Midnight Mania! Duel of the double champs?

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Kyoji Horiguchi is riding high following his victory at Bellator 222. The Rizin strap-hanger returned to US soil for the first time since 2015 to rematch Bellator Bantamweight kingpin Darrion Caldwell, a much lar…

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Kyoji Horiguchi is riding high following his victory at Bellator 222. The Rizin strap-hanger returned to US soil for the first time since 2015 to rematch Bellator Bantamweight kingpin Darrion Caldwell, a much larger foe who also happens to be a Division 1 national wrestling champion. Though Horiguchi was unable to finish Caldwell a second time, the Karateka clearly landed the better shots across five rounds to score a decision victory and add the Bellator belt to his collection.

After the win, Horiguchi spoke with Ariel Helwani and ESPN MMA through his translator. The second Henry Cejudo’s name was mentioned, however, Horiguchi immediately answered himself with the simple declaration of “Me better. Yeah, I want to fight Henry Cejudo. Let’s go, fight!” Given the option, Horiguchi preferred the bout take place at Bantamweight.

This is obviously a long shot given UFC’s general stance on co-promotion, but perhaps there are other factors at play here. It wasn’t that long ago that UFC traded another lighter weight class great with One Championship, which previously was unheard of for the fight promotion. Plus, UFC is really invested in super fights and double champs as of late — this match up adds up to a quadruple champ!

Furthermore, Cejudo himself should be pushing for this bout. Since winning his title, Cejudo has been busy chasing “money fights” with older opponents no one is actually interested to see him fight. Meanwhile, this is a much bigger bout, one fans actually would love to see that would earn Cejudo his desired payday. From a more sport perspective, the status of No. 1 Flyweight is still somewhat disputed between Demetrious Johnson, Cejudo, and Horiguchi. Defeating the Japanese great would be a huge feather in Cejudo’s cap, and a definitive statement that he’s the best.

Personally, I’d absolutely love to see it happen. Both men are in their absolute primes, putting on tremendous performances. I’d favor Horiguchi: he’s been a killer Karate striker for far longer than Cejudo, and his takedown defense is generally excellent. Either way, it’s a great bout to argue the value of the little guys.

Insomnia

Namajunas seems to be in good spirits despite the recent title loss.

A recommended follow for readers who train in any degree: Dr. Kickass (aka Mike Piekarski) is a physical therapist who breaks down the biomechanics of jiu-jitsu, common injuries from MMA, and how to maintain healthy joints for combat. He’s also a really damn good black belt who d’arce chokes me a couple times per roll.

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Orbital emphysema: Why you do not blow your nose in a fight ••••••••••••••••••••••• At @ufc 238 there was an exciting back and forth fight between @tonyfergusonxt and @cowboycerrone . In the second round Ferguson found his range and started to land clean shots on Cerrone. Between the 2nd and 3rd round, after absorbing considerable facial trauma Cerrone blew his nose. Immediately Cerrone’s eye swelled shut and the ringside physicians deemed Cerrone unable to continue the fight. . What happened? Why did Cerrone’s eye swell shut? Why shouldn’t he blow his nose? . Orbital emphysema This is an uncommon complication following orbital trauma that occurs following forceful injection of air into the orbital soft tissue spaces (blowing your nose). Often this occurs due to an orbital fracture at the medial or inferior orbital wall (thinnest aspects of the orbit) which may permit air from the emthoid and maxillary sinuses. This can result in extreme swelling around the eye. . Fighters do not have have the luxury to know if they have an orbital fracture during a fight, but as UFC announcers commented, do not blow your nose or you’ll end up looking like Cowboy. . References: 1??Gauguet, J. M., Lindquist, P. A., & Shaffer, K. (2008). Orbital emphysema following ocular trauma and sneezing. Radiology case reports, 3(1), 124. 2??Taguchi, Y., Sakakibara, Y., Uchida, K., & Kishi, H. (2004). Orbital emphysema following nose blowing as a sequel of a snowboard related head injury. British journal of sports medicine, 38(5), e28-e28.

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Jon Jones’ work with elbows is perhaps the best in the sport.

Double-champs do as they please!

Wouldn’t the best cheater either be 1) undefeated or 2) undetected?

VanZant feeling the discomfort after her latest arm surgery.

Slips, Rips, and KO clips

Bareknuckle FC/The Mac Life posted the entire Lobov vs. Knight scrap to get everyone excited for this weekend’s nonsense. Jokes aside, these two put on one of the year’s bloodiest wars.

Quick reminder that John Lineker fights again this weekend, guaranteeing more blood will flee more noses.

Melvin Manhoef has been a remarkably fun to watch glass cannon for like two decades now, and there seems to be no end in sight.

Random Land

I miss Mythbusters.

Keep an eye out for rocks and don’t look down, but enjoy the view!

Music from the making of Midnight Mania: Paul Simon’s The Rhythm of the Saints could not hope to live up to its masterpiece predecessor, Graceland, but it’s a fun listen nonetheless.

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