Dave Meltzer and I are back with our post-UFC 314 episode of Wrestling Observer Radio.
Paul Fontaine joined us to go over the show as well as the news coming out of it. He also stuck around for the New Japan Windy City Riot recap. If you enjoy hearing Paul, you can watch him on Sunday evening for a special episode of his AEW podcast, The Dynamite Show.
Here were some of the rest of the topics we covered:
Amanda Nunes going into the UFC Hall of Fame and talk of her comeback
UFC media rights negotiations opening up to all companies next week
AEW Dynamite’s huge card on Wednesday as well as the live edition of Collision on Thursday
The Rock, a Rubik’s Cube, and his NJPW shirt
Lex Luger Hall of Fame update
Early thoughts on the new Peacock documentary on WrestleMania IX
On a new Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, my yearly MMA year in review series with guest co-host Paul Fontaine rolls on with a look at April, May & June.
This 90+ day stretch saw Israel Adesanya regain the UFC middleweight title from rival Alex Pereira at UFC 287 in front of 19,000 Floridians and a massive $12 million gate — an event that also saw Donald Trump in attendance and perhaps the final MMA bout for Jorge Masvidal.
Francis Ngannou made news as he officially found a new MMA home in the PFL. The move came with plenty of criticism from fans and Dana White alike which Paul and I discuss in full.
This stretch also saw the return of Olympic gold medalist and former UFC champion Henry Cejudo after years of threatening to come out of retirement. Paul and I talk about his return effort against bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC 288.
After another win and another successful women’s bantamweight title defense at UFC 289, Amanda Nunes called it a career. Paul and I talk about the double-champion’s legacy and why it was overlooked by so many.
All that and plenty more awaits you in part two of my MMA year in review series.
I am back with the Sunday edition of Wrestling Observer Live, available for website subscribers below or for YouTube subscribers above.
I give my thoughts on the passing of the Iron Sheik last week, his legacy, and what he meant to professional wrestling.
On Friday’s WWE SmackDown, The Bloodline story took another turn as The Usos and Solo Sikoa all seem to be at odds with each other after Jey Uso lost in his United States title shot opportunity. I talk about where this whole story is headed and a possible scenario that could lead this in a new direction.
The debut of AEW Collision is this coming Saturday and we now have a main event featuring CM Punk and FTR vs. Jay White, Juice Robinson and Samoa Joe. I go over the scenarios and possible matches we could get out of this one match.
Since Collision is only being shown on the TSN+ streaming service, how does this affect ticket sales for the AEW Canadian tour this summer?
Plus, what was the best rookie class in wrestling, UFC double champion Amanda Nunes retires, new titles in WWE, and more.
Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including a full recap of UFC and the retirement of Amanda Nunes, the G-1 brackets and line-ups for the top matches, RUSH has quit AAA, Stardom, Conor McGregor, full recaps of Rampage and Smackdown and more. A fun show as always so check it out~!
Timestamps:
Start: Amanda Nunes retires, UFC 289 recap
18:59: Blocks and lineups for G1 Climax
26:15: Rush and his father quit AAA, Stardom not going to Forbidden Door, Impact vs. New Japan Multiverse, Conor McGregor knocks out Miami Heat mascot
32:36: AEW Rampage recap
38:55: Gable Steveson update, Impact Against All Odds results
Amanda Nunes announced her retirement from MMA following her win at UFC 289.
In the main event of Saturday’s UFC pay-per-view, Nunes dominated Irene Aldana, winning via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-43). After the fight, Nunes placed both the UFC Bantamweight and Featherweight titles on the ground, then placed her gloves on the ground and announced her retirement from MMA.
“Tonight is a perfect night to retire,” she said in her post-fight interview. During her interview, she noted that she was the only Brazilian champion in the UFC, saying “Brazil, get your s*** together! I believe in you!”
Nunes originally won the Bantamweight title from Meisha Tate on July 9, 2016. She briefly lost the championship to Juliana Pena in December of 2021 before regaining it on July 30 of last year. She has also held the Featherweight Championship, defeating Cris Cyborg in July of 2017. She has been champion ever since, her most recent featherweight title defense taking place in March of 2021.
Nunes ends her MMA career with 23 wins and 5 losses, with her career beginning in 2008.
The Octagon is back in Canada for the first time since September 2019 with Saturday’s UFC 289 — a pay-per-view from Vancouver offering featuring arguably the greatest female fighter of all-time looking to add to her legacy.
UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes makes her ninth career title defense, and the first of her second reign as bantamweight champ, when she defends against Irene Aldana in the main event.
Nunes regained the title with a dominant win over Julianna Pena in July and were scheduled to finish their trilogy tonight, but Pena was forced out due to broken ribs. Aldana stepped in on the heels of wins in four of her last five fights.
The co-main event features a pivotal lightweight bout with title shot implications as former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira takes on Beneil Dariush. Oliveira is coming off of losing the title to Islam Makhachev in October while Dariush comes into this fight riding an eight-fight win streak.
Also on the main card: Mike Malott vs. Adam Fugitt, Dan Ige vs. Nate Landwehr, and Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Eryk Anders. Capping off the prelims is a battle of ranked middleweights as Nassourdine Imavov takes on Chris Curtis.
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> Women’s Strawweights- Diana Belbita (14-7, 1-3 UFC) vs. Maria Oliveira (13-6, 1-2 UFC)
They’re trading in the center to start. Belbita lands a nice right hand. Belbita lands a leg kick just after Oliveira misses a flying knee. They trade combos inside the pocket. Oliveira lands a right hand and scores a takedown. Belbita throws her legs up and is landing some elbows from the bottom. Oliveira drops back and is looking for a leg lock but Belbita spins out of trouble and ends up on top. They get to their feet and Belbita lands a knee. She lands another as they break. Belbita lands a couple of leg kicks as Oliveira lands the jab. Belbita lands a big combination. Belbita with a leg kick and right hand late. 10-9 Belbita.
They come out swinging and Belbita lands some punches and Oliveira lands a leg kick. Oliveira gets a takedown. Belbita with some elbows from the bottom. Oliveira is doing a good job of defending from the top as both are landing, then they scramble to the feet. Oliveira has it pushed against the fence. Belbita landing right hands to the body as Oliveira isn’t doing much. They break. Belbita landing the jab after they’re separated. Belbita catches a kick and pushes it against the fence. Belbita gets a big takedown and works from side control to end the round. 10-9 Belbita, 20-18 Belbita.
Belbita lands to start and connects with a big left hook. Belbita continuing to fire right hands and lands a knee before they clinch. Oliveira lands a combo in close range but Belbita continues to press forward. Belbita lands a big right hand. Belbita lands a couple of jabs. She lands a combo before they clinch. They break and Belbita lands an elbow. Both are landing jabs but Belbita is being more effective with them. Oliveira lands a jumping knee. They continue to trade until the end with Belbita landing more. 10-9 Belbita, 30-27 Belbita.
Official Result- Diana Belbita def. Maria Oliveira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
> Flyweights- #10 David Dvorak (20-5, 3-2 UFC) vs. Stephen Erceg (9-1, 0-0 UFC)
Dvorak lands a couple of leg kicks. Erceg lands a leg kick. He lands a big left hand. Dvorak starting to land more as both are landing calf kicks, but Dvorak is landing the right hand. They trade calf kicks. Dvorak misses a right hand and Erceg is able to land a body kick. Dvorak lands a combo. Dvorak lands a calf kick. 10-9 Dvorak.
Dvorak lands a good combination to the body. Erceg lands a right hand and Dvorak lands a counter knee and right hand. Both are swinging as they’re circling around but nothing is really landing. Dvorak lands a couple of leg kicks. They trade kicks. They trade and Erceg has Dvorak in trouble then drops him with a head kick. They scramble and Erceg locks in a guillotine choke but Dvorak is popping his head out. They scramble and Erceg lands an upkick and Dvorak lands some shots from the bottom, then they trade big shots at the end of a wild round. 10-9 Erceg, 19-19.
Erceg lands a combination. They trade inside the pocket. Dvorak tries a takedown but Erceg is able to scramble to the back but Dvorak scrambles out of the position. Dvorak lands a right hand. They clinch for a moment but break. Dvorak shoots for a takedown but Erceg scrambles and looked for the neck but they get to their feet. Dvorak gets a takedown. He’s in the half-guard and lands an elbow. They scramble and Erceg grabs the neck and is threatening. They scramble back to their feet. Erceg gets a takedown and has the back as they get to their feet. Erceg lands a knee. Erceg lands some punches at the end. 10-9 Erceg, 29-28 Erceg.
Official Result- Stephen Erceg def. David Dvorak by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
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> Featherweights- Kyle Nelson (13-5-1, 1-4-1 UFC) vs. Blake Bilder (8-0-1, 1-0 UFC)
Bilder lands a left hand. Nelson lands a right hand. Bilder scores with a left hook. Bilder lands a punch then shoots for a takedown and pushes it against the fence. Nelson reverses positions and neither is doing a whole lot. Bilder is landing small body punches as Nelson is landing foot stomps but not much else. They break as Bilder lands a right hand. They trade kicks. Bilder lands a high kick. Nelson lands a nice left hand then hurts Bilder with a right hand. 10-9 Bilder.
Bilder landing the jab early. He lands a body kick and ducks under a right hand from Nelson. Nelson might’ve landed a low blow that got missed and then connects before they clinch up. Bilder is pressuring against the fence. They separate. They trade jabs. Nelson lands a head kick. Nelson lands a leg kick. Both have cuts opened up as they trade. Nelson with another high kick and they trade leg kicks. Nelson is pressing forward and lands some leg kicks. He lands another as Bilder was circling away. 10-9 Nelson, 19-19.
Both are swinging early and looking to land leg kicks. Bilder is looking for a takedown against the fence. Nelson reverses position and has Bilder pressed against the fence. They are separated. Bilder lands a high kick. They’re trading and both land some solid right hands. They trade leg kicks. They trade late and Nelson lands some big punches. Close fight. 10-9 Nelson, 29-28 Nelson.
Official Result- Kyle Nelson def. Blake Bilder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Aoriqileng with a leg kick. He lands a body kick. He lands another leg kick but eats a counter combination from Zahabi. Aoriqileng lands another leg kick. Zahabi drops Aoriqileng with a left hand and then lands from the top to end it. Big knockout for Zahabi!
Official Result- Aiemann Zahabi def. Aoriqileng by knockout (punches) at 1:04 of Round 1
> Women’s Flyweights- #15 Miranda Maverick (11-4, 4-2 UFC) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (8-2, 2-1 UFC)
Maverick lands some left hands early. Jasudavicius lands a combo. Maverick lands a left hand and a body kick. They clinch and trade knees. They trade and Maverick looks for a takedown but Jasudavicius defends against the fence. Jasudavicius is able to get the takedown and is on top against the fence. Maverick is looking for an armbar from the bottom but Jasudavicius is defending from the top. Jasudavicius is still defending as Maverick is attacking the arm as the round ended. 10-9 Maverick.
Jasudavicius comes out with a high kick to start. Maverick lands a left hand then they exchange punches. They trade inside the pocket and Jasudavicius lands a big right hand as they clinch against the fence. Jasudavicius gets a big takedown and is working in the center as she’s landing a lot of punches from the top. She gets the back of Maverick and gets the body triangle locked in. Jasudavicius with some big shots from the back as she has a big round. 10-9 Jasudavicius, 19-19.
Maverick lands a left hand to start then Jasudavicius counters with a left hand. Maverick throwing elbows but Jasudavicius is being more active and landing more. She throws a big flurry and Maverick is on the run. Jasudavicius with some leg kicks. Jasudavicius continuing to push the pace and pressure but Maverick lands a left hand. Jasudavicius gets a takedown and is landing from the top. Jasudavicius has the back as they get to their feet and she is landing knees. She has a big finish to the fight. 10-9 Jasudavicius, 29-28 Jasudavicius.
Official Result- Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Miranda Maverick by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Middleweights- #12 Nassourdine Imavov (12-4, 4-2 UFC) vs. #14 Chris Curtis (30-10, 4-2 UFC)
Curtis lands a few leg kicks to start. He lands another then a left hand to the body. Imavov with some leg kicks. Curtis with another leg kick. Imavov lands a combo. They clinch against the fence and both land before they break. Imavov lands a right hand then a short elbow. Curtis lands a left hand before Imavov initiates a clinch. Imavov gets Curtis down and is on the back and is looking for a rear-naked choke. He lets go and Curtis is able to get back to his feet. 10-9 Imavov.
Both pressing forward and Curtis lands a leg kick. Imavov lands some leg kicks. Imavov with a combo. Imavov with a right hand after Curtis attacks the body. Curtis lands a leg kick as he eats a combo from Imavov. Imavov with a right hand to the body. They clinch against the fence and Imavov lands an elbow on the break then a combo. They clinch again and clash heads, so we have a timeout. The fight is stopped as Curtis can’t see and time has run out on the timeout, so this will be a no contest.
Official Result- Nassourdine Imavov vs. Chris Curtis ruled a no contest due to an accidental clash of heads at 3:04 of Round 2
Barriault lands a body kick then drops Anders with a right hand. He gets on top then gets the back and is landing as they get to the feet and remain tied up. Barriault lands a short right hand that hurts Anders. Anders lands a knee then a couple more. Anders lands a left hand as they almost break. Barriault lands a knee then an elbow then Anders lands an elbow. Anders with some knees. They break. Anders with some knees and a left hand. They trade short elbows. They separate and both land. Anders lands a right hand. Anders lands a knee and follows it with a flurry before they separate. Barriault lands a body kick. They clinch and both land knees. Anders lands some left hands on the break. Barriault lands a knee and elbow as they clinch again. Barriault lands a left as they break again. They clinch again and Barriault lands a big knee as Anders is looking for a takedown. They break and Anders lands a left hand. 10-9 Barriault.
Barriault lands a body kick. Barriault lands another but Anders is pressuring. They clinch and Barriault lands a combo as they break. Anders lands a body kick. Anders lands a left hand. We have a timeout for a groin strike by Barriault. They get back to action. Barriault lands a right hand. Anders lands a straight left hand. Anders lands a couple more left hands and shoots for a takedown against the fence. Anders scores a takedown. Barriault gets up against the fence but eats a left from Anders. They trade before breaking. Barriault lands a short left hand and we have another groin strike timeout by Barriault. They get back to action and Anders lands some left hands. Barriault lands a body kick and Anders lands a combo. Anders lands a couple of right hands. Barriault lands a body kick then a left hand. Barriault with another right hand. Anders lands a body kick then a left hand. Close round. 10-9 Anders, 19-19.
Barriault coming forward and lands a body kick. Anders lands a knee then a left hand. Barriault lands a body kick. They clinch against the fence and Anders lands some knees. They break and Barriault lands a body kick but eats a left hand from Anders. Barriault lands a jab. He lands a body kick. Anders lands to the body but Barriault lands two big shots with an elbow and punch. Barriault lands a nice right hand. They trade as Barriault is circling around. Barriault lands the jab then Anders lands inside the pocket. Barriault lands two big right hands then a body kick in a flurry. Barriault lands a hard jab. They trade big punches. They trade jabs. Anders with a high kick. 10-9 Barriault, 29-28 Barriault.
Official Result- Marc-Andre Barriault def. Eryk Anders by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Featherweights- #13 Dan Ige (16-6, 8-5 UFC) vs. Nate Landwehr (17-4, 4-2 UFC)
Ige coming forward throwing the jab. Ige lands a right hand. Landwehr lands a body kick. Ige comes forward and lands a left hook to the body. Ige lands a combo. He lands another. Ige lands a leg kick. Ige lands to the body. Landwehr lands a leg kick. Ige lands a right hand and Landwehr looks for a takedown but Ige defends. Ige lands a combo then they trade jabs. Ige lands a left hook to the body. Landwehr tries a head kick but Ige blocks it. Landwehr starting to land a little bit more as the round goes on. Ige drops Landwehr late with a big left hand. 10-9 Ige.
Landwehr throwing leg kicks early as Ige lands a combo. Landwehr grabs a leg but Ige defends and escapes. Ige lands a combo but Landwehr makes him eat a knee. Ige pushes Landwehr against the fence and lands a combo. Ige with a right hand to the body. Landwehr lands a right hand but Ige counters with a right hand. Ige is cut open at the nose. Ige lands to the body then a left hand up top. Landwehr lands a couple of jabs. They trade inside the pocket. They trade in close range. Landwehr lands a front kick to the body. Ige is being more active. Landwehr lands an uppercut and they clinch against the fence. Ige drops Landwehr again with a left hand and Landwehr is hurt bad. Ige lands from the top and Landwehr lands an upkick that may have been illegal but it was a wild end to the round. 10-9 Ige, 20-18 Ige.
Ige lands a combo. Ige scores a right hand but Landwehr is coming forward. Ige lands a left hand and Landwehr was wobbled. Ige lands to the body. Landwehr lands a jab. They continue to trade in close range. Ige pushes it against the fence and they trade positions. Landwehr lands against the fence. They separate. Ige lands a right hand as Landwehr lands a knee to the body. Ige lands a nice right hand. Landwehr grabs a leg but lands a right hand as he lets go. They trade in close range. They each go for a takedown late. Landwehr lands an elbow. 10-9 Ige, 30-27 Ige.
Official Result- Dan Ige def. Nate Landwehr by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
> Welterweights- Mike Malott (9-1-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Adam Fugitt (9-3, 1-1 UFC)
Malott lands a body kick and Fugitt is hurt. Malott lands another as Fugitt landed a left hand. Malott lands a right hand. Malott lands another body kick. Malott lands a groin strike but there is no timeout as Fugitt can go on. Malott gets a takedown and was in side control for a moment but ends up in the guard of Fugitt. Malott stands and Fugitt is able to get up. Fugitt throws a kick and Malott is able to turn it into a takedown. Malott ends the round on top. 10-9 Malott.
Malott lands a body kick and Fugitt falls to the mat. Malott locks in a guillotine choke as he gets on top and it is in tight and Fugitt taps. What a finish from Malott!
Official Result- Mike Malott def. Adam Fugitt by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:06 of Round 2
> Lightweights- #1 Charles Oliveira (33-9 1 NC, 21-9 1 NC UFC) vs. #4 Beneil Dariush (22-4-1, 15-4-1 UFC)
Oliveira lands a head kick. Dariush lands a left hand. They clinch and both land knees. Dariush gets it down and is in the half-guard of Oliveira. Dariush then moves to the full guard but both are landing on the ground. Oliveira is looking for a leg. Dariush is able to escape and gets back into the guard of Oliveira. Both are landing punches. They scramble to their feet. Oliveira lands a head kick and follows with a left hand. Oliveira drops Dariush to a knee with a right hand. Dariush is now down and Oliveira is on top landing a lot of punches and it is stopped! What a massive win for Oliveira!
Official Result- Charles Oliveira def. Beneil Dariush by TKO (punches) at 4:10 of Round 1
> UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship- C Amanda Nunes (22-5, 15-2 UFC) vs. #5 Irene Aldana (14-6, 7-4 UFC)
Nunes lands some early kicks. Nunes lands a body kick. Nunes gets an easy takedown but lets Aldana get right back up. Nunes lands another body kick. They trade jabs. Nunes lands a body kick. Nunes lands a spin kick. Aldana just looks frozen as she’s not really doing much. Nunes with a body kick but Aldana lands a right hand. Nunes lands but Aldana counters with a big right hand. Nunes lands a big right hand. 10-9 Nunes.
Nunes lands the jab. Nunes lands a combo then a leg kick. Nunes lands a couple of leg kicks. Aldana out there not doing a whole lot. Nunes fakes a takedown and lands a combo then scores with a leg kick. Nunes lands a combo and gets Aldana down for a second. Nunes lands some big leg kicks. Nunes scores a big combo. Nunes lands then they trade jabs. Aldana misses a head kick as Nunes ducks under and gets a takedown, but they get right back up and Nunes lands a leg kick. 10-9 Nunes, 20-18 Nunes.
Nunes lands a right hand then some jabs. Nunes with a flurry and Aldana is backing up. Aldana is throwing the jab but not landing much. Aldana lands a leg kick. Nunes gets a brief takedown and they scramble up at the fence, but Nunes gets it right back down. Nunes with some elbows from the top. Aldana scrambles but Nunes slams her back down. They get up and Nunes pushes it against the fence. Nunes gets it down as Aldana almost grabbed the fence and Nunes has the back. Nunes went for the arm but Aldana stood and landed a right hand as Nunes got up. Nunes lands an elbow. They trade jabs. Nunes lands a big right hand then a knee and some big punches. 10-9 Nunes, 30-27 Nunes.
Nunes lands a leg kick then a jab. Aldana lands a leg kick. Nunes lands a big elbow then lands a big combination. Nunes lands a couple of jabs. Nunes lands the jab again. Nunes tries for a takedown but Aldana defends. Aldana defends another takedown attempt from Nunes, but Nunes lands a couple of jabs. Nunes gets a takedown but lets Aldana get right back up. They clinch against the fence but separate as Nunes tried for a takedown. Nunes lands a hard combination. Nunes lands some hard punches and Aldana actually lands some good punches. Nunes lands a right hand. Nunes lands a hard left hook and then a big right hand. Nunes with a right hand to the body. Nunes with some more punches at the end. 10-9 Nunes, 40-36 Nunes.
Nunes lands the jab then a right hand. Nunes goes for a takedown and Aldana lands a knee, but Nunes finishes the takedown. She gets into the full guard of Aldana. Nunes landing from the top. Nunes working from the top and doing enough to keep it on the mat. Nunes gets into the full mount and starts landing body shots. Nunes continues to control from the top and is landing a lot of punches. Aldana is doing nothing on the bottom. Nunes finishes the fight landing from the top. Complete domination from Nunes. 10-8 Nunes, 50-44 Nunes.
Official Result- Amanda Nunes def. Irene Aldana by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-43) to retain the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship
*Breaking-Nunes announces her retirement following the fight.
Where All In 2023 stands on the biggest crowds and gates in wrestling history
Tony Khan talks Bill Goldberg
Bryan Danielson talks AEW creative
Matt Jackson on coming back so quickly from a muscle tear, the stunts in the match, how preparation was less than last year and why
The latest Bloodline saga
Business notes on Night of Champions and how AEW/WWE crossover viewership changed this past weekend from the past
How comparisons of big event interest changed greatly
Best of the Super Juniors finals, Dominion and All Together Now, a look at the big events in Japan
NXT Battleground coverage
One of the longest lasting wrestling promoters who ever lived, Brian Dixon, passes away at 74
Stardom has World & Wonder of Stardom champions face off on PPV show and where this leads
Two future stars leave two different promotions this past week
Will Ospreay talks future
New Japan President Takami Ohbari talks the state of the business, how close the company was to being in real trouble, and how they’ve had to change the business
Billy Graham funeral notes
Bobo Brazil day and a look at the iconic figure
Advance ticket sales for all upcoming WWE and AEW shows
Streaming and international TV numbers
Records at stake in UFC fights this week
International promotion looking at crowd of 50,000 for a show tomorrow
WWE’s arguments to get MLW lawsuit dismissed
Injury updates
WWE market value
Two people under WWE deals are one week away from competing for a sports world championship shot
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Tuesday Update
WWE
PWInsider reported that Braun Strowman was released from the hospital on Monday following neck fusion surgery.
Following the angle that took place on Monday, Brandi Rhodes wrote on Twitter “Papa won’t hit Mami…but Mommy will.” Rhea Ripley later responded to the tweet.
The hearing regarding WWE’s motion to dismiss MLW’s lawsuit on June 15 has been canceled as WWE’s attorneys are unable to make that date. It has yet to be rescheduled.
LA Knight, Zelina Vega, and Tiffany Stratton will be the guests on this week’s The Bump.
In an interview with the New York Post, UFC Champion Amanda Nunes expressed interest in WWE after her UFC career wraps up. “It depends on the contract, you know? If the contract is amazing, why not? What I wanted to do in MMA, I did already — even more than I thought in my head when I went through my whole career. I became a double champion. I wanted only one — I had two … I’m so happy, and whatever comes after I’m done with UFC, we’ll see. For sure you guys will see me around, anyways.”
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 277: Pena vs. Nunes 2, emanating from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The Octagon is back in Dallas for the first time in nearly four years with two title fights including one of the biggest rematches in women’s MMA history as the greatest female fighter of all-time looks to avenge a historic loss.
UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Pena makes her first title defense against the woman she defeated for the title, former champion Amanda Nunes, in the main event. Pena scored the massive upset at UFC 269 in December, submitting Nunes in the second round. The two coached the most recent edition of The Ultimate Fighter to lead to the rematch as Nunes looks to regain the title and once again become a two-division champion.
In the co-main event, an Interim UFC Flyweight Championship will be on the line as former UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno takes on Kai Kara-France. This is also a rematch as Moreno scored a decision win over Kara-France at UFC 245 in December 2019. The interim title came about after Deiveson Figueiredo claimed he was injured and unable to fight on this card while also saying he didn’t want to defend against Moreno, who is the top contender.
The rest of the main card sees a heavyweight bout between Derrick Lewis and Sergei Pavlovich, a flyweight bout pitting Alexandre Pantoja against Alex Perez, and the main card kicks off with a light heavyweight opener as Magomed Ankalaev takes on Anthony Smith. The featured prelims return to ABC with four fights, capped off with a welterweight bout pitting Alex Morono against Matthew Semelsberger.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
They trade kicks to start. Diamond with a combo ending with a head kick. Cosce with a right hand as Diamond lands a body kick. They trade in close range and Cosce shoots for the takedown. They remain tied up against the fence and Diamond landing some knees. They reverse positions but not a whole lot going on. Cosce gets the takedown and is in side control. They get to their feet and Cosce still has the back. Cosce gets it back down for a moment but they get up and are clinched against the fence. They separate. Diamond with a late right hand and head kick. 10-9 Cosce.
They trade to start the second round. They clinch and Cosce lands some knees but not a whole lot is going on. Cosce trying hard for the takedown but Diamond is doing well to keep it on the feet as he lands a couple of side elbows. They break. Diamond with a leg kick. He lands a body kick. Diamond landing some punches and knees and has Cosce hurt. Cosce slips back and Diamond is swarming with some shots and some knees and Cosce grabs him for the clinch to recover. They break and Diamond landing some knees and big punches looking for the finish. Diamond with some side elbows. Diamond with a knee and he slips to the mat and Cosce lands some right hands. 10-9 Diamond, 19-19.
Cosce with a body kick to start the third. They trade kicks. Diamond lands a knee as Cosce initiates a tie up. Cosce gets a takedown. They try to work to their feet and do as Cosce has the back and pushes it back down. Cosce has the hooks in and is working for a choke. Cosce with some right hands. Cosce gets the mount. Cosce is working for an arm-triangle choke. He lets go to land some elbows. Diamond gives up his back. He ends the fight landing from the top. 10-9 Cosce, 29-28 Cosce.
Official Result- Orion Cosce def. Blood Diamond by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Light Heavyweights- Nicolae Negumereanu (12-1, 3-1 UFC) vs. Ihor Potieria (20-2, 0-0 UFC)
Negumereanu lands in close range. Potieira with some leg kicks. They trade in close range. Negumereanu shoots for the takedown. They clinch against the fence and not much is going on. Negumereanu gets the takedown and is in the half-guard working from there. They scramble up to their feet and Negumereanu retains the body lock and pressure. Negumereanu gets the takedown and is trying to get in the guard but Potieira pushing him off with kicks. Negumereanu with some leg kicks and Potieira is ordered to his feet. Negumereanu with a right hand. 10-9 Negumereanu.
Potieira lands a combo and they trade leg kicks. Negumereanu with a right hand. Potieira with a right hook. Potieira connects with a left hand. They trade in close range. Negumereanu lands a right hand that rocks Potieira after an exchange and they clinch against the fence. They break and trade leg kicks. They clinch and Negumereanu lands a few good knees. Negumereanu looking for a finish as he attacks with a flurry. Negumereanu with big punches and knees and they’re swinging against the fence. Negumereanu with more punches and knees. Two big knees and it is stopped. What a flurry to finish by Negumereanu.
Official Result- Nicolae Negumereanu def. Ihor Potieira by TKO (knees) at 3:33 of Round 2
> Women’s Bantamweights*- Joselyne Edwards (11-4, 2-2 UFC) vs. Ji Yeon Kim (9-5-2, 3-5 UFC)
*Edwards missed weight by 1.5 pounds
Kim with a leg kick then they both throw in close range and land. Kim with a leg kick. Edwards with a quick combo and a leg kick. Not a lot going as Edwards is throwing kicks but Kim is backing up from them. Kim with a right hand. Kim lands a jab as Edwards lands a couple of body kicks. Neither really doing a ton in this round. Edwards lands in close range and now they start to trade some shots. They clinch late. 10-9 Edwards.
Edwards pressing forward to start the second and they both land a punch. They trade punches in close rage. Edwards lands a nice combination. Kim now lands a combination. Edwards with a body kick. Kim with the double jab ending with a leg kick. They trade and Kim lands a big right hand that snaps Edwards’ head back. They trade kicks and Edwards lands a side kick. They clinch and trade knees late. 10-9 Kim, 19-19.
Kim lands a right hand. They trade in close range and both land some shots. Kim with a leg kick and lands a right hand. Edwards grabs the body lock and pushes it against the fence searching for the takedown. Edwards is able to get the takedown and is in side control. Edwards with some left hands as she looks to get the arm. Kim escapes to her feet. They tie up against the fence. They break as Edwards lands a shot. Edwards with a body kick. Kim lands a leg kick. Edwards with a leg kick. They both land inside the pocket and are teeing off on each other late. Nice flurry from both to end. 10-9 Edwards, 29-28 Edwards.
Official Result- Joselyne Edwards def. Ji Yeon Kim by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
> Welterweights- Michael Morales (13-0, 1-0 UFC) vs. Adam Fugitt (8-2, 0-0 UFC)
Fugitt with a body kick. He lands another. Morales with a jab. Morales lands a right hand. They trade in close range. Morales with a nice right hand. They tie up and Fugitt scores the takedown. Fugitt working from the top and trying to improve his position as Morales is fighting him off. They scramble. Fugitt lands a nice left hand then Morales lands some solid shots. They trade some punches inside the pocket. 10-9 Fugitt.
Fugitt with a body kick. Morales with a right hand. Fugitt tries to land a side kick but Morales grabs it and takes the back but lets go. Morales lands a combo. Both are landing in close and Morales lands a knee. Morales with a nice combo and Fugitt is having trouble on his feet but eating the shots. Morales with the jab. Morales lands some hard shots that stunned Fugitt. Fugitt tries for the takedown but Morales lands a right hand to break it up. Morales with a right hand. 10-9 Morales, 19-19.
They trade to start the third and Fugitt shoots for the takedown but Morales defends and they both land as they break. Morales drops Fugitt with a right hand and starts teeing off and Fugitt gets to his feet. Morales drops him again with a right hand and Herb Dean rushes in to stop it. Great finish by Morales.
Official Result- Michael Morales def. Adam Fugitt by TKO (punches) at 1:09 of Round 3
Klose with a body kick. He lands another. Garcia tries a takedown and Klose slips to the mat but gets up. They clinch and both land body shots. Klose with a leg kick. Garcia lands a left hook. Garcia with a leg kick. They clinch and Klose with a knee as Garcia lands some body punches and lands an overhand right on the break. Klose grabs the back against the fence and looks for the takedown. He gets it down and has back pressure. They get up and Klose still has control. Klose drags it down and lands some left hands. Garcia goes for the leg late but eats left hands from Klose. 10-9 Klose.
Klose with a right hand and he shoots for the takedown against the fence. They break. Klose with a body kick. Garcia with a leg kick. Garcia gets a takedown. There really isn’t a whole lot going on down on the mat as Garcia is keeping Klose pinned down but not doing much. They are finally stood up. Klose with a leg kick and Garcia grabs the neck. Klose lands a flurry as Garcia retreats and looks for the takedown. They clinch against the fence and Garcia with a takedown and lands punches from the back to end the second. 10-9 Garcia, 19-19.
Garcia looks for a takedown at the start of the third but Klose defends. Garcia spamming for takedowns and is able to get one but Klose has the neck. Garcia pops out and they get to their feet. The separate. Klose the one pressing forward. Klose with a right hand. They clinch and both land some uppercuts. They break and both land in close range. Klose with a leg kick. Klose continues to press forward and both land. They tie up late with both landing body shots. 10-9 Klose, 29-28 Klose.
Official Result- Drakkar Klose def. Rafa Garcia by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Both looking to land early as Mayes lands a leg kick and eats a left from Abdelwahab. Abdelwahab lands a right hand that backs Mayes up. Mayes with a body kick. Mayes lands a left hand. Abdelwahab lands a flurry that has Mayes hurt as they go down and Abdelwahab is landing. They get up and Abdelwahab gets a takedown and lands some left hands before they stand. Abdelwahab has the body and lands some short knees. Not a lot of action going on here. They are separated by the referee. Mayes with a big right hand and tries a flying knee but eats a left from Abdelwahab. 10-9 Abdelwahab.
Abdelwahab lands a big left hand to start the second. Mayes lands a right hand. Mayes lands a nice left had. He looks to have hurt Abdelwahab and now Mayes swarms on him and starts landing big shots and Abdelwahab lands a couple. Abdelwahab is still hurt against the fence and Mayes lands some more. Mayes with a body kick. Mayes with another body kick as Abdelwahab lands a left hand. We have a time out for a groin strike but they get back to action. Abdelwahab lands a left hand. Mayes tries rushing in for something and slips to the mat and Abdelwahab gets on top. Abdelwahab with an elbow from the top at the end. 10-9 Mayes, 19-19.
Mayes with a body kick. Abdelwahab clinches against the fence and scores the takedown. Abdelwahab lands some right hands and they try to scramble up but Abdelwahab keeps it down. They’re just laying on the mat and absolutely nothing is happening. There is still nothing going on outside of Abdelwahab landing one elbow. They trade some body shots. They are finally stood up. Mayes with a high kick. Mayes with a left hand. They trade hard shots. Mayes with a big left hand. Mayes with a big combo at the end. Close fight. 10-9 Abdelwahab, 29-28 Abdelwahab.
Official Result- Hamdy Abdelwahab def. Don’Tale Mayes by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Lightweights- Drew Dober (24-11 1 NC, 10-7 1 NC UFC) vs. Rafael Alves (20-10, 1-1 UFC)
They don’t get going and Alves has to stop and check his toe but they get to going. Dober lands a flush head kick. Dober with a leg kick. They trade and Alves gets it to the mat. There isn’t a lot happening on the mat. Alves with some short punches. Alves lands some more and stands and lands some big leg kicks before Dober gets up. They trade punches and Alves just misses a knee. Dober lands a combo against the fence. They trade late. 10-9 Alves.
Dober lands a big body kick. Dober with a flurry against the fence. He lands a left hand as Alves circles away. Dober with a leg kick. They trade in close range. Alves with a step-in knee. Dober with a combo. Alves with a body kick. Dober with a combo against the fence. Alves with a hard body kick. They continue to trade and Dober is landing with more volume. Dober with a nice body kick. We have a time out for an eye poke. They get back to action and Alves with a body kick and they are both fighting crazy. They trade big blows against the fence. Dober with a head kick and Alves shows crazy head movement and starts to dance. Alves shoots for the takedown but Dober defends in a crazy end to the second. 10-9 Dober, 19-19.
They get right back to action and Alves throws a spin kick that misses. Alves goes for a takedown but Dober defends. Dober with a body combo. Alves lands a right hand. Dober with a left hand. Alves with a body kick. Dober drops Alves with a punch to the liver and looks to land but it is stopped. Fun fight and solid finish by Dober.
Official Result- Drew Dober def. Rafael Alves by knockout (punch) at 1:30 of Round 3
> Welterweights- Alex Morono (21-7 1 NC, 10-4 1 NC UFC) vs. Matthew Semelsberger (10-3, 4-1 UFC)
Semelsberger with a leg kick. Morono with a combo. They trade in close range. Morono with a right hand as Semelsberger lands a leg kick. Morono with a right hand. He lands another. Morono with a spin kick. Semelsberger with a leg kick. They trade in close range and Morono with a solid right hand. They’re both throwing but Morono with the slight edge on volume. Morono lands a solid right hand. Semelsberger with a body kick. We have a timeout for an eye poke. They quickly get back to work. They clinch and battle for position. They break and trade at the end. 10-9 Morono.
Morono lands a nice right hand. They both land in close range. Both still landing in range but there isn’t tons happening. Morono finding a home for the jab. Semelsberger with a leg kick and Morono lands a right hand. Semelsberger lands a right hand. They clinch against the fence and both are looking for underhooks. Semelsberger gets it to the mat. Morono looking for an armbar from the bottom but Semelsberger lands a flurry of punches. Semelsberger with some elbows from the top late. Semelsberger has a big cut opened up. 10-9 Morono, 20-18 Morono.
Semelsberger gets checked by the doctor because his eye looks bad and is basically closed but they let him go on. They both come out swinging and Semelsberger drops Morono with a flying knee and looks to finish. They scramble up but Semelsberger gets it back down. They get up and are tied up against the fence. Morono with some short punches. They break. Morono lands a right hand. Semelsberger with some body kicks but Morono landing some punches. They continue to trade right hands. They tie up as both look for a takedown. They break and both land before the end. 10-9 Semelsberger, 29-28 Morono.
Official Result- Alex Morono def. Matthew Semelsberger by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
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> Light Heavyweights- #4 Magomed Ankalaev (17-1, 8-1 UFC) vs. #5 Anthony Smith (35-16, 11-6 UFC)
Smith with a high kick as not much happens in the first minute. Ankalaev with a body kick. They trade leg kicks. They’re still mostly feeling each other out but exchange leg kicks. Ankalaev lands a combo ending with a head kick. Smith lands a right hand and Ankalaev counters with a left hand and a leg kick. Smith misses a right hand and stumbles to the mat trying to get his feet under him and Ankalaev lands some leg kicks and is letting him stay down. 10-9 Ankalaev.
They trading to start the second and trade leg kicks. Smith looks for the takedown against the fence. Ankalaev landing some body punches to defend as they fall to the mat with Smith holding onto the body. Ankalaev landing from the top and continues to land until the fight is stopped. Smith had looked like he hurt his ankle or leg earlier and Ankalaev just kept landing until it was over.
Official Result- Magomed Ankalaev def. Anthony Smith by TKO (punches) at 3:09 of Round 2
> Flyweights- #4 Alexandre Pantoja (24-5, 8-3 UFC) vs. #6 Alex Perez (24-6, 6-2 UFC)
They are swinging for the fences early and Perez goes for a takedown but Pantoja defends. They scramble and Pantoja gets the back and has the backpack on as they stand. Pantoja working for the choke from this position as Perez is fighting it. He has it in and Perez taps! What a finish by Pantoja!
Official Result- Alexandre Pantoja def. Alex Perez by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:31 of Round 1
> Heavyweights- #5 Derrick Lewis (26-9 1 NC, 17-7 UFC) vs. #11 Sergei Pavlovich (15-1, 3-1 UFC)
Lewis with a leg kick. Pavlovich lands the jab. They’re throwing bombs in close range and Pavlovich has Lewis rocked. Pavlovich drops Lewis to his knees and lands a few punches and Dan Miragliotta stops it and Lewis immediately gets up and protests. It was a flurry and Lewis was hurt but this looks like a questionable stoppage. Pavlovich gets the win regardless.
Official Result- Sergei Pavlovich def. Derrick Lewis by TKO (punches) at :55 of Round 1
> Interim UFC Flyweight Championship- #1 Brandon Moreno (19-6-2, 7-3-2 UFC) vs. #2 Kai Kara-France (24-9 1 NC, 7-2 UFC)
They’re feeling each other out a bit in the first minute then we have a groin strike. They get back to action and Moreno with a body kick. Kara-France with a leg kick. They’re both being patient half-way thru the first. Kara-France misses a big right hand and Moreno drops down for a single leg against the fence. He lets go and they go back to the center and Kara-France with a leg kick. Moreno with a body kick. Moreno presses forward at the end. 10-9 Moreno.
Kara-France throws a right but Moreno ducks under and looks for a takedown but they break. Moreno with a leg kick. Moreno with a body kick. They both look to land in close. Kara-France throws a high kick but Moreno ducks under and grabs the back against the fence. They break. Moreno with a right hand. Moreno almost got a takedown and almost head kicked Kara-France into oblivion. Moreno lands a right hand. They trade leg kicks. Kara-France lands a right hand and a leg kick. Moreno tries a head kick and Kara-France kicks his legs out from under him and almost lands a right hand as Moreno gets to his feet. Kara-France with a leg kick and Moreno lands a right hand. Moreno with a body kick. They trade lefts late. 10-9 Moreno, 20-18 Moreno.
The crowd is doing the wave. Moreno lands a leg kick and Kara-France sweeps him to the mat and is in the guard of Moreno. Moreno with an elbow from the bottom. Kara-France gets up and starts landing on Moreno as he was trying to get up and had him hurt for a moment. Moreno lands the jab as Kara-France lands a leg kick. Kara-France with a nice combo. Kara-France lands a right hand. Moreno lands a left hand and his face is showing some battle scars. Kara-France with a leg kick. They trade leg kicks and Kara-France stumbles a little. Moreno lands a left hook. Kara-France tries to grab a single leg but Moreno escapes and lands a spinning backfist. Moreno then drops Kara-France with a body kick and starts unloading with a huge flurry of punches and keeps them coming until Herb Dean steps in and stops it! What a finish by Moreno!
Official Result- Brandon Moreno def. Kai Kara-France by TKO (strikes) at 4:34 of Round 3 to win the Interim UFC Flyweight Championship
> UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship- C Julianna Pena (11-4, 7-2 UFC) vs. #1 Amanda Nunes (21-5, 14-2 UFC)
Nunes with a body kick. There’s not much happening in the first minute. Pena just misses a right hand. They each land a punch. Nunes lands a nice jab. They trade punches. Nunes lands a right hand right as Pena slipped to her knees on the mat, but she gets up. Nunes lands a right hand and Pena falls for a moment. Pena lands a right hand. They trade and Nunes with the jab. Pena lands a right hand. Nunes shoots for a takedown but Pena defends and Nunes lands some punches late. Nunes rocks Pena at the end. 10-9 Nunes.
Nunes drops Pena with a right hook and lands a shot as Pena is down but lets Pena up. Pena tries to rush in and land punches and Nunes drops her again with a right hand and lets her up. Nunes with a leg kick. Pena lands as she rushes in. They both land as Pena rushes in. Pena with a body kick. They both land right hands. Nunes with a right hand. She lands another. Nunes drops Pena again and lets her back up. They both land and Pena looked hurt from the Nunes right hand. They clinch at the end. 10-8 Nunes, 20-17 Nunes.
Nunes with a leg kick and just misses a spinning elbow. They clinch but quickly break. Pena rushes in and lands some. She tries again and lands but Nunes with a right hand. Pena lands a right hand and Nunes grabs the body lock and scores a takedown. Nunes with an elbow from the top. Pena trying to throw her legs up and Nunes lands from the top. Both are landing on the mat and Nunes gets a slicing elbow in. Pena looking for the arm but Nunes slips out and is in the half-guard. Nunes with big shots from the top at the end. Pena has a big cut open over her right eye. 10-9 Nunes, 30-26 Nunes.
Nunes gets an immediate takedown and is working in the guard. Pena tries to grab the arm again but Nunes gets back into her full guard. Pena tries for the arm again but Nunes slips out and lands a left hand. Pena has the arm and an armbar in but Nunes gets out. They get to their feet and Nunes pressing forward. Pena’s face is a mess. Nunes gets another takedown. Nunes stands and eventually Pena is ordered up. Pena lands a right hand and Nunes scores another takedown off a trip. She ends the round on top. Pena’s face is an absolute mess. 10-9 Nunes, 40-35 Nunes.
Nunes with a leg kick. Pena lands a combo and Nunes goes for the takedown and gets it. Pena tries to find the arm again but Nunes slips out and has the neck before they get up. Nunes gets another takedown and is in side control. Nunes trying to trap an arm. They try a scramble but Nunes keeps it down and is in the half-guard as Pena is gassed out. Nunes with some elbows from the top. Nunes stands and lands a big right hand as she goes back to side control. Nunes gets the back and is looking for the rear-naked choke. Pena kicks her legs off and Nunes gets back to the half-guard. They get up near the end. Dominant performance from Nunes. 10-9 Nunes, 50-44 Nunes.
Official Result- Amanda Nunes def. Julianna Pena by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-43) to win the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 269: Oliveira vs. Poirier, emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The UFC holds their final pay-per-view event of the year in their home arena, the T-Mobile Arena on the Las Vegas Strip, bringing a stacked card featuring two title fights and lots of exciting match-ups all throughout the line-up.
In the main event, UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira makes his first title defense against the top contender, former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion Dustin Poirier. Oliveira defeated Michael Chandler at UFC 262 in May to win the vacant title, while Poirier is looking to go 3-0 in 2021 after scoring two wins over Conor McGregor, one in January and the other in July.
In the co-main event, UFC Women’s Bantamweight and Featherweight Champion Amanda Nunes defends the bantamweight crown for the first time in two years as Julianna Pena looks to score the upset. Nunes is on a 12-fight win streak, and comes in off a defense of the featherweight title against Megan Anderson at UFC 259 in March. Pena comes in off a win over Sara McMann in January.
Also on the main card is a welterweight slugfest between Geoff Neal and Santiago Ponzinibbio, a flyweight bout as Kai Kara-France battles former UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt in his divisional debut, and a bantamweight fight pitting Raulian Paiva against Sean O’Malley.
Among the fights on a stacked preliminary card include a featherweight battle between Josh Emmett and Dan Ige, a bantamweight bout that sees Pedro Munhoz take on former UFC and WEC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz, a heavyweight fight between Augusto Sakai and the popular Tai Tuivasa, and a clash of women’s flyweight prospects as Miranda Maverick squares off with Erin Blanchfield.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
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> Gillian Robertson (9-6, 6-4 UFC) vs. Priscila Cachoeira (10-3, 2-3 UFC) Women’s Flyweights* (Cachoeira missed weight by 3 pounds)
Cachoeira missed weight by three pounds. Robertson with a leg kick and shoots for a takedown but Cachoeira slips away. Robertson closes the distance as they clinch against the fence. They break. They trade right hands. Robertson with a leg kick and Cachoeira with a right hand. Robertson with a right hand and then scores a takedown. Robertson steps over as she remains on top and looks to take the back. Robertson ends up back in side control and lands a big elbow. She moves to the mount and lands a big right hand. Robertson with some elbows. Robertson looking to set up an armbar. Robertson with more elbows and then some big punches. Robertson tried for the arm but gets the back and has a rear-naked choke locked in and Cachoeira gouged Robertson’s eyes to defend but ends up tapping. What a finish by Robertson!
Official Result- Gillian Robertson def. Priscila Cachoeira by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:59 of Round 1
> Randy Costa (6-2, 2-2 UFC) vs. Tony Kelley (7-2, 1-1 UFC) Bantamweights
Kelley coming forward right away. Kelley with a leg kick. Kelley pushing forward and landing early. Costa lands an uppercut. They clinch against the fence and Costa landing some body punches and a few knees. They trade knees before breaking. Costa lands some before they clinch again. Kelley lands some knees. They break. They clinch back up and Kelley with some more knees. Kelley lands some punches to the body and more knees. 10-9 Kelley.
Kelley lands some kicks early. They clinch again with neither doing much before they break. Kelley lands some kicks. Costa lands a left hand as he backs up. Costa lands a body kick then a right hand and they clinch and Costa with a knee to the body. Kelley lands some knees and Costa tries for a takedown but Kelley ends up on top. Kelley lands some elbows from the half-guard. Kelley with big elbows to the head and body as Costa is covering up and this is stopped. What a finish by Kelley.
Official Result- Tony Kelley def. Randy Costa by TKO (elbows) at 4:15 of Round 2
> Ryan Hall (8-2, 4-1 UFC) vs. Darrick Minner (26-12, 2-2 UFC) Featherweights
Minner lands some leg kicks early. Hall scrambles and rolls for a leg and has a leg lock locked in. Minner escapes and they stand and Hall gets it down again and has the leg but lets go and now looks to set up a triangle choke. Minner scrambles to avoid but is in a bad position. They get up and Minner lands an uppercut and Hall fakes him into landing and tries a takedown but they stand. Minner lands more punches and they go to the mat. Hall rolls for the leg and looks for a kneebar but they scramble and Hall is on top. Hall lands some short punches. Hall with more punches as he ends the first on top. 10-9 Hall.
Minner lands some right hands to start the second. Minner pushes Hall against the fence and Hall rolls for a leg. Minner laying on top as Hall is throwing little kicks to the body from the back as he’s looking for openings. Hall is looking for the armbar but Minner picked him up and slammed him to break it. Hall looking for a triangle choke and an armbar as he lands some punches and elbows. Hall with more punches. 10-9 Hall, 20-18 Hall.
Hall with a body kick. Hall barely lands a spin kick to the body. Minner lands a punch but Hall tricks him to get it to the mat and Hall goes for the triangle choke. Minner on top in the guard but Hall is working from the bottom and goes for the leg. Hall sweeps to the top and is in the full guard and is trying to work for an arm-triangle choke. Hall with just relentless pressure from the top and is landing body punches. Hall still trying for it as he continues to land to the body. Hall ends the fight in that position. 10-9 Hall, 30-27 Hall.
Official Result- Ryan Hall def. Darrick Minner by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-27)
> Miranda Maverick (9-3, 2-1 UFC) vs. Erin Blanchfield (7-1, 1-0 UFC) Women’s Flyweights
They trade early with Maverick landing kicks and Blanchfield landing punches. Blanchfield gets a takedown. Blanchfield has the back and then moves to the top. Blanchfield is in the full guard. Maverick is landing short punches as Blanchfield remains on top and looking to transition. They get up and stay tied up and Blanchfield gets another takedown. She works from the top and they get up late. 10-9 Blanchfield.
They were trading to start the second and Blanchfield gets the takedown and they scramble to the feet. Blanchfield then gets another takedown and is in the half-guard. Blanchfield gets the crucifix position and is landing elbows and punches. Maverick clears the crucifix but Blanchfield is still on top in a dominant position. She gets to north-south position and is looking to step over for the kimura. Blanchfield looks to go for the armbar but Maverick uses her legs to trap Blanchfield at the end. 10-9 Blanchfield, 20-18 Blanchfield.
Maverick lands a combo to start the third. They trade punches and Maverick is getting the better of it. Maverick lands a left hand. Blanchfield lands a combo. Maverick with a high kick and left hand and then they clinch against the fence. Blanchfield gets the single leg and scores the takedown. Blanchfield takes the back and is working for a rear-naked choke. Blanchfield then switches back to being in the guard of Maverick, then passes to side control. Blanchfield with some punches from side control. Blanchfield moves to the mount and Maverick quickly gives up her back. Blanchfield with some punches from the back. 10-9 Blanchfield, 30-27 Blanchfield.
Official Result- Erin Blanchfield def. Miranda Maverick by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Andre Muniz (21-4, 3-0 UFC) vs. Eryk Anders (14-5 1 NC, 6-5 1 NC UFC) Middleweights
Anders lands first with the left hand. Muniz with a leg kick. Muniz gets a big takedown and passes to the half-guard. He moves to side control and is looking to set up a choke. Muniz takes the back but they get to their feet and Muniz still has the back. Muniz trips Anders down for a second but they stand. Muniz drags it back down and has the back on the mat. Muniz gets the armbar and Anders taps! Big finish by Muniz to get the win.
Official Result- Andre Muniz def. Eryk Anders by submission (armbar) at 3:13 of Round 1
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> Jordan Wright (12-1 1 NC, 2-1 UFC) vs. Bruno Silva (21-6, 2-0 UFC) Middleweights
They trade kicks to start. Wright lands a big body kick and then a couple of head kicks. Wright lands a combo as Silva was rushing in and they’re teeing off on each other. They clinch and Wright with a couple of knees. He lands more knees to the body. Silva lands a huge combo and then rocks Wright with more punches and drops him and more punches ends it. What a finish by Silva!
Official Result- Bruno Silva def. Jordan Wright by TKO (punches) at 1:28 of Round 1
> Augusto Sakai (#11, 15-3-1, 4-2 UFC) vs. Tai Tuivasa (12-3, 6-3 UFC) Heavyweights
Tuivasa lands a left hand as Sakai landed a leg kick. Tuivasa lands in close range and then lands to the body against the fence. They’re clinched against the fence with both battling for underhooks. Tuivasa with some right hands to the body and then one to the head as they switch positions. They break. Tuivasa lands an uppercut then a right hand against the fence as they clinch again. Sakai with some knees to the body. Tuivasa lands an elbow and then some punches. Tuivasa lands some punches as they break and then lands some more but Sakai lands a knee as they clinch. Close round. 10-9 Tuivasa.
Tuivasa with a leg kick. Tuivasa lands a left hook and Sakai is backing up. Tuivasa starts landing big punches and lands a right hand through the middle and Sakai goes down and is out cold. What a finish by Tuivasa, and then he does the Shoey. Four in a row for Tuivasa.
Official Result- Tai Tuivasa def. Augusto Sakai by knockout (punches) at :26 of Round 2
> Pedro Munhoz (#8, 19-6 1 NC, 9-6 1 NC) vs. Dominick Cruz (#10, 23-3, 6-2 UFC) Bantamweights
Munhoz with a leg kick. Cruz lands a nice left hand and then Munhoz lands a body kick. Cruz with a leg kick then a right hand. Munhoz lands a big right hand and Cruz stumbles down and is in trouble. Munhoz jumps on and is landing big punches as Cruz is trying to recover and Munhoz now has the back and is trying to trap an arm. Cruz escapes and they get back to their feet. Munhoz lands a double jab then a right hand. Cruz comes forward throwing a combo. Cruz lands and gets a brief takedown and grabs the neck, lands a knee to the body as they stand. Cruz with a nice combination. Cruz with a big combination late and they trade late in a big flurry. 10-9 Munhoz.
They’re trading to start out the second. Cruz lands a combination. Cruz lands a combo and Munhoz misses his punches. Munhoz with a leg kick. Munhoz shoots for a takedown but Cruz easily stuffs it. They trade in close range as Cruz lands a left hand. Cruz lands a quick combo. Munhoz has a cut open. Cruz lands a combo and then Munhoz lands a leg kick. Cruz with a combo then a knee and then tees off in the pocket. Cruz with a leg kick then a combo. Cruz with an uppercut and a left hand. Munhoz with a leg kick. 10-9 Cruz, 19-19.
Cruz lands a couple of uppercuts to start the third. Munhoz comes forward throwing but Cruz eludes and then lands a body kick and left hand. Cruz with a combo. Cruz with more leg kicks. Cruz lands a good combination. Cruz with more nice combinations as Munhoz isn’t landing as much. Munhoz lands a leg kick but misses his punches. They trade inside the pocket. Cruz with a combination. Munhoz lands a left hand late. Good fight. 10-9 Cruz, 29-28 Cruz.
Official Result- Dominick Cruz def. Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
> Josh Emmett (#7, 16-2, 7-2 UFC) vs. Dan Ige (#9, 15-4, 7-3 UFC) Featherweights
Emmett with a big right hand and Ige goes down. Emmett gets on top and lands some body punches. They get up and Emmett lands a knee and then Ige takes it down. They scramble and Ige ends up getting Emmett back down. Emmett reverses and is in the half-guard against the fence. They stand and Emmett with a hard right hand. Ige lands a left hand. They trade in close range. Ige lands a right hand and then a jab. Both are really looking for the right opening. Emmett with a combo. Ige with a late leg kick. 10-9 Emmett.
Ige with a combination. Ige with a combo to the body. They trade in close range then Ige lands the jab. Emmett with a right hand to the body. Ige lands a left hook that stuns Emmett. Ige with a right hand and he shoots for a takedown but Emmett defends. Emmett with an elbow before they break. Ige with the jab. He lands another jab. Ige with a hard right hand and then a leg kick. Ige with a left hand then the jab. Emmett with a right hand. They trade right hands. Ige with a quick uppercut. Emmett with a combo. Ige with a jab and right hand late. 10-9 Ige, 19-19.
Ige lands a right hand. Emmett lands a right hand and a left hook after he lands to the body. Ige lands the jab. Ige with a leg kick. Ige with a right hand to the body. Emmett with a big combo that stuns Ige. Ige with the jab. Ige with a right hand and Emmett counters with a combination. Emmett with a left hook. Emmett with a right hand. Ige tries for a takedown but Emmett defends and they break. Ige fakes a takedown and lands a body kick. Ige lands an uppercut. Emmett with a right hand. Emmett lands a left hand. Super close fight. 10-9 Ige, 29-28 Ige.
Official Decision- Josh Emmett def. Dan Ige by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
ESPN+ PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> Raulian Paiva (21-3, 3-2 UFC) vs. Sean O’Malley (14-1, 6-1 UFC) Bantamweights
O’Malley with a body kick. O’Malley lands the jab. He lands again and then ands a low kick for a timeout. We get back to action and Paiva with a body kick. Paiva lands a right hand. O’Malley with a left hand. Paiva lands a right hand. Paiva with a body kick. O’Malley with a combo. They trade kicks. O’Malley with a jab then a right hand. He lands the jab twice more. O’Malley lands the jab and Paiva with a right hand. O’Malley with a big right hand that rocks Paiva. O’Malley teeing off on Paiva and landing big punches and another right hand stumbles Paiva and then he tees off more and it is stopped. What a finish by O’Malley.
Official Result- Sean O’Malley def. Raulian Paiva by TKO (punches) at 4:42 of Round 1
> Kai Kara-France (#6, 22-9 1 NC, 5-2 UFC) vs. Cody Garbrandt (#7 BW, 12-4, 7-4 UFC) Flyweights
Garbrandt with a leg kick. They trade jabs. Garbrandt with a leg kick. Kara-France with a leg kick. Garbrandt just misses a right hand. Kara-France lands a jab. Kara-France with a leg kick and Garbrandt lands a right hand. Kara-France drops Garbrandt with a right hand. Garbrandt gets up and Kara-France is after him as they run around and then Garbrandt gets a takedown but they get up. Kara-France with the jab. Garbrandt with an uppercut. Kara-France with a combo and he has Garbrandt in trouble and Garbrandt falls down and it is over. What a win by Kara-France!
Official Result- Kai Kara-France def. Cody Garbrandt by TKO (punches) at 3:21 of Round 1
> Geoff Neal (#12, 13-4, 5-2 UFC) vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio (#14, 28-4, 10-3 UFC) Welterweights
Neal with a leg kick. He lands another. Ponzinibbio throws a right hand and lands an inside leg kick. Neal lands a leg kick and Ponzinibbio counters with a leg kick. Neal with a high kick. Ponzinibbio has been warned twice to watch the fingers. Neal with a body kick. Ponzinibbio with a right hand. Ponzinibbio with a right hand. Neal with the jab then a high kick. Ponzinibbio with a combo. Neal with a high kick. We have a timeout for a groin strike. They get back to action and trade late. 10-9 Neal.
Ponzinibbio with a quick combo. Ponzinibbio with a leg kick. Ponzinibbio with a leg kick and Neal checks it. Neal with a right hand. Neal with a high kick. They trade and Ponzinibbio looks for a takedown against the fence. Neal is defending but Ponzinibbio is able to complete it. They get back to their feet and exchange punches. Ponzinibbio with a combo. Ponzinibbio with an inside leg kick. They trade and Neal lands a solid combination. Neal lands a left hand. Ponzinibbio is claiming there was an eye poke but they fight on. They trade in close range. Ponzinibbio with a right hand and an inside leg kick. 10-9 Ponzinibbio, 19-19.
They trade to start the third with Neal landing a body kick. Neal tags Ponzinibbio with a combo and had him in trouble for a moment. Ponzinibbio then lands a right hand. Ponzinibbio with a leg kick. Ponzinibbio lands a combo. Neal with a high kick after rushing forward. Neal with a left hand. They trade in close range. Neal lands a left hand. Ponzinibbio lands a right hand. Neal with a left hand and Ponzinibbio lands a right hand. Neal with a left hand. Neal with a right hand and Ponzinibbio stumbles. They both land hard shots. Neal with a right hand and Ponzinibbio is backing up. Neal with a left hand then a cracking combination. Neal lands a right hand. Neal with a left hand. Neal with some straight left hands. Ponzinibbio with a right hand. Neal with a left hand. Close fight. 10-9 Neal, 29-28 Neal.
Official Result- Geoff Neal def. Santiago Ponzinibbio by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Pena throws and Nunes lands a calf kick at the same time and Pena slips to the mat but gets up. Nunes with another leg kick. Pena lands a right hand. Nunes with a right hand. Nunes lands a right hand and Pena falls to the mat. Nunes enters the guard landing a right hand. Pena scrambles and looks for the takedown against the fence as they’re clinched. Nunes trips it to the mat. Nunes gets the back and is looking for a choke. Nunes with some short right hands. Nunes lets go and Pena turns back in and Nunes has the half-guard. Pena is holding on to a kimura but Nunes is fighting it easily. Nunes ends the first on top. 10-9 Nunes.
Pena trying to land but backing up as she throws. Nunes lands a leg kick. Pena with the jab and Nunes with an inside leg kick. Pena lands a combo. Pena lands a good combination and has Nunes in trouble and then Nunes lands a right hand and a big left. Nunes with a leg kick. Nunes with a combo. Pena lands a combination and both are landing in close range. Nunes with a leg kick. Nunes with a right hand. They’re still trading in close range. Pena lands a left hand. Pena with a right hand. They’re trading jabs. Pena with a right hand. Pena has Nunes in trouble as they clinch. Pena gets Nunes down and has the back and locks in a rear-naked choke and Nunes taps! WOW! That is the biggest upset in UFC history as Julianna Pena submits Amanda Nunes to win the championship. Holy cow.
Official Result- Julianna Pena def. Amanda Nunes by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:22 of Round 2 to win the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship
They trade to start. Poirier lands a right hand and Oliveira drops to the mat for a second. Poirier with a left hand. They trade in the clinch as Oliveira lands a right hand and Poirier with an uppercut. Poirier with a left hand. Oliveira lands a knee to the body then a front kick. Oliveira with a knee to the body. Poirier with a left hand and Oliveira with an uppercut. Oliveira pushes it against the fence. They roll to the mat for a sceond and Oliveira with a knee to the body before they break. Oliveira with a right hand. Poirier with a left hand. Poirier with a left hand and follows it with a right hook. Poirier with a flurry against the fence and Oliveira lands a knee to the body. He lands another. Poirier with a left hand. Oliveira with an uppercut. Poirier with a combo and Oliveira gets dropped. Poirier gets on top and then stands and Oliveira gets up. Poirier with a left hand. Poirier with a combo. Oliveira with a combination. Poirier with a combo. Poirier with another left hand. Oliveira lands a right hand. Oliveira with a front kick. What a round! 10-9 Poirier.
Oliveira with a right hand and lands a knee and they clinch against the fence. Oliveira with a knee to the face that just misses as he tries to get Poirier down. Oliveira tries to take the back standing but Poirier pushes him off and lands from the top. Oliveira was grabbing the glove of Poirier and Poirier had to roll to get out and now Oliveira is in the guard of Poirier. Oliveira lands some elbows from the top. Oliveira was holding onto Poirier’s glove illegally and got away with it. Oliveira still on top and lands some more elbows. Oliveira with more elbows as Poirier is stuck on the bottom. Oliveira stands and lands a right hand at the end. 10-9 Oliveira, 19-19.
Oliveira grabs the back of Poirier early standing. Oliveira jumps on the back and looks for the rear-naked choke. He has it locked in and Poirier taps! Oliveira retains the title with another record-setting submission win.
Official Result- Charles Oliveira def. Dustin Poirier by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:02 of Round 3 to retain the UFC Lightweight Championship
An amazing weekend for pro wrestling as AEW on 8/20 featured the return of C.M. Punk, while WWE the next day at SummerSlam brought back Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar.
The Punk return was one of the most amazing television wrestling moments in history. Never before has a show been announced with simply a name, The Last Dance, just a few weeks ahead of time, in a building the size of the United Center in Chicago, and sold out instantly.
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MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight with Wrestling Observer Radio covering Raw as well as the rest of the wrestling and MMA news. You can send questions to the show to [email protected].
Mike Johnson reported this afternoon that WWE issued an internal memo stating that Adam Cole was no longer with the company. I will say we’ve heard from people there who would be alerted to this who said they never got the email. That said, it’s likely accurate. What’s notable is that I don’t recall WWE sending out any memo when Bryan Danielson left WWE usually doesn’t publicly mention people who leave when their deals are up as opposed to those who quit or are fired. That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s gone, but it would seem to indicate the company doesn’t believe he is signing.
For Raw tonight, Damien Priest will do an open challenge for the U.S. title, plus Bobby Lashley vs. Sheamus, The Miz vs. John Morrison and Eva Marie vs. Doudrop.
Both Smackdown and Rampage were No. 1 in 18-49 in network and cable respectively. The networks are in reruns so less competition although CBS did have first run shows opposite Smackdown. Smackdown (2,250,000 viewers and 0.59) had NFL preemptions in about five percent of the country so the realistic numbers if you want to do a true comparison as opposed to just looking at straight numbers and not looking past that, the show should be figured at about five percent up. Keep in mind even today’s numbers aren’t final, because if there were markets that broke in for news updates on the hurricane, and there were markets that did that, those numbers are still listed under Smackdown. Anyway, it was not the highest rated Smackdown of the year but it was the show that likely had the most interest due to Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar, so the combination of both realistically was bigger then the first week of John Cena.
The Rampage number (722,000 viewers; 0,34 was great). Of course it was down from last week, but that was obvious going in. But it beat an NFL preseason game head-to-head. Some people were looking at this as the settling in number, and if it is, WarnerMedia would be doing cartwheels. Because of the unique nature of week two, I don’t really see the settling in number until the show on 9/10. If they are doing numbers even close to this on that night, in a slot where TNT was pulling an 0.14 average, that’s a huge success. Another thing to look for in October in a cable to cable comparison when Smackdown is on FS 1, is how close it is with Smackdown having the huge time slot advantage. Rampage will not beat Smackdown because of the huge difference in 50+ viewers, but I also don’t think Smackdown does close to 0.34 on cable since it’s been on a few times and has never done that. Even with the disadvantage of being on cable, Rampage head-to-head beat both CBS & NBC programming.
As far as Google searches for the past week, The Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley fight last night did 10.2 million, which is off the charts. But the Paul Brothers always do giant numbers. The only other combat sports stuff that trended this past week was Tyson Fury at No. 17 yesterday with 100,000. Last Sunday, NXT Takeover was No. 15 with 50,000. Takeovers rarely make the top 20 so this would have had more interest than most. While not combat sports related, the death of Ed Asner yesterday was the biggest thing of the weekend other than the Paul vs. Woodley fight, with 1 million searches. On Tuesday, Herschel Walker was No 5 at 100,000 in talking about running for the U.S. Senate.
The Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena fight for the bantamweight title that was scheduled for 8/7, but didn’t happen due to Nunes testing positive for COVID, has been moved to the 12/11 PPV show.
A note on Ed Asner from our talk on yesterday’s show and in yesterday’s update. Asner and Bob Orton Sr., the grandfather of Randy Orton, were teammates on the Wyandotte High School football team in Kansas City from 1946-48, so that is where their friendship came from.
AEW
Upper Deck has announced a C.M. Punk first appearance in Chicago trading card pack. The limited release sale has already started and ends this Friday at 8:59 PM Pacific.
UFC
Fighter Lilya Shakirova has been suspended for two years based on a positive test for meldonium, which is classified as a banned substance.
Mandy Bohm has experienced COVID-19 like symptoms. She has not tested positive but has quarantined herself so her fight with Ariane Lipski has been moved to 9/18.
OTHER NOTES
Author Steve Varnier, who does incredibly well researched work, is doing a biography on George Gordienko that will be released by McFarland Publishing on 12/26. We’ll have a lot more about this book before its release.
CWE announced these dates with shows 9/2 in Winnipeg, 9/4 in Morden, Manitoba, 9/8 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, 9/9 in Calgary, 9/15 in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, 9/16 in Prince Albert, SK, 9/17 in Regina, SK and 9/18 in Carnduff, SK.
Matt Cardona headlines for AIW on 10/2 in Akron, OH at the Tadmor Shrine. Tammy Sytch will appear on the 9/10 show in Cleveland at the Odeon Concert Club.
Defy ran sold out shows in Seattle on 8/27 and 8/28:
Night one: Clark Connors b Ethan HD, Sonico won four way over Leon Negro, Coyote Azteca and Guillermo Rosas, Josh Alexander b Rocky Romero, Viva Van b Rebel Kel, Ricky Gibson & Eddie Pearl b Cody Chhun & Nick Wayne, Schaff b Calvin Tankman
Night two: Calvin Tankman b Ethan HD, Ricky Gibson & Eddie Pearl b Brian & Kevin Cook, Guillermo Rosas & Rebel Kel b Sonico & Viva Van, Alex Hammerstone b Cody Chhun, Nick Wayne won five way over Leon Negro, Titus Alexander, Coyote Azteca and Alan Extreme, Clark Connors b Rocky Romero (said to be excellent), Lance Archer b Schaff. Romero announced a partnership with Defy and New Japan and said he would return and bring some friends with him. They announced 9/25 in Seattle with Eddie Kingston, 10/9 in Portland and 10/14 in Los Angeles.
SportsBetting.ag has listed odds for the next opponent for Jake Paul:
Tyron Woodley +150
Tommy Fury +200
Conor McGregor +800
Dillon Danis +800
Jorge Masvidal +900
A big week of changes in the industry is looked at in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, including the first look at what AEW television fans would do regarding NXT if there was no AEW and which fan base is more likely to watch and which fan base passed on the show.
Our lead story looks at Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic and UFC 252. We look at the key moments of the fight, the scoring, Jon Jones, the greatest heavyweight of all-time, PPV numbers, television ratings, Sean O’Malley, match-by-match coverage with poll results and more.
Also in this issue:
The history of Phillip Thomas and his attempt to kidnap Daria Berenato (Sonya Deville), his obsession, and full details as to what happened in a scary story.
Multiple shows benig canceled due to COVID, as well as updating the situation in Japan and Mexico and how each country has handled it differently.
WWE moving into the Amway Center, renaming it the Thunderdome for all television, how the idea happened and comments regarding the new location.
The reality of numbers, as well as a look at this week’s major WWE shows.
Renee Young leaving WWE, how she first got into wrestling, her past and hat looks to be her future.
AEW selling tickets for its television tapings, the current schedule, live vs. tape on ratings and what shows Tony Khan studied for ideas on hwo to open.
Next round of New Japan major shows including the King of Pro Wrestling champinoship tournament.
WWE talks, Goldberg and Mysterio contracts, a discussion of the Patrick Clark situation, why NXT isn’t at the Amway Center, why WWE removed a number of documentaries off the WWE Network, update on WWE creative, international TV ratings, WWE star places in fitness competition, how a new law could affect classificiation ofWWE employees and what it means, WWE star looking to at doing a new TV show, most-watched shows on the WWE Network and market value of the WWE right now.
A feature on the life of John “Xavier” Bedoya, the second ROH champion, including the early days of ROH, his comebacks wth the group, post ROH career and his attempts to get into MMA.
CMLL’s opening in September and plans for its anniversary show including what seven championshps wil be on the line.
Ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
We will have a number of new shows up over the next few days. I’ll have shows the next four nights, with a show with Garrett Gonzalez tonight and likely another guest, plus Saturday’s show on Takeover, UFC and AEW, Sunday’s show on SummerSlam and Monday’s show covering Raw.
AEW sold out its small allotment of tickets for Thursday’s show at Daily’s Place in four minutes There was an issue with scalpers and Tony Khan quickly released a statement:
We’re very grateful for the fast sellout of Thursday’s outdoor AEW.
Dynamite live show at 10% venue capacity that we recently announced. The show will be open to a limited number of fans wearing mandatory protective masks who will be seated in a specially designed, physically distanced arrangement in the open air Daily’s Place amphitheater and will air live on TNT on Thursday, August 27 at 8pm ET/7pm CT.
The tickets were sold in groups, or pods, with the intention of keeping fans with their friends and families and safely distanced from other fans
in attendance. We’re seeing some of these tickets being sold on the secondary market in a way that splits original pod, and therefore potentially combining two or more groups of unacquainted fans within the same pod.
This was clearly not our intention. Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of the entire AEW family, and that certainly includes our fans. It’s an illegal, unethical and inappropriate move by secondary market sellers, and we intend to police this situation onlineas well as at the venue.
To that end, we’re asking our fans to inform us if they’ve feel they’ve purchased tickets that were originally part of a larger pod and we will do what we can to offer a remedy. Furthermore, we will be watching for any AEW Dynamite tickets on the secondary market, and if we see anyone trying to divide a pod for resale, we will cancel the entire original order.
It’s going to be great to have fans back at our show with social distancing precautions in place that will make these outdoor events safe for everyone in attendance. Thank you to all of the great wrestling fans who support AEW!
A look at this weekend’s events:
NXT Takeover on Saturday night at 6:30 p.m.:
Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza vs. Tyler Breeze & Fandango for a shot at Imperium’s NXT tag titles
Finn Balor vs. Timothy Thatcher
Adam Cole vs. Pat McAfee
Io Shirai vs. Dakota Kai for women’s title
Johnny Gargano vs. Damien Priest vs. Bronson Reed vs. Velveteen Dream vs. Cameron Grimes for North American title in a ladder match
Keith Lee vs,. Karrion Kross for NXT title
AEW Dynamite on Saturday after the afternoon NBA game at about 6 p.m. on TNT:
Orange Cassidy interview
Darby Allin vs. ?
Brandi Rhodes & Allie vs. Diamante & Ivelisse for women’s tag tourney finals
FTR vs. Private Party
Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus & Dustin Rhodes & QT Marshall vs. Butcher & Blade & Pentagon Jr. & Rey Fenix
Kenny Omega & Young Bucks vs. Alex Reynolds & John Silver & Alan Angels
Cody vs. Brodie Lee for TNT title
Bellator tonight on Paramount and DAZN at 10 p.m. Eastern:
John Salter (186) vs. Andrew Kapel (185.1)
Roy Nelson (264.9) vs. Valentin Moldavsky (234.6)
Julie Budd (145.8) vs. Jessy Miele (147)
Ryan Bader (204) vs. Vadim Nemkov (203.9) for the light heavyweight title
Miele missed weight by one pound
UFC tomorrow on ESPN starting at 5:30 p.m. Eastern from Las Vegas, so it’s head-to-head with both Takeover and AEW:
Trevin Jones (139.5) vs. Timur Valiev (140)
Carlton Minus (170) vs. Matthew Semelsberger (170)
Ike Villanueva (205.5) vs. Jordan Wright (200)
Austin Hubbard (156) vs. Joe Solecki (155.5)
Mizuki Inoue (115.5) vs. Amanda Lemos (115.5)
Mariya Agapova (125.5) vs. Shana Dobson (126)
Marcin Prachio (205.5) vs. Mike Rodriguezx (205.5)
Alonzo Menifield (204.5) vs. Ovince Saint Preux (205.5)
Pedro Munhoz (136) vs. Frankie Edgar (135.5)
A fight with Dwight Grant vs. Calen Born was pulled when Born didn’t weigh-in this morning. A fight with Daniel Rodriguez vs.Takashi Sato was pulled from the show. Both weighed in and made weight, but the Nevada commission pulled Sato from competing. Born had replaced Mark Striegl, who pulled out of the fight with Valiev yesterday.
Amanda Nunes will be defending her women’s featherweight title against Megan Anderson on 12/12 in a match that on paper looks to be one-sided in favor of the champion.
The XFL sale is now official to Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia and Gerry Cardinale.
WWE
WWE debuts the Thunderdome tonight for Smackdown at 8 p.m.
A.J. Styles vs. Jeff Hardy for the IC title
Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro vs. Lucha House Party for tag titles
Big E vs. Sheamus
Drake Maverick vs. Tehuti Miles for 205 Live
Jake Atlas vs Tony Nese for 205 Live
Odds for SummerSlam from www.BetOnline.ag
Bray Wyatt -170 vs. Braun Strowman +130
Randy Orton -140 vs. Drew McIntyre +100
Asuka -140 vs. Sasha Banks +100
Asuka -120 vs. Bayley -120
Seth Rollins -140 vs. Dominik Mysterio +100
Andrade & Angel Garza -160 vs. Street Profits +125
Apollo Crews -200 vs. MVP +150
Mandy Rose -400 vs. Sonya Deville +250
For NXT Takeover:
Keith Lee -140 vs. Karrion Kross +100
Io Shirai -700 vs. Dakota Kai +400
Damien Priest +150 vs. Bronson Reed +275 vs. Johnny Gargano +325 vs. Velveteen Dream +500 vs. Cameron Grimes +650
Adam Cole -180 vs. Pat McAfee +140
Finn Balor -115 vs. Timothy Thatcher -115
Lorcan & Burch -200 vs. Breezango +200 vs. Legado del Fantasma +300
A correction in this week’s Observer. When listing the amount of profits for All Japan over the past three years, those numbers were actually the losses, not the profits.
MLW and Nerds Clothing have joined forces for a new MLW x Nerds collection of T-shirts,jackets and other wear.
A trailer for a new horror movie that features Mick Foley. (thanks to Joe Puccio)
Southeast based wrestlers are being looked for this coming Tuesday for an open casting call for a TV show called Heels that will air on Starz. The show will have a pro wrestling theme to it. You will not be wrestling at the tryout. The audition will be at 10 a.m. at 145 Commerce Dr., Tyron, Ga 30290. Please bring a publicity photo and workout gear. Eight one-hour episodes of the show, starring Stephen Amell, based on the idea of two brothers trying to keep alive a promotion that their father started after their father passes away. It’s based on the idea of a regional promotion in the state of Georgia.
LFA tonight on Fight Pass at 9 p.m. from Sioux Falls,SD
Evan Elder (155.4) vs. Kegan Gennrich (154.8)
Nathan Levy (146) vs. Ben Lugo (144,8)
Aaron McKenzie (155.4) vs. Glaucio Eliziario (157.6)
Jaleel Willis (168.6) vs,. Vinicius De Jesus (170) for welterweight title
Elizario missed weight by 1.6 pounds.
Former NCAA champion Ed Ruth (8-2) has been added to the 9/11 Bellator show facing Taylor Johnson (5-1). Kickboxing star Raymond Daniels (2-1) also faces Peter Stanonik (5-4) on that show.
Southern Utah University is adding a six credit course called “Talkin Bout Hard Times: The Philosophy and Physiology of Sports Entertainment.” It looks at pro wrestling topics such as class struggle to injuries, For more info you can go to
Slam Wrestling has a feature on former WWE wrestler Krissy Vaine, who is attempting a wrestling comeback after leaving the WWE after just two televised appearances back in 2007.
There has been a lot of 1950s Roller Derby that has made its way to YouTube in recent months such as this from its days as a highly rated prime time show on ABC.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer, eminating from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The UFC continues their behind-closed-doors run at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas with their first pay-per-view offering from there featuring the greatest female fighter of all-time making a title defense.
UFC Women’s Bantamweight and Featherweight Champion Amanda Nunes defends the 145-pound title against Felicia Spencer in the main event of the show. It is the first time Nunes will defend the featherweight title since defeating Cris Cyborg for it in December 2018 as she looks to extend her ten-fight win streak and hold onto to her female GOAT status. Spencer is looking to score the big upset and win UFC gold after a dominant win in her last fight in February.
The rest of the main card is filled with big fights in the bantamweight division. Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Cody Garbrandt returns for the first time since March 2019 to take on Raphael Assuncao in the co-main event. A major bantamweight bout that is being hailed as a number one contender fight also takes place as Aljamain Sterling battles Cory Sandhagen. The Suga Show is back as Sean O’Malley looks to remain undefeated as he takes on Eddie Wineland. Also on the main card is a welterweight bout between Neil Magny and Anthony Rocco Martin.
The prelims feature a lot of quality fights capped off with a featherweight bout between Alex Caceres and undefeated 20-year-old Chase Hooper. Also on the prelims is a middleweight battle seeing Ian Heinisch battle Gerald Meerschaert, a featherweight bout between Cody Stamann and Brian Kelleher and a pivotal flyweight bout between Jussier Formiga and Alex Perez.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
ESPN PRELIMS | 6 PM ET/3 PM PT
> Evan Dunham (18-8-1, 11-8-1 UFC) vs. Herbert Burns (10-2, 1-0 UFC) 150-pound Catchweights
Dunham ended a brief retirement to come back for this fight. Burns lands a hard body kick to start. Dunham lands a left hand and Burns briefly falls to the mat. Burns lands a right hand and grabs the back and drags Dunham to the mat. Burns looking to lock in a choke. Burns lands some punches as he looks for the choke. He has it locked in and Dunham taps! Burns with the quick submission win.
Official Result- Herbert Burns def. Evan Dunham by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:20 of Round 1
> Alonzo Menifield (9-0, 2-0 UFC) vs. Devin Clark (11-4, 5-4 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Clark immediately goes for a takedown but Menifield defends against the fence. Clark was throwing low kicks from the clinch. Menifield breaks and starts landing some big punches that hurt Clark including a hard right hand. Clark tries for another takedown but doesn’t get it and they break. They trade and Menifield hurts Clark. They continue to trade and Menifield lands some hard shots. They break and Clark lands a nice jab. Clark lands a combo that hurts Menifield. Clark’s left eye has taken some damage. They clinch against the fence as the round ends. Crazy round. 10-9 Menifield.
Clark lands a right hand and they clinch a moment but break. They trade and Menifield looks for a takedown but they break. They trade and Clark lands a high kick and Menifield lands a hard right hand. They clinch and they trade knees and break. Clark lands a big right hand as they break. Menifield with an uppercut and then an overhand right. They clinch and both are breathing hard. They break. Menifield slowing down as they clinch again. They break and then clinch again and Menifield is leaning on Clark. Clark with some knees in the clinch. Clark with some short punches to the ear. They break and Clark with a big combo as they break. 10-9 Clark, 19-19.
Menifield lands a right hand as Clark rushes in for a clinch and they are tied up against the fence. They trade and Menifield lands a right hand as they break and clinch again and Menifield with a big knee. Clark tries a takedown but Menifield sprawls away. Clark with a combo. Menifield is looking for a takedown but Clark got warned about grabbing the fence and Menifield lets go. Clark pushes Menifield against the fence and lands some body punches. Clark gets a takedown and has the back and is landing some punches. Clark looking for a choke but Menifield defending. They get to their feet. Clark still working for the takedown as both look for underhooks against the fence. Menifield with some left hands to the body. They both land good at the end. This was a good brawl. 10-9 Clark, 29-28 Clark.
Official Result- Devin Clark def. Alonzo Menifield by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
> Jussier Formiga (#4, 23-7, 9-6 UFC) vs. Alex Perez (#9, 23-5, 5-1 UFC) Flyweights
Perez with some leg kicks. They are trading big punches as Perez keeps landing leg kicks. Perez with a nice body punch. Perez with a quick uppercut. Formiga with a combo. They continue to trade and both are landing good punches. Perez a little more active with leg kicks. Formiga now lands some leg kicks. Perez with a hard leg kick and Formiga is hurt bad and falls to the mat but gets up. Formiga having trouble standing. He gets up. Perez with another hard leg kick and Formiga falls to the mat and the fight is stopped. Big leg kick finish by Perez and an impressive stoppage.
Official Result- Alex Perez def. Jussier Formiga by TKO (leg kick) at 4:06 of Round 1
> Charles Byrd (10-6, 1-2 UFC) vs. Maki Pitolo (12-5, 0-1 UFC) Middleweights
Pitolo with a combo to start. Byrd landed a left and Pitolo stunned him with a punch before they clinched against the fence. They fall to the mat and Pitolo on the top. They scrambled up and Byrd was looking to take the back and Pitolo landed a big takedown and is in the half-guard. Byrd was able to reverse to the top and stood and landed some big punches before the end of the round. 10-9 Byrd.
They are trading big punches to start the second. Byrd was loading up and landing good punches and then Pitolo starts landing some good punches in return. Pitolo lands a left hand that stuns Byrd. Pitolo then lands some body punches. Pitolo trips Byrd to the ground and starts landing lots of punches until Herb Dean steps in and stops it. Impressive first win in the UFC for Pitolo.
Official Result- Maki Pitolo def. Charles Byrd by TKO (punches) at 1:10 of Round 2
> Cody Stamann (#12 BW, 18-2-1, 4-1-1 UFC) vs. Brian Kelleher (21-10, 5-3 UFC) Featherweights
Kelleher fought 24 days ago. Stamann with a nice combo to start. Kelleher landed some but Stamann was landing good counters. Kelleher with a leg kick and Stamann lands a combo counter. Stamann lands another good combo. Stamann pressuring Kelleher back and lands a high kick. They trade body kicks. Stamann trips Kelleher to the ground and lands some hammerfists as Kelleher gets up. Kelleher lands a combo to the body as he pushes Stamann against the fence. Stamann lands a kick. Kelleher lands a right hand. Stamann with some jabs and Kelleher lands some good leg kicks. 10-9 Stamann.
Stamann with a high kick and follows it with a right hand. Kelleher lands a right hand and shoots for a takedown. Stamann with some short punches as he has his back against the fence. They break and Stamann just misses an elbow on the break. Stamann with a right hand. Kelleher with a leg kick but eats a counter combo from Stamann. Stamann with a jab but Kelleher coming forward with a body kick and right hand. Stamann just misses some punches. Kelleher with a left hand. Stamann with a right hand. Stamann with a hard jab and Kelleher lands a hard overhand right counter. Kelleher lands a combo against the fence. Stamann lands a hard left hook. Stamann with a combo. Kelleher lands an uppercut as Stamann gets a takedown and is working in Kelleher’s guard. Stamann with a big elbow from the top. Kelleher is able to scramble to his feet and Stamann pushes him against the fence. 10-9 Stamann, 20-18 Stamann.
Stamann gets a takedown to start the third and both were looking to land from the position but Kelleher gets to his feet. Stamann landing punches and Kelleher landing some leg kicks. They are trading and Kelleher coming forward with a combo. Kelleher with a body kick. Kelleher lands a right hand and he is coming forward with pressure. Kelleher lands a left hand and a body kick. Stamann grabs the leg and they clinch. Stamann with a knee to the body. Kelleher lands a knee and they break. Kelleher with a combo to the body and lands an uppercut. Stamann with the double jab. Kelleher coming forward with a body kick and then a left hook. Stamann with the double jab. Kelleher with a combo and goes for a late takedown but Stamann defends against the fence. Kelleher gets a late takedown. 10-9 Kelleher, 29-28 Stamann.
Official Result- Cody Stamann def. Brian Kelleher by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Ian Heinisch (#13, 13-3, 2-2 UFC) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (30-12, 6-4 UFC) Middleweights
Heinisch with an inside leg kick to start. Heinisch with a right hand followed by a front kick and then another leg kick. Meerschaert with a body kick. Heinisch with a big right hand that drops Meerschaert. Heinisch pounces on top of Meerschaert and starts landing lots of punches and finally it is stopped. A big finish by Heinisch as he ends his losing skid.
Official Result- Ian Heinisch def. Gerald Meerschaert by TKO (punches) at 1:14 of Round 1
> Alex Caceres (15-12 1 NC, 10-10 1 NC UFC) vs. Chase Hooper (9-0-1, 1-0 UFC) Featherweights
Caceres with an early right hand. He lands another. Caceres with the jab. Hooper tries to tie-up but Caceres slips away. Caceres with a big right hand and Hooper drops to a knee but Caceres backs away and Hooper stands back up. Hooper coming forward. Caceres with a left hand. They clinch and Caceres lands a knee as they break. Hooper lands and grabs the back of Caceres. Hooper trying to get Caceres to the ground. Hooper has the back standing but they break. Caceres with a short uppercut. Caceres tagging Hooper as he comes forward. Caceres tags Hooper with a left hand. Caceres lands a few more left hands. Caceres gets a takedown and has the back. Hooper rolls for a kneebar but the round ends. 10-9 Caceres.
Hooper applying pressure as they clinch against the fence. Caceres lands an elbow. They break. Caceres with a combo. Caceres with a left hand. Hooper grabs the back standing and is looking for the takedown. Caceres using good hand fighting and is able to shake Hooper off. Hooper lands a left hand as he initiates a clinch. They break and Caceres starts landing. They clinch and Hooper pulls guard. Hooper tries for a triangle but Caceres pulls out and gets up. Caceres with a calf kick. Hooper lands a left hand. Hooper tries to pull guard but Caceres lands a hammerfist. Hooper stays on his back as Caceres stands and lands a leg kick and then an axe kick. Caceres tries to go into his guard and Hooper sweeps to the top. Hooper with some body shots and they stand. They trade late. 10-9 Caceres, 20-18 Caceres.
Hooper coming forward but Caceres is landing as he is retreating. Caceres lands a combo. Hooper lands a left and goes for a takedown. He gets the back of Caceres. Caceres with a knee to the body as they break. Hooper lands a groin strike and we have a timeout. Caceres with a left hand. Hooper lands a left hand and they clinch. Hooper is on the mat and Caceres lands some leg kicks before Hooper stands. Caceres with a left hand. Caceres with a jab. They go to the mat and Caceres is in the guard of Hooper landing punches. Caceres stands as the fight ends. 10-9 Caceres, 30-27 Caceres.
Official Result- Alex Caceres def. Chase Hooper by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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> Eddie Wineland (24-13-1, 6-7 UFC) vs. Sean O’Malley (11-0, 3-0 UFC) Bantamweights
O’Malley just misses a head kick. He’s trying to land it. Wineland coming forward but neither really landing. They both land at the same time. Wineland with a right hand. O’Malley with a spin kick to the body and then lands a quick right hand. O’Malley then lands a right hand that sends Wineland out cold to the mat. What an incredible knockout by O’Malley. Holy cow he is legit.
Official Result- Sean O’Malley def. Eddie Wineland by knockout (punch) at 1:54 of Round 1
> Neil Magny (22-7, 15-6 UFC) vs. Anthony Rocco Martin (17-5, 9-5 UFC) Welterweights
Martin coming forward and they clinch. They break and Magny lands a left hand. Magny comes forward and Martin grabs the back. They are tied up against the fence and both are battling for position. They break and Magny with a leg kick. Martin lands a right hand. Magny with a leg kick and then another. Magny with the jab and they tie up. They break and then Martin rushes forward and they clinch again. They break and Magny with a front kick. 10-9 Martin.
They trade jabs and Magny with a leg kick. Martin comes forward but misses with his punches. Magny with a body kick. Martin lands a right hand as Magny comes forward. Martin with a leg kick. Magny with a leg kick but Martin is checking them. Martin gets a takedown right into side control. Magny able to get to his feet but Martin keeps him clinched against the fence. Magny reverses position and looks for a takedown while Martin looks for a kimura but they break. Magny with a leg kick. Martin with an overhand right. They clinch but break before much happens. They trade leg kicks at the end. 10-9 Martin, 20-18 Martin.
Magny coming forward to start the third. Martin with a leg kick but Magny lands a left hand. Magny with a leg kick. Martin tries for a takedown but Magny keeps it standing. They break. Magny with a knee to the body and a leg kick. Martin breathing heavy. Magny with a right hand and clinches and lands some left hands. Magny not able to get him down but they break and Magny lands some big punches as he pushes Martin against the fence and looks for a takedown. Magny has the body locked but Martin is defending. They break and Martin is totally gassed out. Magny coming forward and is landing. Magny with a knee to the body followed by an elbow. Martin grabs him but doing it to rest. Magny with some big punches and lands them good. Martin lands a hard right and Magny lands an even harder right hand. Big round for Magny and this is a close fight. 10-9 Magny, 29-28 Martin.
Official Result- Neil Magny def. Anthony Rocco Martin by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Sterling with early pressure as they trade kicks. Sandhagen throws a kick and Sterling catches it and they clinch. Sterling gets the back standing and jumps up and is looking for a rear-naked choke as they go to the mat. Sterling had it across the jaw and Sandhagen got out but Sterling still has the body triangle. Sterling now has it locked in deep and Sandhagen taps! That was a statement win by Sterling, what a performance.
Official Result- Aljamain Sterling def. Cory Sandhagen by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:28 of Round 1
Garbrandt with a leg kick. They both land leg kicks. Assuncao with a leg kick. Garbrandt chopping the leg of Assuncao with kicks. They trade high kicks. Garbrandt just misses a wheel kick. Garbrandt with a body kick. Garbrandt with a right hand. Assuncao with a high kick. Garbrandt with an inside leg kick. Garbrandt with another leg kick. Assuncao not doing much offense and looking slow compared to Garbrandt. Garbrandt with a combo but Assuncao lands a counter right. Close round. 10-9 Garbrandt.
They scramble to start the second and Garbrandt lands a head kick as Assuncao got up. Assuncao misses a spin kick. Assuncao with a body kick. Assuncao keeps switching stances. Assuncao lands a right hand. They trade kicks. Assuncao with a low kick. Assuncao barely connects with a high kick. They trade in close range. Assuncao is showing good defense and is landing a little more. Garbrandt moving around but not throwing much offense. Assuncao with a leg kick. Garbrandt lands an overhand right and Assuncao goes down for a second. Garbrandt with a left hook. Assuncao with a leg kick. Garbrandt with a leg kick. Garbrandt then lands a right hand at the end of the round and Assuncao goes out cold. What a finish. Holy cow.
Official Result- Cody Garbrandt def. Raphael Assuncao by knockout (punch) at 4:59 of Round 2
Nunes lands a left jab. Nunes lands a hard overhand right. Nunes with a quick combo. Nunes lands another right hand. Spencer grabs a leg and pushes Nunes against the fence. Nunes with a judo takedown and is in side control. Nunes with a knee to the body. Nunes takes the back but Spencer circles back and now Nunes looking for the mount. Nunes with a heavy elbow. Nunes with more elbows from the top. Spencer has a cut open. Nunes with more elbows from the top. Nunes with another big elbow at the end of the round. 10-9 Nunes.
Nunes with a leg kick and then a right hand. Spencer looking to circle away from trouble but Nunes catches her with a hard right hand. Nunes with another right. Spencer shoots for a takedown but Nunes turns it into her own takedown and has the top. Nunes with some big elbows and she stands. Spencer staying on the mat and Nunes lets her up. Nunes with a leg kick. Nunes with more kicks and an overhand right. 10-9 Nunes, 20-18 Nunes.
Nunes with a right hand as Spencer rushes in but Spencer lands a knee there. Nunes lands some more punches as she controls the action. Nunes with a right hand and knocks Spencer’s mouthpiece out. Nunes with the jab. Spencer lands a left jab as she came forward. Nunes grabs a leg and just throws Spencer down to the ground. Nunes with a right hand to the body. Nunes with a combo. Nunes with a head kick. Spencer starting to fight recklessly. Nunes with another overhand right and then an uppercut and a front kick. Nunes with another low kick and Spencer having trouble standing. Nunes with a jab then a right hand. 10-8 Nunes, 30-26 Nunes.
Nunes with more hard leg kicks to start the fourth and follows with an overhand right. Nunes with a right hand. Spencer tries a takedown but misses badly. Nunes with a leg kick. Spencer did land a right hand. Nunes with more punches and kicks and gets Spencer to the ground and lets her up. Nunes with a hard leg kick. Nunes with a big overhand right and then lands another. Spencer still fighting back but Nunes is teeing off on her. Big flurry from Nunes and Spencer goes to the mat. Nunes with a rear-naked choke locked in but the round ends. 10-8 Nunes, 40-34 Nunes.
Nunes with a right hand. Spencer keeps fighting but her corner needs to stop it. Spencer shoots for a takedown but Nunes defends. Nunes spins to the back and lands some hammerfists. Nunes in the half-guard of Spencer now. Nunes moves into the guard of Spencer and seems to be letting up on the offense. Nunes now with some elbows. Nunes stands and Spencer remains crawling on the mat and then stands. Herb Dean calls timeout to have the blood and cut checked on Spencer. The fight goes on. Nunes gets another takedown and they stand and Nunes lands some punches and then takes her back down. 10-8 Nunes, 50-42 Nunes.
Official Result- Amanda Nunes def. Felicia Spencer by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-45), retains the UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship
The UFC officially announced their June 6th date in Perth, Australia, has been postponed.
“Due to the current state and national restrictions on public gatherings and travel, UFC 251 originally scheduled for Perth, western Australia on Sunday, June 7, has been postponed. UFC looks forward to returning to Perth in the near future with a PPV event in partnership with Tourism Western Australia. Fans can register their interest to receive date, ticketing and bout information at UFC.com/Perth.”
However, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported Tuesday that the organization is planning on moving ahead with a pay-per-view on June 6th in a yet-to-be-announced American location featuring featherweight champion Amanda Nunes (seen above) defending against Felicia Spencer. Cody Garbrandt vs. Rafael Assuncao has also been rumored for that show.
The UFC wll kick off a three show, seven day stretch this Saturday with their UFC 249 PPV followed by two ESPN shows on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively, all in Jacksonville, FL. They are also still planning on moving forward with a May 23rd show, but the location has yet to be announced.
They are awaiting clearance from Nevada to resume operations at their APEX facility in Las Vegas. Florida became an option as they added pro sports to their essential businesses list last month.
We’ve got one of our biggest news issues of the year out this week, a double-issue with a number of bios and history features, updates on all the major promotion moves when it comes to scheduling and WWE business notes.
The issue also covers:
Changes in the WWE schedule, why the company changed plans after just one week, who benefits the most, as well as AEW going back too taping and details of that. We also look at the next AEW PPV show, an employee complaints about WWE continuing, differences between what AEW, UFC and WWE are doing, what firing hurts the WWE perception and thoughts of people sitting it out, a doctor talks about what is needed to do these shows without a health risk and the WWE event schedule for the next few months.
A number of recent new WWE cuts, including some surprises, how the WWE dividend and Vince McMahon’s share fits into these cuts, projections for 2020 profitability if house shows don’t return for the rest of 2020, and why several people got cut.
The most in-depth coverage of WWE business, covering each department of the company, lots of Vince McMahon reaction to the numbers and the future, what McMahon said that is and isn’t true, the story behind the ratings and the story behind increases and declines across the board. Plus we examine the WWE network numbers.
Changes in the business going forward.
Joe Pedicino and pro wrestling, how he got in, his early innovative ideas, how Nigerian scram, his promotion of Global Wrestling, how it fell apart, stars who got breaks there and lie after wrestling.
Oliver Luck’s lawsuit against Vince McMahon, what is it all about and how much the XFL actually lost before it folded.
HHH’s thoughts on two-night WrestleManias going forward, A.J. Styles talks Gallows & Anderson losing their job, Roman Reigns update, Ronda Rousey update, Arn Anderson talks why Cesaro doesn’t get pushed, Canadian wrestling TV ratings, story on a surprise on Raw this past week who was canceled after the show started, update on Drake Maverick, the Smackdown announce team, and the most-watched shows on the WWE Network.
PFL closing down for the year, why what they said publicly was somewhat misleading and why they are still paying fighters, as well as thoughts on shutting down.
A number of new stories on Howard Finkel, both people who helped out and people who bullied him and looking back on those situations.
The first UFC fighter announced COVID-19 positive.
Brawl for All, going behind the scenes, a look at the Dark Side of the Ring coverage, examining the coverage and looking back at the entire scenario.
Look back at the Jimmy Snuka/Nancy Argentino death case, look at Dark Side coverage and add a lot more that wasn’t covered.
A back-of-the-book feature on Dick Steinborn, who was a big star in the 60s and 70s, and his father Milo, one of the strongest men in the world and a wrestling promoter. We look at Milo’s amazing feats of strength, as well as both the positive and negatives of the legacy of Dick in pro wrestling.
Full coverage of all the WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.
In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
Today’s episode of The Bump featured Rey Mysterio, Carmella, Big E, Becky Lynch and “Billions” executive producer Brian Koppelman. Announced for next week is Tamina, The Miz, and Maryse.
NXT tonight will have Drake Maverick vs. Tony Nese in an interim cruiserweight title tournament match. Both currently have a 0-1 record in group A.
The ESRB website, which gave a “T” rating to the upcoming WWE 2K Battlegrounds, lists the game as coming to the PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Stadia platforms.
WWE Backstage last night once again failed to enter the top 150 rated programs last night on cable television. WWE’s Best of shows, however, did rank. The Best of John Cena at 7 pm ET had 124,000 viewers, Triple H at 8 pm did 220,000, Undertaker at 9 pm did 270,000 and Shawn Michaels at 10 pm did 217,000. The shows placed 147th, 112th, 94th, and 113th for the night respectively.
Conan O’Brien took shots at WWE being deemed an ‘essential service’ on his show last night.
Jeff Hardy will be the guest on Corey Graves’ After the Bell podcast this week.
Titus O’Neil turns 43 years old today. Vince McMahon wrote the following on Twitter: “A stellar athlete, a best-selling-author, a dedicated father and a world-class human being whose generosity knows no bounds. Happy Birthday, @TitusONeilWWE!”
Other Wrestling
Chris Jericho spoke to Newsweek about AEW returning to live taping in May. “I think everybody kind of wants to get back to work,” he said. “We’re trying to start slowly and integrate back into life and I think it’s perfect. Obviously, we’ll take precautions and all that sort of stuff but it’s time to get back on track and I’m looking forward to it.”
Matt Cardona, the former Zack Ryder, is teasing the return of the Internet championship. He recently filed a trademark for that term.
MLW today announced a partnership with INDEMAND that will bring MLW events to PPV starting in May.
Notable birthdays for today include Jay Lethal (35), Paul Roma (60), and Aksana (38).
MMA
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, UFC Women’s Bantamweight and Featherweight champion Amanda Nunes expressed interest in a future WWE run once her MMA career is over. “Not right now, but maybe later when I retire. I’m open to it. Why not? I could try something new.”
Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos is donating his PRIDE trophy, with all proceeds going to help people affected by COVID-19 in his hometown of Rondonopolis, Mato Grosso, Brazil.
Don’Tale Mayes vs. Rodrigo Nascimento, Cortney Casey vs. Mara Romero Borella and Giga Chikadze vs. Mike Davis have been added to the May 16th UFC card.
The UFC’s unofficially planned May 9th pay-per-view officially lost one of its top three fights Monday as women’s dual-weight champion Amanda Nunes said she won’t be on the show.
In an interview with CBS Sports Monday, the reigning bantamweight and featherweight champion said that she would rather have a full training camp to prepare for top contender Felicia Spencer.
She said that wants to “let this coronavirus pass a little bit” so she can have a full camp. She mentioned June as a possibility, but wanted to wait to see what the health situation is before committing. She reiterated that she does want to fight Spencer in a defense of the featherweight title she won by knocking out Cris Cyborg in December 2018.
The 31-year-old has won ten fights in a row and is regarded by many as the best women’s fighter ever with wins over Ronda Rousey, Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, Cyborg, and Valentina Shevchenko twice. Spencer (8-1) was victorious in her last outing and is 2-1 in her UFC career, the next fighter up for a title shot in a very shallow division.
The UFC has yet to formally announce a full card or name for the May 9th event, much less a location. Dana White said recently that Justin Gaethje vs. Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title and Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz for the men’s bantamweight title were planned for the event.
