Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025.
- Charles Oliveira changes nickname from ‘Do Bronx’ to ‘Predator’ for UFC Rio fight: This is a strange move that feels unlikely to stick. If I was forced to change Oliveira’s nickname, I would go with “Iluminado.”
- UFC wild man Sean Strickland gets married under hail of gunfire and roar of motorbikes: Shotgun wedding! If nothing else, Strickland’s new bride cannot say she didn’t know what to expect after these festivities.
- Charles Oliveira targets Max Holloway rematch as retirement bout: ‘I want this to be my last fight’: I don’t want him to retire afterward, but I absolutely do want Oliveira vs. Holloway 2. It’s too obvious!
Insomnia
Does Khamzat Chimaev genuinely love his local dictator Ramzan Kadryov
or simply fear for the lives of his Chechen friends and families? It feels very likely that we’ll never know for sure.
Jose Aldo has the greatest takedown defense of all time, and whoever’s No. 2 isn’t even particularly close to his crown.
Shoot for the moon … I guess!
If Khalil Rountree’s boxing form was as crisp as his kicking, he would be unstoppable.
Do a barrel roll!
Just a day later, Strickland’s wedding celebration has already been outdone!
Jiri Prochazka maxing out a week after cutting weight is bizarre even by his standards, nobody is strong at the very end of their fight camp. Also: MMA fighters are not real powerlifters and their coaches don’t care about depth, so leave “BJP” alone.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Once more, if you missed this week’s Contender Series, go back and watch this fight!
Firing punches as soon as the kicking leg returns to the floor is a great way to catch opponents off-guard.
A fairly tight, fast right hook:
Random Land
I’m just sitting here, quietly muttering, “Please don’t be AI” to myself as I select tonight’s Randomness. AI is RAMPANT in cute animal videos, but … I think it’s real?
Midnight Music:
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
