WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: Josh Hokit speaks to Joe Rogan following his win in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn at the White House on June 14, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Welcome to Midnight Mania! Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Tuesday, July 21, 2026. AI? Former UFC champ unrecognizable in stunning new makeover and fight fans are SHOOK: Zhang Weili’s new look has to be seen to be believed … and even then … Colby Covington reveals surprising post-match message to Arman Tsarukyan: ‘You’re going to be UFC Lightweight champion’: It would be really nice to see Tsarukyan back in the cage with any Top Five opponent. Fake! Ilia Topuria super fan bought UFC White House stool to stop Paddy Pimblett from ‘using it against him’: It’s not every day a meme gets fact-checked. I wonder where Pimblett got his fake … Insomnia If the extent of Josh Hokit’s punishment is the occasional verbal lashing, do we think Dana really cares? I am doubtful. Dana White went OFF on Josh Hokit for his "moronic" comments about Michelle Obama: "It's f*cking gross, inappropriate, and obviously not the opinion of the UFC. It was a really unfortunate thing to happen that night." (via @thepivot)pic.twitter.com/GPLuioqkWq — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 21, 2026 To my knowledge, Charles Oliveira has been consistently respectful towards all his opponents over the years. There was a bit of beef with Gaethje and the “quitter” accusations, but even that was pretty mild. Charles Oliveira picked Islam Makhachev, Dustin Poirier, and Ilia Topuria as the three fighters he would want by his side in a fight. Oliveira went on to praise Islam Makhachev the most, calling him "an exceptionally talented master." He also stated that, in his opinion,… pic.twitter.com/h8AuZcC3Gd — Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) July 21, 2026 Walking around at 160 isn’t unusual for a UFC Bantamweight, nor is weighing 152 on fight night. Sean O'Malley explains how he drops from 160 to 135 pounds over six weeks before his UFC fights “I'm 160 right now, and I have to weigh in at 135 the day before the fight. It’s like 32 hours. I'll weigh in at 135, and then by the time I get in the octagon, I'm about 152, 153”… pic.twitter.com/OOw7mrqDG9 — dank (@cptdankkk) July 20, 2026 UFC absolutely refuses to let Nathaniel Wood fight a ranked contender despite being an excellent Featherweight. Treading water against good unranked opposition is a hard gig … Nathaniel Wood vs. Mairon Santos for #UFCParis https://t.co/jUeBBoIEsN pic.twitter.com/jRT6leRyGq — Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) July 21, 2026 Jared Cannonier is a cool dude and great potential as a coach if he pursues that path. BACKSTAGE: 42 year-old Jared Cannonier imparts wisdom upon 30 year-old Christian Leroy Duncan following their co-main event fight at #UFCOKC 💯🤝 pic.twitter.com/ZXKDwoitkc — UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) July 20, 2026 Kamaru Usman complaining about getting kicked in the head was a strange look. Everytime DDP hurt Usman. pic.twitter.com/5jtjMLi0tu — 🇯🇵Horiguchi🇯🇵 (@HoriguchisMafia) July 19, 2026 Slips, rips, and KO clips Maybe Cameron Smotherman shouldn’t be fighting like two months after getting smoked by Kai Asakura? Former UFC fighter Cameron Smotherman gets knocked down by a headkick and put to sleep in a choke by Jay Alderete #FuryFC121 pic.twitter.com/zryAWFuRib — Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) July 20, 2026 Out before he hit the ground … Another crazy KO at BKFC Naples! Dan Chapman with a one-hitter-quitter #BKFC91 pic.twitter.com/ZhoFcLnttx — Matysek (@Matysek88) July 18, 2026 Perpetua absolutely crashed forward with this 2-3. HE'S OUT!! Fabio Perpetua wins by knockout in round 1! [ #ShootoBrazil138 | Live on UFC Fight Pass ] pic.twitter.com/eRPIPEdGwB — UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) July 18, 2026 Random Land I enjoyed these presidential caricatures. RIP Pat Oliphant, the great political cartoonist. pic.twitter.com/8llmG4uwaf — Vincent Alexander (@NonsenseIsland) July 14, 2026 Get involved with Mania community in The Feed! Midnight Music: Indie, 2014 Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.