Midnight Mania! Nate Diaz claims UFC offered him title shot ‘in any weight class,’ but he’s going to box instead

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Ufc offered me title fight in any weight class Im kool though I’ll givem a shot when they do something good
On to the next sport for now

— Nathan Diaz (@NateDiaz209) December 9, 2017

There was a lot going on in this tweet by Nathan Donald Diaz today. Firstly, he said he has been offered a title fight in any weight class. This is part of the ongoing narrative that began when it was rumored Diaz vs. Woodley was in the works for UFC 219. That never materialized, probably because the UFC didn’t offer Diaz enough money. Afterward, Dana White claimed that talks were never serious, that one of their lawyers went off the reservation. Both Diaz and Woodley were quick to call Dana on his shit, Diaz doing it via hilarious video meme.

Shutup bitch. Your both thirsty …. And why is u lying

A post shared by natediaz209 (@natediaz209) on Nov 30, 2017 at 2:12pm PST

Secondly, Diaz says that he’s kool, and he will give them a shot when they do something good. In other words, he isn’t about to give up millions of dollars to fight someone besides Conor McGregor.

Speaking of Conor McGregor …

The last part of the tweet is “On to the next sport for now”, and in case you thought he was referring to water polo, Diaz included two boxing glove emojis. Guess what news got announced earlier today?

In the boxing world, reports tonight Manny Pacquiao -39 later this month – has confirmed he’s opened talks to fight Conor McGregor in April next year.

— Jim White (@JimWhite) December 8, 2017

Diaz has a history of watching what McGregor does and then imitating that behavior — especially when it comes to boxing. In Diaz’s mind, he’s the original, and McGregor is stealing everything he worked for, motherfucker. He’s the guy who has been sparring high-level boxers since before McGregor got into UFC; he should be the one boxing professionally now.

It’s not clear what opponent Diaz has in mind, if any, but it could be interesting seeing where he, and McGregor for that matter, take things. Dana White has said Zuffa is getting into boxing, but will Nate Diaz be at all interested in being promoted by Zuffa boxing? If he decides to box under another promotion, as is his right under the Ali Act, will the UFC be able to stop him? If McGregor is serious about boxing Manny Pacquiao, are the UFC just going to let him keep the lightweight title while chasing another big-money fight in boxing?

Insomnia

#Neverforget

Early thoughts on McGregor/Pacquiao.. pic.twitter.com/xPKaYjyeB8

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 9, 2017

Justin Gaethje released this statement today:

Started wrestling at 4. I’ve lost before and I will lose again. It is the nature of the beast. I love what I do and the people I do it with. Thank you for all the love and support. On to the next one. pic.twitter.com/0w0UkPcEnR

— Justin Gaethje (@Justin_Gaethje) December 8, 2017

With Robert Whittaker booked against Rockhold at UFC 221, it’s a good time to bring up how hard he hits again:

pic.twitter.com/hS3OkVKYS1

— Fury’s Fight Picks (@FurysFightPicks) December 8, 2017

It’s always too much to expect for Reebok and UFC to gear their fighters correctly.

They couldn’t get Ortega sandals in his own size?#UFCFresno pic.twitter.com/VV3blvgMq3

— JustBleedMMA (@JustBleedMMA) December 9, 2017

Uber Tale of the Tape for Swanson-Ortega tomorrow night:

Our @MMAOddsBreaker Premium Free Bet For #GLORY49 Is Now Available: https://t.co/vzXXtE7Msq – Free Bet, #UFCFightNight 123 Betting Preview Podcast and FN 123 Uber Tapes! pic.twitter.com/mZKPh5gABX

— MMAOB Premium (@MMAOBPremium) December 9, 2017

Gokhan Saki doing recovery exercises …

Everyone can be positive when everything goes good in life. The challenge starts when everything goes bad in life. Let’s do this. Never give up. Underwater Treadmill. @ufcpi @ufc @ufceurope #motivation #dedication #ufc pic.twitter.com/GOcbT356CE

— Gokhan Saki (@gokhantherebel) December 8, 2017

I will never cease to be impressed with the kind of shape fighters are in:

Matt Brown might stay retired if you buy his exercise equipment …

Always fun when blood is spattering on the commentator’s notes outside the cage:

We’ve got a fight! pic.twitter.com/Npbc31a741

— TJ De Santis (@TJDeSantis) December 9, 2017

Gotta love a woman who can fight with vocabulary.

@julesk_fighter has the best commentating. “She looked inconvenienced and tired.” That’s just how I felt when Nicco caught my knee & took me down in the last round! Dang it! LOL That was very inconvenient for me.

— Roxanne Modafferi (@Roxyfighter) December 9, 2017

I am extremely impressed with everything about MacKenzie Dern. @InvictaFights

— Roxanne Modafferi (@Roxyfighter) December 9, 2017

Mackenzie Derrrr … I feel bad for this tasteless joke already.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s strength and conditioning coaches RIP into her weight cut team, blaming them in large part for her poor performance at UFC 217.

Speaking the TRUTH!! #Repost @fightshape_ricci (@get_repost) ・・・ I do my best to stifle negative comments about fightsport colleagues, but, Joanna is one of my favorite fighters. Yet respect to Rose, she is a great fighter & wonderful young woman. Joanna’s skill is superb, conditioning elite as her S&C coach is amongst the best in MMA, if not the best @darustrong. Amongst her skill, Joanna is known for her chin & resiliency so last fight was completely inconsistent with her career (I know anyone can knock out anyone, it’s a fight) I understand fully Joanna became champ with this very weightcut team so I get why blame PA now? Obviously, adjustments need be made as a fighter ages, there are potential metabolic adaptive effects over years of cuts, & fighters like Joanna are so skilled, in such great shape, & so tough, they override shit cuts most of their career. My experience with this weightcut team started on a phone call in which I was belittled & talk down to for an hour, condemnation towards my training & nutritional protocols, particularly my supplement protocol as whey protein, creatine, essential aminos, & even beta-alanine, were considered deleterious to fight performance & inconsistent with their -Holistic Approach- which includes God Dam hummus & pretzels as a valid post-training meal! The result of these holistic practices was a solid camp ending with my fighter in the cage 12Ibs light & unsuccessful title defense, which to this day, I attribute the lost to the absolute worst rehydration protocol I have seen in 2O yrs of full-time MMA practice. Actually, it was quite impressive as i have never seen an athlete’s Biomotor & Cognitive abilities destroyed so well in only 24 hrs. I wish the best for Rose in her title defenses, but will certainly pull diligently for Joanna to get her Belt Back & hope she remodels her metabolism & again achieves optimal fight performance. I’ think it best she is no longer with PA team. To PA Team, my words, treat your peers with decency, & STAY THE F$CK OUT OF OUR WAY SHOULD I or PHIL DARU have the misfortune of having to collaborate with your arrogance again.

A post shared by Phil Daru FMS CFSC ISSA-KMS (@darustrong) on Dec 8, 2017 at 6:22pm PST

Apparently it was really awful …

JJ about her weightcut before #UFC217: “I was screaming. It didn’t matter it was very late. The pain of putting my body back again in hot water was unimaginable. But I wanted to do it very all who wanted to see my fight”. She believes it was a “miracle” that she made the weight. https://t.co/P4jVxpsZIj

— Bartek Stachura (@Lowkingpl) December 8, 2017

It IS snowing in Houston … but Derrick Lewis has another goal:

It’s snowing in Houston but it’s just a distraction so I won’t find Ronda in all this snow #snowbunny

— Derrick Lewis (@Thebeast_ufc) December 8, 2017

Who’s up for this Bellator heavyweight tourney?

Christmas is coming! But just on Feb 16th @bellatormma pic.twitter.com/cjdx0kLZ7j

— Roy Nelson (@roynelsonmma) December 8, 2017

T.J. Dillashaw backing the man who once kicked his butt in boxing sparring, Vasyl Lomachenko:

Looking forward to the @VasylLomachenko and @RigoElChacal305 fight Saturday. Who you got? #TeamLomachenko pic.twitter.com/AQTzTm831I

— TJ Dillashaw (@TJDillashaw) December 8, 2017

Max Holloway, who said he “Lomachenko’d” Aldo, will be in attendance:

You coming @BlessedMMA ?!?

— Hi-Tech Lomachenko (@VasylLomachenko) December 8, 2017

See you Saturday boss, glad to witness history in person! https://t.co/MTDy45sUzx

— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) December 8, 2017

Cannot wait for this!

Vasyl Lomachenko (405-2) vs. Guillermo Rigondeaux (480-12) pic.twitter.com/KLtr5V66Tc

— Bestrafer7 (@Bestrafer7) December 9, 2017

Slips, Rips, and KO Clips

Some day, Ronda Rousey is going to come back and fight Mackenzie Dern …

Welcome to @InvictaFights @MackenzieDern!!! Incredible performance! #InvictaFC26 pic.twitter.com/WozSRFUxlV

— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) December 9, 2017

A lot of armbars tonight!

Kay Hansen impresses in her pro debut! Not wasting any time! #InvictaFC26 pic.twitter.com/Chi9vklD2d

— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) December 9, 2017

Out cold!

Luis Ortiz blasts the West Virginia Mountaineer #Boxing #WilderOrtiz pic.twitter.com/9MRveUpVwn

— Round By Round Boxing (@RBRBoxing) December 9, 2017

I love this sequence — bounced back up with a spinning backfist:

Here’s the right hand by Semeleer that hurt Superbon in R1. Glove touched canvas, should have been called a knockdown. Nice recovery with the back fist though. pic.twitter.com/JSoD9viG7z

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) December 8, 2017

hellbows KOs collection
(The Battle MT) pic.twitter.com/ckdCbUoWAO

— Jolassanda (@Jolassanda) December 8, 2017

The #YearoftheKnee shall never end! #TKO41 pic.twitter.com/THGEFiv11y

— Kyle Johnson (@KidNobuhiko) December 9, 2017

These do look fun:

Don’t miss @dasoulassassin, @JoeSchilling187 and @johnwayneparr all back in action tomorrow on @spike at 10/9c #BellatorKB8 pic.twitter.com/XyRlsmqaeF

— Monster Energy (@MonsterEnergy) December 8, 2017

It’s Main Card time here at #TKO41 on #UFCFIGHTPASS featuring FIVE title fights! pic.twitter.com/cQlJFVpFDn

— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) December 9, 2017

This was a nice classic armbar:

Armbar central! The BJJ specialist and STILL undefeated @VirnaJandiroba secures the first round win and it doesn’t get any cleaner than that! #InvictaFC26 #WomensWeek #UFCFIGHTPASS pic.twitter.com/gbou2HHV8K

— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) December 9, 2017

It’s the body shot, idiot!

Vanessa Porto vs Milana Dudieva #InvictaFC26 pic.twitter.com/MzrMYVnJGK

— Zombie Prophet (@ZPGIFs) December 9, 2017

Nice trip …

Nice outside trip at F2W San Jose. #f2wpro57 pic.twitter.com/R3K9AazANP

— FloGrappling (@FloGrappling) December 9, 2017

Defense is the hardest part of striking to learn:

Podcasts and Video

On the latest MMA Outsiders, we discuss pancakes, Swanson-Ortega, Lomachenko-Rigondeaux, UFC 218, and tackle opposite perspectives on the news that GSP vacated the middleweight title.

Check us out on SoundCloud as well as iTunes and Stitcher on the official MMA Mania channel!

Follow MMA Mania on Youtube

https://t.co/RcpvwgAdPv Ep. 24 is live with an all “Ask Daru” show. @DaruStrong answered ?s from #listeners on programming #hypertrophy for weight classes, #cardio that can #burnfat & retain #muscle, conditioning for #MuayThai fighters, and much more. #podcast #fighstrength #MMA pic.twitter.com/tD00T8gWQr

— Fight Strength (@FightStrength_) December 8, 2017

Random Land

In my Facebook memories I found this old gem: my first (and only official) amateur MMA fight. I didn’t really know how to strike at this point, as you can see by the way I threw 60 million kicks in the second round, or the way I dropped my hands and ran into the overhand that broke my jaw. It was the only good punch he landed the entire fight, which annoyed me to no end. I also remember everything seeming surreal and feeling like I was punching through jelly … with no power.

Despite Andrew breaking his jaw in this fight he was still able to pull out a 2nd round tko win

Posted by 5th Round Fitness MMA on Sunday, December 8, 2013

Posted by 5th Round Fitness MMA on Sunday, December 8, 2013

Dogs are hilarious!

The only type of ‘burpee’ we can get behind.

: via Orla L. (IG: lyonseybeag) pic.twitter.com/AMETwCsYbf

— FITAID (@DrinkFITAID) December 8, 2017

Stay woke, Maniacs! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @Vorpality

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

There was a lot going on in this tweet by Nathan Donald Diaz today. Firstly, he said he has been offered a title fight in any weight class. This is part of the ongoing narrative that began when it was rumored Diaz vs. Woodley was in the works for UFC 219. That never materialized, probably because the UFC didn’t offer Diaz enough money. Afterward, Dana White claimed that talks were never serious, that one of their lawyers went off the reservation. Both Diaz and Woodley were quick to call Dana on his shit, Diaz doing it via hilarious video meme.

Shutup bitch. Your both thirsty …. And why is u lying

A post shared by natediaz209 (@natediaz209) on

Secondly, Diaz says that he’s kool, and he will give them a shot when they do something good. In other words, he isn’t about to give up millions of dollars to fight someone besides Conor McGregor.

Speaking of Conor McGregor …

The last part of the tweet is “On to the next sport for now”, and in case you thought he was referring to water polo, Diaz included two boxing glove emojis. Guess what news got announced earlier today?

Diaz has a history of watching what McGregor does and then imitating that behavior — especially when it comes to boxing. In Diaz’s mind, he’s the original, and McGregor is stealing everything he worked for, motherfucker. He’s the guy who has been sparring high-level boxers since before McGregor got into UFC; he should be the one boxing professionally now.

It’s not clear what opponent Diaz has in mind, if any, but it could be interesting seeing where he, and McGregor for that matter, take things. Dana White has said Zuffa is getting into boxing, but will Nate Diaz be at all interested in being promoted by Zuffa boxing? If he decides to box under another promotion, as is his right under the Ali Act, will the UFC be able to stop him? If McGregor is serious about boxing Manny Pacquiao, are the UFC just going to let him keep the lightweight title while chasing another big-money fight in boxing?

Insomnia

#Neverforget

Justin Gaethje released this statement today:

With Robert Whittaker booked against Rockhold at UFC 221, it’s a good time to bring up how hard he hits again:

It’s always too much to expect for Reebok and UFC to gear their fighters correctly.

Uber Tale of the Tape for Swanson-Ortega tomorrow night:

Gokhan Saki doing recovery exercises …

I will never cease to be impressed with the kind of shape fighters are in:

Matt Brown might stay retired if you buy his exercise equipment …

Always fun when blood is spattering on the commentator’s notes outside the cage:

Gotta love a woman who can fight with vocabulary.

Mackenzie Derrrr … I feel bad for this tasteless joke already.

Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s strength and conditioning coaches RIP into her weight cut team, blaming them in large part for her poor performance at UFC 217.

Speaking the TRUTH!! #Repost @fightshape_ricci (@get_repost) ??? I do my best to stifle negative comments about fightsport colleagues, but, Joanna is one of my favorite fighters. Yet respect to Rose, she is a great fighter & wonderful young woman. Joanna’s skill is superb, conditioning elite as her S&C coach is amongst the best in MMA, if not the best @darustrong. Amongst her skill, Joanna is known for her chin & resiliency so last fight was completely inconsistent with her career (I know anyone can knock out anyone, it’s a fight) I understand fully Joanna became champ with this very weightcut team so I get why blame PA now? Obviously, adjustments need be made as a fighter ages, there are potential metabolic adaptive effects over years of cuts, & fighters like Joanna are so skilled, in such great shape, & so tough, they override shit cuts most of their career. My experience with this weightcut team started on a phone call in which I was belittled & talk down to for an hour, condemnation towards my training & nutritional protocols, particularly my supplement protocol as whey protein, creatine, essential aminos, & even beta-alanine, were considered deleterious to fight performance & inconsistent with their -Holistic Approach- which includes God Dam hummus & pretzels as a valid post-training meal! The result of these holistic practices was a solid camp ending with my fighter in the cage 12Ibs light & unsuccessful title defense, which to this day, I attribute the lost to the absolute worst rehydration protocol I have seen in 2O yrs of full-time MMA practice. Actually, it was quite impressive as i have never seen an athlete’s Biomotor & Cognitive abilities destroyed so well in only 24 hrs. I wish the best for Rose in her title defenses, but will certainly pull diligently for Joanna to get her Belt Back & hope she remodels her metabolism & again achieves optimal fight performance. I’ think it best she is no longer with PA team. To PA Team, my words, treat your peers with decency, & STAY THE F$CK OUT OF OUR WAY SHOULD I or PHIL DARU have the misfortune of having to collaborate with your arrogance again.

A post shared by Phil Daru FMS CFSC ISSA-KMS (@darustrong) on

Apparently it was really awful …

It IS snowing in Houston … but Derrick Lewis has another goal:

Who’s up for this Bellator heavyweight tourney?

T.J. Dillashaw backing the man who once kicked his butt in boxing sparring, Vasyl Lomachenko:

Max Holloway, who said he “Lomachenko’d” Aldo, will be in attendance:

Cannot wait for this!

Slips, Rips, and KO Clips

Some day, Ronda Rousey is going to come back and fight Mackenzie Dern …

A lot of armbars tonight!

Out cold!

I love this sequence — bounced back up with a spinning backfist:

These do look fun:

This was a nice classic armbar:

It’s the body shot, idiot!

Nice trip …

Defense is the hardest part of striking to learn:

Podcasts and Video

On the latest MMA Outsiders, we discuss pancakes, Swanson-Ortega, Lomachenko-Rigondeaux, UFC 218, and tackle opposite perspectives on the news that GSP vacated the middleweight title.

Check us out on SoundCloud as well as iTunes and Stitcher on the official MMA Mania channel!

Follow MMA Mania on Youtube

Random Land

In my Facebook memories I found this old gem: my first (and only official) amateur MMA fight. I didn’t really know how to strike at this point, as you can see by the way I threw 60 million kicks in the second round, or the way I dropped my hands and ran into the overhand that broke my jaw. It was the only good punch he landed the entire fight, which annoyed me to no end. I also remember everything seeming surreal and feeling like I was punching through jelly … with no power.

Despite Andrew breaking his jaw in this fight he was still able to pull out a 2nd round tko win

Posted by 5th Round Fitness MMA on Sunday, December 8, 2013

Posted by 5th Round Fitness MMA on Sunday, December 8, 2013

Dogs are hilarious!

Stay woke, Maniacs! Follow me on Twitter and Facebook @Vorpality