Midnight Mania! Did This Man Kill The Flyweight Division?

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Earlier today, an image circulated by ESPN popped up on both Twitter and Instagram, featuring a pair of quotes from Flyweight greats Henry Cejudo and Demetrious Johnson. Before diving into the quotes themselves, it’s important to note right away that ESPN gives no context here — there’s no date, full interview link, or any other info provided, so take it with a grain of salt.

There’s an element of truth to Cejudo’s claim. Johnson did little to promote himself or the division, repeatedly turning down any chance at a super fight with TJ Dillashaw due to fear of the Bantamweight missing weight… before immediately accepting a fight with Ray Borg, who had already missed weight multiple times and would soon be forced to 135 lbs.

Plus, Johnson did win so dominantly for so long that it took some of the fun out of things, but I cannot blame him there.

Cejudo is not blameless though. After knocking out Dillashaw, there was a real opportunity for (relative) stability at 125 lbs. Had Cejudo opted to stay at Flyweight, he could’ve defended his title against a top contender like Joseph Benavidez or Jussier Formiga. Instead, he jumped ship to Bantamweight and captured a second belt while the Flyweight rank dwindled.

Despite reports that Cejudo had “saved” Flyweight with his big win opposite Moraes, its future remains unclear. Again, Cejudo still has an opportunity to help stabilize things if he were to return from surgery and defend his crown at 125 lbs., but that hardly seems his first goal.

Instead, Cejudo is calling out older Bantamweights and boxers. He may be more popular than “Mighty Mouse,” but Cejudo’s actions are not helping the division survive either.

Insomnia

TWO STEPS!

Who better to steal fitness routines from than Georges St. Pierre?

LETHWEI!

How long until Mike Perry scores his first submission win inside the Octagon?

I stopped trying to decipher fist bumps, hand shakes, and bro hugs in the gym years ago. If you stick your hand out, I’ll bump it and walk away every time.

Whittaker living the champ life.

This is awesome, but I’d love to see some of his less successful attempts.

Slips, Rips, and Brutal M-1 clips

MMA Twitter veteran Jolassanda made my day easy by capturing the action at M-1 today in Russia. Four “Ovs,” four KOs!

A young Chris Holdsworth snatching limbs before his stint on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF).

Ever see a fighter commit deeply to a choke attempt on a foe they already knocked out?

Random Land

Where is it a common beach occurrence that dogs take on sharks? No one seems the appropriate amount of panicked.

Midnight Music: I wrote about Freddie Gibbs and Madlib’s upcoming release Bandana last night, and after three listens, it did not disappoint! The below tweet about sums up my feelings:

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