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Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Mike Perry may have gotten smoked by Jake Paul (watch highlights), but “Platinum” still has options.
Not only does he remain the face of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), but Perry started his own promotion just prior to squaring off with Paul. His Dirty Boxing promotion is a Karate Combat-esque mix of MMA-style striking with limited ground work. The promotion is planning a September debut, but its inception greatly angered Conor McGregor, who is a part-owner of BKFC.
Following Perry’s loss to Paul, McGregor exploded on Twitter and claimed to fire Perry. “Platinum” already refuted McGregor’s firing once and suggested McGregor try boxing Paul himself. Now, Perry has elaborated further on his podcast, and he seems to believe he’s more of a BKFC owner than McGregor.
“Well thanks bro,” Perry said in response to McGregor’s firing tweet. “I don’t really want to fight right now. My rib hurts! I don’t really want to f—king fight, so thanks for the time off. I’ll tell you what, when people want to watch BKFC again, they’ll be calling me. They’re already calling me, but I’m not taking calls at this time … He’s my employee!”
Most likely, Perry will return to the BKFC squared circle following his Paul defeat. However, he did also discuss facing Paul in the Professional Fighter’s League (PFL) smart cage, which would certainly be interesting as well. Meanwhile, McGregor is still expected to face Michael Chandler sometime this year, though his return has already been delayed at least once.
Insomnia
Aside from his improved hand speed, Belal Muhammad’s ability to consistently get his hands locked when shooting was the most impressive part of his championship performance.
Belal’s takedowns on Leon ???
Cage doubles, high C’s, knee tap, his wrestling and pressure was on point last night pic.twitter.com/kL7HYHNIpJ
— schwick (@schwick6) July 28, 2024
I definitely thought this fight had already happened at some point in the last five years.
Ovince St.Preux will fight Ryan Spann at #UFCVegas97 on September 7th. (first rep. @mma_kings) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2024 pic.twitter.com/nQmoY1GLB4
— Marcel Dorff (@BigMarcel24) July 29, 2024
Wrestlers are some of the best athletes on the planet provided you don’t force them into ball sports.
We’ve got you covered in a pinch @usabasketball #Paris2024 | #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/klhV6oOWve
— USA Wrestling (@USAWrestling) July 29, 2024
Nate Maness’ release has generated some major attention. Perhaps it’ll result in a UFC return or at least better offer from a different promotion?
The @ufc has been in contact with us a couple different times since the post was put up. It’s clearly making a difference and they don’t like the light that has been casted on them. No trash talk. Just truth. @danawhite
Thank you guys for all the likes, shares and support pic.twitter.com/OdsFQekHbZ
— Nate Maness (@MayhemManess1) July 30, 2024
If you’re wondering what UFC Bantamweight Casey Kenney has been up to in his three years away from the Octagon, it doesn’t appear to be anything good.
DEVELOPING: Footage surfaces of police conducting a wellness check on UFC fighter Casey Kenney’s Arizona home after his girlfriend’s mother calls the police to report a domestic violence claim.
In one of the videos, you can see the mom knock on Kenney’s door looking for her… pic.twitter.com/hnUWt7rxcE
— Parry Punch (@ParryPunchNews) July 30, 2024
Cory Sandhagen offers his thoughts on his main event opponent, Umar Nurmagomedov.
Cory Sandhagen thinks that Umar Nurmagomedov is a better striker than wrestler.
“Just coming from that region [Dagestan], of course, all people expect you to be a great grappler. The most unique thing about him is his striking style. His grappling is pretty by-the-book… pic.twitter.com/kAbDe3MI5S
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) July 30, 2024
Five years is a lifetime in MMA.
It’s been a long long time since Tony Ferguson last won pic.twitter.com/XeTRmIXzgi
— MMA On Point (@OnPointMMA) July 30, 2024
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Ducking into a knee is a bad way to go.
The knee of death ?? pic.twitter.com/Wj6yNL0dIp
— Cerebral Vigilante (@Delisketo) July 29, 2024
A quick clip highlighting the Soviet style boxing of Dmitry Bivol.
A perfect right high kick.
Random Land
A really cool story from Paris 2024.
First-time Olympian at age 58:
> 18yo: One of China’s top table tennis players and headed for Olympics
> 20yo: A rule change affected her game and she decided to teach
> Up to 34yo: Moved to Chile and trained played there
> Next 20yrs: Retired
> 54yo: Buys a ping pong table… https://t.co/LlyxqC4YJT— Trung Phan (@TrungTPhan) July 29, 2024
Midnight Music: Blues, 1955
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.