Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Easy come, easy go.
Just last week, Umar Nurmagomedov shocked fight fans by agreeing to fight Song Yadong in December. Any match up between ranked Bantamweights is welcome news, but most expected Nurmagomedov to fight for the title next after clearly defeating Cory Sandhagen back in August. The undefeated Russian is definitely ready for his big opportunity, but champion Merab Dvalishvili’s schedule doesn’t exactly line up (and maybe that’s intentional?).
Almost immediately, Yadong’s coach, Urijah Faber, poured cold water on the fight announcement, explaining that nothing was signed and instead targeting a January date for the match up. Unfortunately, that would appeal to be a dealbreaker for Nurmagomedov, who revealed the match up has been scrapped.
He also took the opportunity to call out “The Machine.”
“I am always ready, and right now I am waiting for an opponent, as Yadong declined to fight in December,” Nurmagomedov wrote on social media. “I was told he is injured. Merab, before my fight with Sandhagen, you said that if I beat him, I would deserve recognition. Now you have changed your position — decide who you are.
“All the fans and analysts are noticing how you are avoiding the fight. Championship is recognition, but you haven’t received it, and you know that perfectly well.”
He continued, “I am not waiting for anyone and I want to fight before Ramadan. I hope UFC finds an opponent. And the title, inshaAllah, is just a matter of time.”
The UFC Bantamweight roster is filled with talented fighters. Surely, one of them would love the opportunity to jump up the ladder with a big upset in December?
Insomnia
High-level technical Muay Thai sparring:
Aside from his legendary volume and durability, the most standout aspect of Holloway’s kickboxing to me is his versatility. He can give opponents many different looks, sometimes in the same fight!
This is not something an MMA promoter should admit to the public.
Alexander Volkov is my favorite, but they’re all legit!
It sure sounds like the Middleweight title shot is less than guaranteed for Sean Strickland …
Dana White was asked if he thinks the winner of Whittaker vs Chimaev could skip the line over Sean Strickland for a middleweight title shot:
“Let’s see how the fight plays out. We gotta see how it plays out before we start talking about jumping lines and who would get the next… pic.twitter.com/Zo2tMfcWdt
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 24, 2024
Speaking of 185-pounders, this is a good rebound match up for Ikram Aliskerov.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
The Flyweight division isn’t that thin if there are 14-1 Flyweights scoring knockouts like this who remain unsigned.
Damnnnnnnnn. Oscar Miguel (now 14-1) with the one shot kill.
The FFC Flyweight champ notches another defense of his title with a brutal first round KO over Lucas Padilha. #FFC83 pic.twitter.com/oNK54rBdoh
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) October 25, 2024
Former Bellator title challenger Austin Vanderford is back in the win column.
Few shots better than a lovely left hand down the middle.
Random Land
A meteor falling near an active volcano:
Meteor yang terlihat (pada detik ke 21) dari CCTV Megadata, di Merapi yang berlokasi di Kalitengah Kidul. mau coba cek cctv gunung agung sapa tau dapat juga pic.twitter.com/twL5ECvP5F
— VolcanoYT (@VolcanoYTz) May 28, 2021
Midnight Music: World music (?), 1986
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
