WASHINGTON, DC – JUNE 14: Ilia Topuria of Spain faces Justin Gaethje in the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026.
- Sean Sharaf comments on Gable Steveson ‘rage-quitting the game,’ storming out of cage at UFC 331: Of all the things about Steveson that irk people, leaving the cage before the official announcement feels low on the list.
- ‘Great’ Gable Steveson breaks silence on historic UFC 331 knockout loss, addresses ‘loophole’ incident – ‘You caught me’: Steveson says he plans to return to the Octagon and fight again — what’s the over-under there?
- Instant UFC classic! Record-setting Contender Series duo eclipse ‘Holloway vs. Poirier’ epic striking numbers, both earn contracts after blood-soaked war: Once more, if you missed this bloody scrap, take the 15 minutes and give it a watch.
Insomnia
I don’t agree that Ilia Topuria is incapable of touching gold again at 155-pounds, but I do believe his best results would come in a Featherweight return. Retreat is unlikely for the Spaniard, however …
Justin Gaethje says Ilia Topuria is too undersized for lightweight and should move back down to featherweight 😬
“I don’t think he’ll ever be champion at lightweight. He can’t beat Arman, he’s gonna have a difficult time with Paddy. There’s a bunch of dogs.
I think he’s… pic.twitter.com/e8mi7phLeg
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 23, 2026
REAL boxing is back on Saturday, as Tony Ferguson defends his title versus some guy I’ve never heard of (respectfully).
Tony Ferguson back in action this Saturday as he looks to defend his title 🏆#CejudoWalton | Sep 26 | Live on @DAZNCombat pic.twitter.com/3S04H35q9X
— Misfits Boxing (@MisfitsBoxing) September 23, 2026
You could visibly see Jourdain’s knees locking up every time Chito kicked him in the leg, which is part of why a low kick preceded two separate knockdowns. Marlon Vera kicks hard as f—k!
Chito shuts down Jourdain's calf kicks and kicks his thigh up like a real man pic.twitter.com/kUESgy6pdr
— MixingMartialArts (@RyanAWagMMA) September 22, 2026
Banning oblique kicks would be weak sauce. You can block, evade, and counter oblique kicks like any other striking tehcnique.
🚨🦵Dana White backs CSAC chief Andy Foster’s efforts to get oblique kicks banned from MMA.
Via @ufc pic.twitter.com/iNQSIz4XdP
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) September 23, 2026
Shoutout to Joshua Van and every other champion willing to rule their own roost.
Joshua Van says a superfight with Petr Yan can wait, his main mission is to make people care about flyweight:
“Nobody gave a shit about flyweight, and now they’re starting to care about flyweight. I can’t leave them hanging, man.
I don’t give a f*** about [Demetrious Johnson’s]… pic.twitter.com/3R7hdiqHPj
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 22, 2026
A fun, unexpected crossover between MMA and boxing:
Pretty sure I cut Artur Beterbiev up in traffic today, he did not look happy, fair play
— Arnold billy allen (@Arnoldbfa) September 17, 2026
Yeah, you did ruin my mood a little yesterday… but now that I know where to find you, I’m feeling much better @tristargym
— Artur Beterbiev (@ABeterbiev) September 19, 2026
My apologies champ, wrong side of the road
— Arnold billy allen (@Arnoldbfa) September 19, 2026
Slips, rips, and KO clips
I can’t imagine trying to plant to throw hard punches — let alone lean back Matrix-style to avoid kicks — in these conditions.
Kun Khmer star Pich Sambath 🇰🇭 delivers another spectacular knockout victory despite a heavy downpour during the fight! 🌧️
(🎥 IG/sambath_kunkhmer) pic.twitter.com/GeoCrK5u1e
— COMBAT SPORTS TODAY (@CSTodayNews) September 19, 2026
Didn’t change directions with quite enough intention …
💣 WHAT A KO FROM TOM RAFFERTY! pic.twitter.com/7H4cnv5jwC
— EverythingBoxing | Darshan Desai (@EverythingBoxi2) September 19, 2026
A toe stab that lands to the right target (like the liver) or at the correct time (on an opponent’s inhale, for example) can be so devastating.
Nauris Bartoska improves to 6-0 with a 2nd round TKO over Patrick Hill. Nasty front kick to the body #ONEFridayFights167 pic.twitter.com/FqQZKkLzbm
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) August 21, 2026
Random Land
So you wanna be a f—king alpinist?!?
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Midnight Music: Happy 100th birthday to the great John Coltrane.
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.