Welcome to Midnight Mania!
Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Friday, May 29, 2026.
- Top prospect steps in to face Bryce Mitchell for UFC Vegas 118: Santiago Luna is a damn good Bantamweight prospect, but it may be too soon for him to beat a contender with the experience of “Thug Nasty.”
- Anderson Silva fires back, fact checks ‘bald guy’ Dana White: The list of UFC legends who have a good relationship with Dana White feels short.
- Sean Strickland’s next fight? Inactive Dricus du Plessis ‘out of his mind if he thinks he deserves a title shot’: It’s pretty clear that “DDP” currently has a fight booked, and it’s not for the next title shot.
Insomnia
Four more fighters have been released today. Here’s a quick summary:
- Daniel Marcos (18-1 (1) overall, 5-1 (1) UFC): The must surprising cut of the list, particularly given Marcos won his most recent bout via finish against Miles John last November.
- Lando Vannata (12-8-2 overall, 4-8-2 UFC): “Groovy” lost his final three UFC fights, most recently getting stopped by Darius Flowers.
- Jamie Mullarkey (18-9 overall, 6-7 UFC): Mullarkey lost three of his last four, but those defeats came to Quillan Salkilld, Nasrat Haqparast, and Mauricio Ruffy. Tough run!
- Vince Morales (16-11 overall, 3-9 UFC): Morales’ second UFC run ends at 0-4 after his recent loss to Colby Thicknesse.
Will you tune into the HBO documentary about Ilia Topuria?
Petr Yan is such a slick fighter. He plays with range and distance in a way that’s almost singular compared to other MMA fighters.
I don’t respect the behavior, but it was well-executed.
The Eddie Hearn vs. Dana White beef is getting more stupid by the week.
One has to wonder if this mass roster release is the result of Oktagon’s newly announced drug testing program …
Alberto Montes looks to be really sharp? This might be the end of the “Tommy Gun” hype …
IMPORTANT!
Slips, rips, and KO clips
I didn’t even see the KO punch until the camera angle shifted.
Eliminating the silly hand down rule has been great, but grounded knees need to be fully legalized.
That reaction implies a broken orbital or similar facial injury.
Random Land
High-volume hot pot.
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Midnight Music: Soft rock, 1973
Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.