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Welcome to Midnight Mania!

It’s no secret that Paulo Costa is looking beyond his current UFC contract.

The Brazilian has not kept quiet about his pay complaints. Despite rising through the ranks and becoming one of his division’s top contenders and bigger draws, Costa remains on an old contract, meaning his fight purses haven’t risen all that much. As a result, he’s eyeing transitions to boxing or hopping to another promotion when his contract expires.

Currently, Costa has just a single fight left on his UFC contract. He’s scheduled to face former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 284 in Australia, and then, his future is up in the air. For fans hoping for a change of face that sees Costa stick around the Octagon ... things are not looking great.

“Just 1 fight to get free from UFC contract,” Costa tweeted. “So I politely declined. They offer a 6-fight deal, but I’m not interested in a multi-fight deal.”

Seeing as multi-fight contracts are pretty much all UFC is ever willing to offer, it appears that Costa’s UFC career will come to a close in Australia unless one side is willing to budge. Alternatively, World Series of Fighting (WSOF) veteran Saul Almeida did offer up an interesting second option for “Borrachinha.”

Insomnia

Is there a money line available yet for whether or not James Krause ends up in federal prison?

Patricio Freire shows off the special gloves for the Rizin vs. Bellator New Years Eve event:

There remains little to no love lost between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad. Think the rematch ever materializes?

Wonder what awaits you at your local Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy? In my experience, this is 100% accurate.

Georges St. Pierre being just eight pounds off his competition weight years into retirement is WILD!

Stephen Thompson picked up a new battle scar in his war with Kevin Holland.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Interrupting the offensive elbow with a perfect counter elbow — awesome!

I’m fairly confident this spin kick would shatter some concrete.

A brutal knockout from the amateur scene:

Random Land

Is this the beef that got Canelo?

Midnight Music: I listened to hip-hop producer Metro Boomin’s latest LP, and it’s pretty good for those into modern trap rap!

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

Get a detailed breakdown of the betting lines for UFC 282, which is set to hit T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, this weekend (Sat., Dec. 10, 2022), including best bets, underdogs, favorites and much more!

A former champion and a prospect-turned contender duke it out inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, this Saturday (Dec. 10, 2022) when Jan Blachowicz takes on Magomed Ankalaev for UFC’s vacant Light Heavyweight. In UFC 282’s pay-per-view (PPV) event, fan-favorite Lightweight, Paddy Pimblett, gets the spotlight in the co-feature against Jared Gordon, and the ESPN+-streamed main card will also see Alex Morono step in on just three days’ notice to take on the always dangerous Santiago Ponzinibbio.

Procrastinating on Christmas/holiday shopping? Maybe a bigger budget will help get the ideas flowing ...

What Went Wrong at UFC Orlando?

Francis Marshall, Jonathan Pearce, Sergei Pavlovich, Natan Levy, Matheus Nicolau, Rafael dos Anjos and Stephen Thompson

Good work from the lot of them, though Levy probably could have made things easier for himself.

Emily Ducote

I was genuinely surprised by how few answers she had for Angela Hill. Ducote is a very capable counter-striker, but the sheer variety and volume Hill sent her way seemed to leave her flummoxed. I’d picked her for her volume and wrestling, and both wound up nonexistent. In short, it was a consummate performance from Hill and a somewhat worrying one from “Gordinha.”

Niko Price

Man, if he’d just stuck with the low kicks. I will say, my bad for not being aware of the amount of damage he had to his knees. I feel like he had the right idea at the start for how to beat Phil Rowe, but his body was unable to follow through.

Marc Diakiese

It wasn’t the first time Diakiese petered out like that. Fair play to Johnson, though I do think Diakiese could have done a lot more in the second and third rounds. He could have at least tried to back Johnson to the fence before shooting.

Kyle Daukaus

Daukaus does seem to be a step below what I thought he was, but also, where the hell was that Eryk Anders these last few years? The guy looked terrific.

UFC 282 Odds For The Under Card:

Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-170) vs. Chris Daukaus (+145)

A general rule is that when two knockout artists coming off of knockout losses collide, you don’t want to get invested in the outcome.

Edmen Shahbazyan (-280) vs. Dalcha Lungiambula (+235)

I still think Shahbazyan can turn things around, and even the version we’ve seen of late should be too much for Lungiambula. Shahbazyan got thrown in against three Top 15-ranked guys in a row, and losing to them in no way suggests that he can’t handle a perennial underachiever like “Champion” Dalcha. In short, he’s worth a look.

Raul Rosas Jr (-240) vs. Jay Perrin (+200)

I’m down to put a bit on Perrin, honestly. He’s definitely the better striker of the two and a capable grappler in his own right. While Rosas is a sufficiently stout wrestler to control the early going, he’s green enough that Perrin should be able to steer clear of his submissions and escape from rough spots to take over on the feet.

Joaquin Buckley (-155) vs. Chris Curtis (+135)

I can’t pick these guys’ fights to save my life. I think it’s best for everyone involved if I don’t make a recommendation.

Erik Silva (-110) vs. T.J. Brown (-110)

On one side is Silva, who’s mostly untested and rarely goes past the first round. On the other is Brown, who has the technical ability to out-class Silva, but tends to underperform and/or get clipped with worrying regularity. Best avoided.

Billy Quarantillo (-165) vs. Alexander Hernandez (+140)

Cutting an extra 10 pounds for the first time in nearly a decade is a risky endeavor at the best of times. Doing it against one of the most exhausting, high-pace fighters in UFC just seems like a terrible idea. Hernandez is a very capable fighter and potentially better than anyone “Billy Q” has beaten in the Octagon, but the circumstances and Hernandez’s history of being overwhelmed suggest that the former is worth an investment.

Vinicius Salvador (-205) vs. Daniel Da Silva (+175)

Da Silva has lost three consecutive winnable fights, and several of the issues he ran into were self-inflicted. That level of inconsistency bodes ill against a man in Salvador who has bricks for hands and a great chin. While Da Silva will have a speed and dynamism advantage, I’m confident he’ll find some way to get knocked down, so bank on Salvador.

Cameron Saaiman (-325) vs. Steven Koslow (+270)

The only mixed martial arts (MMA) footage of Koslow from the last three years was paywalled, so I don’t know enough about his current abilities to make a confident determination. Saaiman’s pace and power should let him smoke Koslow, but I’ve been burned in situations like this before.

UFC 282 Odds For The Main Card:

Magomed Ankalaev (-280) vs. Jan Blachowicz (+235)

This is probably an Ankalaev win, but I’m not -280 confident in that. Blachowicz is tough to take down if you’re not Glover Teixeira and just has this weird knack for finding success against ostensibly better strikers.

Paddy Pimblett (-250) vs. Jared Gordon (+210)

I like the underdog here. Not only does Gordon have the pressure and grappling skills to recreate the success Jordan Leavitt enjoyed against Pimblett, but he also beat a very similar sort of top control specialist in Joe Solecki not too long again. He can hold his own in a firefight as well, and considering that Pimblett isn’t as strong a wrestler as Grant Dawson, I’m willing to bank on “Flash.”

Santiago Ponzinibbio (N/A) vs. Alex Morono (N/A)

Odds aren’t out at time of writing. Go Ponzinibbio if you can get better than -150; Morono’s improved a ton, but the 180-pound Catchweight has me thinking he’s not in tip-top shape.

Dricus Du Plessis (-180) vs. Darren Till (+155)

I’m on the Du Plessis train until the wheels fall off. This dude rules.

Even beyond my support for a guy whose style absolutely should not be as effective as it is, Till is 1-4 in his last five and getting in his face has historically been a good way to deal with him. Sure, those five guys were all very good fighters, but that and his constant injuries are a bad sign against an all-out aggressor like “Stillknocks.”

Ilia Topuria (-135) vs. Bryce Mitchell (+115)

Give me Topuria at those odds for sure. He’s by far the best wrestler Mitchell has yet faced in the Octagon and has the power to knock “Thug Nasty’s” head into the third row if they trade for any length of time. As long as Topuria has the weight cut figured out, we can expect a violent early finish.

UFC 282 Best Bets:

• Single bet — Jay Perrin: Bet $40 to make $80
• Parlay — Edmen Shahbazyan and Jared Gordon: Bet $40 to make $128.40
• Parlay — Billy Quarantillo and Dricus Du Plessis: Bet $50 to make $75
• Parlay — Vinicius Salvador and Ilia Topuria: Bet $50 to make $79.50

There’s nothing more festive than a bunch of guys beating the tar out of each other for money. See you Saturday, Maniacs.

Initial Investment For 2022: $600
Additional Investment (Aug. 2022): $400
Current Total: $955.62

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 282 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard (on ESPN2/ESPN+) at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 282: “Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Chris Daukaus is in a must-win situation at UFC 282 this weekend (Sat., Dec. 10, 2022).

The No. 11-ranked Heavyweight contender found himself on the wrong end of two tough knockout losses in pivotal match ups his last two times out. First finished by Derrick Lewis in the first round of his UFC main event debut, Daukaus then went on to fall short against Curtis Blaydes.

With his five-fight win streak snapped and his first losing skid obtained, Daukaus was down in the dumps, to say the least.

“After you lose, the first month and a half ... I wanted to kill myself because it f—king sucks,” Daukaus said at UFC 282 media day. “Everyone’s telling me how bad I suck and everyone’s just s—ting on you because that’s what people do. You’re only as good as your last fight and my last two fights have sucked so yeah, you just have to get through that. It sucks, but you have to get through that and I’ve been working on that since my last one and I’m here to change that.”

Despite the skid, Daukaus is remaining in the mix of top 15 contenders, facing Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 282.

Daukaus, 33, worked as a police officer prior to his skid, but gave up his position to go full-time as an MMA fighter. The timing was undeniably poor when it comes to income. Daukaus, however, doesn’t regret his decision.

“[The mindset is] like, dude, you totally f—ked up. You probably should have stayed a cop,” Daukaus joked regarding quitting his police officer job. “But no, this is what I wanted, this is really what I’ve been striving for. It’s what I want. I would rather do this, get my ass kicked, and question whether or not I have a job than to go back to the police department.

“I love the police department — I don’t love the police department ... I love the people I worked with,” he clarified. “The whole bureaucracy and all that, that’s a whole different story. But no, I really enjoyed the people I worked with, but this is much better. I get to spend time with my family, I get to spend time with my kids. This is living the dream for me. I get paid to get in fistfights. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 282 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard (on ESPN2/ESPN+) at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 282: “Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Jan Blachowicz is on the cusp of becoming a two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight champion.

UFC 282 was shaken up just two weeks out from fight night this weekend (Sat., Dec. 10, 2022) when it was announced that champion, Jiri Prochazka, was forced out of the main event and vacating the title due to a bad shoulder injury. Therefore, the co-main event received a promotion, leading to Blachowicz once again fighting for a vacant title against Magomed Ankalaev.

Following his prior win over Aleksandar Rakic in May 2022, Blachowicz made it clear he wanted another crack at the title, but the promotion went with the Prochazka-Glover Teixeira rematch.

“I want to fight against Jiri,” Blachowicz said at UFC 282 media day (h/t MMA Fighting). “He don’t want to fight against me. He choose different fight, not me. So, I’m ready for him when he’s going to be healthy.”

Teixeira is expected to await the winner of Blachowicz versus Ankalaev now that he’s the odd man out. When the Brazilian former titlist first won the strap in Oct. 2021, the crowning moment came over Blachowicz.

In late 2020, Blachowicz helped kick off the post-Jon Jones era at 205 pounds, defeating Dominick Reyes for the vacant title via second round technical knockout (watch highlights). While having to become champion through vacant title circumstances isn’t ideal for Blachowicz, he’s still happy with the opportunities presented.

“It’s not my fault,” Blachowicz said. “I want to fight against Jon Jones, but he don’t want to fight against me. Nobody know what he’s doing right now. Also I wanted to fight against Jiri, but he wanted the rematch. Now it’s injury, so it’s not my fault. This is not what I choose, but it is what it is. It’s the championship. This is most important thing for me.”

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 282 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard (on ESPN2/ESPN+) at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 282: “Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Paddy Pimblett is ready to keep proving the doubters wrong.

UFC 282 this weekend (Sat., Dec. 10, 2022) will mark “The Baddy’s” toughest test to date in the Octagon. Tasked with Lightweight veteran, Jared Gordon, Pimblett still doesn’t see his opponent as much of a threat.

There hasn’t been any semblance of rivalry in any of Pimblett’s UFC match ups thus far. Some of Gordon’s recent comments ahead of their co-main event clash didn’t sit well with the rising British superstar, however.

“I think Jordan Leavitt’s a better grappler, Luigi Vendramini’s a better striker, and I’m bigger than him,” Pimblett said at UFC 282 media day. “I’ve got more reach. One thing that did piss me off was he said I’m a quitter. I’ve never quit. I’ve been choked unconscious and went five rounds twice against two steroid abusers when I went into both of them fights injured.

“He’s the quitter,” he continued. “He tapped to a choke recently. It wasn’t even fully on. That wasn’t even a proper rear-naked choke against an opponent who’s absolutely dog s—t.”

Pimblett’s retort references Gordon’s last loss to Grant Dawson this past April 2022. Gordon has since rebounded with an August 2022 unanimous decision over Leonardo Santos to set up this big Pimblett encounter.

Of Pimblett’s three career losses in 22 fights, his first came in his fifth fight where he was submitted by Cameron Else via a 35-second anaconda choke — his only finish defeat.

“I know he has some quit in him,” Gordon told CBS Sports. “He’s quit in other fights. You can’t ever, ever, ever unlearn that. That’s just something that he’s born with. I’ve never quit. I never will. You have to literally kill me to quit. Figuratively and literally.”

A win at UFC 282 for Pimblett would extend his win streak to six overall and four within UFC. Despite scoring finishes in all of those bouts, Pimblett still feels he isn’t quite getting treated as a legitimate future contender at 155 pounds.

“People still aren’t taking me for real,” Pimblett said. “No one respects me and it does piss me off. But I’ve just got to get on with that, lad. People don’t respect the come-up. Simple as.”

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 282 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard (on ESPN2/ESPN+) at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 282: “Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

It will be a while until Jiri Prochazka is back in the Octagon.

Two weeks ago, shockwaves rippled through the mixed martial arts (MMA) community when news broke that Prochazka was out of the UFC 282 main event this weekend (Sat., Dec. 10, 2022) and vacating his Light Heavyweight title. Prochazka suffered a bad injury to his shoulder that requires surgery and is expected to leave him sidelined for quite some time, despite his hopes of returning in six months or so.

“That night when we were in there and we’re having the meeting and we’re talking about the possibility of him fighting again, he was saying ‘I think I can come back in five months’ and all this s—t,” UFC President, Dana White, said on Paddy Pimblett’s YouTube channel (h/t MMA Fighting). “The doctor was with us, too, and the doctor was like, ‘You need to start being realistic about this.’

“The thing I told him was I don’t want you to put that type of pressure on you where you feel like you have to come back in five or six months and destroy your shoulder again,” he added. “Take the time. Do it right. Get the right surgery and that night he decided then I’m not going to hold up the division, I’m going to vacate the title. Stud.”

UFC 282 was originally scheduled to feature a Prochazka rematch against Glover Teixeira who he defeated to earn his championship status in June 2022 (watch highlights). Unfortunately for Teixeira, he now finds himself as the odd man out while Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev battle for the vacant crown in the new UFC 282 main event.

Regardless of Teixeira’s lack of involvement, White is still planning to have the Brazilian former titlist face the winner of Blachowicz versus Ankalaev. As for Prochazka, he attempted to fix what was initially a dislocation, ultimately leading to the worst outcome possible, says White.

“That night when it all went down and we had our doctor look at him, the doctor literally said in all the years of the UFC, this is the worst shoulder injury we’ve ever seen,” White said. “It’s pretty nasty. Him being the f—king savage that he is, he still wanted to fight. No, you can’t fight, kid. He tore it good.

“What happened was it popped out and he had some guys there at the gym [try to put it back in socket] and it f—king ripped the s—t out of it and destroyed his shoulder,” he continued. “I’ll tell you, tell him, tell all the fighters, if anything happens to you, jump in a f—king car and go to the hospital. We will pay for everything. People think that these guys at the gym can fix your shoulder, do this s—t, do that s—t, don’t even risk it. Just go to the hospital. It’s crazy.”

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 282 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard (on ESPN2/ESPN+) at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 282: “Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Longtime mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran and part-time bareknuckle boxer Carrese Archer secured his place in the combat sports hall of shame by jumping out of his boots — and taking his brewsky with him — after getting punked by former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight Nate Diaz.

The circumstances behind their brief interaction remain unclear, but Archer crossed paths with the wily Diaz at the Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley pay-per-view (PPV) event last year at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., the same event that saw the much-maligned “Island Boys” get showered in suds and booed from the building.

Archer, 33, vowed to get revenge on Diaz but like any good comeback story, “One Punch” will first have to earn his shot. The means to that end is a spot on Dana White’s Power Slap roster, which gets underway next month on TBS. A few memorable wins on the slapping circuit and Archer could find himself with considerable bargaining power.

Diaz, 37, is no stranger to open-handed justice, having compiled quite the highlight reel over the last decade. Among his victims are Bellator MMA welterweight Dillon Danis, UFC President Dana White, and one of those social media tolls from Nelk Boys. There was also this unverified claim about Slapib Nurmagomedov.

Archer’s Power Slap opponent and debut date have yet to be established.

Who is the best slapper in the world?

We’re likely to find out in just a few weeks when Dana White’s Power Slap League makes its television debut on TBS in January. The inaugural tournament will feature eight, one-hour episodes showcasing the world’s best slappers competing for championship titles across multiple weight classes in what is expected to be the first of many seasons.

Now we have a look at the official Power Slap title.

Looks like one of those weird regional titles made Internet famous by Shonie Carter.

“We’ve spent the last year sort of beta-testing this in a controlled environment to really test and see the dynamic of how this would function as an actual league and real sport,” UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell told NSAC commissioners. “What we’ve found is that this is actually a skill sport that the participants, who are at a high level in this, are skilled athletes in. They train. They’re in good shape. They take it seriously, not dissimilar with what you see in MMA and boxing.”

A full Power Slap roster is expected in the coming days.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will hold a special pre-fight media day for select combatants competing on the upcoming UFC 282 pay-per-view (PPV) fight card, locked and loaded for this Sat. night (Dec. 10, 2022) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The LIVE stream gets underway promptly at 1 p.m. ET in the embedded video above.

UFC 282 will be headlined by the light heavyweight title fight between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev, who took over main event duties when Jiri Prochazka blew out his shoulder and was forced to withdraw. In addition, Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett makes his Octagon return opposite lightweight bruiser Jared “Flash” Gordon. Elsewhere on the card, Santiago Ponzinibbio and Alex Morono (not Robbie Lawler) collide at 170 pounds.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 282 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN2/ESPN+) at 8 p.m. ET before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 282: “Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 282 fight card and PPV line up click here.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will return to United Kingdom for the upcoming UFC 286 pay-per-view (PPV) mixed martial arts (MMA) event, recently made official for Sat., March 18, 2022 at The O2 Arena in London, England.

No bouts were included in today’s announcement but newly-crowned welterweight champion Leon Edwards is expected to make his first 170-pound title defense against former division kingpin Kamaru Usman in the UFC 286 main event.

“It’s gonna be Usman vs. Edwards,” UFC President Dana White told Paddy Pimblett. “Everybody was asking me about Cardiff. It’s gonna be London. We looked into it.”

Fans hoping for a stadium show voiced their disappointment in the comments of the UFC UK Twitter account but the promotion can’t risk running in a venue that doesn’t have a roof because bad weather will bring the entire operation to a halt.

Expect UFC 286 fight card announcements to start trickling in over the next few weeks, if not days.

Sean Strickland is out for revenge.

But in order to secure a rematch against newly-crowned middleweight champion Alex Pereira, Strickland will first have to get past former title challenger Jared Cannonier atop the UFC Vegas 66 card later this month at the APEX facility in Las Vegas.

Just don’t expect anything different the second time around.

“The guy f*cking hits hard, dude,” Strickland told MMA Junkie. “That motherf*cker, he has dynamite in his hands but got to get a couple wins under my belt, and hopefully he’s still the champ and we’ll run it back. I’ll give you guys a pointer: You stand in front of that motherf*cker and bang, somebody is going to sleep and it’s most likely going to be you. If I fight the guy again, I’d do the same f*cking thing. Just put this (right) hand a little more (up).”

He may want to put that hand a lot more up.

Strickland (25-4) battled Pereira (7-1) at UFC 276 last summer in “Sin City” and despite the Brazilian’s advantage on the feet — and disadvantage on the ground — “Tarzan” opted to stand and bang, going down in flames midway through the opening frame.

Those who don’t learn from their mistakes ...

Inside the cage she’s Valerie Loureda. Between the ropes she’s Lola Vice.

Former Bellator MMA attraction Valerie Loureda recently revealed her new WWE name and in-ring attire as she continues her pro wrestling journey, which judging by this early video, appears to be moving in a positive direction for all parties involved.

“Lola Vice the first Cuban American woman in WWE history,” Loureda wrote on social media. “This has been one of the most challenging transitions of my life, starting from scratch, passionately working towards my debut, in the best shape of my life, and I cannot wait to represent latinas, Miami, and show the world who the real Valerie Loureda is.”

Loureda, 24, is expected to remain on the NXT roster until the promotion deems her ready for WWE television. That said, NXT features its own episodic programming on the Peacock network so don’t be surprised to the the former Bellator MMA “Master” on screens sooner, rather than later.

For more on Loureda’s jump to WWE click here and here.

In a statement on T.J. Dillashaw’s removal from the USADA pool, the drug-testing agency referenced an extra condition for fighters looking to return to active competition.

Some fighters push the sport forward in unique ways. Half the fouls in MMA were added to the rulebook after officials watched in horror as Tank Abbott performed them in the cage. Chael Sonnen is the man responsible for that short and crazy period of time where fighters were being granted therapeutic use exemptions for testosterone. And now Conor McGregor has opened fighters’ eyes to the idea of ‘retiring’ to recover from injuries using USADA-prohibited substances.

McGregor broke his leg clean in half near the ankle in his third fight against Dustin Poirier back in July 2022 and hasn’t competed since. He withdrew (secretly, we may add) from the USADA testing pool so doctors could use all the tools at their disposal to properly rehabilitate his leg. Now he’s back, his leg looks stronger than ever, and he’s ... gained 20+ pounds of pure muscle and is up a weight class?! If he gets his way, he’ll be eligible to compete again without spending six months in the USADA testing pool due to an exceptional circumstances clause in USADA’s bylaws.

So wait, can any fighter ‘retire,’ use performance enhancing drugs to heal injuries, and then come back bigger and badder than before? We haven’t seen the end result of McGregor’s attempt to loophole his way back into the system without six months of testing, but it looks like USADA is already attempting to stop other fighters from trying the same thing.

Yesterday it was announced that T.J. Dillashaw was retiring from the sport due to the shoulder injury he suffered leading up to his UFC 280 fight against Aljamain Sterling. It turns out if you just gut through that type of injury with the shoulder repeatedly coming out of the socket for months, it’s really, really bad. Is Dillashaw really retiring, or is he ‘retiring’ so that he can ‘rehab’ his shoulder and return down the line?

In a statement from USADA regarding Dillashaw’s removal from the program (via TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter), the drug-testing program cited another condition in the process for retired fighters to re-enter the pool.

“In the event of an athlete’s return to the UFC from retirement, they are required to remain in the USADA testing pool for six months before they are permitted to compete,” the statement read. “The UFC may grant an exemption to the six month written notice rule in exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to the athlete. But in both cases, the athlete must provide at least two negative samples before returning to competition.”

That’s the standard part. Now this:

“Upon being added to the UFC Ant-Doping Program, athletes are also required to declare prohibited substances they have used in the previous 12 months, prior to being in USADA’s testing program. An Athlete who makes such a declaration, depending on the substance, will be required to refrain from competition for a period of at least six months and provide at least two negative samples to ensure that they do not compete in a UFC bout with a performance advantage.”

So the idea here is to make it extremely explicit that any treatments being used by an athlete in the past twelve months must be disclosed to USADA. USADA will then look over those treatments and ‘depending on the substances,’ USADA will decide whether they must spend another six months on the sidelines before competing in the UFC. There is no mention of the UFC holding a veto over this requirement.

We’ll see if this keeps fighters from trying to pull a Conor McGregor in the future. But if a bad shoulder injury can heal twice as fast and better than ever with USADA-prohibited treatments, even waiting the extra six months to re-enter the testing pool isn’t a bad deal for severely injured athletes.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) strikers Darren Till and Dricus du Plessis will go to war this weekend (Sat., Dec. 10, 2022) at UFC 282 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It’s no secret that times have been tough for Till. The English talent hoped that a Middleweight move would revive his career, but he’s lost two of three at 185 pounds, looking out-of-shape and flat in his last outing against Derek Brunson. He’s now in dire need of a win, otherwise his title dreams will fully kick the bucket. Du Plessis, meanwhile, is chaos. The former KSW champion has stormed out of the gates to win three straight UFC fights, proving that his combination of physicality, aggression, and unorthodox offense is a nasty threat even at the highest level. He’s a lot of fun to watch, and now we’ll find out if “Stillknocks” is a real player in the title picture.

Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:

Darren Till

Record: 18-4-1
Key Wins: Kelvin Gastelum (UFC 244), Stephen Thompson (UFC Fight Night 130), Donald Cerrone (UFC Fight Night 118), Bojan Velickovic (UFC Fight Night 115)
Key Losses: Derek Brunson (UFC Vegas 36), Tyron Woodley (UFC 228), Robert Whittaker (UFC on ESPN 14), Jorge Masvidal (UFC Fight Night 147)
Keys to Victory: Recently, there has been a shift against Till, a sentiment that he was never any good and was only a hype job. Even with his recent struggles, it’s important to remember that mediocre strikers do not go toe-to-toe in razor thin contests with men like Robert Whittaker and Stephen Thompson.

“The Gorilla” is a talent, even if he has yet to live up to his potential.

There is opportunity and danger in this match up. Till is a sniper, and du Plessis is wildly aggressive. There will surely be opportunities for Till to interrupt du Plessis’ bursts with his vaunted left hand, but that’s a risky proposition. If Till misses or his timing is off by smidge, du Plessis will keep swarming, shifting stances and swinging kill shots.

Till is not unhittable by any means, and Masvidal demonstrated how sneaky shifts can catch him off-guard. To avoid getting blasted while looking for his counters, I’d like to see more footwork from Till. If he’s especially patient and frustrating, du Plessis’ pathological aggression will lead to larger, safer openings as du Plessis tries to force the brawl.

Dricus du Plessis

Record: 17-2
Key Wins: Roberto Soldic (KSW 43), Brad Tavares (UFC 276), Trevin Giles (UFC 264), Markus Perez (UFC Fight Island 5)
Key Losses: Roberto Soldic (KSW 45)
Keys to Victory: I like du Plessis’ style a lot. He’s got durability, power, a deep gas tank, creativity — all the elements necessary to attack wildly in a similar philosophical approach to someone like Jiri Prochazka. Sure, du Plessis leaves openings while attacking, but does that matter if he can take the shots and his opponent cannot stand up to his assault?

Sometimes, offense really is the best defense, especially in MMA, where points on the board equate to physical pain and a dulling of the senses. Obviously, du Plessis doesn’t want to get sparked in the process of working his offense, but just because Till throws straighter shots does not mean he’s the better striker.

To get the better of these exchanges, du Plessis has to remain unpredictable. He has to feint constantly to dull the timing of Till’s counter shots. Stance shifts are great too, but du Plessis would be best advised to either gain an angle or force Till to break his stance before really unleashing his combinations.

Bottom Line

Darren Till’s back is to the wall.

Till is a popular fighter, but popularity only goes so far. It’s been a long time since “The Gorilla” won a fight, and longer still since he really impressed in the process. None of that is to say Till is no good, but if he’s to remain a highly-ranked Middleweight generally considered as a player in the title picture, he simply has to turn away du Plessis. Otherwise, it’s a long, long road back to the top.

As for du Plessis, he’s not yet a known name among the average UFC fan. This is a chance to break into the rankings and public consciousness in a single victory. Defeating Till still means something, and given his previous win streak, victory this weekend should prove that du Plessis is a threat to even the elite at 185 pounds.

At UFC 282, Darren Till and Dricus du Plessis will square off. Which man will earn the victory?

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 282 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard (on ESPN2/ESPN+) at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 282: “Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

After nearly a week in the hospital, doctors have successfully treated Dustin Poirier’s MRSA infection. He’ll be home by this afternoon.

It got a bit scary there for a second, but it looks like Dustin Poirier is winning his fight against a bad case of staph infection.

Poirier revealed at the start of the week that he had been in the hospital for days as doctors struggled to find an antibiotic to treat a staph infection that had started in his foot. Staph is short for staphylococcus bacteria and is a common issue for fighters, but not all staph is created equally. Some responds to treatment immediately and others are more resistant to antibiotics. That upgrades it to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Some even develop into necrotizing fasciitis aka flesh-eating bacteria.

“Staph infections, particularly MRSA, can be fatal,” Dr. Brian Sutterer said in a video on Poirier’s situation. “They can spread to the bone and cause osteomyelitis, they can lead to amputations. If that bacteria gets into your bloodstream and spreads kind of throughout your body, you can become septic, which can be fatal. So MRSA is really no joke. It’s a pretty common thing that we see.”

Basically, a bad staph infection can totally kill or maim you, and Poirier was starting to approach the ‘uh oh’ zone where the infection was continuing to spread and unresponsive to any treatments.

Fortunately, something miraculous happened on Tuesday — the antibiotics Poirier was on finally started countering the staph. “The Diamond” posted an update on Twitter regarding it:

“Antibiotics are working,” he wrote. “Getting outta the hospital tomorrow morning!”

This is definitely a great update. Things weren’t looking as good back on Monday when Poirier first revealed he’d been hospitalized.

“S—’s getting serious,” he wrote then.

Fortunately, he had good doctors to take care of him, and his wife Jolie Poirier to keep him entertained during his hospital stay. There are multiple videos of her racing him around the wards in a wheelchair or hanging in his hospital room and they’re about the sweetest thing you ever did done see.

Now that the staph is under control, Poirier will likely spend the next several weeks on strong antibiotics to completely stamp out and kill the bacteria in his foot. While it’s never fun being on those or having to stay off the infected foot, it beats a longer stay in the hospital. And now Dustin has a legitimate excuse to spend Christmas 100% at home instead of at the gym.

Poirier is coming off a big third round submission win over Michael Chandler at UFC 281 in an exciting battle that was awarded Fight of the Night. We can’t wait to see what’s next for “The Diamond” in the octagon.

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

I don’t think Conor McGregor is going to be a guest on The Joe Rogan Experience (JRE) anytime soon. The Irish superstar is not happy with the podcasting legend and longtime UFC color commentator, particularly after recent remarks about his vacation from the USADA testing program.

In order to recover from his gnarly broken leg, McGregor stepped out of the testing pool, enabling him to freely use whatever medicine his doctors advised best. In the process, however, McGregor raised eyebrows by also putting on a ton of muscle, which naturally resulted in some performance enhancing drug (PED) speculation ahead of his return to action.

While talking with a PED expert on JRE, Rogan dropped the following comment, “He’s taking his shirt off and posing constantly and he looks like his piss would melt that USADA cup. Like it would just like burn a hole right through the bottom of that USADA cup.”

The former double champ certainly did not appreciate the speculation, and he was quick to turn the tables on Rogan. In a since-deleted Tweet, McGregor questioned what supplements Rogan is taking to look so muscular in his fifties, as well as why the jiu-jitsu black belt never stepped into the cage himself.

“Joe looks like his piss melts his knickers, in the company that long and never took a fight hahaha @ufc oh tae kwon do competitions, call the cops hahahahaah”

There’s a considerable chance that Rogan will be on the mic whenever McGregor does step into the Octagon again. If so, there’s another storyline to consider ahead of superstar’s comeback!

Insomnia

A positive update from Dustin Poirier! Best wishes to “The Diamond.”

NOT the one that got spinning backfisted by Dong Hyun Kim back in the day ...

It’s been a tough year for the old guard. There’s quite a few former champions on this list ...

Fight fans, this is your chance to own a genuine piece of UFC history.

Frankie Edgar to WWE?

PFL is making moves ahead of their 2023 season! Kuniev has won ten straight, mostly via finish.

A new match up at 125 lbs. is scheduled for February.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Click through to relive the entire incredible career turnaround of Jan Blachowicz!

I’ll be honest and say I’ve never heard of this submission. Neat!

You’re unlikely to find a more perfect shin-to-chin connection.

Random Land

“A type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.”

Midnight Music: Punk, 1979

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is bringing more “Prelims” fights to ESPN2/ESPN+ this weekend (Sat., Dec. 10, 2022) when UFC 282: “Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev” storms T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. MMAmania.com’s Patrick Stumberg continues the UFC 282 “Prelims” party with the second (and final) installment of a two-part undercard preview series below.

Jiri Prochazka’s honorable decision to vacate the Light Heavyweight belt while he recovers from shoulder surgery has opened the door for top-ranked contenders, Jan Blachowicz and Magomedov Ankalaev, to duke it out for vacated 205-pound championship gold this Saturday evening (Dec. 10, 2022) atop UFC 282 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-feature sees Jared Gordon welcome Paddy Pimblett stateside in a high-octane Lightweight tussle, before which Darren Till returns to action opposite Dricus Du Plessis and Bryce Mitchell meets Ilia Topuria in a clash of undefeated blue-chip prospects.

ESPN2 leads into UFC 282’s pay-per-view (PPV) main card with a final four “Prelims” undercard bouts (check out the first batch here), which we’ve broken down for you below. Care to have a look?

265 lbs.: Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Chris Daukaus

Jairzinho Rozenstruik (12-4) smashed his way into UFC contention with four consecutive knockout victories, including a face-shredding finish of Alistair Overeem in the final seconds of their main event. “Bigi Boy” is just 2-4 since, including a knockout loss to Alexander Volkov his last time out.

All but one of his professional wins have come by knockout.

Chris Daukaus (12-5), likewise, emerged as a Heavyweight to watch by knocking out his first four Octagon opponents. This earned him consecutive main events against Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes, who handed Daukaus his first losses since 2019.

He stands one inch taller than Rozenstruik, but gives up two inches of reach.

This could either be extremely short and incredibly entertaining or an absolute slog. Ideally, they’ll come out with chips on their shoulders and slug it out until someone goes to sleep. Pessimistically, their recent knockout losses will leave them timid and unwilling to engage.

Honestly, I feel like I favor Rozenstruik in both scenarios. While he’s a lot slower than Daukaus and doesn’t put his combinations together quite as smoothly, I’d peg him as the bigger one-shot puncher and definitely the more experienced in long, boring staring contests. Here’s hoping it’s a “smash action figures together” sort of fight that ends in Rozenstruik sleeping him with a counter.

Prediction: Rozenstruik via first round knockout

135 lbs.: Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Jay Perrin

Raul Rosas Jr. (6-0) went undefeated (2-0) with two first-round finishes as an amateur before stopping his first five professional opponents. This set up a historic Contender Series clash with Mando Gutierrez, resulting in Rosas’ first decision victory and a UFC contract.

He’s submitted four professional foes and knocked out one other.

Two fights after an unsuccessful Contender Series bid, Jay Perrin (10-6) choked out Josh Smith to claim the CES Bantamweight title. He’s still chasing his first UFC finish, having fallen to Mario Bautista and Aoriqileng in back-to-back fights.

He’ll enjoy a two-inch reach advantage despite being the shorter of the pair by the same margin.

While we’ve seen our fair share of wunderkinds flame out in the Octagon, Rosas definitely has potential, largely thanks to his excellent takedown game. He just might have bitten off more than he could chew here, unfortunately, as Perrin’s poor UFC record belies a very solid and well-rounded game. Perrin is unquestionably the better boxer of the two, as seen with the late beating he put on Aoriqileng, and he’s not a slouch in the wrestling department.

It’ll likely be maturity that settles this. Rosas is so frantic in his guard passing and submission attempts that he can sacrifice tightness, allowing seasoned opponents to wriggle out of bad positions or take him down in return. Between how hittable he is on the feet and how mentally tough Perrin is, I like the latter to weather some rough spots, rack up top control, and land enough heavy punches standing to pull the upset.

Prediction: Perrin via unanimous decision

185 lbs.: Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Dalcha Lungiambula

A head kick finish of Brad Tavares marked the fourth consecutive UFC win for Edmen Shahbazyan (11-3), putting him on the brink of title contention at an incredible pace. He now finds himself winless since 2019 courtesy of dangerous contenders Derek Brunson, Jack Hermansson and Nassourdine Imavov.

He fights for the first time in 13 months.

Dalcha Lungiambula (11-5) opened his UFC career 2-1, a loss to top contender Magomed Ankalaev sandwiched between victories over Dequan Townsend and Markus Perez. “Champion” enters the cage this Saturday in the midst of a three-fight skid, among them a knockout loss to Punahele Soriano last time out.

He stands six inches shorter than Shahbazyan, but will enjoy a two-inch reach advantage.

I genuinely think Shahbazyan still has a lot of potential. Losing to killers like Brunson, Hermansson and Imavov do not a bust make. On the contrary, he’s still just 25 years old and likely ironing out all the bad habits Tarverdyan baked into him.

The tools are there for a genuine contender.

If he can’t get past Lungiambula, though, it’s time to throw in the towel. “Champion” has never quite managed to synthesize his grappling skills, punching power and physical gifts into a cohesive offense. So long as Shahbazyan can avoid his wild kill swings, the former will have a considerable edge on the feet thanks to his versatility. Plus, even if Lungiambula manages to get his takedowns going, he’s so ineffective on top that Shahbazyan should be able to wriggle free and get back to work. Shahbazyan cracks him with something ugly early in the second.

Prediction: Shahbazyan via second round technical knockout

185 lbs.: Chris Curtis vs. Joaquin Buckley

Chris Curtis (29-9) authored one of UFC’s most impressive Cinderella stories, rattling off three straight wins over lethal contenders. His victories set up a clash with Jack Hermansson, who used constant lateral movement and high volume to flummox “The Action Man” and snap his eight-fight win streak.

He gives up one inch of reach to “New Mansa.”

A torrid 5-1 run — highlighted by an all-time-great knockout of Impa Kasanganay — established Joaquin Buckley (15-5) as a genuine threat at 185 pounds. Nassourdine Imavov proved too stiff a test, however, out-warring Buckley to claim a unanimous decision in Paris.

All 11 of his pro stoppages have come by knockout.

Curtis’ first three UFC appearances showed that if you mix it up with him inside, his combination of power, durability, and body punching will inevitably break you down. What the Hermansson fight showed is that he can’t really get that kind of fight unless his opponents do it for him. His cage cutting was abysmal and he never seemed to realize that you’re allowed to kick people in the legs.

Buckley’s speed and mobility are such that he can hypothetically keep Curtis out of the pocket indefinitely, but his tendency to charge headlong into the fire could play right into “The Action Man’s” hands. It’s an incredibly tight match up that seems like it’ll come down to the wire. In the end, after chewing on it for a while, I think Curtis’ body work and toughness should edge it out and allow him to take over down the stretch.

Prediction: Curtis via split decision

UFC 282 will feature some can’t-miss battles here, making this far from the worst way for UFC to finish its 2022 PPV run. See you Saturday, Maniacs.

Prediction Record for 2022: 173-88-2

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 282 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard (on ESPN2/ESPN+) at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 282: “Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

ONE Championship is adding to its already extensive roster.

MMA Mania confirmed today (Tues., Dec. 6, 2022) with sources close to the promotion that four undefeated prospects have been signed. The names include Shamil Erdogan (8-0), Akbar Abdulaev (8-0), Aaron Canarte (10-0), and Blake Cooper (2-0).

Amongst the names, Cooper, 26, stands out most as he’s the younger brother of two-time Professional Fighters League (PFL) Welterweight champion, Ray Cooper III. The Hawaii native is a Welterweight just like his big brother, having racked up three victories as an amateur and most recently earned his second professional victory in Sept. 2022.

Moscow, Russia’s Erdogan has finished half of his eight career wins primarily competing under the Fight Nights Global and Eagle Fighting Championship banners. Erdogan will add an injection of life to ONE’s Light Heavyweight division where his fellow countryman, Anatoly Malykhin, just won the title (watch highlights) this past weekend (Dec. 2, 2022).

Abdulaev also enters the promotion hailing from Moscow. The Featherweight hopeful has yet to see the judges’ scorecards with seven knockouts and one submission on his resume.

Canarte, like Abdulaev, bolsters ONE’s Featherweight roster and is touted as one the best up-and-comers from Ecuador. Including his amateur career, Canarte has won 15 straight bouts and has finished six of his pro opponents (three knockouts, three submissions).

None of the fighters have their debut fights in ONE scheduled as of yet.

Don’t expect to see Paddy Pimblett suddenly ramping up his personality any time soon.

Pimblett has quickly become one of the biggest stars in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and he knows it. Set for his biggest spotlight yet as one half of the UFC 282 co-main event this weekend (Sat., Dec. 10, 2022), “The Baddy” wants to make it clear that there are no manufactured bits to his character.

“I’d hate myself if I tried,” Pimblett told ESPN. “I hate fake people. I don’t like it. As I’ve said before, I don’t like Colby Covington because of the act he puts on. I don’t like people who put acts on. It’s just not me. It’s annoying.”

Covington, a two-time Welterweight title challenger and former interim champion, gained initial notoriety for his brash and outspoken nature. “Chaos” hasn’t been shy to cross nearly any line, embracing the hate unlike most others in mixed martial arts (MMA).

The 27-year-old Pimblett has already won three consecutive bouts in UFC with each gradually getting bigger than the last. Veteran Lightweight, Jared Gordon, awaits Pimblett at UFC 282 and Pimblett is aware that he’s a big reason the pair is locked into their spot on the card.

“I’ve always known I was gonna be a superstar,” Pimblett said. For me, it’s nothing new. It’s just standard procedure.

“I don’t know [what makes someone a superstar],” he added. “I’m just a main man, lad. I’m the one that everyone wants the interviews with. I’m the one that everyone wants the pictures with and to come and see and that’s just a fact. I am the main man now, lad. People who want to dispute it can, but they know they're wrong.”

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 282 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the remaining undercard (on ESPN2/ESPN+) at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 282: “Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.

Zhang Weili never backs down from a challenge.

Once again Strawweight champion of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), it’s onto the future for Zhang and the current path is a bit unclear. No. 3-ranked contender, Amanda Lemos, seems to be the frontrunner for the next crack at gold, but the promotion has yet to indicate any sort of direction.

Zhang is about to head back to her home of China as she takes a small break to enjoy her recent victory before a hopeful return in the Summer of 2023. Weighing possible options, “Magnum” finds the prospect of a champion versus champion duel at Flyweight against the division’s titleholder, Valentina Shevchenko, rather enticing.

“Yes. It’s a must, for sure,” Zhang told MMA Fighting of a Shevchenko match up. “No question.

“I thought about this a couple of years back,” she continued. “Eventually we will run into each other in the Octagon because the weight divisions are so close. I don’t know for sure if I’ll take the belt away from her, but one thing I can guarantee is it’s going to be a banger if me and the champ get in the Octagon. It will be a great performance, regardless of the outcome.”

Shevchenko and Zhang have fought together on the same cards twice in the past. In those appearances, Shevchenko defended her title twice and Zhang suffered a loss to Rose Namajunas before scoring a knockout over Joanna Jedrzejczyk (watch highlights).

Taila Santos gave Shevchenko a real run for her money at UFC 275 in June 2022 (watch highlights). Despite the tightly contested split decision win for the “Bullet,” Shevchenko is still considered one of the absolute best fighters on the planet today.

“Also, because she’s such a great martial artist, I’m willing to step into the Octagon with her to learn from her, to share the female fighting spirit in there because she’s one of the best in the world,” Zhang said. “My opponent adjusts myself. My opponent is still myself. It’s not the person I’m facing, but rather the person I am.”