We’ve got what will be one of the biggest issues of the year, a double issue with a look at the lives and careers of Rocky Johnson, La Parka and Kendo Nagasaki, plus what will be one of the biggest news stories of 2020, the AEW new television extension with TNT through 2023.
The lead story goes into the life and career of Rocky Johnson, the father of Dwayne Johnson and one of pro wrestling’s biggest stars of the 1970s. We talk about Johnson’s death this past week, his ancestry, the story of him being kicked out of the house at 13, his background in boxing and wrestling along with ties to both Muhammad Ali and George Foreman, as well as where the name Rocky Johnson came from.
We talk about his main skills, his dropkicks, the birth of Dwayne Johnson, the best television match on Roy Shire television of the 70s, his quick rise to main events and championships, and how his run in Los Angeles in 1970 made him into one of the biggest stars in pro wrestling. We cover his years in San Francisco, his landmark program with Jerry Lawler, his headlining in St. Louis, his world title battles, early championships and his brother, as well as how Dwayne Johnson got started in pro wrestling.
The new issue also covers:
Full details of the new television deal between AEW and TNT, including the value, the options, how this relates to the old deal, how this compares to other deals, what we know about the second show, questions this brings up regarding WWE countering, stars that are about to become free agents, Tony Khan talks the new deal, and the ratings in 18-49 and value per episode update on Raw, Smackdown, NXT and AEW and what type of value did TNT get for its money.
The death of La Parka, including his connection with the first La Parka, as well as the uncle of the first La Parka. We look at his career before La Parka, his rise to fame in AAA, his period on top, his biggest feuds, his heel turn and why it flopped, L.A. Park comments on his rival and more on his biggest matches.
The death of Kazuo Sakurada, the Japanese Kendo Nagasaki. We look at his connection with Bret Hart, with comments by Bret Hart, Ross Hart and Fumi Saito. How Dusty Rhodes created Kendo Nagasaki and who it was copied from. Many of his other wrestling names. Sakurada’s tough guy reputation and his days in sumo prior to pro wrestling. How he got into pro wrestling, his original relationships with Giant Baba and Genichiro Tenryu, his day in Stampede Wrestling as one of its biggest tag team stars, his wrestling in Japan, Mid South, WCW and the story of he and Bruiser Brody from Puerto Rico. His fights in the ring,and his one MMA fight.
Next WWE show in Saudi Arabia, a new Dwayne Johnson television show, a new Miz television show, notes on the return of Big Show, Paul Levesque and Paige, Bret Hart filming a WWE show, Brock Lesnar honored, WWE trademarks, WWE BT party in London,WWE European ratings, notes on several new WWE signings as well as a major star who has met with Paul Levesque about coming in. We look at the next MSG show, DVR viewership of WWE programming, plus a look at all the WWE & NXT live events over the past week with results,highlights and business notes.
Update the Royal Rumble and World Collide shows and how tickets are selling for the next round of major WWE events.
The Tessa Blanchard controversy and her winning the Impact title, with comments from many in wrestling and a full rundown of TNA Hard to Kill with match-by-match coverage, star ratings and poll results.
Update the changes at Bellator in structuring, who is now in charge and what may be happening next.
More money being sent into MMA with the PFL, its new ownership and revenue sources and how much new capita they now have.
Coverage of the WWE U.K. Takeover show, with show notes, business notes, match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results of the show.
The 2019 Wrestling Observer Awards ballot.
Regarding the Wednesday numbers, we’ve got full details, demos that each side won, how every segment did and what match ended up as the difference maker.
Full coverage of all the WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.
In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
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WEDNESDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE
On today’s episode of WWE’s The Bump, Robert Stone said Chelsea Green will be wrestling on NXT tonight. The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic finals will also take place, with Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne facing The Grizzled Young Veterans (Zack Gibson & James Drake). The winning team will challenge for Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish’s NXT Tag Team titles at TakeOver: Portland. Tegan Nox vs. Dakota Kai is also set for tonight, and Adam Cole’s TakeOver: Portland challenger will be revealed.
In a video for the WWE Performance Center’s YouTube channel, Matt Riddle discussed his Royal Rumble appearance and still wanting to face Brock Lesnar. Riddle said he doesn’t care what Lesnar says or whether he wants the match or not, it isn’t up to him. Riddle said he’s going to make that match happen and take Lesnar’s career.
WWE Backstage averaged 97,000 viewers on FS1 last night, down from the 111,000 it averaged last week. The rating in the 18-49 demo was a 0.04, down from last week’s 0.06. Last Tuesday’s show had appearances by CM Punk and Becky Lynch, while last night’s show was filmed in Miami and featured Roman Reigns and The New Day.
Ronda Rousey will be one of the guests on tomorrow’s episode of Corey Graves’ After the Bell podcast. WWE uploaded a clip from the podcast where Rousey praises Rhea Ripley and says she’s looking forward to seeing if they ever get the opportunity to face each other. Rousey also said she hopes Charlotte Flair faces Ripley at WrestleMania. MVP and Santino Marella are the other guests on tomorrow’s After the Bell.
Andrade commented on his recent wellness policy violation on Instagram, saying “Never quit because things got tough, remember where you come from and where you are going.”
I kick off our four-part journey through the MMA year that was in 2019 with our good friend and website writer Paul Fontaine, aka The King of Winnipeg.
On the docket for our look through January, February, and March:
UFC’s debut on ESPN and the 32-second main event win to kick off the ESPN+ era
Ryan Bader becoming a Bellator champ-champ with a 35-second knockout of Fedor Emelianenko
Colby Covington’s non-stop petitioning for a UFC title shot and his verbal assault against Dana White
Cain Velasquez return and then exit from MMA after meeting Francis Ngannou’s hands
The fall of T.J. Dillashaw
March’s UFC 235 which featured the return of Jon Jones, Ben Askren’s memorable debut, and a new welterweight champion
The kickoff to Jorge Masvidal’s big 2019 with his knockout of Darren Till
The constant will they/won’t they regarding Donald Cerrone and Conor McGregor
ESPN taking over the distribution of UFC’s pay-per-views…and tons more
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 244: Masvidal vs. Diaz, emanating from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
The Octagon heads to the World’s Most Famous Arena with what is arguably the biggest fight of the year in the main event as well as a stacked undercard in one of the deepest events of the year.
Jorge Masvidal takes on Nate Diaz to crown the one and only BMF champion in the headline bout in what has become one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history. Masvidal is coming off arguably the greatest knockout in UFC history, the five-second flying knee knockout of Ben Askren, in July, while Diaz is coming off a win over Anthony Pettis in his first fight in three years in August.
Both men asked for the fight. It was the fight the fans wanted, and it was quickly put together to headline this show.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will present the BMF title to the winner of the main event.
In the co-main event, Kelvin Gastelum looks to get back into title contention as he welcomes Darren Till to the middleweight division. Also on the stacked main card is a welterweight bout between Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque, a heavyweight bout that sees Derrick Lewis taking on Blagoy Ivanov, and a lightweight bout as Kevin Lee looks to hand Gregor Gillespie his first career loss.
The stacked preliminary card is capped off by a light heavyweight bout as Corey Anderson takes on exciting Johnny Walker in a potential title eliminator bout. Also on the prelims is a featherweight bout between Shane Burgos and Makwan Amirkhani, a middleweight bout between Brad Tavares and the undefeated Edmen Shahbazyan, as well as a possible title eliminator in the women’s flyweight division between Katlyn Chookagian and Jennifer Maia.
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.
We are looking for your thoughts on tonight’s event, so send a thumbs up, a thumbs down or a thumbs in the middle along with a best fight and a worst fight to Dave at [email protected].
> Julio Arce (16-3, 3-1 UFC) vs. Hakeem Dawodu (10-1-1, 3-1 UFC) Featherweights
Dawodu looking for high kicks early. He lands a hard leg kick and then a high kick that almost landed clean on the chin. Dawodu with a combo as they get in a clinch. They broke after not a lot of action. Arce just misses a left hand and Dawodu counters with a leg kick. Arce lands a hard left hand. Dawodu with a body kick and then a front kick to the body. Arce with a straight left hand. Dawodu with a hard inside leg kick. They trade knees in a clinch at the end. 10-9 Dawodu.
They trade punches to start the second. They clinch and trade knees and Dawodu pushes Arce against the fence. They break the clinch back to the center. Dawodu with some body kicks. Arce with the jab and Dawodu lands a hard body kick. Arce with a trip takedown into the half-guard. Arce with some elbows to the body. Dawodu gives up his back and Arce looking for a rear-naked choke. Dawodu able to reverse into the guard of Arce and then stands. Arce tries some upkicks and then stands and they trade late. Close round. 10-9 Arce, 19-19.
They trade to start the third and go into a clinch. They break and Dawodu with a body kick. They trade and Arce with a right hand before they clinch. Arce with some uppercuts with his back against the fence. They break. Dawodu with a right hand. Dawodu with a front kick to the body. They clinch and Arce pushes Dawodu against the fence. They break. They trade in close range and Dawodu lands a knee but Arce lands a counter left and Dawodu responds with a right hand. Jab then a body shot by Arce. They trade in close and Dawodu lands a little more. They are slugging away inside the pocket and both are getting tagged. Really good fight. 10-9 Dawodu, 29-28 Dawodu.
Official Result- Hakeem Dawodu def. Julio Arce by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Lyman Good (20-5 1 NC, 2-2 UFC) vs. Chance Rencountre (14-3, 2-1 UFC) Welterweights
Good lands a right hand right away. Good with some inside leg kicks. Good lands some good punches. Rencountre with a left hand. Good with an inside leg kick followed by a right hand. Good with some punches as they clinch but they break and Good lands a right hand followed by a jab and a hard leg kick. Rencountre attempts a takedown but Good defends as they clinch against the fence. Good lands some right hands that stun Rencountre. Good with some hard right hands and then left hands and Good with a hard combination. Rencountre was rocked there and they clinch. Good with a body kick. 10-9 Good.
Good with a leg kick. Rencountre tries a flying knee but Good counters with a right hand and then a combo. They trade and Good lands a good right hand. Rencountre with a left hand. Good with a right hand. Good with the jab. They trade punches. Rencountre with a combo. Good breathing with his mouth open. Rencountre with a left hand to the body. Rencountre with a few good punches. Good with a right hand. 10-9 Good, 20-18 Good.
They trade to start the third as Good has slowed down just a little. Good lands a hard right hand. Rencountre circling around and is bleeding from his nose. Good with a high kick and then knocks Rencountre down with a right hand and finishes it off. Good with the knockout and he looked good here.
Official Result- Lyman Good def. Chance Rencountre by TKO (punches) at 2:03 of Round 3
> Katlyn Chookagian (#1, 12-2, 5-2 UFC) vs. Jennifer Maia (#5, 17-5-1, 2-1 UFC) Women’s Flyweights* (Maia missed weight by 1.2 pounds)
Chookagian with a left hand. They trade leg kicks. Maia with a body kick and then a right hand. Maia with a right hand. Chookagian with a left hand and Maia lands a jab and a right hand. Chookagian with a side kick to the body. Chookagian with a combo. Maia lands a left hand. Maia with a right hand. Chookagian with a left hand. They clinch for a moment and Maia lands a right hand as they break. Maia with a leg kick. Chookagian with a side kick. Chookagian with a high kick. They trade late. 10-9 Chookagian.
They trade to start the second. Maia with a right hand. Chookagian with a high kick. They are trading and Chookagian with a head kick. They are trading and Chookagian with a leg kick and then another. Chookagian with a jab. They trade and Maia lands a clean right hand. Maia with a right hand as Chookagian landed an uppercut. Chookagian with a combo and a side kick. 10-9 Chookagian, 20-18 Chookagian.
Chookagian with a leg kick. Maia coming forward and clinches against the fence. They break and both are throwing punches outside the pocket but not much is landing. Maia with a right hand. Maia with a left hand followed by a body kick. Maia with a combo as Chookagian retreats. Chookagian with a right hand. Maia with a combo. Maia comes in and scores a takedown and is in the half-guard. Maia landing from the top but not trying to finish it which is what she needed. 10-9 Maia, 29-28 Chookagian.
Official Result- Katlyn Chookagian def. Jennifer Maia by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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> Andrei Arlovski (28-18 2 NC, 17-12 1 NC UFC) vs. Jair Rozenstruik (8-0, 2-0 UFC) Heavyweights
Rozenstruik landing big punches early. They trade leg kicks. Arlovski rushes in and Rozenstruik knocks him out with a left hand as he was rushing in. Big win for Rozenstruik as he remains undefeated.
Official Result- Jair Rozenstruik def. Andrei Arlovski by knockout (punch) at :29 of Round 1
They trade early. Tavares tries a body kick but Shahbazyan grabs it though he lets go. They trade punches. Tavares with a leg kick. Shahbazyan drops Tavares with a right hand but Tavares gets back up and is still in trouble. Shahbazyan with a high kick and lands punches. He then drops Tavares with a head kick and this fight is over. What a performance by Shahbazyan as he stays undefeated.
Official Result- Edmen Shahbazyan def. Brad Tavares by knockout (head kick) at 2:27 of Round 1
Amirkhani with a right hand and they clinch and he trips Burgos down to the ground. Amirkhani in the guard of Burgos. Amirkhani with some left hands from the top. They get to their feet and Amirkhani has the back. Amirkhani gets another brief takedown. They continue to roll around as Amirkhani has the back. Amirkhani switches to an arm-in guillotine but it doesn’t look tight. He looks to get it in better as Burgos tries to escape and he does as they get to their feet. Amirkhani tries a takedown but Burgos defends. Burgos with a right hand. Amirkhani lands a combo. Burgos with a late right hand. 10-9 Amirkhani.
Amirkhani lands a snap jab to start the second but fails on a takedown attempt. Burgos with a right hand and Amirkhani lands a counter left. Burgos with a leg kick. Amirkhani gets the body lock and they fall to the mat. They get up and Amirkhani still has the body. Burgos with an open ear slap. They scramble to the mat but get up. They break. Burgos with a right hand to the body. Amirkhani is definitely tired. Burgos with a combo. Amirkhani shoots for a takedown but Burgos defends. Burgos with body punches in the sprawl position. Burgos with a hammerfist as he goes into the guard of Amirkhani. Big end to the round for Burgos. 10-9 Burgos, 19-19.
Amirkhani tries a flying knee and lands a left hand. Burgos hurts him with a right hand and Amirkhani falls to the ground and Burgos gets in his guard. Burgos lands big punches from the top. He is trying to finish as he continues to land and stands up. The ref orders Amirkhani to his feet and he has trouble standing. Burgos with a head kick. Burgos with a right hand. Amirkhani tries to grab a leg and Burgos defends and lands punches. They get up. Amirkhani goes for the single leg and Burgos is punching and elbowing him in the head. Amirkhani slumps to the ground as he is holding onto the leg. Burgos gets side control. Burgos with hammerfists to the body. Burgos with lots of punches from the top. They stand. Burgos with more body punches and a high kick. Burgos with a body punch and drops Amirkhani with a right hand and it is stopped. This was such a beating by Burgos in the third.
Official Result- Shane Burgos def. Makwan Amirkhani by TKO (punches) at 4:32 of Round 3
> Corey Anderson (#7, 12-4, 9-4 UFC) vs. Johnny Walker (#11, 17-3, 3-0 UFC) Light Heavyweights
Walker with a leg kick. Anderson tries a takedown but Walker defends. They break. Anderson with a right hand and Walker is in trouble. Anderson gets the back and is landing. Anderson gets a takedown but Walker gets to his feet. They break and Anderson landing punches and then a right hand finishes it standing. The referee stopped it and Walker was in trouble on the feet. Anderson then did a lot of trash talking towards Walker after the fight.
Official Result- Corey Anderson def. Johnny Walker by TKO (punches) at 2:07 of Round 1
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> Kevin Lee (#10, 17-5, 10-5 UFC) vs. Gregor Gillespie (#11, 13-0, 6-0 UFC) Lightweights
Gillespie with a right hand. Both throwing punches. Lee lands a big right hand. Gillespie responds with a right hand. Lee with the jab. Lee lands a right hand. They trade jabs. They trade inside the pocket. They trade in close. Lee with a head kick on Gillespie and he goes out cold. Oh my what a knockout. That was vicious.
Official Result- Kevin Lee def. Gregor Gillespie by knockout (head kick) at 2:47 of Round 1
> Derrick Lewis (#5, 21-7 1 NC, 12-5 UFC) vs. Blagoy Ivanov (#8, 18-2 1 NC, 2-1 UFC) Heavyweights
Lewis misses a kick. Lewis with a body kick and Ivanov grabs the leg and pushes Lewis to the ground. Ivanov gets to side control. Lewis explodes out from the bottom and starts unloading punches. Ivanov lands a head kick and Lewis throwing punches and they clinch. Lewis gets a takedown and Ivanov has the neck and they get to their feet. Ivanov with a knee in the clinch. Lewis with a big elbow. Lewis lands some big punches as they break. Not much happens at the end. 10-9 Lewis.
Lewis with a leg kick. Ivanov lands a left hand. They clinch and Lewis just misses an uppercut on the break. Ivanov with a leg kick. Lewis with a leg kick. They trade in close and Lewis lands some big punches and Ivanov is wobbly. They trade big punches in close range and then clinch and Ivanov with a trip takedown. Ivanov looking for a kimura and turning it into a keylock. Lewis explodes to his feet and lands some big punches and Ivanov is retreating. Ivanov cut open. They clinch and Ivanov with an uppercut. Lewis with a big knee and then an uppercut and a huge right hand. Ivanov has an incredible chin. Ivanov with a combo. Ivanov with a judo takedown late. 10-9 Lewis, 20-18 Lewis.
Lewis with a punch as the pace has really slowed to start the third. Ivanov comes in with some punches that miss and they clinch. They remain clinched. Ivanov tries a trip and Lewis escapes. Ivanov with a left hand and Lewis misses a loaded uppercut. They clinch and Lewis with a knee. Lewis tries a takedown but Ivanov defends and grabs the neck but Lewis gets up and lands a big uppercut. They clinch again. They remain tied up against the fence battling for position. They break. Lewis lands a flurry of punches late. Entertaining fight. 10-9 Ivanov, 29-28 Lewis.
Official Result- Derrick Lewis def. Blagoy Ivanov by split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
> Stephen Thompson (#9, 14-4-1, 9-4-1 UFC) vs. Vicente Luque (#14, 17-6-1, 10-2 UFC) Welterweights
Luque with some leg kicks right away and Thompson returns fire with his own leg kicks. Both miss on punch attempts. Thompson with a side kick to the body followed by a leg kick. Luque with a right hand and Thompson counters with a left hand and then a jab. Thompson with a body kick. They trade kicks. Thompson with a right hand. Luque with a combo. Luque with some left hooks and catches Thompson with a right hand. Thompson with a right hand. They trade and Luque with a body kick. They trade inside the pocket. Thompson with a left hand. They trade late. 10-9 Luque.
Thompson with a body kick. Luque with a body kick. Thompson explodes with a combo. Thompson pops the jab. Thompson with a left hand. Luque rushes in with some punches and Thompson lands nice counters. Thompson with a straight left hand. Thompson with a combo and then a left hand to the body. Thompson knocks Luque down with a kick. Luque gets up and they exchange in close range and both hurt each other. Thompson with a wheel kick. Luque with a right hand. Thompson with a spin kick to the body. Thompson with a left hand and a side kick. Thompson with a combo and he has Luque hurt against the fence. Luque fires back with a left hook. Thompson with a right hand. Thompson with a wheel kick. They trade kicks and Thompson with a right hand. 10-9 Thompson, 19-19.
Luque with a body kick. Thompson with a left hand. Thompson with a side kick to the body and Luque falls down. Thompson with a left hand drops Luque and now Thompson trying to finish but he lets Luque up. Thompson with a high kick. Thompson just unloading with all sorts of punches and kicks. Luque’s left eye is a mess. They trade and Luque lands two good punches. Luque with a left hand. They trade right hands. Thompson stuns Luque with a combo and lands a high kick. Thompson with a combo and unloads with more punches. Thompson with some good punches late. Thompson looked fantastic in the last two rounds. 10-8 Thompson, 29-27 Thompson.
Official Result- Stephen Thompson def. Vicente Luque by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27)
> Kelvin Gastelum (#4, 15-4 1 NC, 10-4 1 NC UFC) vs. Darren Till (#10 WW, 17-2-1, 5-2-1 UFC) Middleweights
They clinch right away. Till breaks away. Till with a leg kick. They clinch again and Till with an elbow as Gastelum pushes him against the fence. They remain pressed against the fence. Gastelum with some knees. They break free. Till with a leg kick. They trade inside leg kicks. Till with a leg kick. Till with a leg kick. Not a lot of action going on here. Till with an elbow and a left hand. 10-9 Till.
Gastelum with a leg kick and Till responds with his own leg kick. Till with a combo. Till lands some punches. Till with another leg kick and follows it with a left hand. They clinch and Gastelum with an elbow on the break and then he pokes Till in the eye. Till gets back in right away. They trade leg kicks. They clinch and Gastelum pushes Till against the fence. They break. The crowd boos the lack of action. Gastelum with a leg kick. Gastelum tries a takedown but Till defends and then lands a left hand. 10-9 Till, 20-18 Till.
Gastelum with some early leg kicks. Gastelum tries a body kick but Till catches the leg and lands a hard left hand. Gastelum grabs the body for a takedown but Till defends and they go to the fence but break. Till with a hard left hand. Gastelum with a left hand. Till with a spinning elbow and he attacks the legs with kicks again. Gastelum with a body kick and Till grabs it and pushes Gastelum down but they get up. Gastelum just misses a right hand. Till tries a takedown but Gastelum defends. Gastelum with a body punch. Gastelum with a takedown but Till gets right back up. Gastelum lands a left hand. Gastelum with a leg kick followed by a left hand. Gastelum with a takedown but they get right up and Till lands a combo. 10-9 Gastelum, 29-28 Till.
Official Result- Darren Till def. Kelvin Gastelum by split decision (27-30, 29-28, 30-27)
Diaz lands a left hand. Masvidal with a body kick and they clinch. Masvidal breaks and lands a flurry with a head kick that drops Diaz. Masvidal cut Diaz with an elbow. Masvidal with big punches from the top looking to finish. Masvidal not wanting in the guard of Diaz and its allowing Diaz to recover. Diaz with an upkick to the body. Masvidal goes to the top and lands some punches. Masvidal with a body kick and Diaz grabs the leg. Masvidal with an elbow in the clinch and they break. Diaz with a combo that stuns Masvidal and they clinch. Masvidal with short punches and they break and Masvidal with a combo. Diaz with a big left hand late. 10-9 Masvidal.
Diaz comes forward to start round two. Diaz with a left hand. They both throw wild punches. Diaz with a leg kick. Masvidal with a body kick. Masvidal with the jab. Diaz with a combo. Masvidal with a body kick. Masvidal with a right hand. Masvidal with a huge right hand and then a body kick hurts Diaz. Diaz goes to the mat and Masvidal with a body punch and then lets Diaz up. Masvidal with a left hand and they clinch. They break and Masvidal lands a combo and they clinch again. Masvidal with some hard body punches as they break. Masvidal with a right hand followed by a knee and they clinch. Masvidal with a takedown and has the back and lands some punches. Diaz rolls and they scramble and Masvidal on top and Diaz has the leg but time runs out. 10-9 Masvidal, 20-18 Masvidal.
They trade to start the third. Diaz applying pressure. Masvidal with a hard right hand and then a body kick. Diaz with a nice left hand. Masvidal with a nasty body kick. They clinch as Masvidal pushes Diaz against the fence. Masvidal with a right hand. Diaz now landing punches. Masvidal with a body kick followed by a right hand. Masvidal with a right hand. They clinch and Diaz pushes Masvidal against the fence. Diaz tries a trip but Masvidal defends and is on top and lands some punches. Diaz with punches from the bottom and some slaps. Masvidal with some big elbows and punches at the end. 10-9 Masvidal, 30-27 Masvidal.
The doctor stopped the fight after the third round due to the cut by Diaz’ eye. This was an absolutely horrible stoppage. The crowd was not happy. Masvidal, Diaz and Dana White also weren’t happy. Diaz wasn’t even bleeding in between rounds and there have been way worse cuts that haven’t been stopped.
Official Result- Jorge Masvidal def. Nate Diaz by TKO (doctor stoppage- cut) at 5:00 of Round 3
What started as a throwaway comment by Nate Diaz has evolved into a physical championship that will be contested over Saturday night at UFC 244.
On Friday afternoon, UFC president Dana White unveiled the BMF belt, short for “bad motherf*cker”, to the media, the ceremonial title that will be given to the winner of Saturday’s Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal main event at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
White told the media that the title cost $50,000 to create, their most expensive ever. It was also done with the quickest turnaround time. He added that “it’s not a bright, flashy, frilly belt” and that “dark and ominous” looks reminds him of the Oakland Raiders.
After a three-year absence from the sport, Diaz returned in August at UFC 241 with a unanimous decision win over Anthony Pettis. In his post-fight promo, he called out Jorge Masvidal and mentioned defending “his belt” which he called “the baddest motherf*cker in the game belt” at a post-fight press conference.
On Twitter, Masvidal played it up and campaigned for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to present it to the winner. Johnson eventually accepted and will indeed do that Saturday night. White said this will not be a regularly defended title and that this is a one-off.
However, Conor McGregor chimed in after the belt was defended, tweeting “Tell them I want it spit shined” and “Now make me a coolest motherf*cker belt also.”
After his status was sent into jeopardy, Nate Diaz has been cleared to fight at UFC 244.
The UFC issued a statement on Friday night announcing that Diaz “has not committed an anti-doping policy violation, has not been provisionally suspended, and is not subject to any sanctions.”
Dana White also tweeted that Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal will still be happening at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 2: “The fight is ON!!! I 100% knew Nate wasn’t taking anything to cheat. #UFC244 November 2, MSG.”
The UFC’s full statement is available below:
UFC is an industry-leader in anti-doping and we continuously strive and advocate for an effective and fair program for our sport and athletes. From January of 2019, UFC and USADA, along with independent experts and consultants, have been reviewing the UFC Anti-Doping Policy to ensure it remains a reliable and effective tool to combat doping in our sport and to protect UFC athletes that compete in the Octagon.
As early as August 31, 2019, certain significant changes to the UFC Anti-Doping Policy have been agreed on in principle between UFC and USADA and, as such, have been put into practice. One of these changes is the adoption of scientifically-based decision concentration levels, also known as minimum thresholds, for certain prohibited substances where evidence has shown that positive tests of these substances below the threshold are consistent with innocent contamination. A positive sample of an applicable substance below the decision concentration level results is treated as an atypical finding. An atypical finding will result in no violation in the absence of other facts or circumstances that confirm the athlete intended to gain an unauthorized performance enhancing or therapeutic benefit through the use of the substance.
Since August 31, 2019, several UFC athletes have had their provisional suspensions lifted based on the implementation of decision concentration levels, including Neil Magny. Mr. Magny’s provisional suspension was due to a positive sample containing a prohibited SARM (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator), known as LGD-4033 or Ligandrol, in an amount below the decision concentration level for this substance. Mr. Magny’s atypical finding was reviewed by USADA and it was concluded that no other facts or circumstances were present that would have resulted in an anti-doping policy violation by, or sanction for, Mr. Magny.
On October 15, 2019, UFC was presented with a unique opportunity to discuss the topic of decision concentration levels in a public forum hosted by the California State Athletic Commission. Attendees at the summit included the California State Athletic Commission, the Association of Boxing Commissions, representatives from other state athletic commissions, members of the mixed martial arts media and anti-doping specialists and scientists. Representatives of USADA and UFC, including Jeff Novitzky, Senior Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance of UFC, discussed recent developments that support implementing decision concentration levels. Mr. Magny was also granted the opportunity to explain the facts and circumstances of his matter and his support for implementing decision concentration levels. At the summit, the California State Athletic Commission, the Association of Boxing Commissions and other attendees expressed significant support for incorporating decision concentration levels into their own rules and regulations.
On October 24, 2019, Nate Diaz released a public statement regarding a recent out-of-competition test conducted by USADA. UFC has been notified by USADA that the out-of-competition test concluded that LGD-4033 was present in Mr. Diaz’s sample at an amount below the decision concentration level for this substance. USADA is reviewing the out-of-competition test as an atypical finding. Further laboratory testing conducted by the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory (SMRTL), a WADA-accredited lab in Salt Lake City, Utah, has confirmed that two bottles of the same organic, vegan, plant-based daily multivitamin that Mr. Diaz was using were each contaminated with LGD-4033, which the evidence supports resulted in Mr. Diaz’s positive sample.
Mr. Diaz has not committed an anti-doping policy violation, has not been provisionally suspended and is not subject to any sanctions. Additionally, UFC has been informed by independent experts who have determined that there is unequivocally no appreciable performance enhancing or therapeutic benefit from the significantly limited amount of LGD-4033 that may be present in his system, which is roughly 10,000 times lower than one LGD-4033 therapeutic dose.
Upon completion of the revised UFC Anti-Doping Policy, UFC and USADA will make the policy publicly available.
Diaz had tweeted a statement on Thursday announcing that he wouldn’t be coming to New York for UFC 244 after a USADA test claimed that he had “elevated levels that they say might be from some tainted supplements.” Diaz also wrote that he wouldn’t be competing until the UFC, USADA, or whoever was messing with him fixed the situation.
Diaz vs. Masvidal will headline UFC 244. Diaz has been calling himself the “Baddest Motherf*cker” in the UFC, and the winner will receive a BMF title belt.
The UFC 244 main card will also feature Kelvin Gastelum vs. Darren Till, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson vs. Vicente Luque, Derrick Lewis vs. Blagoy Ivanov, and Kevin Lee vs. Gregor Gillespie.
One of the sport’s most elusive figures may go back into MMA’s version of witness protection if a Thursday social media post is accurate.
Nate Diaz, set to main event UFC 244 a week from this Saturday against Jorge Masvidal in one of the year’s most anticipated fights, posted on Twitter that due to a USADA claim that he has “elevated levels that they say might be from some tainted supplements”, he’s out of the fight.
Diaz said he only eats food from Whole Foods, natural supplements, and no meat. He added that unless UFC, USADA, or “whoever is f**king with me fixes it”, he’s not fighting as well as alluding that someone offered to keep the violation quiet until after the fight.
To this point, UFC, USADA, nor Dana White have confirmed the news, but Yahoo’s Kevin Iole tweeted White was with President Donald Trump having dinner so he was indisposed. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani said this is not a prank and the situation is fluid, but that the fight hasn’t been canceled.
Masvidal is still down for the fight for which a “BMF” title was being created for:
You not the baddest mofo in the game (i am) but you are one of the cleanest mofo’s @NateDiaz209 I’ll see you nov 2. I know your name is clean. I don’t need @usantidoping to tell me shit!
The 34-year-old Diaz returned to the UFC in August for the first time in three years in a dominant win over Anthony Pettis that helped set up the Masvidal fight. If he is indeed out, it seems unlikely Masvidal would take a short notice fill-in even though UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman tweeted that he would take the fight and still fight Colby Covington in December.
While the card is deep, the co-main event is Kelvin Gastelum vs. Darren Till which isn’t exactly a PPV headliner. Fellow welterweights Stephen Thompson and Vicente Luque are also on the card, but Masvidal has already fought, and lost, to Thompson.
While Conor McGregor seems like a long shot for Masvidal should the fight fall through, the popular Irish fighter did call out the winner. He said today he is preparing for a mid-January return in Las Vegas, but Diaz did fill in on short notice to fight McGregor in their first battle, so anything is possible, especially with a MSG main event and big pay-per-view money on the line.
That’s what UFC president Dana White said to TMZ, confirming the former WWE and movie megstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson will indeed present the winner of Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal with the newly-created BMF belt at UFC 244.
The two are facing off in the main event of the show, emanating from New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The BMF title, conceptualized by Diaz, will be a one-off promotional tool and not an official championship to be defended.
Earlier this month, Masvidal tweeted that Johnson should present the belt to the winner to which Johnson replied that if he could make the fight, he would do it. it appears his schedule has been cleared to do just that.
When asked, White told TMZ the belt will cost $50,000 to create and that Johnson will present it to the winner. He is a longtime fan of the sport and has been seen cageside at events before.
As part of the build to November’s UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden, Nate Diaz, Jorge Masvidal, and Dana White will take part in a press conference Thursday at 7 PM Eastern from The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City.
You can stream the event below:
Diaz and Masvidal will fight in the main event of the MSG show, the first scheduled non-title PPV headliner since Conor McGregor fought Diaz at UFC 202 in August 2016.
The two will fight over the “BMF” belt, a title Dana White is going to have created just for this fight. In a Twitter chat Thursday, White said the belt will be unveiled the week of the show.
Diaz returned from a three-year absence to pick up a convincing unanimous decision win over Anthony Pettis at August’s UFC 241 while Masvidal set a UFC record for the fastest knockout at July’s UFC 239. Diaz called out Masvidal after his victory, helping set things in motion for UFC 244, the 500th event in company history.
Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal will headline November’s UFC 244 at Madison Square Garden, reported by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto via Dana White.
Outside situations where late injuries have caused a change, this will be the first UFC pay-per-view headliner in years where the scheduled main event is not for a title. White told Okamoto he is going to create a “BMF” belt for the winner and there will be no title fights as co-main event.
After a three year layoff, Diaz returned to action with an impressive August decision win over Anthony Pettis while Masvidal is coming off the fastest knockout in UFC history with his flying knee to Ben Askren’s face in July. Diaz called out Masvidal following his win and both fans and media pushed for the bout as next for both men.
UFC had been trying to put together a title fight between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and top challenger Colby Covington and then Usman vs. Masvidal but ran into negotiation snags. It’s expected the Masvidal-Diaz winner will be next in line for a title shot.
Last year’s MSG main event was put together just a few weeks before the show with then-heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier taking on Derrick Lewis. Cormier was nursing a hand injury and Lewis had just competed and won the month prior.
Joseph Currier gives his thoughts on SummerSlam 2019. Plus, Bryan Rose’s Japan notes, and Vinny’s TV reviews.
This year’s SummerSlam main event was a pivotal moment in the career of Seth Rollins.
If that wasn’t made clear going into the pay-per-view, it certainly felt true in the moment. As much as headlining a Big Four PPV is a huge spot for anyone, Rollins’ match against Brock Lesnar came at a time when Rollins was at a tipping point. He could either win and regain his momentum — or his character would probably have to go in a different direction.
With how WWE built to their match, Rollins winning was the right outcome. He had been viciously beaten down by Lesnar in angles on Raw each of the last two weeks. After the second attack, a subdued Rollins vowed to be at SummerSlam and guaranteed that he would defeat Lesnar.
Rollins came through on his guarantee. After hitting his third curb stomp of the match, Rollins pinned Lesnar to regain the Universal title. The match delivered on a much higher level than Rollins’ previous bouts against Lesnar. Rollins was put over strongly and positioned as the current top babyface in the company.
One of the most shocking and heated angles in modern wrestling is covered as the lead story in the new Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We discuss the angle itself, how it came together, and what it might be leading to.
Reviews of WWE Summerslam and NJPW’s G1 finals, plus tons of news are also covered this week.
We have results and star ratings from SummerSlam, as well as data and analytics on who bought the show on traditional PPV.
Of course we have star ratings and business notes on the final G1shows of the year, as well as the readers’ poll for G1 MVP. We also examine how this year’s tournament compared to last year’s from a business perspective.
We have a story on some changes to upcoming WWE house shows. We also have notes on WWE PPV buying habits in major markets in 2019.
As you might expect, we also have complete coverage of NXT TakeOver: Toronto, as well as star ratings for the matches.
Also in this issue, Ryan Frederick covers this past weekend’s UFC show, and we have detailed TV ratings and business notes on the show.
We have full coverage of all the WWE television shows from the past week.
As always, we have in-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows,the key demos for the WWE shows and what can be learned from them.
We also have the results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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TUESDAY NEWS UPDATE
by Joseph Currier and Bryan Rose
WWE
SmackDown tonight takes place at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Daniel Bryan and Buddy Murphy will face off following last week’s confrontation. Two King of the Ring matches will also take place, as Kevin Owens will take on Elias and Apollo Crews will face Andrade.
205 Live will have a Captain’s Challenge match, with Oney Lorcan, Jack Gallagher, Akira Tozawa, Humberto Carrillo & Isiah “Swerve” Scott facing Drew Gulak, Ariya Daivari, Mike Kanellis, Angel Garza & Tony Nese. Lorcan and Gulak are captianting the teams.
With NXT moving to the USA Network, the NXT TV tapings that were scheduled for September 11 and September 12 at Full Sail University have been canceled. Tickets for the September 11 tapings will be honored at the NXT on USA premiere on September 18. Tickets for the September 12 tapings will be honored at the NXT episode on September 25. Those who can’t make the new dates can contact [email protected] with their name and order number for a refund. NXT on USA will be a two-hour show that airs live from Full Sail on Wednesdays from 8-10 p.m. Eastern time.
Mauro Ranallo confirmed that he’ll still be doing commentary for NXT when it moves to USA: “I had the honor of being part of the first #SmackDownLive broadcast on @USA_Network I am even more excited to be part of the @WWENXT broadcast team with @McGuinnessNigel & @TheBethPhoenix on USA! WE’LL DO IT LIVE!”
Following the NXT to USA announcement, WWE stock closed today at $74.51 per share. That was up 3.59 percent from yesterday.
Cedric Alexander spoke to Pro Wrestling Sheet about working with Paul Heyman: “It’s been great working with Paul. He’s really helped me feel more comfortable. He saw a match I had with Bobby Roode months ago on an episode of Main Event and he was a very big fan of it. He’s given me pointers on how to project myself better to fans and small little show business quirks. Because that’s one of the things I’m not 100% comfortable on sometimes, so talking in front of a camera is something that Paul has definitely helped me get more in tune with.”
Chris Jericho tweeted about NXT’s move to USA: “Congrats to @WWENXT for making the big move to the @USA_Network! Runners always race faster when somebody is right behind them. Gonna be fun to see which team the world decides to join! #ChooseJericho @AEWrestling @AEWonTNT”
AJ Mendez (formerly known as AJ Lee) and actress Aimee Garcia are writing a four-part comic book series called “GLOW vs. The Babyface” that will launch this November.
This week’s MLW Fusion episode is now available on YouTube. LA Park faced Jimmy Havoc in a New York City street fight in the main event.
UFC/MMA
After Nate Diaz called him out this past weekend, Jorge Masvidal has accepted the challenge, wanting to fight in December.
Jon Jones wrote on Twitter regarding a potential Brock Lesnar fight: “Brock is way too slow, I’ll embarrass him.”
On Instagram, Conor McGregor commented on Nate Diaz’s win against Anthony Pettis: “3 years to the day myself and this Mexican warrior went to war. Congrats on the win this weekend Nate, it was motivating to see it for my own comeback. I don’t blame you not mentioning me for the trilogy bout post fight, you know what I’m like when I get going. Vicious. I loved the round 3 style from round 1 that you implemented. It’s what I was hoping you would implement for this bout and was glad to see you do it. I’ll be prepared for it when we go again. If we go again. If not, respect always. A war for the ages. No bitch talk. Just real sh*t.”
Ben Askren vs. Demian Maia has been set for UFC Singapore on October 26.
The UFC 241 prelims averaged 817k viewers, up from 240’s 722k.
UFC 242 prelims will air on FX due to a scheduling conflict with ESPN.
Khalid Taha vs. Bruno Silva has been moved from UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi to UFC 243 in Melbourne, Australia.
Cub Swanson will fight Kron Gracie at an Ultimate Fight Night event on October 12.
Before this week’s return to the norm, Joseph Currier looked at Heyman’s promising start in his new role.
Though it was only the beginning of him easing into the role, the first Raw of the Paul Heyman era showed promising signs for his future as executive director.
It was surprising that — during the build to a pay-per-view where the top of the card has already been announced — Heyman’s presence was so obvious. Even if WWE didn’t announce his executive director role, it still would have been easy to tell that something was different about the episode.
It started with a literal bang that doubled as a statement of intent. Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley’s falls count anywhere match kicked off the show and ended in a no contest. Strowman charged at Lashley, with explosions going off as they crashed through the stage. The angle was treated with complete seriousness. Corey Graves even let out an uncensored “holy sh*t” on commentary.
A look at Paco Alonso and his role in running the most traditional of all pro wrestling promotions, and what happens next with CMLL, is the lead story i the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We look at Alonso’s death, an update on who will be running the company, how things will stay the same, what could change, the 2008 Hall of Fame election, and the career of Alonso as a promoter including the wrestlings wars he was in and the boom periods he presided over. We also look at where things stand and why Alonso is the only promoter with so much tenure in the business who has never lost money promoting wrestling.
We look at the first show of the G-1 Climax tournament, including unique aspects of the crowd, the business notes and what was good and bad about the crowd, this week’s G-1 bouts, Dallas coverage with star ratings and poll results and will AEW and NJPW promote together any time soon.
We also look at a Saturday with five major shows, running down all of them and the story behind the change in WWE policy.
We also look at Dwayne Johnson and Conor McGregor earnings, Reigns winning award, new signings, Reigns talks why AEW isn’t competition, WWE’s latest network strategy, ideas that were nixed of late that were pitched, Eric Bischoff update, Stock price notes, new WWE television show, most-watched shows of the week on WWE Network as well as a rundown of all the arena events of the past week with results, highlights and business notes.
We’ve got full coverage of UFC 239, with all the different stories that came out of the show, the judging of Jones vs Santos, the future of several fighters, all of the business notes regarding the show as well as match-by-match coverage, fighter pay, and poll results.
We also look at the changes in All Japan Pro Wrestling and what it means going forward.
We also have coverage of the Impact PPV show, where Impact stands, how the PPV did, the crossover in buyers of Impact with other companies as well as match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
We also run down the ratings of all the major TV shows, along with detailed demo info for the WWE shows.
We also have the results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
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.
THURSDAY NEWS UPDATE
WWE’s next investors call is 7/25, which is when they will announce all the second quarter numbers. The numbers are probably going to be looked at closer this quarter than most after the first quarter was such a disappointment when it came to the core business.
Jorge Masvidal, who is one of the hottest fighters in UFC coming off his win over Ben Askren, was on Dan LeBatard today and said that he wants to fight Conor McGregor and said it would be an easy paycheck for him. He said that McGregor backs down and taps when he gets in trouble.
Weigh-ins for Bellator tomorrow night on both the Paramount Network and DAZN from Thackerville, OK:
Ed Ruth (170) vs. Kiichi Kunimoto (170.4)
Juliana Velasquez (124.9) vs. Kristina Williams (125.8)
Rafael Carvalho (189.9) vs. Chidi Njokuani (189.6)
Julia Budd (145) vs. Olga Rubin (143.5) for the featherweight title
At the latest booking meeting the decision was not to add any new matches to Sunday’s Extreme Rules show. There were a number of bouts built up, but they’ve already got ten bouts announced and that is more than enough.
There are limited tickets available for Saturday night’s Evolve 10th anniversary show at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia which airs live on the WWE Network. A dark match has been added with John Silver & Alex Reynolds vs. Milk Chocolate at 7:40 p.m. This bout won’t be televised. Shotzi Blackheart vs. Brandi Lauren has been added to the network broadcast. Evolve also runs Sunday at 7 p.m. from the Melrose, MA Memorial Hall at www.WWNlive.com with Matt Riddle vs Curt Stallion, Austin Theory & Arturo Ruas vs. Josh Briggs & Orange Cassidy, JD Drake vs. AR Fox, Joe Gacy vs. Babatunde and more.
WWE
Tickets for the first TV tapings in Madison Square Garden in ten years, on 9/9 and 9/10, go on sale with a registration until 7/14 at 10 p.m. for a presale that starts on 7/16 at 10 a.m. Raw is expected to sell out immediately and Smackdown is expected to do well.
Impact and AAA’s TripleMania are going head-to-head on 8/3 on Twitch. Impact will have a show in Southern California.
Jim Ross and Conrad Thompson are doing live shows on Friday night in Jacksonville, Sunday in Philadelphia and 8/17 in Charlotte.
Aaron Haddad, better known as Damien Sandow and Aron Stevens, is returning to pro wrestling shortly.
Tickets go on sale Monday for the MLW PPV debut on 11/2 at Cicero Stadium at www.MLWtickets.com Announced for the show are Jacob Fatu, Tom Lawlor, Teddy Hart, Davey Boy Smith Jr., Brian Pillman Jr., Salina de la Renta, Simon Gotch, Josef Samael, Marshall & Ross Von Erich, Alexander Hammertone, MJF, Richard Holliday, Mance Warner, Low Ki, L.A. Park, Konnan, El Hijo de L.A. Park, Gringo Loco, Myron Reed and Jordan Oliver.
MCW presents the Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup on 7/13 in Joppa, MD featuring Nick Aldis vs. Dirty Money for the NWA title and Dante Caballero vs. Drolix.
Wrestling Revolver on 7/26 in West Des Moines IA at the Val Air Ballroom with Rhino & Tommy Dreamer & Jimmy Jacobs & Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan & Jake & Dave Crist & Mad Man Fulton in an extreme rule tornado match, Larry D vs. Ace Romero for the Revolver title, Besties in the World vs. Rich Swann & Jason Cade vs. Ethan Page & Josh Alexander for the tag titles, Caleb Konley vs. Andy Dalton 2/3 tables match, Killer Kross vs. JT Dunn, Ace Austin vs. Chuck Mambo and Jessicka Havok vs Dan Barry.
Rise on 9/1 at 5 p.m. in Berwyn, IL as part of All Out Weekend in the Chicago area has an eight-woman single elimination one night tournament.
Best of the West has a TV taping for Saturday at 6 p.m. in Fresno, CA at their studio. They have another taping on 7/21 with Best in the West vs Easy Bay Pro Wrestling. If you go to the 7/13 show you can get tickets for 7/21 for just $5.
Roberto Soldic defends his welterweight title at KSW 50 on 9/14 at SSE Wembley in London.
Rocky Mountain Pro will have a live show on Twitch, Right now Tv and Fite TV on 7/14, 8/8 and 8/11 all at the Elitsh Gardens in Denver.
Murphys Boxing has reached a deal with Fight Pass with the debut event tomorrow at 9 p.m. Eastern from Boston with Greg Vendetti (21-3-1, 12 knockouts) vs. Michael Anderson(17-2-1, 12 knockouts) for the vacant IBA junior middleweight world championship.
Bar Wrestling results from last night in Los Angeles at the Bootleg Theater: Reno Scum b Luke Hawx & PJ Hawx, Heather Monroe & Jake Atlas b Jessicka Havok & Nevaeh, Daga won four-way over Eli Everfly, Teddy Hart and Dave Crist, Peter Avalon & Ray Rosas b Willie Mack & Rich Swann, Joey Ryan & Scorpio Sky & Luchasaurus b Eli Drake & Chris Dickinson & Mike Verna, Sami Callihan b Killer Kross, Tessa Blanchard & Keira Hogan & Su Yung & Scarlett Bordeaux b Brian Cage in a lap dance match (thanks to Jamie Hudson and Shannon Walsh)
Bar Wrestling tomorrow night in Baldwin Park, CA at the American Legion with a dollar dance with Melissa Santos plus Tessa Blanchard vs. Daga, Brian Cage vs. Rich Swann vs. Teddy Hart vs. Chris Dickinson, Joey Ryan vs. Keira Hogan and more.
I Believe in Wrestling on 8/2 at Team Vision Dojo in Orlando.
Pro Wrestling Eve on 7/13 in London at the Resistance Gallery with a tournament to determine the No. 1 contender to champion Rhia O’Reilly. On the show is Yuu, Kasey, Charlie Evans, Kanji, Laura Di Matteo, Millie McKenzie, Mercedes Blaze, Roxxy and Raven Creed.
Alpha-1 Wrestling on 7/21 in Hamilton, ONT at 222 Queenston, Rd.
FAN on 9/13 in Hamburg, Germany has Tenille Dashwood, Faye Jackson, Holidead, Chris Brooks and Aussie Open (thanks to Markus Gronemann)
AAW tomorrow night in Milwaukee at the Turner Hall Ballroom has Sami Callihan vs. Jacob Fatu for the AAW title, Jessicka Havok vs. Taya Valkyrie for the women’s title, John Morrison vs. Juventud Guerrera, Penta 0M & Rey Fenix vs. Myron Reed & AR Fox, Josh Briggs vs. Josh Alexander, Curt Stallion vs. Air Wolf, Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett vs Ace Austin & Clayton Gainz and more.
The first six names announced in the Jim Lyman Memorial tournament that AAW is putting on 8/29 and 8/30 at the Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago is Eddie Kingston, Josh Briggs, Laredo Kid, Jake Atlas, Colt Cabana and Curt Stallion.
Kyle Niblett is selling four ticket to Fight for the Fallen at below face value in Section 106 at [email protected]
Combate Americas has announced an 8/2 show in Fresno, CA at the Save Mart Center airing on Univision and DAZN.
Great North Wrestling on 8/10 in Petawawa, ONT at the Petawawa Civic Centre headline by Hannibal vs. Teddy Hart. Rene Dupree and Brian Pillman Jr. are also on the show.
There is a Comic Con/Pop Culture event this weekend in Knoxville, TN called the Fanboy Expo with Harley Race, Mick Foley, Sgt. Slaughter, Iron Sheik, Jim Cornette, Bobby Eaton, Dennis Condrey, Stan Lane, Brutus Beefcake, Jimmy Valiant, Jordynne Grace, Angelina Love and Velvet Sky all appearing. There will be a wrestling show as part of the weekend tomorrow night. For more info go to www.fanboyexpo.com
PWA on 7/27 in Guelph, ONT at the Red Chevron Club.
A huge kickboxing heavyweight battle with Rico Verhoeven vs. Badr Hari takes place on 12/21 in Arnhem, Holland at the GeireDome. The first bout between the two, in 2016, was gigantic with Hari losing in the second round due to an arm injury.
AXS will be re-airing the Affliction: Banned show with Fedor Emelianenko vs. Tim Sylvia on the 11th anniversary of the show, on 7/10. Donald Trump was there doing publicity for the show and that was a trip. Trump, in promoting the show, which actually had a very low number of tickets sold (it was papered heavily at the end) talked about how it was all sold out at the press conference, and seconds later, Jimmy Lennon Jr. was pushing all the different ticket outlets where you could get tickets.
Legacy Fighting Alliance tomorrow night from Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta on AXS TV has Jason Jackson (9-3) vs. Hemerson Souza (7-4) for the welterweight title. Former WWE Tough Enough contestant Tanner Saraceno (7-3) will be fighting on the show. He was the guy who won almost all the athletic drills but still got cut because they thought he was too small and didn’t like his facial expressions.
Andrea Hangst of Fansided wrote an article on the Thomas Santell persona covering his career, character change, and resurgence.
Though the road getting here was as convoluted as possible, WWE has finally confirmed Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch for WrestleMania 35.
Storyline suspensions, injuries, and even an “arrest” for Lynch, the McMahons getting involved and Vince replacing Lynch with Charlotte, Charlotte fully turning heel and Rousey turning against the crowd, and dozens of tweets all led to Lynch facing Charlotte at Fastlane. The stipulation was that if Lynch won, the Raw Women’s Championship match at WrestleMania would officially become a triple threat.
One of the two biggest issues of the year, the awards issue, is out right now.
The awards issue contains not only the award winners, but also top placeholders in every category and an all-time history of award winners dating back to 1980.
Have a look at the career and life of Dick “The Destroyer” Beyer, from football to college wrestling to TV stardom in Japan to teaching school. It’s really an amazing story of one of the first Americans to become a TV celebrity in Japan and the greatest American masked wrestler of all-time.
Read full coverage of the road to WrestleMania with most of the card as well as full coverage of Fastlane with a match-by-match rundown with star ratings, poll results and business notes.
Look at SummerSlam tickets, WWE creative, Bruce Prichard, Jeff Jarrett, AEW vs. WWE, Takeover Brooklyn’s complete card, newcomers to WWE this week, Dwayne Johnson award, Harlem Heat Hall of Fame notes, WrestleMania 2020 week updates, new WWE hire, WWE ticket sales, WWE stock price, most watched shows of the past week no the WWE Network plus notes from all the weekend house shows with results, angles and business.
This issue has updated coverage of the New Japan Cup, with this week’s shows, a rundown of every match so far in the tournament and an updated look at the brackets.
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.
SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bob Armstrong, 79, had what was billed as his final match as a wrestler last night in Pensacola, FL. This was Armstrong’s 59th year as a pro wrestler. All of his family was there including son Brian (Road Dogg),who introduced him. He even had a great granddaughter at the show.
Matt Hardy starts back on the road with WWE tonight in Peoria. He will be teaming with brother Jeff on the Smackdown brand. They are also teaming in Rockford tomorrow night.
Everything you ever wanted to know about Wrestling Observer Hall of Fame votingcan be found here.
Jerry Lawler was mentioned in today’s Dick Tracy comic strip (thanks to Sandy Krebs)
Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins will be doing a WrestleMania week podcast at the Create a Pro Wrestler Academy in Hicksville,NY at 10 p.m. There will be at least two WWE wrestlers as surprise guests.
AAW from last night in Chicago before a sellout 550 fans: Laynie Luck b Evil Sierra, Garvin Quinn & Juntai b Xavier Walker & Palmer Cruise, Project MONIX b Danhausen, Ace Austin won over Hakim Zane, Gringo Loco and Joey Lynch, Fatu (managed by Armando Estrada) b Clayton Gainz, Kimber Lee won six-way over Paco, Larry D, Sterling Regal, Logan Regal and Nate Webb, Fred Yehi b Eddie Edwards, Jimmy Jacobs b Mance Warner, Myron Reed & Juventud Guerrera b Chuck Taylor & Trent Baretta, Ace Romero b Moose, Sami Callihan b Jake Something to keep the AAW title, Jessicka Havok b Kyle Rae to win the AAW women’s title. Next show is 4/12 at 115 Bourbon Street in Merrionette Park, IL with LAX vs. Penta 0M & Rey Fenix and Darby Allin vs Sammy Guevara
Warrior Wrestling from Friday night in Chicago Heights, IL: Ace Austin won six-way over Rich Swann, Isaias Velazquez, Gringo Loco, Andrew Everett and Bryce Benjamin, Robert Anthony b Brian Pillman Jr.,Wardlow b Moose, Britt Baker b Kylie Rae-DQ, Eddie Edwards b Austin Aries-DQ, Shane Sabre & Space Monkey won over Matt Knicks & Chris Castro and Swoggle & Kongo Kong, Sammy Guevara b DJZ, L.A. Park b Sam Adonis, Jordynne Grace b Lisa Marie Varon to keep the Progress women’s title, Brian Cage won four-way over Dezmond Xavier, Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz to keep the Warrior title. (thanks to Shannon Walsh and Wrestling with Demons)
This was Everett’s last show as he’s about to undergo knee surgery.
PCW Grand Slam from yesterday in Melbourne before 2,093 fans: Edward Dusk b Danny Psycho, Jamie Durden & Royce Chambers b Tommy Hellfire & Rocco, Trikki b Cass Stone, Daniel Swagger b Nate Cross in a street fight, Charlie Matthews won Rumble, Mark Kage b Nate Cross, Wait & Syd Parker & Erika Reid b Ryan Rapid & Sammy Falcon & Ayesha to win the tag titles in a TLC match (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
Melbourne Championship Wrestling from last night in Melbourne before 700 fans: JK Moody b Taylor King, Lochy Hendricks b Fun Time Phil, Robbie Eagles b Ritchie Taylor, Brat Pack won TLC match over The Loose and The Wreckless to win tag titles, DCT b Mike Burr, Avary won three-way over Kellyanne and Indi Hartwell, Slex b Gino Gambino to win MCW title. Crowd went nuts for the title change. The TLC match had crazy bumps. Eagles vs. Taylor said to be ****1/4. (thanks to Kevin Chiat and David Roughton)
Shine results from yesterday in Queens, NY: Champion Allysin Kay missed the show due to flight issues. Thunder Rosa & Holidead b Gabby Gilbert & Luscious Latasha-COR, Shotzi Blackheart b Stormie Lee, Brandi Lauren won three-way over Allie Recks and Riley Shepard, AJ Perera & Aerial Monroe b Kiera Hogan & Dementia D’Rose so Hogan and D’Rose must leave Shine for 90 days, Ivelisse won four-way to become top contender for the title over Mercedes Martinez, Su Yung and Priscilla Kelly (thanks to Shannon Walsh and Wrestling with Demons.com.
Southern Championship Wrestling last night in Longwood, FL (Morgan is Deputy Mayor of Longwood): Chasyn Race b Jarrett Diaz, Cisco Sucio & Remi Danitao b Jake Shadows & Ali Mohammed, Gorilla Blanco b Chris Ramirez, Amber Nova & Sofia Castillo b Kaci Lennox & Layne Rosario, Mike Reed b Austin Gunn, Matt Morgan & Deon James b Chico Adams & Braydon Knight..
Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling from last night in East Carondelet, IL: Jake Prater b Rockin Rivera, Gary Jackson b Big Texan, Curtis Wylde b Keith Smith Jr., Christopher Hargas b Khayman, Ricky Cruz & Gil Rogers DCOR Kowalski & Attila Khan, Ken Kasa b Flash Flanagan, Superstar Steve Fender b Billy McNeil (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
Friday night’s IPW TV show from Fight Network UK is now available to view for free worldwide. The main event is an all-British three way for the IPW World title between defending champion Mark Haskins, Kip Sabian and the returning Pac. Given the politics of wrestling at the moment, with Haskins signed to ROH and the other two now with AEW, this will probably be the last time we see these three men in the same ring at the same time.
Ed in San Antonio presents the WRESTLEMANIAWeekend Events (more to be added):
Saturday, 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~!
Even though they aren’t fighting at Saturday’s UFC 217, middleweight champion Michael Bisping and welterweight contender Jorge Masvidal got into a verbal confrontation waiting for elevators, marred by a gay slur uttered by Masvidal.
Captured on video below, you’ll see the two arguing profanely back and forth with Bisping saying Masvidal is “trash” and that he’ll lose Saturday. Masvidal responds in kind and as Bisping gets onto the elevator, you hear Masvidal clearly say “f*ggot” to him.
The two have had heat stemming from a confrontation prior to UFC 213 earlier this year.
This comes a day after UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor apologized for his own gay slur slip up after teammate Artem Lobov lost at UFC Gdasnk and just over a month after heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum apologized for a similar comment to now-interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson at a press event.
On Saturday in New York City, Bisping is scheduled to defend the title against the returning Georges St. Pierre in the main event while Masvidal is scheduled to face Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson on the main card.
Here’s some advice for your gambling and fantasy needs for Saturday’s The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale event in Las Vegas, Nevada, headlined by UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson defending against Tim Elliott on FOX Sports 1.
MAIN CARD
UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson (24-2-1) vs. Tim Elliott (13-6-1)
Betting Odds: Johnson (-1100), Elliott (+700) DraftKings Salaries: Johnson- $10,200, Elliott- $5,400 Key Statistic: Johnson has scored finishes in five of his last seven fights Analysis: The pound-for-pound best fighter in the world makes his ninth title defense when Johnson defends against Elliott, the TUF 24 winner. Johnson is the biggest betting favorite and has the highest fantasy salary on the card, which shows just how dominant he has been. He hasn’t been touched by anyone at 125 pounds, and it would be a monumental upset if Elliott were able to pull the win off. Elliott is solid on his feet, but Johnson represents a different kind of pace to the fight. Johnson is a fighter that excels in every aspect of the fight game, and he can knock opponents out, and submit them if he finds an opening. Elliott has been in the UFC before, and he’s only been finished once, but Johnson is by far the best opponent he has ever faced. A dirty and quick-paced fight gives Elliott a shot, but I see Johnson scoring a finish. Johnson is the clear bet in this fight. I expect him to have the highest draft rate in DraftKings line-ups, but with his high salary, he is an excellent choice, and would be my top target.
Joseph Benavidez (24-4) vs. Henry Cejudo (10-1)
Betting Odds: Benavidez (-200), Cejudo (+170) DraftKings Salaries: Benavidez- $9,000, Cejudo- $7,200 Key Statistic: Cejudo has never been taken down in his career Analysis: The co-main event of this card is the battle of the TUF 24 coaches, as the top flyweights behind Johnson, Benaviez and Cejudo, meet in the Octagon. Both men have only seen defeats at the hands of Johnson in their flyweight careers. Benavidez has won five straight fights entering this bout, and Cejudo is coming off his first career loss. Benavidez was taken down four times in his last fight by Zach Makovsky, and if that happens at the hands of Cejudo, it may be a long night for Benavidez. Benavidez is good at getting to his fight, but Cejudo is an Olympic gold medalist, and he will be able to keep Benavidez planted. Benavidez is the better striker of the two, but Cejudo has power in his hands. No matter how bad Johnson made him look, Cejudo is better than that April performance. If you are looking for an underdog to bet on, Cejudo could squeak out a gritty decision. At his fantasy salary, he is definitely worth a hard look as he’s one of the cheapest options on the card. It’ll be a close fight, and there is money to be made on Cejudo in this fight.
Jake Ellenberger (31-11) vs. Jorge Masvidal (30-11)
Betting Odds: Ellenberger (+220), Masvidal (-260) DraftKings Salaries: Ellenberger- $7,400, Masvidal- $8,800 Key Statistic: Ellenberger is 2-5 in his last seven fights Analysis: This should be a barnburner in the welterweight division. You have a heavy-handed striker with good wrestling in Ellenberger, and a crisp and technical boxer in Masvidal. This fight depends on which version of both men show up, and both have a tendency of not fully showing up in fights. Ellenberger was on rocky ground in his career, but his power was back on full display when he knocked out Matt Brown in his last fight. Masvidal hasn’t been a big finisher lately in fights, but he pushes a quick pace, and his size is good for a welterweight. Ellenberger may look to wrestle if he is smart, but he tends to stand and trade with his foes. Masvidal has a quick jab and that may be tough for Ellenberger to get inside of. Both men have a lot of fight mileage on them, but Masvidal is more durable. Masvidal is a sizeable favorite on the betting odds, and he is the better bet of the two. They have a big discrepency in fantasy salaries, and Ellenberger’s power is hard to look past. Masvidal is tough to finish. Ellenberger may be the better fantasy play. He is worth looking at with his $7,400 salary.
Ion Cutelaba (12-2 1 NC) vs. Jared Cannonier (8-1)
Betting Odds: Cutelaba (-230), Cannonier (+190) DraftKings Salaries: Cutelaba- $8,900, Cannonier- $7,300 Key Statistic: Cannonier’s first fight at light heavyweight after fighting at heavyweight Analysis: Cutelaba and Cannonier don’t have big names in the UFC as they both have fought just twice for the organization. Both men are 1-1 in their UFC careers. However, many are expecting this to be a slugfest as we have two strong punchers with penchants for finishing fights. Cannonier has been fighting as a heavyweight his entire career and makes the move down to 205 pounds for the first time. He was a big heavyweight and that power should carry over. Cutelaba is an aggressive and heavy puncher, though, and he will go toe-to-toe with the bigger Cannonier. I really like Cannonier’s chances in this fight, and I think he is a good fighter to look at when making bets and setting fantasy line-ups. His $7,300 salary on DraftKings is very valuable, and you will need some underdogs in your line-up.
Sara McMann (9-3) vs. Alexis Davis (17-6)
Betting Odds: McMann (-170), Davis (+150) DraftKings Salaries: McMann- $8,400, Davis- $7,800 Key Statistic: This is Davis’ first fight since UFC 186 on April 25, 2015 Analysis: McMann is gunning for her second straight win, while Davis returns to action for the first time in almost 18 months following a pregnancy and time away. That may be a disadvantage for Davis, but she is a high-level grappler who has had solid success inside the Octagon. McMann has been disappointing in her UFC run as she hasn’t lit the world on fire, and many of her wins in her career have been lackluster. She has to use her wrestling here, but also has to remember that Davis is a black belt in jiu-jitsu. McMann is very tentative on her feet and likes to keep distance while Davis is aggressive and looks to work in the clinch. Davis has a real good shot at scoring an upset on the oddsmakers’ cards, but I wouldn’t even call it an upset. She is a good betting option. I would keep away from McMann in your fantasy games as I don’t see her racking up very many points, and I don’t see a finish for her. Davis is a good value play, and I expect her to have a very solid draft rate in contests.
Brandon Moreno (12-3) vs. Ryan Benoit (9-4)
Betting Odds: Moreno (-135), Benoit (+115) DraftKings Salaries: Moreno- $8,500, Benoit- $7,700 Key Statistic: Moreno has nine wins by submission Analysis: Moreno shocked the world by coming in on short notice and submitting Louis Smolka in his UFC debut in October. He has a lot of momentum coming into this fight. Benoit has rotated wins-and-losses in his last seven fights, and hasn’t been able to find any consistency. History says Benoit is due for a loss, and Moreno is a tough match-up for him. Moreno has the size edge, and he is just more crafty in his overall attack. Moreno can be hit, but Benoit just doesn’t possess the knockout shot he will need. Moreno strings together his punches better, and his submission game is top-notch, having scored 75% of his career wins by submission. Moreno is the sure-fire bet in this fight, and he is a good option both when making straight bets and when picking fighters for fantasy line-ups. I think he will submit Benoit and maximize his potential for fantasy scoring.
PRELIMS
Gray Maynard (12-5-1 1 NC) vs. Ryan Hall (5-1)
Betting Odds: Maynard (-110), Hall (-110) DraftKings Salaries: Maynard- $8,100, Hall- $8,100 Key Statistic: Hall’s first fight in 357 days Analysis: If I’m making a bet on this fight, I would strongly consider Hall. If I’m setting a fantasy line-up, I’d strong advise against taking Hall. That is a weird position. He can’t strike real good at all, but he is a strong grappler. Maynard is a power wrestler with a powerful right hand, but his best days are strongly behind him. He may keep it standing, but Hall may be able to get it down. I don’t see Hall submitting Maynard, but keeping him pinned on the mat and doing enough to win rounds. Maynard’s chin is gone, but I can’t see Hall knocking him out. I could see Maynard knocking him out if he can connect. I don’t like playing either man in fantasy contests, but I think Hall wins this fight.
Rob Font (12-2) vs. Matt Schnell (10-2)
Betting Odds: Font (-270), Schnell (+230) DraftKings Salaries: Font- $8,700, Schnell- $7,500 Key Statistic: Schnell taking fight on short notice & moving up a weight class Analysis: Schnell is stepping in on short notice to face the tough Font, and he is moving up to 135 pounds to make his UFC debut. Font has eight wins by finish in his career, and he has never been finished. Schnell has won seven straight fights and has eight wins by finish in his career. Despite fighting at 125 pounds, Schnell is the same size as Font and has a longer reach. Both men are technical on their feet and are talented. Font is primarily a striker while Schnell has a dangerous submission game. The short notice puts Schnell down in both the betting odds and fantasy salaries. He is a steal on both, and I strongly suggest utilizing his value.
Dong Hyun “Maestro” Kim (13-8-3) vs. Brendan O’Reilly (6-2 1 NC)
Betting Odds: Kim (-135), O’Reilly (+115) DraftKings Salaries: Kim- $8,300, O’Reilly- $7,900 Key Statistic: Kim landing 4.57 significant strikes per minute Analysis: This is an important fight for both as the loser could be cut from the roster. Kim has been in two exciting fights, but has lost both. He lands a lot of punches, though, and he is a brawler. O’Reilly likes to brawl, but that style got him knocked out by Alan Jouban. He is moving down a weight class, and lightweight suits him better. O’Reilly will be looking to shoot for the takedown as a brawl will favor Kim, but Kim has sneaky takedown defense. Kim will crack O’Reilly’s jaw and I see a stoppage with punches. Kim is really a value steal at his fantasy salary, and I’m surprised he isn’t a bigger betting favorite. He should get the win here.
Kailin Curran (4-3) vs. Jamie Moyle (3-1)
Betting Odds: Curran (-135), Moyle (+115) DraftKings Salaries: Curran- $8,600, Moyle- $7,600 Key Statistic: Moyle last fought 447 days ago Analysis: Curran finds herself in a must-win situation as she is just 1-3 in the UFC, while Moyle makes her UFC debut following a long layoff. Moyle is small at 5’1″ and Curran will look to exploit the small length advantage she will have. Curran likes to battle on the feet and she unloads with a lot of volume. I don’t see either woman finishing the other, which makes it hard to pick one for your fantasy line-ups. Curran is the better straight bet and I think she wins a close decision.
Elvis Mutapcic (15-4-1) vs. Anthony Smith (25-12)
Betting Odds: Mutapcic (-105), Smith (-115) DraftKings Salaries: Mutapcic- $8,100, Smith- $8,100 Key Statistic: They were scheduled to fight earlier this year before late cancellation Analysis: They were supposed to fight earlier this year outside of the UFC, and now they fight for their roster survival. Mutapcic is searching for his first UFC win and he desperately needs it. Smith is a big finisher, having won 22 fights by finish. However, eleven of his twelve losses have seen him finished, and Mutapcic is a finisher who has never been stopped. Smith has a size advantage, but Mutapcic has a power advantage. I like Mutapcic’s power to stop Smith, and while it is close in both odds and fantasy salaries, Mutapcic is the better play in this fight.
Josh Stansbury (8-2) vs. Devin Clark (6-1)
Betting Odds: Stansbury (-110), Clark (-110) DraftKings Salaries: Stansbury- $8,000, Clark- $8,200 Key Statistic: Both men have been finished in all of their losses Analysis: Both men are fighting a weight class above their natural weight class, and this is a must-win for Clark. Clark is the better athlete of the two, and he is more explosive on the feet and has a better wrestling game. Stansbury is a more patient fighter but that will likely get him in trouble here. Clark can make mistakes and pay for it, and he did in his last fight. I do like him better in this fight. It’s a pick ’em on the betting odds, and Clark is the better play. I do like him at his $8,200 salary in fantasy line-ups as I think he gets a knockout win.
The UFC spends Thanksgiving weekend bringing the Octagon to South Korea for the first time for UFC Fight Night 79 on Saturday. The event will be streamed live on UFC Fight Pass with an early morning start time, or late-night start time depending on which coast you live in, with an eleven-fight card in Seoul, South Korea. The action kicks off with preliminary card action at 5 AM eastern time heading into the main card kicking off at 8 AM eastern time.
The event will be headlined by a five-round bout in the welterweight division as former UFC and WEC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson fights at 170 pounds for the second time when he takes on Jorge Masvidal, who replaced Thiago Alves in the headline bout. In the co-main event, it will be South Korea’s own Dong Hyun Kim, looking to score his second straight win, taking on Dominic Waters, who stepped in to replace Masvidal. Also on the card is the return of “Sexyama” as Yoshihiro Akiyama takes on Alberto Mina. Let’s take a deeper look into the action and give you five storylines to keep your eye on for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 79 event.
1. Will this be Benson Henderson’s last fight in the UFC?
Benson Henderson enters the main event of UFC Fight Night 79 at a pivotal point in his career. This will be the final fight on Henderson’s contract with the UFC, and he will be testing the free agent market following Saturday’s event. Henderson is a former UFC and WEC lightweight champion with a 22-5 record in his career. If you were to rank all of the 500-plus UFC fighters in order, odds are Henderson would be ranked in the top 25. He has been a top-five lightweight in the world for the last six years, and as he has moved up to welterweight for the time being, he has shown he has the chance to be a threat there as well. He has just three losses inside the Octagon- losing the championship to Anthony Pettis, who just has Henderson’s number, a flash knockout to current champion Rafael Dos Anjos, and a close split decision loss to Donald Cerrone in January, the man getting the next title shot.
It all comes down to how Henderson wants to test the market. Times are different these days with the Reebok deal and the opportunities to promote sponsors in the UFC being slim. Bellator has shown that they will go after high-profile fighters, and while the sponsorship issue doesn’t exist there, the exposure there hasn’t been the best, and their top fighters are getting pushed down the card in lieu of the likes of Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock and Kimbo Slice. Henderson is a bonafide main event fighter, and he is one of the best in the world. He will command a solid contract, but he belongs in the UFC. The competition is the best there, and if he wants to truly show he is the best, he re-signs when all is said and done. Henderson is the biggest name to find himself in this position since the Reebok deal was fully implemented in July, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out. Win or lose, I see him being back in the UFC, but his position makes for an interesting question heading into Saturday night’s event, when he takes on Jorge Masvidal in the headline bout.
2. Will Jorge Masvidal spoil Benson Henderson’s night on Saturday?
Jorge Masvidal gets his first UFC main event on Saturday night, taking on Benson Henderson in the five-round welterweight headliner, and it is a fight Masvidal is taking on short notice. He was scheduled for the card against Dong Hyun Kim, but it was a three-round bout. He now takes a five-round bout against a much different opponent, and one that he was scheduled to fight in April when both were competing at 155 pounds. Both are now at 170 pounds and looking to establish themselves as contenders. Masvidal has won four of his last five fights, with the lone loss coming in a close split decision to Al Iaquinta, a fight more remembered for Iaquinta’s post-fight tirade. Masvidal moved up to welterweight following that fight, and he had a strong knockout of Cezar Ferreira in July in his UFC welterweight debut.
Henderson will come in as the big crowd favorite being of Korean descent, and with him being in his current position as noted above, Masvidal will be looking to spoil the party in the main event. Masvidal has the tools to be a threat in whichever division he competes in, and he seems more comfortable at 170 pounds as he doesn’t have to make the huge weight cut or worry too much about missing weight, though there were slight issues in his first drop back down. Henderson is one of the best in the world and Masvidal will have his opportunity to prove he belongs in the discussion. Masvidal has very good boxing and power, and Henderson is the better grappler and one who excels in bringing pressure. Henderson is an experienced five-round fighter while Masvidal has had just one over the years, a title fight loss to Gilbert Melendez in Strikeforce. Henderson is the favorite, and for good reason, but Masvidal a solid chance to score the upset.
3. Will Dong Hyun Kim score the win in his home country?
There are actually two fighters named Dong Hyun Kim on the fight card, a first in the UFC, but it is the veteran welterweight, otherwise known as “Stun Gun”, who comes into Saturday’s event as the biggest favorite on the fight card. He competes in the co-main event, and it will be his first fight in his native country of South Korea since 2004. This will be the 16th fight in the UFC career of Kim, who holds an 11-3 with 1 no contest record inside the Octagon, and he remains a top-ten ranked fighter. However, he has always had trouble getting inside the top five, and every top opponent he has fought has ended with him on the losing side. Kim hopes to reverse that curse, and while he doesn’t have a top-level opponent in this bout, the hope for Kim is that a big win in his home country will give him that extra boost towards title contention.
He fights Dominic Waters, a man who took the fight on short notice looking to score the huge upset and get his first UFC win. Waters is an opponent to not take lightly as he comes from a good camp and has solid skills, but Kim is a tough opponent to fight no matter if you take the fight on two weeks’ notice like Waters did, or if you get the full eight weeks of a training camp to prepare for. Kim is an excellent judoka and has been improving his striking. Despite being 34-years-old, Kim doesn’t feel like a finished product, but has some hurdles to still overcome, one being his tendency to start off slow. It would be in Waters’ best interest to come out aggressive and try and catch Kim early, but Kim’s striking and overall suffocating top game will begin to take over the fight in the early stages of the opening round. This is a fight Kim is made to win, and he will get the job done.
4. How much does Yoshihiro Akiyama have left?
Yoshihiro Akiyama is a popular fighter who hasn’t quite lived up to the high expectations given to him when he signed with the UFC in 2009. He has had a tough road, and injuries haven’t helped him at all as he has missed a lot of action over the six years, having fought an average of just once a year during his UFC tenure. He was out of action for nearly 31 months following a February 2012 loss to Jake Shields, but he returned in September 2014 to score a decision win over Amir Sadollah, which ended a four-fight losing streak. He hasn’t fought since that win, having done some acting work since then, but he returns in South Korea, where he has a big following being a Korean descent.
He will be taking on Alberto Mina, who is undefeated with an 11-0 record in his career, but he also has been out of action for a while. He hasn’t fought since a TKO win in his UFC debut over Shinsho Anzai in August 2014, and he actually has the same amount of fights in the last four years as Akiyama has. Mina is heavy-handed and has a solid submission game, so Akiyama will need to establish his wrestling to take Mina down and establish some ground-and-pound from the top. Akiyama looked good in his win over Sadollah, but he still has a tendency to wanna rely on his striking to win fights. Mina will make him pay with a slew of various attacks, from kicks to knees, and Akiyama’s chin has been battered before. Akiyama should use constant pressure and keep Mina out of range with his wrestling. This is a toss-up fight and one that will show if Akiyama has anything left in his tank.
5. What else is there to look out for on the card?
Filling out the main card is a featherweight bout between prospect Doo Ho Choi and “TUF” veteran Sam Sicilia. This is a fight that has been attempted to be made on two separate occasions, but injuries to Choi have caused the delay of the fight both times. They were set to fight at UFC 173 in May and again at UFC Fight Night 71 in July, and Sicilia wound up competing on both cards, winning fights over Aaron Phillips and Yaotzin Meza. Choi has one fight in the UFC, an 18-second TKO win over Juan Puig last November, and he has won ten straight fights and 12 of his 13 professional bouts. He is a knockout artist, much like Sicilia, and this fight has fireworks written all over it and a very good chance at winning “Fight Of The Night”.
Another fighter to keep an eye on, this time in the preiminary card, is Fredy Serrano. Serrano is a former Olympian in wrestling for Colombia, competing in the same weight class that was won by current flyweight contender Henry Cejudo in the 2008 Olympics. Serrano retired from wrestling in 2013 and moved to MMA. He was on the first season of “TUF: Latin America” but lost to eventual winner Alejandro Perez. He made his UFC debut in March, scoring a third-round knockout win over Bentley Syler. Serrano has just a 2-0 record during his professional career, but also wins in two unsanctioned fights. He has the wrestling pedigree and has shown some great knockout power, and is a definite prospect in the growing flyweight division.
Full UFC Fight Night 79 Fight Card, Betting Odds and Predictios
MAIN CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 8 AM ET/5 AM PT)
Welterweights: (#7 LW) Benson Henderson vs. Jorge Masvidal Betting Odds: Henderson (-260), Masvidal (+220) Prediction: Henderson by decision
Welterweights: (#7) Dong Hyun Kim vs. Dominic Waters Betting Odds: Kim (-750), Waters (+525) Prediction: Kim by submission in round 1
Welterweights: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alberto Mina Betting Odds: Akiyama (-150), Mina (+130) Prediction: Akiyama by decision
Featherweights: Doo Ho Choi vs. Sam Sicilia Betting Odds: Choi (-240), Sicilia (+200) Prediction: Choi by knockout in round 2
PRELIMINARY CARD (UFC FIGHT PASS- 5 AM ET/2 AM PT)
Middleweights: Dongi Yang vs. Jake Collier Betting Odds: Yang (+115), Collier (-135) Prediction: Yang by decision
Featherweights: Yui Chul Nam vs. Mike de la Torre Betting Odds: Nam (-120), Torre (+100) Prediction: Nam by decision
Lightweights: Tae Hyun Bang vs. Leo Kuntz Betting Odds: Bang (-135), Kuntz (+115) Prediction: Bang by submission in round 2
Women’s Strawweights: Seo Hee Ham vs. Cortney Casey Betting Odds: Ham (+145), Casey (-165) Prediction: Casey by decision
Flyweights: Yao Zhikui vs. Fredy Serrano Betting Odds: Zhikui (+155), Serrano (-175) Prediction: Serrano by knockout in round 2
Bantamweights: Ning Guangyou vs. Marco Beltran Betting Odds: Guangyou (-185), Beltran (+160) Prediction: Guangyou by decision
Welterweights: Dominique Steele vs. “Maestro” Dong Hyun Kim Betting Odds: Steele (-130), Kim (+110) Prediction: Kim by decision
