Midnight Mania! Was Gane ‘Scared To Death’ At UFC 285?

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

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Jon Jones absolutely ran through Ciryl Gane last weekend (Sat., March 4, 2023) in the UFC 285 main event. After a few short exchanges on the feet, “Bones” timed a takedown attempt perfectly, advanced position without issue, and wrapped up a fight-ending guillotine choke as Gane tried to use the fence to stand (HIGHLIGHTS). Fans waited a decade for Jones’ Heavyweight debut, but the whole thing only lasted a couple minutes!

On the other side of the equation, a lot of critique has been thrown in Gane’s direction. It was, to put it bluntly, a bad showing for “Bon Gamin.” As a result, the former interim champion has been accused of failing to take the sport seriously, and his grappling defense has been mocked extensively. Numerous fans online are calling for Gane to abandon his long-time coach Fernand Lopez as a result of the defeat.

Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen has a different perspective. In his view, Gane lost the mental battle and was afraid of his opponent, which is more costly than a mere technical error.

“Ciryl Gane was scared to death,” Sonnen said on his YouTube Channel (via MiddleEasy). “The way that Ciryl Gane ran from Jon, dropped my jaw and I’m not the biggest believer in Ciryl Gane, I don’t want to be a jerk to Gane, or ever kick a guy when he’s down, I’ve been in his exact spot.”

He continued, “Ciryl was not the first choice for his match, Ngannou was, Ciryl was not the second choice, Stipe was, so we went with our third choice. Understanding that, I still didn’t know that Ciryl was scared. Ciryl is allegedly, I’ve never seen it with my own eyes, but I’ve been told a professional kickboxer. I’ve never seen him do it with my own eyes,” he said. “So Ciryl is a striker and we’re gonna start this damn thing in your realm, you can’t be scared, just can’t be.”

Let’s hear it readers: Was this a case of nerves or was Jones simply the far better man?

Insomnia

Bo Nickal continues to deny the nut shot incident that definitely happened in full view of the entire world.

This is just the exact level of evil I have come to expect from UFC matchmaking. Leave “El Cucuy” alone!

Kyoji Horiguchi has reportedly vacated his RIZIN Bantamweight belt. What’s next for “The Typhoon?”

Jiri Prochazka vs. Jamahal Hill is going to be a BANGER!

Maybe I’m reading this incorrectly, but it sounds to me like Stephen Thompson still has no interest in fighting Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Speaking of Rakhmonov, here’s a reminder that just ONE of these knees started the finishing sequence against Alex Oliveira. Geoff Neal is incredibly tough!

Sodiq Yusuff is back to drop more expert insight and predictions!

Similar to Jon Jones, Alexa Grasso and her team were rehearsing the finish for a long time.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

It’s totally acceptable to keep your hands low when out of striking distance … unless you underestimate exactly what striking distance is!

Double knockdown to an anaconda choke — that’s a new one!

This is a weird neck crank that has no right to work. Neat!

Random Land

Mess with the sheep, you get the … wool?

Midnight Music: Hip-hop, 2022

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