Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Aljamain Sterling is the reigning Bantamweight king, contemporary off a five-round choice win over Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 final weekend (Sat. Could 6, 2023) from inside Prudential Heart in Newark New Jersey. His rapid future is obvious, as Sean O’Malley is lined up as his subsequent challenger.
After that bout, Sterling will head as much as 145 lbs. in pursuit of Featherweight gold. He’s been very forthcoming about his plans to leap up a weight class, and he believes that his body will match the division properly based mostly on his expertise with elite Featherweights.
“I take a look at a few of these different guys at 145 and I practice with them, I be ok with it… I feel I’ve received the room to fill out, I’ve the attain, and (can) get massive,” Sterling informed Megan Olivi (by way of MMA Information). “After all, after I get to the highest of the mountain with these guys, it will get somewhat bit totally different; taller guys… There’s loads of good guys there.”
After all, Sterling is aiming for Featherweight gold, which at the moment means a showdown with Alexander Volkanovski. The Australian expertise isn’t but impressed by the prospect of combating “The Funk Grasp,” which may imply that Sterling has to struggle a high contender in his Featherweight debut, moderately than the champion himself.
If that’s the case, Sterling has one Featherweight he’d choose to not struggle: Ilia Topuria. “The Matador” is a fearsome puncher with nice jiu-jitsu, however that’s not the rationale Sterling doesn’t wish to throw down. As an alternative, it’s an extension of his friendship with Merab Dvalishvili.
“After all, you’ve received one other Georgian hammer in Ilia Topuria. I do know him and Merab are actually good buddies. That’s one I’d prefer to keep away from, for the sake of that friendship that they’ve. And we’ve frolicked a pair occasions, (Topuria is a) actually cool man.”
Insomnia
Grant Dawson vs. Damir Ismagulov is a wonderful match up of Lightweights simply exterior the High 10.
Bellator’s Light-weight king Usman Nurmagomedov was variety sufficient to display how the rear bare choke works on this podcast.
Kelvin Gastelum formally proclaims his transfer again to 170 lbs. I hope it goes properly …
This can be a badass shot.
I just like the Matt Frevola vs. Paddy Pimblett struggle, it makes loads of sense. Hopefully it really works out!
A pair nights in the past, I complained about Sterling’s all fours down tactic. Let me observe that up by additionally pinning some blame on Cejudo for failing to assault with entrance chokes when he knew Sterling was going to do that!
I warned Herb Dean about this earlier than the struggle. Had a sense Aljo would mess around with the grounded opponent rule after stuffing his takedowns, and that is precisely the way it performed out through the struggle. I have to punish him subsequent time in these positions. https://t.co/ke8vhCS4xx pic.twitter.com/0CRp7FbM7M
— Henry Cejudo (@HenryCejudo) Could 9, 2023
Okay, that is fairly humorous!
Slips, rips, and KO clips
An unintended KO from the coaching room:
A 41-year-old end!
Taking a heel to the liver feels completely horrible.
Random Land
Ball to the balls.
Midnight Music: New wave, 1983
Sleep properly Maniacs! Extra martial arts insanity is all the time on the way in which.
