Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight! Welcome to Midnight Mania! Sean O’Malley has changed his pick for UFC 303 and is now hoping to see Conor McGregor get slept by Michael Chandler. If you’re wondering why O’Malley is pulling for “Notorious” to lose his UFC return then look no further than the social media cheap shot McGregor took at the UFC bantamweight champion last weekend. McGregor even offered to fly O’Malley out to Ireland to spar, which “Suga” gladly accepted. O’Malley recently had another chanc ..read more

Photo by Matt Davies/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The best Bantamweight mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter might not be competing in the biggest promotion in the world. Bellator’s 135-pound champion Patchy Mix returns to action on May 17, 2024, in Paris, France, for his first Bantamweight title defense against former foe Magomed Magomedov. Mix put Magomedov to sleep at Bellator 289 in 2022. Mix (19-1) is currently on the run of his career, demolishing everyone in his path and making it look easy. In his last outing, he snapped Sergio Pettis’ six-fight win streak and unified the Ba ..read more

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC Did erectile dysfunction retire Matt Brown?! No, probably not. “The Immortal” perpetual mixed martial arts (MMA) entertainer did simply lose his excitement, though. Brown, 43, already had a brief unofficial retirement from the sport a few years back. However, the longtime Welterweight veteran and knockout artist made it clear he wasn’t returning with a series of Twitter posts this past weekend (Sat., May 4, 2024). He has since revealed his most recent offer to fight Max Griffin wasn’t doing it for him and he knew that must have been the sign that it was time. “I ..read more

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Dustin Poirier had no demands for his upcoming UFC 302 title shot next month (Sat., June 1, 2024). Islam Makhachev has his next Lightweight title defense lined up and “The Diamond” will look to score the massive upset. After all the contenders sorted things out amongst each other from UFC 299 to UFC 300, the most readily available was left to face the champion, and that was Poirier. Although he wound up as the next man up, Poirier wasn’t the first option. The promotion gave Arman Tsarukyan the chance to challenge for gold immediately after his spl ..read more

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Tom Aspinall is still feeling like the odd man out in Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) Heavyweight division. A UFC interim title just isn’t the same as it used to be. That’s in the case of England’s Aspinall, anyway. Unfortunately for the talented titlist, his hopes to challenge for undisputed gold haven’t felt realistic after winning the crown over Sergei Pavlovich via a 69-second knockout (watch highlights) at UFC 295 this past November 2023. Current undisputed titleholder, Jon Jones, and company have remained adamant that his first defen ..read more

Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images Ian Machado Garry and Colby Covington have some differences to settle. Between the two Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight contenders, Garry has been the one more open to the challenge and continues to push “Chaos” towards a fight. According to Garry, he’s just waiting on the three-time undisputed title challenger to sign the contract, which he has already done. Covington, 36, initiated the rivalry by taking shots at Garry and his family before requesting a three-part stipulation request for him to agree to a bout. Ultimately, Garry didn’t suc ..read more

Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images WBC Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury will face off against WBA, IBF, and WBO titleholder Oleksandr Usyk in a 12-round showdown for the undisputed heavyweight crown on Sat., May 18, 2024 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Fans planning to stream the “Ring of Fire” pay-per-view (PPV) event on DAZN (order it here) will need to cough up $69.99, which is $10 cheaper than what boxing fans paid to watch “The Gypsy King” struggle against Francis Ngannou last fall. In addition, the Fury vs. Usyk lineup gives viewers a lot more bang for the buck. Fury vs. Usyk ..read more

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Matt Brown is going out on top. The “Immortal” UFC welterweight registered a violent knockout victory over Court McGee as part of the UFC Charlotte fight card last year on ABC, and recently told his social media followers that he will not be returning to the Octagon. But like this former champion, Brown won’t use the word “retiring.” “Not doing it again. I’m out. That’s the announcement,” Brown wrote on Twitter. “My life will now be dedicated to serving others. Growing others in the martial arts and building businesses that can help th ..read more

Photo by Leandro Bernardes/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in the “Pioneer” wing as part of the 2024 induction ceremony, held during the promotion’s 12th Annual International Fight Week on Thurs., June 27, at T-Mobile Arena, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The festivities will be streamed LIVE on UFC Fight Pass. “Shogun Rua is one of the greatest Brazilian athletes in combat sports history,” said UFC President & CEO Dana White. “Shogun had an incredible run in PRIDE and UFC, and he was f ..read more

UFC Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) invades the “Show-Me State” this weekend with UFC St. Louis, an ESPN fight card topped by the heavyweight showdown pitting record-setting knockout artist Derrick Lewis opposite once-beaten Brazilian bruiser Rodrigo Nascimento. Event: UFC St. Louis: “Lewis vs. Nascimento” Date: Sat., May 11, 2024 Location: Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri Start times: ESPN/ESPN+ “Prelims” at 4 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+ Main Card at 7 p.m. ET UFC St. Louis Main Event On ESPN/ESPN+: 265 lbs.: Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento UFC St. Louis Main Card on ESPN/ESPN+: 1 ..read more