On Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show Monday, former Bellator and ONE champion Ben Askren announced his second retirement from MMA and from combat sports in general.
The 35-year-old said he needs his left hip replaced after having suffered with pain and mobility issues over the last three-to-five years. After consulting with doctors, the decision was to call it quits and have the surgery which isn’t scheduled at this point.
Askren (19-2-0-1) rose to prominence on the wrestling mats at the University of Missouri and the U.S. Olympic team before transitioning into MMA a decade ago. After a handful of fights, he signed with Bellator for their season two welterweight tournament. Over a three-year run, he was dominant in nine fights, winning the welterweight title and defending it four times.
He also got a reputation as a trash talker who would go after anyone and everyone including UFC president Dana White who was more than happy to trade barbs with Askren in the media.
After Bellator chose to not re-sign him, Askren signed with the Asia-based ONE Fighting Championships and was a perfect 6-0-1. Similar to Bellator, he won their version of the welterweight title (185 pounds) and defended it three times before retiring in the fall of 2017.
A year later and after years of no interest from White, UFC and ONE orchestrated a “trade” of contracts which allowed former UFC flyweight great Demetrious Johnson to fight there and for Askren to finally get his long-awaited opportunity in the Octagon. He fought three times in 2019, kicking things off with a controversial submission win over Robbie Lawler followed up by his five-second viral knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal and finally a third round submission loss to Demian Maia in October.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 20: Maia vs. Askren, emanating from the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.
The Octagon returns to Singapore for the third straight year bringing a welterweight main event pitting arguably the two best grapplers in the division against each other.
Former welterweight and middleweight title challenger Demian Maia looks to score his third straight win when he battles Ben Askren in the five-round headline bout. Maia is gunning to make it 3-0 in 2019 after scoring wins over Lyman Good and Anthony Rocco Martin earlier this year. Askren looks to rebound from his first career loss, the devastating five second knockout loss at the hands of Jorge Masvidal in July.
Also on the card is a pair of lightweight bouts pitting Michael Johnson against Stevie Ray, and Frank Camacho against Beneil Dariush, as well as a welterweight bout between Muslim Salikhov and Laureano Staropoli. In the preliminary card featured bout, it is a women’s strawweight battle as Randa Markos takes on Ashley Yoder.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
ESPN+ PRELIMS | 5:30 AM ET/2:30 AM PT
> Raphael Pessoa (9-1, 0-1 UFC) vs. Jeff Hughes (10-2 1 NC, 0-1 1 NC UFC) Heavyweights
Slow start to the fight as nothing goes on in the first minute. Hughes then lands a leg kick and they trade punches. Pessoa misses a right hand but lands a spin kick to the body. They were trading and Pessoa with a knee to the body. Hughes lands a right hand but Pessoa counters with a right. Pessoa with an inside leg kick. Pessoa with a late punch. 10-9 Pessoa.
Pessoa with some leg kicks as he is attacking the lead leg of Hughes. Pessoa comes forward throwing punches but they mostly miss. Hughes then misses a spinning back fist attempt. Pessoa with a spin kick to the body. Pessoa then drops Hughes with a right hand but Hughes pops right back up. Hughes then pushes Pessoa against the fence and Pessoa lands some elbows. They break to the center. Hughes throws a spin kick and falls to the ground doing so but then grabs Pessoa for top position and lands some punches. 10-9 Pessoa, 20-18 Pessoa.
Hughes is having trouble seeing as his eye is bugging him. Hughes with a leg kick. Pessoa just barely lands a spin kick to the body. Hughes with a leg kick. Pessoa then knocks Hughes back with a right hand. Pessoa with a spin kick to the body. They both look pretty fresh with it being heavyweights in the third round. They trade punches. Pessoa lands some punches as he comes forward. Hughes lands a right hand. Hughes is being more active this round. They trade leg kicks. 10-9 Hughes, 29-28 Pessoa.
Official Result- Raphael Pessoa def. Jeff Hughes by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
> Loma Lookboonmee (3-1, 0-0 UFC) vs. Alexandra Albu (3-1, 2-1 UFC) Women’s Strawweights
They trade early and Lookboonmee with a knee to the body. Lookboonmee lands a hard elbow. They clinch and trade knees. Albu was grabbing the shirt of Lookboonmee during the clinch to keep ahold of Lookboonmee and gets a warning by the referee. Albu with a right hand followed by a head kick. Lookboonmee with a front kick. They clinch and trade knees and Lookboonmee throws Albu out of the clinch. They clinch again and Albu grabs the single leg. Albu was grabbing the shorts clearly trying to bend the rules again. Lookboonmee with a right hand. Lookboonmee with some kicks and they clinch and Lookboonmee with a knee to the body. Albu still grabbing the clothing. Lookboonmee with a hard knee to the body. 10-9 Lookboonmee.
Lookboonmee took off her shirt after the first so Albu would stop grabbing it and is just fighting in the sports bra now. They went to the ground early and Albu went for a leg lock but Lookboonmee escaped. The striking pace has slowed a little. Lookboonmee with a leg kick. Albu with a leg kick. Lookboonmee still striking from a distance. Albu lands a right hand and Lookboonmee goes for a takedown but it is defended. Albu with some punches as Lookboonmee is looking a little tired. They break a clinch and Albu lands some punches. They trade and clinch. Albu came on strong at the end. 10-9 Albu, 19-19.
Albu’s thumb had popped out of socket during the second and her coaches popped it back in. They spent the start of the third trading. Lookboonmee with a leg kick and Albu throws a counter combo into the clinch. Albu with a left hand. Lookboonmee with a front kick. Lookboonmee throws Albu off and out of a clinch. Albu lands a combo before they clinch. Lookboonmee with some knees to the body. They break and clinch again and break. Albu with a scissors sweep and gets on top but time is going to run out without here able to do anything. 10-9 Lookboonmee, 29-28 Lookboonmee.
Official Result- Loma Lookboonmee def. Alexandra Albu by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
> Maurice Greene (#13, 8-2, 3-0 UFC) vs. Sergei Pavlovich (#14, 13-1, 1-1 UFC) Heavyweights
Greene with a high kick to start. Pavlovich lands a right hand. Greene with a leg kick and Pavlovich lands a counter right hand and Greene stumbles but gets up. Greene with a body kick. Pavlovich rocks Greene with some punches and Greene goes to the mat and is looking for a takedown. He gets up and Pavlovich lands more punches and Greene falls back down and Herb Dean stops it. Big win for Pavlovich.
Official Result- Sergei Pavlovich def. Maurice Greene by TKO (punches) at 2:11 of Round 1
Evloev with the jab. Both throwing punches but missing and then Evloev lands a right hand. Both throwing punches and landing. Evloev gets a takedown and has the back. Evloev with some knees to the body. They get to the fence. They get up and break and Evloev lands some right hands that rock Barzola. Evloev with a combo and then drops for a takedown. Barzola with a leg kick. They trade punches. Evloev with an uppercut and then follows with a hard right. Barzola with a combo. Evloev gets another takedown and has the back. Evloev with some punches from the back and throws Barzola away. 10-9 Evloev.
Evloev with an uppercut. They both trade and then Evloev gets a takedown and has the back but they scramble to their feet. They trade and Evloev goes for a takedown and gets it for a second but Barzola pops up to his feet and escapes. They trade punches. Evloev lands a nice right hand and Barzola lands a good counter left. Evloev grabs the back against the fence and drags the fight to the mat. They get up and Evloev still has the back but they break. They trade and Barzola gets a big takedown and ends the round on top as he lands a few elbows and punches. 10-9 Evloev, 20-18 Evloev.
They trade to start the third. Evloev gets a brief takedown but they scramble to the sprawl and then break. Evloev with a spin kick to the body. They trade and Barzola lands a groin strike and we have a timeout. We get back to action and they trade. Evloev shoots for a single leg but Barzola defends it. They trade punches and Barzola just misses a high kick. Barzola is landing more in the third. Evloev tries another takedown attempt but it is again blocked. Good fight. 10-9 Barzola, 29-28 Evloev.
Official Result- Movsar Evloev def. Enrique Barzola by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
> Alex White (13-5, 4-5 UFC) vs. Rafael Fiziev (6-1, 0-1 UFC) Lightweights
Fiziev with a leg kick. They trade. Fiziev with a leg kick. Fiziev with a body kick. They trade and Fiziev lands a hard right hand that rocks White. White recovers and goes for a takedown but Fiziev defends and starts landing knees to the head. Those were hard knees and they break. Fiziev with a leg kick followed by a right hand. White with a combo and they clinch. White with a knee to the body and they break. White with a combo. White tries a takedown but Fiziev defends and grabs the neck and lands a knee and White has a minor cut open. Fiziev with a high kick. White with a right hand. 10-9 Fiziev.
They clinch early in the second against the fence and both land before breaking. Fiziev then lands a big right hand that stuns White as White has his back against the fence. White attempts a takedown but Fiziev defends. White has the single leg. Fiziev escapes and lands some punches. White tries a long shoot but Fiziev shakes him off. Fiziev with a high kick and then a body kick. White just misses a left hand. They trade late. 10-9 Fiziev, 20-18 Fiziev.
Both missing their strikes to start the third. They trade in close range and Fiziev gets a takedown. Fiziev working in the guard and landing punches. They get to their feet. Fiziev with a leg kick. White misses a left hand and Fiziev grabs the body. Fiziev with a leg kick. They clinch but break. White is pretty bloody now. Fiziev grabs the body lock and pushes White against the fence but they break. They clinch again but break. They trade. White tries a takedown but Fiziev defends. 10-9 Fiziev, 30-27 Fiziev.
Official Result- Rafael Fiziev def. Alex White by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Markos with some close range punches and they clinch against the fence. Markos already trying to turn this into a grind. Markos tries a takedown but Yoder gets the head and reverses it and is on top. Markos goes for a reverse triangle from the bottom. Yoder lands some punches from the top to the body. Markos escapes to her feet. Markos gets a takedown and is looking for an anaconda choke. Markos switches to side control. Markos now has the neck. They scramble to their feet. 10-9 Yoder.
Markos lands some punches to start the second. They clinch against the fence. They trade strikes as both look for clinch advantage. They break and Markos with a right hand. They clinch and Markos with an uppercut. They break and both land. Markos with two nice right hands. Markos lands some more nice punches and Yoder scores a takedown. Yoder in the half-guard and lands a couple of elbows. Markos is able to reverse to the top and lands some elbows. Markos with some hammerfists from the top and ends strong with punches. 10-9 Markos, 19-19.
Both land some punches to start the third. Markos with a leg kick. Markos with a leg kick and she is landing more distance strikes. Yoder with a high kick and Markos counters with a combo. Markos with another combo. Markos tries a takedown but Yoder grabs the back as they go to the mat. Yoder looking for a rear-naked choke but Markos defending well. Yoder lets go and gets to the top and looking for an arm-triangle. Markos gets out and Yoder in the half-guard. Markos able to escape to her feet. Markos lands some punches. Markos with a left hand. Markos lands some nice punches late. Strong close to the fight for Markos. This is close. 10-9 Markos, 29-28 Markos.
Official Result- Randa Markos def. Ashley Yoder by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
ESPN+ MAIN CARD | 8 AM ET/5 AM PT
> Muslim Salikhov (14-2, 2-1 UFC) vs. Laureano Staropoli (9-1, 2-0 UFC) Welterweights
Salikhov was looking for the knockout shots early. He landed a body kick. Salikhov with a combo. Staropoli tries a spin kick but whiffs badly. Salikhov with a high kick. Salikhov lands an overhand right and then a spinning back kick that Staropoli blocks with his arm. Staropoli with a high kick that Salikhov is able to block. Salikov with a right hand. Salikhov with a spin kick followed by a leg kick. Staropoli with his own spin kick. Salikhov with another. 10-9 Salikhov.
Salikhov with a hard spin kick. Staropoli lands a high kick. Staropoli tries a body kick but Salikhov catches it and dumps him to the ground but lets him up. Salikhov with a body kick and then a leg kick. Salikhov got a brief takedown off a kick attempt but Staropoli able to get up. Salikhov hurt Staropoli with a spinning back kick to the body. Salikhov hurts him with an uppercut and then starts landing knees and big punches. Salikhov landing big strikes against the fence and Staropoli able to circle away and survives. Salikhov with more big punches on the feet but Staropoli has seemed to recover. 10-9 Salikhov, 20-18 Salikhov.
Salikhov with some punches to start the third but Staropoli is throwing counters. Staropoli lands a right hand and shoots for a takedown but Salikhov defends. Salikhov with a hard right hand. Salikhov with a spinning back fist. Staropoli still coming forward. Salikhov gets a takedown and has the back. Staropoli scrambles to his feet and they clinch against the fence. They break. Staropoli with a body kick. Salikhov with another spin kick to the body. Staropoli has no defense for that technique. Staropoli lands a left hand. Staropoli misses a spin kick but he is doing better this round. They trade late. 10-9 Salikhov, 30-27 Salikhov.
Official Result- Muslim Salikhov def. Laureano Staropoli by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28)
Both looking to land big shots and just missing those shots. Mayes lands a couple of punches. They trade kicks. Gane lands a left as he comes in but they break. Gane with a high kick. Mayes with a right hand. They clinch and break and Mayes just misses a left hand. Gane with a body kick. Gane lands some big punches and Mayes tries to spin away from trouble and almost gets caught. Gane with a hard body kick. Gane with a front kick to the face. Gane with another body kick and follows it with a right hand. Gane with a flurry of big punches as he has Mayes in trouble. Gane with a right hand followed by a flying knee and then drops Mayes with a punch and is teeing off on the ground and going for a finish but the round ends. It really could have been stopped there. 10-8 Gane.
Mayes comes out throwing but Gane counters with a left hand. Gane with a left hand and then with a groin strike and we have a brief timeout. Back to action and Gane is still landing kicks. Mayes does land a punch. Gane with a left hook and then an uppercut. Gane with a body kick. The pace has slowed a bit but Mayes is still in this. They trade in close range. Gane gets a takedown and is in the full guard of Mayes. They’re able to get to their feet and clinch until the end. 10-9 Gane, 20-17 Gane.
They are trading in the third as the pace and power of the shots have toned down. Gane landing the jab and is constantly switching stances. Gane with an uppercut. Mayes lands a few jabs but is otherwise getting eaten alive on the feet. Gane with a body kick. Gane with some standing knees and elbows as Mayes had his back against the fence. Gane with another body kick and Mayes is hurt. Gane with a knee to the body. Gane with punches and knees to the body. Gane then drags Mayes to the ground and is on top. Gane then grabs the leg and locks in a heel hook and gets Mayes to tap out late in the fight. Great finish by Gane. He looked extremely impressive in this fight.
Official Result- Ciryl Gane def. Don’Tale Mayes by submission (heel hook) at 4:46 of Round 3
> Frank Camacho (22-7, 2-3 UFC) vs. Beneil Dariush (15-4-1, 9-4-1 UFC) Lightweights
Dariush landing some leg kicks early and then a Superman punch lands. Dariush with some left hands that land clean. Dariush with a body kick and they clinch and Dariush lands and then with a body kick as they break. Dariush gets a takedown but they get up and go to the fence and Dariush gets a big takedown and has the back and looking for a rear-naked choke. He has it in tight and is squeezing hard. Camacho taps! That was an excellent showing from Dariush as he just ran right through Camacho.
Official Result- Beneil Dariush def. Frank Camacho by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:02 of Round 1
> Michael Johnson (19-14, 11-10 UFC) vs. Stevie Ray (22-9, 6-4 UFC) Lightweights
Ray right away with a low kick and Johnson lands the jab. They trade low kicks. Ray with a leg kick. They trade left hands. Ray lands a good right hook. Ray just barely connects with a leg kick. Ray with a combo. Johnson blocks a high kick attempt from Ray. Johnson with an inside leg kick. Johnson with a calf kick. Ray lands a left hand. Ray with another and Johnson counters with a body kick and a snap jab. Johnson with some late leg kicks. 10-9 Johnson.
Johnson with the jab landing. Ray with a leg kick and Johnson counters with a left hand. Johnson with the double jab. Ray has a head kick blocked. Ray lands a left hand and then a combo ending with a leg kick and then lands another leg kick. Johnson with a leg kick. Ray lands a hard left hand. Ray with a leg kick and Johnson counters with a left hand. Johnson with a leg kick. Ray shoots for a takedown and misses it but lands a leg kick as he got reset. They trade punches. Johnson lands two hard left hands and Ray fires back with a left hand. They trade punches in close range and Johnson gets the better of it. Johnson with a good combo. Ray is cut on his forehead. 10-9 Johnson, 20-18 Johnson.
Johnson lands a good combo to start the third. Johnson with a left hand. Ray tries to change levels for a takedown but Johnson snuffs it out. Ray lands a left and Johnson counters with a harder left. They trade punches in the pocket. Ray gets a takedown and is on top landing punches. Ray landing more punches looking to finish. Ray has the hooks in and looks to start working for the choke. Ray landing punches as he has full back control. Johnson not trying to fight out of the position and is getting warned to defend. Ray landing lots of punches. Ray with some hammerfists as he still has body control. Ray with some nasty elbows. Johnson survives this but a big round for Ray. This will be interesting on the scorecards. 10-8 Ray, 28-28 DRAW.
Official Result- Stevie Ray def. Michael Johnson by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
> Demian Maia (#10, 27-9, 21-9 UFC) vs. Ben Askren (#11, 19-1 1 NC, 1-1 UFC) Welterweights
Maia with some straight left hands. Askren with a leg kick. Askren is trying to set up a takedown and misses a spinning back fist. They clinch and trade knees. They break and Maia with a left hand. Askren with a leg kick and uppercut. They clinch but break. Maia with a left hand. Askren with an uppercut and grabs the neck and lands a knee and Maia pops out. Maia with the jab. Askren with a right hand. Maia with a left hand. Maia landing punches and Askren is hurt just a little as he clinches but they break. Askren with short uppercuts. Maia with a body kick. Askren with a right hand. Askren gets a takedown and is on top. Maia tried an armbar but Askren escaped. Askren lands some body punches from the top. 10-9 Maia.
They trade to start the second and Maia is landing the left hands. They clinch but break. Maia with a left hand and Askren lands a short uppercut counter. Maia is cut open. Maia with a left hand. Askren with an uppercut and a leg kick. Askren lands a series of punches. They trade in close range. Askren lands short punches and scores a takedown. Maia looks for an omaplata and uses it to sweep to the top. Maia landing from the top and has the full mount. Askren trying to reverse to the top and Maia has the arm but Askren scrambles out and lands some late punches. 10-9 Askren, 19-19.
Askren gets a big takedown in the third and was on top but Maia able to get to his feet. Maia with the jab and Askren with a body kick. They clinch but break. They clinch and Maia with a knee. They break and Maia with a left hand. Askren lands a short right before they clinch. Askren gets a takedown but Maia able to sweep to the top and passes to the mount. Maia gets the back as Askren turns. Maia has the hooks in and is looking for a rear-naked choke. He has it locked in and Askren goes out! Maia with an incredible submission as Askren went out cold. This was a fun fight.
Official Result- Demian Maia def. Ben Askren by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:54 of Round 3
We’re doing three polls this weekend, for the UFC 239 show in Las Vegas, NJPW G-1 opener in Dallas and the Impact PPV on Sunday in Dallas, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]” target=”_blank”>[email protected]
APW/Rev Pro King of Indies Friday in Daly City, CA
WWE Raw house show last night in Washington, DC
MLW from last night in Chicago
WWE Raw tonight in Wilkes-Barre, PA
WWE Smackdown tonight in Binghamton, NY
IMPACT SLAMMIVERSARY ON SUNDAY AT 8 P.M. EASTERN FROM GILLEY’S IN DALLAS ON PPV
TJP open challenge
Rob Van Dam vs. Moose
Eddie Edwards vs. Killer Kross first blood match
Sami Callihan vs. Tessa Blanchard
Taya Valkyrie defends the Knockouts title against Rosemary, Su Yung and Jessicka Havok in a Monster’s Ball match
The North (Josh Alexander & Ethan Page) defend the tag titles against LAX and Dezmond Xavier & Trey Miguel
Rich Swann vs. Johnny Impact for X title
Brian Cage vs. Michael Elgin for Impact title
Monday has Raw TV from Newark, NJ at the Prudential Center. Rey Mysterio returns Monday. There is also a Smackdown brand house show on Monday in Glens Falls, NY.
Smackdown and 205 take place Tuesday from Manchester, NH.
After a lack of interest heading into the pay-per-view, Stomping Grounds was a show that exceeded expectations.
Given that there weren’t really any surprises at the PPV, that’s probably mostly due to expectations being set too low. Nothing on the show was dramatically better than it should have been. The PPV succeeded where most good WWE shows do. Even if the build was underwhelming, a talented roster was able to go out to the ring and have good matches throughout much of the card.
With a gigantic week of news, we’ve got a double issue of the Observer this week, leading off with a look at the career of Perro Aguayo, one of the biggest drawing cards in pro wrestling history.
We look at his career highlights, the feud that made him a superstar, the big rivalries and big business booms he was part of, his most famous matches, the formation of AAA and his biggest career wins.
We also have more on Eric Bischoff and Paul Heyman leading brands going forward. We look at the angles on Raw and whose fingerprints were on what, the level of power they look to have, why this move was made, Wall Street’s reaction to the move, how AEW fits into the picture, the audience they are trying to get back the Raw ratings increase that didn’t hold for Smackdown, Heyman and Bischoff talk about their new positions, when Bischoff starts and an analysis of Heyman’s first moves.
We also look at AEW’s Fyter Fest, the chair shot, the preshow, the business numbers, comparisons with WWE and UFC programming, match by match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
We also look at why the U.K. November tour is being rapidly changed, the Evolve special on WWE Network, Stomping Grounds business update, the story behind David Starr stomping on WWE tile belt and WWE reaction, Performance Center news, most-watched shows on the WWE Network and a rundown with business notes on all the WWE arena events this past week.
We also look at the career of Jacques Rougeau Sr, one of the biggest stars in Montreal wrestling history. We look at the history of the Rougeau family, how Jacques got into wrestling, why he quit at first, what brought him back, how role in making the career of Ivan Koloff, his sons getting into wrestling, his biggest matches, his Jarry Stadium main event, the first $100,000 gate in Canada, and the Rougeaus feud with the Garvins.
We also look at WWE’s tour of Japan this past week, with notes on both shows and business notes as well.
We run through New Japan’s tour of Australia, with business notes , Southern Showdown match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results and the Ospreay-Eagles match.
We also update Extreme Rules with matches announced and others that could be added.
We’ve also got full coverage of UFC in Minneapolis including detailed business notes.
We’ve got a rundown on ROH Bet in the World from Baltimore, with business notes, match-by-match coverage and star ratings.
We also look at the changing television situation in the U.K. with the WWE’s new deal with BT Sports and AEW’s new deal.
We look at the TripleMania card and the unique team of Cody & Psycho Clown & Cain Velasquez. There’s also notes from Killer Kross, who is training Velasquez.
We also look at the wrestling career of Yoshiaki Yatsu, who had his leg amputated over the past week. We look at his 1980s heyday when he was one of the best in the world, why he was important in history, his amateur background and his famous Pride match with Gary Goodridge.
We also look at the death of Jerry Seltzer, the famed Roller Derby promoter, how that game worked, how it exploded in popularity, why it died off, and Seltzer’s later role in the ticketing business.
We also run down the ratings of all the major TV shows, along with detailed demo info for the WWE shows.
We also have the results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Garrett Gonzalez and I will be back tonight after Impact’s Slammiversary show talking the latest news. You can send questions to the show to [email protected]. We also have a new show up for the weekend covering the G-1 and UFC 239, and have new interview shows up with both Jushin Liger and Kota Ibushi.
Luke Rockhold suffered a broken jaw in his fight with Jan Blachowicz.
All of Ben Askren’s tests reportedly came back negative so he’s okay according to Dana White after the show. He was obviously hospitalized after a brutal knockout.
No update on Jon Jones, who was helped out. Thiago Santos had minor surgery on his right knee a few months ago and blew out his left knee in the first round of the fight. Media scores were 78-22% in favor of Jones, although I felt the fight could have gone either way. Story on the surgery from MMA Fighting.
The judges scores were:
Michael Bell gave Jones rounds 2, 3 and 4
Derek Cleary gave Jones 2, 3 and 5
Junichiro Kamijo gave Jones 3 and 5. If Clearly had given Santos 5, a round many thought he won clearly, Santos would be champion. Dana White said Jones won and has no interest in making a rematch
Nate Diaz and Khabib Nurmagomedov, who were seated not far from each other, nearly got into it last night. Security broke it up before anything serious happened and they moved Diaz to a different seat. Diaz ended up leaving the show after the Gilbert Melendez fight.
WWE
Sheamus and Natalya are both appearing at the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame induction ceremony on 7/25 to 7/27 in Waterloo, IA. Gerald Brisco is doing a talent evaluation for WWE. Among others appearing for the weekend are Beth Phoenix, Ultimo Dragon, Gerald Brisco, Sgt. Slaughter, Thunderbolt Patterson, Nick Dinsmore, Lisa Marie Varon, Jim Ross, J.J.Dillon, Tony Garea, Brian Shields, Wes Brisco, James Beard, Brian Blair, Baron Von Raschke, Ric McCord,, Bob Roop and Brian Pillman Jr. There will also be a pro wrestlnig with an eight-man tournament and what is being billed as Blair’s retirement match.
Dolph Ziggler is doing comedy shows on Wednesday and Thursday night in Appleton, WI at Skyline Comedy. The former Hornswoggle will be on the bill with him.
UFC
Interest in last night’s show was high, as there were 2.5 million Google searches making UFC 239 the most searched for topic in the U.S. Ben Askren, at 500,000, after his spectacular knockout loss, was the third most searched term yesterday. The New Japan G-1 show did not crack the top 20, although that is not unexpected as previous show haven’t either. When it comes to big events, it’s pretty clear the UFC big events have the most mainstream interest, followed by WWE and Bellator. AEW Double or Nothing did crack the list as has Bare Knuckle Boxing, and NXT has twice at a low level.
A story in the Buffalo News on Rashad Evans going into the UFC Hall of Fame (thanks to Tom Mehs)
MISCELLANEOUS
Former pro wrestler Don Wright, and wife Sandy, lost her home and their car due to a home fire. They are raising five grandchildren who start school soon. Jon Moxley found out about a Go Fund Me set up by a coworker of Sandy and donated $5,000 enabling them to reach their goal.
Sporting News talked to Sami Callihan regarding tonight’s match with Tessa Blanchard.
In an update of something talked about on the show last night, Teddy Hart didn’t go through a door, but crashed into a ladder and seemed to hurt his back but Court Bauer said that Hart is fine today. MLW sold out Cicero for the third time in a row last night.
Dolph Ziggler will be participating in the panel “Happy Birthday Troma” for the 45th anniversary of Troma Entertainment and for Lloyd Kaufman’s 50 years as a filmmaker on 7/20 at the San Diego Comic Con in Room 25ABC at 9 p.m. Former wrestler Scott Lost, now a comic book artist, will be part of a panels on 7/18 called “Not So Strange Bedfellows: The Relationship between comics and pro wrestling in Room 29AB at 1 p.m. Rob Van Dam will appear in a panel on Independent Filmmaking for Low Budget Film, TV and web series on 7/18 in Room 25ABC at 9 p.m. Women of Wrestling at Headlocked Comics in booth #1901 on 7/20 from 1-3 p.m. has David McLane, Jeanie Buss and The Beast and 7/21 from Moon to 2 p.m. has Tessa Blanchard and McLane.
Former pro wrestler Anthony Carelli (Santino Marella) joined Neil Adams (former Olympic medalist and the brother of former pro wrestler Chris Adams) as announcers this weekend for judo’s Montreal Grand Prix. Today is the final day and it’s streams at live.ijf.org I’ve seen photos of pro wrestling legend Volk Han there.
The AAW Jim Lyman Memorial tournament takes place on 8/29 and 8/30 at the Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago.
Phil DeFries (17-6) defends the KSW heavyweight title against Damian Grabowski (22-5) in the main event of the KSW show on 9/14 at SSE Wembley in London. Tomasz Narkun (16-3) will also defend the light heavyweight title and Norman Parke (27-6-1) vs. Marian Ziolowski (21-7-1) are also announced.
AAW on 7/12 in Milwaukee at Turners Hall Ballroom has Sami Callihan vs. Fatu for the heavyweight title, Jessicka Havok vs. Taya Valkyrie for the women’s title, John Morrison vs Juventud Guerrera, Rey Fenix & Penta 0M vs. Myron Reed & A.R. Fox and Josh Briggs vs. Josh Alexander.
Warrior Wrestling 6 on 9/1 in Chicago (the day after All Out) at the Marian Catholic High School at 7 p.m. Announced as appearing are Mick Foley, Brian Cage, Tessa Blanchard, Pentagon Jr., Fenix, Dragon Lee, Ultimo Guerrero, Atlantis, Caristico, Michael Elgin, Austin Aries Tom Lawlor, Daga, Sam Adonis, Brian Pillman Jr., Wardlow, Andrew Everett, Templario, Soberano Jr. and more.
Progress from yesterday in Newcastle, U.K.: Fraser Thomas & HT Drake & Screwface Ahmed b Benji & Conor Renshaw & Zeo Knox, Darren Kearney & LJ Clearly & Natthan Martin b Chuck Mambo & Spike Trivet & William Eaver-DQ, Jurn Simmons b Connor Mills, Holidead b Candy Floss, Ilja Dragunov b Jordan Devlin to become top contender for the Progress title, Paul Robinson b Primate, David Starr b Brent Banks, Walter b Eddie Kingston to keep Progress title (thanks to Paul Sosnowski)
Progress from today in Manchester, U.K.: Soner Dursun b Luke Jacobs, LJ Clearly b Chuck Mambo, Holidead b Lana Austin, Jordan Devil b Conor Mills, Jonathan Gresham b Eddie Kingston-COR, Trent Seven b Paul Robinson, Spike Trivet & William Eaver b Darren Kearney & Nathan Martin, Walter b Ilja Dragunov to keep the Progress title
Future Stars of Wrestling from Friday night in Las Vegas in a UWFI style show: Ryan Couture b Dave Mazany, Stephan Bonnar b Sinn Bohdi, Gina Mazany b Kyra Batara, Tom Lawlor b Douglas James (said to be best bout of the show), Frank Mir b Simon Grimm, Killer Kross b Dan Severn, Killer Kross NC Jon Moxley with a double knockout finish. Moxley wasn’t advertised but just showed up. (thanks to Armando Aguilar)
IWF on 10/11 in Wayne, NJ at the Wayne PAL Building with Tony Atlas, Tito Santana and Bull James Dempsey.
Impact from last night in Texas City, TX in a joint show with Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling: Jordynne Grace b Alex Gracia, Jonathan Vega & Diego De La Cruz b Dezmond Xavier & Zachary Wentz, Moose b Mysterious Q, Brenden Steen won scramble over Ayden Cristiano, Cameron Cole, Bryan Keith, Will Allday, Isaiah, Josh Alexander, Jake Crist, Dave Crist, Ethan Page, Mad Man Fulton and Willie Mack, Brenden Steen b Josh Alexander, Sami Callihan DCOR Terrell Tempo, Michael Elgin b Moonshine Mantell (ROW champion) due to distraction from The North, Gino b Eddie Edwards, Tessa Blanchard won four-way over AQA, Hyan and Su Yung, Zack Zilla & Warren J b LAX, (thanks to Shannon Walsh and wrestlingwithdemons.net)
MWE on 7/12 in St. Louis Park, MN at the Rec Center with Flash Gordon vs Kongo Kong. Nikita Koloff will appear on the show.
I Believe in Wrestling from Friday night in Orlando: Carlos Gabriel b Jay Sky, JD Amazing b Caius Wolfe, Mike Reed b Danny Malo, Deon James b Antony Catena, Ali Mohammed b Reni Danilo, Chasyn Rance & Amber Nova & Lexi Gomez & Gia Roman b Blake Burke & Ahmed Ayuooti & Kaci Lennox & Dank the Clown, Josh Dawkins b Johnny Zekie, Aaron Epic d Andrew Marlin. Next show is 8/2 with Epic vs. Merlin 2/3 falls and Amber Nova vs. Blake Banks.
Tickets for Defy’s Defyane Forever show are on sale for 8/23 in Tacoma, WA at the Temple Theater which will include New Japan talent.
Innovate Wrestling on 8/10 in Kingsport, TN at the Civic Auditorium for Fire in the Mountain 2019.
Tickets for the 9/18 and 9/19 WOW TV tapings in Los Angeles at the Belasco Theater are on sale. Both nights are AXS tapings for the new season and start at 6:30 p.m.
RevPro today in London at the Cockpit: James Mason b Kenneth Halfpeny, Dan Moloney & MK McKinnan b Dan Magee & Kurtis Chapman, Gabriel Kidd b Jaxton Stone, Kyle Fletcher b Josh Bodom, Seleziya Sparks b Shazza McKenzie, Mark Davis NC Sha Samuels, El Phantasmo & Hikuleo b A-Kid & Carlos Romo, Pac b David Starr
The UFC is holding its traditional pre-spring/summer press conference in Atlanta, GA, Friday at noon to get some buzz going for its slate of events through July’s International Fight Week.
Along with UFC president Dana White, Jon Jones, Alexander Gustafsson, Ben Askren, Rose Namajunas, Henry Cejudo, Amanda Nunes, Holly Holm, Francis Ngannou, and Junior dos Santos make up part of 17 fighters in attendance. Notably absent is Jorge Masvidal who is expected to fight Askren in July.
Along with the buzzworthy Askren, the back and forth between flyweight champion Cejudo and Marlon Moraes should be fun to watch. The two square off in June for the vacant bantamweight title.
The UFC is in Atlanta for Saturday’s UFC 236, co-headlined by two interim title fights. In the main event, featherweight champion Max Holloway moves up in weight to face Dustin Poirier for the interim lightweight title while Israel Adesanya battles Kelvin Gastelum for the interim middleweight crown.
For the second straight year, WWE went with two fan-pleasing choices as their Royal Rumble winners. WWE followed up on Shinsuke Nakamura and Asuka’s wins from last year by having Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch win their respective Rumble matches on Sunday night. The results were entirely predictable, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t the right choices. While there are other stories that WWE can tell, top babyfaces beginning their road to WrestleMania by winning the Royal Rumble will pretty much always work.
A quick note that the format of this issue is different due to the fact I messed up my left hand in a bicycle crash on 1/24 making typing extremely difficult.
This issue has complete Royal Rumble and NXT results with eliminations, stats, and facts, plus Dave’s comments. It also includes star ratings, NXT awards, and notes on the post show angle.
Roman Reigns is going to be in the Rock’s new movie. There were some photos of Roman Reigns last week from where he’s been filming the new sequel of the Fast and the Furious franchise, which had been kept kind of quiet. Reigns is playing Rock’s character Hobbs’ brother…
AEW released a short video with Cody Rhodes talking about signing Jungle Boy and the announcement that on February 7th, there is a Ticket Announcement Party at the MGM from Las Vegas. Brandi teased announcing more women at that event. There is a lot of talent expected at that event. CIMA is likely going to be there…
NJPW is very confident that it will not be an issue by the time the MSG G1 Supercard show comes up, with it being several months away…
From reports of the Dallas, TX Road to G1 Supercard show, Shibata’s students, Clark Connors, Karl Fredericks, and Alex Coughlin are all seemed as really good in the technical aspect, with all their basics down, as they’re being trained with the Japanese New Japan Dojo mentality. Shibata, who is the lead trainer in the US Dojo, has interpreters with him at all time during training…
Matt Sydal’s contract with Impact Wrestling ended January 1st. He should be ready in a couple of months from a minor knee surgery he got last week…
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FRIDAY NEWS UPDATE
by Joseph Currier and Bryan Rose
WWE
PWInsider reported that Dean Ambrose is on the road with WWE this weekend and is scheduled for tonight’s Raw-brand house show in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The report also stated that Ambrose is scheduled for “upcoming TV tapings.”
Kevin Owens indicated that he was training with Adam Cole at the Performance Center today: “I just wrestled @AdamColePro for the first time in 4 and a half years. There was exactly one spectator. He gave it 51.25 stars.”
The trailer for “Hobbs & Shaw,” which stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham and features Roman Reigns as one of The Rock’s brothers, has been released.
Today is Ronda Rousey’s 32nd birthday. WWE uploaded a video looking back at moments from her first year with the company.
There’s also a video on her YouTube channel taking a look at her Royal Rumble weekend.
Impact Wrestling tonight on Pursuit and Twitch features Psycho Clown vs. Fallah Bahh, Rascalz vs. Eddie Edwards and Eli Drake, Lucha Bros. and Taurus vs. LAX and Daga and the team of Killer Kross and Moose against Brian Cage and Johnny Impact.
The Giant Baba Memorial show, which is headlined by Hiroshi Tanahashi and Yoshitatsu vs. Kento Miyahara and Daisuke Sekimoto, will air live on Samurai TV on 2/19.
Eddie Edwards is heading back to NOAH to team with Atsushi Kotoge against new GHC tag champions Mohammed Yone and Quiet Storm at their next event on 3/10.
Naomichi Marufuji also made his return on this morning’s card after suffering a shoulder injury. He challenged GHC Heavyweight champion Kaito Kiyomiya to a title match, also on 3/10.
Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks have teased that they’ll be appearing at tonight’s McAloon Productions show in Atlanta.
UFC/MMA
There was some sort of altercation at the UFC 235 presser yesterday. Ben Askren says that Kamaru Usman threatened him backstage. Usman said that they did meet each other backstage, but all they did was exchange words and that there was no threat. The two have been exchanging words over social media since December when Askren started lobbying for a interim welterweight title fight that never materialized for the now-cancelled UFC 233.
Georges St. Pierre said that Khabib Nurmagomedov was interested in facing him at one, and so was he, but the UFC wasn’t so interested in the match-up.
Holly Holm said she was unaware of the UFC cancelling her fight against Aspen Ladd until after the news was announced.
Sara Frota missed making weight by seven pounds ahead of tomorrow’s UFC event in Fortaleza, Brazil. Her strawweight fight against Livia Renata Souza is still on, but Frota will give up 40 percent of her purse.
Two new promotions are heading to UFC Fight Pass: World Extreme Cagefighting, which will have a weekly Wednesday event, and Glory Kickboxing, which will air Glory 63 tonight on the service.
Cezar Ferreira says he is out of his match against Tom Breese at UFC London due to an injury to his right knee.
Ed in San Antonio presents the WRESTLEMANIAWeekend Events (more to be added):
Sunday, April 6th, at 12:00 pm: Lunch (all you can eat) at Churrascaria Plataforma ($90 per person), located at 316 W. 49th street in Manhattan. Purchase tickets here~!
Luxury Bus to MetLife Stadium for Wrestlemania: We will depart from the Hilton Midtown (site of Wrestlecon) located at 1335 Avenue of the Americas. Departure time is 4:00 pm and will return from MetLife approximately 30 mins after the event. Times are subject to change, and cost $67.00 per person for the round trip. Purchase tickets here~!
Ariel Helwani reported yesterday that moving Askren vs. Lawler to UFC 235 was planned after the cancelation of UFC 233, which was where their welterweight fight was originally set to take place. UFC 233 was canceled due to the promotion not being able to find a suitable main event after moving Henry Cejudo and TJ Dillashaw’s flyweight title fight up to their ESPN+ debut show in Brooklyn, New York on January 19.
UFC 233 had been scheduled to take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on January 26 before being canceled.
Askren came to the UFC after a trade was completed between the UFC and ONE Championship, sending Askren to the UFC and Demetrious Johnson to ONE.
According to a report Monday night, one of the UFC’s new acquisitions will see his Octagon debut come in the first month of 2019 against a former UFC champion, no less.
First reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren has agreed to face former UFC welterweight champion and fan favorite Robbie Lawler at UFC 233 on January 26th at Anaheim, CA’s Honda Center — the company’s first PPV of the new year.
Okamoto said the deals aren’t signed yet, but that both sides are working on getting it finalized.
The 34-year-old Askren is undefeated (18-0-0-1) and has been retired since he defeated Shinya Aoki in less than a minute in November 2017. The 36-year-old Lawler has been on the shelf mending injuries since he was dominated by Rafael dos Anjos in December 2017. The former champion has lost two of his last three.
While never officially announced following the “trade” that brought his contract to the UFC and Demetrious Johnson’s contract to ONE, Askren was present at Saturday’s UFC 230 in New York City and did a media scrum where he called out a slew of fighters.
The show will also go head to head with Bellator’s heavyweight championship Grand Prix finals at the Forum in Inglewood, CA.
Smackdown, Mixed match Challenge and 205 Live are in Atlanta. Announced so far is Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali with the winner getting a cruiserweight title shot, Brian Kendrick vs. Jack Gallagher, Braun Strowman & Ember Moon vs. Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox and Rusev & Lana vs. Charlotte Flair & A.J. Styles.
Roman Reigns opened the October 22, 2018 episode of Raw by revealing that he’s battling leukemia. After missing the weekend house show events, Reigns came out wearing street clothes and addressed the audience while using his real name. He announced that he’s been living with leukemia for the past 11 years, and unfortunately it’s back. Reigns then relinquished the Universal Championship.
The most in-depth look at the Roman Reigns battle with leukemia is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Look at what is known about his first bout with leukemia, walk through the weekend, the turns done this past week, what happened throughout the day on Monday, who knew what and what kind of word was going around, a look at his interview, and candidates for the company’s top spot position.
Also look at Crown Jewel and Evolution, including business notes on the Evolution show, Hulk Hogan and Crown Jewel.
Find out what is being talked about for the future of the WWE Network, including ideas for new content, new promotions, and a second tier
Also look at Daniel Cormier and WWE and what it’s all about, Cena book, more WWE injuries, next MSG show and why it’s so important, shows this week, and the Tegan Knox injury.
Examine the next month of NXT television, as well as a look at every house show from WWE and NXT from the past week with results, highlights and business info.
Read about the proposed Ben Askren vs. Demetrious Johnson trade, the valuation of ONE, and why UFC would do this regarding an existing lawsuit.
Look at the state of the NWA with its 70th anniversary show, including the Nick Aldis vs. Cody match, the aftermath, the rest of the show, the business notes and the NWA going forward.
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
WWE will debut two new digital series tomorrow. The first will be a cooking show with Cathy Kelly called Talking Snack where she talks (and cooks) with WWE talent, the first being The Boogeyman. The other is called Baron Corbin’s Haunted World, where Corbin will investigate locations said to be haunted. The episode that premieres tomorrow will take a look at the St. Augustine Lighthouse in Florida, where ghosts of three little girls have been said to haunt the grounds.
Mark Henry spoke to TMZ Sports about WWE going ahead with their plans to run Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. When asked about Cena and reportedly Daniel Bryan pulling out of the show, he responded by saying “I wouldn’t never say that person is making the wrong decision. I would say that’s not the decision I would make. I would stand by my guns and do what’s best for business. I’m a firm believer in not leaving people out to dry, and I’ve done a lot of things in my career and in my life, my personal life, where I could say I’m not doing that. But there were people hanging in the balance and I didn’t want to screw those people over. So that’s the situation that this is in, our fans, they want to see you. You know, give our fans what they want.”
TMZ Sports also talked to Linda McMahon about wrestlers pulling out of Saudi Arabia. She denied knowing anything about the situation, saying “If you wanna talk WWE, you’re talking to the wrong McMahon.”
Vince McMahon was listed in Variety’s annual 500 most powerful people working in the entertainment industry.
Edge celebrates his 45th birthday today. Vince McMahon wished him a happy birthday on Twitter.
WWE uploaded a horror movie spoof on their YouTube page featuring Braun Strowman.
Buddy Murphy did end up getting his picture with Triple H after winning the Cruiserweight title.
Pro Wrestling
Jay Lethal reached a new record today with his ROH title run. He is now in second place for having the most combined days as Ring of Honor champion at 546 days. The only person in front of him is Samoa Joe, who held the title for 645 days.
EVIL had some words about facing Chris Jericho ahead of Power Struggle.
MJF vs. Puma King in a flag match has been signed for next week’s MLW show in Chicago.
DDT announced that Masahiro Takanashi, Akito, Maki Ito, HARASHIMA, Daisuke Sasaki, Tetsuya Endo and Danshoku Dieno will be coming to New York for their WrestleMania weekend show.
Jimmy Havoc vs. Angel Cruz in a deathmatch has been made for OTT Redemption on November 10.
UFC/MMA
When asked by TMZ Sports who Ben Askren would face first in the UFC, Dana White didn’t get into specifics but said it would be someone in the top 5, citing his run as ONE’s welterweight champion. He also put over Demetrious Johnson, saying that he hopes he will be happier in ONE.
Meanwhile, Ben Askren is asking on Twitter why UFC hasn’t made an official announcement yet regarding the trade.
UFC 233 has been announced for January 26 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
The first and second episodes of UFC Embedded 230 is now up.
Combate Americas announced that an one night eight man tournament called the Copa Combate will take place on December 7 in Fresno, California. The winner will win $100,000.
The UFC and ONE Fighting Championship’s history-making trade has officially been agreed to.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported today that the UFC has agreed to release Demetrious Johnson from his contract to allow him to sign with ONE Championship. ONE has also agreed to release Ben Askren in order for him to sign with the UFC.
Helwani noted that both fighters are expected to sign deals with their new promotions in the near future.
Johnson and Askren have both acknowledged the news on their Twitter accounts.
ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong wrote: “Please join me in welcoming the #1 pound-for-pound king, @MightyMouse, to ONE Championship! His extraordinary achievements speak for themselves, but I am most impressed by his character, his values, and his life story. #GOAT Thank you to @MightyMouse, @Benaskren, @ONEChampionship, @UFC, and @malkikawa for making the 1st trade in mixed martial arts history possible. #gratitude”
Johnson is 27-3 with one draw in his career, while Askren is 18-0 with one no contest and is a former welterweight champion for ONE and Bellator. After breaking the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses, Johnson lost the flyweight championship to Henry Cejudo at UFC 227 in August.
Helwani reported that “a plan was hatched” for Johnson to leave the UFC after his loss to Cejudo, but the UFC needed incentive to release him. Johnson’s management team pitched the idea of the trade, and all of the involved parties ended up agreeing to it. Johnson’s coach Matt Hume is also ONE’s vice president of operations.
While free agency has grown in importance in mixed martial arts, the concept of a trade between organizations has never fully made sense because of competition and logistics.
But in the current ‘anything is possible’ era of sports entertainment, a report Wednesday has the UFC and Asia’s ONE Fighting Championship discussing a historic trade that would send former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson to ONE for former Bellator champion and currently retired Ben Askren.
Citing multiple sources, ESPN’s Ariel Helwani reported the news that was first discussed on MMA Junkie Radio. He said that a deal is on the table, but that nothing has been finalized. It’s unknown as of this time who proposed what and when.
Johnson (pictured) recently saw his historic run as champion ended at the hands of Henry Cejudo, and has been at odds with UFC president Dana White over the last two years on how he’s promoted and his relationship with the organization. He’s been in the UFC since 2011 following the WEC merger.
His head coach Matt Hume is VP of Operations for ONE, so, if a deal was done, that conflict of interest would need to be resolved.
Askren has also been at odds with White over the years, but has never competed in the UFC. After the undefeated welterweight split with Bellator near the end of the Bjorn Rebney era, he went to ONE in May 2014 and went unbeaten in six fights, retiring in November 2017. On social media, the possibility of Askren in UFC increased this year but he still is under contract with ONE.
ONE recently made waves with the signing of former UFC and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez and while the promotion doesn’t have a firm presence in the U.S., moves like these would perhaps indicate something bigger on the horizon.
