cellphone cameras to put it on display.
Tell us again how Kaepernick had no reason to kneel… https://t.co/Pwx9lHdlc3
— Will Brooks (@ILLxWillBrooks) April 29, 2018
This is NFL player Desmond Marrow. He was wrongly accused of being in possession of a weapon (it was his cellphone). They knocked his teeth out & choked him until he was unconscious. He says they offered to drop the charges if he didn’t let this video go public.
Please spread. pic.twitter.com/5FAEWu6tS4
— Together we rise (@Matsamon) April 27, 2018
Brooks’ old rival Michael Chandler (who he bested twice) was, to say the least, not impressed by Dillon Danis.
Just catching up to #bellator198 @dillondanis said he was the “highest paid fighter in @BellatorMMA” but I think he meant to say “most un-athletic fighter in Bellator” and that was against a man with a losing record. #cringe #slow #sloth #bellator198
— Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) April 29, 2018
To be fair Danis’ toehold was pretty cool
My money is on Garry Tonon when this inevitably happens
Keep an eye out for my shirtless head shots, coming soon 2020
Submission Radio #157 OUT NOW featuring: @JamesVickMMA, @ALIAQUINTA, @danthehangman & @bokamotoESPN plus we answer your questions! Watch: https://t.co/u49Ad4c8nv #SR157 pic.twitter.com/tFY3cNzqYR
— Submission Radio (@SubmissionAus) April 26, 2018
— Angela Hill (@AngieOverkill) April 29, 2018
I was as happy as anyone to see Fedor Emelianenko get himself a KO win over the weekend.
Derrick Lewis should be doing Midnight Mania at this point.
Whoops
This is me
Some narrated Joe Rogan during his podcast and it’s pretty great.
Wow
Deep cut
Warning this is up there with some of the worst cuts iv seen in mma my friend @JackStoneMason tonight @CageWarriors #CW93 #MMA pic.twitter.com/Xk1LW2DxrD
— John Maguire (@MaguireTheOne) April 28, 2018
This is elite training
Jorge Masvidal gives his timeline for return
Trying to get back by July
— Jorge Masvidal UFC (@GamebredFighter) April 28, 2018
Podcasts and Video
Some of our podcast Friday is still relevant (and two out of three of us picked Fedor-Mir correctly)- Follow MMA Mania on Youtube
This looks really interesting and right at the intersection of my professional worlds.
Slips, Rips- all the Weekend Clips
Standing arm triangle? Don’t mind if I do.
I don’t know what this was, but I’m gonna slap all these highlights up here in random order so just get used to it.
EFC
good start to EFC today
Billy Oosthuizen KOs Pieter De Klerk in 1R pic.twitter.com/a141PXsd9g— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) April 28, 2018
Anicet Kanyeba by 1R TKO (EFC) pic.twitter.com/rhWW1MA4Ru
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) April 28, 2018
Wrasslin’
The most exciting 60 seconds you’ll see all day. pic.twitter.com/dmx1Lkm500
— FloWrestling (@FloWrestling) March 30, 2018
All of Bellator 198 in two minutes.
Bellator 198 in under 2 minutes. pic.twitter.com/ECJ1yvnDlr
— Lord Honky Humungus (@Mr_Honky) April 29, 2018
Some single-leg takedown defense
While trying to defend a takedown Jack Grant goes for a jumping knee! #CW93 pic.twitter.com/uyU6j4wb9p
— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) April 28, 2018
Hellbows
Last weekend I was the guy in black and red shorts, getting my arm twisted off all day long. I tapped much more quickly than this though.
Limbs are going to be broken all night today
here is destruction by Arthur Martins (Jungle Fight) pic.twitter.com/dZ82feiLjH— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) April 28, 2018
We love Kikuno kicks around these parts
Hudson Sombra with the Kikuno kick! #ShootoBrasil82 pic.twitter.com/NtMVOj6Bg7
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) April 29, 2018
500 significant strikes to 1 #Bellator198 pic.twitter.com/9ZxJ2BqLMU
— Dave Madden (@DaveMMAdden) April 28, 2018
Flying triangle to say goodnight.
Liver kicks, head kicks, flying triangles. Great finishes at Celtic Gladiator in Poland today. pic.twitter.com/fmaXyyn2S7
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) April 28, 2018
Good Reads
- Justin Golightly, one of MMA writing’s most creative lights, imagines what a world tour for a Nurmagomedov-McGregor fight might look like. It’s pretty fun.
- Rumor had it Fedor was getting shadowed by the FBI
Random Land
Zercher squats are supposed to be really good for MMA
Your daily dose of politics*
*consuming entertainment is not doing politics.
Hyenas are massive animals up close.
Someone named Rodrigo Koxa set the world record for largest wave surfed and boy did he take his life in his hands.
Stay woke, Maniacs! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @Vorpality