Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Nate Diaz may have lost his second bout in a row last weekend at UFC 263, but a last minute rally and near knockout ensured that Diaz still has plenty of drawing power and options moving forward. More recently, Demian Maia has put forth his name as an option, requesting Diaz as a worthy foe for his “last dance” inside the Octagon.
Diaz’s longtime coach, Cesar Gracie, is respectfully not a fan of the match up. In addition to be a difficult fight, Gracie argues that there’s little to gain for his student.
“I know there has been speculation on whether Nate will accept the fight with Demian Maia,” Gracie told MMA Fighting. “Although I have not yet talked to Nate about his thoughts on this fight, I can tell you that I am completely against the idea. Demian has been a great representative of Brazilian jiu-jitsu on the mat and in MMA. He has accomplished much and we all respect him. He is still a dangerous opponent but I don’t feel Nate has anything to gain from this fight.
“If he were to lose, he would be losing to a 44-year-old that is on his way out of the sport and if he won it would be to a 44-year-old man that is leaving the sport. It is a no-win situation.”
Aside from the Maia callout, there have also been talks about running the Jorge Masvidal fight a second time, which would surely do major pay-per-view (PPV) numbers. However, Gracie has a different target in mind, as he’s still eyeing the long-awaited rubber match between Diaz and Conor McGregor.
“I would think the trilogy versus [Conor] McGregor,” he explained. “I know that Nate wants tough fights. He is motivated by fighting the best guys.”
Insomnia
The whole word is (deservedly) going wild for Brandon Moreno.
Don’t mind me, I’ve just begun praying that Khalil Rountree lets his hands go in this match up.
Uriah Hall is looking sharp in sparring over at Xtreme Couture.
Under slightly different circumstances, all these fights could have been ESPN+ main card bouts.
There’s a nice little event on 7/30 in South Carolina … XMMA signing a lot of veterans … Ben Saunders vs. Ramsey Nijem, John Dodson vs. Cody Gibson, Justin Scoggins vs. Keith Richardson, Derek Campos vs. Kyle Bochniak. More opportunities for fighters is always a good thing.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) June 16, 2021
I forgot to include this yesterday, but Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder had a six minute stare down — Fury loves his mind games!
Chris Weidman’s recovery progress has been really incredible.
Michelle Waterson with an impressive display of, I don’t know, balance? Self-control? Body stability? One of those.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
A few years before Nate Diaz pulled off the guillotine go triangle (to double birds) transition, he scored a similar tap in WEC!
He waited just a hair too long to accept defeat …
A quick compilation of front kicks to the face!
Random Land
A couple sea lions hitching a ride!
Midnight Music: I’ve been a big Lou Reed fan for a long time, but I’ve long avoided the Metallica collab Lulu … because most people/critics hate it. I still haven’t given the whole thing a shot, but I was told the closing track is tight, and I liked it! Still not for everyone, but Reed’s rambling is poetic, and the Metallica instrumental reminds me a bit of Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.