Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Dustin Poirier continues to make moves.
Though the undisputed crown has thus far eluded him, the former interim champion has established himself as one of the best Lightweights to ever step into the Octagon. He’s taken out former champions like Conor McGregor, Max Holloway, and Anthony Pettis, and has really fought nothing but the best for over a decade now.
The fan favorite is more than just a fighter, too. He’s auctioned off his fight kits for local food banks and started his own charitable foundation, Good Fight Foundation, which helps out around Lafayette, Louisiana.
More recently, Poirier started his own hot sauce company. On that end, Poirier has just taken a significant step forward with that business venture, partnering with UFC to become the “Official Hot Sauce of UFC.”
“It means a lot to have Poirier’s Louisiana Style named the first-ever Official Hot Sauce of UFC,” said Poirier in the official news release. “Putting in the work — whether it’s training for the next fight, creating a hot sauce company, or helping through our Good Fight Foundation — it’s all about building a legacy for my family and my community. These hot sauces come from the cuisine I grew up with in Lafayette, Louisiana. These are my roots, and I’m excited for UFC fans to share the Cajun flavors I love.”
Poirier fights this weekend at UFC 281 against Michael Chandler, a self-admitted fan of Poirier’s hot sauce. If he’s able to dispatch “Iron,” Poirier is right back in the title mix at 155 pounds after coming up short last year opposite Charles Oliveira.
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LIVE! Watch UFC 281 PPV On ESPN+ Here!
CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLE-DIP! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to “The Fight Mecca,” Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., on Sat., Nov. 12, 2022, featuring two highly-anticipated championship showdowns. In UFC 281’s pay-per-view (PPV) main event, Middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, will look to settle the score with former kickboxing foe and No. 5-seeded contender, Alex Pereira. In the ESPN+-streamed PPV co-main event, women’s Strawweight champion, Carla Esparza, intends to defend her newly-won title for the first time against former champion and No. 2-ranked contender, Zhang Weili.
Insomnia
Is Islam Makhachev vs. Alexander Volkanovski getting booked quicker than expected?
Speaking of, there’s a bit of a disagreement between Makhachev and Daniel Cormier about who won their recent wrestling match.
A much cooler UFC 281 poster than average release:
This is actually terrifying.
Max Griffin discusses the sacrifices UFC athletes make that the average public just doesn’t consider.
Jarred Brooks flows with man’s best friend!
Georges St. Pierre doing a variety of difficult rehabilitation exercises.
The idea that there’s jiu-jitsu black belts who cannot defend themselves in the streets because they train a sportier variety of BJJ is one of the silliest notions in the grappling community. People who know how to Berimbolo and invert can also probably manage an arm drag or closed guard and other fundamentals.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
For this writer, the most inspiring performance in UFC history. Well, it’s either that or Darren Elkins vs. Mirsad Bektic.
A slick body kick stoppage with bonus Mike Tyson commentary!
As mentioned last night, Poirier has been scrapping it out for a real long time and has some quality wins that have almost been forgotten about.
Random Land
Is this a cat’s check engine light?
Midnight Music: One hit wonder or underrated band?
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.