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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!
Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Khabib Nurmagomedov had it all figured out.
The Lightweight champion seemingly wants to follow his father’s wishes and retire at a largely unprecedented 30-0. That leaves two bouts left for “The Eagle,” and one of those is firmly booked against interim kingpin Justin Gaethje. Assuming he survives the Gaethje car crash, Nurmagomedov has been vocally pursuing a final showdown with the legendary Georges St. Pierre. The super fight could even determine the GOAT!
With UFC finally on board, the bout was looking quite likely.
However, St. Pierre himself seems to have lost interest compared to a year ago. In an interview with BT Sport, St. Pierre expressed hesitancy for several reasons, questioning whether UFC really wanted to book the bout.
“I always train hard.” St. Pierre began (transcription via Fight Network). “I still get it. I feel I’m at my best, but, the fight is always the last one to find out when your time is up. And, I don’t know, it takes three parties to make a fight. It takes one opponent, another opponent, and takes the organization as well.
“I don’t know if the organization would want that. I ran away with the Welterweight [title]. I run away with the Middleweight [title]. They surely don’t want me to run away with Lightweight.”
In addition, St. Pierre questioned whether his body could handle its first-ever cut to Lightweight. “I’m 39 years old. I don’t think I could go 155 without my performance being compromised.”
While “GSP” never completely shuts the door on the bout, this is disheartening news for anyone hoping the fight materializes. If the “Rush” fight is truly off, who would you like to see Nurmagomedov face after Gaethje?
Insomnia
If a fighter can crack jokes between rounds, things are going pretty well!
Michelle Waterson looks absolutely shredded ahead of her bout with Angela Hill!
How the hell does Paulo Costa make 185 lbs.? The man is massive.
— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) August 26, 2020
While Curtis Blaydes is obviously the better wrestler, a late Derrick Lewis reversal and subsequent “Black Beast” bombing is definitely in the cards.
Song Yadong shows off his impressive speed:
Few men embody the original idea of pound-for-pound quite like Frankie Edgar.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Hook-1-2 is a great combination for mixing up the timing after establishing the classic jab-cross.
Heraldo Souza KO’s Caio Cocão SECONDS into R2 with right hand down the pipe. Gotdamn #ShootoBrazil100 pic.twitter.com/5nxV0K3p0w
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) August 24, 2020
The positioning near fence could’ve made this finish a bit trickier, but Gigante shut that down by literally sitting on his opponent’s head.
Wesley Gigante submits Vanderson Padeiro via 2nd round Kimura #ShootoBrazil100 pic.twitter.com/SuUcGzYbZ3
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) August 24, 2020
Do you hate quadriceps and femurs with a burning passion? If so, this Muay Thai low kick compilation is for you!
Muay Thai Low Kicks pic.twitter.com/Gg6iJUgsfS
— Aaron Jahn (@MuayThaiScholar) August 23, 2020
Random Land
#SendraBullock is the funniest hashtag I’ve ever seen. It’s honestly the reason I chose this Kookslam over all the others, which are always entertaining.
Midnight Music: Jammed to a random YouTube mix after my girlfriend stole the Spotify, and one of the tunes that popped up is perhaps the most-played song of my childhood.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.