Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Once again, the former Light Heavyweight champion and longtime pound-for-pound king has found himself in hot water with the law. That’s a fairly common scenario at this stage of the game, but last week’s alleged incident is particularly nasty, as there are some bloody details that sound particularly damning, even compared to past charges like hit-and-run.
Since posting bail, it’s been radio silence from Jones, while his boss, peers, and fans have been anything but quiet. However, Jones has since posted a clip on his Instagram lifting weights, also including something of an explanation for his latest controversy.
“I have way too much trauma to consume alcohol,” Jones wrote. “My brain simply can’t handle it anymore. I will leave alcohol in my past forever.”
Jones also included a handful of fairly standard responses, promising to “Get back on the horse” and generally make something positive out of this incident.
Expect more details to emerge regarding Jones’ alleged crime and his attempts to rebound in the coming weeks.
Insomnia
This week’s update to the eternal Dana White vs. Oscar De La Hoya feud:
Johnny Hendricks (sorta) returns to the Octagon!
Originally brought in to teach a few private wrestling classes, Hendricks became a major part of the camp. Interested to see what a “Hendrickistan” version of Holland looks like against a tough Kyle Daukaus.
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) September 28, 2021
To offer some foreshadowing on what’s likely an eventual x-factor pick: Lerone Murphy seems really talented and likely to win big here.
Jones’ autobiography/documentary is going to be wild someday.
No UFC fighter knew Jon Jones like Rashad Evans.
Rashad Evans knew the real Jon Jones before any of us and this 2012 clip of their heated exchange and Rashad Evans predicting his fall is an incredible watch in 2021.
“When you fall… and you WILL fall.”
[ CSS Sports] pic.twitter.com/638tTyIsPU
— AD Christian (MMA/Boxing News) (@ADchristiann) September 28, 2021
Valentina Shevchenko has come to the defense of ring girls worldwide, and standing against “The Bullet” is a historically bad idea.
Petr Yan does not give a f—k, and this match up vs. Cory Sandhagen had to happen at some point anyway.
View from an alternate timeline:
A couple of ridiculous stats to come out of UFC 266:
Slips, rips, and KO clips
I love the high kick counter that starts the clip, but the actual jump knee was definitely a thing of beauty.
Jhonata Diniz lands a brutal jumping knee against Maksim Bolotov for the second-round stoppage. The Brazilian makes his way into the semi-finals. pic.twitter.com/vorTp14mxC
— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) September 28, 2021
This match up between elite kickboxer vs. 2-18 MMA fighter goes about as one would expect. Polite show of mercy at the end!
A bunch of greats showing off their head movement:
Random Land
Some say she’s still stuck in this obstacle course.
Midnight Music: A killer slow-burn from the father of Chicago blues.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.