Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Darren Till is in the midst of a rough patch. The former Welterweight title challenger has lost his last two fights, as well as four of his last five. Clearly, “The Gorilla” needs some kind of change to turn his career back around — it wasn’t that long ago that he was undefeated and gunning for a belt!

Perhaps his Khamzat bromance will help?

Till is currently scheduled to face knockout artist Dricus du Plessis at UFC 282 on December 10. It’s an opportunity for still to return to the win column and end the year on a high-note, and there’s one key difference about the match up compared to his recent losses to Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker. Unlike those battles, this scrap is scheduled for three rounds rather than five, as it is not atop a “Fight Night” card. Recently, Till revealed that was a specific request, as he feels more confident in escaping training camps injury-free when he doesn’t have to train for 25-minute wars.

“I don’t know, just — If you don’t cut no corners, and you give it a 110 percent, and you’re true to yourself; there’s nothing more you can do, mate,” Till said (via SportsKeeda). “So, that’s it. I said to the UFC; I said I don’t want another main event. I said I’m sick of doing five rounds. I just wanna get back on my feet. And that’s what’s came. So, you know, it is what it is, mate.”

It’s certainly true that fight camps can really break down an athlete, and injuries have cost Till numerous trips to the cage. However, du Plessis warned Till about these comments, promising that their fight will offer Till no cake walk, regardless of the length of the contest.

We’ll find out in just a few short weeks.

Insomnia

Renato Moicano with a cold-blooded response to a fan asking if he’d fight Tony Ferguson: “I am against death penalty.”

Flyweight prospect Tatsuro Taira will be back in the cage in February.

Michael Chandler tries to defend his fishhook attempts. Personally, I would have advised going with the, “Screw the rules, screw him, it’s a fight!” defense. Never fails!

Happens to the best of us.

How many of y’all are planning to pony up for the first-ever PFL pay-per-view (PPV)? Here’s the new poster!

Jorge Masvidal vs. Gilbert Burns is such an obvious and excellent match up.

Stephen Thompson working hard to prepare for Kevin Holland next weekend:

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Left kick-jumping switch knee-right hand is a pretty sweet combo.

Swanging-and-banging until one man hits the floor:

There’s no better time to rip the body than when the opponent is trapped along the fence.