UFC 289 live results: Amanda Nunes vs. Irene Aldana bantamweight title fight

The Octagon is back in Canada for the first time since September 2019 with Saturday’s UFC 289 — a pay-per-view from Vancouver offering featuring arguably the greatest female fighter of all-time looking to add to her legacy.

UFC women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes makes her ninth career title defense, and the first of her second reign as bantamweight champ, when she defends against Irene Aldana in the main event. 

Nunes regained the title with a dominant win over Julianna Pena in July and were scheduled to finish their trilogy tonight, but Pena was forced out due to broken ribs. Aldana stepped in on the heels of wins in four of her last five fights.

The co-main event features a pivotal lightweight bout with title shot implications as former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira takes on Beneil Dariush. Oliveira is coming off of losing the title to Islam Makhachev in October while Dariush comes into this fight riding an eight-fight win streak.

Also on the main card: Mike Malott vs. Adam Fugitt, Dan Ige vs. Nate Landwehr, and Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Eryk Anders. Capping off the prelims is a battle of ranked middleweights as Nassourdine Imavov takes on Chris Curtis.

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> Women’s Strawweights- Diana Belbita (14-7, 1-3 UFC) vs. Maria Oliveira (13-6, 1-2 UFC)

They’re trading in the center to start. Belbita lands a nice right hand. Belbita lands a leg kick just after Oliveira misses a flying knee. They trade combos inside the pocket. Oliveira lands a right hand and scores a takedown. Belbita throws her legs up and is landing some elbows from the bottom. Oliveira drops back and is looking for a leg lock but Belbita spins out of trouble and ends up on top. They get to their feet and Belbita lands a knee. She lands another as they break. Belbita lands a couple of leg kicks as Oliveira lands the jab. Belbita lands a big combination. Belbita with a leg kick and right hand late. 10-9 Belbita.

They come out swinging and Belbita lands some punches and Oliveira lands a leg kick. Oliveira gets a takedown. Belbita with some elbows from the bottom. Oliveira is doing a good job of defending from the top as both are landing, then they scramble to the feet. Oliveira has it pushed against the fence. Belbita landing right hands to the body as Oliveira isn’t doing much. They break. Belbita landing the jab after they’re separated. Belbita catches a kick and pushes it against the fence. Belbita gets a big takedown and works from side control to end the round. 10-9 Belbita, 20-18 Belbita.

Belbita lands to start and connects with a big left hook. Belbita continuing to fire right hands and lands a knee before they clinch. Oliveira lands a combo in close range but Belbita continues to press forward. Belbita lands a big right hand. Belbita lands a couple of jabs. She lands a combo before they clinch. They break and Belbita lands an elbow. Both are landing jabs but Belbita is being more effective with them. Oliveira lands a jumping knee. They continue to trade until the end with Belbita landing more. 10-9 Belbita, 30-27 Belbita.

Official Result- Diana Belbita def. Maria Oliveira by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Flyweights- #10 David Dvorak (20-5, 3-2 UFC) vs. Stephen Erceg (9-1, 0-0 UFC)

Dvorak lands a couple of leg kicks. Erceg lands a leg kick. He lands a big left hand. Dvorak starting to land more as both are landing calf kicks, but Dvorak is landing the right hand. They trade calf kicks. Dvorak misses a right hand and Erceg is able to land a body kick. Dvorak lands a combo. Dvorak lands a calf kick. 10-9 Dvorak.

Dvorak lands a good combination to the body. Erceg lands a right hand and Dvorak lands a counter knee and right hand. Both are swinging as they’re circling around but nothing is really landing. Dvorak lands a couple of leg kicks. They trade kicks. They trade and Erceg has Dvorak in trouble then drops him with a head kick. They scramble and Erceg locks in a guillotine choke but Dvorak is popping his head out. They scramble and Erceg lands an upkick and Dvorak lands some shots from the bottom, then they trade big shots at the end of a wild round. 10-9 Erceg, 19-19.

Erceg lands a combination. They trade inside the pocket. Dvorak tries a takedown but Erceg is able to scramble to the back but Dvorak scrambles out of the position. Dvorak lands a right hand. They clinch for a moment but break. Dvorak shoots for a takedown but Erceg scrambles and looked for the neck but they get to their feet. Dvorak gets a takedown. He’s in the half-guard and lands an elbow. They scramble and Erceg grabs the neck and is threatening. They scramble back to their feet. Erceg gets a takedown and has the back as they get to their feet. Erceg lands a knee. Erceg lands some punches at the end. 10-9 Erceg, 29-28 Erceg.

Official Result- Stephen Erceg def. David Dvorak by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

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> Featherweights- Kyle Nelson (13-5-1, 1-4-1 UFC) vs. Blake Bilder (8-0-1, 1-0 UFC)

Bilder lands a left hand. Nelson lands a right hand. Bilder scores with a left hook. Bilder lands a punch then shoots for a takedown and pushes it against the fence. Nelson reverses positions and neither is doing a whole lot. Bilder is landing small body punches as Nelson is landing foot stomps but not much else. They break as Bilder lands a right hand. They trade kicks. Bilder lands a high kick. Nelson lands a nice left hand then hurts Bilder with a right hand. 10-9 Bilder.

Bilder landing the jab early. He lands a body kick and ducks under a right hand from Nelson. Nelson might’ve landed a low blow that got missed and then connects before they clinch up. Bilder is pressuring against the fence. They separate. They trade jabs. Nelson lands a head kick. Nelson lands a leg kick. Both have cuts opened up as they trade. Nelson with another high kick and they trade leg kicks. Nelson is pressing forward and lands some leg kicks. He lands another as Bilder was circling away. 10-9 Nelson, 19-19.

Both are swinging early and looking to land leg kicks. Bilder is looking for a takedown against the fence. Nelson reverses position and has Bilder pressed against the fence. They are separated. Bilder lands a high kick. They’re trading and both land some solid right hands. They trade leg kicks. They trade late and Nelson lands some big punches. Close fight. 10-9 Nelson, 29-28 Nelson.

Official Result- Kyle Nelson def. Blake Bilder by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

> Bantamweights- Aiemann Zahabi (9-2, 3-2 UFC) vs. Aoriqileng (24-9, 2-2 UFC)

Aoriqileng with a leg kick. He lands a body kick. He lands another leg kick but eats a counter combination from Zahabi. Aoriqileng lands another leg kick. Zahabi drops Aoriqileng with a left hand and then lands from the top to end it. Big knockout for Zahabi!

Official Result- Aiemann Zahabi def. Aoriqileng by knockout (punches) at 1:04 of Round 1

> Women’s Flyweights- #15 Miranda Maverick (11-4, 4-2 UFC) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (8-2, 2-1 UFC)

Maverick lands some left hands early. Jasudavicius lands a combo. Maverick lands a left hand and a body kick. They clinch and trade knees. They trade and Maverick looks for a takedown but Jasudavicius defends against the fence. Jasudavicius is able to get the takedown and is on top against the fence. Maverick is looking for an armbar from the bottom but Jasudavicius is defending from the top. Jasudavicius is still defending as Maverick is attacking the arm as the round ended. 10-9 Maverick.

Jasudavicius comes out with a high kick to start. Maverick lands a left hand then they exchange punches. They trade inside the pocket and Jasudavicius lands a big right hand as they clinch against the fence. Jasudavicius gets a big takedown and is working in the center as she’s landing a lot of punches from the top. She gets the back of Maverick and gets the body triangle locked in. Jasudavicius with some big shots from the back as she has a big round. 10-9 Jasudavicius, 19-19.

Maverick lands a left hand to start then Jasudavicius counters with a left hand. Maverick throwing elbows but Jasudavicius is being more active and landing more. She throws a big flurry and Maverick is on the run. Jasudavicius with some leg kicks. Jasudavicius continuing to push the pace and pressure but Maverick lands a left hand. Jasudavicius gets a takedown and is landing from the top. Jasudavicius has the back as they get to their feet and she is landing knees. She has a big finish to the fight. 10-9 Jasudavicius, 29-28 Jasudavicius.

Official Result- Jasmine Jasudavicius def. Miranda Maverick by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

> Middleweights- #12 Nassourdine Imavov (12-4, 4-2 UFC) vs. #14 Chris Curtis (30-10, 4-2 UFC)

Curtis lands a few leg kicks to start. He lands another then a left hand to the body. Imavov with some leg kicks. Curtis with another leg kick. Imavov lands a combo. They clinch against the fence and both land before they break. Imavov lands a right hand then a short elbow. Curtis lands a left hand before Imavov initiates a clinch. Imavov gets Curtis down and is on the back and is looking for a rear-naked choke. He lets go and Curtis is able to get back to his feet. 10-9 Imavov.

Both pressing forward and Curtis lands a leg kick. Imavov lands some leg kicks. Imavov with a combo. Imavov with a right hand after Curtis attacks the body. Curtis lands a leg kick as he eats a combo from Imavov. Imavov with a right hand to the body. They clinch against the fence and Imavov lands an elbow on the break then a combo. They clinch again and clash heads, so we have a timeout. The fight is stopped as Curtis can’t see and time has run out on the timeout, so this will be a no contest.

Official Result- Nassourdine Imavov vs. Chris Curtis ruled a no contest due to an accidental clash of heads at 3:04 of Round 2

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> Middleweights- Marc-Andre Barriault (15-6 1 NC, 4-5 1 NC UFC) vs. Eryk Anders (15-7 1 NC, 7-7 1 NC UFC)

Barriault lands a body kick then drops Anders with a right hand. He gets on top then gets the back and is landing as they get to the feet and remain tied up. Barriault lands a short right hand that hurts Anders. Anders lands a knee then a couple more. Anders lands a left hand as they almost break. Barriault lands a knee then an elbow then Anders lands an elbow. Anders with some knees. They break. Anders with some knees and a left hand. They trade short elbows. They separate and both land. Anders lands a right hand. Anders lands a knee and follows it with a flurry before they separate. Barriault lands a body kick. They clinch and both land knees. Anders lands some left hands on the break. Barriault lands a knee and elbow as they clinch again. Barriault lands a left as they break again. They clinch again and Barriault lands a big knee as Anders is looking for a takedown. They break and Anders lands a left hand. 10-9 Barriault.

Barriault lands a body kick. Barriault lands another but Anders is pressuring. They clinch and Barriault lands a combo as they break. Anders lands a body kick. Anders lands a left hand. We have a timeout for a groin strike by Barriault. They get back to action. Barriault lands a right hand. Anders lands a straight left hand. Anders lands a couple more left hands and shoots for a takedown against the fence. Anders scores a takedown. Barriault gets up against the fence but eats a left from Anders. They trade before breaking. Barriault lands a short left hand and we have another groin strike timeout by Barriault. They get back to action and Anders lands some left hands. Barriault lands a body kick and Anders lands a combo. Anders lands a couple of right hands. Barriault lands a body kick then a left hand. Barriault with another right hand. Anders lands a body kick then a left hand. Close round. 10-9 Anders, 19-19.

Barriault coming forward and lands a body kick. Anders lands a knee then a left hand. Barriault lands a body kick. They clinch against the fence and Anders lands some knees. They break and Barriault lands a body kick but eats a left hand from Anders. Barriault lands a jab. He lands a body kick. Anders lands to the body but Barriault lands two big shots with an elbow and punch. Barriault lands a nice right hand. They trade as Barriault is circling around. Barriault lands the jab then Anders lands inside the pocket. Barriault lands two big right hands then a body kick in a flurry. Barriault lands a hard jab. They trade big punches. They trade jabs. Anders with a high kick. 10-9 Barriault, 29-28 Barriault.

Official Result- Marc-Andre Barriault def. Eryk Anders by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

> Featherweights- #13 Dan Ige (16-6, 8-5 UFC) vs. Nate Landwehr (17-4, 4-2 UFC)

Ige coming forward throwing the jab. Ige lands a right hand. Landwehr lands a body kick. Ige comes forward and lands a left hook to the body. Ige lands a combo. He lands another. Ige lands a leg kick. Ige lands to the body. Landwehr lands a leg kick. Ige lands a right hand and Landwehr looks for a takedown but Ige defends. Ige lands a combo then they trade jabs. Ige lands a left hook to the body. Landwehr tries a head kick but Ige blocks it. Landwehr starting to land a little bit more as the round goes on. Ige drops Landwehr late with a big left hand. 10-9 Ige.

Landwehr throwing leg kicks early as Ige lands a combo. Landwehr grabs a leg but Ige defends and escapes. Ige lands a combo but Landwehr makes him eat a knee. Ige pushes Landwehr against the fence and lands a combo. Ige with a right hand to the body. Landwehr lands a right hand but Ige counters with a right hand. Ige is cut open at the nose. Ige lands to the body then a left hand up top. Landwehr lands a couple of jabs. They trade inside the pocket. They trade in close range. Landwehr lands a front kick to the body. Ige is being more active. Landwehr lands an uppercut and they clinch against the fence. Ige drops Landwehr again with a left hand and Landwehr is hurt bad. Ige lands from the top and Landwehr lands an upkick that may have been illegal but it was a wild end to the round. 10-9 Ige, 20-18 Ige.

Ige lands a combo. Ige scores a right hand but Landwehr is coming forward. Ige lands a left hand and Landwehr was wobbled. Ige lands to the body. Landwehr lands a jab. They continue to trade in close range. Ige pushes it against the fence and they trade positions. Landwehr lands against the fence. They separate. Ige lands a right hand as Landwehr lands a knee to the body. Ige lands a nice right hand. Landwehr grabs a leg but lands a right hand as he lets go. They trade in close range. They each go for a takedown late. Landwehr lands an elbow. 10-9 Ige, 30-27 Ige.

Official Result- Dan Ige def. Nate Landwehr by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

> Welterweights- Mike Malott (9-1-1, 2-0 UFC) vs. Adam Fugitt (9-3, 1-1 UFC)

Malott lands a body kick and Fugitt is hurt. Malott lands another as Fugitt landed a left hand. Malott lands a right hand. Malott lands another body kick. Malott lands a groin strike but there is no timeout as Fugitt can go on. Malott gets a takedown and was in side control for a moment but ends up in the guard of Fugitt. Malott stands and Fugitt is able to get up. Fugitt throws a kick and Malott is able to turn it into a takedown. Malott ends the round on top. 10-9 Malott.

Malott lands a body kick and Fugitt falls to the mat. Malott locks in a guillotine choke as he gets on top and it is in tight and Fugitt taps. What a finish from Malott!

Official Result- Mike Malott def. Adam Fugitt by submission (guillotine choke) at 1:06 of Round 2

> Lightweights- #1 Charles Oliveira (33-9 1 NC, 21-9 1 NC UFC) vs. #4 Beneil Dariush (22-4-1, 15-4-1 UFC)

Oliveira lands a head kick. Dariush lands a left hand. They clinch and both land knees. Dariush gets it down and is in the half-guard of Oliveira. Dariush then moves to the full guard but both are landing on the ground. Oliveira is looking for a leg. Dariush is able to escape and gets back into the guard of Oliveira. Both are landing punches. They scramble to their feet. Oliveira lands a head kick and follows with a left hand. Oliveira drops Dariush to a knee with a right hand. Dariush is now down and Oliveira is on top landing a lot of punches and it is stopped! What a massive win for Oliveira!

Official Result- Charles Oliveira def. Beneil Dariush by TKO (punches) at 4:10 of Round 1

> UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship- C Amanda Nunes (22-5, 15-2 UFC) vs. #5 Irene Aldana (14-6, 7-4 UFC)

Nunes lands some early kicks. Nunes lands a body kick. Nunes gets an easy takedown but lets Aldana get right back up. Nunes lands another body kick. They trade jabs. Nunes lands a body kick. Nunes lands a spin kick. Aldana just looks frozen as she’s not really doing much. Nunes with a body kick but Aldana lands a right hand. Nunes lands but Aldana counters with a big right hand. Nunes lands a big right hand. 10-9 Nunes.

Nunes lands the jab. Nunes lands a combo then a leg kick. Nunes lands a couple of leg kicks. Aldana out there not doing a whole lot. Nunes fakes a takedown and lands a combo then scores with a leg kick. Nunes lands a combo and gets Aldana down for a second. Nunes lands some big leg kicks. Nunes scores a big combo. Nunes lands then they trade jabs. Aldana misses a head kick as Nunes ducks under and gets a takedown, but they get right back up and Nunes lands a leg kick. 10-9 Nunes, 20-18 Nunes.

Nunes lands a right hand then some jabs. Nunes with a flurry and Aldana is backing up. Aldana is throwing the jab but not landing much. Aldana lands a leg kick. Nunes gets a brief takedown and they scramble up at the fence, but Nunes gets it right back down. Nunes with some elbows from the top. Aldana scrambles but Nunes slams her back down. They get up and Nunes pushes it against the fence. Nunes gets it down as Aldana almost grabbed the fence and Nunes has the back. Nunes went for the arm but Aldana stood and landed a right hand as Nunes got up. Nunes lands an elbow. They trade jabs. Nunes lands a big right hand then a knee and some big punches. 10-9 Nunes, 30-27 Nunes.

Nunes lands a leg kick then a jab. Aldana lands a leg kick. Nunes lands a big elbow then lands a big combination. Nunes lands a couple of jabs. Nunes lands the jab again. Nunes tries for a takedown but Aldana defends. Aldana defends another takedown attempt from Nunes, but Nunes lands a couple of jabs. Nunes gets a takedown but lets Aldana get right back up. They clinch against the fence but separate as Nunes tried for a takedown. Nunes lands a hard combination. Nunes lands some hard punches and Aldana actually lands some good punches. Nunes lands a right hand. Nunes lands a hard left hook and then a big right hand. Nunes with a right hand to the body. Nunes with some more punches at the end. 10-9 Nunes, 40-36 Nunes.

Nunes lands the jab then a right hand. Nunes goes for a takedown and Aldana lands a knee, but Nunes finishes the takedown. She gets into the full guard of Aldana. Nunes landing from the top. Nunes working from the top and doing enough to keep it on the mat. Nunes gets into the full mount and starts landing body shots. Nunes continues to control from the top and is landing a lot of punches. Aldana is doing nothing on the bottom. Nunes finishes the fight landing from the top. Complete domination from Nunes. 10-8 Nunes, 50-44 Nunes.

Official Result- Amanda Nunes def. Irene Aldana by unanimous decision (50-44, 50-44, 50-43) to retain the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship

*Breaking- Nunes announces her retirement following the fight.

Daily Update: Booker T, Eric Young, Irene Aldana

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WON NEWSLETTER: July 20, 2020 Observer Newsletter: NJPW Dominion and the return of fans, more

The first pro wrestling shows in four months with major crowds took place this past week as New Japan Pro Wrestling ran two major events at Osaka Jo Hall. Our lead story talks about the rules in place for the show, the Weekend of Evil, how the crowd was told to behave and how different it was than a U.S. or Mexico crowd, as well as a look at New Japan booking, the next major shows along with match-by-match coverage, star ratings and poll results for both shows.

The new issue also covers:

UFC 251, the story behind all the changes to the show, match-by-match coverage, where the main event winners go next and all the business notes on the show, including what you were told and what wasn’t the case.

Reopening of Bellator and questions regarding its leading revenue stream.

Details on the WWE mask policy, the fines, the role of Kevin Owens in this and more.

Wednesday night ratings, looking at AEW, NXT, UFC and even how NASCAR figured in, where the viewers were gained and lost, as well as what every segment on the show did and some of the most staggering news imaginable when it comes to this past week’s NXT show.

WWE Extreme Rules and Impact’s Slammiversary shows coming up.

WWE and Peacock Network dealings, notes on SummerSlam this year, what numbers to look for at WWE Investors call, what factors play into the WWE Network numbers, Paul Levesque talks WWE handling of COVID, Edge talks his triceps injury, Why an angle on Raw nearly didn’t happen when one of the participants turned it down, update on Charlotte Flair, Canadian & U.K. ratings, how WWE relates to sports ratings, Matt Hardy talks Jeff Hardy angle, as well as the most watched shows of the past week on the WWE Network, WWE market value and next week’s top TV bouts.

A feature on the Wednesday night UFC show.

FITE TV bringing a Japanese wrestling doubleheader to the U.S. this coming week with Tokyo Joshi Pro and DDT.  

Ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.

Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week. 

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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE

WWE

  • Today’s episode of The Bump featured Bubba Ray Dudley, Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura, Tegan Nox, and Robert Stone.
  • Stephanie McMahon talked to AdAge about WWE operating during the pandemic and addressing systemic racism.
  • On his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T spoke about the #NaomiDeservesBetter hashtag that trended on Twitter after her match against Lacey Evans on SmackDown last week: “That Naomi deserves a chance… they can go to hell with all these hashtags as far as I’m concerned, but I’m tired of hearing about ‘em. Don’t nobody deserve a chance, alright? First and foremost, you gotta earn your chance, your spot on the roster. This is not some kind of movement just to pull somebody up just because and I hate to sit here and say this, to even talk this way because I like Naomi. But, as far as the business goes, you get it on your merit alone. That’s it. It’s no buddy systems and I know somebody’s gonna hear me and go, ‘Well such and such got a buddy and that’s why they’re doing it.’ Yeah that may be true, but life is not fair. Sometimes, you gotta make your own breaks. Sometimes you gotta go out there and rise to the occasion when no one else thought you could and the thing is, it may not happen overnight. It’s a consistency thing that goes with that. No one expected me, including myself, to become a six-time world champion, but my persistence as far as going out to the middle of that ring and performing better than all those suckers in the locker room and the suckers in the locker room, they knew it, and the fans, they saw something different and the signs were there for Booker T on a nightly basis. That’s why I say the hashtag Naomi Deserves A Chance, whatever deserves better, I just don’t think that will serve her any purpose. People advocating for her in that way. The way that needs to be put out there from a advocating perspective is her advocating for herself when she goes out to the ring and performs on a high level and the world sees it and that right there, when you do that Naomi, you can not be denied. No one will ever say someone gave you anything and if it happened right now, tomorrow, someone blessed Naomi with the world championship, trust me, it would not feel like she did it on her own. It would have to be a movement for something like that to happen. I would’ve never wanted the world title if it was given to me that way. Me personally I wouldn’t have and Naomi, I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a thousand times. Naomi is perhaps more athletic than every female in that locker room and perhaps 99 percent of females in this business. But psychology and working is two different things, and I just hope and wish that I had my hands on her for one month. Naomi would look at this business a totally different way, and that’s just my thoughts on that.”
  • Naomi responded to Booker T’s comments on Twitter. Sasha Banks posted in support of Naomi: “Don’t feed into useless opinions, no matter who they come from. Keep glowing and shining like you always do. You aint got nothing to prove to anyone #teambad”
  • Today is Shawn Michaels’ 55th birthday. WWE uploaded a Playlist video of his showstopping matches.
  • Matches added to WWE’s YouTube channel today include Randy Orton vs. Cesaro from the February 14, 2014 edition of SmackDown and Dolph Ziggler vs. Rey Mysterio from SummerSlam 2009.
  • William Regal on tonight’s NXT announcement: ”Serving as the General Manager or #WWENXT has been an incredible honor. To see the men and women of this brand over the last couple of months has been inspiring and invigorating. Tonight’s major announcement will be yet another step forward for @WWENXT.”
  • Lita will be Corey Grave’s guest on After The Bell this week.
  • Becky Lynch spoke to the Bella Twins about her pregnancy. 
  • The FOCO Edge bobblehead is now available for pre-order.

Other Wrestling

  • Eric Young made his first podcast appearance post-WWE on Busted Open Radio. Young acknowledged creative problems within the company, saying “It’s hard to get a word in. Even when you’re doing nothing, it feels like you’re just trying to fix people’s mistakes all day, there is no creativity. They want everyone to do things the same, be the same and bump the same and sell the same. And there’s millions of rules, which I’m sure you guys have all heard and talked about on the show at length, and people talk about on the internet and the secret rules. Those change daily and it’s just really hard to understand what’s going on and why it’s going on. The system is flawed.”
  • Bobby Fulton’s son posted a medical update from his father: “MEDICAL UPDATE FROM DAD: Please continue to keep him in your thoughts and prayers! Two powerful words IS and WAS. On Sunday morning I woke up and was spitting a large amount of blood out of my mouth. It really scared me, I called Ed Wilson and Josh Hines and they took me to the James Emergency Room. Upon getting back to the room, they gave me a CT Scan, when we got back to the emergency room, I was laying in the bed, and 5-6 people were surrounding me and they said we found the problem. There is an artery in your throat near your nose that the radiation that kind of messed up, and it is finally blown and that’s what’s bleeding, it IS right by where your tumor IS. I asked one of the people standing there does that mean I have cancer, one shook their head up and down yes. They said the artery IS where the tumor IS. They began discussing a plan to take care of this artery, they were going to destroy it and close it down. So I go, and as we’re going the artery IS where the tumor IS. So finally I asked, do I have cancer to another person, and they said we didn’t see any evidence of it (PRAISE GOD!). So I said to another person that they’ve been telling me the artery was near where the tumor IS. That person told me they should have used the word WAS and not IS. And I said, yes it makes a big difference. I’m thankful that at this time, I can say I’m cancer free. I’m thankful for all the prayers and all the love you all continue to show me. That’s why it is always important to choose your words wisely. There’s a big difference between IS and WAS.”
  • PWInsider is reporting that Cody’s open challenge will open tonight’s Dynamite, while Chris Jericho & Jake Hager vs. The Jurassic Express will be the main event.
  • Orange Cassidy spoke to ESPN about his start in the business, the Orange Cassidy character, and his current run with AEW.
  • Sky Sports Italy announced that All Elite Wrestling will be airing on the station.
  • Sports Illustrated talked to Cody about his open challenge segment: “We need to always be aware of the world around us. One of the charming things about what we’ve been doing is we’ve been real and we’ve been transparent. Wrestling exists outside of AEW, we are aware of that. We try to be the best wrestling, and I really think we are, but there is great wrestling outside of us, too. It’s important for us to acknowledge that.”
  • AEW is collaborating with Capcom for two new limited edition t-shirt designs from the Street Fighter video game series.
  • Here are the updated AEW rankings as of July 22.
  • Stu Bennett talked to Chris Van Vilet on the NWA’s future and his movie career.

MMA

  • The Irene Aldana/Holly Holm main event that was set for August 1 if off after Aldana tested positive for COVID-19. Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan will be the new main event, and will stay at three rounds as opposed to the usual five round main event.
  • Combate Americas, which was supposed to return with shows in Miami on August 28, September 11, and September 25, has postponed those plans. Combates Americas CEO Campbell McLaren said in a statement: “This is not a decision we took lightly, and is based entirely on our focus to prioritize the safety of our employees, broadcast partners, fighters and the broader MMA community. We explored many alternatives to avoid this measure, including the possibility of moving our in-studio fights to Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the state of is in a similarly precarious situation with COVID outbreaks, and it seems untenable to proceed without taking into consideration the health of those we love.”
  • Holm’s manager Lenny Fresquez told MMA Fighting that they were looking for another fighter for Holm to face, but the plan didn’t come together in time.
  • Nadia Kassem is out of her August 8 fight against Miranda Granger. Granger posted a video on Facebook saying she was pulling out of the match.

Daily Pro Wrestling History: WWF Invasion

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