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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every quarantined night!
Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Patricio Freire is one of the most accomplished fighters on the Bellator roster. A double-champ at Lightweight and Featherweight with five total title defenses at 145-pounds, Freire has made his mark as one of the best on the planet without ever competing inside the Octagon. “Pitbull” has always seemed rather content with Bellator, but he now appears less likely to jump ship than ever after watching UFC push events forward in comparison to Bellator’s more cautious approach.
“If it was my money, (and) if I were a billionaire, I would do what Bellator is doing,” Freire told MMA Fighting. “I can’t say a date that might not be cleared. ‘Oh, I’m going to rent an island.’ Is that even doable? And who are you taking to an island? How is that going to be?
“I would do just like Bellator, wait for the market to react, and when the government opens everything, when you can bring in fighters from other continents, OK. If that possibility is real, let’s have an event. There’s no debate. (UFC) is only making noise for the media, creating a mess and making money.”
Freire continued that UFC was putting profits ahead of the health of its athletes, “My impression is that fighters come last, right? Fulfilling contracts come first, making money, and f**k it,” he said. “Bring entertainment for those at home, and f**k the fighter if he’s going to catch the virus or die. It seems inhuman.”
At the moment, it’s still unclear when Bellator will return to action. UFC 249, meanwhile, is scheduled for May 9th from Jacksonville, Florida, but it remains to be seen if those plans will stick.
Insomnia
Is Fight Island going to happen? Or will it remain a fun thought experiment now that Florida has proven itself hilariously lawless (again).
Retirement fight!
Luke ?
— JIMI MANUWA (@POSTERBOYJM) April 23, 2020
For anyone interested in learning the tricks of a Bantamweight great, Dominick Cruz has released a footwork guide HERE!
Quarantine is treating Derrick Lewis well! “The Black Beast” looks fitter than ever!
Ariel Helwani and Dillon Danis traded Twitter insults today. It was precisely as lame as one would expect:
You connecting with a punch let alone dropping someone? Well, I guess there really could be a first time for everything
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 23, 2020
Stevie Wonder could hit that nose. https://t.co/oM3h2q3ZTG
— Dillon Danis (@dillondanis) April 23, 2020
Oh here comes the nose joke retort. How original. And the RT reply, too? We call that the Askren double. Bravo. That’s the best you could come up with an hour later? I thought you were different, Dillon. Disappointed.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 23, 2020
The most nonchalant way to shutdown a jumping-flying-spinning strike:
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Saruta uses a cross grip to open up a path for a major left hand — great ground striking technique!
Another underappreciated Heavyweight! After the win below, Maurice Smith captured the UFC Heavyweight title from Mark Coleman and defended it against Tank Abbott back in 1997.
Maurice Smith knocked Kazunari Murakami out cold (1997) pic.twitter.com/aRS7Fltjl3
— LORD HONKY HUMUNGUS (@Mr_Honky) April 23, 2020
UFC Lightweight Joe Solecki showing off his jiu-jitsu skills back on the regional scene.
Random Land
The skeleton of a turtle:
Daily reminder that turtles are not “inside” their shells. They *are* their shells. pic.twitter.com/CS8UcDE3o2
— Ada McVean (@AdaMcVean) April 21, 2020
Midnight Music: The Rolling Stones — immortal bags of bones that they are — released their first new composition in eight years (their 2016 release Blue and Lonesome was a covers album), the appropriately titled “Living In A Ghost Town.” There’s plenty of classic Mick Jagger strut to start, but the track grows more sinister.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.