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:
Rizinのグロブを試した。ワクワクしてます。皆さん喜ぶ試合をします。たのしみにしてください。 pic.twitter.com/Nj7tSj3r3o
— Patricio Pitbull (@PatricioPitbull) December 7, 2022
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.
