Midnight Mania: Eye Pokes Forever!

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Out with the new, in with the old.

Earlier this week, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) athletes were abruptly informed that they would compete in the old UFC gloves at UFC 309 this weekend (Sat., Nov. 16, 2024), which is headlined by UFC Heavyweight champion Jon Jones vs. former two-time champion Stipe Miocic. Earlier on Thursday, during the UFC 309 press conference (watch here), UFC CEO Dana White revealed that the company plans to return to the old gloves permanently.

“There were a lot of complaints,” White explained. “We originally created these gloves to stop eye pokes. We had good intentions with ‘em. They didn’t work out, people weren’t happy with ‘em, so I actually made the decision. Called our Chief Operating Officer [Ike Lawrence Epstein] and said I’m switching the gloves. I want the old gloves back.”

Confirming that the change is permanent, White said, “Yes, the new gloves are now the old gloves.

There have definitely been complaints about the new UFC gloves from fans and fighters alike. The knockout rate has dropped about 10% since their implementation, but there still seem to be plenty of eye pokes. That said, not every fighter is pleased about the switch back to the old gloves. Flyweight contender Charles Johnson and newly ranked Bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi shared their concerns online, and both said the new gloves offer better protection for their fists.

Hopefully, UFC can continue to work on a solution that helps address the eye poke issue, produces knockouts, and protects the hands of its athletes.

Insomnia

This clip is a bit of a tease, but it’s definitely noteworthy that Tom Aspinall is frequently sparring with the likes of Tyson Fury and Rico Verhoeven.

ESPN tried to embrace the meme, but the corporate entity was quickly outdone!

This is the first time I’ve been able to understand Stipe Miocic clearly.

Nothing annoys me more than overly sensitive prizefighters … of which there are many.

Given how the first fight ended, a Max Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira rematch in 2025 would be tremendous.

One Championship battling Karate Combat for Thailand surpemacy could get interesting next year as well.

One wonders if Dana White and Donald Trump’s friendship could get Khamzat into the US of A …

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Jones clearly knows how to stay loose and throw whip-like punches, which is a great asset.

Three knockdowns in a crazy round!

Where do they find these Kung Fu masters? There’s no end to this specific genre of videos.

Random Land

Slack lining reaches new heights!

Midnight Music: Soft rock, 1967

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