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Welcome to Midnight Mania!
In the three years since Stipe Miocic dominated Francis Ngannou, both men have gone on to do some pretty awesome things. Miocic lost his title next time out, but he earned it back by defeating Daniel Cormier twice in a trilogy that will likely help define his career in the history books. Meanwhile, Ngannou also lost his next match, but he’s been perfect since, knocking out four men in the time it takes to watch a couple Modelo commercials.
Speaking in broad strokes, rematches tend to favor younger athletes, regardless of who won the initial battle. The older fighter is likely to grow a bit slower, whereas the up-and-comer is more likely to have improved since. Despite the trend, Miocic is confident and promises a repeat performance.
“Francis is a super tough guy,” Miocic said on the “Oral Sessions” podcast with Renee Paquette (transcription via MMAJunkie). “He’s been knocking everyone out again and he’s on a tear, and unfortunately he’s going to have to fight me again. That’s the bad part. He’s definitely gotten better, but so have I.
“I know I’m getting old, but I’ve gotten wiser and I’ve got a few new tricks up my sleeve. (They say) you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, which is a lie. I’ve learned a lot since the last couple years ago. It’s the same outcome. I’m going to walk out with the belt around my waist: and still.”
The two are set to do battle at UFC 260 on March 27, 2021 from inside the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Elite heavyweights in a small cage — who ya’ got?
Insomnia
Dustin Poirier made his appearance on Hot Ones!
Is there any chance that UFC leaves “The Diamond” behind regarding the Lightweight title?
Hum… So don’t you wanna face me for the 155’s gold?
Who’s next then? Who I need to beat to have this lightweight belt around my waist?#UFC https://t.co/9OOXx1nT2s
— Charles Oliveira (@CharlesDoBronxs) February 4, 2021
A small moment of class that was otherwise easy to miss.
In victory or defeat, each one of these men and women deserve our respect, care, and admiration. https://t.co/BQBJrK3Hi7
— Jason Herzog (@JasonHerzogMMA) February 4, 2021
The Avatar TV show is excellent. It’s also the source of Israel Adesanya’s “Stylebender” nickname, and in the second version of the show (Legend Of Korra), much of the martial arts animations are directly inspired by MMA!
Just enjoy tings. pic.twitter.com/2LLbcwNWcK
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) February 3, 2021
Tony Ferguson sounds like he wants a shot at Nate Diaz, and I am here for it!
All You Do Is Bitch Out. You Don’t Want No Squabbles From A Real Fighter. 170lbs or 155lbs… SitDown & STFU Casual. -CSO- pic.twitter.com/rWtipz07HI
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) February 4, 2021
This man took the back like a flying squirrel!
Check this ?@bradjohnson_mma? pic.twitter.com/dGhfPyC8DV
— HELLO JAPAN (@HelloJapan01) February 3, 2021
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Good to see Francisco Rivera is still doing “Cisco” things.
Francisco Rivera KO1 Ryan Lilley #XMMA1 pic.twitter.com/Ol5pPGiHZ7
— Streetfight Banned-cho (@streetfitebncho) January 31, 2021
For one, this is actually a pretty solid double leg for a street fight filled with cat scratch punches. Secondly, a double leg on pavement is a definite fight-ender.
Level change on point pic.twitter.com/GEELyNeieI
— The Functioning Savage™ (@DegenSavage) February 3, 2021
Don’t sleep on Alexandre Pantoja against the hyped debut of Manel Kape.
Want to see some flyweight power?
@PantojaMMA can bring KO strength in any shot ! #UFCVegas18 pic.twitter.com/G1Pz2lrkq7
— UFC (@ufc) February 2, 2021
Random Land
A pretty sick kitchen setup!
Midnight Music: My girlfriend was in charge of the living room music tonight, and she’s a reggae gal.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.