Midnight Mania! ‘Lucky I Didn’t Die’

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Just over a week ago, news broke that Dominick Reyes was forced to withdraw from his scheduled bout opposite Carlos Ulberg at UFC Atlantic City. A month prior, Ulberg was the man who withdrew from the match up, which originally was supposed to take place at UFC 297. A minor war of words ensued after the first withdrawal, and ultimately, Ulberg has been rebooked versus Alonzo Menifield.

As it turns out, that’s far from the end of the story. In a recent interview with Middle Easy, Reyes revealed that he was forced to withdraw from the fight due to sudden blot clots in his calf, a condition that could have easily turned deadly.

“God puts us through some trials, and I’m having another hard go right now,” Reyes explained (via MMA Junkie). “Me and Carlos were slated to fight January 20th. He pulled out, I don’t know why. It’s an injury, obviously, but he’s not going to say what his injury is. And then a week later, I ended up getting blood clots. Deep vein thrombosis. So yeah, I’m out for a minute.”

“I’m lucky to be alive right now, that’s always nice,” Reyes continued. “We caught it early, so it didn’t become a pulmonary embolism, and thank God for that. Which is kind of crazy because I got a massage. My leg was hurting, and I thought I pulled a muscle in my calf, so I got a massage, and that’s the worst thing you can ever do. I’m lucky I didn’t die on that massage table right there.”

Unfortunately, it’s not like Reyes can just immediately hop back into training either. He’s been prescribed blood thinners, so it his serious training options are limited for the next few months.

When he is able to return to action, Reyes is looking to break a rough streak that began in February 2020 with his controversial loss to Jon Jones. After nearly taking the title, Reyes has lost three in a row via knockout to Jan Blachowicz, Jiri Prochazka, and Menifield.

Insomnia

One Championship possibly losing out on the pound-for-pound kickboxing king doesn’t read like good business.

Drew Dober has come a long way in the Octagon in more ways than one, but he’s always been a class act.

Chuck Liddell did not hold back with this low kick. “The Iceman” still got it?

This pair of hungry young Bantamweight talents are likely going to knock the crap out of each other.

I like that this art appropriately captures just how violent Khabib fights tended to be.

A bit of Muay Thai history!

If Sean Strickland wants a quick return after his title loss, maybe Khamzat Chimaev is the fight?

Slips, rips, and KO clips

He definitely felt that shot through the elbow guards …

A quick look at the UFC’s latest talent from Kazakhstan:

Several others said the same online, and I find it hard to argue: this is one of the single greatest counter shots I’ve ever seen!

Random Land

Instantly recognizable.

Midnight Music: Indie rock, 2014

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