Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!
Welcome to Midnight Mania!
No. 6-ranked UFC Lightweight contender Rafael Fiziev has found some serious success inside the Octagon.
Though the accomplish kickboxer did lose his UFC debut back in 2019 to Magomed Mustafaev, he’s been flawless since. “Ataman” has won six straight fights, most recently stopping Rafael dos Anjos in the fifth round of their UFC Vegas 58 main event in July 2022. Also notable is that Fiziev has won either a performance bonus or “Fight of the Night” honors in his last five fights.
That’s an additional $250,000 on top of his show and win purses.
In short, though we may complain about fighter pay fairly often, we can say with confidence that Fiziev is pulling a pretty decent income in recent years. He’s also an established striking coach at Tiger Muay Thai, which doesn’t hurt the bank account either. All of this is to say that it’s rather odd that Fiziev’s former training team, Phuket Top Team (PTT), is accusing him of skipping out on three month’s worth of rent payments.
Which, in my experience and estimation, is ballpark 39,000 Thai baht AKA like 1200 bucks.
Even more strangely, this accusation comes from the PTT Twitter account … in a reply to UFC Lightweight Renato Moicano? “Money” Moicano did fight Fiziev back in 2020, but he otherwise has nothing to do with the situation!
#PayYourRent Fiziev owes 3 months rent for over 3 years to Thai house owner.
Has written to them saying he would pay multiple times, but never has.Doesn’t dispute owing rent just doesn’t want want to pay it.@Justin_Gaethje please collect the rent
— Phuket Top Team (@PhuketTopTeam) January 16, 2023
#PayYourRent Fiziev owes 3 months rent for over 3 years to Thai house owner. Has written to them saying he would pay multiple times, but never has. Doesn’t dispute owing rent just doesn’t want want to pay it. @Justin_Gaethje please collect the rent”
Phuket Top Team also claims to have the “paper work and messages to prove it,” though no such documents have emerged on Twitter as of yet. Fiziev has also yet to publicly respond.
Whatever the case with his Thailand housing situation, Fiziev’s career continues to trend upwards. After months of callouts, Fiziev has finally secured a showdown opposite Justin Gaethje on March 18 at UFC 286 in London, England.
Insomnia
Francis Ngannou has morals and a sense of self-worth, which has been widely frowned upon by the UFC/MMA community.
Eric Nicksick says they met with Dana and Hunter after the fight.
Francis told him in the car afterwards:
If I sign this deal. If I do this without making any change,
without doing all the things that I said I was gonna do, I’m just another sell out. #TheMMAHour pic.twitter.com/SPnlneZYWK— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) January 16, 2023
One of these is … not like the other.
— UFC Roster Watch (@UFCRosterWatch) January 16, 2023
Cedric Doumbe saw what happened the last time Sean Strickland fought a kickboxing champ, and he wants some of that action! UFC, resign that man ASAP!
— Cédric Doumbè (@CedricDoumbe) January 16, 2023
Mateusz Gamrot is angling to fight Rafael dos Anjos.
Sounds great https://t.co/3O9fbJcAGg
— Mateusz Gamrot (@gamer_mma) January 16, 2023
A rare fight booked at women’s Featherweight:
Karol Rosa will fight Norma Dumont at UFC event on April 22nd. (per @AgFight) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2023 #FW pic.twitter.com/2ShkHoLWuC
— Marcel Dorff (@BigMarcel24) January 16, 2023
Please, dear readers, never allow the Cody McKenzie era to be forgotten.
Sorting some events on an old hard drive and found this Cody McKenzie entrance from M-1 Challenge 54. Every beat is perfection. pic.twitter.com/nLC0tNlWcR
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) January 13, 2023
If UFC skips Curtis Blaydes over in favor of a Stipe Miocic title shot after all this time, that would be disappointingly par for the course.
Curtis Blaydes responds to the Gane-Jones title shot
would the winner of a Blaydes-Pavlovich potential fight get the title shot over Stipe? pic.twitter.com/RLFplf5uR4
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) January 15, 2023
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Ion Cutelaba has been on the wrong side of several when-keeping-it-real-goes-wrong type highlight videos.
Never forget when a brash Ion Cutelaba stormed across the UFC’s Octagon to confront Glover Teixeira, only to be greeted with “Not today”. #UFC283 pic.twitter.com/Zc0iojKvh5
— Mike’s MMA Picks (@MikesMMAPicks) January 15, 2023
SUMO!
Day6
M10 Hiradoumi 3-2
M8 ?h? 0-5
Nice pivot for a SUKUINAGE (beltless throw). Both these two look to be on their way to greatness, even with ?h?’s current 0-5. #hatsubasho2023 pic.twitter.com/Fm2gLlhmp5— Sumo Soul ??? (@TheSumoSoul) January 13, 2023
A quality scrap ends with a massive overhand connection:
Best Fights of 2022;
Esneth Domingo TKO4 Kosuke Tomioka.
12/26/2022. pic.twitter.com/2GcP3mFdNw— . (@BoxingJournaIs) January 15, 2023
Random Land
Perspective is a tricky thing.
Midnight Music: Hip-hop, 2002
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.