Midnight Mania! Exhibition Match? Tyson Aims To ‘Disable’ RJJ

Photo by Azhar Khan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

For anyone who has yet to see the latest news, Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. are still set to battle. The date has been moved to Nov. 28, 2020 — a move that Jones says happened because “Iron Mike” needed more time to get ready — and WBC created a title for the occasion, the WBC Frontline Battle Belt.

So, this eight-round fight is sort of for a world title, but is it still an exhibition match? California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) Executive Director, Andy Foster, described the bout as two legends “moving around the ring” for the fans, but the latest Tyson interview doesn’t seem to match that phrase.

“My mindset is totally bliss. This is something I’ve done all my life since I was 13 years old,” Tyson told ESPN. “I’m more evolved now than I’ve ever been. My objective is to go in there with the best intentions of my life and to disable my opponent, and that’s just what it is.”

Jones doesn’t seem to expect a shadowboxing match either. He’s been sparring extra in preparation to face “one of the most dangerous men to ever grace the boxing ring” and is excited for the opportunity to fight a fellow legend. “I’ve always wanted to see how I would fare with Mike,” Jones said. “How his punches would look coming at me. Could I avoid them? How long could I avoid them? Could he avoid mine? Could he take mine? There was a lot of questions always, so of course, if you get an opportunity to answer them, you want to answer those questions. They gave me the opportunity, so guess what? I’ve got to answer these questions now.”

We are less than a month away from finding out what exactly a supposed exhibition fight (but maybe real one) looks like between two former champs in their 50s.

Insomnia

I could not make it through this clip without breaking down in laughter. Khabib’s reaction and answer is perfection:

Both Kevin Holland and Belal Muhammad have expressed interest in fighting Mike Perry next after Robbie Lawler fell out due to injury.

Speaking of Holland, will “Trailblazer” pick up the most UFC wins this year? Bobby Green is the other top contender.

This is a whole different level of shark tank-style training!

Anderson Silva may not be in his prime anymore, but that’s the only evidence we have of the Brazilian aging.

I don’t think he’s okay, Mr. Black Beast.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Iuri Lapicus throws everything with real serious power.

CFFC provided some very brutal knockouts tonight, including an excellent jump knee!

Worked into the pocket, dropped a bomb:

Random Land

A tremendous waterfall (and bonus sunset!):

Midnight Music: I’ve been a big Lou Reed fan for years now, but I didn’t listen to his 1989 LP New York until this week (the guy has 22 solo albums, let me live). It’s a politically charged mix of dense lyricism and punky rock, and I really dug it!

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