Midnight Mania! EPOezdemir Suspended 16 Months

· Yahoo Sports

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 22: Volkan Oezdemir of Switzerland warms up prior to his fight during the UFC 280 event at Etihad Arena on October 22, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

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Let’s start the night off by taking a look back over the three biggest stories of Friday, July 17, 2026.

  1. Conor McGregor ‘awaiting surgery’ for UFC 329 injury, suggests victory would have resurrected drug ‘cycle’: Generally, I have been very cynical about McGregor’s comeback and religious revival, but I do genuinely hope the Irish star is able to keep his life together.
  2. Video: First-ever robot MMA fight in China ends by decapitation: This feels like a South Park bit: “Them dang robots took our jerbs!”
  3. UFC Oklahoma City preview: ‘Du Plessis vs. Usman’ main, co-main event predictions: Who’s your favorite underdog on the UFC OKC card?

Insomnia

Former UFC title challenger Volkan Oezdemir has tested positive for EPO and has accepted a 16-month ban. Here’s his full statement (it’s a wild one) courtesy of MMA Fighting:

“In February, I tested positive for EPO after following the recommendations of a healthcare professional. As an athlete, I am responsible for everything I put into my body. I made a mistake and I take full responsibility for it.

At the end of 2025, I competed in Qatar. A few days later, I was contacted on Instagram by a healthcare professional based in Switzerland. He introduced himself as a supporter and suggested that we meet. During our first meeting, he told me about his connections with influential people, investment opportunities in one of the Gulf states and potential prospects for my career after retirement from sport. He also mentioned the possibility of patronage. I was 36 years old and thinking about life after my sporting career. So I was interested.

I was recovering from ankle surgery. The healthcare professional and I met again. The conversation shifted. He no longer talked about business but about my recovery. He presented me with a plan that, according to him, would get me back to peak physical condition within two months.

He showed me a substance that he described as safe and undetectable. He had prepared a vial of EPO. He told me not to tell anyone about it. I complied. I gave myself the first injection that same evening. That was my decision. And it was the biggest mistake of my life.”

Why is Tom Brady doing this? This is worse than getting roasted.

The Mac is back to his old tweet-and-delete antics, which doesn’t feel like a sign of sobriety generally.

This is what qualifies for a Top Five women’s Bantamweight matchup in 2026. Grim!

I saw that clip on X of a week ago. Is that all it takes to be one of the billion?

No healthy man can resist a punching machine, let alone a professional athlete.

Kamaru Usman made it to UFC Oklahoma City without shedding any tears — a win in itself.

I think Colby Covington is a reasonably tough task for Arman Tsarukyan. I also think Askren will embarrass Belal on the mat if he can still move to any reasonable degree. Interesting matchups!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

1-2 down the middle with a nice step to close distance first:

The clinch is the easiest place to land uppercuts, and you still don’t see enough of them.

Great offense along the fence!

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Random Land

I like Brazil’s atypical map, much to consider.

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Midnight Music: Southern hip-hop, 2000

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

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