Welcome to Midnight Mania!
In a short time, Michael Chandler has amassed a wealth of knowledge about the best lightweights on the UFC roster. ‘Iron’ has only been fighting in the Octagon since 2021, but he’s already been knocked down with multiple former champions and top lightweights.
He was all in action the whole time.
In short, Chandler has quite a bit of experience trading punches with elite forwards, from Dustin Poirier to Charles Oliveira to Dan Hooker. His career against top talent goes back much further than these recent performances, but with this current resume, Chandler has a better perspective than most on the current lightweight hierarchy.
In a recent video on the UFC YouTube channel, Chandler shared his thoughts on each of the 15 ranked lightweights. Perhaps the most notable was his comments about Rafael Fiziev, whom he called “the most talented striker in the world”.
“He’s so dynamic,” Chandler explained (via MMA Junkie). “Obviously we can watch him in the octagon and see the performances he puts on. He’s very exciting, but I have to train with him. When you watch a guy in training and see him translate that perfectly into his competition, it’s really fun to watch. I think he is the most talented striker in the world. Not just the UFC lightweight division. He’s a guy you could see coming out. I think he’s up against Justin Gaethje now. It’s gonna be really fun. I’m really interested to see who wins this one.
Fiziev is expected to throw himself against Gaethje at UFC 286 on March 18 in London. As for Chandler, there is one notable omission from his list: Conor McGregor! It’s taken a very long time, but McGregor is no longer ranked at 155 pounds. or any other division. However, “The Notorious” is Chandler’s next dance partner, and the two will face off later in the year for filming. The ultimate fighter.
Insomnia
Drew Dober thinks he’ll be fighting Paddy Pimblett later this year, and dear lord, Pimblett better learn to tuck his chin or move his head if that’s true!
Too much info? Maybe, but it’s quite common to lose all libido during fight camp.
Jake Paul can be recognized OFFICIALLY if he eliminates Tommy Fury.
‼️ WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has announced that Jake Paul will officially be ranked in the WBC World Heavyweight Rankings if he defeats Tommy Fury on February 26th.
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) February 15, 2023
Sean Strickland currently holds the No. 1 spot on the “most likely to be murdered by Jon Jones” ranking.
*inspired*
…THE RETURN OF HUGGY BEAR!
Walt Harris is an interesting analogue for Ciryl Gane. A Southpaw with the necessary speed and size – could be worse!
This is how you put an end to injury rumors!
Slips, tears and KO clips
It’s impossible to say this about recent results without being accused of bias, adaptation or delusion, but anyone familiar with the sport knows that the worst fighter wins quite often.
Jens Pulver was the size of a modern bantamweight and punched like a welterweight.
Getting tired against a more experienced opponent is a bad idea.
Random terrain
Tripping.
Midnight Music: Alternative, 1989
Sleep well fools! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
#Midnight #Mania #Chandler #names #light #Mac
