Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight
Welcome to Midnight Mania! Tonight we’ve got “Cowboy” Cerrone admitting Dana White made him take a break after the loss to Masvidal, Aljamain Sterling calling out John Dodson and everyone else, Tony Ferguson choking things, sweet knockouts and slick submissions from tonight’s fights, including a KO of the year candidate, and much more.
Insomnia
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone is officially booked to fight Robbie Lawler at UFC 213 in July. That’s a heck of a fight, six months after Cerrone suffered a second-round knockout at the precise hands of Jorge Masvidal- but according to Cerrone, he would have been back in the cage by now, if it weren’t for Dana White.
“I would have fought sooner, but [UFC president Dana White] put me in timeout for a while,” Cerrone told ESPN’s Five Rounds podcast.
“After the [Masvidal loss], he said, ‘You’re in timeout.’ I asked if I could call him for a fight and he said, ‘No.’ I said, ‘Come on. ‘ He said, ‘No.'”
It is well known Cerrone likes his fights back-to-back-to-back. He shed some light on his frequent fighting habits to ESPN:
“There’s no thrill like a fight in the world,” Cerrone said. “It’s the scariest roller-coaster ride of emotions, excitement and fun you can have. And I make a s—load of money doing it, so I get to go on a spending spree afterwards.”
The knockout loss to Masvidal is just something he accepts as part of the gig- but says he doesn’t remember it happening.
“Getting a win at home would have been awesome, but sometimes you’ve got to take an ass-whupping, I guess,” Cerrone said.
“When the doctor tried to look at me and make sure I was OK — told me to take three steps forward or he’d stop the fight — I don’t remember any of that s—. So, yeah. It is what it is.”
The fight with Lawler has the potential to put either one of them back in the title conversation. Cerrone has worked hard for his place at welterweight, and he knows what this fight means
“I think I’m one of the only fighters in the world to get his ass whupped and get a No. 1 contender fight, right?” Cerrone laughed. “We’ll see.”
Bobs and Weaves
Tony Ferguson chokes things.
“Code Name: Cucuy” #ChokingThings Feat #TonyFerguson • My New Creations: #Specialist #Boogieman #MatrixPick #SnapJitsu™ • #10P4L @eddiebravo pic.twitter.com/XlgHTztWjN
— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) May 5, 2017
Dennis Bermudez hitting pads with Ryan LaFlare
Aljamain Sterling calls John Dodson a “lil Goomba” and an “Amish bug”… whatever an Amish bug is. This was part of a tweetstorm targeting the whole bantamweight top fifteen. These are just three of his tweets.
John Dodson, fuck that lil Goomba! I step on him and save the princess. Smush him like a Amish bug
— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMaster_UFC) May 6, 2017
Thomas Almeida, good punching combos but can’t punch off turtle back, human anaconda strikes with venom, make you go night-night!
— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMaster_UFC) May 6, 2017
Top 15 I fight u all at the same time. 1 night tournament winner takes the princess! Fuck the Goomba! He runs around & smiles. #StrongIsland
— Aljamain Sterling (@FunkMaster_UFC) May 6, 2017
Joanna Jedrzejczyk makes fun of Paige VanZant?
Ko?cz? tydzie? kaw???, babeczk? i sweet sweet – tak w?a?nie zaczynam ?cinanie wagi! | Ending the week with coff… https://t.co/HJJzkkfTqj pic.twitter.com/QecE0FEGOq
— Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannamma) May 5, 2017
Angela Hill makes fun of Joanna Jedrzejczyk
The New Structure Surrounding Joanna Jedrzejczyk https://t.co/Li7IX2Vbn4 via #UFC211 pic.twitter.com/0iCwo6Awwv
— Sherdog.com (@sherdogdotcom) May 5, 2017
“This is how I grab ze boobies.” -Joanna Jodjerkchick https://t.co/JzcsHWj2T1
— Angela Hill (@AngieOverkill) May 5, 2017
Watch Joanna destroy Angela’s teammate Jessica Penne:
Benson Henderson and Duane Finley have a new podcast, and it has nothing to do with MMA- they talk comic books, sci fi, and a whole lot more.
Our own @BensonHenderson & @DuaneFinleyMMA bring the humor, the insight, & the wisdom on the @SmoothBoShow!
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) May 5, 2017
This quote from Diaz is gold. Is Ferguson the guy on a lunch table yet? Diaz doesn’t think so.
This is some Grade-A, top-shelf Diaz wisdom. pic.twitter.com/YHzNOMgOIA
— Shaheen Al-Shatti (@shaunalshatti) May 3, 2017
‘El Pantera’ insists he is bringing MMA to a new level ahead of his fight with Frankie Edgar at UFC 211.
I asked @panteraufc if he’ll need to tone down his usual high-risk, wildly aggressive style against a technical veteran like Frankie Edgar. pic.twitter.com/zSmdQQyuQA
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 5, 2017
FYI.
UFC will host a summer kickoff presser next Friday in Dallas w/ Garbrandt, Dillashaw, Lee, Chiesa, Holm, Correia and more to be announced.
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) May 4, 2017
In Boxing News
No UFC fights this weekend, but Canelo and Chavez Jr. are about to have a Cinco de Mayo throwdown tomorrow night. See the full weigh-in highlights here
Canelo vs. Chavez Jr. Weigh-in Face Off #CincodeMayo #CaneloChavez pic.twitter.com/17k9A0J7ni
— Zombie Prophet (@ZPGIFs) May 5, 2017
Mayweather on his way to the strip club with those ones?
Also in boxing, Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev are headed for a rematch in June
Watch the Champ Andre “S.O.G.” Ward versus Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev LIVE on June 17th at Mandalay Bay. pic.twitter.com/d1yQuZzBRX
— Mandalay Bay Resort (@MandalayBay) May 5, 2017
Slips, Rips, and Knockout Clips
This spinning kick knockout is awesome. Sean O’Malley is one to watch.
.@seanomalley04 wanted a highlight reel KO & he got one! #LFA11 @LFAfighting pic.twitter.com/atKCFDgwXZ
— AXS TV Fights (@AXSTVFights) May 6, 2017
The full sequence is even better.
What a KO by Sean O’Malley ! The whole sequence was perfect ! (LFA 11) pic.twitter.com/uvapcV5NBB
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) May 6, 2017
The main event of LFA 11:
This KO is even better in slo-mo! That’s all from #LFA11 but we’re back next week for #CES44! @LFAfighting @matthewfrincu pic.twitter.com/4o7pStW6mP
— AXS TV Fights (@AXSTVFights) May 6, 2017
Muay Xtreme continues to deliver the small-gloves violence.
A knee to the face!
Craig Dickson (Scotland) KO’s Lampard Sorjor.Piak Utahi) (Thailand) (Muay Xtreme) pic.twitter.com/3tVZQeZB6Q— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) May 5, 2017
Awesome piece of Jiu Jitsu work right here.
Alex McGowan with the impressive finish! #VFC57 is rollin’! pic.twitter.com/TTtSdH1FEi
— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) May 6, 2017
Philip J. Fry… I mean Phil De Fries… was one of Stipe’s early career victims, too.
Ivan Shtyrkov vs. Phil De Fries HL – 1R TKO pic.twitter.com/f7kgEsvS2m
— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) May 5, 2017
Timing an uppercut is one of the most special moments in striking sports.
#GBPonESPN pic.twitter.com/VeYx6aB6VQ
— Fancy Combat (@FancyCombat) May 6, 2017
This hurts like a baseball bat to the ribs.
This body kick was perfect!
Omar Moreno (USA) KO’s Thaneelek Lookkromluang (Thailand) (Muay Xtreme) pic.twitter.com/kMCnuNoDf9— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) May 5, 2017
Head kick KOs are just as beautiful.
Nothing is better than head kick KO!
Ittdechnoy Chor.Polchamni (Thailand) KO’s Ky Det (Cambodia) (Muay Xtreme) pic.twitter.com/lLAV0JLOZz— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) May 5, 2017
Slick sweep to a choke, the kind you see often in regional MMA and not so often on the highest levels.
Sweep to Full Mount – Finish with a fantastic RNC. Well done Trey Ogden! #VFC57 pic.twitter.com/hxVuUiLBzk
— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) May 6, 2017
Really nice martial arts use seen here in a road rage incident — both striking and grappling on display.
Enjoy pic.twitter.com/E2px9NBfDh
— Zombie Prophet (@ZPGIFs) May 5, 2017
Quick Hits
- Ryan Harkness dives into UFC 211, by the numbers
- Canelo vs. Chavez preview by Patrick Stumberg
- Karim Zidan asks why Putin’s closest ally watches over Russian boxing
- A Chinese soda tycoon has offered ten million Yuen– more than a million USD- to any traditional martial artist who can beat this MMA fighter. That’s some straight up Ip Man shit.
Stay woke, Maniacs!