Midnight Mania! Sean Strickland fires back at ‘f—king cringelord’ Israel Adesanya after Izzy predicts his downfall | UFC 297

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Israel Adesanya may not be fighting this weekend (Sat. Jan. 20, 2023) at UFC 297, but he’s certainly an interested party. Sean Strickland defeated Adesanya and took his Middleweight title back in September in one of 2023’s biggest upsets, and prior to that fight, Adesanya had built up a pretty nasty rivalry with Dricus Du Plessis.

He’s quite possibly going to face the winner of their main event showdown sometime later in the year. Maybe even at UFC 300? Whatever the timeline for his return, “Stylebender” could very possibly be fighting the winner, which makes his breakdown of the match up and subsequent Du Plessis prediction all the more interesting.

Whether it’s genuine analysis from the former champion or simple wishful thinking, Strickland doesn’t want to hear any of it. At the UFC 297 presser, he took a brief moment to address Adesanya’s prediction ... or at least berate Adesanya for his performance in their UFC 293 showdown.

“Listen Izzy, the f—king guy, the f—king cringelord, the pup play himself. F—k Izzy,” Strickland said (via MMAFighting). “I could have took Izzy down and beat his ass on the ground but I chose to stand with him like a man. What did he do the whole fight? Run away like a b—ch. Izzy, shut your f—king mouth.”

LIVE! Watch UFC 298 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

WORLD FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., on Sat., Feb. 17, 2024, for the first time in more than two years with its latest pay-per-view (PPV) show. In the ESPN+-streamed PPV main event, reigning Featherweight roost-ruler, Alexander Volkanovski, will defend his 145-pound strap against undefeated surging Spanish contender, Ilia Topuria. In addition, former Middleweight kingpin, Robert Whittaker, will finally square off with mercurial mauler, Paulo Costa, in UFC 298’s co-feature. UFC 298 will also feature the returns of Ian Garry, Geoff Neal, Henry Cejudo, Merab Dvalishvili and so much more!

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

• STREAM UFC 298

Insomnia

Cedric Doumbe sold out PFL Paris in 20 minutes. The man is a genuine star!

Sean Strickland’s rant at the presser has escaped beyond the usual MMA sphere, and the results are ... awkward.

The amount of anger in the replies to this tweet is high comedy!

On a related note, Alex Pereira will likely be in attendance of UFC 297.

Conor McGregor partnering up with BKFC — who would have predicted that even two years ago?

Joe Pyfer and Joe Rogan review the clip of his record-breaking power punch.

Sergei Pavlovich undergoes a hardcore and freezing baptism!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Some throwback “Stillknocks” finishes:

An old school example of the same-side high kick landing flush.

Liam Harrison beating the legs off his opponent:

Random Land

The force of this landslide is scary.

Midnight Music: Blues, 1961

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