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Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Whether he realizes it or not, Jake Paul is rolling the dice tomorrow night (Sat. Oct. 29, 2022) when he squares off against Anderson Silva in the main event of their boxing pay-per-view (PPV) event.
The oddsmakers may have Silva pegged as a two-to-one underdog, but “The Spider” is a decorated former UFC champion. Even at 47 years of age, he’s the best striker Paul has ever faced by a serious margin, and he’s proven himself in the boxing ring too. He’s not a wrestler handicapped by injuries like Paul’s other MMA-turned-boxing foes.
Middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya knows a thing or two about the skills Silva brings to the table. Prior to his first Middleweight title shot, Adesanya squared off with the Brazilian, and he took a few more shots than many analysts expected even if Silva was already an older fighter.
“Stylebender” recently appeared on BS w/ Jake Paul, and he discussed what it’s like to face “The Spider.” Specifically, he warned Paul about the very real challenge heading his way.
“Bro, you gotta be careful,” Adesanya advised (via MMAJunkie). “I gotta be honest with you, you gotta be careful, man. Like, Silva – I think Logan (Paul) DM’ed me a while ago when he was gonna fight Silva, and kind of asked me my opinion and I was like, ‘If you take this fight, take it seriously ’cause he’s no joke.’ Silva is the master. He’s the mastermind, man.
“… He’s a friendly guy, I love Silva. He’s cool and he’s a humble dude, genuine dude as well. But when it comes to war, he’s a savage. He’s from the streets, bro. You gotta remember this guy is from the streets, from the favelas. He don’t give a f—k.”
Despite the praise for Silva, Adesanya isn’t counting Paul out either. Though he warns that Silva isn’t the average fighter in his 40s, he also recognizes that Silva is no longer at his untouchable peak.
“You can get it done,” Adesanya said. “Silva can be beat. And this is boxing as well, it’s not MMA. He is getting older, and I don’t really think that plays a factor as everyone is saying. Don’t f*cking believe the hype, just because he’s 42 or whatever. He’s a different kind of 42-year-old. He’s just different.”
Insomnia
Ryan Garcia renews his calls for a match up vs. Gervonta Davis.
1- I want to fight Tank and Tank wants to fight me. This fight is what boxing NEEDS right now! I accepted all the terms on my side and instructed my team to get it done exactly as offered. The fans deserve this fight…our sport needs this fight.
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) October 28, 2022
2- We gotta get this BS figured out. This should have been the best couple of months in boxing. Spence / Crawford fell apart, me and Tank running into issues…that’s not what boxing is supposed to be about. Respectfully, celebrity boxing should not be defining our sport.
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) October 28, 2022
3- Everyone talks about player empowerment in the NBA and other sports leagues…it’s time to have a REAL conversation about player empowerment in pro boxing.
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) October 28, 2022
4- I want this fight for my career and, real talk, my mental health. The guys in charge CAN make this happen. Dont let this break down. I’m asking on behalf of everyone who loves the most beautiful sport in the world.
— RYAN GARCIA (@RyanGarcia) October 28, 2022
Is American Kickboxing Academy the greatest camp in MMA history? They’ve certainly built up a solid argument at this point.
@MAKHACHEVMMA @TeamKhabib @dc_mma @LukeRockhold Cain Velasquez
‘ ‘ @akajav pic.twitter.com/NeJEt0mPQh
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) October 28, 2022
Khamzat Chimaev really wants a shot at Colby Covington, and I think the fans agree.
The Holloway clan always goes hard for Halloween.
Anyone remember talks of a new player in the MMA scene, the WFL? Well, that s—t ain’t happening, at least not in 2022!
In 2021, well-known MMA journalist Ariel Helwani broke the news of a new player entering the utterly-crowded MMA scene: World Fight League.
Original article: https://t.co/1kU2kOrHBP
WFL is supposed to debut in 2023, but there’s no update about it.
A thread. pic.twitter.com/KaoOFOiX7i
— Al Zullino (3-1) (@phre) October 28, 2022
Speaking with a source, that’s what I gathered:
“After preliminary talks and a full sales deck and entire schedule laid out for the events, the owner and CEO slowly vanished until he was completely gone. It doesn’t appear they took money and ran. The project was just dropped.
— Al Zullino (3-1) (@phre) October 28, 2022
There were plenty of opportunity to sell the idea to sponsors and backers. CEO failed to effectively sell the idea, making concessions all along the way until the show was just another MMA event. Money backers slowly started pulling away and then it all just completely vanished.
— Al Zullino (3-1) (@phre) October 28, 2022
The idea was strong. There was support for it by both money and industry. Somehow he was unable to sell it at all. He fell back into his old business partners and that was the death knell.
— Al Zullino (3-1) (@phre) October 28, 2022
It is impossible to express how disappointing it all is. There was a real opportunity of promise. I hope someone else picks up the idea and rolls with it. MMA deserves better than what it has.”
— Al Zullino (3-1) (@phre) October 28, 2022
Kamaru Usman is living it up at the premier of the Black Panther sequel.
Hasbulla vs. Alexander Volkanovski is the real rivalry to talk about.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
The most brutal yet still slow-motion spin kick I’ve seen yet!
Sheeesh pic.twitter.com/gqHXXdL6a6
— Alex Behunin (@AlexBehunin) October 28, 2022
Absolutely brutal body work here prior to the finish!
After an absolute beating to close R1, Zhasulan Akimzhanov takes out Matin Safari with a massive overhand right in the 2nd round. #NaizaFC46 pic.twitter.com/cA4Teqz4mh
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) October 28, 2022
A rarely seen in MMA but very powerful position from which to attack the kimura! In my own experience, BJJ black belt Dustin Akbari is extremely nasty with this technique and has several unique setups.
Random Land
The effects of an asteroid on Mars.
Midnight Music: My mom is in town, so this selection is in her hands for the next few articles!
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.