Midnight Mania! ‘Y’all Should Be F—king Ashamed’

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

What happens when a former WBA boxing champion takes off his gloves and squares off with a shopworn MMA fighter known for his grappling prowess? It’s a simple question with a simple answer, yet Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) put pen to paper anyway and booked Austin Trout against Diego Sanchez.

The two fought on Friday (Feb. 17, 2023) at BKFC: KnuckleMania 3 inside Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the result surprised no one. Trout picked apart Sanchez from the first bell, landing numerous counter shots as Sanchez lunged forward. Sanchez landed a couple decent body shots, but mostly, he was beaten up in fairly easy fashion. A fourth round knockdown and numerous cuts prompted the doctor to stop the contest in the fourth round.

Fight fans weren’t terribly impressed by BKFC’s matchmaking here, and many took to Twitter to voice their concerns. Here’s a sample of the reactions:

Shouldn’t have been sanctioned

Pain …

Diego looked old and slow in there!! Shouldn’t have been there!! Sad to see.

Y’all should be f****** ashamed. Miss me with this BS. Diego’s trauma is on your watch. Remember that.

Why is this happening

you can really see the difference in striking level between a lifelong boxer and an MMA fighter

Initially, there were major concerns that Sanchez wouldn’t be sanctioned to fight, but ultimately, the New Mexico Athletic Commission allowed him to compete. Hopefully, the pay was significant, because “The Nightmare” took a good bit of damage in this one.

Insomnia

Why is Ilia Topuria jumping back to 155 lbs. when he has so much moment at Featherweight? It’s a strange move from the highly talented Spaniard.

Shadow boxing in a fancy suit — Conor McGregor is BACK indeed!

Mike Tyson is not of this world.

At first I didn’t think this was real, but it 100% is and is from Mike Tyson’s autobiography “Undisputed Truth”

— Fight Pics That Go Hard (@fightpicsgohard) February 17, 2023

Is this the type of promotion Logan Paul and KSI were hoping for when they signed a major deal with UFC?

Would you rather see Francis Ngannou box Deontay Wilder or Tyson Fury? I’m not particularly intrigued by either, but the former sounds like a better match.

People are pretty impressed by Henry Cejudo’s stand up skills! Does this mean … Quadruple C?

An update to next weekend’s fight card:

Slips, rips, and KO clips

It is baffling that 4 oz. glove Muay Thai hasn’t picked up more in the US. It’s so good!

This left hook knockout is CLEAN!

I’ve never seen a low kick end a fight so soon after a heavy connection. Well, maybe Brent Primus vs. Michael Chandler, but that was a very different situation overall.