Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
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Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Grappling fans rejoice! After his devastating loss to Jorge Masvidal, it wasn’t clear what would be next for Ben Askren, particularly since he suffered a lot of punishment in his two previous Octagon bouts. Luckily, Ariel Helwani announced on Twitter that the UFC is looking to book Askren against Demian Maia in perhaps the highest level wrestling vs. jiu-jitsu clash in history.
UFC is currently discussing booking Ben Askren vs. Demian Maia once Askren’s medical suspension is up in September, according to sources.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 23, 2019
Maia, meanwhile, has picked up a pair of solid wins in 2019.
It’s a fascinating match up on a lot of levels. Askren has faced nothing but superior athletes for the vast majority of his career, but it should be a level playing field against the 41-year-old Brazilian. Maia hasn’t held a striking advantage in a long time, but he almost certainly does against Askren, who has never really landed a significant punch on the feet.
Rarely does one find success in actively trying to take Maia down — dominant wrestlers like Covington, Usman, and Woodley avoided the Brazilian’s grasp entirely until he was dead tired. Equally as rare is finding Askren in a bad position on the mat, as he’s a transitional master.
Best of all, there’s almost zero chance this turns into a terrible kickboxing match: Askren is going to shoot as many times as is necessary. Ultimately, I expected both men to stick to their bread-and-butter strategies: Askren will attempt to tire Maia out with constant transitions and small shots on the mat, whereas Maia will look to enter into one of his master positions — high-crotch, back clinch, deep half guard and ultimately back mount — and force the fight into his world.
Who wins this potential bout?
Insomnia
A quick, slick highlight from Roufusport, a gym known for their flashy techniques.
A challenger emerges for Vasily Kamotskiy.
Jon Jones’ latest scandal is really the best headline yet.
The headbutt is an underrated weapon in any street scenario.
Impressive strength and stability.
Using the left hook (or a feinted left hook) to set up the spin is a great way to really accelerate into the kick.
Jedrzejczyk uses elbows far better than most.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Is this the laziest flying knee KO of all time? I write that with love.
Where did that come from?! @Seanwoodsonmma lands the jumping knee on #DWCS pic.twitter.com/0Z5AnVGgjt
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 24, 2019
MMA has truly fell in love with the overhand like no other, but here’s a brutal one in amateur boxing.
Suffocations are more panic-inducing than strangles, but this is just insulting.
Spinning s*** for the win!
Random Land
Maybe don’t trust those $45 swords quite so much.
Midnight Music: Let’s keep it rolling with more albums from the mid-60s, this time with B.B. King Live At The Regal. I don’t know if anything can top that live Sam Cooke album from last week for me, but this is another killer performance from a legend.
Sleep well Maniacs! There’s always more martial arts madness on the way.