Midnight Mania! Jon Jones, Get Your S—T Together, Part Two

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Jon Jones is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons yet again. Currently, the former UFC Light Heavyweight champion faces charges of misdemeanor battery domestic violence and tampering with a police vehicle. It’s a another public disaster, one that includes an ugly 911 call and bloody fiancée.

Oh yeah, and it all happened within a few hours of his Hall of Fame induction.

As a result of this incident, Jones has been banned from the grounds of the famed Jackson-Winkeljohn Academy, though he’s still working with some of the coaches individually. It’s a rare example of Jones facing consequences for his actions, and the pound-for-pound great framed himself as a victim in the exchange, admitted that Mike Winkeljohn’s “heartbreaking” move to ban him “really hurt.”

On his YouTube channel, UFC commentator and former Jones rival Daniel Cormier gave his take on the latest “Bones” situation. First and foremost, Cormier explained that Jones should view Winkeljohn’s actions as a wakeup call.

“Coach Winkeljohn’s decision shows what type of man he is, willing to step away from the money in order to stand on the grounds of what he believes,” Cormier explained (via MMAJunkie). “The next thing for me, though, is how serious must it be for a guy that’s walked out in front of thousands and thousands of people with you after the indiscretions, to finally have enough and walk away. …

“The level you have to go to in order to make these people say, ‘I’ve got to take a step back,’ is really severe. You would think, that for a young man like this, that would be a wake-up call. Those are your allies, your greatest allies. Even your greatest allies start to turn their back.”

In addition, Cormier explained that the only way for Jones to rebound from this incident was to take an honest look in the mirror. Six years after Cormier called upon Jones to “get your s—t” together to set up their rematch, “DC” offers the same advice with a more sincere intention.

“From me to this guy, we’ll never be friends. But human to human, you’ve got to get your sh*t right. And show some remorse,” Cormier said. “Before you hit that send button on those tweets, you’ve got to think about what you’re saying. It seems as though you tell yourself so many lies that you start to believe them. Don’t lie to yourself. Surround yourself with people that are gonna tell you the truth and then find some answers, otherwise it’s gonna be done. Because it’s actually close to being done.”

Stay tuned for further updates in the Jones situation

Insomnia

Gilbert Burns is beefing with *checks notes* Ariel Helwani?

A simple message from “No Mercy” Petr Yan:

Rafael Fiziev appears to have made progress in his unrequited love affair with Kevin Lee!

Deontay Wilder seems to have a better handle on his loss after a few days of introspection.

Kamaru Usman with a funny tale of sparring with decorated striker Cosmo Alexandre — you don’t always know who is who in a legit room like at Sanford MMA!

A classic Nate Diaz story in a single tweet:

Initially respectful interactions between Belal Muhammad and Neil Magny have turned mildly tense.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Any combat sports athlete who even briefly steps into the Southpaw stance should be watching tape on Giorgio Petrosyan.

Do my eyes deceive me, or is this the famed Mother’s Milk submission?

Trying to resist the guard jump only to get armbarred in the process — ouch!

Random Land

Let’s use this meme as a segue into Squid Game discussion. Great show!

Midnight Music: Black Star gave us one of the best conscious rap albums of all time in 1998, and supposedly, there’s a sequel trapped in the vaults somewhere. Here’s hoping it’s released someday!

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.