LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 22: Piero Guaylupo of Peru punches Callum Connor of England in a lightweight fight during Dana White's Contender Series Season 10, Week 7 at Meta APEX on September 22, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Welcome to Midnight Mania! Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. Abandon ship? UFC 331 loser Gable Steveson advised to dump ‘horrible person’ Jon Jones, return to wrestling roots: I am genuinely fascinated to see how both Steveson and Jones react to this KO in the long run. Jean Silva sobs over frenemy Mauricio Ruffy’s UFC 331 knockout loss: ‘I’ve been in that same situation’: I remain fairly convinced that Silva is not acting when it comes to his wild behavior. Video: UFC champion Sean Strickland survives 60 mph roll-over accident: ‘I didn’t have a helmet on’: Whose outside-of-the-cage behavior is more dangerous to their career, Strickland or Merab? Insomnia If you didn’t tune in to Contender Series a few hours ago, you missed one of the year’s most entertaining scraps between Piero Guaylupo vs. Callum Connor. In just three rounds, the two landed nearly 400 combined significant strikes, mostly in the form of powerful head punches, breaking the previous UFC Lightweight record set by Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier 3. Guaylupa drops Connor, but somehow he survives 😳 📺: #DWCS on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/4GVCATziFu — UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) September 22, 2026 Dana White and Hunter Campbell are on their feet 👏 What a fight! 📺: #DWCS on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/EbS9frA7ST — UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) September 23, 2026 Piero Guaylupo wins by unanimous decision 👏 📺: #DWCS on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/l4S2Cqi0dI — UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) September 23, 2026 Both Callum Connor and Piero Guaylupo earn UFC contracts! 📺: #DWCS on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/EuKVzJ8h0e — UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) September 23, 2026 Callum Connor and Piero Guaylupo put on an absolute BANGER 🤯 394 significant strikes landed in 15 minutes of fighting 😳 With only 11 of those being leg kicks 💀#DWCS pic.twitter.com/F2akQIInqq — Finz Chats MMA (@finz_the) September 23, 2026 Sean Strickland in a boxing match without his teep? Left hook city. I love MMA but I want to box.. Prefer Zuffa but if they cant make that happen….. — Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) September 19, 2026 Well … we almost had a Kevin Vallejos fight announcement. Lots of Featherweight contenders vying for the next shot right now, who should face the Volk vs. Movsar winner? He pulled out of the fight before the announcement 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️ Very disappointing… — Kevin Vallejos (@ElChinoVallejos) September 22, 2026 I’m a Manel Kape fan, but it would be HILARIOUS if he missed weight for a title fight after this comment. Manel Kape ; event weight 160 lb https://t.co/tSWnc22aQH — Manel Kape (@ManelKape) September 21, 2026 Joshua Van has an entire country fully behind him. You carried Myanmar on your back tonight. You did this for your people, your family, and everyone who stood behind you. https://t.co/W7axFZic0n pic.twitter.com/IAVHQvg7F4 — markzmaster (@markzmaste97171) September 20, 2026 Speaking of the Flyweight title fight, here’s a great show of respect between combatants after some medium-hot trash talk ahead of time. Van and Pantoja met backstage after their war tonight #331 pic.twitter.com/SwevBnsOMI — Diana Belbiță (@DianaBelbita) September 20, 2026 The MMA community has never been more united. Former opponent of Sean Sharaf, Steven Asplund reacts to him knocking out Gable Steveson pic.twitter.com/bV6IR0FZbM — MMA Mania (@mmamania) September 20, 2026 Slips, rips, and KO clips The loser shifted with the cross like an MMA fighter, which flies far less often in the boxing ring. FILIPINO POWER!! WHAT A KNOCKOUT!! 🇵🇭#PitbullBravo | Live NOW on DAZN ▪️ pic.twitter.com/6JwiWjTarK — DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 20, 2026 Trying to heel hook Reinier de Ridder in the opening exchange was silly, but Roman Dolidze knows his leg entanglements. 🇬🇪 Roman Dolidze submits Makhmud Muradov at Hype Fighting Georgia Via @Hype_Fighting pic.twitter.com/c40nfaqmx2 — Delinquent MMA (@DelinquentMMA) September 19, 2026 Great use of body punches while mid-flurry: Nasty combination by Steve Collins in the 2nd round to put away Kevin Carrier #LFA242 pic.twitter.com/AYm7LZejFc — caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) September 19, 2026 Random Land Somebody’s getting fired. @lovescarrs_ton Omg🤦🏾‍♂️😭😭I said go in 😂💯#viral #work #tiktok ♬ original sound – Nolovee_rtd Get involved with Mania community in The Feed! Midnight Music: Gangsta rap, 1999 Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.