Midnight Mania: Is The ‘Legit’ Heavyweight Belt On The Line?

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

UFC 295’s co-main event pits Sergei Pavlovich versus Tom Aspinall, and it’s a pretty great fight.

Pavlovich is on a ridiculous tear. Six straight wins via first-round knockout? That only happens at Heavyweight and only on very special occasions. He just hits so hard, and it seems like nobody can stand up to his power. On the flip side, Aspinall is everything one could want in a Heavyweight prospect. Gifted athletically and remarkably well-rounded for his age, Aspinall really could be the future.

In other circumstances, either man could easily be competing for undisputed gold. However, Jon Jones’ sudden injury and UFC’s desire for a legacy fight opposite Stipe Miocic slows down the whole process. There’s no longer a clear path to undisputed gold, as Jones and Miocic could be retiring sooner than later with little interest in fighting anyone but each other.

As such, Pavlovich revealed at Wednesday’s media day that he considers the interim belt legitimate, which is always a matter of some debate amongst fans.

“You know, for me, this is the legit title,” Pavlovich said (via Cole Shelton).

“When it comes to the fight itself, there’s going to be two big dudes, strong dudes, fighting each other. We don’t know what is going to happen but it’s going to be a good fight. Then the fact that I’m tying a legend possibly on Saturday, that means I’m achieving some other goals, some other goals that I set for myself, putting myself in the ranks of the greatest,” Pavlovich concluded.

Do you consider Saturday night’s title fight to be legitimate or just another unnecessary interim belt?

Insomnia

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Slips, rips, and KO clips

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I can only assume this clip is the secret origin and inspiration for Power Slap.

Random Land

Can anyone identify this instrument?

Midnight Music: Art pop, 1972

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