Midnight Mania! Suga: White’s Wife ‘Deserves A Slapping Back’

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

The biggest MMA story of 2023 may have dropped on January 2nd.

Earlier this week, video released of UFC President Dana White in a physical altercation with his wife at a nightclub in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Though White didn’t deliver the first slap, he did initiate the physical nature of conflict by grabbing onto his wife’s arm, and he escalated the altercation with his own slaps. He released an extensive apology through TMZ on Monday, and his wife apologized as well.

Both parties seem ready to move on, but the ripples of the video continue to be felt. White’s other new pet project, Power Slap, was supposed to debut on January 11, but it’s since been delayed. And yes, a huge number of observers have noted the irony around his slap fighting promotion.

The Endeavor share price took a hit as well.

Fortunately, White is not without allies. Several in the media have come to support his character, and a fair few UFC athletes are standing behind their boss as well. Bantamweight star Sean O’Malley falls in the latter group, as he has sympathy for White,

“This happened New Year’s and it came out Monday which is rare. TMZ s—t usually comes out instantly,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel (via Cole Shelton). “They got good PR behind (them). He came out with an apology which I watched. I thought he said everything he needed to say but it seemed genuine. God, it’s hard with alcohol. There’s two things, alcohol and chicks don’t mix. You know what I mean.

“I feel bad for Dana. His wife slapped him. That is rude and it deserves a slapping back,” O’Malley said (when his brother said she did not deserve to get hit back). “I don’t know it’s a tricky one. It’s like, treat people how you want to be treated. I don’t think, sober, would he have done that? No. I would assume sober, no drinks, she slaps him, I don’t think his initial reaction is to slap back. When that alcohol’s flowing, I’ve never hit a girl, but I’ve been blacked out and I’ve done things that I can’t believe I’ve done. What if that was his like, f—k, he did and was like, I don’t know. I don’t think it was right. Obviously, you should not hit, especially a little girl like that. But alcohol is flowing, and she hit him first.”

Insomnia

Edson Barboza gets a well-deserved mural in his home town.

The London crowd is being treated to an absolute banger of a match up between a top pair of English Featherweights on the verge of breaking into the rankings.

Another excellent booking for UFC 286:

I am not in any way defending this action, but I wonder what the reasoning for the disqualification was? The referee hadn’t stopped the fight yet, so are you not allowed to backflip off somebody in MMA? Again, I’m not complaining, just curious of the specifics.

Is it a bit odd to anyone else that there’s no one there to diffuse the situation/prevent a full-on brawl on stage?

Bantamweight remains the division of cringey trash talk, and though he’s certainly part of the problem, Henry Cejudo cannot shoulder all the blame.

Rodtang has really nice head movement for an athlete so known for his aggression.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

It’s been a little while since we’ve featured a nice sumo highlight.

Name a more entertaining fighter than Gregory Rodrigues in 2022. Pro tip: YOU CANNOT!

A very fast right hand with real bodyweight behind it:

Random Land

When death itself charges your boat …

Midnight Music: Punk rock, 1986

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