Welcome to Midnight Mania!
It’s a strange time for Jorge Masvidal. Unless we’re counting the steakhouse brawl that left Colby Covington toothless — and seriously, what great irony is it that bad things keep happening to Covington’s mouth? — Masvidal is winless in his last three bouts. Based on recent reports, it also seems that Covington is about to do damnedest to throw the entire legal book in Masvidal’s direction. “Gamebred” is slipping down the rankings, and a lot of fans are unimpressed with his recent performances.
How to rebound from all the above? Perhaps a fight with No. 4-ranked contender Gilbert Burns. “Durinho” does his best to stay active and fight top competition, and he’s been online requesting a showdown vs. Masvidal.
It didn’t take long for Masvidal to respond, and the veteran seems open to the match up. “Sounds good to me,” he replied. “Let’s see.”
Burns was in the Octagon just last month, coming up short by the smallest of margins in a “Fight of the Year” brawl vs. Khamzat Chimaev. While Burns eventually wants another chance at “Borz,” he’s looking to return to the win column first. Prior to that loss, Burns had only been defeated by the champion at 170-pounds, picking up wins over contenders like Stephen Thompson and Tyron Woodley to establish himself as an elite Welterweight.
If this classic American Top Team vs. Sanford MMA match up gets booked, who ya’ got?
Four (?) Weeks Of Self-Promotion
So, here’s the update: I still have no opponent for May 28. I told my management let’s set a deadline at the end of the week to find out one way or another. Worst case, all names will carry over to the banner when I do finally get booked, which would most likely be in the fall after my June wedding …
As with all my pro fights, I raise funds to cover camp costs/actually make a profit via the fight banner. $5 or more gets your name/screen name/nickname on the fight banner, and it enters you into a raffle to win the banner itself. Payment options include venmo: AndyLRichardson (1572), PayPal, or the latest GoFundMe page. Complete details are HERE!
I hugely appreciate the MMAMania community support (financial or otherwise) for both my writing and fighting careers. Thank you!
Insomnia
THE DAMAGE!
Flyweight banger alert! Here’s hoping Manel Kape avoids any pulsing issues …
Charles Oliveira really went Super Saiyan.
It might be time we recruit Joe Lauzon to the commentary crew.
Joe Lauzon just described Justin Gaethje as “a guy who will light himself on fire just to burn you a little bit,” which is maybe the best description of Justin Gaethje I’ve ever heard. #UFC274
— Shaheen Al-Shatti (@shaunalshatti) May 4, 2022
Legendary.
Jiri Prochazka might be the most interesting man on the roster, but very few people know it yet. I look forward to his title reign!
Sean O’Malley received the match up he asked for in Pedro Munhoz, which is actually a pretty fascinating fight between two Bantamweights with the tools to take the other apart.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Based solely on this punch, I’m thinking Michael Chandler could whip a baseball at pretty high speeds.
The classic head and arm throw leads to a rare finish:
Anytime a Butterbean clip crosses my desk, it goes in the column.
Random Land
As a recovering vinyl records collector, this may be the coolest design I’ve ever seen.
Midnight Music: I don’t know what Luminary is, but apparently it’s the only way to listen to the new Black Star (Mos Def and Talib Kweli) record, so it might be time to find out. Their first collab album in 24 years!
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
