Tag: Daniel Cormier

Daily Update: Charlotte lawsuit, SmackDown 1000, Daniel Cormier

Posted on by F4W Staff

DAILY UPDATE

The Latest News

The Latest Audio

F4W NEWSLETTER: Figure Four Weekly: Recapping WWE Super Show-Down

Going into Super Show-Down in Melbourne, Australia on Saturday, it wasn’t entirely clear whether it would be more of a major stadium show or a glorified live event. There were elements of both on display at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Without even factoring in entrances or the post-match angle, Triple H vs. The Undertaker was nearly 30 minutes long. It was obvious that they were attempting to deliver on the epic “last-time ever” main event that had been promised.

WON NEWSLETTER: October 15, 2018 Observer Newsletter: Highs and lows of UFC 229, plus tons of news

The biggest show in UFC history took place this past week. Look at the economics, the lessons, what it says about the fan base, the promotion and the regulators in how things escalated into the brawl that took place. Examine how Conor McGregor benefited from the brawl, likelihood of a rematch, as well as all the changes in upcoming cards and the making jokes out of the various championships.

There is also the regular coverage of UFC 229 with a look at the matches and poll results.

This issue addresses the next two major WWE shows, Evolution and Crown Jewel. Look at the issues facing WWE and Saudi Arabia, why the issues are so much deeper than women not being allowed to perform, and the return of Shawn Michaels.

Look at the unrest in New Japan and why morale has done a 180 since the G-1, the Tokyo Dome main event, the Power Struggle show, Chris Jericho in New Japan, and Tanahashi vs. Omega,

Read more on Rey Mysterio’s return to WWE, Smackdown 1,000, who is coming to Smackdown 1,000, Kevin Owens injury update, why WWE stock declined so much this past week, notes on potential of ratings on FOX and how that compares to FOX’s usual Friday numbers. 

This issue has more on the life and career of Hiroshi Wajima, a former All Japan headliner who was one of the greatest sumos of all-time. 

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 Dave Meltzer, or by using PayPal directing funds to [email protected]. 

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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • According to TMZ Sports WWE, Charlotte and Ric Flair are being sued by Charlotte’s ex-husband Riki Paul Johnson for defamation. The lawsuit centers around the book Second Nature, which she and her father co-wrote and released last year. He alleges in the lawsuit that they wrote multiple false allegations regarding physical and psychological abuse and was intentionally painted as a villain. The suit also mentions WWE, saying that they should be held liable due to their marketing of the book. WWE issued a response to TMZ Sports, saying “We recently received what appears to be a meritless lawsuit and we will vigorously defend ourselves.”
  • WWE issued a statement to the New York Post regarding Sports Illustrated’s report that multiple members of the WWE roster (speaking on the condition of anonymity) have expressed discomfort with the idea of performing in Saudi Arabia: “As always, we maintain an open line of communication with our performers as we continue to monitor the situation.”
  • John Bradshaw Layfield appeared on Fox Business’ Varney & Co. supporting the idea of WWE continuing with plans to run in Saudi Arabia.
  • Both Vice and the Wall Street Journal have written articles on WWE’s relationship with Saudi Arabia.
  • DDP is helping out at the Performance Center again this week. He posted a picture that includes Punishment Martinez, who we reported was headed to WWE after he departed ROH.
  • The Rock tweeted about SmackDown 1000: “Huge #SD1000 congrats to my @WWE family! Fun fact, in 1998, I said to @VinceMcMahon ‘I’m gonna use the word ‘Smackdown’ tonight in my promo’. He said what’s that mean? I said it means I’m gonna whup some ass. He belly laughed and said say it! The rest was history! #IfYaSmell”
  • Michelle McCool reflects on her SmackDown run prior to tonight’s 1000th show.
  • Drake Maverick announced on his Twitter this morning that a five way between Cedric Alexander, Tony Nese, TJP, Lio Rush and Gran Metalik is set for tonight’s 205 Live tapings.
  • Following last night’s Raw in Philadelphia, WWE announced that they will be returning to the Wells Fargo Center on March 4. The Ticketmaster presale code is RAWPHILLY.
  • The Revival defeated Zack Ryder & No Way Jose and Konnor defeated Rhyno on this week’s Main Event tapings.
  • Nia Jax, Corey Graves and Renee Young filmed an episode of WWE Ride Along this week.
  • Matt Riddle appeared on yesterday’s episode of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.
  • Charlotte spoke to the New York Post about her feud with Becky Lynch and Evolution.

Pro Wrestling

  • New Japan uploaded a video with Chris Jericho talking about his actions from King of Pro Wrestling and promoting his match against EVIL at Power Struggle.
  • Impact uploaded Abyss’s Hall of Fame induction speech, which you can view here.
  • Jericho also wasn’t happy hearing that Don Callis wasn’t used after classic New Japan matches were uploaded with new commentary: “Not using @CyrusOverHuge over huge for ANY AND ALL commentary is a big mistake and just plain stupid.”
  • Today is IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega’s 35th birthday.
  • Hangman Page has been added to the lineup for ROH’s Survival of the Fittest tournament in Columbus, Ohio on November 4. Tracy Williams, Marty Scurll, Andrew Everett, Jonathan Gresham, Flip Gordon, PJ Black, and Colin Delaney are also set for the tournament.
  • NJPW President Harold Meij was dressed as Piccolo from the Dragon Ball series backstage during Road to Power Struggle.
  • Laredo Kid vs. Barrett Brown in a special attraction match has been added to the NWA 70th anniversary show.
  • Jocephus’ spiritual advisor & Hollywood from the GLOW promotion are facing Jax Dane & Crimson at Sunday’s 70th anniversary event.
  • The NWA uploaded Nick Aldis vs. Christopher Daniels from last month’s ROH TV tapings. The match is also available on Honor Club.

UFC/MMA

  • Daniel Cormier admitted in an interview with Luke Thomas that his hand is not at 100% and can’t even close it to make a fist. “You ever had like a jammed finger and you just can’t really pop it?” he asked him. “It kind of like sticks up a little bit more than the other finger. That’s where my hand is right now, so my pointer finger doesn’t close completely. Like, I can’t make a closed, tight fist, but it just feels like if I could pop it, I would be okay.”
  • Georges St-Pierre is uncertain about his future in MMA. “The motivation is not the same that it used to be,” he said in an interview with Ariel Helwani. “I don’t have the same motivation to go to the lineup again and to fight my way up to another title. I’m done with this. I’ve done it for so many years.” He said he had interest in fighting the right opponent, with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s name being brought up.
  • Eddie Alvarez has officially signed with ONE Championship.
  • Alexander Gustafsson talks about his upcoming match against Jon Jones.
  • According to Alex Nurmagomedov, Khabib’s uncle, Conor McGregor’s team offered him $15 million for a rematch, but Khabib said no.
  • Chael Sonnen spoke to Luke Thomas following his loss to Fedor Emelianenko this past weekend.
  • Dustin Poirier also spoke to Thomas about his match against Nate Diaz that fell through due to an injury, questioning if the match would have ever gone through in the first place.
  • Joanna Jedrzejczyk spoke to Ariel Helwani about the whole situation revolving her and Valentina Shevchenko.
  • UFC fighter Bradley Scott accepted a two-year suspension for testing positive for cocaine metabolites following a fight back in May.

Daily Professional Wrestling History: Bound for Glory 2011

CONTACT INFORMATION

Daniel Cormier might fight Jon Jones again instead of Brock Lesnar

Posted on by Josh Nason

In an interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier intimated that his planned fight with former UFC heavyweight champion and WWE star Brock Lesnar might not happen after all.

Cormier has been very vocal about his plans to retire in 2019 before he turns 40. Cormier mentioned that he still plans on fighting just two more times with his short notice heavyweight title defense against Derrick Lewis coming up in November counting one of them. 

If he retains his title on November 3rd at Madison Square Garden, Cormier said he’ll have his choice of Lesnar or the winner of the Jon Jones-Alexander Gustafsson rematch that will close out UFC’s 2018. The Jones-Gustafsson fight will be for the soon-to-be stripped light heavyweight title that Cormier currently holds.

Cormier said that the Jones fight would matter to him more because Jones has beaten him twice and continues to be a rival for him. However, he feels the Lesnar fight would be better for him financially. 

“I think I would always pick the one that means more, but my wife might have something to say about that,” he told Okamoto.

If Gustafsson wins, that opens up the possibility of a rematch of a fight that was one of the best of 2015. However, given what Cormier has said, that seems unlikely.

Cormier told Lange Pugmire of the LA Times that UFC more than doubled what he made for beating Stipe Miocic for the heavyweight title in July, making the decision a lot easier for him to take the fight. He declined to fight Miocic on short notice and preferred Lewis because he feels there’s only one way for Lewis to win: via knockout. 

Daniel Cormier-Derrick Lewis official for UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden

Posted on by Josh Nason

After trying and failing with several different combinations of fighters and titles/interim titles and getting panned for a potential women’s flyweight title fight as the main event, the UFC is going with a short-notice heavyweight title fight to headline its return to Madison Square Garden.

The Saturday, November 3rd UFC 230 pay-per-view will feature heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis in the main event, first reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, confirmed to him via text from Dana White and Cormier himself.

Cormier had been recovering from a broken finger suffered in his title-winning performance over Stipe Miocic this July. It was expected that his next fight would be against Brock Lesnar in early-2019, but the UFC’s desperation in making a big fight for MSG took precedence.

Lewis (seen above) is coming off a Hail Mary knockout of Alexander Volkov at this past Saturday’s UFC 229 event and a star-making performance on the microphone in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. Lewis has won nine of his last 10 and has a penchant for taking short-notice fights. He joked after the fight that he wasn’t ready for a title shot because he needed to work on his cardio.

The MSG show also features Nate Diaz vs. Dustin Poirier and Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold II, but will not feature the much-discussed Valentina Shevchenko vs. Sijara Eubanks fight for the vacant women’s flyweight title. White told Okamoto via text that the plan will now be to move back to a December fight between Shevchenko vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Eubanks had said she signed the contract to fight while Shevchenko never responded publicly. Meanwhile, Jedrzejczyk publicly aired her issues with how things went down which may not make that as smooth a process as White might hope.

Report: UFC discussing Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis for MSG

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Valentina Shevchenko vs. Sijara Eubanks may not headline the UFC’s return to Madison Square Garden after all.

Though the event is under a month away, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported on Monday that the UFC has opened discussions for a heavyweight title fight between Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis to main event UFC 230 at Madison Square Garden on November 3. Okamoto wrote that Cormier vs. Lewis isn’t a done deal and “certain hurdles still have to be cleared.”

Cormier, who defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 226 in July to win the heavyweight title and become a two-division champion, has been dealing with a hand injury. His first heavyweight title defense has been expected to be against Brock Lesnar, who is eligible to return to the Octagon in January 2019.

Lewis was in action at UFC 229 on Saturday night, coming from behind in the final seconds of the fight to defeat Alexander Volkov by knockout. In his post-match interview, Lewis said that he wasn’t trying to challenge for the heavyweight title now due to his poor cardio.

Shevchenko and Eubanks’ fight for the vacant women’s flyweight championship has yet to be officially announced for the Madison Square Garden show. Nate Diaz vs. Dustin Poirier and Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman are two of the top bouts set for the event.

Dana White: Jon Jones likely to return in early 2019

Posted on by Josh Nason

UFC president Dana White appeared on ESPN Morning show ‘Get Up’ Thursday and reiterated that former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is likely to return to action in early-2019.

This would dispell the notion that Jones will headline the promotion’s early-November event at Madison Square Garden that still doesn’t have a main event.

On Wednesday, Jones was given a 15-month suspension from his July 2017 failed USADA test prior to UFC 214, retroactive to the failed test date. That would clear him to return to action as early as October 28.

White, in town for Thursday’s Conor McGregor-Khabib Nurmagomedov press conference, said, “He’s been off for a while. I think he’s a little heavy right now and he needs to start cutting weight and getting back into shape. We should see him early next year.”

White added that USADA reduced the suspension because their third party investigator believed tainted supplements were involved.

Jones put up a thank you post on Instagram Wednesday night, closing with “But now is the time to shift the focus front and center to the road ahead. Greatness is what I’m chasing and the path to reclaiming my throne is now officially open. Comeback Season begins now.”

Two fighters not amused by this situation are current heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier and now former UFC light heavyweight Tom Lawlor. On UFC Tonight, Cormier didn’t go too deep into the ruling, saying he’s moved past it. However, his frustration with USADA can be heard in this video clip:

On Twitter, the recently released Lawlor aired his frustrations given his similar dealings with USADA over the past two years. On last night’s Wrestling Observer Radio for subscribers, Lawlor joined Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez to discuss the Jones case and his feelings on the situation.

July 16, 2018 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Daniel Cormier/Brock Lesnar fallout from UFC 226

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

After 23 years of competing at the highest level in the world at two different sports, Daniel Cormier, just eight months before his 40th birthday and planned retirement, finally achieved his ultimate dream.

Cormier, saying he was fighting for legacy, became only the second simultaneous two division champion in UFC history, joining Conor McGregor. But his UFC heavyweight title win over Stipe Miocic on 7/7 in Las Vegas was far more than that.

Cormier went from a guy who said he finally achieved his “best-in-the-world” goal when he first won the light heavyweight title, only for his entire three year reign be marred by the fact he failed twice against Jon Jones, who the public saw as the real champion.

But not this time. Stipe Miocic was the real champion, with no debate attached. He overwhelmed Francis Ngannou and stopped Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski, Fabricio Werdum, Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos, basically everyone in the division of any note except the frequently injured Cain Velasquez.

Current subscribers click here to continue reading.

USADA: Brock Lesnar eligible to make UFC return in January

Posted on by Joseph Currier

After his appearance at UFC 226 on Saturday, USADA has provided some clarity on when Brock Lesnar will be able to make his return to the Octagon.

USADA issued a statement today confirming that Lesnar has been re-entered into their testing pool and will be eligible to fight again on January 8, 2019 if all goes well: “After receiving notice of his intent to compete in the UFC, Brock Lesnar re-entered the testing pool on July 3. With six months and four days remaining on his period of ineligibility, Lesnar will be able to compete on or after January 8, 2019, should he remain in compliance with the UFC Anti-Doping Policy.”

Lesnar had received a one-year suspension in 2016 for drug test failures that surrounded his UFC 200 fight against Mark Hunt. That suspension was then frozen when Lesnar retired from mixed martial arts.

Dana White has confirmed that the UFC will be making heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier vs. Lesnar when Lesnar is able to fight again. Cormier, who is currently a two-division champion, may defend his light heavyweight title before then. On Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show today, Cormier mentioned Shogun Rua as a potential opponent in that weight class.

VIDEO: Watch Brock Lesnar-Daniel Cormier UFC 226 confrontation

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: Esther Lin/MMA Fighting

After Daniel Cormier’s knockout victory over Stipe Miocic to win the UFC heavyweight title and to become the company’s second-ever two concurrent division champion, he called out Brock Lesnar who was sitting at cageside.

What followed was right out of the pro wrestling and combat sports playbook: a face-to-face confrontation that got physical and featured plenty of verbal jabs as well:

We don’t know when the Cormier-Lesnar duel will happen due to Lesnar’s standing with USADA and when/if he is back in the testing pool. At the post-event press conference, Dana White discussed Lesnar’s current situation:

On the post-event Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said that Lesnar has one more match on his WWE deal and that his deal runs out in August.

White said that Lesnar reached out to him this week and said he wanted to come to the event this weekend. White said they started “the process” with USADA last week, but wasn’t sure where everything stood. Meltzer said that they wanted a Lesnar return for December which would line up with the timeframe, but that would mean the possibility of the fight happening at Madison Square Garden would be out.

Daniel Cormier calls out Brock Lesnar after UFC heavyweight title win

Posted on by Paul Fontaine

Image: UFC

At UFC 226 Saturday, light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier became just the second simultaneous two-division champion in UFC history after knocking out former champion Stipe Miocic in the first round.

After winning the belt, Cormier challenged former heavyweight champion and current WWE Universal champion Brock Lesnar to face him and come into the Octagon. Lesnar had walked out to cageside before the main event, fueling speculation that he is indeed returning to the UFC.

Lesnar walked in and shoved Cormier, eventually getting the microphone. He cut an expletive-ridden promo calling Miocic and Francis Ngannou “pieces of sh*t” and said that he would beat Cormier before throwing the mic in the camera and shoving it. Cormier got the microphone again and said that Lesnar was from “the stone age” and that 2010 is a long time ago. He told Lesnar to get out of the cage as he had pictures to take. Dana White eventually escorted a heated Lesnar out of the cage. 

The fight is rumored to be taking place at Madison Square Garden in November in what will serve as the unofficial UFC 25th anniversary show and celebration.

Cormer started his career at heavyweight and won the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix prior to entering UFC, amassing a 13-0 record in that weight class before moving to 205. His teammate Cain Velasquez was the champion at that time and Cormier was adamant that he didn’t want to fight him.

Cormier is still the promotion’s light heavyweight champion, but speculation could increase that he will vacate that belt as he has stated that he will not fight beyond his 40th birthday, which is in March of 2019. Prior to the Cormier loss, Miocic had established himself as the most dominant UFC heavyweight champion in history, being the only fighter to successfully defend that belt three times.

UFC 226 live results: Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier

Posted on by Ryan Frederick

Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 226: Miocic vs. Cormier, emanating from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

It is the second of two UFC events this weekend for the annual International Fight Week in Las Vegas, this one being the big event of the weekend with one of the biggest title fights in UFC history, being billed as the “Superfight”.

UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic looks to remain the top heavyweight in the world as he defends the title against UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier, who is looking to become the second ever UFC fighter to hold championships in two weight classes at the same time.

Cormier returns to the heavyweight division, where he is a perfect 13-0, and has never even lost a round as a heavyweight. This is Miocic’s fourth title defense and he looks to stamp his place in the record books even further as the best UFC heavyweight of all-time.

Despite the card taking a hit with the loss of the Max Holloway-Brian Ortega title fight, it is still an overall deep card. The rest of the main card sees heavyweight sluggers Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis do battle, Paul Felder moves up to the welterweight division to face Mike Perry, Michael Chiesa takes on former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis, and kickboxing legend Gokhan Saki goes up against Khalil Rountree.

Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 7 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].

UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 7 PM ET/4 PM PT

> Jamie Moyle (4-2, 1-1 UFC) vs. Emily Whitmire (2-2, 0-1 UFC)
Women’s Strawweights

Whitmire comes out throwing strikes but not connecting. They trade in close range. Whitmire lands a couple of punches. They trade in the pocket. Whitmire lands a left. Moyle with a left hook followed by a leg kick. Whitmire counters well. They trade punches. They trade kicks. Whitmire lands a solid combination. All standing so far through the first. Lots of feeling out. Whitmire with a leg kick. Whitmire with a high kick. Whitmire staying more active and is landing more. 10-9 Whitmire.

Whitmire lands some punches to start the second. Moyle lands a solid left hook and a leg kick. Whitmire with a head kick. Moyle lands a one-two combo. They exchange leg kicks. Moyle looks to shoot for a takedown but misses wide. Moyle starting to land more in this round. Moyle drops down for a takedown but Whitmire has good defense and defends it and lands a knee to the body. Whitmire now shoots but Moyle scrambles and gets the back of Whitmire before they stand and break. They trade punches. Whitmire grabs a body lock and they battle against the fence. Moyle lands an uppercut as they break. Moyle with body punches against the fence. They trade and Moyle lands against the fence. 10-9 Moyle, 19-19.

They trade kicks early on in the third. Whitmire gets a big takedown and is on top. She’s in control landing punches from the top. Moyle unable to scramble from the bottom. Whitmire working in half-guard. Whitmire continuing to control landing punches from the top in half-guard. Moyle is not doing much from the bottom except throwing some strikes. Whitmire with elbows to the body from the top. Whitmire stands and lands some punches. She gets back into the guard against the fence. Whitmire finishes it with more shots from the top. Easy round for Whitmire. 10-9 Whitmire, 29-28 Whitmire.

Official Result- Emily Whitmire def. Jamie Moyle by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Dan Hooker (16-7, 6-3 UFC) vs. Gilbert Burns (14-2, 6-2 UFC)
Lightweights

They trade kicks early. Burns with a spinning back kick to the body. Hooker with a leg kick and Burns counters with a huge right hand. Hooker with two leg kicks. They trade leg kicks. Hooker lands a combo. Hooker trips Burns to the mat with an inside leg kick. Hooker had a brief choke on the ground but they got to their feet. Hooker with a straight knee. Hooker then drops Burns with a big left hand and then finishes him off with one more punch on the ground. Big finish for Hooker, who looked very impressive.

Official Result- Dan Hooker def. Gilbert Burns by knockout (punches) at 2:28 of Round 1

FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

> Curtis Millender (15-3, 1-0 UFC) vs. Max Griffin (14-4, 2-2 UFC)
Welterweights

Griffin with a left hand. They trade front kicks. Millender with a flying knee. Millender with another knee. Griffin lands a right hand. Millender with a leg kick. Griffin lands a left hand. Millender with a head kick. Griffin lands a right hand and scores a takedown. Griffin firmly on top and landing some short punches as he tries to pass guard. Griffin with an elbow followed by some punches. Griffin with another elbow. Millender can’t do anything on the bottom. Griffin with more elbows from the top followed by punches. Big end to the round for Griffin. 10-9 Griffin.

They trade punches to start the second. Griffin with a leg kick. Millender with a body combo and a flying knee. Millender lands a high body kick. Griffin lands a huge right hand but Millender counters with a knee to the body. Millender with a hard right hand. He lands another then grabs a neck standing but Griffin escapes. Griffin lands a left hand. Millender with a leg kick. Griffin just misses a right hand. Millender with a high kick. Griffin lands a left hand. They trade kicks. Millender lands a left hand and Griffin is hurt. Millender with a late takedown that should seal the round for him. 10-9 Millender, 19-19.

They trade to start the third as well. Millender with a leg kick. Millender with a knee to the body of Griffin. Griffin shoots for a takedown but Millender defends it. Griffin has Millender pressed against the fence. Millender with some elbows from against the fence. Griffin with a knee to the body. They break and go back to the center of the Octagon. They trade right hands. Griffin lands a right hand. Millender lands a right hand and has Griffin pushed against the fence. Griffin in trouble late. Millender with some knees to the body and a huge flurry on Griffin against the fence. Griffin with a late head kick. 10-9 Millender, 29-28 Millender.

Official Result- Curtis Millender def. Max Griffin by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Lando Vannata (9-2-1, 1-2-1 UFC) vs. Drakkar Klose (8-1-1, 2-1 UFC)
Lightweights

Klose pins Vannata up against the fence and lands some shots and a spinning back elbow. Vannata able to grab the back and gets a brief takedown but they get up and break. Klose tries a slam but Vannata defends and gives up his back. Vannata with a combo as they break. Klose with a body kick. Vannata lands a combo after they break a clinch. They trade body kicks. Klose with a leg kick followed by a right hand. They trade kicks. Klose with a calf kick. Vannata with a head kick and a spinning back elbow. They tie up against the fence. They battle for underhooks against the fence. Klose lands a left on the break. 10-9 Klose.

They trade and Vannata lands a good right hand. They clinch and trade knees before breaking. They trade and Klose pushes Vannata against the fence and they battle for underhooks. Klose with a big elbow and he gets a brief takedown but Vannata scrambles to his feet. Vannata cut around his right eye. Vannata lands a right hand and a spinning back fist while Klose lands a right hand. Klose with the jab. Vannata with a spin kick to the body. Vannata with a combo. Vannata lands a right hand and then a spin kick to the body. Klose with a leg kick. Two close rounds. 10-9 Klose, 20-18 Klose.

Vannata with a leg kick. They trade punches and Vannata with a spin kick. Vannata with a body kick. Vannata with a switch kick and lands a right hand. Vannata with a side kick. They clinch against the fence and Klose has Vannata pinned against the cage. Klose working on a single-leg. They continue to battle for underhooks but the referee splits them up. Vannata with a leg kick. Vannata gets a takedown and takes the back of Klose. Vannata has the hooks in. Vannata lands some punches from the back. Vannata lets go and they get to their feet. Klose lands the jab. Klose tries a takedown and gets it for a moment. 10-9 Vannata, 29-28 Klose.

Official Result- Drakkar Klose def. Lando Vannata by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Raphael Assuncao (#3, 26-5, 10-2 UFC) vs. Rob Font (#11, 15-3, 5-2 UFC)
Bantamweights

They both miss early strike attempts. Assuncao lands a right hand. They trade leg kicks at the same time. Assuncao with a leg kick. Font with the jab. Assuncao with a leg kick. Font just misses a head kick. Assuncao with a body kick and then a leg kick. Font with a left hook to the body. Font just misses a right hand. Assuncao lands a right hand. They trade kicks. Assuncao with a right hand. Assuncao drops Font for a moment with a right hand. Assuncao with a spinning wheel kick. Font with a flying knee. 10-9 Assuncao.

Assuncao with a quick takedown and he lands some punches from the top. Font rolls and Assuncao takes his back. Assuncao now working in the half-guard. Assuncao keeping Font firmly planted on the bottom but Font is able to scramble to his feet. They trade punches. Assuncao with a front kick. Font with a body punch. Assuncao lands a right hand followed by a quick left. Font with the jab. Assuncao with a leg kick. Font with the jab. Assuncao lands a right hand. 10-9 Assuncao, 20-18 Assuncao.

Font lands a right hand. Assuncao with a body punch and then lands a left hand. Font with a body kick and Assuncao returns his own body kick. Assuncao with a leg kick that trips Font up. Assuncao with a spinning head kick. Assuncao with an inside leg kick. We have an eye poke on Font and a timeout. Assuncao lands some left hands. They trade in close range. Left hand from Font. Assuncao gets a takedown and into the guard of Font. Assuncao with some body punches. Assuncao with punches from the top and he’s keeping Font on the mat easily. Font tried to find an armbar. Assuncao with some short elbows. Assuncao cruising to a win here. 10-9 Assuncao, 30-27 Assuncao.

Official Result- Raphael Assuncao def. Rob Font by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Uriah Hall (#9, 13-8, 6-6 UFC) vs. Paulo Costa (#10, 11-0, 3-0 UFC)
Middleweights

Costa with a body kick. Hall with a leg kick. Costa with a body kick. Hall misses a spinning kick. Costa with another body kick. They are trading. Hall is using the jab well. Costa with a body kick and then a hard right hand. Costa with another body kick. Costa with a front kick right to the groin of Hall. Back to action and Hall with a spin kick to the body. They trade and Costa lands some big punches to the body and a body kick. Costa with a knee to the body and then some big punches against the fence. They are trading as Hall moves away. Costa with a right hand but Hall with a front kick to the body. Costa with a body kick. Costa with an overhand right. Another groin strike from Costa. They trade and trade body kicks at the end. 10-9 Costa.

They trade kicks early in the second. Costa with the jab and then a right hand and then a high kick. Big right hand from Costa. Hall with a body kick. Hall with a takedown but they get right back to their feet. Costa with a body kick. They trade right hands. Costa with an uppercut. They trade left hands. Costa with a combo and Hall counters with a right hand that hurts Costa. Costa with a body kick. Costa with an uppercut to the body. Costa with a big combination and a jab hurts Hall badly. Costa then drops Hall face first with a right hand and this fight is stopped. What a violent finish by Costa as he remains undefeated.

Official Result- Paulo Costa def. Uriah Hall by TKO (punches) at 3:38 of Round 2

PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT

> Gokhan Saki (1-1, 1-0 UFC) vs. Khalil Rountree (6-2 1 NC, 2-2 1 NC UFC)
Light Heavyweights

Saki with a leg kick. Saki with a head kick. They trade punches. Saki with a right hand but Rountree counters with a left. Saki with a leg kick. Rountree knocks Saki down with a left hand and then finishes him with more punches on the ground. Big win for Rountree as he knocks out the kickboxing legend.

Official Result- Khalil Rountree def. Gokhan Saki by knockout (punches) at 1:36 of Round 1

> Michael Chiesa (#9, 14-3, 7-3 UFC) vs. Anthony Pettis (#12, 20-7, 7-6 UFC)
Lightweights* (Chiesa missed weight by 1.5 pounds)

Chiesa quickly shoots for a takedown and he gets it. Chiesa on top and is landing big punches. Pettis gets out from the bottom and quickly grabs the back and they stand. They break and Chiesa with a high kick. Chiesa tries for a takedown but misses it badly. Pettis has Chiesa held against the fence. They break and Chiesa lands a left hand and goes back hunting for the takedown and gets it. Pettis looking for a triangle but Chiesa escapes as he lands from the top. They get to their feet and Pettis lands a big kick. Pettis with a leg kick. He just misses a spin kick. Pettis with a right hand. Chiesa tries to pull guard but Pettis is on top and lands some punches. Pettis just misses a spin kick. 10-9 Chiesa.

Pettis with a body kick and then a right hand and then follows up with a knee as Cheisa goes to the ground. Pettis goes for a guillotine but doesn’t have it and now he is on bottom. Pettis now going for a triangle. He has it locked in and Chiesa taps! Wow. Pettis found an opening and capitalized and gets the win.

Official Result- Anthony Pettis def. Michael Chiesa by submission (triangle choke) at :52 of Round 2

> Paul Felder (#14 LW, 15-3, 7-3 UFC) vs. Mike Perry (11-3, 4-3 UFC)
Welterweights

Felder right away with a leg kick and then throw punches. Felder already cut open. They clinch and Felder with a knee to the body. Perry also cut open. Felder with an elbow. Perry with an elbow as well. They break and Perry with some front kicks. Felder with a hard right hand. Felder with a leg kick. Perry lands a right hand and then an elbow. Felder with a spinning back elbow. They trade punches. Felder with a step-in knee. Felder with a right hand then a front kick to the body. Felder with a head kick. Felder with the double jab. Felder with some more leg kicks and then a spin kick. Perry with a body punch but eats a spinning back fist from Felder. 10-9 Felder.

Felder with a high kick. Felder lands a right hand. They trade and then Perry picks Felder up and slams him to the mat. Felder scrambles to his feet. Perry with an elbow in the clinch and they break. Felder with a spin kick to the body. Felder just misses a head kick. Felder with a leg kick after an exchange. Felder with two leg kicks back-to-back. Perry lands a left hook and Felder has a huge cut over his right eye. We have a timeout to check the cut and this fight might be stopped. Nope, the fight continues. Perry gets a takedown after grabbing Felder’s back. They get to their feet and Perry lands some punches. They exchange elbows in the clinch. Felder’s face is blood red. 10-9 Perry, 19-19.

They trade early on in the third. Felder has a broken arm as he has told his corner. Perry lands a left hook. Felder with a leg kick. Perry misses an uppercut and eats a counter elbow from Felder. Felder then with a spin kick to the liver of Perry. Felder with a knee to the body. Perry with a high kick then a front kick to the body. Felder misses the spin kick. Felder lands a combo with the broken arm. Felder with a body kick. Perry goes for a takedown but can’t get it though he gets the back of Felder. Perry with some knees but Felder throws some backward elbows. They break and trade punches. Perry with a right hand but Felder counters with a straight knee. They trade until the end. Great fight. 10-9 Perry, 29-28 Perry.

Official Result- Mike Perry def. Paul Felder by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

> Francis Ngannou (#1, 11-2, 6-1 UFC) vs. Derrick Lewis (#5, 19-5 1 NC, 10-3 UFC)
Heavyweights

They size each other up in the first minute. Lewis with a body kick. Lewis tries a switch kick but Ngannou blocks it. Lewis with another body kick. Lewis misses a right hand. Ngannou has yet to throw a punch it seems. Lewis with a body kick and the briefly clinch. Ngannou lands the jab. Lewis with a leg kick. Lewis lands a right hand. Lewis with a switch kick. Not a lot of action from Ngannou this round and the crowd boos. 10-9 Lewis.

Ngannou fighting very cautiously. Lewis with a high kick. Lewis lands a right hand and they clinch for a moment but break. Lewis misses a right hand. Lewis with a switch kick. Ngannou is not engaging at all. This fight is bad. Both men are timid. Herb Dean just warned them for not fighting. Ngannou lands a jab. Lewis with a body kick. They fought more at the ceremonial weigh-ins. They didn’t do much after. 10-9 Lewis, 20-18 Lewis.

They still aren’t doung anything. This fight is truly awful. Neither man is throwing punches. Lewis claims to be having back spasms and Ngannou isn’t engaging at all. After all of this hype, this is one of the worst fights ever in the UFC. They finally trade a couple of punches with less than two minutes left. This is like watching the worst kind of sparring at your local gym. I’m done with this fight recap. 10-9 Ngannou, 29-28 Lewis.

Official Result- Derrick Lewis def. Francis Ngannou by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

> Stipe Miocic (C, 18-2, 12-2 UFC) vs. Daniel Cormier (LHW C, 20-1 1 NC, 9-1 1 NC UFC)
UFC Heavyweight Championship

Miocic lands some punches against the fence. Cormier with a leg kick. Cormier lands an uppercut. They clinch against the fence. They go to the mat for a second. Miocic lands some left hands in the clinch. Miocic lands a knee on the break. Cormier lands a right hand followed by a jab. Miocic lands a right hand. Miocic with a knee to the body. Cormier lands a left hand followed by a leg kick. Cormier with a leg kick. Miocic lands a left hook and then rocks Cormier with a combo. Cormier stunned by a jab from Miocic. Cormier now hurts Miocic with a combo. Miocic gets poked in the eye and we have a timeout. They get back to action. Cormier then drops Miocic with a huge right hand and then finishes him on the ground. Wow. Daniel Cormier has finished Stipe Miocic and is now a two-division champion.

Official Result- Daniel Cormier def. Stipe Miocic by knockout (punches) at 4:33 of Round 1 to win the UFC Heavyweight Championship

Our questions about UFC 226 and TUF 27 finale weekend

Posted on by Josh Nason

After a trip overseas last weekend, UFC returns to Las Vegas for two shows this weekend, starting tonight on FS1 with the TUF 27 finale event and continuing Saturday with UFC 226, a buzzworthy and much-anticipated card despite the loss of the Max Holloway-Brian Ortega featherweight title bout.

As always, we have some questions about the 20+ fights we’re about to see and the storylines leading in/coming out of them. Joining me as always is Paul Fontaine and Ryan Frederick, one of which isn’t excited for Saturday one damn bit!

Be sure to check out Paul’s recap of Thursday’s UFC Hall of Fame ceremony, will ya?

TUF 27 Finale | Friday

  • Tavares vs. Adesanya
  • Trizano vs. Giannetti
  • Katona vs. Cuccinello
  • Caceres vs. Bravo
  • Modafferi vs. Honchak
  • Di Chirico vs. Marquez
  • De La Rosa vs. Ostovich
  • Pena vs. Smullen
  • Gunther vs. Zuniga
  • Bessette vs. Peterson
  • Meerschaert vs. Piechota
  • Diamond vs. Mitchell

UFC 226 | Saturday

  • UFC Heavyweight Championship: Miocic vs. Cormier
  • Ngannou vs. Lewis
  • Felder vs. Perry
  • Chiesa vs. Pettis*
  • Saki vs. Rountree
  • Hall vs. Costa
  • Assuncao vs. Font
  • Millender vs. Griffin
  • Hooker vs. Burns
  • Vannata vs. Klose
  • Moyle vs. Whitmire

*Chiesa missed weight at 157.5. The fight still has to be agreed to as of this writing.

eeWhat are you most looking forward to?

Ryan: I’m really looking forward to UFC 226 as a whole. It sucks that the event lost the Max Holloway-Brian Ortega fight, but the card is deep overall with a really great main event. Some people may knock it, but maybe those people forgot how great Cormier was as a heavyweight. He’s never lost a round there and 13-0. The winner is arguably the greatest heavyweight of all time, and it’s the top fight I’m looking forward to. The Friday main event between Tavares and Adesanya is a very good fight as well.

Paul: I honestly couldn’t care less about almost everything on the PPV card. Personally, it’s the featherweight tourney final fight on the TUF Finale show between Brad Katona and Jay Cucciniello that interests me the most. Katona just happens to be from my hometown and he’s an exciting fighter and a great promo. Cuccinello is coming off one of the best fights of the year on the last episode of TUF and reminds me a lot of Brad Pickett.

Josh: Ladies and germs, only Paul would say he wouldn’t care about one of the better PPV cards of the year in favor of a TUF finale fight. I haven’t seen any of this season of TUF so you could have handed me a list of fake names and I would have believed they were on that show. The Miocic-Cormier fight is what I’m most looking forward to due to the legacy stakes for both men, but that whole PPV card is interesting even with Holloway-Ortega scrapped.

Anything being overlooked?

Ryan: Maybe the Tavares-Adesanya main event on Friday, but two fights that need more attention on Saturday’s show is Saki vs. Rountree and Felder vs. Perry. Those are both going to be violent. Saki is in the conversation of best kickboxer ever, and his lone UFC bout was all action with a great finish. Felder and Perry should be on all-violence teams, so that should be a war.

Paul: Gilbert Burns vs. Dan Hooker is on the Fight Pass portion of Saturday’s show. Between the two of them, they have 12 UFC wins and 11 of them have been by stoppage. Both are just on the outer fringe of contendership and a win on one of the biggest shows of the year could push one of them to the next level.

Josh: The return of the once buzzworthy Francis Ngannou. The guy fought six months ago in one of the most anticipated heavyweight title fights in years and finally returns. What did he learn? What if he brutally KOs Derrick Lewis? What if Lewis knocks him out? One loss put the halt on the momentum can help get the train moving again.

Anything not doing it for you?

Ryan: Both cards are good, considering the Friday TUF Finale is serving its purpose. Saturday is so deep that there is something for everyone, and even though the actual best fight heading into the week got cancelled, there is still 23 fun fights coming up.

Paul:  I don’t care at all for the main event on Saturday, but I know I’m in the minority. Cormier isn’t even the real champion at light heavyweight as far as I’m concerned and him getting the title shot is a gimmick. I see Miocic winning fairly easily as his size and reach will be too much for DC. Cormier’s only path to victory is wrestling him to death and the prospects of that don’t exactly excite me.

Josh: That whole Friday show is a waste. Virtually no one watches TUF anymore and its importance shrinks by the day with the Tuesday Night Contender Series growing in popularity among hardcores. I also hate the Adesanya-Tavares fight. I think it’s too soon for the flashy Adesanya and a grinder loss to the boring fighting style of Tavares doesn’t do anyone any favors. I hope I’m wrong, but as you all know, I’m always right.

Any intrigue with these shows?

Ryan: For Friday, it’s whether Adesanya is being pushed too quick, facing a top-ten ranked opponent in just his third UFC bout. On Saturday, you have Ngannou and Lewis looking to take each others’ head off, and Chiesa looking to break into that next level while Pettis wants to prove he has a lot of fight left. Felder wants to fight badly after two cancelled fights. Assuncao wants to prove that he should be next in line at 135 pounds, not Dominick Cruz or Marlon Moraes. There’s a ton of other intrigue as well.

Paul: I couldn’t disagree more with Ryan. I don’t think anything on either show matters at all with the possible exception of a future champion in Israel Adesanya on Friday. But, no one will see that so it’s probably his next fight where he’ll make a bigger step. I suppose if DC pulls off the upset and beats Stipe, it will be a big story.

Josh: I am stunned at Paul’s lack of excitement for Saturday. Outside the main event on Friday, Saturday is where the attention should be focused. With nearly everything on the main card, we get great litmus tests to where fighters are at. Even that undercard has some talents looking to stake claims to bigger things. The results of Saturday should put some bigger fights for November and December into motion.

What will be people talking about most after the show is done?

Ryan: I do think Stipe Miocic is going to win the main event, so the thing people will be talking about is what is next for both Stipe and Cormier. For Stipe, you could be talking about fights against Brock Lesnar, Jon Jones, Alexander Volkov, or even Cain Velasquez when and if he returns. For Cormier, you’d have to think going back to 205 pounds would be where he heads off a loss, and there are fights with Jones (if he comes back soon) and Alexander Gustafsson looming. You also have less than a year left for Cormier in the sport. It’s the fight of the weekend to pay attention to.

Paul: People will be talking about Lesnar vs Cormier because I truly believe that, win or lose, that’s the next fight for him. Cormier is the one guy they can count on to make it to the fight and it’s a winnable fight for Lesnar. Cormier will talk it up to the point that it will probably do really well on PPV. Other than that, if Lewis pulls off a win over Ngannou, he probably sets himself up as a future title contender, but I’m fairly certain he won’t.

Josh: That the new heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier finally came through in a big spot and that we really need to see Jon Jones fight him at heavyweight, but that Miocic rematch needs to happen first…at MSG in November.

Who wins?

Stipe vs. DC

– Miocic: Ryan, Paul
– Cormier: Nason

Ngannou vs. Lewis

– Ngannou: Ryan, Paul, Nason

Adesanya vs. Tavares

– Adesanya: Ryan, Paul
– Tavares: Nason

Chiesa vs. Pettis

– Pettis: Ryan
– Chiesa: Paul, Nason

Assuncao vs. Font

– Assuncao: Ryan, Nason
– Font: Paul

Modafarri vs. Honchak

– Honchak: Ryan, Nason
– Modaferri: Paul

Follow along with all the happenings this weekend on this very site. 

Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier booked for July’s UFC 226

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image courtesy of MMA Fighting

Less than a week ago, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier downplayed the notion of returning to heavyweight to fight UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic as good friend and former champion Cain Velasquez announced preparations to return back to action in the division.

What a difference a few days makes.

On Friday night, the promotion announced that both Cormier and Miocic will fight in the main event of UFC 226 in Las Vegas as part of International Fight Week after a run as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter.

The two men just defended their respective titles at last Saturday’s UFC 220 with Miocic downing Francis Ngannou by unanimous decision while Cormier bested Volkan Oezdemir by second round TKO. 

This continues a trend of UFC management wanting to do champion vs. champion fights as opposed to interdivision bouts. Women’s featherweight champion Cris Cyborg vs. women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes has been bandied about on social media this week while flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson vs. bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw has been in discussion since last summer. 

Cormier is the former Strikeforce Grand Prix heavyweight champion and moved down in weight after two UFC fights while Miocic just set the record for consecutive UFC title defense with three.  

There was talk this week that all three fights will be part of the same show, effectively holding up three divisions. 

UFC 220 live results: Miocic vs. Ngannou, Cormier vs. Oezdemir

Posted on by Josh Nason

Preview by Ryan Frederick

Welcome to our live cageside coverage of UFC 220, coming to you from somewhat cageside at Boston’s TD Garden

The UFC kicks off their 2018 PPV calendar with a card headlined by two title fights as UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic defends against Francis Ngannou in the main event while UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier defends against Volkan Oezdemir in the co-main event.

Miocic looks to make UFC history and successfully defend his title for the third time, but Ngannou is the most dangerous challenger in the division, with power punching and ten straight wins, all by stoppage. Cormier looks to defend the 205-pound title for the first time since being reinstated as champion. He enters the Octagon for the first time since July, while Oezdemir looks to extend his five-fight win streak and win UFC gold less than a year since making his UFC debut.

Rounding out the main card is undefeated Shane Burgos taking on Calvin Kattar, winner of nine straight, at 145 pounds, light heavyweights Gian Villante and Francimar Barroso battle to get back into the win column, and bantamweight prospect Thomas Almeida looks to get back on track as he fights Rob Font.

Send along your thoughts on tonight’s event (thumbs up-down, middle finger) along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave Meltzer at [email protected].

**********

UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS:

> Islam Makhachev (15-1, 4-1 UFC) def. Gleison Tibau (33-13, 16-11 UFC) by first round knockout (:57)
Lightweights

This was quite a way to start the card. Makhachev hit a left hook that knocked Tibau flat. He hit few unneccesary punches after that and it was over. This is Tibau’s first tilt in two years due to a USADA suspension and it showed. Makhachev (flanked by Khabi Nurmagomedov) said in his post-fight promo that he wants someone tougher next.

The crowd really popped for the finish which isn’t a surprise. What is a surprise is so many people are here already, a good sign for a loud and rowdy crowd tonight. Loooooong break until the next fight. 

> Enrique Barzola (14-3-1, 4-1 UFC) def. Matt Bessette (22-8, 1 NC, 0-1 UFC) by u/d (30-27, 29-28 x2)
Featherweights

Bessette is a Massachussets kid who made an impression on the Dana White Tuesday Night Contender series and was an injury replacement. This is his UFC debut against Barzola, a past TUF Latin America winner

Bessette started out hot, throwing a lot of kicks and landing a nice head kick as Barzola was still warming up. That gave him a 10-9 on my card, but the dreaded Octagon adrenaline dump seemed to take over in the second. Barzola hit a leg kick that swept Bessette and hit a few takedowns that didn’t amount fo much. Still, he got a 10-9 on my card as he the aggressor over a waning Bessette. In the third, Barzola was landing with more precision. Bessette was still throwing, but his tank was clearly running low. There was a little hope spot as Bessette was working for a triangle and leg lock with a minute to go but Barzola fended it off for a 10-9 round.

This was a decent fight that was buoyed by the crowd rooting for their guy. 

FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS: 

> Julio Arce (13-2, 1-0 UFC) def. Dan Ige (8-2, 0-1 UFC) by ud (30-27×2, 29-28)
Featherweights

These are also two DWTNC guys, both making their UFC debut.

It was a really slow start until Arce hit a straight left that wobbled Ige and was aggressive going after with more punches. Ige survived and threw a few counters, but Arce was on top of him to pick up the round 10-9. Arce controlled a fairly ho hum second round with punches for a 10-9 where Ige was going for takedowns but not getting them. Ditto for the third as Arce was simply better on the feet and lit up Ige on the feet. This was a fairly missable fight, but the crowd was into it.

There was lots of whoooing int his one which the MMA equivalent of saying ‘What?”

> Dustin Ortiz (#10, 18-7, 7-5 UFC) def. Alexandre Pantoja (#11, 18-3, 2-1 UFC) by ud (29-28×3)
Flyweights

This featured a great first round. Pantoja was a backpack on Ortiz and was diligently working for a rear naked that turned into a face crank. Ortiz worked his way out in the last minute, hit a big knee and then was working Pantoja’s back. Pantoja won the round 10-9, but that was close and fun to watch. Ortiz won the second round 10-9 by controlling Pantoja’s body for nearly the entire round, working him over with knees to the legs and body while attempting to take him down. Pantoja went back to the well in the third, backpacking Ortiz and wriggling him down two minutes in. But Ortiz worked out of it and earned the third 10-9 by outstriking Pantoja and grinding him out.

There’s a significant Brazilian presence here and they were chanting loudly during that first round. Despite that, Ortiz got a nice pop when his name was read. 

After that quick start, we’re now at three straight decisions. The crowd is still lively, but I’m interested to see how these next two go.

WWE’s Dolph Ziggler is here.

Abdul Razak Alhassan (9-1, 3-1 UFC) def. Sabah Homasi (11-8, 0-3 UFC) by first round knockout (3:47)
Welterweights

This was a rematch of a fight that happened recently with a controversial finish that Alhassan took. That streak of decisions came to a violent end as Alhassan crushed Homasi with a clean uppercut, knocking him cold in the first round. It was a no doubter as Homasi was out before he hit the canvas. Alhassan did a backflip and the crowd went nuts. Alhassan bears some watching in 2018. Have I mentioned how good this crowd is tonight? 

> Kyle Bochniak (8-2, 2-2 UFC) def. Brandon Davis (8-4, 0-1 UFC) by u/d (30-27, 29-28×2)
Featherweights

We get to our final FS1 prelim with another local in Bochniak trying to get a win and another DWTCS guy getting an opportunity. No big surprise but the crowd was pretty big into Bochniak’s intro.

This was not a great fight and that it was the featured FS1 prelim shows you the depth of this card outside the PPV. Bochniak edged him out in the first round with body control, a few well-timed strikes, and a takedown, good for a 10-9 first round. From there, he really didn’t do that much and I scored the final two for Davis who also didn’t do a lot but did defend a few takedowns and landed a few punches and kicks. I wasn’t surprised that Bochniak picked up the win here as it was that close.

PPV MAIN CARD: 

> Rob Font (#14, 15-3, 5-2 UFC) def. Thomas Almeida (#10, 22-3, 5-3 UFC) by second round TKO (2:24)
Bantamweights

Outside the top two fights, this is the one I was most excited to see. Both are coming off losses, but are both young enough in thier careers where an ‘L’ here isn’t going to sink them. Font is another local guy and the locals have gone 1-1 on the show thus far.

A huge second round propelled Font to a big win to open up the show. After battling to a stalemate in round 1 with no clear advantage for either guy, Font hit a big overhand right that hurt Almedia badly. He was on him ,throwing shots while Almiesia was trying to clinch and slow things down. Then came a big head kick that led to the end followed by some hammer fists that wrapped up the show for Almedia. 

This was a great way to open the PPV. I’m assuming the live crowd isn’t coming through on the broadcast, but they went nuts for that one, obviously.

> Gian Villante (16-9, 6-6 UFC) def. Francimar Barroso (19-7 1 NC, 4-4 1 NC UFC) by split decision (30-27 Villante x2, 29-28 Barroso)
Light Heavyweights

For the first time tonight, the Boston faithful booed. Nearly four hours into the show, I guess that’s a good thing.

This fight…existed. It was complete filler and something you’d expect to see on the Fight Pass prelims of an FS1 show. The light heavyweight division hasn’t been good for a while and this was evidence of that. 

Villante was better standing and really hit a few good shots in the second round, but that’s all you need to know about this. That it was a split decision was…interesting. Villante got the crowd back a bit with his post-fight promo because he was rooting for Miocic.

There are plenty of names here to watch the show including Amanda Nunes, Demetrious Johnson, Kelvin Gastelum, Kamaru Usman, Bethe Correia, and even Forrest Griffin to name a few.

> Calvin Kattar (18-2, 2-0 UFC) def. Shane Burgos (10-1, 3-1 UFC) by third round TKO (:32)
Featherweights

By way of New Hamsphire’s Massachussetts’ Kattar rounds out the group of four local fighters tonight and has a tough challenge in the undefeated Burgos. Kattar was out to Tom Petty’s ‘Wont Back Down’ which is Chris Weidman’s music. He cornered Villante tonight so we’re definitely getting a distraction finish or some kind of interference here.

After going into the third tied at 1 a piece on my scorecard, Kattar landed an uppercut from hell to a leaning-in Burgos who was instantly on roller skates. Kattar then hit another uppercut that put Burgos on his back. He went after him, hit a few more shots and when Burgos gave him his back while getting up, Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight. The crowd went ballistic and rightfully so for an outstanding and satisfying finish to a very technical fight.

Up until that point, it was all stand-up with Kattar taking the first and Burgos taking the second. Kattar’s jab was on point while Burgos was connecting with some nice body shots.

> UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier (20-1 1 NC, 9-1 1 NC UFC) def. Volkan Oezdemir (#2, 15-2, 3-1 UFC) by second round TKO

Said in Mauro Ranallo voice: Oezdemir is out to the Game of Thrones theme, but will he be Ramsey or Jon Snow tonight? 

The outcome here is going to be quite intriguing, but I’m guessing Alexander Gustafsson gets the winner regardless. Cormier is a huge fan favorite here and this has a big fight feel even with a lesser-known challenger.

Go time.

For eight minutes, Cormier was the king of the city, taking out Oezdemir in the second round, outclassing him and showing why he’s one of the best in the world.

In the first round, both guys were swinging for the fences with the challenger looking to use his recent power surge to take out the champion. But Cormier withstood the attack and landed plenty of his own, eventually securing a takedown and working for a rear naked choke at the end of the round. It was so loud in the Garden that people thought the fight was over.

In the second, Cormier took over and popped the crowd when he got a takedown. After some ground and pound, he worked Oezdemir into crucifix position and landed punches and elbows, eventually getting the fight stopped to Boston’s delight. 

He was emotional in his promo and was happy that he won what he considered a vacant title. As the kids say, he was over here tonight despite never having fought here before.

> UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic (C, 19-2, 12-2 UFC) def. Francis Ngannou (#1, 11-2, 6-1 UFC) by u/d (50-44)

My god, it’s time. The anticipation is like watching the final seconds tick down from a bomb that is about to go off. 

R1: Miocic fought a smart and fantastic first round, waiting out the hurricane of power and eventually tagging Ngannou on counters and scoring takedowns that tired Ngannou out. Ngannou did connect a few times, but as he began to swing wildly, Miocic nailed him with a punch that staggered the big man. After scoring another big takedown to end the first, it’s clear that he had a sound gameplan coming in. 10-9 Miocic

R2: Both guys slowed a bit in the second after taht fast paced first. Miocic (nearly 20 pounds lighter) was still able to tag him and with two minutes to go, got a big takedown and started working Ngannou over. For the final minute, Miocic had Ngannou kneeling against the cage and was kneeing and punching him. Ngannou couldn’t get up, his strength completely sapped. Everyone is standing, making for an incredible atmosphere. They are ridiculously into this fight. 10-9 Miocic with an argument for a 10-8

R3: Can you believe we’re in the third? Ngannou has nothgn left for Miocic and the champion did exactly what he did to finish the second: putting Ngannou up against the cage and working his body over. Just when Ngannou tagged Miocic, the champion smartly took him down to negate the damage. Flat on his back, Ngannou wasn’t trying to get up. This is way more one-sided than I expected. 10-9 Miocic

R4: Can you believe we’re in the fourth? Miocic scored a takedown 20 seconds into the round and just kept pounding away. At one point, he got up, Ngannou meekly tried for a leg lock or kneebar and Miocic simply spun around and went right back on the ground before Ngannou knew what was happening. Miocic was also a bit tired so his ground and pound shots weren’t enough to do big damage and end this. There was even a smattering of boos from the crowd as they wanted the finish — or at least a stand-up — badly. 10-8 Miocic

R5: Can you…ok, now we can believe it. Both guys were exhausted, but Miocic was slightly fresher. Ngannou could barely throw a punch which negates his one thought-to-be-big advantage. This was a boring round and unfortunately, fans didn’t get the finish they wanted. 10-9 Miocic

I certainly didn’t expect that to go the distance and neither did everyone else. Miocic is now the record holder for the most UFC heavyweight title defenses and is the best UFC heavyweight of all-time.

Thanks for reading!

Daniel Cormier regains UFC gold without throwing a punch

Posted on by Josh Nason

On a day when the California State Athletic Commission changed Jon Jones’ third round knockout win over Daniel Cormier to a no-contest due to Jones’ PED failure, the UFC reinstated Cormier as the UFC light heavyweight champion.

On Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight, Cormier discussed the reversal and then the championship being returned:

BREAKING: Daniel Cormier says Dana White will reinstate him as UFC light heavyweight champion! Thoughts? https://t.co/Ai6eOUAh07

— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) September 14, 2017

Cormier said that financially, the belt makes a huge difference as opposed to him fighting for the vacant title which is why he accepted it.

The 38-year-old had a four-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Jones, the only man to ever defeat Cormier. He won the title Jones vacated after he dispatched Anthony Johnson in May 2015. After wins over Alexander Gustafsson, Johnson again, and a non-title victory over Anderson Silva, Cormier finally got the rematch against Jones that was originally scheduled for UFC 200.

Gustafsson remains the front runner for the next shot against Cormier while Volkan Oezdemir remains a dark horse candidate.

UFC champ Jon Jones tests positive for anabolic steroids

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: UFC.com

On a week where the eyes of the fight world are on the UFC lightweight champion making his debut in a boxing ring, a budding megastar with a troubled past has once again given the UFC a black eye.

TMZ is reporting Tuesday night that UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones tested positive for the anabolic steroid Turinabol and has been stripped of the title he won by knocking out Daniel Cormier last month at UFC 214 — his first fight back since coming off a one-year ban for his first USADA violation. A second positive failure could mean up to a four year ban from the sport.

UFC confirmed the news, saying the positive test was taken on July 28th after Jones weighed in.

Yahoo’s Kevin Iole said Jones hasn’t been stripped of the title yet and that a statement from his team is coming.

After several years of incidents with the law and the USADA violation, Jones looked to have finally won the fans back after his impressive effort over Cormier. The expectation was that he would fight former opponent Alexander Gustafsson at some point this year and move up to heavyweight for a megafight against WWE Universal Champion and former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar in 2018.

If Jones is indeed suspended, a Cormier-Gustafsson rematch is appealing as well as a Cormier-Volkan Ozedemir fight given the latter’s recent propensity for knockouts.