Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Earlier tonight (Fri. Aug. 27, 2022), One Championship completed their debut event on US soil. Additionally, it was the first event from One to air on Amazon Prime, meaning the promotion was sure to pull out all the stops in putting on a great night of action. Even after a disastrous weigh-in day, the fighters delivered, putting on an incredible night of action featuring many finishes.
In the main event, former UFC kingpin Demetrious Johnson attempted to avenge his loss to current strap-hanger Adriano Moraes. The fight began with pressure from “Mighty Mouse” as the duo traded kicks. Johnson began to open up a bit more and showboat a bit, but Moraes turned it around by catching a kick and scoring top position. Johnson found himself stuck on bottom for a majority of the round, though he did land some decent elbows from his back.
Moraes continued his strong start into the second, stunning Johnson with a high kick. He flurried forward, prompting Johnson to wrestle. “Mighty Mouse” came close to finishing a shot, but instead, the Brazilian sprawled out and landed some heavy knees — reminiscent of the shot that finished Johnson in the first fight! Johnson worked up quickly but was taken right back down. Once again, Johnson was stuck on bottom for the rest of the round.
Johnson was down entering the third, but he started finding his timing, connecting on heavy body kicks and big swings. The momentum really began to shift, as Johnson kept pressuring and landing his left, both in the form of big hooks and slicing elbows. Perhaps the pace was starting to affect Moraes, who threw far less than his challenger in the third.
Moraes tried to return to the takedowns in the fourth, but Johnson kept his footing. At first, Johnson was controlling the pace and landing well. Then, Moraes turned it up and landed some major connections of his own. Out of nowhere, Johnson feinted with a knee and instead cracked Moraes with a right hand! The Brazilian was hurt, and when he fell, Johnson crushed him with a jump knee to seal the deal.
Expect a trilogy title match between the two at some point in the future.
Check out the final moments below:
Insomnia
Why can’t we have nice things?
Per Fiziev’s management, Justin Gaethje vs. Rafael Fiziev is NOT in the works, contrary to a report by a Russian outlet. Apparently, Justin turned the fight down. https://t.co/C6DkiJG4qR
— Amy Kaplan (@PhotoAmy33) August 26, 2022
Dustin Poirier confirms he’s heading to Madison Square Garden!
Jalin Turner vs. Arman Tsarukyan would’ve been a fun fight, but maybe it still can be in the future!
Lame call out since you know I’m injured and damir ismagulov has been begging for a fight.
Defend your spot against him I’ll take the winners spot when I’m back.— Jalin Turner (@JalinTurner) August 26, 2022
Bryan Barberena sounds like the perfect Welterweight to get picked apart by Stephen Thompson.
Not sure if your locked in a fight @WonderboyMMA but I hear you want a striker. I believe I’m the fight that brings an exciting, fun striking match up. November works for me. Respectfully
-Bam Bam— BRYAN BARBERENA (@bryan_barberena) August 26, 2022
Derrick Lewis is going wild on the ‘gram, per usual.
A great artistic summary of UFC 278’s main event. Leon Edwards shocked EVERYBODY with that high kick!
Mike Perry dancing with an absolutely broken face is instantly iconic. Classic “Platinum!”
I would like to use this technique breakdown to say that modern sport jiu-jitsu has evolved far beyond my understanding. I’d like to think my understanding of MMA grappling is pretty top-notch, but BJJ meta is its own animal.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
A perfect right hand around the guard:
Schultz made great use of wrist control to force Knutson to turn his back or risk staying still with no protection for his face.
Cheap? Sure. But, I also just don’t feel that bad
Random Land
Has “Noun & Noun” invaded your town yet?
Midnight Music: Couldn’t find any bit of info on this track/group that I heard on a Spotify playlist, which makes me assume it’s one of those fake in-house industry bands that doesn’t really exist. Pleasant jazz track though!
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.