Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Belal Muhammad is doing his best to climb up the Welterweight ladder, but it sure seems like some of the top-tier Welterweights don’t have a huge interest in fighting him. Notably, Muhammad stepped up on short-notice to fight Leon Edwards, only for an eye poke to derail the bout. “Rocky” has shown little interest in making things right with a second match, which has left Muhammed fuming in the past.
However, Muhammad has even further disdain for Colby Covington, an athlete Muhammad has repeatedly called out to little or no response. “I want Colby more than anybody,” Muhammad told MMAJunkie. “The hatred I have for that guy is levels above Leon. Of course I want Leon back just because the way that one ended, but Colby’s still a level above him.”
“I’ve been calling out Colby since I fought in Australia against Tim Means,” Muhammad stated. “I’ve always wanted to fight Colby Covington. With this last fight showing that I can defend a takedown, it shows people that it will be a great matchup.
“It will be a fun matchup to see what happens if Colby can’t get a takedown, what’s he gonna do?”
Besides personally wanting to put hands on “Chaos,” Muhammad also argued that Covington doesn’t deserve a title rematch with Kamaru Usman. After all, Covington has competed just once since his title defeat to Usman, defeating a fighter in Tyron Woodley who’s no longer on the roster.
At the moment, at least, it seems that Muhammad will have to keep waiting — and winning — for a chance to put hands on Covington.
Insomnia
Assuming Nate Diaz earned pay-per-view (PPV) points, his disclosed purse is only a fraction of his real income. At the same time, it’s nice to occasionally have disclosed purses again!
#Breaking: Nate Diaz pocketed a $250,000 disclosed payday at #UFC263 (not including any bonuses are PPV points), per the Arizona Department of Gaming.
He was the third highest on the card. Full list of disclosed paydays coming to @MMAjunkie shortly.
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) June 21, 2021
Will Valentina Shevchenko be the first champion to complete the ruby quest?
After getting punched by Mark Hunt all camp, Tai Tuivasa’s next fight vs. Greg Hardy is going to feel like a vacation.
Some technique tips on how to effectively throw a round kick:
Dan Ige with some respectful and honest reflection on his main event loss:
Cody Garbrandt added a portrait of Muhammad Ali to his leg, right next to Arturo Gatti.
I am already very much looking forward to Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whittaker 2. Think it looks any different from the first bout?
Slips, rips, and KO clips
… This is why knees to the head are usually illegal in amateur MMA. Oh, and head gear does very little (if anything) to protect the brain.
Straight up charged his foe with this knee:
Sports really bring us all together.
Random Land
Meticulous!
Midnight Music: My mom requested a Killers’ track, and once again, I don’t think I can say deny her! My input: The Killers are one of the biggest bands on the planet because Brandon Flowers is able to sing the silliest lines with such gusto that they become undeniable choruses.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.