Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Very few fight fans were surprised by the main event of UFC 272.
Disappointed, sure, but even diehard Jorge Masvidal fans knew there was a fair-to-likely chance that no three piece and a soda would be handed out. Colby Covington did what Colby Covington does, forcing a grinding wrestling pace that made Masvidal look a whole lot more average than usual.
After the fight, Masvidal labeled his wrestling “flat” and admitted he needed further work in that area. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith weighed in on the grudge match and those comments, and he wasn’t all that impressed with Masvidal’s reasoning or preparation.
“I saw Masvidal, [he was] gutsy and survived the five rounds, waving Covington on, ‘Come on, let’s get some more, let’s get some more.’ He was literally using two security personnel to lean on because that’s how exhausted he was,” Smith said on First Take (via MMAFighting). “Covington looked like he was just starting, he was that energized. The guy is in phenomenal shape, he’s an outstanding wrestler, and Masvidal admitted that his wrestling was flat.
“How is it this flat coming into it knowing this guy as well as you know him, and knowing what he was going to try and do to you, and how much you supposedly hate him, how were you not ready for a wrestling match? I don’t understand. It’s inexplicable.”
As a result of the defeat, Masvidal has now lost three straight fights, admittedly to the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked Welterweights in the world. It’s not exactly clear where “Gamebred” goes next, but potential money fights opposite men like Nate Diaz or Conor McGregor would seem to make the most sense.
If he does fight another elite wrestler, however, Masvidal better come prepared next time.
Insomnia
Islam Makhachev is not happy that Tim Elliott was able to get away with all sorts of underhanded tactics, which arguably cost his team mate the fight.
A good omen for the UFC 272 pay-per-view (PPV) numbers?
Saturday’s #UFC272 prelims averaged 1.53 million total viewers on ESPN, per UFC officials. Also aired on ESPN+ and ESPNews, but those numbers are not reported.
ESPN numbers are the highest since July 2021 and the prelims for Poirier-McGregor 3, which averaged 1.61 million.
— John Morgan (@MMAjunkieJohn) March 8, 2022
Kayla Harrison and Henry Cejudo is not the beef I expected, nor one I really intend to follow all that closely.
Bellator is returning to Hawaii!
Bellator is finalizing a return to Hawaii, the weekend of April 22-23, per multiple sources. The Aloha State hasn’t held MMA events since the pandemic outbreak. April is the first month allowing permit applications.
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) March 8, 2022
Some updates to the records of Chinese UFC fighters:
Petr Yan takes everything seriously, including whatever this challenge is.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
If your face catches the knockdown before your hands manage, it’s tough to argue the stop.
When guessing whether a strike is a head kick or body kick, it’s real important to be correct!
Muslim Magomedov sounds like a potential future UFC signee, and this is a textbook kimura finish.
Muslim Magomedov submits Grigor Matevosya via 4th round kimura. And still ACA Light-heavyweight champ, and still undefeated (11-0). pic.twitter.com/uMbYPBEchl
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) March 6, 2022
Random Land
I don’t think this skink is as intimidating as it would like to be.
Midnight Music: Zamrock, 1973
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.