Midnight Mania! ‘There’s Beef Between Nate Diaz And I’

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Jake Paul has seemingly lined up one hell of a fight schedule.

Next up for “The Problem Child” is a showdown versus Anderson Silva on October 29 in Phoenix, Arizona. It’s a major step up for Paul in more ways than one: his toughest opponent yet and likely the most high-profile pay-per-view (PPV) too. However, that hasn’t stopped Paul from looking to line up potentially even bigger fights down the road.

As one of the biggest stars in combat sports, Nate Diaz is an ideal potential opponent. At UFC 279 last month, Diaz fought out his UFC contract and ended his longtime stint with the promotion on a high note, strangling Tony Ferguson in the main event. If Diaz is really free from his contract, Paul wants that bout next, as there’s history between the two.

“I would be surprised if he actually was a free agent,” Paul told MMA Junkie. “I feel like Dana (White) has a way of tying these guys in, like hidden into the contract. That’s just how I feel about it, I don’t know if it’s true or not. But yeah, if he can actually become a free agent then I think that’s a cool fight. I would love to do that. I’m not overlooking Anderson Silva, but there’s beef between Nate Diaz and I.

“He’s a big name. He went out with a bang, had an electric performance, and people are saying, ‘Oh, you’re fighting these retired MMA fighters.’ No I’m not. Anderson never retired and Nate Diaz left winning and he’s one of the baddest men on the planet. So what about fighting an active UFC fighter? What now? So that’s why I think that fight is interesting. Hopefully I get through Anderson, and hopefully Nate Diaz can get out of his contract and we’ll see if that makes sense.”

There’s still several dominos that need to fall correctly in order for this fight to happen as Paul predicts, but it would surely be one of the biggest combat sports events of the year.

Insomnia

A weird, fun, and I believe ongoing thread:

It’s rare but nice to see an athletic commission actually serve their intended purpose and protect an athlete. Between bare knuckle and MMA, Melvin Guillard has lost 13 times since his most recent MMA victory in 2014.

Given how long Bobby Green has been in the game, six months is much, much better than two years.

Who is planning to watch Alistair Overeem return to the ring tomorrow night?

Roy Nelson replied to the following post, “It takes time to be a Heavyweight or get off gear.”

Andre Fili’s massive back piece is coming along.

Our first look at the UFC Hasbulla collaboration … why …

Valentina Shevchenko herds some sheep!

Classic Mike Perry sparring footage content:

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Caught clean by the hammerfist, and then shots just kept landing.

Switched stances on the reset and lined up a huge left high kick:

A good old fashioned brawl with a definitive ending!

Random Land

A massive and very old tree.

Midnight Music: New Wave, 1979

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