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Welcome to Midnight Mania!
UFC Austin was a star-making night for Adrian Yanez. The Bantamweight prospect picked up his fifth straight win inside the Octagon, smacking around Tony Kelley for a first-round knockout win (watch highlights). As big a win as it was for Yanez, it was an equally bad loss for Kelley, who missed weight and talked a bunch of trash prior to the smackdown.
Despite the clear-cut defeat, Kelley is holding firm on his position. I don’t know precisely what that position is other than unlikable, but Kelley is now also publicly calling for a rematch with Yanez … despite being put to sleep inside a round just a couple nights ago!
You know I was actually gonna chill on my Tony Kelley slander but the fact that he’s deadass on his IG saying Yanez is scared of a rematch AND still saying weird racist shit means we didn’t slander him ENOUGH pic.twitter.com/4Da0cAS2d9
— TevTalksMMA (@TevTalksMMA) June 20, 2022
Yanez cashed a $50,000 bonus check for stopping Kelley, and for that reason, he’s down to do it again.
That comment sparked a debate between the two on their Instagram stories. Kelley responded to the above post, “Bet he won’t, he’ll be left with a photo of me dropping my balls on that chin this time around.”
“You know what’s funny,” Yanez responded. “He tried talking s—t during the fight, got punched in the face and shut the f—k up real quick.”
Kelley apparently has yet to learn a lesson from UFC Austin, answering back, “I’m still talking for a reason home boy …”
Yanez responded, “Cause I took your money, KO’d you, and now you’re a meme.”
@yanezmma goated pic.twitter.com/Vw4PV7Iv7M
— ARC (@heyarnoldc) June 21, 2022
After this exchange, the excuses began. Kelley blames the loss on his weight cut, explaining, “That weight cut f—ked me up honestly and your [sic] skated away with a freebie. You should be counting your blessings. We both know what you felt when you was backpedaling.”
In the final post of this saga, Yanez summed it all up. “You’re still delusional from those shots,” Yanez wrote. “I forgive you.”
Insomnia
Deron Winn with an honest breakdown of his own loss to Phil Hawes — respectable!
THE MATCH did major numbers in Japan! 25 million in revenue for nine minutes of action is no joke.
Per founder of K-1, PPV buys of #THEMATCH2022 is about 500k buys. A big number to Japan.
More than expected. They make 25 Million Dollars with PPV, plus 5 Million with sponsors. 50 Million Dollar revenue, 59k ppl with 56399 tickets sold. #HYPE https://t.co/4MAogxDKVu— Bruno Massami (????? ???????) (@BrMassami) June 19, 2022
The technical side instead of the above drama — I mentioned this in my “Here’s Everything” article, but Yanez did a tremendous job of parrying the kick and immediately firing his left hook.
Adrian Yanez catching and countering the kicks of Tony Kelley pic.twitter.com/aD5WelkRDz
— Miguel Class (@MigClass) June 20, 2022
This historical document of grappling techniques is pretty darn cool!
Written in 1905, The Text Book of Ju-Jutsu contained techniques with a series of photographs that could be put together like a flip book to animate these moves from over 100 years ago. I have colourised and remastered them here for your enjoyment. pic.twitter.com/VkxIoJfrPF
— Sonny Brown (@SonnyBrown) June 20, 2022
Every exchange between Tito Ortiz and BJ Penn is the height of unintentional comedy.
?????????????????? pic.twitter.com/RqdpgoG5MU
— Borrachinha Depot (@FullContactMTWF) June 20, 2022
Suplexes are the best.
?? ‘SUPLEX City’: @FloWrestling pic.twitter.com/gnyArDDfvd
— REKT Mikey Thomas (@MikeyThomas1991) June 19, 2022
Who ya’ got in this clash of Eastern European Heavyweights?
Slips, rips, and KO clips
A subtle shift from Southpaw to Orthodox set up this head kick finish.
Patadon de Peter Danasoe! #LegendFC pic.twitter.com/PW9PIeuhUg
— Barrele la pierna (@Barrelelapierna) June 18, 2022
The defeated man wasn’t very happy with the stoppage, but that’s about as clean an intercepting knee as can land!
Pot??ne kolano i ciosy w parterze – w taki sposób Szymon Dusza zwyci??a w 2. rundzie! #FEN40
Polsat Sport Fight, Super Polsat pic.twitter.com/JYlyZIFSAT
— FEN MMA (@fenmma) June 18, 2022
Jorge Masvidal has been a slick technical fighter for such a long time.
#OnThisDay in 2009 Jorge Masvidal made his sophomore appearance in Bellator.#Bellator12 pic.twitter.com/u6DjigNrIQ
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) June 19, 2022
Random Land
Underwater breathing.
Midnight Music: I quite like this cover of a Supremes classic.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.