Midnight Mania! ‘Massaranduba’ Is Pissed, Wants Win Bonus

Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Francisco Trinaldo has never really been one to create too many headlines in his seven years on the UFC roster. “Massaranduba” remains a fan favorite in his home country on the strength of his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil, but the Brazilian has mostly kept himself to Brazil, where he usually fights. From 2014-2016, Trinaldo went on a tear that saw him win seven straight, but since then he’s alternated wins and losses.

His loss to Alexander Hernandez this weekend at UFC San Antonio, however, really should not have went against him. According to MMAdecisions.com, 11 of 13 media members scored the bout for the 40 year-old-Brazilian, as did 91.7% of fan scorecards (at the time of writing).

Trinaldo is mad, and he talked with MMAFighting about his feelings on the fight:

“I’m still a bit upset. They shamelessly took the win away from me… He didn’t win one round. He didn’t land one strike that hurt me. Every strike I landed, he would open his eyes wide open. Just watch the fight. I know it’s not UFC’s fault, but these judges have to judge marbles tournaments instead. They suck. They took my win away and I’m the only one who was really harmed.”

After very briefly considering asking the promotion for his release, Trinaldo decided he’d rather pursue his win bonus, as “Everybody saw I won. UFC employees were shocked.” There is something of a precedent for such an event, notably when Ross Pearson was awarded his win bonus after trouncing Diego Sanchez en route to a split-decision loss.

Lastly, Trinaldo threw his ire toward Hernandez, who abandoned his usual aggressive style in favor of an odd attempt at becoming a rangy kickboxer (a step backwards). Trinaldo described his foe as a “kid” who “acts all cocky, but when the cage closes he’s a p***y.”

Ultimately, it seems unlikely that the Brazilian will be awarded his win bonus, in large part because it was an unexciting fight. Worse still, incompetent judging has been a known issue in Texas for most of the years I’ve been a fight fan, but there seems to be no real improvement.

The fight game is certainly a frustrating one.

Insomnia

After the Texas judges robbed Francisco Trinaldo, Mike Perry tweeted, “That decision seemed racist.” That’s hilarious on its own, but I laughed out loud when someone linked the below post:

When I first saw the cut above dos Anjos’ eye, I was almost certain the fight would be stopped, but his cut man did an amazing job of sealing the wound.

A lot of Colby Covington jokes miss the mark, but this is pretty funny.

I must agree with Caposa, this is a card worth staying up for.

Josh Emmett usually leaves the country for vacation after his fight, and he took the time to meet a young fan and family while in England.

Pacquiao reflects a bit after winning a world title at 40.

This is impressive hammer slamming.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

This ridiculous combination of elbows would make even Tony Ferguson jealous.

If the bottom man is aware enough, throwing up the triangle at the exact time an opponent reaches to punch is a great strategy.

This is just a brutal face-plant.

Speaking of brutal, liver shots and low kicks are the most painful blows in combat sports (at least in my experience).

Random Land

Videos like the one below built the Internet.

Midnight Music: Listened to 1964’s A Girl Called Dusty for the first (and then second) time today and very much enjoyed it.

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