Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Monday, January 5, 2026.
- Jake Paul suspended indefinitely following Anthony Joshua knockout loss in Miami: A broken jaw will do that.
- Tom Aspinall on Pereira vs. Gane interim title fight: ‘It’s a good stylistic match-up’: An extended Tom Aspinall absence seems increasingly likely, and if that’s the case, I guess this is the next best thing? Alexander Volkov screwed over yet again …
- Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier 3 booked for ALF Reality Global … but with a catch: Whoever is bankrolling this show must have a major pocketbook. I can’t imagine why else Daniel Cormier would subject himself to more “Bones” interactions.
Insomnia
The Gable Steveson backstory is cool and all (watch Hendrickson’s shocking
upset here), but any elite American wrestler transitioning to MMA is welcome news. Wyatt Hendrickson would be a massive boon to the Heavyweight division if he’s serious!
As I wrote about Sean O’Malley’s new “tattoo” a week ago: please don’t be real, please don’t be real, please don’t be real.
A lot of dumb content fuels this feed and combat sports in general (see above), but I really do appreciate the insights into cultures I otherwise would know nothing about.
Steve-O brings up a great question: how much does doing mid-fight backflips count towards one’s GOAT status?
It’s hard to imagine a more fan friendly style clash than Jack Della Maddalena vs. Carlos Prates. Boxing vs. Muay Thai with major possible consequences in every exchange — that’s an easy headliner.
A blast from the past ahead of the Urijah Faber vs. Henry Cejudo RAF headliner next month:
Georges St. Pierre’s retirement fitness is outrageous.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
2026 starting off with a BANG!
This is clip embodies my Midnight Mania ethos in a way that I didn’t know was possible.
Back-and-forth slugging with a knockout finish to boot!
Random Land
Speed and rotation!
Midnight Music: R&B, 1996
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
