Midnight Mania! Judge Joe Soliz has ties to Trevin Giles, awarded him the decision over James Krause

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

It’s been 10 days since UFC 247, and the judging drama continues. In addition to the massive controversy surrounding the main event — in which Judge Joe Soliz awarded Jon Jones four of five rounds — there were four split-decisions spread across the card. Notably, one of the judges was accused of not watching the Lauren Murphy vs. Andrea Lee bout.

Initially, Trevin Giles’ victory over James Krause (though a split decision) was not among the controversial results. It was simply a close fight, one that could have been argued for either man. However, Krause learned today that Soliz, who scored the bout against Krause, shares a jiu-jitsu lineage with Giles.

Krause’s view on his own fight is very mature and fair. He correctly points out that it was a close fight, the type every fighter feels they won, without making that the issue. Instead, he identifies the real problem: there’s no way Krause didn’t win the opening round. He absolutely dominated, taking the back and nearly finishing the fight.

Krause has a right to be upset and has a real argument to file for an appeal. If there’s a silver lining to the whole issue, it’s that Krause’s stock and paycheck rose even with the loss.

Insomnia

Bas Rutten is a marketing genius.

This adds up, as Elias Theodorou fights are only watchable if extremely high. Jokes aside, this is a positive step for the sport!

Last night’s Midnight Mania comment section was a disaster, and I blame y’all!

More Bantamweight drama, but this bit more reasonable: Cory Sandhagen is just as good as any other contender and is plenty deserving of a title eliminator.

I’m not going to link it all because it’s an obnoxious amount of posts, but Diego Sanchez is currently spamming Instagram with defenses of his coach and decision-making. Meanwhile, here’s Michel Pereira’s response to all the drama.

Using heavy hands to secure the body lock:

An example of even more brutal hand-fighting (which is to say, the meanest club I’ve seen in a while):

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Breaking down why the kicker did not get Corey Anderson’d: for one, he targeted the head/upper body rather than leg, which is harder to counter with a punch. Furthermore, he led the kick with the knee properly as well, which allows the leg to act as a shield against forward movement.

Kick low, kick high.

Absolute top-notch referee work (and a killer knockout):

Random Land

Not for those with sensitive stomachs!

Midnight Music: Doo-wop ain’t dead!

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.