Midnight Mania! Dana says Brock Lesnar definitely returning to the UFC

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Dana White went on the UFC’s state-run television, UFC Tonight on Fox, to talk about Nurmagomedov-Holloway, Conor McGregor, and deny that Covington-Rafael Dos Anjos has been made. He said Eddie Alvarez was the first guy they called, but Alvarez couldn’t make the weight. He also made the following statement about Brock Lesnar:

Brock Lesnar is coming back. I don’t know when, but yes he is.

The claim is certainly an enticing one for fans and the promotion, which has struggled to field crossover stars since McGregor’s circus-style boxing match with Floyd Mayweather. White, despite his insistence in this interview not to believe the media unless he is the one talking, has a more than checkered history with facts. There is smoke to this rumor, though, as White posted a picture of himself hanging out with Lesnar earlier this year. Lesnar’s manager recently stated that Brock has a genuine desire to return to the Ultimate Fighting Championship- that he’s not using it as a negotiating tactic to wring concessions from his current employers, the WWE. His current deal is up soon after Wrestlemania.

However, there are complications with a Lesnar return, thanks to his failed drug test after his last UFC return, a win-turned-no-contest against Mark Hunt at UFC 200. Hunt is suing the UFC (and Lesnar) for allegedly allowing Brock to compete knowing he was on steroids; Brock would presumably still have to serve out part of his one-year suspension, as he exited the testing pool after UFC 200. That hangup may be part of the reason Dana isn’t sure when he will be returning. A matchup with Jon Jones had been highly anticipated after Jones’ most recent fight with Daniel Cormier, but Jones subsequently tested positive for his own steroid, and is currently facing what is likely a lengthy suspension.

Who should Lesnar face if he does indeed return?

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Insomnia

Max Holloway is channeling some serious teen heartthrob style.

Leslie Smith realized NBA2K players have it better than UFC fighters.

Max is going real easy on the pads... hopefully he has gas in his tank Saturday night.

‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ actor Chris Pratt hanging with the Nogueira brothers

Dana White often tells half truths, or less than half truths.

How Artem Lobov must have felt in that hallway

Khabib Nurmagomedov was not playing around.

Apparently this is what Nurmagomedov confronted Lobov about

The real story:

True story.

Rampage doing whatever these are with his daughter on his back is endearing

An update on Chris Weidman

This is going to be fun.

The video of Luke Rockhold spearing these massive fish is really trippy and primal.

Gregor Gillespie is a good fisherman, but has he ever speared massive ocean-going fish with a speargun?

Khabib’s ground and pound is just qualitatively scarier.

Jose Aldo light sparring... he was the featherweight champion whose takedown defense and footwork I thought would be a really interesting foil for Khabib.

Michael Chandler, the Bellator lightweight champ, gets into some crazy wrestling scrambles in training.

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Podcasts and Video

Khabib’s ground and pound, explained by pro fighter and MMA Mania’s native analyst Andrew Richardson, with Andrew Coyne of Team Alpha Male. Follow MMA Mania on Youtube for more!

Heavy Hands with an extended UFC 223 discussion

The Monday Morning Analyst rates Max Holloway’s chances of avoiding the takedown

BJJ Scout’s breakdown might be the most essential of all:

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Random Land

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