Midnight Mania! Cyborg is interested in Zuffa boxing- “Why not?”

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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

We live in a strange version of reality. Cris “Cyborg” Justino, already the UFC women’s featherweight champion, faces former boxing champion Holly Holm at UFC 219. Holm, ironically, is already on record saying she isn’t interested in boxing again for Zuffa, which is Dana White’s project to expand into the boxing world. Floyd Mayweather, meanwhile, is reportedly really interested in a UFC fight, doubtless against Conor McGregor for one last payday.

Cyborg, meanwhile, says she would like the challenge of pure boxing.

You know, I just hear about the UFC want to make a boxing promotion. I would like to fight boxing, and if maybe they had the opportunity, why not? I’m young, I can train it. I like challenging myself, if I had the opportunity to fight one day in boxing, why not? Just keep training and learning each time.

She has been sparring with several professional boxers in preparation for Holm, including Mia St. John and Olympic gold medalist Claressa Shields. She spoke about how she sees her relationship with Shields as an alliance that helps grow women’s presence in combat sports in general, whether boxing or MMA.

Cyborg has tried her hand at other combat sports before, to mixed results. She fought a few Muay Thai bouts, eventually running up against the limits of her skillset, as she was roundly schooled by Jorina Baars in 2014. She has been working and learning since then, and boxing is another sport entirely. If Zuffa Boxing really does take off, Cyborg might just get the chance to show off her talents in a third combat sport.

Insomnia

Lomachenko’s callouts are all jokes, apparently… but I would much rather see Mayweather return to box Lomachenko than get choked out in an MMA fight

Check out Lomachenko’s confidence and his dismissal of Mayweather here.

Francis Ngannou celebrates how far he’s come in a short time:

Someone drew UFC champion Rose Namajunas some amazing fan art:

Get creative with it

Looks like Tim Elliot will be making a quick turnaround after all

Rafael dos Anjos’ handling of Stephen Thompson here is masterful

Oluwale Bamgbose explains why competing in MMA can be awful; not just the fans, but the lack of any actual money in this sport for the athletes.

Michael McDonald’s brutal hand break, in his victorious Bellator debut, sparked a conversation about hand wraps between Matt Brown and Conor McGregor’s coach John Kavanagh.

Of course “throw more elbows” is the conclusion Matt Brown would reach.

Cowboy Cerrone practicing the back elbow Anderson Silva used in his Cage Rage days

Tyron Woodley had surgery… but why did he need a hair net when his beard remained this long??

Speaking of beards, Emil Meek’s beard may have gotten a bit… out of hand

How did Chael Sonnen know this back in 2012, and was he genuinely not aware the cameras were rolling?

UFC featherweight Dan Hooker apparently fought a 282-lb. man in a ring once:

Jim Miller has a great voice, will definitely be pursuing a second career in music:

Good Reads

• You’ve got to read hothead Cody Garbrandt’s story of Jean Claude Van Damme kicking him in the teeth then crying about it.
• Khabib’s dismissal of how much he weighs right now is funny… and maybe a little worrying?

Random Land

This is why there won’t ever be another Muhammad Ali

No pun intended

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