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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!
Welcome to Midnight Mania!
UFC is making up for lost time. August isn’t over yet, but the promotion already has events booked every Saturday through December 12! That’s an unprecedentedly busy schedule (pray for me y’all), and as a result, UFC will hold its first-ever event on Halloween night. Currently, the main event is scheduled as Anderson Silva vs. Uriah Hall, but the card is coming together.
Earlier today, MMAJunkie confirmed that UFC was targeting a Featherweight match up between top prospect Bryce Mitchell (13-0) and veteran talent Andre Fili (21-7).
A product of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), Mitchell is one of the most exciting up-and-coming Featherweights on the roster. He’s largely dominated his previous opponents on the mat, running through their defenses with a wide array of jiu-jitsu technique. He even pulled off a twister!
Still, “Touchy” Fili will stand as a significant step up in competition for “Thug Nasty.” Fili has been fighting the upper echelon of the Featherweight division for years now, and he’s been finding more consistent success as of late, winning three of his last four bouts.
Who ya’ got?
Insomnia
Paulo Costa pretty much confirms Israel Adesanya’s accusation that USADA isn’t testing him all that much …
Unfortunately to you RUNNERSANYA USADA never came to test me in Brasil .
Fuck you re already dead men /skull
KoB is coming to you https://t.co/SgIEn9qqAt— Paulo Costa ( Borrachinha ) (@BorrachinhaMMA) August 25, 2020
On one hand, I understand why some fight fans hate the Diaz brothers. On the other hand, I do not at all understand how anyone could not love them. Iconic!
Before social media, Nick Diaz kept it spicy over email pic.twitter.com/H7fPpmdyxp
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 25, 2020
A different type of art for a different kind of champion:
This story is from 2014, but it’s worth remembering that looks can be deceiving!
How FUCKING UNLUCKY can you be?!! Guy tried to rob a 72 year old. “EASY TARGET”. The old guy turns out to be FRANCO PENTEADO . For those that don’t know, he is a FUCKING Jiu-Jitsu CORAL BELT! . Thief was taken down, mounted and slapped silly. JIU-JITSU pic.twitter.com/Lm6OFVCsJx
— Brad Johnson (@bradjohnson_mma) August 23, 2020
Darren Till shoots his shot with Five Guys, which would surely eliminate any chance of “The Gorilla” fighting at Middleweight ever again.
This sweep counter to the spin kick is absolutely ridiculous.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Alexander Povetkin scored one of the meanest lead hand uppercut knockouts you’ll see this year.
— Streetfight Banned-cho (@streetfitebncho) August 22, 2020
Also over the weekend, UFC vet Clay Collard continued his unexpected dominance of pandemic Top Rank events.
Clay Collard TKO’s Maurice Williams in the 2nd round!! pic.twitter.com/yOZNN0H4qS
— KÏ??Ä ?ÄM (@FTBeard1) August 23, 2020
Hortegas really over-swung with his overhand from too far away, and Machado capitalized majorly.
Caio Machado smokes Daniel Hortegas with the three-piece early in R3 #ShootoBrasil100 pic.twitter.com/dN4sBeQ5WH
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) August 24, 2020
Random Land
Team work doesn’t always make the dream work.
Midnight Music: The Allman Brothers Band could jam.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.