Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!
Welcome to Midnight Mania!
The original BMF rivalry continues.
According to a first report from influencer boxing outfit Happy Punch, Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz will face off a second time. The rematch will take place in the boxing ring, and it’s targeted for a yet-to-be-announced date in March from Las Vegas, Nevada. Per the announcement, UFC has granted Masvidal permission to box the Stockton slugger. Unlike Diaz, “Gamebred” is still under UFC contract.
Given Masvidal’s recent “unretired” announcement, the timing makes a lot of sense. Oh, and Jake Paul spilled the beans about a week ago.
Jake Paul claims Jorge Masvidal is going to box Nate Diaz in now deleted tweet pic.twitter.com/jXKZAEXdvV
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) January 2, 2024
Masvidal and Diaz met in the cage in November 2019 as part of the inaugural BMF title fight. Masvidal was dominant through three rounds, knocking down Diaz early and largely battering him from top position. Diaz is known for his late-fight rallies, but he wouldn’t get the chance due to a cut stoppage that left some feeling unsatisfied with the outcome.
Close to five years later, it looks like round two is approaching. Both men have struggled since the first contest. Masvidal wouldn’t win another time in professional MMA, losing four straight to end his Octagon career. Diaz, meanwhile, fought twice in the cage since then, losing to Leon Edwards but stopping Tony Ferguson. Most recently, he suffered a decision loss to Paul in his professional boxing debut (and won anyway).
Stay tuned for further details.
Insomnia
Readers may or may not have noticed, but Instagram posts have not been working for the last week or so. This does not make my job easier. Fortunately, the powers that be have fixed the scenario, so we are BACK!
Now, learn more about fighting from the great Cory Sandhagen:
An important anniversary for the fight fan community.
Jan8.1999
Tito Ortiz defeats Jerry Bohlander by TKO at UFC 18.
This was the first time Ortiz wore one of his customized post fight T-shirts. pic.twitter.com/w5gjh8j9CT
— MMA History Today (@MMAHistoryToday) January 8, 2024
A pair of stats that demonstrate the unrelenting march of time and the ridiculousness of UFC rankings.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired 3 years ago, has a more recent win than the currently No. 3 ranked Featherweight Brian Ortega. pic.twitter.com/j681agwHMR
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 5, 2024
Stipe Miocic had his last win 1,238 days ago, which was against Daniel Cormier. Khamzat Chimaev, Dricus Du Plessis, and Tom Aspinall had just made their UFC debuts at that time. pic.twitter.com/wOqoAFBHGw
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 5, 2024
This type of angle cut finish is so great against opponents with powerful hips.
https://t.co/jzapDH30MN pic.twitter.com/YycvBEMadg
— Matysek (@Matysek88) January 5, 2024
Ludovit Klein is an underrated technician, and Joel Alvarez fights are always fun. Sounds like a scrap!
Joel Alvarez will fight ?udovít Klein at #UFCSaudiArabia on March 2nd. (first rep. @KOlmeneroMMA) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2024 pic.twitter.com/BeMu6wKvuF
— Marcel Dorff (@BigMarcel24) January 6, 2024
Paul Craig is a UFC champion in my heart.
Paul Craig completely failing a backflip at Michael Bisping’s ‘Tales From The Octagon 2’ show a few weeks ago
@JamesMistryMMA pic.twitter.com/0JchsgnQmV
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) January 6, 2024
Ilia Topuria and Kamaru Usman respectfully getting after it!
Ilia Topuria sparring Kamaru Usman pic.twitter.com/TbMmtBliQV
— Dovy (@DovySimuMMA) January 6, 2024
Slips, rips, and KO clips
That’s a bad, bad sound for the brain.
One of the best times to throw the spinning backfist is after a missed kick.
Lightning fast spinning back fist. I didnt even catch it a first pic.twitter.com/CHqbSNVJsq
— Egokind (@Egokind1) January 5, 2024
Ocampo ate like six knockout-worthy blows en route to the end.
crazy knockout pic.twitter.com/1WVtj9ZucP
— Roots of Combat (@RootsOfCombat) January 6, 2024
Random Land
How do rock climbers and alpinists sleep on steep walls without ledges? See below.
Midnight Music: I’m going to be checking out the albums on THIS LIST that I haven’t heard previously, so there’s your musical spoiler for the week.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.