Welcome to Midnight Mania!
It really feels like the infamous attempts at booking Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson — a fight that was cancelled FIVE times and never actually happened — imparted a lesson upon UFC President Dana White. When asked about re-booking Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon after the match up’s second cancellation in as many months, White referenced that cursed bout and expressed no interest in trying a third time.
Donald Cerrone, however, has expressed interest in pursuing the match up further. After all, it’s a fight that makes sense given their respective ages and records, and each man is responsible for a single withdrawal. While speaking with MMA on SiriusXM, Lauzon took it a step further, explaining that right now it’s “Cowboy or bust.”
“I definitely want this fight now,” Lauzon said (via MMANews). “We spent too much time getting ready for Cowboy to not go and see it through. For me right now, it’s Cowboy or bust … that’s the fight I want, I think that’s the fight he wants. I understand it sucks the way it’s worked out, and I’m sure Dana is upset with how it worked out. But I guarantee you Cowboy and I are way more upset because we’ve put in way more effort than the UFC has. I think it should still happen. I think just because it didn’t work the first two times, doesn’t mean it wouldn’t work out the third time.”
White probably isn’t incredibly pleased with paying partial purses for fights that don’t actually happen, but given just how much of themselves both Lauzon and Cerrone have given to the company, perhaps an exception can be made?
The two veterans have earned a favor or two.
Insomnia
This one’s a doozy. Andrea Lee’s ex-husband — you know, the one with Nazi tattoos? — is taking great joy in Tony Kelley’s recent ass-kicking at the hands of Adrian Yanez, spilling yucky personal details in the process.
The following statement was deservedly mocked quite a bit, and Midnight Mania will not stand for Georges St. Pierre slander (no disrespect to Kamaru though).
Dana White to TheMacLife: It’s undeniable that Usman’s the greatest welterweight ever.#UFC
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) June 21, 2022
Henry Cejudo will be returning to action after over two years away at the age of 35. Are we predicting another title run, or is this a recipe for disaster?
Jake Paul vs. Tommy Fury doesn’t sound all that certain.
Belal Muhammad doing his best not to get skipped over.
Muhammad Mokaev putting in the work for his next fight UFC London.
The idea that Sean O’Malley is so reminiscent of Jon Jones that it pisses off Daniel Cormier is hilarious. It might not be true, but it’s still funny.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Dominick Reyes really has one of the best highlights ever on his reel.
Basketball shorts and a woefully incompetent referee — terrible combination.
A rare knockout via slaps:
Random Land
Midnight Music: Rock, 1967
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
