Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Ilia Topuria isn’t abandoning the 145-pound division just yet.
Earlier this week, an interview clip circulated of Topuria explaining that his recent title defense against Max Holloway would be his final fight at Featherweight. Topuria has never been shy about his intentions to move to Lightweight and flatten Islam Makhachev, and he even fought once at 155-pounds already during his UFC rise.
Still, nobody really expected it to happen so soon. There are plenty of viable options left at 145-pounds, including but not limited to an Alexander Volkanovski rematch, a slugfest with Diego Lopes, and a scuffle against the undefeated Movsar Evloev. When Topuria’s coach co-signed the Lightweight move, it caused quite a surprising shake-up that had the rest of the division scrambling.
… or not. Earlier on Thursday, Topuria himself went on social media and clarified that he isn’t leaving his division just yet.
“I will not leave the title vacant,” Topuria wrote on X. “The decision to move up to the next category is entirely mine. I haven’t had any conversations with the UFC yet, so everything is still to be decided. Stop celebrating because I’m not going anywhere. I have conquered my division and I will do the same in the next one.”
Based on the above tweet, it sounds like Topuria wants a double champ opportunity without abandoning his Featherweight crown. That’s going to take some negotiating while there are still dangerous 145-pound contenders he has yet to face. While an eventual Lightweight move is still on the table, odds are UFC still wants “El Matador” to handle some Featherweight business first.
We’ll have to wait and see what comes from Topuria’s next UFC conversation to know more.
Insomnia
Too much, too soon for Iasmin Lucindo I expect, but a banger matchup nevertheless!
I rate the bottom two as feasible and the top two as wildly unlikely. Maybe at a funeral sans smiles?
Consecutive Kamaru Usman memes in one Midnight Mania? I didn’t predict or plan this.
It is extremely funny that Ali Abdelaziz manages to post from the wrong account so often.
Nothing to see here, just Ali Abdelaziz wishing himself a happy birthday talking in the third person just like Umar did. A coincidence I’m sure. Either that or he forgot to log into a fighter’s account to post on their behalf.
Active fighters have to be at least a bit careful in how much technique they post online.
Joaquin Buckley reveals he studied Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson’s YouTube videos to prepare for their fight: “I always knew what Wonderboy was trying to do because…I watched all of his YouTube stuff. And that’s the thing about Wonderboy, he gives up all of his good stuff…”
I have to imagine Demetrious Johnson could have a lucrative career flying out to assist at various training camps around the globe if he’s interested.
WTF is this? Why is it called that? I miss Dynamic Fastener.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Ali Abdulkhalikov is 15-2 as a pro and fights for the ACA Lightweight belt this weekend.
Ali Abdulkhalikov destroys Joel Alvarez in just 34 seconds (circa 2015). Both fighters are scheduled to face different opponents this Saturday.
Planted his feet suddenly and placed a left around the guard:
KO OF THE YEAR CONTENDER! Kazuki Nakajima scores a brutal Round 2 KO over Juiki Tatsuyoshi to successfully defend his OPBF Super Bantamweight Title at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
A perfectly placed front kick seals the deal!
Random Land
I’ve never seen anything stand up to the hydraulic press like this.
Midnight Music: Techno, 1996
Sleep well, Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
Source link
