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Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Paulo Costa might just be the biggest Middleweight on the roster.
The 29-year-old Brazilian is not small at six feet tall, and then there’s the added weight of all that muscle. In the off-season, Costa has even swelled up to 220 pounds! The bulky Brazilian isn’t quite that heavy currently, but he revealed at today’s virtual media day that he currently weighs 210 pounds. This is not unusual for Costa, who says he typically walks into fight week between 200-205 pounds ... before cutting a full weight class!
That’s quite a bit heavier than his opponent, Israel Adesanya.
With UFC 253 scheduled for Fight Island on September 26, that means Costa has roughly two weeks to lose 25 pounds. Though he’s made the Middleweight limit without issue in all 13 of his professional bouts previously, it’s worth-noting that he must make the championship limit of 185 pounds even this time.
There will be no single pound allowance, and sometimes, that last 16 ounces is a killer.
Fortunately, Costa seems prepared for the cut, though one has to wonder if it will potentially affect his performance in the championship rounds. Regardless, Jared Cannonier will be standing by on the off-chance there are weight cut or COVID-19 complications for either half of UFC 253’s main event.
Insomnia
The Dagestani squad is heading to Abu Dhabi early.
Today @TeamKhabib is leaving to Abu Dhabi for the final part of his #UFC254 training camp. His camp will also include Islam Makhachev, Zubaira Tukhugov, Umar Nurmagomedov and Tagir Ulanbekov pic.twitter.com/R3GkApEhMB
— Denis Geyko (@DenisGeykoMMA) September 10, 2020
Diego Sanchez ... did not read the entire Tweet.
Facts https://t.co/gpda99I6DC
— Diego Sanchez UFC (@DiegoSanchezUFC) September 10, 2020
Last-second main event switch aside, it’s a pretty cool accomplishment for Angela Hill to become the first black woman to headline.
"I'm inspiring people who look like me, that they do have a chance to make it in whatever field they're pursuing."@AngieOverkill details some of her struggle as UFC's first black American woman and how it fueled her fire to inspire others. pic.twitter.com/IJwywClEEa
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 10, 2020
Speaking of “Overkill,” she really throws an impressive amount of volume, but that may be tough to maintain over five rounds.
Mike Perry sent a whole bunch of Tweets calling out Nick Diaz for a fight. It won’t happen, but here’s a sample:
They saying you won’t show up for the fight @nickdiaz209 ♂️ your brother already got showed up by the east coast. You ain’t gonna do nothing about that ?
— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) September 10, 2020
I’ll hit you with this right hook and you’ll pull guard and I’ll just ride out the time with ground and pound from top position. If you don’t want to come back we understand, just stop clout chasing @nickdiaz209
— Platinum Mike Perry (@PlatinumPerry) September 10, 2020
Shoutout to Bellator, because I definitely agree. Any dissenters?
Agree or disagree?
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) September 10, 2020
Patchy Mix vs. Juan Archuleta is the best MMA fight happening this weekend. https://t.co/rNy7tqY8nS
SWEEP!
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Ottman Azaitar scored an absolutely brutal overhand knockout in his UFC debut roughly a year ago. Can he do it again Saturday?
Before @OttmanAzaitar’s return at #UFCVegas10, here’s a reminder of how his last fight ended pic.twitter.com/dR4BRecRrA
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 10, 2020
Knee to the body exposed the chin, and the right hand end things.
Lanky knee specialist Phuethai starches Supmanee with a big right straight in round four. pic.twitter.com/pfoQaUbuHp
— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) September 10, 2020
I did not know this bout between Ben Saunders and Jacob Volkmann ever happened, but you can 100% trust Volkmann to immediately shoot for the takedown and Saunders to throw up submissions from his back!
Random Land
In the immortal words of The Dead Kennedys: Nazi punks f*ck off!
Tourists: it's usually best to keep your nazi tattoos hidden underneath your UFC t-shirts. pic.twitter.com/gkrUs3yVMy
— Las Vegas Locally (@LasVegasLocally) September 7, 2020
Midnight Music: Sadly, Kool and The Gang co-founder Ronald Bell passed away yesterday. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the band wrote maybe a dozen songs that still damn near everyone can recognize in an instant. Here’s one of them:
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
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