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Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Unless something changes dramatically in his next performance, Tony Ferguson’s fall from grace will standout as a particularly brutal one. The former interim kingpin set a Lightweight record with his hugely impressive, multi-year win streak, but his last three bouts have been painfully one-sided in the opposite direction. At 37 years of age, “El Cucuy” just doesn’t seem to pose the same threat he once did.
It’s one thing for Khabib to dunk on his “aging” former rival — those two never actually fought. Kevin Lee, on the other hand, was strangled in his bid for the Lightweight title by Ferguson, but he’s nevertheless uninterested in getting that one back due to Ferguson’s decline.
“I’d beat him so bad … I don’t like beating up on people that don’t put up a good fight”
Kevin Lee (@MoTownPhenom) is not interested in a rematch against Tony Ferguson at 170lbs
Full interview via @FanaticsView https://t.co/45uI2mUnTt pic.twitter.com/0SUnIxqGMY
— James Lynch (@LynchOnSports) August 20, 2021
“That was a fight I was interested in up until I saw him get dismantled by Oliveira,” Lee explained to James Lynch. “Especially on the ground. That one would hurt my heart a bit, because I would beat him so bad that it would take away from our first fight. I would do it; easy money is easy money. But, I think he’s too far gone, too far over the hill. I don’t like beating up on people that don’t put up a good fight.”
Lee was interested in the bout as recently as February 2021 but no longer. Up next for Lee is a return from major knee surgeries as a Welterweight, as he’ll face late replacement Daniel Rodriguez on August 28. Lee should probably win that bout before casting further stones, as “The MoTown Phenom” has lost three of his last four bouts.
As for Ferguson, he remains unbooked.
Insomnia
Kelvin Gastelum managed to make weight in the end, but man, any hopes of him ever returning to Welterweight (which should be reasonable for his frame) are foolhardy.
Gastelum’s second attempt: 186 pounds. He’s good to go and the main event with Jared Cannonier is official. #UFCVegas34
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) August 20, 2021
Breaking: Sean Strickland is still a strange bird.
Sean Strickland continues to be an interesting character pic.twitter.com/Ri9cuL0PeN
— Thomas (@RoeJogan1) August 20, 2021
Gilbert Burns reluctance to sink into the ice bath is very understandable.
Bellator’s abundance is Russian talent is starting to pay off in excellent match ups. Koreshkov and Khabilov are killers!
Verbal agreements in place for Andrey Koreshkov vs. Rustam Khabilov at #Bellator269 in Moscow, Russia. (Oct. 23rd) (per @ILazorin)
— Marcel Dorff (@BigMarcel24) August 20, 2021
Gable Steveson is keeping all his options open.
Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson will be in attendance tonight at #Bellator265. He’s also expected to meet with Dana White and the UFC in Las Vegas in the coming days, too. pic.twitter.com/oo2B76xRUM
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) August 20, 2021
This is indeed a quick, accurate recap of Kayla Harrison’s recent PFL performances.
kayla harrison in the pfl, basically: pic.twitter.com/vrggiVJRB5
— Hektic_One (@hektic_one) August 20, 2021
Clay Guida was pretty deep into his professional career before crossing into the Octagon, but he’s still set some records!
At #UFCVegas34 Clay Guida will be competing in his 31st UFC bout.
Most UFC bouts:
Donald Cerrone: 37
Jim Miller: 37
Andrei Arlovski: 35
Jeremy Stephens: 34
Demian Maia: 33
Diego Sanchez: 32— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) August 19, 2021
Slips, rips, and KO clips
A bunch of cool angles on the shin-to-the-ear connection! High kicks over the punch are nasty.
HOLY HIGH KICK!! Esquivel shuts off Villanueva in the third round!! Tune in to CBS Sports immediately! #KarateCombat pic.twitter.com/uTCYkLOFH3
— Karate Combat (@KarateCombat) August 20, 2021
Once the lapel is under the chin, danger!
One Championship’s Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat injures his foe’s lead leg then pounces on it:
Random Land
Low gravity pants!
Midnight Music: It’s been four years since Lorde’s excellent LP Melodrama, but the New Zealand pop star released her follow up Solar Power today. There are some serious ‘70s pop vibes on this thing!
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.