Midnight Mania! Wanderlei For Brazilian Congress? He Might Retire After Rampage Fight

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Wanderlei Silva has a fourth bout with Rampage Jackson coming up, this time at Bellator on September 29, the co-main event on a card headlined by a legitimate superfight between Rory Macdonald and Gegard Mousasi.

But a mere 10 days after that? He’ll be hanging up his gloves- possibly for good- and hitting the campaign trail, as he plans on running for the Brazilian version of Congress. Via MMAJunkie.com:

“I’m not going to accept money from anybody,” he said. “I’m going to use the media to promote my name because I want to be there with my hands clean, to be different.”

“Maybe this is going to be my last fight, and after, I’ll go to the next step,” he said.

It’s admirable that he plans on not taking any money from the campaign, no doubt relying on his fame in his home country to make up for the donations. This isn’t the first time he has run for office; in 2014 he ran for Congress under the banner of the centrist Social Democracy party. At the time, he had this memorable quote:

I just opened a free, public MMA gym in Paraiba, so why can’t Curitiba or Sao Paulo have one? No money? Someone needs to do this. I’m tired of asking, so I’m going to do that on my own hands at the congress. No more corrupt politicians stealing from us. This generation needs to go to jail, retire or die. It’s the time for the good people, but we need to do something. It needs to be good for everybody. And if you think Romario is controversial, wait until I get there.”

Go to jail, retire, or die. That probably reflects how a lot of Americans think of our own political leaders as well.


Insomnia

Tony Ferguson getting back in shape after his knee surgery

Vasyl Lomachenko knows how to wrestle, he’s got leg kicks… if there was one boxer I would wager would do very well in MMA, it’s him.

Lomachenko leg kicks > Everyone else pic.twitter.com/yGKlhBgwpP

— ZombieProphet (@GIFsByZP) June 26, 2018

Same, Santiago Ponzinibbio. Same.

Pretty cool artwork for Derrick “the Black Beast” Lewis ahead of his UFC 226 bout with Francis Ngannou

@dosbrak

A post shared by Derrick Lewis (@thebeastufc) on Jun 26, 2018 at 1:10pm PDT

GSP’s reaction in this old clip with Matt Huges is golden

god matt hughes sucks pic.twitter.com/1Dpd67wJZY

— Leg Kickin Tacos (@LegKickTKO) June 26, 2018

I’m still waiting for someone to throw their opponent out of the cage like Tank Abbot tried to do.

Don’t get launched out the cage! @alliancemmagym @rolandotheartist

A post shared by Darrion Caldwell (@thewolfmma) on Jun 26, 2018 at 12:40pm PDT

A much younger Dana White

“He’s mine” – Dana White

A post shared by COMBAT SPORTS / MARTIAL ARTS (@thestranglesquad) on Jun 26, 2018 at 12:29pm PDT

The UFC’s least-known champion, flyweight Nicco Montano, reflects on the challenges of the mixed martial arts life and the greater challenges her Native American ancestors faced, drawing on their legacy for motivation.

There are plenty of days I think to myself, “why do you want to keep doing this to yourself”… broken bones, tendinitis, muscle tears, tendon and ligament tears, arthritis, weight cuts. Etc… Then I think of where I came from and where I am now… I’ve only been fighting for 5 years total, I have competed in two weight divisions, gathering three titles all together. When I catch myself thinking “why keep doing this” I think of plenty more real struggles that people before me and around me currently have and had to endure, especially my lineage. I literally wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them not giving up in so many ways. So in times of struggle I put a smile on and say to myself, “this is easy, you choose to do this, so make it fun”. #native #mma #champcamp #indigenous #pride #wmma #ufc #hustleforthemuscle

A post shared by N I C C O R A E (@nrmontano) on Jun 26, 2018 at 12:28pm PDT

Rory Macdonald fighting Gegard Mousasi might just be the perfect deadpan fight. Only Gunnar Nelson has more zen calm about him.

does leaning back make me look bigger? #champchamp

A post shared by Rory “RED KING” Macdonald (@romac_gorilla) on Jun 26, 2018 at 9:02am PDT

Those are the buffest nerds I’ve ever seen

A post shared by COMBAT SPORTS / MARTIAL ARTS (@thestranglesquad) on Jun 26, 2018 at 1:06pm PDT

This is equally as credible as that Zoolander dance-fighting scene.

Чей же вид боевых искусств? ))

Posted by Makhmud Sambo on Sunday, June 24, 2018

Darren Till bought himself a very glitzy watch.

Suga Sean O’Malley preparing for his comeback

King of entertainment #teamsanabul #bjj #mma #ufc #sugashow

A post shared by Sugar Sean O’Malley (@sugaseanmma) on Jun 25, 2018 at 9:23pm PDT

The other Suga, Rashad Evans, has retired and gotten congratulations from many in the MMA world for a long and successful career. That includes his old foe and Fox Sports cohost Michael Bisping, who also recently retired

This weekend in combat sports:

Live Combat Sport Schedule: 6/26 – 7/1

Full Schedule: https://t.co/g15Fo72KTt pic.twitter.com/edL2msiYEo

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) June 26, 2018


Quick Hits


Random Land

Training to be Thor

Lionel Messi finally stepped up to get Argentina out of the group stage with this incredible goal

#MundialTelemundo ¡Golazo! de #Messi y #ARG ya lo gana sobre #NGA . Así lo narra @AndresCantorGOL pic.twitter.com/U7qdX3We9C

— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) June 26, 2018

#MundialTelemundo #ARG está tocando las puertas de la siguiente ronda y #Maradona lo sabe. pic.twitter.com/FszPOLqB1w

— Telemundo Deportes (@TelemundoSports) June 26, 2018

Ricardo Quaresma has been doing this trivela shot since like 2005 and it’s still awesome

OH MY, Quaresma!

The 34-year-old rewards his manager with a beautiful outside-of-the-foot shot that finds the upper corner. pic.twitter.com/wmhTCm7X8y

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 25, 2018

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!

Wanderlei Silva has a fourth bout with Rampage Jackson coming up, this time at Bellator on September 29, the co-main event on a card headlined by a legitimate superfight between Rory Macdonald and Gegard Mousasi.

But a mere 10 days after that? He’ll be hanging up his gloves- possibly for good- and hitting the campaign trail, as he plans on running for the Brazilian version of Congress. Via MMAJunkie.com:

“I’m not going to accept money from anybody,” he said. “I’m going to use the media to promote my name because I want to be there with my hands clean, to be different.”

“Maybe this is going to be my last fight, and after, I’ll go to the next step,” he said.

It’s admirable that he plans on not taking any money from the campaign, no doubt relying on his fame in his home country to make up for the donations. This isn’t the first time he has run for office; in 2014 he ran for Congress under the banner of the centrist Social Democracy party. At the time, he had this memorable quote:

I just opened a free, public MMA gym in Paraiba, so why can’t Curitiba or Sao Paulo have one? No money? Someone needs to do this. I’m tired of asking, so I’m going to do that on my own hands at the congress. No more corrupt politicians stealing from us. This generation needs to go to jail, retire or die. It’s the time for the good people, but we need to do something. It needs to be good for everybody. And if you think Romario is controversial, wait until I get there.”

Go to jail, retire, or die. That probably reflects how a lot of Americans think of our own political leaders as well.


Insomnia

Tony Ferguson getting back in shape after his knee surgery

Vasyl Lomachenko knows how to wrestle, he’s got leg kicks… if there was one boxer I would wager would do very well in MMA, it’s him.

Same, Santiago Ponzinibbio. Same.

Pretty cool artwork for Derrick “the Black Beast” Lewis ahead of his UFC 226 bout with Francis Ngannou

@dosbrak

A post shared by Derrick Lewis (@thebeastufc) on

GSP’s reaction in this old clip with Matt Huges is golden

I’m still waiting for someone to throw their opponent out of the cage like Tank Abbot tried to do.

Don’t get launched out the cage! @alliancemmagym @rolandotheartist

A post shared by Darrion Caldwell (@thewolfmma) on

A much younger Dana White

“He’s mine” – Dana White

A post shared by COMBAT SPORTS / MARTIAL ARTS (@thestranglesquad) on

The UFC’s least-known champion, flyweight Nicco Montano, reflects on the challenges of the mixed martial arts life and the greater challenges her Native American ancestors faced, drawing on their legacy for motivation.

Rory Macdonald fighting Gegard Mousasi might just be the perfect deadpan fight. Only Gunnar Nelson has more zen calm about him.

does leaning back make me look bigger? #champchamp

A post shared by Rory “RED KING” Macdonald (@romac_gorilla) on

Those are the buffest nerds I’ve ever seen

A post shared by COMBAT SPORTS / MARTIAL ARTS (@thestranglesquad) on

This is equally as credible as that Zoolander dance-fighting scene.

??? ?? ??? ?????? ????????? ))

Posted by Makhmud Sambo on Sunday, June 24, 2018

Darren Till bought himself a very glitzy watch.

Suga Sean O’Malley preparing for his comeback

King of entertainment #teamsanabul #bjj #mma #ufc #sugashow

A post shared by Sugar Sean O’Malley (@sugaseanmma) on

The other Suga, Rashad Evans, has retired and gotten congratulations from many in the MMA world for a long and successful career. That includes his old foe and Fox Sports cohost Michael Bisping, who also recently retired

This weekend in combat sports:


Quick Hits


Random Land

Training to be Thor

Lionel Messi finally stepped up to get Argentina out of the group stage with this incredible goal

Ricardo Quaresma has been doing this trivela shot since like 2005 and it’s still awesome

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