Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Wednesday, July 30, 2025.
- Report: ‘Fed up’ Tank Davis retired from boxing ‘till his money runs low’: There is absolutely zero chance that Davis manages his money well enough to never fight again.
- Ilia Topuria ‘pulling a Jon Jones’ by ducking Arman, creating ‘new version’ of UFC’s Aspinall ‘saga’ — ‘It’s not a good look’: If Topuria refuses to fight Arman after Tsarukyan’s next victory, it’s a problem.
- Please stop calling Tom Aspinall UFC’s best heavyweight until he survives ‘deep waters’ of Jailton Almeida: Jailton Almeida deserves to be taken more seriously as a title threat simply by being a Heavyweight who doesn’t gas out after seven minutes.
Insomnia
Is anyone feeling confident in Tai Tuivasa’s comeback run? “Bam Bam” is still only 32 years of age, but he doesn’t seem that concerned about his current five-fight losing streak.
yeah, we’re never seeing a shooey in the UFC octagon ever again pic.twitter.com/5Bk9J1WKuX
— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) July 30, 2025
Tai on that DC retirement meal plan lol
— Kyle Anthony's UFC Betting (@KyleAnthonyUFC) July 30, 2025
The alcohol destroyed that man....
— TheCasualBros (@TheCasualBros) July 30, 2025
holy shit, we're gonna need
ADa super heavyweight division or something
— TEDDY (@iCrazyTeddy) July 30, 2025
He’s just rebuilding his chin relax guyssss
— Linus (@L1N0S23) July 30, 2025
Jon Jones will be in court explaining away that pesky phone call audio sooner than later.
Jon Jones has 2 court dates coming up for the same offense.
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) July 30, 2025
Aug. 14 and Sept. 2 are both set as bench trials for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident. The later date also includes an additional charge.
Jones' attorney filed a motion to dismiss for the duplicate charges…
This peewee Capoeira class is simultaneously very cute but also mildly traumatic given my own (rather different and more chaotic) experience teaching children’s martial arts.
A heartwarming Capoeira class in Rio.
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) July 30, 2025
A Brazilian teacher leads young kids through the rhythmic, dance-like martial art of Capoeira, blending music, movement, and tradition. pic.twitter.com/Ntoo7wfCfs
I like the concept, but all I really got from this is that Islam Dulatov is too polite to call his fellow athletes ugly.
We asked a Top-10 Vogue model Islam Dulatov gives his opinion if these UFC fighters could become models.
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) July 30, 2025
@Home_of_Fight & @Jaidencablee pic.twitter.com/33fXCExdPx
I wrote a bit about this fight in my career recap of Dustin Poirier, but Josh Grispi was supposed to fight Jose Aldo for the UFC title! Instead, some relatively unheralded young punk from Louisiana front kicked the unholy crap out of him.
A young Dustin Poirier front kicking the title hopes out of Josh Grispi pic.twitter.com/fWVjbpaS8z
— Miguel Class (@MigClass) July 29, 2025
Michael Morales vs. Leon Edwards next?
View this post on Instagram
This goofing around has no bearing on a real fight, but it’s still wild to see Stipe Miocic manhandled!
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Stipe Miocic is now a photographer for the Cleveland Browns
— COMBAT SPORTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) July 29, 2025
( : @Browns / @stipemiocic) pic.twitter.com/tLDDxdnr78
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Even though there are undeniably Strickland aspects to his game (the parrying, the jab), Welterweight Sean Strickland is almost unrecognizable at 15-0, 23 years of age. It’s hard to believe he’s a pre-Reebok deal fighter, the Strickland we know and love (or not) showed up in 2020 ... I was around the whole time, but it feels fake watching back the pre-COVID clips!
“Gente Boa” Santiago Ponzinibbio(19-2) vs Sean “Tarzan” Strickland(15-0)
— Underrated Tribal Chief (@CombatUTC) July 30, 2025
UFC Fight Night 61: Bigfoot vs Mir
February 22nd 2015 pic.twitter.com/SIGN8YN1eN
Compare these two clips to see why falling forward/shifting into the cross is both a bad idea defensively and why so many MMA fighters are willing to take that gamble.
Common mistakes, like letting the rear foot fall forward when throwing the rear hand, can get you killed against a crafty veteran like Salikhov. pic.twitter.com/wOuBMepAEZ
— Miguel Class (@MigClass) July 28, 2025
That might be the hardest I’ve ever seen someone get punched … pic.twitter.com/Dvja3Lxorf
— ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ (@TheArtOfWar6) July 30, 2025
Random Land
Thor Bjornsson continuing to throw gigantic weights around.
505kg WORLD RECORD! History made again pic.twitter.com/sEsS7CWVGC
— Hafþór J Björnsson (@ThorBjornsson_) July 27, 2025
Midnight Music: Trap, 2019
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
More from mmamania.com:
- Miocic Responds To Pressure From White And Cormier
- White On ‘Possibly’ Stripping Miocic
- UFC 249 Embedded: Rousey Nearly Knocked Out Cruz?
- Midnight Mania! Sterling Vs. Sandhagen Possible June 6 Headliner
- UFC 249 Odds, Under Dogs And Best Bets!
- Khabib Plans July Return, Vows To ‘Smash Them All’
- Video! Jacare Breaks Social Distancing Rules Prior To UFC 249 Removal
