Midnight Mania! ‘Triple C’ Wants To Train ‘No Love’

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Despite his attempts to draw Alexander Volkanovski into a fight, Henry Cejudo has fully embraced his coaching role since retirement.

Since that 2020 retirement, “Triple C” and his head coach, Eric Albarracin, have taken an active role in many top fighters’ training camps. Highly ranked contenders like Zhang Weili and Jiri Prochazaka have turned to Cejudo for guidance, and most impressively, Cejudo was in Deiveson Figueiredo’s title-winning bid vs. Brandon Moreno at UFC 270.

Next up for Coach Cejudo? The ex-Olympic wrestler is interested in helping out Cody Garbrandt, the struggling former Bantamweight champion. The two were once looked at as potential foes and traded some verbal shots, but now, Cejudo wants to help Garbrandt make the most of his talents. Additionally, the two share the same management, led by Ali Abdelaziz.

“I talked to Cody Gabrandt, too, a little bit because I still think he has the talent,” Cejudo said in an interview with Helen Yee (via MMAJunkie). “There’s a lot of opportunity for him to continue to keep growing, and I think whatever it is that he’s done in the past, I just want to guide him. I don’t necessarily want him here full time but just give him a two cents of how is it that I think he should probably train. How is it that he should probably take the distance because Cody is so technical, he shouldn’t be in fist fights. He needs to just technically pick you apart …

“We talked to him on the phone. He’s good friends with Ali (Abdelaziz). I’m looking out for him. I think his career, it blossomed in the beginning, and it’s just a lot of trial and error, and just fighting emotional has cost him.”

Do you think Henry Cejudo and his team can be the change Garbrandt needs at this stage of his career?

Insomnia

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Johnny Walker is looking plenty jacked ahead of his second main event opportunity.

Brian Ortega, confirmed romantic … even if lip tats only last a few years.

Paulo Costa would appear to be angling himself for a spot as Derek Brunson’s final opponent.

An update to this weekend’s event:

Kevin Holland is apparently making a habit out of beating up Internet trolls, and nothing of value is lost.

Stephen Thompson shares a trick for being quicker on the draw (or at least appearing faster).

Slips, rips, and KO clips

I call this video, “F—k around and find out.”

It doesn’t really matter if the first two punches miss if the next pair land on the jaw.

There is a bizarre conspiracy going about online that Derrick Lewis took a dive vs. Tai Tuivasa because of his strange fall, which prompted a thread of other wild KO clips.

Random Land

Snowball!

Midnight Music: I’m late to the party, but I started the Peter Jackson documentary series on The Beatles and their Get Back sessions. Fascinating to watch their process if you’re a fan!

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