Midnight Mania! Is this man being protected from ‘El Cucuy?’

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Tony Ferguson has been giving me simply massive amounts of material this week, and the hits keep coming. Ferguson has a lot to say and a lot of people to be angry with, but as we talked about last night, sometimes his complaints are a bit of a stretch.

Maybe not this time.

Just a couple months ago, Ferguson left his former management company, Paradigm Sports Management. Prior to that point, both Ferguson and Conor McGregor were managed by Paradigm. Take it from the Irishman himself:

Now, Ferguson says that his former management directly denied his requests to fight McGregor, keeping “El Cucuy” far away from the superstar. Here’s the quote, transcribed courtesy of LowKickMMA.

“When I asked them, I said straight up, ‘I want Conor next,’ they basically told me no,” Ferguson said in a recent interview with ESPN. “They’re defending him the same way Dana is defending him. Any person that’s got their hands in Conor’s pockets, they’re kissing their a**. I’m not going to say anything else about that but literally man, the kid don’t run the show. He don’t run me man. You never heard this dude speak my name, you never heard this dude talk sh*t about me.”

This time around, I think it’s fair to say Ferguson has a point. Generally, managers don’t have much of a problem with their athletes fighting one another. Take someone like Ali Abdelaziz for example, who represents both Marlons Moraes and Henry Cejudo in Saturday’s main event. Regardless of who wins, Abdealziz gets his percentage from both men, and the world keeps on spinning.

McGregor is a different case however. The biggest star in the sport can only maintain that status if gets back into the win column in the near future. Ferguson’s salary — and thus Paradigm’s percentage — might increase with a bout opposite McGregor, but the potential drop in McGregor’s value should he come up short yet again would affect Paradigm far more than Ferguson’s momentary jump.

Paradigm wants the lowest risk possible for McGregor or at least the highest reward. “El Cucuy” is neither.

Insomnia

Should we give Hall the benefit of the doubt and interpret this as “Adesanya has received good style match ups,” which is at least debatable? The alternative is assuming the more likely case that Hall is imply Adesanya was protected from him, which is the funniest thing I’ve ever written for MMAmania.

Tony Ferguson has been a touch hostile this fight week, and I’m here for it.

Sounds like it will be close to a year between fights for “Pantera,” but it will be a must-watch fight regardless.

Watch closely and learn all you can from a master.

Seriously, WTF is this nonsense?

Additionally, someone should inform Cejudo that magicians perform illusions, whereas tricks are something a whore does for money.

Slips, Rips, and KO clips

A rolling left hook following a hard right hand has to be one of the most dangerous and effective punches in both boxing and MMA.

Calvin Kattar’s performance opposite Shane Burgos was some of the finest boxing ever displayed inside the Octagon. Kattar returns against Lamas on Saturday on the undercard.

A simple, beautiful execution of basic strategy from the open stance engagement. A couple hard kicks to the body made the high kick easy!

Dapper Scrappers always brings the heat.

Random Land

This is a much, much better form of trolling than the usual spamming of obscenities.

One more costume from Cejudo and Dana’s head is going to be roughly the color a lobster.

The ocean’s depths are fascinating.

Music from the making of Midnight Mania! I spun The Doors’ 1968 album Waiting for the Sun while working today. It’s not their best work — that would be LA Woman in my book — but it still has some classic tracks!

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