Midnight Mania! McGregor: Poirier Practice For Pacman

Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Though it’s not the most high-profile bout imaginable for Conor McGregor, fighting Dustin Poirier makes a lot of sense. For one, there’s history there, as the two first fought in 2014, with McGregor knocking “The Diamond” out quickly (HIGHLIGHTS). More importantly, Khabib Nurmagomedov has largely put his foot down in regards to a rematch with the Irishman, demanding McGregor earn his way to the title.

Defeating the highly-ranked former champion is an excellent argument for a title shot.

However, McGregor himself has taken to Twitter to clarify that he’s not building towards Khabib at all. Instead, “Notorious” wants to fight Poirier to prepare himself for another Southpaw boxer in Manny Pacquiao, whom McGregor insists he’ll fight in the near future.

I think most any knowledgeable boxing or fight fan would immediately agree there are several levels of skill between Poirier and Pacquiao — which I saw with utmost respect regarding “The Diamond” — but hey, a leftie is a leftie! At any rate, Poirier responded back on Twitter and didn’t seem offended at the idea of being overlooked.

Also worth-remembering: Poirier is only a Southpaw on the feet. He’s a jiu-jitsu black belt on the mat, which could come into play …

Insomnia

Ronaldo Souza calls for a rematch with Yoel Romero, which seems like an appropriate fight for both men.

I have no idea if Israel Adesanya actually paid for what appears to be a naked painting of Jon Jones, but I genuinely hope that’s the truth.

Watch a young Giga Chikadze kick a poor child in the neck:

UFC quality control on point!

The “Khamzat” eye tattoo makes this quality.

These hotel celebrations are a pretty neat aspect of Fight Island — perhaps something the broadcast could highlight?

Joaquin Buckley is deservedly going to be remembered for his legendary jumping spin kick knockout this weekend, and he’s already seen a major jump in fame. At my time of writing, his current follower count is up to 65.5k followers!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

I need a better quality video to really see the grip on the guillotine, but judging by the quickness of the tap, this one was crushing the windpipe.

It’s always cool to see the difference in speed, power, and execution of kicks between MMA fighters and real kickboxers.

A brutal head kick prompts zero referee reaction:

Random Land

Watch the video, read the caption, then watch the video again.

Midnight Music: J Dilla forever!

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