Tag: bellator

Daily Update: Harley Race, Mickie James, Bellator

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News: 

Latest Audio: 

F4W NEWSLETTER: First Raw of the Paul Heyman Era

Before this week’s return to the norm, Joseph Currier looked at Heyman’s promising start in his new role.

Though it was only the beginning of him easing into the role, the first Raw of the Paul Heyman era showed promising signs for his future as executive director.

It was surprising that — during the build to a pay-per-view where the top of the card has already been announced — Heyman’s presence was so obvious. Even if WWE didn’t announce his executive director role, it still would have been easy to tell that something was different about the episode.

It started with a literal bang that doubled as a statement of intent. Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley’s falls count anywhere match kicked off the show and ended in a no contest. Strowman charged at Lashley, with explosions going off as they crashed through the stage. The angle was treated with complete seriousness. Corey Graves even let out an uncensored “holy sh*t” on commentary.

WON NEWSLETTER: July 15, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Death of Paco Alonso, G1 Opening, more

A look at Paco Alonso and his role in running the most traditional of all pro wrestling promotions, and what happens next with CMLL, is the lead story i the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

We look at Alonso’s death, an update on who will be running the company, how things will stay the same, what could change, the 2008 Hall of Fame election,  and the career of Alonso as a promoter including the wrestlings wars he was in and the boom periods he presided over.  We also look at where things stand and why Alonso is the only promoter with so much tenure in the business who has never lost money promoting wrestling.

We look at the first show of the G-1 Climax tournament, including unique aspects of the crowd, the business notes and what was good and bad about the crowd, this week’s G-1 bouts, Dallas coverage with star ratings and poll results and will AEW and NJPW promote together any time soon.

We also look at a Saturday with five major shows, running down all of them and the story behind the change in WWE policy.

We also look at Dwayne Johnson and Conor McGregor earnings, Reigns winning award, new signings, Reigns talks why AEW isn’t competition, WWE’s latest network strategy, ideas that were nixed of late that were pitched, Eric Bischoff update, Stock price notes, new WWE television show, most-watched shows of the week on WWE Network as well as a rundown of all the arena events of the past week with results, highlights and business notes.

We’ve got full coverage of UFC 239, with all the different stories that came out of the show, the judging of Jones vs Santos, the future of several fighters, all of the business notes regarding the show as well as match-by-match coverage, fighter pay, and poll results.

We also look at the changes in All Japan Pro Wrestling and what it means going forward.

We also have coverage of the Impact PPV show, where Impact stands, how the PPV did, the crossover in buyers of Impact with other companies as well as match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.

We also run down the ratings of all the major TV shows, along with detailed demo info for the WWE shows.

We also have the results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week. 

ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

MONDAY NEWS UPDATE

Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw and G-1 among other topics. You can send questions in for the show to [email protected]

Extreme Rules did 200,000 searches and was in 7th place overall yesterday on Google. That’s the number that would have been expected. The WWE Network also had 20,000 searches for 19th place.  For an update on Saturday, Urijah Faber was 4th overall with 200,000, way above expectations, behind Area 51, the New York City blackout and Serena Williams. Jeff Hardy, due to his arrest, was 7th with 50,000. 

Daniel Bryan was removed from the Battle Royal tonight and replaced by Sami Zayn. Bryan is on the show and they decided to go in a different direction tonight with him at some point today. 

Harley Race is still in the hospital and under doctor’s care according to his Twitter account.

Bellator announced the first round  of their featherweight tournament on DAZN will take place on 9/7 in San Jose and 9/28 at the Forum in Los Angeles. The San Jose first round fights are Daniel Straus (25-8) vs. Derek Camps (19-9), Pat Curran (23-8) vs. Adam Borics (13-0), Emmanuel Sanchez (18-4) vs. Tywan Claxton (5-0) and Sam Sicilia (16-9) vs. Pedro Carvahlo (10-3).  At the Forum will be Patricio Pitbull Freire (29-4) defending the title against Juan Archuleta (23-1), plus Darrion Caldwell (13-3) vs. Henry Corrales (17-3), Daniel Weichel (39-11) vs. Saul Rogers (13-2) and A.J. McKee (14-0) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (28-9-1, 1 NC).

WWE

  • Mickie James will undergo surgery on her right ACL tomorrow in Birmingham.  She’ll be out seven to nine months.  This will be her first major surgery of a 20-year career, which is an amazing stat.
  • At the Wells Fargo Center yesterday they announced a return date for WWE as 11/15, a Smackdown taping with the code word SMACKDOWN for the current presale.  Not that this necessarily means anything, but Kofi Kingston vs. Randy Orton was listed as the main event.
  • Stuber with Dave Bautista was No. 4 at the box office at $8.04 million in its first week of release, behind Spider-Man, Toy Story 4 ad Crawl.

UFC

  • UFC announced today an extension of their partnership with Blackheart Premium Spiced Rum.
  • MMA Fighting has an interview with Johnny Walker, who says he can’t wait to fight again, and said he’ll fight Jon Jones or Francis Ngannou.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • AEW has announced a partnership with LiveSource, the mobile app that enables its partners the ability to offer fans unique collectibles and experiences via live accounts.  This will allow fans to bid and buy AEW memorabilia and gear starting on 7/17 for merchandise and tickets for All Out.
  • An update on Don Wright after the fire that burned down his house.
  • Showtime announced two new shows starring Luke Thomas, who I worked with at MMA Fighting for many years.  Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell will spotlight the weekend’s biggest boxing and MMA fights and Morning Kombat:  Dissected will have Thomas breaking down boxing and MMA matches each week.  Both shows will premiere at Noon Eastern on the Below The Belt YouTube Channel and Facebook page.
  • Inspire Pro Wrestling on 8/10 in partnership with Heavy Metal Wrestling at The Pit in San Antonio.
  • The local section of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel had a front page article on Micro Wrestling doing a show on 7/20 at the Casino at Dania Beach. 
  • Eddie Alvarez and Edouard Foloyang were announced for One’s lightweight World Grand Prix which starts on 8/2 in the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, The Philippines.
  • Tickets went on sale today for Saturday Night SuperFight, the first PPV show from MLW on 11/2 at Cicero Stadium.  Tickets are currently available at MLWtickets.com.  No matches have been announced but there will be four title matches and Jacob Fatu, Tom Lawlor, The Von Erichs, The Hart Foundation Contra Unit,Alex Hammerstone, MJF & Richard Holiday (tag champs), Low Ki, L.A. Park. Flamita, Konnan, Salina de la Renta and Mance Warner have all been announced.
  • Matt Taven wall be throwing out the first pitch at the Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays game tonight.
  • MLW announced Low Ki vs. Jimmy Yuta was added to the 7/25 TV tapings in New York at the Melrose Ballroom.
  • Stardom results from today in Nagoya:  Saya Iida b Hina, Natsuko Tora & Sumire Natsu b Death Yama-San & Ruaka, Jamie Hayter & Hazuki b Arisa Hoshiki & Starlight Kid, Mayu Iwatani & Tam Nakano & Saki Kashima b Hana Kimura & Zoe Lucas & Bobbi Tyler, Jungle Kyona & Konami won the Goddesses of Stardom tag titles from Momo Watanabe & Utami Hayashishita when Kyona pinned Hayashishita.  Kagetsu & Miyagi will be the next tag title challengers (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.net)
  • Jerry Lawler & Keith Youngblood vs. David Arquette & Brian Anthony was announced for NEW’s 8/16 show in Poughkeepsie which is headlined by Jon Moxley vs. Pentagon Jr.  Darby Allin, Enzo, Cass and Rey Fenix are also wrestling on that show.
  • Eli Drake’s first one-on-one match in the NWA this year.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Ric Flair wins Missouri title in one-night tournament

CONTACT INFORMATION

Chael Sonnen retires from MMA following Bellator 222 loss

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Following his second round TKO loss at the hands of former UFC middleweight champion Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222, Chael Sonnen laid down his gloves in the center of the cage and retired from the sport.

“Listen, I got one thing to say,” Sonnen told the audience. “I had a hell of a lot of fun. I had a good run. Scott Coker gave me a five-fight deal, he let me honor all five fights, and ladies and gentlemen, I’m walking out. I appreciate the memories, and goodbye.”

Sonnen won two of his five Bellator fights after a long UFC career that saw him challenge middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a memorable two-fight series in 2010 and 2012. He would go on to face Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title, and although he lost via first round stoppage, he nearly fluked his way into the title as Jones had suffered a broken toe and would not have been able to come out for the second round had Sonnen survived the first. 

In a career filled with controversy, “The American Gangster” retired with a record of 30-17-1. He was twice suspended for drug test failures, but that was largely forgotten late in his career as his promo style made it so fans either loved or hated him. 

Sonnen drew two monster pay-per-view buy numbers for the fights with Silva and also drew strong TV ratings for fights with Michael Bisping on FOX and Tito Ortiz on Spike TV. 

Sonnen is in the unique position now of being featured on both Bellator and UFC broadcasts due to his contract with ESPN that preceded that network picking up UFC television. 

Sonnen’s biggest career wins were against former champions Bisping, Shogun Rua, Rampage Jackson, and Wanderlei Silva, the last two coming for Bellator.

Daily Update: Jack Gallagher, Stardom, CMLL

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News

Latest Audio

F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Goldberg vs. Undertaker set for WWE’s return to Saudi Arabia

With less than a month until the show, WWE has revealed the name and announced the first three matches for their return to Saudi Arabia.

The third show in WWE’s controversy-filled 10-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority will take place at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah on Friday, June 7. It will air live on the WWE Network and is titled “WWE Super ShowDown,” which is the same name the company used for their event in Melbourne, Australia last October.

WON NEWSLETTER: May 20, 2019 Observer Newsletter: AEW announces TV deal with TNT

A look at the new AEW television deal with TNT and other aspects of starting up is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Look at the detail of the two nights being considered and the arguments for each night, international television, streaming, why the price is what it is, and how long talks have been going on for the TNT deal.

Read a lengthy bio on Silver King, a breakdown of what happened in the ring when he passed away and what lessons can be learned by it. Look at the start of his career, and his going to All Japan as a teenager.

Read the updates on the next two WWE PPV shows.

Read a detailed article on Lars Sullivan, from his background, to his fine, to the questions asked, to what got him in trouble, why he was fined now, why he wasn’t before and a lot of the questions regarding all this.

Also look at changes to WWE Network, Vince McMahon talks the move to FOX, WWE gets award nominations, tons of new news on the XFL, what happens to Vince McMahon when the XFL starts, why Percy Watson left the company, and an update on the Mauro Ranallo’s situation.

Have a look at the legend of Tom Magee, the match with Bret Hart and the WWE documentary.

Read complete coverage of UFC 237 with match-by-match coverage and poll results.

ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE

People are raving about today’s Will Ospreay vs. Rocky Romero match in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament. 

There is some interest on the Bellator side in WWE’s Jack Gallagher. No deal has been reached but there is talk.

The Kazuchika Okada vs. Seiya Sanada IWGP title match from Dontaku in Fukuoka will air tomorrow night on AXS TV.

Arisa Hoshiki beat Momo Watanabe today to win the Wonder of Stardom title at today’s show at Korakuen Hall. Results were: Natsuko Tora & Andras Miyagi won three-way over Leo Onozaki & Hina and Starlight Kid & Hanan, Death Yama San won three-way over Natsu Sumire and Saya Iida, Toni Storm d Kagetsu 15:00, Hana Kimura & Jungle Kyona & Konami b Mayu Iwatani & Tam Nakano & Saki Kashima to win the Artist of Stardom trios titles, Bea Prietley b Hazuki to keep the World of Stardom title, Hoshiki b Watanabe. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.net)

WWE

  • Dolph Ziggler will be appearing at the Oz Comic Con in Melbourne, Australia on 6/8 and 6/9.
  • Nikki & Brie Bella will be at the Wine and Food Experience at Cincinnati’s Riverfront on 10/5. (thanks to Brian Henke)

UFC

  • After Markus Perez pulled out of his fight with Deron Winn on 7/22 in Greenville, SC, UFC inked Bruno Silva as Winn’s next opponent.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • CMLL will have a somewhat major show on 5/31 with hair vs. hair matches with both Kaho Kobayashi vs. Amapola and Ultimo Guerrero vs. Mascara Ano 2000.
  • DAWG on 5/25 in Glassboro, NJ at the Max Fit Sports Center.
  • Joey Ryan vs. Indi Hartwell has been added to the 6/21 World Series Wrestling show in Melbourne, Australia. Pentagon Jr. & Fenix vs. Flip Gordon & Brian Cage was announced for the 6/22 show.
  • Combate Americas announced a 6/21 show on Univision from Hidalgo, TX and the State Farm Arena headlined by Enrique Gonzalez (7-3) vs. Alejandro Martinez (4-3) in a 150 pound fight.
  • Former UFC fighter Joe Riggs makes his pro boxing debut on 5/23 on a Roy Jones Jr. show on 5/23 from Tucson, AZ at the Casino del Sol AVA Amphitheater. Riggs, out of Phoenix, face David Damore (1-6-3) of Glendale in a four-round fight. The show will air on UFC Fight Pass.
  • AAW on 5/31 in Austin, TX at the Blue Genie Art Bazaar has Jessicka Havok vs. Priscilla Kelly for the AAW title, Eddie Kingston vs. Mance Warner, Pentagon Jr. & Fenix vs. Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett and Ace Romero vs. Ryan Davidson, plus Sami Callihan, Jake Something, Juventud Guerrera, Thunder Rosa, Josh Alexander, Myron Reed, Jimmy Jacob and more. 
  • AWS announced that they will be shutting down with their final show on 11/30 at the American Legion Hall in South Gate, CA.
  • CWE on Saturday night in Keeseekoose First Nation, Saskatchewan at the Keeseekoose School.
  • An interview with New Japan’s Michael Craven.
  • A story on former WWE heel referee/wrestler Danny Davis.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Verne Gagne wins AWA World Title from Mad Dog Vachon

F4W Empire Convention Info:

  • Ed in San Antonio presents PODER~! at the FSW arena on Friday 5/24 – Showtime is at noon – Main event: Bryan Alvarez vs. Logan Stunt
  • Empire dinner on Friday 5/24 at 8:30 p.m. at Texas de Brazil – Price is $82 – All you can eat meat and salad, sodas, tea, and coffee, plus dessert included
  • Empire suite party on Friday 5/24 for those who were not able to get the Q&A package – Price is $25

Purchase tickets here. 

[Advertisement]  You can watch the Roast of Ric Flair, a discussion with Cody & the Bucks about All Elite Wrestling, and twenty other shows for just $59 at STARRCASTonFITE.com. The package includes the live feed plus on demand with unlimited replays on any smart device, PC, etc. For the best service pre-ordering is encouraged at STARRCASTonFITE.com.

Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, and Jim Ross are going to do a panel at Starrcast discussing their 1989 trilogy.

Cody & the Young Bucks will be doing a Q&A as part of their panel about All Elite Wrestling just 48 hours prior to Double or Nothing in Las Vegas. Starrcast will be streaming it on FITE and allowing viewers the chance to ask questions.

Arn Anderson and Sting both have panels at Starrcast on May 24th. Tony Schiavone will taking questions from fans watching at home on FITE for the Q&A portion of the show.  

The Young Bucks and Joey Janela will be guests for Colt Cabana’s live Art of Wrestling show on May 24th.  

Bret Hart and Tom Magee will discuss their now infamous match from 1986 with Sean Mooney on Saturday, May 25th in Las Vegas.

All of the above can be watched live or demand by pre-ordering today at STARRCASTonFITE.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Jack Swagger picks up second victory at Bellator 221

Posted on by Josh Nason

Jake Hager, the former WWE star known as Jack Swagger, made it look easy Saturday night in Chicago, picking up his second MMA win at Bellator 221 and even getting to play a heel in doing so.

Hager (2-0) submitted T.J. Jones (1-) with a head and arm choke in the first round, continuing his slow progression up the heavyweight food chain.

Hager took Jones down early and went to work on an Americana armbar submission, but Jones was able to fend him off. That only lasted a few seconds as Hager transitioned to lock on a head and arm choke for the relatively quick submission win, keeping the hold on a few seconds too long for referee Mike Beltran’s taste.

The fans took umbrage and booed Hager during his post-fight promo which he played up big time, inviting the fans to boo more which they did in kind.

The 37-year-old Hager began his MMA career in January, picking up a first round submission win in his pro debut for Bellator.

Daily Update: WWE creative hires, Impact notes, Rory MacDonald

Posted on by Bryan Rose

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News

Latest Audio

F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Winners and losers of the Superstar Shake Up

Raw and SmackDown’s post-WrestleMania rosters were confirmed over the past week as WWE held their third annual Superstar Shake-up.

The most notable names to switch brands were AJ Styles and Roman Reigns. Styles had been the face of SmackDown since the 2016 brand split but is now a member of the Raw roster. Reigns had been on Raw since the 2016 draft but was moved to SmackDown in this year’s Shake-up, which comes in advance of SmackDown debuting on Fox in October.

WON NEWSLETTER: April 29, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Superstar Shake Up fallout, plus tons of news

After week one of the Superstar shakeup, things changed again. The who’s and the why’s is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer. Also look at what the original plan for Kevin Owens was and why it changed, and also seems to indicate bad news for one of the company’s biggest stars.

Read an updated depth chart for Raw and Smackdown with new rosters and positioning. This also points out problem areas, and we also look at the card for Money in the Bank, and notes on a lot of directions.

Read about C.M. Punk doing a run-in on an indie show, why and what happened.

Also look at the change for the Backlash PPV and how that affects the schedule, how the Saudi Arabian government made WWE look bad once again, analysts bullish on WWE and what their predictions were that missed, update on the next Saudi Arabia show, and more on WWE ratings drops.

This issue contains a rundown of New Japan’s Sengoku Lord show and the booking direction of the company.

Also look at UFC’s return to Russia.

This issue has a lengthy feature on the Viceland documentary on the 1997 Survivor Series, filling in a lot of the pieces regarding who was in on it, how the finish was done, and a look at some of history’s biggest double-crosses.

Read a feature on Mighty John Quinn, one of the greatest heels in U.K. wrestling including the build for his two big main events at Wembley Arena including the record crowd with Big Daddy. 

ORDERING INFO:  Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered  via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by  mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell,CA  95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

Additional notes by Joseph Currier

WWE

  • WWE SmackDown tonight is at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio. Raw & SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch will square off against Bayley in a one-on-one non-title match. WWE Champion Kofi Kingston will also respond to Kevin Owens turning on him last week, and the SmackDown side of the men’s and women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches will be revealed.
  • Drake Maverick announced that 205 Live tonight will have Cruiserweight Champion Tony Nese taking on Drew Gulak in a non-title match. It’s a rematch from this year’s Cruiserweight Championship tournament.
  • Michael James Nelson (NBC’s Off Their Rockers) and Andrea Kail (TruTV’s Comedy Knockouts) have been added to WWE’s creative team, PWInsider reports.
  • Rey Mysterio made his debut 30 years ago today. He wrote on Twitter: On this day at the age of 14 I made my debut and it’s a very special day in Mexico “ Día del niño” “Day of the Kid” if I had the opportunity to [relive] these 30 yrs I would do it all over again. Thank you to all my fans!! Much love and respect!”. He also spoke about it on WWE’s YouTube page.
  • Kurt Angle told Wrestling Inc that he has signed a five-year deal with WWE. Angle said he’ll be working as a producer and may make part-time non-wrestling appearances on TV if WWE needs him in that type of role.
  • Kofi Kingston spoke to The Mirror about being stuck in Dublin, Ireland during the Iceland volcanic eruption in 2010.

Pro Wrestling

UFC/MMA

  • Rory MacDonald reiterated on Twitter today that he has not retired from MMA, and will face Neiman Gracie at Madison Square Garden on June 14th.
  • Retired fighter Renato Sobral says that he believes he is showing the first signs of CTE, saying he can’t walk a straight line and has lost sight of his left eye.
  • Felice Herrig is out of UFC 238 due to a torn ACL that requires surgery.
  • Greg Hardy says he hopes to fight Stipe Miocic and Derrick Lewis next.
  • This past weekend’s UFC prelims on ESPN averaged 720,000 viewers.
  • Brett Okamoto talked to Donald Cerrone on his ranch.
  • Bryan Barberena vs. Randy Brown has been set for UFC Fight Night in Greenville, South Carolina on June 22.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: The Rock wins WWF title at Backlash 2000

F4W Empire Convention Info:

  • Ed in San Antonio presents PODER~! at the FSW arena on Friday 5/24 – Showtime is at noon – Main event: Bryan Alvarez vs. Logan Stunt
  • Empire dinner on Friday 5/24 at 8:30 p.m. at Texas de Brazil – Price is $82 – All you can eat meat and salad, sodas, tea, and coffee, plus dessert included
  • Empire suite party on Friday 5/24 for those who were not able to get the Q&A package – Price is $25

Purchase tickets here. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

Daily Update: WWE notes, NXT injuries, Bellator

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News

Latest Audio

We’re looking for reports from tonight’s NXT show in Davenport, IA to [email protected]

We’ll be doing one poll this weekend, which will be for the Impact PPV show on Sunday.  You can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]” target=”_blank”>[email protected]

We’re looking for reports Saturday on NXT from Milwaukee and Dade City, FL and from the NWA Crockett Cup in Concord, NC to [email protected]

NEW JAPAN WORLD PRO WRESTLING TONIGHT AT 8 P.M. EASTERN ON AXS TV

  • Juice Robinson vs. Bad Luck Fale for U.S. title
  • Kota Ibushi vs. Zack Sabre Jr. for IC title

CMLL FROM ARENA MEXICO IN 63RD ANNIVERSARY OF PRO WRESTLING AT ARENA MEXICO AT 9:30 P.M. EASTERN

  • Grako & Coyote vs. Super Astro Jr. & Sonic
  • Kaho Kobayashi & Marcela & Tae Honma vs. Amapola & Comandante & Seductora
  • Atlantis & Atlantis Jr. & Triton vs. Mephisto & Ephesto & Luciferno
  • Valiente vs. Hechicero
  • Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja & Soberano Jr. vs. Cuatrero & Forastero & Mascara Ano 2000 
  • Volador Jr. & Ultimo Guerrero vs. Titan & Cavernario in finals of Parejas Incredibles tournament

IMPACT AT 10 P.M. TONIGHT ON PURSUIT AND TWITCH

  • Willie Mack vs. Killer Kross
  • LAX & Brian Cage vs. Johnny Impact & Pentagon Jr. & Fenix

AAA FROM MEXICALI AT THE STADIUM ON THE AAA TWITCH CHANNEL AT 11 P.M. EASTERN

  • Black Danger & Lady Maravilla vs. Nino Hamburguesa & Big Mami
  • Taya Valkyrie & Faby Apache vs. Chik Tormenta & ? 
  • Golden Magic vs. El Hijo del Vikingo vs. Villano III Jr. vs. Flamita
  • Tito Santana & Carta Brava Jr. & Mocho Cota Jr. vs. Sammy Guevara (who won’t be there) & Jack Evans & Australian Suicide
  • Laredo Kid & Brian Cage vs. Taurus & Daga 
  • La Parka & Psycho Clown & Puma King vs. Rey Escorpion & El Texano Jr. & Chessman

COMBATE AMERICAS TONIGHT ON UNIVISION AT MIDNIGHT EASTERN AND PACIFIC, UNIVISION DEPORTES AT MIDNIGHT EASTERN AND 9 P.M. PACIFIC AND DAZN AT 10 P.M. EASTERN AND 7 P.M. PACIFIC FROM THE GALEN CENTER IN LOS ANGELES WITH AN ALL-WOMEN’S MAIN CARD

  • Yasmine Jauregui (114.9) vs. Daniela Espinosa (115.3)
  • Gloria Bravo (106) vs. Paulina Granados (106)
  • Kyla Batara (115.9) vs. Francis Hernandez (116)

KSW 48 LIVE ON DAZN SATURDAY MORNING

  • Sebastian Przybysz (136) vs. Bogdan Barbu (136)
  • Hubert Szymajda (158) vs. Shmail Musaev (155)
  • Cezary Kesik (186) vs. Jakub Kamieniarz (186)
  • Michael Michalski (171) vs. Savo Lazic (170)
  • Filip Wolanski (146) vs. Flilip Pejic (146)
  • Gracjan Szadzinski (156) vs. Maian Ziolkwski (156)
  • Lukaz Jurkowski (206) vs. Stjepan Bekavac (205)
  • Roman Szymanski (145) vs. Salahdine Paranssse (145)
    Szymajda fined 30 percent for missing weight

UFC FROM SUNRISE, FL. ON SATURDAY

ESPN 2 at 5:30 p.m. Eastern

  • Court McGee (170.5) vs. Dhiego Lima (171)
  • Angela Hill (115.5) vs. Jodie Esquibel (115)
  • Jim Miller (155.5) vs. Jason Gonzalez (156)

ESPN at 7 p.m. Eastern

  • Gilbert Burns (156) vs. Mike Davis (155)
  • Carla Esparza (115) vs. Virna Jandirob (115.5)
  • Andrei Arlovski (247) vs. Augusto Sakai (264)
  • Ben Saunders (170.5) vs. Takashi Sato (170.5)

ESPN+ at 9 p.m. Eastern

  • Roosevelt Roberts (155) vs. Thomas Gifford (156)
  • John Lineker (135) vs. Cory Sandhagen (135)
  • Glover Teixeira (205.5) vs. Ion Cutelaba (205)
  • Alex Oliveira (171) vs. Mike Perry (171)
  • Greg Hardy (264.5) vs. Dmitrii Smoliakov (262)
  • Ronaldo Jacare Souza (185.5) vs. Jack Hermansson (185)

BELLATOR FROM SAN JOSE’S SAP CENTER AT 10 P.M. EASTERN ON DAZN

  • Gaston Bolanos (145.5) vs. Nathan Stolen (145.6)
  • Benson Henderson (156) vs. Adam Piccolotti (155.5)
  • Phil Davis (205.6) vs. Liam McGeary (205.2)
  • Ilima-lei Macfarlane (124.8) vs. Veta Arteaga (123.8) for flyweight title
  • Rory MacDonald (169.8) vs. Jon Fitch (169.5) for welterweight title in first round of the Grand Prix tournament

NWA CROCKETT CUP SATURDAY NIGHT FROM CONCORD, NC AT 7 P.M. EASTERN ON HONOR CLUB AND FITE TV

  • Battle Royal to determine final team in the Crockett Cup
  • Allysin Kay vs. Santana Garrett for NWA women’s title
  • Willie Mack vs. Colt Cabana for NWA National title
  • Nick Aldis vs. Marty Scurll for NWA title
  • First round tournament matches, entire tournament takes place on this show
  • Mark & Jay Briscoe vs. Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson
  • Brody King & PCO vs. Satoshi Kojima & Yuji  Nagata
  • Flip Gordon & Bandido vs. Guerrero Maya Jr. & Stuka Jr.
  • Crimson & Jax Dane vs. Battle Royal winner

MLW FUSION ON BEINSPORTS AT 9 P.M. EASTERN SATURDAY NIGHT

  • Hart Foundation vs. Dynasty tables match
  • Rey Hours vs. Ace Austin
  • Jordan Oliver vs. Kotto Brazil

There will also be an NXT show on Sunday in St. Paul, MN.

IMPACT REBELLION PPV SUNDAY AT 8 P.M. EASTERN FROM THE REBEL ENTERTAINMENT CENTER IN TORONTO ON PPV AND FITE TV

  • Johnny Impact vs. Brian Cage for Impact title with Lance Storm as referee
  • Gail Kim vs. Tessa Blanchard
  • Pentagon Jr. & Fenix vs. LAX in a Full Metal Mayhem match for Impact tag titles
  • Taya Valkyrie vs. Jordynne Grace for Impact women’s title
  • Rich Swann vs. Sami Callihan for X title

NEW JAPAN WRESTLING HI NO KUNI LATE SUNDAY NIGHT AT 2 A.M. EASTERN FROM KUMAMOTO ON NEW JAPAN WORLD

  • Tomoaki Honma & Ren Narita & Shota Umino vs. Toa Henare & Yota Tsuji & Yuya Uemura
  • Ryusuke Taguchi & Tiger Mask & Jushin Liger & Yoshi-Hashi & Jeff Cobb vs. Minoru Suzuki & Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Taichi & Taka Michinoku
  • Will Ospreay & Dragon Lee vs. Taiji Ishimori & Hikuleo
  • Bad Luck Fale vs. Mikey Nicholls
  • Juice Robinson vs. Chase Owens non-title
  • Kazuchika Okada & Kota Ibushi & Tomohiro Ishii & Sho & Yoh vs. Tetsuya Naito & Evil & Seiya Sanada & Bushi & Shingo Takagi
  • Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. Togi Makabe & Toru Yano for IWGP tag titles
  • Hirooki Goto vs. Jay White

Raw will be Monday night in Lexington, KY. There will also be a Monday night Smackdown house show in Huntington, WV.

Smackdown and 205 Live will be taped on Tuesday in Columbus, OH.

F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Winners and losers of the Superstar Shake Up

Raw and SmackDown’s post-WrestleMania rosters were confirmed over the past week as WWE held their third annual Superstar Shake-up.

The most notable names to switch brands were AJ Styles and Roman Reigns. Styles had been the face of SmackDown since the 2016 brand split but is now a member of the Raw roster. Reigns had been on Raw since the 2016 draft but was moved to SmackDown in this year’s Shake-up, which comes in advance of SmackDown debuting on Fox in October.

WON NEWSLETTER: April 29, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Superstar Shake Up fallout, plus tons of news

While last week was supposed to be the Superstar Shakeup, lots of things happened this past week that caused plans to change.

The biggest thing was the about-face of breaking up the relationship between Ashley Fliehr (Charlotte Flair) and Manny Andrade by putting them on different brands. The relationship wasn’t a secret and the decision was made with knowledge of this. But it didn’t play out well in real life so it was reversed with Andrade moving back to Smackdown the next week. Because they didn’t want to break up the Andrade/Zelina Vega act, they moved Thea Trinidad (Vega) back to Smackdown as well. Unfortunately, then they were breaking up a married couple, so her husband, Tom Budgen (Aleister Black) also had to be moved to Smackdown.

That broke up the Ricochet & Aleister Black tag team, and based on Ricochet losing to a repackaged Bobby Roode, now back to doing the Robert Roode character with a Don Frye mustache, the orders from above to protect the second run of NXT call-ups ended.

ORDERING INFO:  Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered  via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

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If you order by  mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell,CA  95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

We have a new Observer Radio show up todaycovering WWE financials, as well as talking to both Jon Fitch and Ilima-lei Macfarlane prior to their Bellator title fights Saturday, with Fitch talking about training, dieting and why depression led to his using steroids, and Macfarlane going in detail on how she put together one of the greatest ring entrances in the industry in December. This is a rare free show for me.

WWE stock closed today at $83.52, so it still fell after the bad day yesterday.

WWE has no house shows this weekend. The original plan was to run in Saudi Arabia this coming Friday, so they were giving people the week off before the plan to fly out. When the show was moved, there were no buildings booked.

Gail Kim said it took a lot to convince her to do the match Sunday with Tessa Blanchard and said that while you never say never, this is her final match. 

Something that has gone under the radar is that in the prelims in San Jose for Bellator tomorrow will be the debut of Boris Novachkov. Novachkov, who grew up in Sunnyvale, CA, competed for Bulgaria in the most recent Olympics in wrestling and placed second in the 2011 NCAA tournament and third in 2012 while wrestling for Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.  He also placed third in the 2014 European championships.

WWE

  • WWE has announced a 6/15 show in Anaheim at the Honda Center.
  • The early word on the injury to Raul Mendoza is that it doesn’t appear to be that serious, but it won’t be evaluated until Monday. The injury to referee Tom Castor looked bad, a probable serious broken ankle.
  • Advertising in Columbus, OH for Tuesday’s Smackdown show lists Kofi Kingston vs. Kevin Owens, with Erick Rowan in his corner, as the main event. So they are at least advertising that’s Rowan’s destination.
  • Johnny Gargano throwing out the first pitch at a Cleveland Indians game. (thanks to Mike Kuzmuk)

UFC

  • Paulo Costa was announced today as receiving a six month suspension from USADA for using an IV with more than 100mL after weighing in for fights in 2017. The suspension has already expired.

MISCELLANEOUS

  • This past Saturday’s Kota Ibushi IC title defense against Zack Sabre Jr. will headline the AXS New Japan show tonight. This was one of the top matches so far this year.
  • MCW on Saturday night in Joppa, MD at the MCW Arena features a meet and greet with Dustin Rhodes.
  • Rey Fenix has been added to the June World Series Wrestling Australia tour.
  • Fale Dojo has a New Zealand tryout on 5/11 in Auckland. You have to be 18 or older to attend. For more info write to [email protected].
  • The AAA Latin American title will be at take on Sunday in Sydney, Australia for BCW with Drago, Aero Star, Bee Boy and Robbie Eagles in a four-way. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
  • Hoosier Pro Wrestling on 5/4 in Columbus, IN at the 4-H Fairgrounds.
  • Evolve announced a Kassius Ohno seminar on 5/11. At least one person from the seminar will get NXT enhancement work. Everyone will get a tryout match filmed with multiple cameras in HD and you get the rights to use your footage to send to promoters to get bookings. The seminar price is $149.
  • Traditional Championship Wrestling’s first two seasons are available on Amazon Prime Video. 
  • Olympic bronze medalist J’Den Cox vs. Patrick Brucki of Princeton has been added to the 5/6 Grapple at the Garden show at the Hulu Theater as part of the Madison Square Garden complex. Brucki was 33-3 this season, and placed fourth in the 197 pound weight class at the NCAA tournament. David Taylor, the 2018 world champion, will face NCAA champion Drew Foster. This is the event headlined by Ben Askren vs. Jordan Burroughs.
  • Women’s Superstars Uncensored has shows tonight and tomorrow night in Voorhees Township, NJ at the Colossal Sports Academy. There is a tag team tournament tonight and a regular show tomorrow.
  • CWE on Wednesday night in Brandon, Manitoba: Michael Elgin b Killer Kross, Alix Zwicker b Maddison Miles, Mentallo & Vance Nevada b Vinny Marseglia & TK O’Ryan-DQ, Jimmy Jacobs won four-way over Martn Pain, Kevin Cannon and Brian Rich, Psicosis b Tommy Lee Curtis, AJ Sanchez & Kevin O’Doyle b Norman Harass & Alex Ace, Danny Duggan b Robin Lekime to keep CWE title.
  • CWE from last night in Morden, Manitoba: Danny Duggan b Robin Lekime to keep CWE title, Martn Pain b Norman Harass, Psicosis & Mentallo b Jimmy Jacobs & Jay Walker, Alix Zwicker b Maddison Miles, Vinny Marseglia & TK O’Ryan & Sam Davidson b AJ Sanchez & Kevin O’Doyle & Alex Ace.
  • CWE tonight in Winnipeg at the Essence Event Centre with Psicosis vs. AJ Sanchez vs. Jimmy Jacobs vs. TK O’Ryan vs. Kevy Chevy.
  • NFC BJJ tomorrow at Center Stage in Atlanta with 24 matches.
  • Toni Storm’s Stardom matches announced will be 5/3 in Tokyo at Shinkiba against Tam Nakano, 5/4 against Momo Watanabe and 5/5 against Konami. World of Stardom champion Kagetsu defends against Bea Priestley of AEW on the 5/4 show. 
  • Pro Wrestling Phoenix from Wednesday night in Omaha: Paul & Joey Daniels b Jaysin Strife, Willy Sweet b Uncle Ricky, Duke Cornell b Jack Darling, Moonshine Russell b Tim Boston, Preston Maxwell b Con Artiest, Brett Bishop won three-way over Branden Juarez and Seto Kobara, Pat Powers b Devin Carter. Next show is 5/22, the company’s 14th anniversary show, at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha.
  • Eve has sold out its show today in London which just took place with the Kris Wolf retirement match. It’s available on EVEonDemand.
  • Less than 40 tickets remain for the Eve show on 5/11 in London at the Resistance Gallery in Bethnal Green.
  • Evolve announced these matches for two weeks from now:
    5/10 in Livonia, MI
    Austin Theory vs. Adam Cole
    JD Drake vs. Joe Gacy for WWN title
    Kassius Ohno & Harlem Bravado vs. AR Fox & Leon Ruff
    Eddie Kingston vs. Curt Stallion
    Josh Briggs vs. Adrian Jaoude
    Anthony Henry vs. Juntai

    5/11 in Indianapolis
    Adam Cole vs. AR Fox
    Kassius Ohno vs. Josh Briggs
    Eddie Kingston & Joe Gacy vs. JD Drake & Anthony Henry for Evolve tag titles
    Austin Theory defends Evolve title against winner of Leon Ruff vs. Curt Stallion vs. Anthony Greene match
    Adrian Jaoude vs. Harlem Bravado

  • Clash on Saturday night in Allen Park, MI at the Frank J. Lada Civic Arena.
  • The final hype for tomorrow’s Nick Aldis vs. Marty Scurll NWA title match.
  • Nick Aldis talks to Sporting News about the match.
  • An interview with PCO. 

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Edge defeats John Cena in Last Man Standing match to win WWE Title

F4W Empire Convention Info:

  • Ed in San Antonio presents PODER~! at the FSW arena on Friday 5/24 – Showtime is at noon – Main event: Bryan Alvarez vs. Logan Stunt
  • Empire dinner on Friday 5/24 at 8:30 p.m. at Texas de Brazil – Price is $82 – All you can eat meat and salad, sodas, tea, and coffee, plus dessert included
  • Empire suite party on Friday 5/24 for those who were not able to get the Q&A package – Price is $25

Purchase tickets here. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

Josh Barnett signs multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Josh Barnett is the newest member of the Bellator MMA roster.

During an in-studio appearance on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show today, Barnett signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator. Barnett mentioned Bellator’s event in London, England on Saturday, June 22 as a possibility for his debut.

Scott Coker also sent out a tweet confirming the news: “Welcome to @BellatorMMA, @JoshLBarnett. (Not an April Fools joke)”

It was announced in March 2018 that Barnett had won his lengthy arbitration case against USADA, with him receiving a public reprimand instead of a suspension after he was able to prove his failed test for ostarine was due to a tainted supplement.

Barnett later received his release from the UFC, saying he didn’t “feel comfortable giving the control necessary to USADA that would continue [his] career in the UFC.”

Barnett last fought at the UFC’s Fight Night show in Hamburg, Germany in September 2016, defeating Andrei Arlovski by submission.

Barnett also promoted Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport on Helwani’s show. The event is with Game Changer Wrestling and is taking place in Jersey City, New Jersey at 4 p.m. Eastern time this Thursday. It’s also airing as an iPPV on Fite TV.

The main event of Bloodsport is Barnett vs. Minoru Suzuki.

Daily Update: Mirko Cro Cop retires, WWE weekend notes, Kanemoto

Posted on by F4W Staff

DAILY UPDATE

Latest News

Latest Audio

F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Main roster arrivals and WWE departures

Last week was a period of arrivals and departures for WWE.

Without much advance warning, Ricochet, Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano, and Tommaso Ciampa all debuted on Raw last Monday. After news of them being backstage was reported online, WWE tweeted out pictures of them to hype that they were at the show. Triple H then opened Raw and confirmed that they would be debuting later in the night. Ricochet made a save for Finn Balor and teamed with him to defeat Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush, Black defeated Elias, and Gargano & Ciampa got a win against Raw Tag Team Champions The Revival in a non-title match.

WON NEWSLETTER: March 4, 2019 Observer Newsletter: Roman Reigns returns to WWE after leukemia remission

Roman Reigns (Leati Joseph Anoa’i, 33), returned to WWE after four months off, which included both a battle with leukemia as well as a role in the movie “Hobbs and Shaw” on the 2/25 show in Atlanta.

Georges St-Pierre announced his retirement on 2/21, seeming very happy to go out on his own terms but admitting that he was retiring now because UFC wasn’t interested in making a fight between him and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

New Japan this past week announced their first-ever 32-man New Japan Cup tournament, as well as announced its 47th anniversary show and sold out two joint Honor Rising shows with ROH.

Jeff Jarrett and his now-dormant Global Force Entertainment Company have filed a new $4.8 million lawsuit against Impact Wrestling and Anthem Entertainment in U.S. District Court in Tennessee on 2/21.

This week’s update on WrestleMania is that HHH vs. Batista is obviously a done deal.

The UFC debuted in the Czech Republic on 2/23 with a fight night event in Prague held on ESPN+ headlined by Jan Blachowicz and Thiago Santos in a light heavyweight bout.

Honky Tonk Man (Roy Wayne Ferris, 66) was announced on 2/26 as being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on 4/6 at the Barclays Center. Ferris had been asked in the past and turned it down because he didn’t like some of the restrictions in the contract claiming it would cost him independent money because he’d have to cancel dates.

ORDERING INFO:  Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered  via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].

Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.

In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.

For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.

If you order by  mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell,CA  95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.

FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE

by Bryan Rose, Joseph Currier and Dave Meltzer

WWE

  • As currently advertised, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Ronda Rousey are only scheduled for television in Philadelphia on Monday and not any of the weekend Raw brand house shows. Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton are working the entire weekend with the SmackDown crew.  Becky Lynch is not advertised but that doesn’t mean anything since she’s “suspended,” but she is being advertised anyway for TV in Wilkes-Barre. The Miz is not advertised for Minneapolis on Saturday, but he is for Syracuse on Sunday. Rey Mysterio and Kevin Owens are only advertised for television on Tuesday.
  • WWE This Week has behind-the-scenes footage of Reigns on the set of the Nickelodeon show ‘Cousin for Life’.
  • In celebration of the WWE Network’s fifth birthday, WWE uploaded NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool to their YouTube account.
  • Seth Rollins has opened a coffee shop in Davenport, Iowa.

Pro Wrestling

  • Koji Kanemoto was arrested today in Kobe for assaulting his wife. According to the translation, Kanemoto stated that she suspected him of cheating, and when she went to look at his phone he hit her with his hand. Tokyo Sports reported that there is no record of prior incidents of domestic violence.
  • A Crockett Cup qualifying match will take place on the ROH TV tapings the night after the 17th Anniversary show.
  • The next Triple Crown title defense will take place at 3/19 in Korakuen Hall as Kento Miyahara will defend against Naoya Nomura.
  • All Japan will also hold a tournament to crown new All Asia tag team champions on 3/21. The teams are Jake Lee & Koji Iwawoto, Masaya Takahashi & Takayuki Ueki, Takao Omori & Black Menso~re and Daichi Hashimoto & Hideyoshi Kamitani.
  • Tampa Bay Times has an article on Chris Jericho buying a $3.255 million home on Lake Keystone.
  • Priscilla Kelly on Twitter mentioned that she is now a free agent. She most recently was under contract to WWN.
  • Caleb Konley also announced that he’s a free agent: “Today I’m officially a free agent. For 3 years I’ve had the opportunity to wrestle on national TV Work on 4 continents & be ZNAs resident orphan child. I owe all of that to @IMPACTWRESTLING I want to thank everyone who has supported me. I look forward to what ever comes next”

UFC/MMA

  • Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic announced today on Croatian television that he is retiring from MMA after suffering a stroke following a win over Roy Nelson last month at Bellator 2016. He apparently just came out of the hospital today after having bleeding in his brain. He told ESPN that he can never take punches to the head again.
  • Colby Covington is not letting things go after being stripped of the interim welterweight title. He found and confronted Dana White who was playing blackjack at the Palms and later found what he said was Dana’s car. He also crashed Kamaru Usman’s open workout.
  • Max Holloway, Dustin Poirier, Kelvin Gastelum, and Israel Adesanya took part in a press conference for UFC 236 today, which is taking place on April 13.
  • Walt Harris has been suspended for four months by the CSAC for a positive drug test. His win over Andrei Arlovski at UFC 232 has been overturned to a no contest.
  • In a press release, UFC announced a broadcast partnership with the BBC that will have their BBC Radio 5 and BBC Sport Online stations carry live commentary on four UFC events this year.
  • Paige VanZant on Twitter: “Well…. I fractured my arm again. So there’s that.”
  • Peter Yan has signed a new UFC deal.
  • Here are UFC 235 Open Workout highlights.
  • Episode 5 of UFC 235 Embedded is now up.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: Daily Pro Wrestling History (03/01): ROH 15th Anniversary Show

Ed in San Antonio presents the WRESTLEMANIAWeekend Events (more to be added):

  • Sunday, April 6th, at 12:00 pm: Lunch (all you can eat) at Churrascaria Plataforma ($90 per person), located at 316 W. 49th street in Manhattan. Purchase tickets here~!
  • Luxury Bus to MetLife Stadium for Wrestlemania: We will depart from the Hilton Midtown (site of Wrestlecon) located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas. Departure time is 4:00 pm and will return from MetLife approximately 30 mins after the event. Times are subject to change, and cost $67.00 per person for the round trip. Purchase tickets here~!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Jack Swagger gets date, opponent for second Bellator MMA fight

Posted on by Josh Nason

Former WWE World Champion Jake Hager (aka Jack Swagger) was successful in his Bellator MMA debut, and already has a date and opponent for his follow-up.

Hager (1-0) will face T.J. Jones (1-1) at Bellator 221 in Rosemont, IL, on Saturday, May 11, as part of the undercard for lightweight champion Michael Chandler vs. featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Frieire.

The 36-year-old Hager submitted J.W. Kiser in the first round of his pro debut in late-January, using his wrestling to take minimal damage for the easy submission win. Jones is younger than Hager (29), but has not fought since October 2017 when he picked up a submission win in less than a minute. Before that, he competed in 2015 and was defeated in just 46 seconds.

Airing exclusively on DAZN, Bellator 221 will also feature the next round of the welterweight Grand Prix with Douglas Lima taking on Michael “Venom” Page.

Bellator 216 live results: MVP vs. Daley, Cro Cop vs. Nelson

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

(Image courtesy of Bellator MMA)

Welcome to our live coverage of Bellator 216. It’s night two of back-to-back shows for Bellator MMA from the Mohegan Sun Arena — and the main event is a grudge match years in the making. 

Michael “Venom” Page, aka MVP, puts his unbeaten record on the line against fellow Brit Paul Daley as both men attempt to advance to the semifinal round of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix tournament where the winner will get a million dollars and the 170 lb championship. 

The co-main may be 10-15 years late for some, but it should still be fun to see former TUF winner Roy Nelson lock up with the legendary Mirko Cro Cop. Cro Cop promises that this will be his retirement fight, although he’s said that before. Nelson will attempt to halt a two-fight losing streak, while Cro Cop has won nine in a row and has not lost in over five years. 

Former heavyweight champion Vitaly Minokov returns to the promotion after a long hiatus and will attempt to earn a shot at the belt he never lost. Stepping up against him is another long-in-the-tooth veteran, Cheick Kongo. Kongo was inexplicably left out of the recent heavyweight Grand Prix, despite a seven-fight win streak in Bellator, and is out to prove a point. 

The other fight with some intrigue is the promotional debut of Erick Silva, the former UFC welterweight. He will face a man fighting on a main card for the first time, Yaroslav Amosov, who comes in with a dazzling 20-0 record. 

Action kicks off with the main card fights at 10 p.m. Eastern.

Quick results from Bellator 215 last night, which was recapped by Dave Meltzer and Garrett Gonzalez on last night’s Wrestling Observer Radio, available now for subscribers:

  • Matt Mitrione (13-6, 1 NC) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (29-7, 2 NC) ended in a no contest
  • Logan Storley (10-0) defeated Ion Pascu (18-9) via unanimous decision (30-27 30-26, 30-26)
  • Eduardo Dantas (21-6) defeated Toby Misech (11-7) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
  • John Douma (4-1) defeated Mike Kimbel (2-1) via submission (triangle choke) at 2:51 of round one
  • Austin Vanderford (7-0) defeated Cody Jones (6-3) via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 4:49 of round one

**********

Kicking off the main card is a women’s flyweight fight. 

Colby “Dreamcatcher” Fletcher (1-2) vs “Master” Valerie Loureda (pro debut)

Loureda is an accomplished Tae-Kwon Do expert coming in with a lot of hype and she gets a huge reaction from the crowd so that explains why this fight is on the main card. Fletcher is clearly something of a set-up fight for her. The “Master” in Loureda’s name is actually a title she earned, as explained by commentator John McCarthy. Loureda is only 20 years old so could be at this for awhile. 

Fletcher throwing a lot of punches early. Loureda mixing in high and low kicks. Loureda lands a great punch combo and follows up with a high kick. Great punch exchange about 2 minutes in. Fletcher is the one controlling the pace so far. Loureda knocks her down with a body kick and finishes her off with a vicious barrage of punches and the ref may have let it go on a little long honestly. 

Official result – Valerie Loureda (1-0) by TKO (punches) at 2:55

Loureda cut a tearfelt promo after the fight, saying she’s been dreaming of this moment since she was a little girl. Her coaches were in tears as she thanked them for making her the woman and the mixed martial artist that she is today. 

Two welterweights making their Bellator main card debut are next up. 

Erick “The Tiger” Silva (20-9) vs Yaroslav Amosov (20-0)

For those that remember Silva from UFC, his fights usually end early and are almost always exciting. Amosov trains with American Top Team and it’s not easy to rack up 20 wins in a row in this sport. He did handle another former UFC vet, Gerald Harris, pretty easily, in his first Bellator fight. 

Mauro Ranalo points out that both guys have 12 first round finishes on their record. Silva pushign the pace early. Silva lands a nice punch combo 90 seconds in that opens a cut around Amosov’s right eye. Silva is pacing himself much better than usual. Silva blocks a takedown attempt at 2:45. Amosov controlling a clinch on the cage. They separate 30 seconds later and Amosov lands a nice punch combo. Amosov goes back to the clinch but Silva breaks free quickly. Amosov rocks Silva with punches at 4:00. Amosov now pushing the pace. Silva lands some nice counter punches. 10-9 Silva but close

Silva stuffs a takedown early. Silva again controlling the pace. Amazov gets a takedown. Silva up quickly but Amosov controlling his back and drags him down again. Amosov landing punches to the head but Silva gets to his feet. Amosov drags him down again. Silva blocking most of the punches as Amosov attempts to secure a body lock. Silva to his feet and immediately thrown to the canvas by Amosov at 3:00. Amosov landing punches and elbows as he attempts to advance position. Crowd getting restless at the 4 minutes mark. Ref not warning them as Amosov is controlling Silva pretty well. Silva ties up Amosov with a body lock at 4:45 as he is trying to work out a sub from his back but not enough time. 10-9 Amosov, 19-19

Both guys throwing leg kicks early in round 3. Amosov moves in for a takedown but Silva defends it. Silva with a hard knee to the body as Amosov moves in for a takedown. Amosov gets him down but Silva right up. Amosov controlling the back again through. Silva breaks free and grabs a standing guillotine. He gives it up quickly and eats a body kick for his efforts. Both guys looking pretty tired. Amosov gets a takedown at 2:00. Amosov landing punches from half guard. Amosov takes the back  but Silva to his feet. Amosov drags him right down again and lands more punches to the head. Silva works back to guard but still eating punches. Silva to his feet but Amosov takes the back again. Amosov throws him down at 4;00. Silva to his feet again but Amosov still on his back. Amosov throws him down again. Silva up again at 4:30 and right back down. 10-9 Amosov, 29-28 overall

Official result – Yaroslav Amosov (21-0) by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28 x 2)

Next up is a heavyweight rematch. In Vitaly Minakov’s last Bellator fight in April 2014, he won a unanimous decision over Cheick Kongo. He returns to the promotion and faces the same opponent. Kongo is on the wrong side of 40 but on the longest winning streak of his career, with 7 straight. In fact his only loss since the previous Minakov fight was a split decision vs King Mo. 

Vitaly Minakov (21-0) vs Cheick Kongo (29-10-2)

Scott Coker has promised a title shot to the winner of this fight. With a win tonight, Cheick Kongo will set the record for most wins as a heavyweight and his 14th fight is also a heavyweight record. This came all after a long UFC career. 

Nice punch exchange 15 seconds in. Minakov is the one advancing but Kongo landed a nice counter punch in the exchange. Minakov with a takedown attempt blocked and Kongo clinches up on the cage. They separate at 1:15. Kongo lands a nice punch combo at 2:00 and goes back to the clinch. Kongo lands an inadvertent low blow in the exchange. Minakov is looking very tired when the action restarts. Minakov goes back to the clinch after missing some punches. Kongo breaks free. Kongo mixes in some kicks as Minakov is looking to land a home run shot. Minakov catches a kick and Kongo slips but gets up quickly after a guillotine attempt by Minakov. Kongo controlling the clinch but they separate quickly. Kongo lands a nice punch combo and some knees to the body. 10-9 Kongo

Herschel Walker and Michael Strahan were shown sitting together at cageside and Mauro brings up having called Walker’s MMA fights. John McCarthy disagrees with me and gives round 1 to Minakov. He also gave Amosov round 1 in the last fight and all 3 judges disagreed. Kongo throwing counter kicks as Minakov is controlling the pace and again looking for that big punch. Crowd getting restless as they’ve barely touched 2 minutes in. Some chants for Kongo. Heavy boos from the crowd at 2:45 as they’ve still barely touched. Minakov is throwing punches but they’re missing and Kongo not throwing anything. Ref warning them to engage at 3:45. More heavy boos. Kongo with a punch combo and then he clinches up at 4:15. Kongo with a knee/punch combo as they separate. Kongo lands a couple of counters as Minakov misses more punches. Kongo with some punches landed right before the bell. 10-9 Kongo, 20-18 overall

Kongo landing hard leg kicks to start. Minakov is advancing but very tentative and very tired. He misses a huge punch but catches a kick and gets a takedown at 1:00. Minakov setting up a head and arm choke while landing punches to the body and head. Minakov with an Ezekiel joke from the top. Kongo landing desparation punches  from his back and gets out of it but Minakov maintains top position. Minakov postures up to land some hammer fists before settling back into half guard. Kongo makes his way to the cage as he attempts to get to his feet . Kongo with a guillotine attempt and gets to his feet at 4:30. Kongo unloads with a punch/knee combo. Kongo with vicious knees to the head and Minakov is barely standing but the round ends. 10-9 Minakov, 29-28 Kongo overall. 

Official result – Cheick Kongo (30-10-2) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)

John McCarthy had Kongo winning all 3 rounds and Mauro reacts like it was a bad decision. I’m not sure what those two were watching because Minakov did not win this fight. 

Co-main event is next up and it’s a battle of the legends. 

Roy “Big Country” Nelson (23-16) vs Mirko Cro Cop (37-11-2)

Cro Cop is introduced as a former K-1, Pride and RIZIN champion and comes out to the vintage “Wild Boys” theme. If he’s interested in fighting again after this, he could steal Kongo’s title shot with an impressive win. 

Nelson advancing to start. Cro Cop blocks a takedown attempt 45 seconds in. Cro Cop blocks another takedown and pushes Nelson to the other side of the cage. Nelson takes over clinch control at 1:45 after eating an uppercut. Cro Cop lands some punches to the body and then walks Nelson across the cage again. Cro Cop rocks Nelson with an uppercut and then lands more punches to the body. They separate at 3:30. Back to the cage clinch and Cro Cop quickly takes control. Cro Cop with knees to the body and more uppercuts before separating. Nelson looking tired. Cro Cop wih a vicious body kicks and then blocks a takedown. 10-9 Cro Cop

Nelson against controlling the pace early. Cro Cop to the cage clinch at 1:00. Knees and punches to the body from Cro Cop. They trade elbows to the head. Cro Cop with hard uppercuts to the head and Nelson is rocked. They separate. They trade hard body kicks. Cro Cop just landing hard single shots but no combos. Nelson stuffed on another takedown attempt and Cro Cop ends up controlling a cage clinch. They separate after Cro Cop lands body punches. Nelson lands some punches that rock Cro Cop. Nelson with a punch/knee combo at 3:30. Nelson again stuffed on a takedown attempt. Cro Cop with a standing guillotine attempt but gives it up quickly. Cro Cop controlling a cage clinch and lands punches to the body and head. Separation at 4:30. Nelson lands some uppercuts to the head at 4:45. They trade hard body shots. 10-9 Cro Cop, 20-18

When they fought in 2011, Nelson scored a finish in the 3rd round and he’ll have to do the same to win here. Cro Cop starting to land leg kicks. Nelson lands some uppercuts to the head as Cro Cop tries to clinch. Cro Cop starting to tire. Nelson advancing. More leg kicks from Cro Cop and he stuffs another takedown attempt from Nelson. Yet another takedown attempt blocked by Cro Cop. Punch combo from Nelson and he attempts another takedown but fails. Cro Cop walks him across the cage but Nelson breaks free. Cro Cop blocks another takedown attempt. Crowd starting to get restless. Nelson with a punch combo and another takedown attempt and then finally lands one at 4:00. Cro Cop landing punches to the head from his back. Cro Cop ties him up with a body lock. 10-9 Nelson, 29-28 Cro Cop

Official result – Mirko Cro Cop (38-11-2) by unanimous decision (30-27; 29-28 x 2)

Main event is a first round match in the Bellator welterweight Grand Prix tournament with the winner advancing to face Douglas Lima for a spot in the finals. Sonnen, Thomson and Glazer interview Lima at the desk about his thoughts on the main event. He thinks Daley’s durability may be the difference. 

Michael “Venom” Page (13-0) vs Paul “Semtex” Daley (40-16-2)

MVP chants as Page makes his entrance. Daley was much more subdued but Page clowning all the way down the ramp. Daley giving up 6 inches of height and 3 inches reach, which could be telling. Because this is a tournament match, it’s five rounds. Page is also 2-0 as a pro boxer. They do not touch gloves. 

Page takes the center of the cage to start. Loud MVP chants before they even engage. They don’t touch for the first minute and there are some boos. Boos getting louder at 1:30. MVP has thrown a couple shots but missed while Daley hasn’t even thrown a thing. MVP just backing off and taunting Daley, who won’t engage. 3:30 in and no one has landed a strike. Daley finally throws a kick but misses. Page may have landed a punch at 4:30. Page lands a leg kick at 4:45. Deafening boos at the end of the round. 10-9 Page

Round 2 starts the same as the whole first round went. Page doing more taunting. Page lands a front kick to the head. Daley misses a takedown attempt as he’s chasing MVP around the cage. He catches him and they end up in a cage clinch with Daley in control. Daley with knees to the body. Separation at 2:45. Daley gets a takedown at 3:00. Daley with punches to the body. MVP doing nothing from his back. Daley has the legs tied up so MVP basically trapped on the ground. MVP does gets up but Daley lands some nice punches on the feet at the end of the round. 10-9 Daley, 19-19

MVP landing shots from distance early in round 3. Daley controlling the pace but MVP timing the counters well. MVP lands a great right cross at 1:15. MVP stuffs a takedown at 1:45. Daley controlling the cage clinch. Page takes control  at 2:30 but Daley gets a takedown. MVP ties up the body but Daley landing body punches. Daley postures up to break the body lock and then goes back into guard. Daley postures up and lands punches to the body and head and the crowd explodes. Page to his feet at 4:45 but Daley still controlling the clinch. 10-9 Daley, 29-28

PAge advancing to start and lands a couple of strikes early. He’s just landing single shots and moving. Daley gets a takedown at 1:00. MVP lands a couple of weak elbows from his back. MVP ties up the body of Daley and lands more elbows. They’re not doing damage but they are landing. Page with punches to the head from his back. Ref warns them to work. Daley stands up and MVP follows. MVP lands a hard kick to the body. MVP lands a flying knee that hurts Daley and clinches on the cage at 3:30. MVP gets a takedown at 3:45. MVP lands hard punches to the head. Page with more punches to the head at 4:45. 10-9 Page, 38-38 overall

MVP lands a jumping knee and attempts a takedown but Daley lands one. Daley stands up but MVP stays on his back throwing upkicks. Daley landing kicks to the legs. before going back into guard. MVP ties up his body so Daley stands up to break it. MVP setting up a triangle from his back. Daley lands some punches to the head as Page attempts to get to his feet. Page to his feet at 2:30. Page with elbows to the head as he defends a takedown attempt. Page takes the back standing and drags Daley to the ground. Page landing punches to the head as he sets up a rear naked choke. Daley to his feet but Page still on his back and drags him down again. Page landing punches to the head as he contrinues to look for the choke. MVP chants from the crowd. Elbows to teh head from Page. Daley to his feet at 4:15 but Page controlling the clinch. Daley with a takedown attempt but MVP reverses and on top, landing punches as the round ends. 10-9 Page, 48-47 overall

Official result – Michael Page (14-0) by unanimous decision (48-47 x 3)

Crowd boos the result but the scoring of each round was pretty obvious and it’s good that all the judges got it right after some questionable scorecards in earlier fights. MVP said that Daley tried to take it to the ground but he beat him there and he’ll take the belt. He says he respects Douglas Lima a lot and it will be an honor to fight him in the next round. 

JNPO: 65 minutes of UFC & Bellator MMA talk

Posted on by Josh Nason

On a Presidents Day weekend edition of Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, old friend Brian Martin, deputy sports editor of the SoCal News Group, returns to talk about Tunney, White, Washington, Lincoln, Obama, and Trump.

With a weekend featuring shows Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, yours truly and Brian go through several different topics looking at this weekend and even a little bit from last Saturday’s UFC even in Australia.

  • What do we make of the UFC’s strange middleweight division and who do we want to see the big players match up against next?
  • What do we make of Kelvin Gastelum’s Saturday walking around with a UFC belt and proclaiming himself champion?
  • Sunday features the return of “Sea Level” Cain Velasquez to the UFC following a two year layoff. What do we expect?
  • What are most looking forward to for Sunday’s ESPN debut show?
  • Why is Bellator’s biggest blood feud on DAZN instead of Paramount Network and why is the promotion running back to back events?

Hear all that and get some thoughts on why you should stay in for Valentine’s Day next year on the latest JNPO.

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JNPO: Aaron Pico career blame, Badermania, Royal Rumble chatter

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting

Between NXT TakeOver, the Royal Rumble and Bellator MMA, last weekend was another great one for combat sports couch potatoes.

I had a few things to get off my chest with all the happenings, so I brought in pro wrestling fan and MMA Fighting deputy managing editor Marc Raimondi back into our Punch-Out life to be my podcast sounding board.

Among the things we talked about:

  • His feelings on last Sunday’s Royal Rumble and what we liked and didn’t like
  • How he was able to catch some of TakeOver while on press row for Saturday’s Bellator show
  • Who is to blame for how Aaron Pico’s promising career has stopped and started at this early stage
  • The feel-good story that is new Bellator champ-champ Ryan Bader
  • What our hopes and dreams are with the meat of the UFC-ESPN era kicking off this weekend
  • The rise of the A Side podcast on MMA Fighting and what people have requested the most

As the kids say, it’s a fun show as always so check it out.

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Bellator 214 live results: Fedor vs. Bader, Jack Swagger’s MMA debut

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Preview by Josh Nason

After a year and six fights, the finals of the Bellator heavyweight Grand Prix are finally here. Chael Sonnen, Frank Mir, Matt Mitrione, King Mo, Roy Nelson, and Rampage Jackson all fell by the wayside and now, Fedor Emelianenko and Ryan Bader remain.

Luke Thomas pointed out on this week’s MMA Beat that while the sports world is buzzing about the length of time between Tom Brady’s first Super Bowl and this year’s big game, Fedor has been in the game for an incredible 19 years, most of which has been at a high level.

Bader is the company’s light heavyweight champion, but the fight is lacking that champ-champ feel. Perhaps that’s because the vacant heavyweight title has been pushed far into the background throughout this whole tournament in favor of the Grand Prix name. Bader has looked great in this new weight class and his signing several years ago continues to pay off dividends for all parties involved.

Did you know they haven’t had a heavyweight champion in nearly three years? Very odd.

Anyway, Aaron Pico is also on the show and could earn a title shot with a big win, but the bigger news for our audience is the MMA debut of Jake Hager, the former WWE champion Jack Swagger. He has a great pedigree as a college wrestler, but at 36 years old, this is a big shift. He faces a relatively inexperienced fighter in J.W. Kiser on the main card.

Paul Fontaine kicks us off with results from the main event, the Pico fight and the Hager fight later tonight.

**********

Earlier in the show:

Adel Altamimi (8-5) submitted Brandon Macmahan (5-7) with an armbar in the first round. Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt was in the corner of Altamimi and celebrated with him in the cage afterward. 

Juan Archuleta (22-1) won an unanimous decision (29-28 x 3) over Ricky Bandejas (11-2). Archuleta was cornered by UFC champion TJ Dillashaw. This was a good fight and worth checking out if you have DAZN. 

Bellator announced 2 title fights for April 27 in San Jose with Rory McDonald defending his welterweight title against Jon Fitch, which is also a first round match in the welterweight Grand Prix. Ilema-Lei MacFarlane and Veta Artega meet up for MacFarlane’s flyweight belt. 

Leading up to the Hager fight, analyst Frank Mir talked about taking on a former WWE champion himself earlier in his career when he faced Brock Lesnar. The commentators joked that Hager and Lesnar had legit credentials as compared to another former WWE champ, CM Punk, who also tried MMA and didn’t do so well. 

Jake Hager vs. J.W. Kiser – heavyweights

Hager reprised his WWE catchphrase of “We The People” to zero reaction from the crowd during his entrance. Ron Killings, aka R-Truth, sang his entrance song. Not making that up. 

Hager has a 6 inch height and 12 inch reach advantage over his opponent, who is also 3 years older and giving up about 20 lbs of weight. 

Hagger gets a takedown to start. Mick Foley tweeting support. Heger with a Kumura attempt as he eats punches from Kiser. Goldberg mentions Bautista, Lashley, Lesnar and CM Punk as former pro wrestlers who have done MMA. Hager landing punches to the head and sets up an arm triangle and gets the quick tap. 

Official result – Jake Hager (1-0) by submission (head and arm choke) at 2:09

Hager said that hard work paid off and gave a shout-out to Parry, OK and, not surprisingly, he got no reaction from the LA crowd. They clearly have no idea who he is or just don’t care because he’s not getting any more reaction than any other 1-0 fighter. He promised to be in the Bellator cage alot and says he’ll be fighting for the next decade. 

He addressed Vince McMahon telling him not to lose by saying “Sometimes to convince Vince, you have to con Vince”. Again, zero reaction and he again tried the “We The People” gimmick to no reaction. 

Aaron Pico vs. Henry Corrales

Corrales is a real fighter who has only 3 losses, all to former Bellator champions, in his career. Pico has the crowd chanting for him from the start of the fight. 

Pico stunned Corrales with an uppercut 45 seconds in. Corrales recovers and lands a combo that knocks Pico out cold. 

Official result – Henry Corrales (17-3) by knockout (punches) at 1:07

While Corrales was giving his post-fight promo, the camera was showing Pico walking back to the cage. There is a reason why fighters are brought up slowly and why prospects are generally protected early in their careers and this is it. Corrales is a world title contender and Pico was not even close to being ready for him. Corrales asked for a rematch with Patricio Pitbull, who beat him in a fight he took on short notice first time out. His promo was expletive-ridden and I watched on DAZN so not sure how much of it would’ve made air on Paramount. 

Andrew Whitworth of the LA Rams was interviewed in the crowd and got a lot of boos in advance of next week’s Super Bowl. Must be Chargers fans at the Forum tonight. He was asked for a prediction in the main event and took Bader, which drew a mixed reaction from the crowd. 

Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix/Vacant Championship Finals: Fedor Emelianenko vs. Ryan Bader

Both national anthems were played in their entirely. A ton of down-time on this show with all the early finishes and a 3 hour broadcast window to fill for 5 fights, only 3 of which anyone cares about. 

Still kind of unreal that Fedor is fighting for a major world title in 2019. Bader looks like he’s giving up some size,

Bader knocks out Fedor with the first punch of the fight, a left hook. Frank Mir had called that earlier in the night as being what Fedor would need to look out for. 

Official result – Ryan Bader (27-5) by KO (punch) at 35 seconds

Bader got two more belts with the heavyweight title as well as a belt for winning the Grand Prix. Bader said it was an honor just to be in “the ring” with Fedor. 

Bader said he would talk to his team and see what he would do but that he would like to defend both belts if at all possible. He also said he loved the idea of the tournament and put over Bellator for making it happen. He got a nice reaction from the crowd, who seemed pro-Fedor before the fight. 

JNPO: 2018 MMA Year In Review, pt. 2

Posted on by Josh Nason

My annual look back at the year that was in MMA rolls on with a look back at April through June, a time when TV deals were signed, attractions were few and far between, and a lot of place-setting for the second half of the year was taking place.

Helping me examine those three months is first time guest Nick Baldwin of Bloody Elbow.

On the docket:

  • The chaos surrounding UFC 223 and finding a replacement to face Khabib Nurmagomedov, and the media day bus attack by Conor McGregor and friends.
  • UFC announcing one and then two TV deals with ESPN and their streaming service, ESPN+.
  • Bellator’s big June with their surprise DAZN streaming provider, the announcement of their middleweight grand prix, and more.
  • UFC 225 and Yoel Romero missing weight for a title fight again, the likely final UFC ride for CM Punk, and the temporary rise of Colby Covington.
  • And plenty more!

Click below to give it a listen, and check out part 1 while you’re at it.

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No serious injuries after Mauro Ranallo involved in car accident

Posted on by Bryan Rose

NXT announcer Mauro Ranallo is shaken up, but otherwise fine following a car accident last night.

On Instagram, Ranallo posted several pictures of what appears to be a nasty accident, with both cars involved in the accident suffering from severe damage. It isn’t known where the accident occurred.

“An Angel was looking over me last night,” Ranallo wrote.  “A car lost control and smashed into me at full speed. Happy to report that no one was seriously injured. I’m still in shock. I guess my work here isn’t done yet. #ChristmasMiracle”

Ranallo currently is the voice of NXT, calling all major TV shows and big events. He’s also well known for his sports broadcasting career, calling boxing, kickboxing and MMA. He currently serves as an announcer for Bellator, calling their most recent events in Hawaii last weekend. He also serves as the voice for Showtime boxing, calling last year’s Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match.