Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Following a disappointing loss in his UFC 242 title bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov, DustinPoirier’s path forward did not immediately appear clear, as the top contender even briefly mentioned retirement. However, given just a few days to reflect, Poirier seems ready to get back on the horse, tweeting earlier today thata rematch with Conor McGregorwould make sense for Both Men.
I think me and Conor running it back makes a lot of sense at this point.
– The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) (September) , 2019
To put it simply, Poirier is correct! “The Diamond” deserves a top contender following his loss, and McGregor has to jump back in with a top-ranked Lightweight before talks ofrematching Nurmagomedov in Moscowmake any sense at all. Given the history between the two, and their diverging career paths, it would be a very interesting bout that could produce a significant victory for either athlete.
McGregor, however, did not jump at the offer, instead taking to Twitter to belittle Poirier and talk about their first bout.
I fed you to the canvas in 90 seconds bro.
You should have spoke my name with a bit more respect in that build up. “McGregor’s not next”
Motherfucker, it’s McGregor always!
McGregor is the goal! Always!
Say that now and I’ll think about it.# GoneIn 90 seconds# NicCage# AJolie– Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) (September) , 2019
It’s decent trash talk, but at this point, doesn’t it feel a bit forced? Poirier’s interest in a rematch was expressed in a matter-of-fact manner and without disrespect, but McGregor still took it as an opportunity to remind the world of his five-year-old accomplishment. No one is arguing that McGregor is no longer a star or dangerous top fighter, but talking about old victories is only interesting for so long.
McGregor has to make the walk again at some point soon, and Poirier is a reasonable opponent.
Insomnia
I hope everyone is appropriately excited for this weekend’s main event.
Dustin Poirier is not happy withColby Covington’s latest comments.
Poirier’s post-fight social media post for further context:
Max and Rush Holloway get Simpson-fied.
Lots of respect to Paul Felder for really throwing himself into the fire in his last two bouts.
An important detail here: Akbari never lets his back flatly hit the mat, which is half the battle when scrambling!
The accuracy …
Anyone got a guess at what’s happening here?
Slips, rips, and KO clips
SUMO!
I love the prodding jab that sets everything up:
Some very fun exchanges leading up to the counter punch KO in the clip below:
Random Land
Art by the same man who recreated famous painting “The Scream” last week with paper clips – he’s quickly becoming one of my favorite follows and certain to be a frequent feature of this section.
Midnight Music: It was an Iggy Pop type of night.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
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