Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.
- UFC record fraud? Found footage reveals hotshot contender Michael Morales went out cold in 2017 | Video: I wrote my full thoughts in the post itself, but to reiterate: I don’t think a loss from when Morales was 18 in a country without much in the way of amateur MMA should really be held against him, particularly since it was on a reality show.
- UFC’s Maycee Barber doesn’t ‘feel safe’ with veteran referee – ‘I don’t want him reffing my fights’: Not only did Mark Smith made an egregiously bad call, but he refused to take a step back from it or apologize in any away — a low point in 2025 UFC officiating.
- ‘We apologize’ — Tapology reverses course, restores undefeated record to UFC contender Michael Morales: This is the right call.
Insomnia
Valentina Shevchenko offers her thoughts on modern feminism! I’m going
to avoid editorializing here and merely express my appreciation that Shevchenko’s take seems more thoughtful and nuanced than Julianna Pena’s recent political commentary.
Arman Tsarukyan has discovered the Featherweight Torrez Finney/Deron Winn.
How many times has Derrick Lewis pulled this prank on us? He’s still going to look exactly the same in the cage somehow.
Yaroslav Amosov looked great in his UFC debut versus Neil Magny, so I’d like to see him get a Top 10 opponent next.
Cristian Quinonez has fought in the UFC three times, but I don’t remember a single performance. Does Kris Moutinho have a shot at picking up his first UFC win here?
This historic boxing writing is a good chance to point out that there’s a detailed wrestling wrestling match in The Epic of Gilgamesh from 2100 BCE.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Michael Morales earned his revenge for the exhibition loss three years later. The man’s arms are so long he can land uppercuts from the jab range …
The inside calf/ankle kick is going to be a game changer when it gains popularity in MMA. It’s different in strategy and execution from the standing low outside calf kick we saw all the time but can be just as devastating.
A well-earned fist bump.
Random Land
Nightmare scenario.
Midnight Music: Singer-songwriter, 2025
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
