Midnight Mania: Bautista Vs. O’Malley Inevitable? ‘We Both Have The Same Dream’

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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 11: Mario Bautista of the United States lands a punch on Cory Sandhagen of the United States in their bantamweight bout during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena on July 11, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

1. Former UFC champs want Conor McGregor to ‘shut the f—k up’ about ‘God’s Plan’ and just be ‘Notorious’: Seriously, does anyone believe McGregor’s born again routine? It feels like a half-hearted con to me, but perhaps I’m just too jaded.
2. UFC champ Alex Pereira uses roster cut to resurrect Herb Dean smear campaign — ‘Sport keeps being tarnished’: I have sympathy for Michel Pereira’s release given the Herb Dean of it all, but I don’t think “Poatan” should be the man representing his case — it’s tired.
3. Cody Garbrandt makes statement following UFC 329 TKO loss: ‘Let your struggles be your fuel’: It’s been a decade since Garbrandt’s incredible upset win over Dominick Cruz. How many fights does “No Love” have left?

Insomnia​

After the Sandhagen victory, Sean O’Malley vs. Mario Bautista is the obvious fight to make if not for the team mate angle. Run it?

Mario Bautista discusses the possibility of fighting former teammate and friend Sean O'Malley:

"It sucks. We're both getting to a point where you start asking, 'What other fights can we make?'

I love Sean, but I think we both have the same dream. If it came down to a No. 1… pic.twitter.com/IbPRUi303I

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 15, 2026

… A man’s gotta have a code?

John Fury says he’s NEVER used a TOILET SEAT in his life

“In public conveniences, I stand on them” pic.twitter.com/XJ4UZzlDRr

— Combat Casuals (@Combat_Casuals) July 15, 2026

I cannot wait to see the first takedown attempt play out at UFC Oklahoma City.

All takedowns from Usman’s last fight pic.twitter.com/M7tbFB0ZGP

— Alexander Volkara France (@VolkaraFrance) July 14, 2026

UNSUBSTANTIATED RUMOR ALERT:

RUMOR

According to claims, the reason Israel Adesanya left City Kick Boxing is because Carlos Ulberg slept with his ex pic.twitter.com/XTlzFHWpJn

— Ethan MMA (@ethanhatesmma) July 13, 2026

Carlos shared this to his story, is it happening?? https://t.co/QMecK6fHK8pic.twitter.com/lWKL5gbYqM

— Ethan MMA (@ethanhatesmma) July 15, 2026

UFC’s quest to keep Michael Page from building any kind of momentum in either division continues.

Michael Page will fight Nursulton Ruziboev at #UFCParis on September 5th. #UFC#MMA#UFCParamount#UFConParamount#UFC2026pic.twitter.com/umUuxyzTdG

— Marcel Dorff (@BigMarcel24) July 15, 2026

I laughed quite a bit during UFC 329 and the associated fallout, but this was the funniest Tweet I saw.

Is there a better panel to discuss a debilitating injury? pic.twitter.com/b8jhyMMuR7

— RJ Clifford (@RJcliffordMMA) July 12, 2026

Brandon Royval learning the hard way that online fight fans are a bunch of savages.

Never bringing my girl to the fights again pic.twitter.com/r8WsuG8Nr9

— Brandon (@brandonroyval) July 15, 2026

Slips, rips, and KO clips​

Young Jose Aldo is the last guy on planet Earth you want soccer kicking you.

Jose Aldo gets tired of his opponent pulling guard so he just kicks his head in. pic.twitter.com/oaViTcfpep

— Ivy (@IvyKBMMA) July 13, 2026

Beleniuk is a little old to be a prospect at 35, but it’s not every day an Olympic gold medalist steps into the cage.

Three-time Olympic wrestling medalist Zhan Beleniuk made his MMA debut yesterday in Ukraine, winning by first-round TKO over Haim Gozali pic.twitter.com/Mhzz4Ybsih

— Matysek (@Matysek88) July 12, 2026

Typical sparring for the J-Kick boys.

Footage of Kaito knocking out Yuma Yamaguchi cold in sparring during fight camp for his rematch against Mohammad Siasarani at ONE Samurai 2. #ONEChampionshippic.twitter.com/lQm0BnQFd5

— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) July 11, 2026

Random Land​

Are murderous drones preferable to mosquitos? I’m willing to find out.

Extremely excited to announce our first air-to-air kill of a flying moth by an autonomous micro-drone. This is a big step towards completely eradicating mosquitoes. pic.twitter.com/UhtNqwXCQI

— Alex Toussaint (@alextoussss) July 14, 2026

i can't tell if i should love or be terrified of this startup lol

> their end goal is the complete eradication of mosquitoes

> they're building a $50/month pet drone that guards your home 24/7 so you never deal with a mosquito again

> it listens for mosquito wingbeats, locks… https://t.co/nCAtMCrzig

— Ole Lehmann (@itsolelehmann) July 15, 2026

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Midnight Music: Pop, 1962


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

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