Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!
Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.
- Ouch! Dana White shares picture of Paddy Pimblett’s battered face after UFC 324: If you needed further evidence that Justin Gaethje hits like a sledgehammer, these post-fight pictures are it.
- UFC’s Paddy Pimblett advised to ‘take a break for five, six years’ after brain damaging loss to Justin Gaethje: Arman Tsarukyan’s commitment and passion towards being a “Baddy” hater have to be commended.
- UFC higher ups admit Ian Garry too ‘boring’ to headline fight cards, might have ‘different plan’ for Islam title defense: The Welterweight division badly needs clarity on who is next in line for a shot at gold. Start booking fights!
Insomnia
Sadly, it’s still going to be quite some time until the great Rafael dos Anjos returns to the Octagon.
Gaethje and coach Trevor Wittman took Pimblett’s trash talk personal in a way that surprises me. “I’m going to break your face” feels like fairly generic.
Neck surgery is no joke, and spinal issues are not uncommon in Judo practitioners. Here’s hoping Kayla Harrison is able to make a full recovery!
Tim Elliott calls for a battle of former Flyweight title challengers. Who’s in?
People see the knockouts and the barking and overlook that Jean Silva is actually a very slick technician.
Oh snap, I’m qualified to talk about this: Ian Garry actually moves decently well on plastic! Looks like he’s put at least a bit of time into his climbing.
Slips, rips, and KO clips
… At least they weren’t fighting on cement?
Nasty spin off the right hand, similar to how Kevin Vallejos knocked out Giga Chikadze recently.
I’m kind of shocked this is real. Anyone got a freeze frame that catches seven fingers or something? It seems legit!
Random Land
Scans say this spiel isn’t AI — I love the internet.
Midnight Music: Pop, 1982
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
Category: General Sports
