Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Let’s start the night off by taking look back over the three biggest stories of Friday, April 18.
- Jake Paul names Julio Cesar Chavez Jr as his next opponent: I feel like I’m alone in thinking this is a reasonable mix of name value and challenge for “The Problem Child.” Chavez Jr is inconsistent but could possibly still out-skill Paul if he bothers to show up in any kind of shape …
- Paul named massive favorite over Chavez Jr: How much of this is hype? Paul is younger but -1000 still feels excessive. Maybe my read is off!
- GFL Investor pulled a $20 million fakeout: Based on the wild GFL purses, I’m not sure even $20 million would’ve been enough to finance those first two events.
Insomnia
Khamzat Chimaev has begun his training camp, presumably for his widely expected title shot versus Dricus Du Plessis. I can’t wait!
Khamzat has started his camp in Kislovodsk, a place where Fedor Emelianenko’s team and many other fighters often hold their training camps. The countdown has begun. pic.twitter.com/wYOxJx2lnh
— Adam Zubayraev (@AdamZubayraev) April 18, 2025
This is the correct advice for MMA, a sport without rules.
Tagir Ulanbekov Reveals Khabib’s Blunt Advice During Tim Elliott Fight
“Tim just put his fingers in my gloves and I couldn’t pull it back. I was trying to get it out and he was punching me. I couldn’t take him down. I was shouting to Khabib, ‘Hey, he’s grabbing my glove!’ and… pic.twitter.com/u3NhTekfjB
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) April 17, 2025
Sorry Izzy and “Poatan,” but I don’t think Anderson Silva has been dethroned as the greatest striker in MMA history yet. “The Spider” at his peak was something else …
I just loved when Anderson decided to just try shit out during fights.
He adopts a muay thai stance to side kick the knee of Leites, counters the kick attempt with a rear teep to the hip in pure thai fashion.
Jumping switch kick and then goes boxing mode with the lead right hand. pic.twitter.com/lindio9WXC— Feño (@fenoxsky) April 18, 2025
I don’t claim to be an expert on Chris Eubank Jr, but he doesn’t seem to be a bad enough person to justify his dad’s video earlier this week.
Ankle pick counter to a single leg? Nice!
UFC fighters + Turkey hair replacements is a match made in heaven. No longer does the shaved head and goatee reign!
I’m s—t at lip-reading, can anybody in the comments confirm that Borralho says Imavov here?
Jean Silva vs. Bryce Mitchell is the most engaged the fan base has been in recent memory … maybe we need more Hitler sympathizers?!?
… that was sarcasm please don’t fire me.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Yeah, referee was sleeping on the job here. Scary to think how quickly damage can be done if officials aren’t on their game …
Beautiful parry across the body to land a huge counter shot.
Fist-fighting in jeans is as masculine as it gets.
Random Land
A bit of joy to end the week.
Midnight Music: A reimagining of a classic track (that got Frank Ocean sued).
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
