Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026.
- UFC vet who exposed ‘average’ Nate Diaz for ‘convincing people he’s good at fighting’ now fears ‘Diaz Army’ retaliation: Between Nate Diaz and Ben Askren, which man defeated multiple future/former UFC champions and title challengers? The gap is resume is clear.
- RAF 05 card, start time, date and location | Covington vs. Rockhold: The people are desperate for combat sports, and wrestling will have to do!
- UFC’s Trump-loving ‘Venezuelan Vixen’ has a message for ‘liberal snowflakes’ crying for Maduro…: Julianna Pena talking politics — what more could you ask for? Who could say no?
Insomnia
Undefeated (?) Welterweight contender Michael Morales technically lost a fight way back in 2o17 while appearing on a reality show competition in his native Ecuador. The footage can be seen below at the 45:05 mark, but given the circumstances, I wouldn’t expect UFC to follow Tapology’s decision in their promotional efforts for the young knockout artist. Another element
to consider here is that in many smaller markets/countries, amateur MMA doesn’t exist at all.
If nothing else, this is definitely NOT an Askar Mozharov situation involving intentional deception and a mediocre fighter. Make no mistake, Morales is still one of the best young Welterweights on the planet.
These situations are virtually identical.
What are the odds we still end up with a brawl despite Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones’ newfound tolerance of one another?
Cris Cyborg continuing to throw shade at Claressa Shields, a hypothetical matchup that should probably happen yet does nothing for me personally.
Real friends, how many of us?
I wish Dana White and company had put millions into Dagestani basketball instead of Power Slap.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
The kick across the back leg definitely left Tim with no idea what was coming next.
I would pick Fares Ziam over most members of the Lightweight Top 15 today. I didn’t realize he’s developed into such an elbow specialist!
You have to love a classic dissection of the lead leg.
Random Land
Greatest bracket of all time just dropped! It gets better the longer you look.
Midnight Music: Folk pop, 1985
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
