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Welcome to Midnight Mania!
All eyes were on Artem Vakhitov ahead of his Contenders Series main event slot versus Islem Masraf, which wrapped up earlier on Tuesday (Oct. 8, 2024) from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. Why was everyone so interested in a 2-1 Light Heavyweight?
Being a Glory champion certainly separates him from the pack at bit, but the real answer is that he’s the last man to defeat Alex Pereira in kickboxing! After the whole Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira saga in the Octagon, we know just how substantial a rivalry from the ring to the cage can be. These two fought twice in 2021, and their connection was enough that Pereira — who just fought four bloody rounds in Utah three days ago — flew in to attend his kickboxing rival’s fight.
Vakhitov hit a bit of trouble early against Masraf, finding himself controlled in close quarters. Masraf didn’t actually manage to take down the striker, but Vakhitov was getting pinned to the fence for a fair portion of the first. Fortunately, he made it count when he did create separation. Masraf was a touch winded from the grappling, leaving him very vulnerable to a series of right hands.
Check out the knockout clip below:
With the knockout, Vakhitov improves to 3-1 as a professional. Despite the win and history with “Poatan,” it was still up in the air whether Vakhitov would score the contract, because he has very little cage time overall and showed some wrestling inexperience in the bout. UFC CEO Dana White turned to Pereira for advice, and the Brazilian acknowledged his former foe as skilled and experienced enough for UFC competition.
It will be very exciting to see Vakhitov’s career develop. He’s still a long way from earning an MMA rubber match versus the champion, but Adesanya and “Poatan” both demonstrated that elite kickboxers are capable of fast rises up the ladder. If nothing else, any injection of talent at 205-pounds is sorely needed!
Insomnia
It’s cool to see fan art of unranked fighters, although I don’t know that Bryan Battle will hold that status for much longer.
Khalil Rountree motivating his team!
Retired UFC fighter Tim Kennedy somehow found his way onto Last Week Tonight, and it’s not because he found Hitler.
Renato Moicano and company have released the most accurate theoretical UFC salary numbers yet.
There’s only one Nick Diaz.
Joshua Van is a glutton for punishment. This is going to be a great fight, but I see no way it doesn’t end with these two taking lumps out of each other.
In other Flyweight news, Tatsuro Taira is the main event and does very cool stuff on the canvas. Click through for the full thread!
Slips, rips, and KO clips
Being a kickboxing legend from several decades ago, sadly, is not a good recipe for success in 2024.
The ten finger guillotine always creates such unpleasant pressure on the neck and spine. Blue should’ve tried kicking off the fence, it bizarrely works sometimes.
Stand-and-bang until somebody falls down!
Random Land
Surfing the green!
Midnight Music: Chappell Roan has taken over the pop world in the last 12 months or so, and I finally got around to listening to her work. I like an earworm chorus!
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.
