One of our two biggest issues of the year, the 2020 Hall of Fame issue is out this week. It’s got complete results of the balloting among historians, active and retired performers, reporters and historians by category as well as final voting totals, plus who will and won’t be back on next year’s ballot.
The issue runs down the new members with extensive biographies on all of them. It explains the voting process and criteria, as well as runs down who came close. We also look at voting combinations that were popular, and notes on some of the key candidates. We list all of the first ballot Hall of Famers in history as well as the four highest vote getters in history. We look at people new to the ballot next year, who picked up Hall of Fame numbers in different categories along with bios of four of the five inductees.
Also in this issue:
AEW Full Gear show, including future AEW direction, match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results on the show.
Changes in the fundamental manner WWE has run its business since the beginning of time and why health conditions and economics have completely changed the industry.
New Japan’s upcoming tournaments, the Tokyo Dome show plans, the story behind it, business notes, plus a complete rundown of Power Struggle with match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
Survivor Series and this week’s WWE television that leads to it.
Where WWE may be taping from after it leaves Orlando and the pros and cons of the place, Tribute to the Troops and why the rating number may surprise people, WrestleMania note, Paige talks Alberto Del Rio’s case, Stalker tries to invader Paige’s home, Bellas talk a return to the ring, WWE new trademarks, Dwayne Johnson after a movie franchise adn plan for new show, John Cena’s next big role, UK TV ratings, how Smackdown and AEW rank among sports shows, plus the market value of WWE and the most-watched shows from the past week from the WWE Network.
Saturday’s UFC show with match coverage and business notes.
Ratings breakdowns in every segment for Wednesdays and every category for other shows, looking at stats not available elsewhere to get the deepest read into how shows are doing, what categories are doing well and how shows compare with previous weeks and one year ago.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw and the rest of the news tonight with Wrestling Observer Radio. You can send email questions for tonight’s show to [email protected]
Raw tonight should do a much larger than usual rating with the Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre WWE title match. If you watched Smackdown on Friday you would reach a logical conclusion that McIntyre is facing Roman Reigns at Survivor Series, and to do so, he needs to win the title tonight. Also on the show is Retribution vs. Braun Strowman & Riddle & Sheamus & Keith Lee and a tag team title match with Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods defending against Shelton Benjamin & Cedric Alexander. The show tonight goes against a Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings Monday Night Football game.
The Young Bucks autobiography, “Young Bucks: Killing the Business” will be officially released tomorrow. For a time during pre-release it was the best-selling book in the country on Amazon.com.
Former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum has signed with the PFL and will begin there during the company’s 2021 season. In the PFL press release they called Werdum “arguably the greatest heavyweight fighter in the history of MMA.” PFL CEO Peter Murray called him the Tom Brandy of MMA. I wouldn’t go near that far, but he did have one of the biggest wins in MMA history in 2010 over Fedor Emelianenko, breaking Fedor’s ten year unbeaten streak.
New Japan runs Korakuen Hall on Wednesday morning at 4:30 a.m. Eastern with a show with matches in the Best of the Super Juniors tournament:
Yuji Nagata & Gabriel Kidd vs Satoshi Kojima & Tomoaki Honma
Yuya Uemura vs. Bushi
Robbie Eagles vs. Master Wato
Sho vs. Douki
Taiji Ishimori vs. Ryusuke Taguchi
Hiromu Takahashi vs. Desperado
Bellator on Thursday night on CBS Sports network has Darrion Caldwell vs. A.J. McKee in the featherweight tournament which is a huge match with an NCAA champion wrestler vs. unbeaten fighter. Benson Henderson faces Jason Jackson in the semi.
WWE
The movie “The Buddy Games” where Sheamus has a major role will be released on 11/24 for streaming on Demand. Olivia Munn is the star of the movie which is a WWE Films production.
Jeff Katz, who has experience writing wrestling, working for Lion’s Gate, and dealing with SAG has some interesting words about why he feels wrestlers should join SAG.
Topps has come out with trading cards for Chapter 11 of The Mandalorian that feature Sasha Banks.
UFC
Jussier Formiga, who was one of the top flyweights in UFC, was cut today after three losses. Formiga has a win over current champion Deiveson Figueiredo.
Belal Muhammad faces Dhiego Lima on 12/19. Muhammad was to face Sean Brody , who pulled out due to undisclosed issues a few weeks. back.
Ketlen Vieira vs. Yana Kunitskaya has been set for a 2/20 show. The two were first scheduled on 8/1 and the fight never happened due to Vieira having visa issues.
AEW
An article on the new AEW video by Director X. The video will be released on Wednesday.
Today’s throwback interview segment for Wednesday’s AEW show featuring Ricky Starks, which will be for all of you into 80s Mid Atlantic nostalgia
AEW Dark tomorrow night:
Joey Janela vs. Marko Stunt
Christopher Daniels vs. Jack Evans
Leyla Hirsch vs. Tesha Price
Penelope Ford vs. Rahne Victoria
Frankie Kazarian vs. Griff Garrison
Ivelisse vs. Alex Gracia
Big Swole vs. KyLynn King
Ricky Starks vs. Travis Titan
Brandon Cutler vs. Ryzin
Thunder Rosa vs. Lindsay Snow
OTHER NEWS NOTES
R.J. Meyer, who wrestled as The Bruiser and was the longtime top star of the MCW promotion based in Maryland, passed away earlier today at the age of 44 after a battle with leukemia. We are very sorry to all his friends and family.
South Australia has 17 new COVID cases so travel from South Australia to the rest of Australia has a 14-day self-isolation quarantine imposed. Also gyms are closed and all sports are banned for the next two weeks. So Saturday’s Riot City Wrestling show is out and the 12/19 Adelaide Championship Wrestling show has frozen ticket sales for now until it’s clear they can run a show.
SHWA from Saturday night in Western Australia: Toro Blanco b Pegasus, Dizzy Videl & Ryan Allan b Great George & ?, Chris Target b Bruno Nitro, Jules Canan won three-way over Jared Slate and Axxton, Chadwick Jackson b Callum Collins, Taylor King b The Hoarde, Del Cano NC Michael Morleone to keep the Pride title (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
ACTION Wrestling ran two shows on Friday in Tyrone, GA
First show: Lutha X b Bobby Flaco, Graham Bell won scramble over Kevin Ryan, Brayden Lee and Shean Christopher, Brett Ison b Cole Radrick, Antony Henry b Kyle Matthews, Alex Kane b Damyan Tangra, Cabana Man Dan b Suge D-DQ, AC Mack b Tre Lamar
Second show: Fred Yehi b Adam Priest, Billie Starkz b Seishin, Logan Creed b Orion Bishop, Matt Sells b Jaden Newman, Arik Royal b Anthony Henry. Next show is 12/11 with Henry vs. Suge D (Pineapple Pete in AEW) as the main event.
CWE will live stream a 12/4 show in Winnipeg on its Facebook page for free looking for donations. It will be produced on a closed set in Winnipeg with COVID guidelines in place.
MLW announced Alex Hammerstone will be on their restart show that drops at 7 p.m. Eastern on YouTube and headlined by Jacob Fatu vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr. for the MLW title.
Plans for All Elite Wrestling started to come into focus at a rally in Jacksonville, Florida last Tuesday. A surprise appearance by Chris Jericho closed the event, with Jericho instantly becoming the highest profile signing AEW has made in its brief history. “I’m Chris Jericho, and I am all in with All Elite Wrestling,” Jericho said to begin his speech. “Surprise — I think we just took things to a different level, didn’t we?” Jericho said he’s not here with AEW for the money — he’s here because he believes in doing something new and different.
Our lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer talks about Ronda Rousey and her WWE schedule including how long a time frame of when she has talked of stepping away.
Also, look at the top of the WrestleMania card and what major star isn’t scheduled, and what other major star may be having his match changed.
Read the full preview of the Royal Rumble, with notes on ticket expectation, how the market is for all four WWE arena events in Phoenix this week, and the situation with John Cena.
Also, look at UFC’s first show on ESPN, the Dillashaw vs. Cejudo aftermath, the Greg Hardy debut, the business notes on the show and what record was set as well as how streaming sign-ups destroyed any combat sport event in history, and match-by-match coverage.
Break down the latest Jon Jones drug test failure and why failing the test actually gives more credence to his story than if he had passed all of his tests.
Examine a fourth generation wrestler training at the Performance Center, what happened with The Revival, lots of WWE contract news, XFL President announced, XFL TV talks, and injury updates.
Look at the major hearing next week in Nevada, California’s reaction and UFC’s reaction to Jones’ test failure.
This issue has a rundown of the final three nights of the Fantastica Mania tour, including why the third night was such an entertaining show, as well as an update on the talent in CMLL and the unique match that came from a movie.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell,CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
Raw takes place tonight at the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. It will feature Kurt Angle taking on Baron Corbin, Braun Strowman facing Drew McIntyre and qualifying matches for the women’s tag team title match inside the Elimination Chamber.
WrestlingInc reported this morning that WWE has signed Shane Helms to a deal to work as a producer. PWInsider reported that both he and Sonjay Dutt are backstage at Raw working as producers for tonight’s show.
Video footage of WWE security forcing someone to remove their AEW shirt hit social media last night during the Royal Rumble. Nick Jackson responded on Twitter, saying “Let it be known that if you wanna wear a WWE shirt at Double Or Nothing or any AEW related event we won’t do this to you.”
Be sure to check out Bryan & Vinny’s review of the Royal Rumble up now at video.f4wonline.com, including the annual visit from their friend Mark. Here’s a clip.
Pro Wrestling
Chris Jericho went on social media late last night/early Monday morning, writing “Intimidation and fear goes a LONG way in our business guys. But let’s be honest, @BrockLesnar needs to pull up his pants and lose the gut… the dream is over dude. I don’t play by the script…”. In another tweet, he wrote “Hey @wwe, @ringofhonor & @IMPACTWRESTLING … I love watching you push all your randoms, But just know that we are interested in maybe 6-8 of your talents total. We don’t need you!” Both tweets have since been deleted.
Kenny Omega was a guest on Andrew Patterson’s The Warmup on TSN where he talked about his upcoming documentary that will air on the network on March 27.
UFC/MMA
Former UFC Heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum told Ariel Helwani that he is going to ask for his UFC release. He’s under a USADA suspension until May 2020 because of a failed drug test.
Andy Foster told Fightful that the CSAC did not take action against Jon Jones following another positive test was because there was no evidence of re-administration.
After winning the Bellator heavyweight title, Ryan Bader expressed interest in a cross-promotion fight against UFC Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier.
Justin Gaethje mentioned that he plans to sign a new contract with the UFC after his next fight.
Callan Potter is stepping in to face Jalin Turner at UFC Melbourne on February 10. Potter is replacing Alex Gorgees, who is out due to personal reasons.
Damir Ismagulov will fight Joel Alvarez at UFC Prague on February 23.
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~!
The UFC announced today that Fabricio Werdum will face Alexander Volkov in the main event of the March 17th Fight Night show in London at the O2 Arena.
The match was put together after Michael Bisping officially said, on the advice of family and friends, that he won’t be doing a retirement fight on the show. UFC was attempting to put together Bisping vs. Rashad Evans as the main event, and when that fell through, completely switched gears.
Tickets for the show go on sale to the public tomorrow.
The winner of the fight would be in line for an eventual heavyweight title match. Volkov (29-6) is coming off a knockout win over Stefan Struve, and was heavyweight champion in the past in both M-1 Global and Bellator.
Werdum (23-7-1) defeated Cain Velasquez in Mexico City to win the UFC title, but lost it to current champion Stipe Miocic. Since the title loss, he has wins over Walt Harris and Marcin Tybura.
The UFC has been selling out its shows in London in rapid order.
The current lineup announced so far is:
Werdum vs. Volkov
Jimi Manuwa vs. Jan Blachowicz at light heavyweight
Leon Edwards vs. Peter Sobotta at welterweight
Mark Godbeer vs. Dmitry Sosnovskiy at heavyweight
Paul Craig vs. Magomed Ankalaev at light heavyweight
Alex Reyes vs. Nasrat Haqparast at lightweight
Rustam Khabilov vs. Kajan Johnson at lightweight
John Phillips vs Charles Byrd at middleweight
Jack Marshman vs. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos at welterweight
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC Fight Night 121: Werdum vs. Tybura, emanating from the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
The Octagon returns to Sydney for the first time in three years, bringing a five-round heavyweight bout as the headliner.
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum makes the quick turnaround after fighting just six weeks ago as he takes on Marcin Tybura. Werdum is looking to score his second straight win to get back in the title picture, while Tybura puts his three-fight win streak on the line.
Also on the card is a women’s flyweight bout as Bec Rawlings takes on Jessica-Rose Clark, welterweights Tim Means and Belal Muhammad square off, and in prelim action, former Bellator Lightweight Champion Will Brooks looks to get back into the win column as he battles Nik Lentz.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time with preliminary action all the way through the main card.
UFC FIGHT PASS PRELIMS | 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT
> Anthony Hamilton (15-8, 3-6 UFC) vs. Adam Wieczorek (8-1, 0-0 UFC) Heavyweights
Hamilton went to a cage clinch early and then got a takedown. He dominated him on the ground for most of the round, doing a fair bit of damage from half guard and even got into side control briefly. Wieczorek got up with about a minute left but wasn’t able to do much on the feet before Hamilton got him back into a cage clinch at the end of the round. 10-9 Hamilton
Wieczorek landed a nice kick/punch combo that dropped Hamilton early in the round. Wieczorek did some damage on the ground while working for a head and arm choke from half guard. Hamilton made it to his feet halfway through the round and did slightly better on the feet. Hamilton got a late takedown but didn’t do any damage and the round should go to Wieczorek. 10-9 Wieczorek, 19-19 overall after 2
Very close round that was entirely on the feet. Hamilton kept going for takedowns and Wieczorek defended them all. Hamilton had some cage clinch control time but didn’t do much damage. Wieczorek did have the nice combinations on the feet and seemed to be pressing the action. Could go either way, I have it 29-28 Wieczorek.
Official result – Adam Wieczorek (9-1) by unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Wieczorek said that he had a hard time handling the time change and that explained his poor performance. He was asked to call someone out and didn’t, saying he was going to concentrate on training. After all the good promos last week, this was a terrible use of mic time.
> Jenel Lausa (7-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Eric Shelton (10-4, 0-2 UFC) Flyweights
Lausa got the first takedown of the fight but didn’t do anything from top position. Shelton actually did more damage from his back. After Shelton got to his feet, he immediately got a takedown of his own but he didn’t do much either. Lausa got to his feet but Shelton took him down again and this time he did a little damage and stayed on top till the round ended. 10-9 Shelton
Much more dominant round from Shelton. He got an early takedown and was doing damage on the ground the whole time. He briefly got mount but Lausa escaped and got to his feet quickly. He took Shelton down with a guillotine but he quickly escaped and ended up on top. He stayed on top the rest of the round landing a ton of punches and elbows. At one point the strike count was 67-9 for Shelton. 10-8 Shelton, 20-17 after 2
Lausa blocked the first takedown but Shelton managed to get him down at 1:15 and held him down for the majority of the round. He landed a ton of elbows and punches on the ground. Total strike count was 186-11 for Shelton. Another 10-8 round for Shelton and 30-25 overall
Official result – Eric Shelton (11-4) by unanimous decision on scores of 30-27, 30-26 and 30-25
In his post-fight interview, Shelton put over Sydney as a beautiful city. He was very happy to finally get a UFC win and said he’d been waiting forever to do an interview. No call-out but he came off as a very likeable guy.
> Alex Chambers (5-3, 1-2 UFC) vs. Nadia Kassem (4-0, 0-0 UFC) Women’s Strawweights* (Kassem missed weight by 4 pounds)
Chambers got a takedown about 2 minutes and maintained top control for the rest of the round. Kassem did attempt an inverted heel hook and it looked close but once Chambers escaped, she was in control. Chambers did enough damage to avoid a standup and should easily take the round. 10-9 Chambers
Kassem was starting to do damage on the feet early in the round so Chambers was trying to take it to the ground. She got a takedown but Kassem almost immediately secured a triangle and was landing punches and elbows from her back while maintaining the choke. Chambers managed to avoid being finished but Kassem was doing a lot of damage. She eventually secured an armbar and used that to sweep into top position, landing a lot of punches and elbows before the round ended. 10-9 Kassem, 19-19 overall
Fun round. Chambers got a takedown again and Kassem immediately was going for another triangle. She didn’t get it but eventually reversed position and did way more damage from top than Chambers was able to do. Chambers got back to her feet and was getting lit up in the last minute on the feet and Kassem likely took the round and the fight. 10-9 Kassem, 29-28 Kassem overall
Official result – Nadia Kassem (5-0) by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27 x 2)
Kassem was really popular with the crowd and did a spirited promo after the fight. She said that she may have to move up to flyweight but will take on anyone, anytime, anywhere. She’s very young, very pretty and could be something some day.
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMS | 8 PM ET/5 PM PT
> Damien Brown (17-10, 2-2 UFC) vs. Frank Camacho (20-5, 0-1 UFC) Lightweights* (Camacho missed weight by 4 pounds)
They spent the whole round either in clinches or on the ground with a ton of takedowns and reversals. Camacho landed far more strikes, both on the ground and for the brief times they were on their feet. Brown got two different rear naked chokes in the last minute but Camacho escaped and ended up in top position at the end of the round. Very close but 10-9 Camacho
Round 2 was entirely on the feet and Camacho lit up Brown for the most part, landing about 3 times as many strikes. Brown came on at the end and they were exchanging hard shots to the head at the end of the round. They embraced and shook hands before the end of the round. 10-9 Camacho, 20-18 overall..
Almost a replay of Round 2 but a little closer. Seemed like Camacho was only landing twice as many strikes, rather than 3 times as many. Both guys got great shots in though and both were bloody by the end. The last 30 seconds was both of them just throwing bombs with everything they had and both were smiling and the crowd was on their feet and cheering their lungs out at the end. Strike count was 201-84 for Camacho with 1 minute left and they both probably landed at least 20 more after that. 10-9 Camacho, 30-27 overall
Official result – Frank Camacho (21-5) by split decision (28-29, 30-27 and 29-28)
Camacho put over Sydney as well as Damien Brown as a tough opponent. Brown was very upset about not getting the win but in a standup war where you got outstruck over 2-1, that’s gonna happen. Dan Hardy asked for a round of applause for both guys and also interviewed Brown after the fight. He thought he won two rounds but I’m not sure which two. He said the last 30 seconds was what fans pay to see and the crowd exploded for that.
> Rashad Coulter (8-2, 0-1 UFC) vs. Tai Tuivasa (5-0, 0-0 UFC) Heavyweights
Started off as a typical heavyweight battle with two fat guys just throwing punches and then going to the clinch when they got tired. Taivusa started to find his timing late in the round and dropped Coulter to the canvas with a hard leg kick. When he got up. Tuivasa landed a jumping knee to the chin for the highlight reel KO.
Official result – Tai Tuivasa (8-0) by KO (flying knee) at 4:35
Tuivasa was a huge favorite of the crowd and he had just secured his 8th straight first round KO. Dan Hardy asked him if he had a message for the heavyweight division and he said “It’s me again”. Crowd loved it. Dude is super charismatic and could be Mark Hunt for the next 10 years.
> Nik Lentz (27-8-2 1 NC, 11-5-1 1 NC UFC) vs. Will Brooks (19-3, 1-2 UFC) Lightweights
Brooks got a takedown a couple minutes in but Lentz grabbed his neck on the way down. Once Brooks escaped from the guillotine, he immediately went back to his feet. Other than that brief stretch the rest of the round was on the feet. Brooks was landing more and cut open Lentz on his nose. Lentz had a couple takedown attempts stuffed and tried to get it to the cage a couple times as well. 10-9 Brooks but close
Brooks was controlling the fight on his feet and Lentz was all cut up and bleeding from various spots on his face. Then Brooks went for another takedown and completed it but Lentz secured a guillotine and Brooks very quickly tapped.
Official result – Nik Lentz (28-8-2) by submission (guillotine) at 2:05 of the 2nd round
Nik Lentz said he’s a pro in there and would submit his mother in the Octagon if he had to. He said he’d put 50 grand of his own money on the line against anyone at American Top Team and sent that message straight to Dan Lambert. Good promo.
> Ryan Benoit (9-5, 2-3 UFC) vs. Ashkan Mokhtarian (13-2, 0-1 UFC) Flyweights* (Benoit missed weight by 3 pounds)
Round 1 was almost entirely Mokhtarian trying to stay away from Benoit. Mokhtarian landed one shot that rocked Benoti about a minute in. Benoit had a nice combo at the end of the round. Other than that, it was just Benoit following Mokhtarian around the cage and the crowd was turning on this fight by the end of the round. 10-9 Benoit but almost a 10-10 round
Round 2 was similar but with a little more action. Mokhtarian was more agressive and rocked Benoit a couple of time with a really hard leg kick hurting him at one point. Crowd was booing pretty heavily at the end of the round when Mokhtarian was running away but Benoit got a late takedown and landed some punches right before the buzzer. Another very close round. 10-9 Mokhtarian, 19-19 overall
Final round had more action as Benoit, in particular, was much more aggressive. Mokhtarian landed a nice spinning back fist at one point and shortly after, Benoit landed a Superman punch. From out of nowhere, Benoit landed a head kick and knocked Mokhtarian out cold. He tried to go to the ground to land more punches but the ref stepped in to stop it.
Official result – Ryan Benoit (10-5) by KO (head kick) at 2:38 of Round 3
Benoit put over his training partners and eventually got around to saying Ashkan was a good opponent but these two had a lot of heat going into this. No callout.
FOX SPORTS 1 MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> Alexander Volkanovski (15-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Shane Young (10-3, 0-0 UFC) 150-pound Catchweights
Volkanovski primarily used leg kicks for the whole round but would switch to punch combos to set up takedown attempts. Young managed to block all but one of the takedowns but that’s pretty much all he did as Volkanovski had a 21-3 advantage in strikes landed, easily taking the round. 10-9 Volkanovski
Volkanovski was able to land 3 takedowns in round 2, even though Young’s standup game was a little more effective. Not much, though, as Volkanovski had a 48-12 advantage in strikes landed by the end of the round. Young was able to get up fairly easily every time he was taken down though. 10-9 Volkanovski, 20-18 overall
Young tried but was just completely outclassed here. He actually managed a takedown but Volkanovski was quickly up and then landed an Angle Slam type takedown. After that, Volkanovski kept Young down for most of the rest of the round and never stopped landing punches and elbows. Strike count was 71-14 with about a minute left. Easy 10-9 Volkanovski, 30-27 overall. Only question is whether any of the rounds were dominant enough for a 10-8. I don’t think so.
Official result – Alexander Volkanovski (16-1) by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26 x 2)
Volkanovski said that Young was a tough opponent and one of the region’s best fighters and thinks he’ll do better with a full camp next time out. He said that he’s getting tired of having late opponent changes all the time and would like to see what he can do when he gets a proper amount of time to prepare for his opponent.
> Elias Theodorou (13-2, 5-2 UFC) vs. Dan Kelly (13-2, 6-2 UFC) Middleweights
Tough round to score as the entire round was standing but Theodorou threw almost exclusively kicks and Kelly was landing punches, mostly in small flurries. Crowd exploded whenever Kelly did anything but it’s tough to tell whether he did damage or not. Kelly was starting to block a lot of the kicks by the end of the round though. 10-9 Theodorou but could go either way.
Theodorou started to take over in the 2nd as he never let up the pace with the constant barrage of kicks but Kelly was definitely slowing down. Kelly did manage a trip takedown but Theodorou got right up. There was a lot of clinch action in the center but Kelly was not able to land many punches. 10-9 Theodorou and 20-18 after 2.
Kelly had his best moment of the fight when he got a takedown and secured a rear naked choke early in the last round. Theodorou escaped fairly quickly and got to his feet and for the rest of the round, it was basically Theodorou landing kicks from distance to the head, body and legs. Kelly never stopped advancing though. 10-9 Theodorou and 30-27 overall
Official result – Elias Theodorou (14-2) by unanimous decision (30-28, 30-27 and 30-26)
Crowd booed the hell out of Theodorou in his post-fight promo, mostly because he refused to touch gloves pre-fight. He said it’s because Kelly is two-faced and said nasty things to him in the elevator a couple days before the fight. He said he’s been doing this less than 8 years and just beat someone who’s been doing judo longer than he’s been alive.
> Jake Matthews (10-3, 4-3 UFC) vs. Bojan Velickovic (15-5-1, 2-2-1 UFC) Welterweights
Matthews spent nearly the entire round trying to secure takedowns. Velickovic was landing a lot of punches and elbows with his back to the cage while defending it. Matthews did manage to get him down twice but did almost no damage when he got there and Velickovic got up quickly both times. Some judges might give it to Matthews for the takedowns but I have it for Velickovic for more effective striking. 10-9 Velickovic
Matthews got a takedown early but Velickovic secured a guillotine on the way down. He used it to gain top position and eventually mount. He took the back of Matthews with a full body lock and controlled him the majority of the round. Matthews was able to get to his feet and was starting to land a bit at the end of the round. At one point the strike count was 83-8 for Velickovic, mostly on the strength of the first. 10-9 Velickovic, 20-18 overall
Matthews opened by throwing more strikes from his feet than he had the entire fight. He used that to set up a takedown and he did more damage than he had in either of the two in the first. Velickovic was able to get to his feet and then take Matthews down. He held him down, while doing damage, but eventually Matthews reversed into top position and did a lot of damage in the last minute. Probably enough to take the round but not the fight on my card. 10-9 Matthews, 29-28 Velickovic overall
Official result – Jake Matthews (11-3) by split decision decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
> Tim Means (27-8-1 1 NC, 9-5 1 NC UFC) vs. Belal Muhammad (12-2, 3-2 UFC) Welterweights
Round was entirely on the feet and both guys threw exclusively punches and almost all to the head. Strike count was 23-20 Muhammad right before the end of the round so it was razor thin. Muhammad did attempt a takedown late, which Means stuffed. I gave it to Muhammad but this was almost a 10-10. 10-9 Muhammad
Similar round although both guys started to throw more kicks and Muhammad had a couple of takedown attempts, even landing one. Means got up right away though. Means had a slight advantage in strikes landed and was starting to mix up his striking a lot more by the end and I gave him the round but another very close one. At the end of the round, strike count was 48-47 Means. 10-9 Means, 19-19 overall
Very close to the first round as no one got any takedowns and the fight was entirely on the feet. Means had a slight advantage in strikes landed but it seemed as it Muhammad landed the harder shots. Muhammad had a couple of takedown attempts. All three rounds were so close this fight could have any score. 10-9 Muhammad, 29-28 overall
Official decision – Belal Muhammad (13-2) by split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
Muhammad called out Colby Covington after the fight, saying he’s a coward for putting down other people’s countries. That’s a bit step up for him but a great name if he can get that fight.
> Bec Rawlings (7-6, 2-3 UFC) vs. Jessica-Rose Clark (7-4 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) Women’s Flyweights* (Clark missed weight by 2 pounds)
Rawlings was more aggressive early but Clark was managing to avoid most of her shots. Rawlings got a takedown but didn’t do much damage on the ground. Clark reversed into top position and actually held the position longer than Rawlings. Clark eventually stood up on her own, forcing Rawlings up. In the last minute, the standup was pretty even on both sides. Very close round. 10-9 Clark
They were stuck in a cage clinch for almost 2 minutes at the beginning of the round with both ladies trading control. After separating, Clark scored a takedown and maintained top control for the rest of the round. She was getting fairly close to a head and arm choke but she used that to set up taking the back. She did enough damage to avoid a standup and easily won the round. 10-9 Clark, 20-18
Rawlings was more aggressive to start, knowing that she probably needed a finish and she was landing good shots on the feet. She got a takedown and did some damage there as well. After Clark got up, she scored a takedown and did damage as well. Rawlings got up right at the end of the round. 10-9 Rawlings, 29-28 Clark overall
Official result – Jessica-Rose Clark (8-4) by split decision (29-28 x 2; 28-29)
Clark said that it was a tough weight cut and she needs to stop taking short notice fights. Not much else. Pretty underwhelming night overall for promos.
> Fabricio Werdum (#2, 22-7-1, 10-4 UFC) vs. Marcin Tybura (#8, 16-2, 3-1 UFC) Heavyweights
Werdum was busier on the feet, landing combos and mixing in kicks to the body and legs, which were starting to show their effects by the end of the round. Werdum got a late takedown but Tybura was up right away and took the back of Werdum by the end of the round. 10-9 Werdum
2nd round entirely on the feet and again Werdum was the busier fighter. Tybura did land a nice head kick and Werdum scored with one of his own later on. Tybura was starting to throw leg kicks by the end of the round but Werdum should take it pretty easily. 10-9 Werdum, 20-18
Another round totally on the feet and dominated by Werdum. Tybura had his moments but really looked to be tiring at the end of the round. Werdum hurt him with a few knees to the head from the clinch with about a minute left and tried to take him down but Tybura managed to block that. Total strikes 95-58 for Werdum 10-9 Werdum, 30-27
Round was playing out the same as the previous three until Werdum finally secured a takedown halfway through the round. Werdum looked to be setting up a head and arm choke and moved into side control with a minute left. Tybura somehow escaped that and made it to his feet. Tybura scored a takedown right before the buzzer and Werdum secured a guillotine on the way down. 10-9 Werdum, 40-36
Final round entirely on the feet. Tybura rocked Werdum with a head kick that he’s used to knock others out with early. He landed a second one halfway through the round but Werdum stayed on his feet. Werdum was probably slightly busier in the round but Tybura had his best round of the right and was still in there at the end. I gave the round to him but too little, too late. 10-9 Tybura, 49-46 Werdum overall
Official result – Fabricio Werdum (23-7-1) by unanimous decision (50-45 x 2; 49-46)
Werdum said Sydney is beautiful and he wants to bring his family here. He says he has two title belts on the wall at home and wants another one. He thinks he’s done enough to earn another title shot. Until Cain Velasquez is ready, it’s probably either him or the winner of the Overeem/N’Gannou fight in two weeks who will get the shot.
This show was the longest in UFC history in terms of total cage time and it really felt like it by the end with every main card fight going the distance.
If you want to read my play by play, you can find it here.
The holiday weekend wasn’t particularly festive for the UFC, as Christmas Eve brought a blow to next Friday’s UFC 207 card.
After days of rumors, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that Cain Velasquez is out of his previously scheduled fight against Fabricio Werdum after being pulled by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for medical reasons.
Velasquez took to Twitter after the news broke to express confusion about being pulled from the card. He said that he hadn’t heard that he was off the show and that he had been cleared by his doctor, but Okamoto then tweeted that NSAC executive director Bob Bennett had confirmed on the record that Velasquez’s license had been suspended because of the medical issue.
“Based on medical records, interviews and the best judgment of Chairman Anthony Marnell, Attorney General J. Brin Gibson, the executive director’s office and our physicians, in an effort to protect the heal and safety of the athletes, it’s been determined Cain Velasquez is unfit to fight,” said the commission.
“The financial incentive for fighters to compete is strongly compelling, and it is the responsibility and obligation of this commission to intervene when excessive risks are evident. It’s obvious Mr. Velasquez is physically compromised and competing would place him in significant physical risk.”
The status of the fight was put into question earlier this week with speculation that Velasquez had pulled out of the bout. Dave Meltzer noted in Thursday’s daily update that those rumors weren’t true, but that the former heavyweight champion had a back injury that would require surgery after the fight. The surgery was scheduled for January 4th.
Velasquez addressed the rumors and his injury status yesterday in an interview with Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, where he said that the UFC asked him to get further clearance after he had revealed the injury.
Ronda Rousey’s return to the Octagon for the first time in over a year after her loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 headlines next Friday’s card in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rousey will challenge Amanda Nunes for the women’s bantamweight championship. Dominick Cruz will put his bantamweight title on the line against Cody Garbrandt in the semi-main event.
Velasquez vs. Werdum was scheduled to be the third fight from the top with the winner becoming the most likely challenger for heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. It would’ve been the second fight between the two after Velasquez lost to Werdum at UFC 188 in his first fight back after a lengthy absence due to a knee injury.
UPDATE: In a statement, the UFC said that UFC 207 will proceed with 10 fights now that Velasquez vs. Werdum is off the card. That means that Werdum won’t get a replacement opponent.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 203: Miocic vs. Overeem, eminating from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.
We’re looking for your thoughts on this show, as well as tomorrow’s Backlash show, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worest match to [email protected]
The event is headlined by UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic making his first title defense against challenger, Alistair Overeem. In the co-main event, it is a heavyweight battle as former UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum meets Travis Browne in a rematch of their April 2014 bout won by Werdum. Also on the card is the MMA debut of former professional wrestler C.M. Punk, who makes his much-hyped Octagon debut against Mickey Gall.
********** YANCY MEDEIROS (12-4 1 NC, 3-4 1 NC UFC) VS. SEAN SPENCER (12-5, 3-4 UFC)
First round: Medeiros with a body kick. Low kick by Spencer. Medeiros with a body punch. Left by Spencer. Spencer with a nice right. Body kick by Medeiros. Low kick by Spencer. Low kick by Spencer. Body kick by Medeiros. Left by Spencer. Medeiros with a body kick which knocked Spencer to one knee. Body kick by Spencer. Lots of Whoo chants which often happen s at UFC shows. Very close round. 10-9 Medeiros.
Second round: Medeiros landed a left kick to the head which knocked Spencer down. Medeiros grabbed a guillotine, but then let it go and got behind him and grabbed a choke and had it in deep for the submission.
DREW DOBER (16-7 1 NC, 2-3 1 NC UFC) VS. JASON GONZALEZ (10-2, 0-0 UFC)
First round: Gonzalez hurt him with a punch. Dober kicked him low. Dober was given a warning. Dober landing a flurry of punches. He’s landing a lot of punches and the ref stopped it as Gonzalez went down. The sequence was a right to the jaw, left to the jaw, a few punches missed or grazed, then a huge right, then a left and another right and it was over. 1:45
NIK LENTZ (26-7-2 1 NC, 10-4-1 1 NC UFC) VS. MICHAEL MCBRIDE (8-1, 0-0 UFC)
First round: McBride missed weight by two pounds. Lentz landed some punches. He landed a knee to the head but McBride spun out of a choke attempt. Lentz got behind him and took him down into back control. Lentz with a knee to the body and another trip takedown. McBride back up. Lentz got him down again. McBride trying for a leg lock. Lentz throwing punches from back position. Lentz tried a guillotine again but McBride out. Lentz throwing punches. Lentz throwing some punches and elbows from back control. 10-9 Lentz.
Second round: McBride landing punches. Lentz landing punches. McBride seems real tired but put Lentz down and has his back. Lentz is back up. McBride with punches and took him down again. Lentz is trying for a guillotine. Lentz got his back. Lentz working for a head and arm choke. Lentz landing a lot of punches from back position. McBride put his thumb up like he was okay but the ref stopped it.
First round: Magalhaes with a body kick. Magalhaes got the takedown. Tavares back up. Tavares pushing Magalhaes up against the cage. Not much happened this round. Both trading knees at short range. Magalhaes 10-9.
Second round: Body kick by Magalhaes. Body kick by Magalhaes Good right by Tavares. Front kick by Tavares. Low kick by Magalhaes. Magalhaes got a takedown but Tavares right back up. Another close round, could go either way. 19-19
Third round: Tavares pushed him into the fence. Magalhaes working for a guillotine. He let it go. Tavares landed punches. Low kick by Tavares. Both traded. Body kick by Tavares. Right by Tavares. Body kick by Tavares. Magalhaes with a left hook. Right by Tavares and a high kick. Magalhaes in with some punches. Tavares with a knee. Tavares definitely took this round, so I’ve got 29-28 but the first two rounds were close.
First round: Eye is from Cleveland and is the big crowd favorite here. Eye landed a right. Nice right by Correia. Right by Eye. Eye took her down but Correia was let back up. Eye landing more punches. Eye 10-9.
Second round: Eye landing punches. Both were landing punches. Both were bleeding at this point. Eye 20-18.
Third round: Eye landing body kick. Correia landed. Both traded. Eye landed a left. Correia landed a left. Correia landing more punches. Both in a clinch and landing punches. Correia’s round so 29-28 Eye.
Scores: 29-28 Correia 29-28 Eye 29-28 Correia. The crowd is really upset. Fact is this fight could have gone either way.
First round: Andrade took her down. Andrade cut over the left eye from an elbow. Andrade with a high takedown into side control. The cut look s nasty. Andrade landing punches. Short power bomb by Andrade. Andrade landing punches. Andrade with good punches. Andrade back in side control. Calderwood got half guard back. Andrade working for a guillo0tine. Calderwood tapped. This was a strong one-sided win for Andrade.
Jimmie Rivera (19-1) vs. Urijah Faber (33-9)
First round: Front kick by Faber. Nice right by Rivera. Low kick by Rivera. Very little happening. Both are moving. A quick trade. Very hard to score because so little happened. Faber may have a right hand injury because he’s not throwing the right. Rivera 10-9.
Second round: Low kick by Rivera. Accidental low blow kick by Faber. Rivera landed a few punches. Low kick by Rivera put Faber down. Right by Rivera. Another low kick by Rivera. Another low kick by Rivera. Another low kick by Rivera. Faber’s left knee looks swollen. Another low kick by Rivera. Hard low kick by Rivera. Another low kick by Rivera. They traded punches. Rivera’s round I’ve got it 20-18. Boring fight.
Third round: Both swinging. Body kick by Faber. Faber tried for a takedown but didn’t get it. Right and left by Rivera. Rivera dropped down for the takedown. Low kick by Rivera. There was an accidental eye poke by Faber. Rivera back with punchds. Rivera landed more late. Rivera said he couldn’t see out of his right eye from that eye poke as soon as the match ended. Rivera 30-27. Boring fight.
Scores: All three had it 30-27 for Rivera. It’s sad to see Faber in this position.
Rivera was almost in tears about fighting Faber saying he grew up watching him. He said he couldn’t see out of his right eye the last three minutes of the fight. He told the doctor he wanted to finish the fight. He kind of apologized for not finishing. Rivera said he knew Faber doesn’t check kicks so he took advantage of that.
C.M. PUNK (0-0, 0-0 UFC) VS. MICKEY GALL (2-0, 1-0 UFC)
First round: Mickey Gall came out to “Hey Mickey” after all the controversy so Dana gave in on that. Punk came out to “Cult of Personality.” Punk looked so happy coming out and just being in the cage. It’s so weird how this is the real main event. Punk got a big reaction. Gall took him right down. Gall landing big shots from the top. Gall working for a guillotine. Gall go this back and working for a choke. Gall gave it up and punching and again working for a choke. Gall landing lots of punches. Gall is landing a lot of punches and again working for a choke. Punk escaped. Gall got it again and Punk tapped. This was a one-sided slaughter. This is just reality. 2:14
Gall said this has been crazy, it was a great opportunity, said people hate too much, he hated all the things people have said with Punk. We’ll all be dead in 100 years fuck the hate. He said this was a great opportunity for me, he said people may say you’re a gimmicky fight but I’m no gimmick. He challenged Super Sage Northcutt next. That’s exactly who he should have called out. Exactly.
Punk’s right ear looks like hell. Punk said this was a hell of a mountain to climb. He said this doesn’t mean he’s going to stop believe it or not. Said Mickey was a hell of a fighter. Said this was the second best night of my life other than getting married. Life’s about falling down and getting up and said to believe in yourself. Sometimes the outcome won’t always be what you desire it to be but the true failure is not trying at all, This was the time of my life.
First round: Werdum came out with a flying side kick that landed to the chin which was one of the best moves of the fight. Wedrum went for takedown. Werdum tried a Jushin Liger koppo kick but that missed as well. Werdum looks so slow. Browne suffered a dislocated finger and popped it back in. The dislocation came from a punch. The referee went to stop the fight as an injury time out which makes no sense. The fight should have been stopped. They all argued about whether to allow the fight to continue and they let it continue. Werdum with a body kick. Werdum is now landing. Werdum landing all kinds of punches. Browne actually landed some punches. Werdum with a spin kick to the body. Browne landed a left. Another left by Browne. Low kick by Werdum. Brown landed a right. Front kick by Werdum. Browne threw him down. Werdum with low kick. Werdum dropped him with a right. Werdum landing punches on the ground. Werdum got his back. Werdum working for a choke. Werdum landing lots of punches from back position until the round ended. 10-8 Werdum.
Second round: Spin kick by Werdum. Werdum landing punches. Werdum with a body kick. Fans are booing as nothing is happening. Browne with a front kick. Werdum with a right to the chin. Uppercut by Werdum. Left by Browne landed. Werdum is so slow. Brown with a left hook to the body. Crowd booing now. Browne with a left. Low kick by Browne. Werdum tried another Liger kick that missed. Werdum 20-17.
Third round: Browne with low kick and another. Werdum with a low kick. Werdum tried a takedown but Brown easily blocked it. Side kick by Werdum. Werdum landing punches. Werdum landing more pucnhes and knees. Browne with high kicks. Right by Browne. Browne landed a right. Werdum dropped down for a takedown that didn’t come close. Werdum landed a right. Left by Werdum. The crowd is booing this like crazy. It’s really bad fight with both looking slow and doing little aside from Werdum having him in trouble late. Werdum 30-26
Wedum started mocking the fans booing. Werdum threw a kick at Edmond Tarverdyan (Browne’s trainer) when Tarverdayn started mouthing off to him. There’s going to be trouble for that. It was broken up quickly. Bruce Buffer went to calm Werdum down. Werdum’s corner was hot as well.
Scores: 29-28, 29-27 and 30-27 for Werdum.
The crowd is booing Werdum heavily in his interview. Werdum said it was a good fight blamed the booing on this being Stipe Miocic’s house.
First round: Loud Stipe chant. Overeem moving backwards. Body kick by Oveeeem. Overeem just running away. Overeem deked him with a left and put on a guillotine but Miocic is out of it. That was insane. Miocic landed a left but Overeem with a body kick and a left. Miocic landed a right. Miocic with good punches. Miocic landed a good right. Miocic landing good punches. Miocic landed punches and Overeem is running away. Overeem with a body kick. Overeem with an uppecut and knee to the body. Loud “Stipe” chants. Body kick by Miocic. Left by Overeem and a body kick. Body kick by Miocic. Miocic landing several punches. Miocic took him down and is pounding on him. Miocic finished him with punches on the ground. Overeem was out after a series of punches on the ground. That was a hell of a round. This is one of the biggest celebration pops in UFC history. Overeem was out cold. They tried to get him on the stool and he fell back down. 4:27
Miocic interview. Said Overeem kicked harder than he thought. Said he kicked hard as f***.
Overeem said Stipe was the better man today, he’s a great athlete and he came to fight. Overeem said that Miocic tapped from the guillotine and the ref didn’t see it. He said it’s a bummer. He said he’s the better fighter but he wasn’t the better fighter.They showed the replay and no tap and the fans booed the hell out of it. Now theyr’e going to look at it again. There was no tap. Overeem looked like the kid who lied and got caught red handed.
Welcome to our live coverage of UFC 198: Werdum vs. Miocic from the Arena de Baixada in Curitiba, Brazil. The UFC brings their biggest event to Brazil as they visit a soccer stadium, the fourth stadium show in company history, with a headline bout featuring UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum defending against Stipe Miocic. The co-main event is a pivotal bout in the middleweight division as Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza takes on Vitor Belfort. Also on the card is the UFC debut of Cris Cyborg as she takes on Leslie Smith. Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6:15 PM eastern time with preliminary action all the way thru the main card.
ROUND 1- This is an interesting battle of young prospects. The huge crowd is already very loud. They trade punches and Moicana comes back with some leg kicks. Tukhugov complains about a low blow but there is no break. They trade again and Moicano lands a nice left hand. Tukhugov misses a head kick and Moicana lands a couple of leg kicks. Tukhugov lands a left hand. Tukhugov lands a left and Moicano stumbles to the mat and Tukhugov goes into his guard. Moicano goes to rubber guard. Moicano is looking to go for a triangle choke. Not a lot happening as Moicano abandons the triangle attempt. Tukhugov with some strikes and eats an upkick from Moicano. They scramble and Moicano has a brief look at a choke from the back but they get to their feet. Crazy end to the first. Close round. 10-9 Moicano.
ROUND 2- Moicano with a right hand early. Tukhugov looking for a head kick but eating the jab from Moicano. Moicano with some leg kicks and then a stiff jab. Tukhugov misses a big left hand. They trade punches. Moicano lands a low blow but the referee doesn’t see it. Moicano looks to pressure but Tukhugov fires back with punches. They each land in a wild exchange. Tukhugov shoots for a takedown but Moicano stuffs it and looks for a choke but Tukhugov scrambles out. Each man landing but Moicano controlling the center with leg kicks. Moicano lands a nice right hand. Tukhugov with a left hand and misses a spinning attack. Moicano with some leg kicks and goes high. Moicano with an uppercut and a high kick. 10-9 Moicano, 20-18 Moicano.
ROUND 3- They trade as this fight is close and could come down to this round. Tukhugov has a cut under his left eye. Moicano lands a big punch on Tukhugov. Tukhugov goes for a takedown but Moicano scrambles out of the position and they are on their feet. Moicano with a jab. They call timeout to check the cut but fight continues. They trade punches as Tukhugov lands a nice left hand. Tukhugov with a quick takedown but they get up to their feet. Moicano with a big knee to the body. Tukhugov lands a punch but Moicano comes back with a series of punches. Moicano with a spinning head kick and then a quick left hand. Tukhugov shoots for a takedown but it is stuffed. They scramble to their feet. 10-9 Moicano, 30-27 Moicano.
Official Result- Renato Moicano def. Zubaira Tukhugov by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
ROUND 1- Chagas makes his UFC debut on short notice. Chagas looking to land early and Moraes goes for a takedown but the fence gets in the way. Chagas with a combo and a series of leg kicks. Chagas misses a spinning head kick. Chagas with a head kick that was blocked. Chagas with a leg kick and one to the body. Moraes with a leg kick. Moraes with a nice uppercut. They scramble. Chagas with a hard inside leg kick. Moraes with a big right hand. They trade leg kicks. Chagas drops Moraes with a head kick but lets Moraes back up. Moraes is still stunned after the head kick with under a minute left in the round. Chagas with a front kick to the body and then drops him with a left hand. Moraes inviting him down but Chagas gets away and they are on their feet. Chagas with a head kick and some punches to end the round. 10-9 Chagas.
ROUND 2- Chagas lands a combo to start the second. Moraes with a big right hand and then misses a big swing. Left hook from Moraes. Chagas with a right hand and then two leg kicks. Chagas with another leg kick. Chagas with a combo and Moraes counters with a big right hand. They clinch and Chagas with a knee. Chagas misses a spinning wheel kick. Moraes with a kick and Chagas goes to the mat for a moment as he may be tired. Moraes with a right hand against the fence. They trade punches. Moraes grabs the neck and drops down for the guillotine and looking for the submission. Moraes has it tight but Chagas somehow gets free and is in the guard. Moraes landing some punches from the bottom as Chagas doing nothing from the top. They are stood up from the referee. Moraes goes for the takedown and they scramble to the mat. Chagas looks for mount but they scramble with Moraes on top and he lands an elbow and some punches from the top. 10-9 Moraes, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Chagas misses two left hands and eats a right hand from Moraes. Moraes gets a takedown and is in the half-guard of Chagas. He looks to go to full mount but gets back into full guard. Moraes with an elbow from the top. Moraes gets to his feet and lands a big right hand and Moraes goes back into the guard. Chagas is exhausted on the mat. Moraes looking to pass guard. Moraes looking for mount from the half-guard. Moraes gets into side control. Chagas looks to spin out and gives up his back. Chagas attempts to roll out but eats punches from Moraes. Chagas looks for a leg lock. Moraes keeps the back. Moraes has the back but Chagas is defending. They get to their feet but Moraes still has the back. Slow end to the fight. 10-9 Moraes, 29-28 Moraes.
Official Result- Sergio Moraes vs. Luan Chagas scored a split draw (28-29, 29-28, 28-28)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#10) ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA (21-7, 4-4 UFC) VS. (#11) PATRICK CUMMINS (8-3, 4-3 UFC)
ROUND 1- Cummins with a leg kick. Nogueira misses a left hand but defends a takedown attempt from Cummins. Cummins with a leg kick. Nogueira with a left hand. Cummins with a head kick that is blocked but he lands a leg kick and one to the body. Cummins with a leg kick. They trade punches. Nogueira with a big left hand and then another and Cummins is in trouble. Cummins grabs the leg and pushes the fight against the fence. They break. Cummins with two kicks, one high and one to the leg. They trade punches. Nogueira with a big right hook and Cummins is hurt. Nogueira looking for the finish as he lands more punches. Big left hands from Nogueira and he drops Cummins. Nogueira with punches from the top looking for the finish. Cummins gets up and Nogueira lands some more left hands and the fight is stopped! The crowd erupts as Nogueira gets the standing knockout win.
Official Result- Antonio Rogerio Nogueira def. Patrick Cummins by TKO (punches) at 4:52 of Round 1
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX SPORTS 1- 8 PM ET/5 PM PT)
BANTAMWEIGHTS- (#12) JOHN LINEKER (26-7, 7-2 UFC) VS. ROB FONT (12-1, 2-0 UFC)
ROUND 1- Lineker is one of the more exciting fighters in the UFC. Font missing some kicks to start. Lineker lands a right hand and then a left hook. They trade punches as Font is just staying out of range. Font with a front kick. Lineker just misses an overhand right. Lineker lands a left hook. Lineker lands a combo. Font with a leg kick. Lineker with a combo to the body. Lineker with some body shots and leg kicks Font who goes to the mat for a moment. They trade punches and Lineker lands good to the body. Font circling against the cage and they go to the mat and Lineker is in the side position on top. Lineker with punches from the top and they get to their feet. Lineker with more body punches. Font misses a head kick. 10-9 Lineker.
ROUND 2- Lineker with a leg kick and then a huge left hook. Lineker with a series of leg kicks. Font lands some jabs. Lineker with a solid combo. Lineker with a left hook and then lands a combo as Font misses the jab. Lineker with a leg kick. Font with a leg kick. Lineker with a left uppercut and right hand. Font with a leg kick and Lineker fires back with some big punches to the body. Font lands a couple of good punches. Lineker really controlling the center of the Octagon. Font with a leg kick. Lineker with a combo to the body. Font with the jab. Lineker looks for a takedown but Font defends. Font ducks under a punch and goes for a takedown but Lineker defends it as well. Font with an uppercut. Lineker with a high kick but then lands a leg kick. 10-9 Lineker, 20-18 Lineker.
ROUND 3- Lineker with some leg kicks. Font lands a left hand. Font with a leg kick but Lineker counters with some right hands. Lineker with a body kick. They trade punches in close range. Lineker with some good left hands against the fence. Font falls to the mat in an exchange and Lineker is on top next to the fence. Lineker with some big punches from the top. Lineker with some knees to the body on the mat. Font gets to his feet and they are back up. Font just misses a head kick. Font with a leg kick and Lineker catches it and counters with a right hand and they go to the mat. Lineker in the guard of Font and landing punches and elbows from the top. Lineker moves to half-guard and goes into side control. Lineker with some knees. They scramble to their feet. Lineker urging Font to attack. They go to the mat and Lineker is landing big punches as the crowd goes wild to end the fight. 10-9 Lineker, 30-27 Lineker.
Official Result- John Lineker def. Rob Font by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-26)
LIGHTWEIGHTS- FRANCISCO TRINALDO (19-4, 9-3 UFC) VS. YANCY MEDEIROS (12-3 1 NC, 3-3 1 NC UFC)
ROUND 1- Medeiros with a body kick. Trinaldo with a brief takedown but they end clinching against the fence. Trinaldo with double underhooks looking for a takedown. Medeiros reverses and looks for his own takedown but Trinaldo reverses again. They trade knees to the body. Both men battling in the clinch. They break. Trinaldo with a leg kick. Trinaldo with a big left hand and they clinch again. They trade punches as they break. They trade body kicks. Trinaldo with a big left hand. A nice combo from Trinaldo and he lands another big left hand and then a right hand. Another left hand from Trinaldo. He rocks Medeiros with another left hand. Trinaldo with more left hands and Medeiros is in trouble. Medeiros is eating the punches and he will survive the round on wobbly legs. He was close to being done there. 10-8 Trinaldo.
ROUND 2- Trinaldo with a body kick. Medeiros with a body punch and then a body kick. They trade strikes. Trinaldo lands a right hand and then the left hand. More big punches from Trinaldo land. Medeiros lands a right hand and then another. Medeiros with a front kick to the body. Trinaldo takes a deep breath and lands a leg kick. Trinaldo with a body kick and then two left hands. Trinaldo with another left hand. They clinch and Trinaldo with a knee to the body as he sprawls. They get up and Medeiros eats a head kick on the way up. Trinaldo with another series of left hands. Medeiros in trouble again. Trinaldo with a hard body kick. Trinaldo with a nice combo. Medeiros with a right hand to the body and then another. Trinaldo counters with a left hand. Trinaldo with a body kick. Medeiros with a big right hand that drops Trinaldo. Medeiros with punches from the top but the round ends. 10-9 Trinaldo, 20-17 Trinaldo.
ROUND 3- Medeiros might need a finish here and he was close. They trade punches. Trinaldo with a leg kick. Trinaldo lands a counter left hand. Medeiros with a spin kick to the body following a body punch. Trinaldo with a left hand to the body. Trinaldo with a left hand. Trinaldo with a hard body kick. Trinaldo rocks Medeiros with a left hand and then a flying knee. Trinaldo with a left hand and he is looking for a finish. Trinaldo with a combo and a body and then a head kick and a left hand against the fence. More punches from Trinaldo. He drops Medeiros with a left hand and more punches from the top by Trinaldo. Trinaldo in side control with hammerfists. Medeiros not defending much. They scramble to their feet. Medeiros is out on his feet and this should be stopped. More left hands from Trinaldo. Knees to the body and they go to the mat. Hammerfists from Trinaldo. This fight should be stopped. More punches from the top by Trinaldo. Medeiros gets to this feet. Takedown by Trinaldo and more punches from the top. Medeiros scrambles to the half-guard. Medeiros with punches to the body from the top. He somehow survived the fight. 10-9 Trinaldo, 30-26 Trinaldo.
Official Result- Francisco Trinaldo def. Yancy Medeiros by unanimous decision (29-26, 30-27, 30-26)
ROUND 1- Marquardt with a leg kick. Santos with a leg kick. They trade kicks. Santos with a leg kick and then a head kick. Marquardt with a leg kick. Santos with a leg kick and Marquardt comes back with his own. Santos with a body kick. Santos with a body kick. Santos with a left hand that drops Marquardt. They get to their feet. Santos with a left kick and then a combo from Santos finishes Marquardt. Santos with the knockout win!
Official Result- Thiago Santos def. Nate Marquardt by knockout (punches) at 3:39 of Round 1
WELTERWEIGHTS- (#6) DEMIAN MAIA (22-6, 16-6 UFC) VS. (#8) MATT BROWN (20-13, 13-7 UFC)
ROUND 1- Brown got hit by some fans during his walkout and actually threw a punch back at one. Brown with a right hand. Maia shoots for the takedown and gets it and this is his world. Maia moves to the back. They are standing and Maia has the back and putting pressure on Brown’s knees. They go to the mat and Maia still has the back of Brown. Maia looking for the choke but Brown defending. Maia with punches from the back. Maia looking for the choke yet again. Maia with more punches from the back as he looks to get his arm under the neck. Brown looks to reverse and now has the top as Maia looked for an arm. 10-9 Maia.
ROUND 2- Maia goes right back for a takedown but Brown defends. Maia goes right back for another and drives Brown to the fence and has a single leg. Maia gets the fight to the mat. Maia has the back again. They get to their feet but Maia trips them back to the mat and still has the back of Brown and is looking for the choke. Maia with punches from the back. Brown is looking for a stand-up but isn’t going to get it. Maia with more punches from the back. Brown is able to get on top and land punches as the round ends. 10-9 Maia, 20-18 Maia.
ROUND 3- Maia goes for a takedown but it is defended. Maia with a left hand and misses another takedown attempt. Maia with a right hand and goes for a takedown. Brown lands some punches and they get to their feet. Maia looking for a takedown again. They go to the mat and Brown is on top. Maia ends up on top in a scramble. Maia flattens Brown out on the mat and is in the guard. They get to their feet and Maia takes the back of Brown. They go back to the mat and Maia is looking for a choke yet again. Maia still looking for the choke. Brown has defended the choke well all fight. Maia with more punches from the back. Maia has the arm under the chin and the choke is tight. Brown submits! Maia gets the win by rear-naked choke and the crowd goes wild.
Official Result- Demian Maia def. Matt Brown by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:31 of Round 3
ROUND 1- Alves with a body kick and takes the fight down and has the neck looking for a guillotine choke. Barberena gives a thumbs up that he is good but Alves still has the neck. Barberena escapes and lands a couple punches from the top. They scramble to their feet. They break and Alves misses a spinning wheel kick. They trade against the fence. Alves with a head kick and then a right hand and combo. They clinch and Barberena with an elbow. They break and Alves with a hard punch to the body. Barberena with a right hook. Alves with a combo. Alves with a big body kick and then a big combo against the fence. Alves with a straight right hand. Barberena with an inside leg kick. Alves with an uppercut against the fence. Barberena with some low kicks and a knee in the clinch. Close round. 10-9 Alves.
ROUND 2- Alves with a right hand and a body kick. Alves with two right hands and another big body kick. Alves is cut under his left eye. Alves with a leg kick and a right hand. Alves with a right hand and then a body kick. Alves with a right hand to the body. Both men trading jabs against the fence and they clinch. They break and Alves takes a deep breath. Both men trading punches and Alves lands a big body kick. They clinch and Barberena lands an elbow on the break. Trading punches again. Barberena with a leg kick and another. Alves is starting to slow down. Barberena lands a solid combination and then another. They trade and Barberena gets the better of it. Barberena with a body kick. Close round again. 10-9 Barberena, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Alves comes out quick with a combo and a body kick. Alves misses a big head kick. Barberena with a leg kick. Alves with the double jab. Barberena slips to the mat and Alves quickly grabs the neck but they get to their feet and clinch against the fence. They trade punches after a break. Both men looking tired, Alves moreso. Both men with front kicks to the body. Alves with a nice combo. Alves with a flying knee. Barberena lands some elbows. They clinch and Alves with some knees to the body. Barberena with a right hand and lands a left hand. Barberena with a good combination but Alves counters with his own. Both men are throwing for the fences. Alves with a left hand. Barberena with a combo. Alves with a body kick. They trade in the clinch. Both men landing and Alves misses a wheel kick. Barberena lands a good combo and is looking to make a closing impression. Alves with a right hand. Both men trade to end the fight. Very close fight. 10-9 Barberena, 29-28 Barberena.
Official Result- Bryan Barberena def. Warlley Alves by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS- (#8) MAURICIO RUA (23-10, 7-8 UFC) VS. (#12) COREY ANDERSON (8-1, 5-1 UFC)
ROUND 1- Rua with an early leg kick. He lands another after both feint punches. Rua with another leg kick. Rua with another followed by an uppercut. They trade punches. Rua with an overhand right. Rua with an uppercut followed with a leg kick. Rua with another big leg kick. Anderson goes for a leg kick and Rua goes for a takedown but it is defended. Anderson goes for a flying knee but Rua lands a right hand. They clinch and the crowd starts to boo. They break and Anderson with a nice right hand. They trade and Rua with a leg kick. They trade in a wild exchange. Anderson with a head kick. Anderson lands a left hook. Anderson with a leg kick. Anderson with a combo. Anderson with a double jab. Rua with a big left hand that drops Anderson and he goes for a finish but the round ends before he can get it. That was close. 10-9 Rua.
ROUND 2- Rua with a leg kick. They trade wild exchanges. Rua with a leg kick and Anderson counters with a combo that was mostly blocked. Anderson scores a takedown and is in the half-guard. They scramble to their feet and are clinched against the fence. Rua with a knee to the body and Anderson lands his own and they break. Anderson with a jab and he shoots for another takedown but Rua defends it. They tie up against the fence. Anderson with short punches. They break and Rua circles away. Rua with an uppercut as he blocks a takedown attempt. Anderson with another takedown but Rua right back up. They trade punches. Rua with a leg kick and he drops Anderson again with a right hand at the end of the round. He lands two punches but again the round ends before he can get a finish. 10-9 Anderson, 19-19.
ROUND 3- Rua with a leg kick. They trade punches. Anderson goes for a takedown and gets it against the fence. Anderson with some punches and elbows from the top. Anderson smothering Rua on the mat. Rua gives up his back as he tries to scramble to his feet. They are up and they break. Rua with a leg kick. Anderson goes for another takedown and Rua defends it. Anderson grabs the leg and finishes the takedown but they get right back up. Anderson with a knee. They scramble to the mat and right back up. Anderson still looking for the takedown but Rua defending and landing some small punches. Anderson digging for the takedown still. They break and Anderson with a flying knee and another takedown attempt as the fight ends. Boring last round. 10-9 Anderson, 29-28 Anderson.
Official Result- Mauricio Rua def. Corey Anderson by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
140-POUND CATCHWEIGHT- CRIS CYBORG (15-1 1 NC, 0-0 UFC) VS. LESLIE SMITH (8-6-1, 2-2 UFC)
ROUND 1- Cyborg is making her long-awaited UFC debut. Cyborg with a right hand to start. A big combo from Cyborg lands. Cyborg with a head kick. Big combo from Cyborg drops Smith and Cyborg looking to finish. Smith is hurt and Cyborg with some punches from the top and this fight is stopped. Cyborg with the knockout win in her UFC debut. Fight was stopped early looking at replays and Smith is not happy about it.
Official Result- Cris Cyborg def. Leslie Smith by TKO (punches) at 1:21 of Round 1
MIDDLEWEIGHTS- (#2) RONALDO SOUZA (22-4 1 NC, 5-1 UFC) VS. (#3) VITOR BELFORT (25-11, 14-7 UFC)
ROUND 1- Big fight that could determine next middleweight title challenger. Souza with a body kick. Belfort fakes a flying knee and stuffs a takedown attempt. They clinch against the fence and Belfort lands a knee. Souza gets a takedown and is on top against the fence. Souza with short elbows from the top. Belfort is cut open and bleeding pretty badly right now. They call timeout at a wrong time for the cut to be checked. The doctor clears Belfort and they continue in the position they were in. Souza passes guard and Belfort ends on top and they scramble to the feet. They are clinched against the fence. Belfort pulls guard and Souza lands from the top. Belfort with a couple of upkicks but Souza is landing a lot from the top. Souza in mount and landing big elbows and punches with less than a minute left. Belfort in a lot of trouble. Souza with more punches from the top and the fight is stopped. Souza gets the TKO win in a dominant showing.
Official Result- Ronaldo Souza def. Vitor Belfort by TKO (strikes) at 4:38 of Round 1
ROUND 1- They trade kicks to start. They trade leg kicks. Werdum with a body kick and then one to the leg. Werdum with a right hand. Miocic with a combo. Werdum lands a right hand. Miocic with a leg kick. Werdum looks to grab a leg but Miocic shakes it off. Miocic lands a right hand. They trade leg kicks. Miocic lands a left hand. They trade right hands. Miocic then lands a big right hand and Werdum is out cold! A one-punch knockout and Miocic has won the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
Official Result- Stipe Miocic def. Fabricio Werdum by knockout (punch) at 2:47 of Round 1
A back injury has forced former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez (13-2, 11-2 UFC) from his chance at regaining the championship next month. Velasquez has been forced to pull out of the main event of UFC 196, where he was scheduled to fight UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum (20-5-1, 8-2 UFC) in the main event of the February 6 event in Las Vegas, Nevada. Werdum will now defend the championship against Stipe Miocic (14-2, 8-2 UFC) at the event in the headline bout. UFC President Dana White made the announcement on Sunday on his Twitter page.
Cain Velasquez is out with a back injury. Stipe vs Werdum for the heavyweight championship February 6th. pic.twitter.com/vPRJYJvOjL
Miocic gets the title shot after scoring a 54-second knockout win over Andrei Arlovski at UFC 195 earlier this month. Miocic was expected to fight the winner of the bout between Werdum and Velasquez, but his title opportunity will come on less than two weeks’ notice. Miocic has won five of his last six fights overall.
It will be the first title defense for Werdum after he submittied Velasquez to win the championship at UFC 188 in June. Werdum has won six straight fights overall.
UFC 196 takes place from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Super Bowl Weekend and airs on pay-per-view. Former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks takes on Stephen Thompson in the co-main event.
The following was post to Cain’s FB Page after the announcement:
I’m sure you’ve heard the news that I won’t be able to fight at UFC 196. I can’t begin to tell you how disappointed I am and how I feel I’m letting you all down. I’ve heard and read all of your messages of support since my last fight and during this camp and for that I thank you.
Training camp has been difficult for the last few weeks, but sometimes no matter how much the heart and mind want to fight through an injury, healing has its own timeline. We thought we’d get through it, but we had to face the truth that it wasn’t going to be OK in time to fight. All of us fighters have all fought injured at one time or another, but I can’t ignore this injury, as my doctor has indicated that not addressing the problems with my sciatic nerve could have longer-term consequences.
My fans deserve to see me compete as close to 100% as possible. I’m committed to giving them that. I’m not going to let my fans down, and I want to make sure I do the right things to ensure a long career.
Fabricio, I hope that you accept my sincere apology. I understand how you may think this is an excuse. From one professional to another, I can tell you I was committed and looking forward to competing with you again. I greatly respect you as a fighter and man, and we will meet soon.
I will get this taken care of as soon as possible. I will heal and will come back and show you the Cain Velasquez you all deserve to see.
