Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!
Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Way back before Dustin Poirier socked up Conor McGregor (twice), “The Diamond” was supposed to raise his profile by facing Nate Diaz, quite possibly the next biggest name at 155 lbs. That was planned for 2018, but when negotiations got “crazy,” Poirier bailed and eventually found greener pastures. However, in the years since, Poirier has continued to maintain an interest in fighting Diaz, even when the title was potentially getting close.
Now that Poirier’s star is brighter than ever, Diaz has once again begun calling for the bout. Oddly enough, the longtime Lightweight and part-time Welterweight added in a request for the bout to take place at 185 lbs … where neither man has ever fought.
185lbs
Pull-up pic.twitter.com/wDJxAo1YLL— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) July 16, 2021
That certainly fits with Diaz’s previous “f—k a weight class” stance.
For his part, Poirier is willing to throw down with Diaz at any weight class, and he responded as such.
I’d touch you up at any weight
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) July 16, 2021
Though this match up would certainly draw a great number of eyes and pay-per-view (PPV) buys, it doesn’t seem that likely. It definitely won’t happen at Middleweight, as UFC President Dana White expressed earlier this year a desire to keep fighters in their usual weight classes ahead of the second McGregor vs. Poirier bout.
Realistically, both men have bigger fish to fry. Poirier has a Lightweight title to capture, whereas Diaz may just be the perfect opponent for McGregor’s eventual return from injury.
Not to say I wouldn’t watch these two throw down, but it doesn’t make a ton of sense.
Insomnia
Khabib is retired, even in everyone’s wildest imagination.
So, I laid out the ONLY situation I could envision that would create even a remote chance of Khabib Nurmagomedov fighting again … and this is what he had to say. pic.twitter.com/8FzlnuK7Ai
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) July 14, 2021
The Onion does not miss!
Conor McGregor Undergoes 3 Hours Of Surgery To Repair Fractured Ego https://t.co/O4iCw85sRe pic.twitter.com/K3c75Hdr09
— The Onion (@TheOnion) July 14, 2021
Daniel Rodriguez throws punches in bunches, and all of them hurt.
If skilled enough, one move is all you need.
Saenchai is as crafty as they come!
It’s probably not the big name jump in competition that Belal Muhammad was aiming for, but I’d watch him fight Neil Magny!
Hello there sir yes I would like to engage in the exchanging of fisticuffs with you I been asking https://t.co/oNOozEsp7M pic.twitter.com/6Ia61V1KSi
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) July 14, 2021
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Clear physical strength … last name that ends in “Ov” … that beard …
An assault of knees in the clinch by Sharabutdin Magomedov stops Yakub Kediev in the first round #AMC103 pic.twitter.com/aXuDv5juCg
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) July 15, 2021
On this day … Lennox Lewis sent a man through the ropes!
#OnThisDay in 2000, @LennoxLewis defended the heavyweight championship with a 2nd round TKO of Francois Botha in London, England #boxing #history pic.twitter.com/TPRzwIXFda
— Boxing History (@BoxingHistory) July 15, 2021
Gasanov really showed his hand with the big counter hook miss, but that didn’t stop him from landing a shorter version of the shot moments later!
Akhmad Gasanov (now 6-0) catches Artur Aliskerov clean with a short counter hook then finishes the job with brutal hammer fists. Nasty KO #AMC103 pic.twitter.com/2Vos0Yiql5
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) July 15, 2021
Random Land
This burning tree:
Midnight Music: One of my favorite tracks off Exile on Main Street, which happened to play while out and about today.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.