Midnight Mania! Askren To Debut Against Lawler at UFC 233

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Robert Glenn Lawler, otherwise known as “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler, was maybe the one welterweight Ben Askren had nothing to say about….

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Robert Glenn Lawler, otherwise known as “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler, was maybe the one welterweight Ben Askren had nothing to say about. Yet, Lawler is the one who drew the short straw to welcome the undefeated wrestler to the Octagon.

Lawler is no walkover opponent. In his resurgence as UFC champion, he had a wicked sprawl, managing to stuff just enough of Johny Hendricks’ takedowns to win the belt, then totally shutting down any attempt by Rory Macdonald to wrestle him in their UFC 189 all-time classic war.

Askren isn’t going to give him the kind of battle Macdonald did- but will he be able to put the former champion on his back and stifle his dangerous striking? It seems we are likely to find out on January 26th in Anaheim, California.

Insomnia

Floyd Mayweather is fighting Tenshin Nasukawa because the world is delightfully unpredictable and doesn’t have to make sense.

Their combined amateur and professional records show that Nasukawa is somehow the more experienced fighter in terms of sheer number of bouts.

Regular readers of Midnight Mania ought to be familiar with Tenshin Nasukawa at this point.

Eryk Anders doesn’t think Floyd Mayweather will ever allow kicks, but the rules apparently haven’t been settled yet.

I don’t usually find pro wrestling entertaining but this was good.

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That moonwalk looks real to me

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Could Sage Northcutt become the next big ONE Championship signing?

This is by far the funniest video I’ve seen all day.

At least Chris Weidman is a great sport about his knockout loss to Jacare Souza.

Nick Diaz was not impressed by the body of two-time Olympian Daniel Cormier.

Dana White denying blocking Ben Askren on Twitter was so perfect. His buddy Donald Trump is rubbing off on him.

This weekend’s main event is going to be, as they say, lit. Yair Rodriguez vs. Chan Sung Jung is an awesome fight, El Pantera vs. The Korean Zombie.

What a picture. I hadn’t seen this much blood in the Octagon in a long time.

Israel Adesanya is undoubtedly the UFC’s breakout star of 2018

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#shakushaku for my pipu

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It was strange seeing all these faces together in the crowd at UFC 230.

How can you not love Daniel Cormier?

Curtis Blaydes doesn’t rate Brock Lesnar’s chances very highly against the Daddest of them all.

Despite how the fight turned out to be an easy stylistic matchup, Daniel Cormier is still among the most impressive fighters in UFC history.

Is Jacare not merciful??

This was such a weird callout by Jared Cannonier but I dig it.

He may have gotten outshone by some of the card’s brighter lights, but Karl Roberson is an excellent prospect.

Conor McGregor was absolutely on something writing this…

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I went to see Mike Tyson last night in the Helix, Dublin, Ireland. I love and respect Mike Tyson. And I love the Helix. I won my first World Title here, and also my second. It was good to meet you Mike. You spoke some things about me in the past which I did not like and I was happy to speak to you face to face, put it to bed and have some fun. You are in good spirits and I was happy to see this! I will always have the height of respect for you! Some decisions you have made around your finances I do not agree with. As a fighter you must fight here. The most. And this is a fight that never ends. It is even a fight that we pass on to our next in line. Our blood line. Make sure you stay switched on with those around you at all times. You have good people around you now, I can tell. But stay switched on. Your Marijuana strain that you grow on your own ranch “KO Kush” is really nice. It was an honour to taste it and I wish you and your team all the best with this endeavor. Just remember, if someone tries to rip you. Rip their nose off their face. You are a fighting icon and deserve endless love and respect! And from me, you will always have it! Don’t let anyone take anything from you. You owe nobody nothing. It is you who is owed. Always remember that. I love you Mike! Iron Mike Tyson! Here is an iconic photograph as a gift from me to you, from head photographer at @mcgregorproductions , @ginger_beard_photos

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This slip to high kick is fun

Slips, Rips, and KO Clips

The weekend had plenty of great knockouts

What a brutal guillotine- this guy was out cold.

A reminder of how truly great Anderson Silva was. Will Israel Adesanya’s legacy end up being even greater?

Hit the Road big guy

Low blow TKOs, the Bobby Green special. No, I won’t ever let that go.

All our idols must fall

This was by far the most insane knockout of the weekend.

Matt Frevola and Lando Vannata had themselves a war and it’s weird to see Vannata continue to get draws no matter the level of his competition.

What grappling

Random Land

Are these real or fake? You find out.

Reality is both stranger and funnier than satire

Stay woke, Maniacs! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @Vorpality