Midnight Mania: The Last Ride Of The Diamond?

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Dustin Poirier has been consistently honest that his legendary mixed martial arts (MMA) career is coming to a close sooner than later.

“The Diamond” has set no expiration date, but he’s made it clear each fight could be his last. He’s a significant underdog heading into his UFC 302 main event title fight versus Islam Makhachev, setting the stage for a fairytale ending … or at least a respectable high point to walk away from if defeated by the sport’s current pound-for-pound king.

UFC color commentator and retired champion Daniel Cormier doesn’t love Poirier’s openness on the subject. “DC” doesn’t want to see Poirier walk away, but he also think it’s a bad idea for fighters to recognize they’re almost done while still fighting. According to “DC,” that’s a mistake he made himself before walking away.

“I can’t stand hearing that it’s almost over for a guy that we all universally love and enjoy when he’s inside the octagon,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel (via Yahoo Sports). “I also hate it for another reason: I hate it for the idea that it could be almost over, and he recognizes that. I don’t like when athletes because I did it myself, I’m almost judging myself; I don’t love when athletes put a timeline or a finishing point on a career that’s still actively going on. That is a hard thing to do.”

Cormier continued, “I started looking to a time where I didn’t have to worry about cutting the weight and doing all this other stuff. That’s miserable. Life afterwards is vacations, beaches, eating what you want and doing what you want.

“I don’t love that there’s so many references to, ‘My last chance or my last dance. I’m not committing to retirement.’ It’s like, if you have any desire to fight, you have to be so in the fight that there is no thought of what comes next.”

It should be noted that Poirier talked similarly ahead of his fight versus Benoit Saint Denis, then showed absolutely no quit opposite the French talent and knocked him out cold. Regardless of pre-fight talks, I would expect the Louisiana-native to be at his best on Saturday night.

Whether that’s enough to dethrone Makhachev remains to be seen.

Insomnia

Now that I’ve read this tweet, I fully understand Ronda Rousey’s desire to never associate with anything MMA-related ever again.

Why would doc squeeze the hematoma, seems rude!

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Be like water!

… I would unironically watch Kamaru Usman vs. Jan Blachowicz in 2024. Does it make sense? No. But I would watch it!

The best staredown in recent memory:

Henry Cejudo may not want to fight Kyler Phillips, but he’s interested in Song Yadong and Petr Yan.

Imagine if Kevin Lee somehow becomes good again. Even if you weren’t a fan during his height, it sucks to see a stellar athlete destroyed by injury.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Russian undefeated amateur champion who does cool throws and foot sweeps — that’s a prospect to remember.

Legalize upkicks to a grounded opponent!

Number one rule of being stuck in single leg back control: don’t reach backwards!

Random Land

Butterfly hooks!!!

Midnight Music: G-Funk, 1992

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