Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every quarantined night!
Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a top-ranked fighter is already eyeing a second belt before winning the first one. It’s a common story that usually ends poorly, but historic trends have not dissuaded Paulo Costa’s confidence. Giant muscles and a perfect professional record do afford a certain amount of hubris, but Costa is ready to jump into the 205-pound fray with remarkable quickness.
“I believe I can take two belts, Middleweight and Light Heavyweight,” Costa told MMA Junkie. “I believe that. I’m very big, and it’s a little difficult to make 185, so I think I can take two belts to my country after my next fight. My plan is to move to light heavyweight very soon, quickly after my next fight if it’s possible. It depends who, if light heavyweight will have a great name like Jon Jones or not, it depends, but I’m not scared to fight against big guys.”
If Israel Adesanya’s plans become reality, Costa will face off with “Stylebender” at some point over Summer on Fight Island. Fighting soon could potentially time out well for Costa to move up into the 205-pound title picture, assuming he were able to hand Adesanya his first loss. Naturally, Costa had to throw a shot at the current Middleweight champion too.
“Like the skinny guy Adesanya, he calls Jon Jones out, but when Jon Jones accepts, he says, ‘No I need two years to train,’ … so it’s not good,” Costa said. “Nobody can call something and when his challenge (is) accepted, he says, ‘No, not now.’ This is shameful (expletive). I won’t be that. I’m ready, if I want to fight in light heavyweight right now, I can do that. So I believe after this fight, I will move to the next step, on the next shot.”
Whether he wins the title or not, Costa eventually moving to Light Heavyweight is to be expected. In his victory over Yoel Romero, it was revealed by the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) that Costa regained roughly 15% of his body weight, stepping into the cage at 213.8 lbs.
Insomnia
Breaking: Amanda Nunes hits terrifyingly hard.
“I had never been whooped on like that by a female… I was like ‘How? What? Did I get hit by a truck? What happened here?'”@KaylaH recalls her first sparring session with “role model” Amanda Nunes (via @bokamotoESPN) pic.twitter.com/bdriDrJi6S
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 1, 2020
On the lighter side of current events: we get to see what Ovince Saint Preux looks like at Heavyweight!
OSP explains decision to move up to heavyweight for Ben Rothwell bout on May 13.
How do you think he will do at heavyweight? @mma_kings‘ full interview: https://t.co/zNcG9yatgo pic.twitter.com/uAN1y1gOBw
— MMA Junkie (@MMAjunkie) May 2, 2020
What’s the weirdest thing your cat will eat? We’ve learned the hard way one of ours will devour dried fruit, spinach, cupcake icing and anything in between.
Everybody knows cats love popcorn. @Jon_Anik sorry to disappoint but I went back to corn products pic.twitter.com/MMbLYwRhll
— Forrest Griffin (@ForrestGriffin) May 2, 2020
Josh Emmett does his best to replicate the viral Mike Tyson clip — not trying to make comparisons for obvious reasons, but you could do worse when trying to find an MMA fighter who throws killer hooks!
Speaking of “Iron,” it should be mentioned that he was working with legendary Muay Thai coach Rafael Cordeiro, and the two have “great news” coming!
Dominick Cruz shows off some wear and tear; the former champ’s toughness is undeniable!
Slips, rips, and KO clips
A sweet highlight of the “Greatest ADCC match of all time” between Kron Gracie and Garry Tonon.
On this day … a killer knockout from Manny Pacquiao!
On this date in 2009, Manny Pacquiao defeated Ricky Hatton with a vicious 2nd round KO. pic.twitter.com/vj2GMtrG5E
— DAZN USA (@DAZN_USA) May 2, 2020
You don’t play Muay Thai.
Random Land
2020 is straight up garbage. Murder hornets? Please just shoot me.
A new threat reaches the United States: A massive hornet with mandibles that rip bees to shreds and a stinger so potent that one unfortunate victim likened it to “having red-hot thumbtacks being driven into my flesh.”https://t.co/miU3QLGCF9
— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) May 2, 2020
Midnight Music: Soundgarden’s Superunknown was one of the first CDs I owned as a young teen, and it still holds up incredibly well!
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.