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Monday News Update
Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw and the latest wrestling news. You can send questions for tonight’s show to [email protected]
The only thing announced for Raw tonight thus far is Theory vs. Cody Rhodes for the U.S. title. The show is from Hartford, CT. There were 6,500 tickets out for the show as of this morning.
WrestleMania Backlash was the fourth most searched term on Google yesterday with 200,000 searches. That is the usual number for a “B” PPV show. Some figured with the lack of title matches and a six-man tag on to that there would be less interest than usual. But it was normal level interest. We hope to have PPV numbers in the issue later this week.
There is a rumor that is in fact legit that in the Corbin/Moss video package last night the WWE used crowd footage that was edited like it was done during an angle between the two but it was actually use of a 2012 clip of a reaction of John Cena doing a rap on The Rock.
We’re looking for your thoughts on both WrestleMania Backlash and UFC 274 on Saturday, so you can leave a thumbs up, thumbs down or thumbs in the middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
Khamzat Chimaev claimed that Nate Diaz has turned down a fight with him over and over. It is well known UFC wanted that fight for 7/2. Diaz on Twitter this week teased that he would be fighting on 7/30, another PPV going head-to-head with a WWE PPV show, but didn’t tease an opponent past that the fight would be at 170 pounds.
Donald Cerrone, who missed Saturday’s UFC show due to food poisoning from a local restaurant, said that he is looking at doing two more fights and then retiring.
AEW is loading up Wednesday in the New York market. There is a competition with WWE on Friday night at the Nassau Coliseum and AEW on Wednesday at the UBS Arena. For Dynamite, AEW has C.M. Punk vs. Long Island’s John Silver, Ricky Starks vs. Jungle Boy for the FTW title, Tony Nese vs. Danhausen, Owen Hart tournament matches with Adam Cole vs. Dax Harwood, Darby Allin vs. Jeff Hardy and Toni Storm vs. Jamie Hayter, plus the MJF announcing the stipulations and a contract signing for a match with Wardlow and a Chris Jericho Appreciation Society interview. Announced for Friday, taped Wednesday, is Scorpio Sky vs. Frankie Kazarian for the TNT title and Riho vs. Ruby Soho in the Owen Hart tournament. The ticket numbers for both shows will be relatively close. AEW has topped 7,000 tickets.
Sasha Banks was announced as a guest during the next season of Kevin Hart’s Cold as Balls Internet sports talk show. George Kittle, who has been featured on a lot of TV regarding his fandom for wrestling and his favorite wrestler Pentagon Jr., also on the new season.
AEW
TNT in Spain has made a deal with AEW to air the four Battle of the Belts shows this year. The first two will air on 6/17 back-to-back at 10:05 p.m. and then be replayed on 6/19 at 11:30 a.m. They will also air on TNT Now in Spain and the VOD channel.
AEW Dark Elevation tonight on YouTube
Evil Uno & Alex Reynolds & 10 & Alan Angels vs. Ryan Nova & John Fuller & Brandon Scott & Raul Macho
Emi Sakura vs. Abadon
Sonny Kiss vs. Peter Avalon
John Silver vs. Tony Deppen
Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland vs. QT Marshall & Nick Comoroto
UFC
Herbert Burns vs. Khusein Askhabov, who is 23-0, are schedule for a featherweight fight on 7/16.
Other Notes
NJPW has put up another of its most well regarded junior heavyweight bouts of recent years on its YouTube channel, the Will Ospreay vs. Ricochet match from 2016 in the Best of the super Juniors tournament. This match caused a ton of controversy because of an acrobatic clip from the match.
Amaya’s Mexican grill in Monroe, MI is hosting “An Evening with Darren McCarthy: A Different Kind of Comedy show,” with Rhino has a guest. McCarty is a legendary former star on the Detroit Red Wings who has wrestled on area indie shows including for Rhino’s Insane Wrestling Revolution group (thanks to Paul Meade)
PWP from Saturday night in Omaha: Moonshine Russell b Tim Boston, Branden Juarez b Jack Darling, Moonshine Russell & Jack Darling b Branden Juarez & Tim Boston-DQ, Duke Cornell b Purple, Angus Keyser b Joey Daniels, Angus Keyser b Ryan Romantic, Willy Sweet b Keaton Stoneburner, Willy Sweet won Battle Royal. The next show is 4/18 at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha which is the company’s 17th anniversary show.
Cage Fighting Fury Championships, the MMA promotion that CM Punk still announces for, announced an MMA show for 5/27 and a grappling event on 5/28 at the 2300 Arena In PhIladelphia. It’s confirmed he won’t be able to make the dates due to AEW commitments. That is Double or Nothing weekend. Santo Curatolo (6-2) vs. Hugo Paiva (5-0) meet in the main event on the 5/27 show for the Interim flyweight tile. Ben Saunders, a former UFC star, faces Sean Brady in the main event of the grappling show the next day. Other UFC stars appearing in the grappling matches are clay Guida, Alex Caceres as well as Clay’s brother Jason Guida.
Boca Raton Championship Wrestling debuts on 5/15 at the Boca Black Box with Steve Maclin (Steve Cutler in WWE), Cezar Bononi, Josh Woods, Noah Kekoa, Jessie Elaban, Bull James, Santana Garrett and Gangrel, plus Brutus Beefcake will be there as commissioner. Former NXT creative head Ryan Katz will be putting together the show.
RevPro from yesterday in London: Rami Adetunji b David Francisco, Kid Lykos & Kid Lykos II b JJ Gale & Callum Newman, Shota Umino b Chuck Mambo, Ricky Knight Jr. b Lee Hunter Robbie X b Joshua James, Alex Windsor & Maya Mathews b Rhia O’Reilly & NightShade, TK Cooper b Yota Tsuji, Will Ospreay & Kyle Fletcher & Mark Davis b Michael Oku & Connor Mills & Luke Jacobs.
Updated coverage on SummerSlam and early word on Survivor Series is the lead story on this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We look at the location, the time of the show and why they are limited in time, the new stadium, talk about top matches plus more on Dwayne Johnson and WrestleMania, Survivor Series and a plan for an August Takeover.
Also in this issue:
Dominion, the Shingo Takagi title win, with match-by-match coverage, star ratings, poll results, business notes and booking direction.
Plans for a WWE draft, a WWE TV show on verge of being canceled, Bret Hart documentary, Stephanie McMahon talks WWE business, WWE ticket sales, Miz talks injury, UK & Canada viewing numbers, WWE looks a changes in how it does house hows, WWE autograph new rules, most watched WWE videos of the past week and WWE market value.
The next two WWE major events with lineups, notes about the Takeover crowd, matches announced and not yet announced for Hell in a Cell and more.
Full coverage of this past Saturday’s UFC show.
Cyber Fight show combining NOAH, DDT, Ganbare Pro and Tokyo Joshi Pro Wrestling. We look at Keiji Muto’s title loss, why he got the title in the first place, why Marufuji wasn’t the guy who should have won, plus match-by-match coverage with star ratings.
The death of controversial wrestler Angel o Demonio.
More into detail on the ratings than any other source, how many different viewers the shows had which is very different from the television number, breakdown of who watches the shows, how they watch, DVR numbers and how long the average fan watches.
Results of the major pro wrestling events of 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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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight taking In Your House Takeover, Stardom PPV and the rest of the latest news. You can also send questions to the show tonight to [email protected]
Antonio Inoki, 78, had emergency surgery due to an intestinal issue a few weeks ago. He has been hospitalized for much of this year with various health problems and his lower back is in a lot of pain and deteriorating leaving him mostly wheelchair bound.
NXT Takeover tonight at 8 p.m. on Peacock from Orlando, FL:
Xia Li vs. Mercedes Martinez. The biggest test of Li’s career to date. Li is currently a -950 favorite to win
Cameron Grimes vs. LA Knight in a ladder match to revive the old Million Dollar belt. The build has been comedy oriented. Grimes is outstanding and this will be a new environment for him. He started training with the ladder experts like the Hardys as a teenager. Knight’s been given a big chance here. Grimes is a very slight betting favorite at -125.
Bronson Reed & MSK defend both the North American title and NXT tag titles against Santos Escobar & Joaquin Wilde & Raul Mendoza. I’m not a fan of singles and tag titles being defended in matches that aren’t singles or four-man tag matches. But it looks to be a good action match. Reed & MSK are -850 favorites.
Raquel Gonzalez vs. Ember Moon for the women’s title. Another big test for Gonzalez who is a huge favorite to retain at -1000.
Karrion Kross defends the NXT title against Adam Cole, Pete Dunne, Kyle O’Reilly and Johnny Gargano. By all rights given the talent involved and that they are likely to be going 30:00 or more, this should be a classic match. The last updated odds had Kross as the favorite at -250, while Cole is +550, O’Reilly is +750, Gargano is +1000 and Dunne is +1100.
We’re doing polls this weekend on both UFC 263 and NXT Takeover In Your House so you can leave a thumbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match from each show to [email protected].
How is this for a story on Brandon Moreno:
He debuted on the Ultimate Fighter and was the last man picked
He was cut by UFC after some losses
His weight class was scheduled to be dropped except Henry Cejudo saved it
He became the first Mexican-born UFC champion last night.
Moreno’s title win was one of the best feel good moments in UFC history.
Dana White last night said that he thinks Colby Covington and not Leon Edwards should get the next welterweight title shot at Kamaru Usman.
Nate Diaz said he wants to fight again in the next few months. Diaz got an amazing pop and reaction throughout his fight. If he had pulled that win out in the closing seconds it would be talked about for fight of the year.
White said that he thought last night would be Demian Maia’s last UFC fight. It was the last fight of Maia’s contract and he’s 43 years old.
As far as Lauren Murphy vs. Joanne Calderwood’s fight for a potential women’s flyweight title shot, which Murphy won via split decision, Murphy won round two and Calderwood won round three. The first round was very close and could have gone either way so it was just a close fight. Media scores were 55 percent for Calderwood and 45 percent for Murphy.
Today’s is the 12th anniversary of the death of Mitshuaru Misawa from a severed spine from neck problems. Misawa was among the greatest wrestlers of all-time and as far as a major arena is concerned, Misawa at Budokan Hall would rank with Bruno Sammartino in Madison Square Garden as the biggest and most successful long-term draw in an arena of that size in history.
Lots of stuff made the top 20 Google search charts this past week. UFC was the biggest thing over the weekend with 2.65 million searches from last night’s Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori fight, a number that was about what you would have expected for a show like that. Besides Adesanya as part of the main event, the key names searched for included Nate Diaz, Brandon Moreno and Paul Craig. Craig’s submission was No. 4 earlier today at 50,000. For yesterday, the Tik Tok vs. YouTube fight show did 1.2 million for No. 2, Diaz was No. 4 with 500,000. Moreno was No. 10 at 100,000. Aaron Carter in a celebrity boxing match was No. 5 on Friday at 200,000. Claressa Shields making her MMA debut on Thursday was No. 11 at 100,000. The Floyd Mayweather vs. Logan Paul show did 5 million. NXT Takeovers have charted before but most often they don’t. I would not expect tonight’s show to do so.
With the A&E bio season over, there is a Most Wanted Treasures episode going head-to-head with Takeover from 8-10 p.m. on A&E. The show features Stephanie McMahon enlisting Mark Henry and Paul Wight to search for Andre the Giant memorabilia. This was filmed before either Henry or Wight went to AEW.
WWE
Cara Noir defends his Progress title against Elijah in the main event for the show that takes place 6/19 and airs on Peacock.
AAW from Friday night in Merrionette Park, IL before 440 fans: Hakim Zane (Rohit Raju) & Ace Austin & Madman Fulton b Dante Leon & Travis Titan & Myron Reed, Davey Vega b Stor Grayson, Allysin Kay b Allie Katch, Josh Alexander d Mat Fitchett( (said to be really good), Joeasa & Deonn Rusman b Manders & Matthew Justice to win AAW title titles, Schaff b AJZ, Fred Yehi b Daniel Garcia, Kris Statlander b Hyan to keep AAW women’s title, Mance Warner b Jake Something to keep AAW title.
Legacy Fighting announced a 7/2 show in Shawnee, OK at the Grand event Center just outside of Oklahoma City. Jesse Murray (8-3) faces Joshua Silveira (5-0), the son of Marcus Conan Silveira and a former wrestler at Arizona State) for the light heavyweight title in the main event. The co-main event, for the interim flyweight title, has Charles Johnson (8-2) vs Yuma Horiuchi (8-3). Horiuchi is the first Japanese fighter to sign with the LFA. Like all LFA shows, this will air on UFC Fight Pass live.
EPW from last night in Western Australia: Dan Moore & Bobby Marshall & Jesse Lambert b Aaron Hawk & Jonathan Windsor & Chris Target, Julian Ward b James Hartness, Damian Slater b Michael Morleone in a submission match, Taylor King & Jack Edwardes b Del Cano & Zenith-DQ in a tag title match, Kaz Jordan b Bruno Nitro, Edith Night b Casey Jones in a street fight, Joel Hagan b Ryan Allen, Marcius Pitt b Gavin McGavin. Next show is 7/25 headlined by Mikey Nicholls vs. Kiel Steria for the EPW title.
Due to a lockdown, the Melbourne City Wrestling show this month has been moved to 7/10. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
A horse that goes by the name Dick the Bruiser won a race yesterday at Arlington Park in Chicago (thanks to Barry Werner)
Mid Missouri Wrestling Alliance from last night in St. Louis: Rick Ruby b Jimmy D, Johnny Blade b Garrett Shanks, CJ Shine b Frodo the Ghost, Moondog Rover b Damion Cortess, D’Mon G d Ryan Ash, Ricky Cruz & Keith Smith Jr. b Kahyman & Damian Blade-DQ, Moondog Rover & Ricky Cruz & Keith Smith Jr. b Kahyman & Damian Blade & Damion Cortess (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
Mission Pro Wrestling from last night in Buda, TX: VertVixen b Rache Chanel, Alex Gracia b Shana Reed, Jazmin Allure b Gypsy Mac, JennaCide b Savanna Evans, Robyn Renegade & Charlotte Renegade b Killa Kate & Seishin, Holidead won three-way over Marti Belle and KiLynn King, Rosa Negra b Masha Slamovich to keep the title. This is Thunder Rosa’s all-women’s promotion and lots of the talent from here works AEW. (thanks to wrestlingwithdemons.com)
Nate Diaz’s first UFC fight since November 2019 was an unsuccessful one, dropping a unanimous decision to Leon Edwards at Saturday’s UFC 263 in Phoenix, Arizona.
The five-round non-title undercard fight was a first for the UFC. Edwards took all three judges’ scorecards 49-46.
While Edwards dominated for the majority of the fight, Diaz landed a right hand slap and a left hand in the fifth round that had Edwards on wobbly legs. Diaz pursued and continued to land punches, but Edwards was able to defend and survive for the win.
Edwards bloodied a grounded Diaz with an elbow to his head midway through the fight that had the Stockton, CA, star wearing a partial crimson mask for the duration. He also opened up a cut on Diaz’s head that saw significant blood flow.
As one might expect, Diaz had some unorthodox moments with unusual stances during the fight, trying to goad Edwards into making a mistake.
Edwards is now on a ten-fight unbeaten streak dating back to May 2016 and puts himself in the conversation for a title shot at current titleholder Kamaru Usman. Usman was the last fighter to deal Edwards a defeat.
It’s the second straight loss for Diaz who was last seen losing to Jorge Masvidal for the BMF title at November 2019’s UFC 244. He reportedly has one fight left on his contract.
Welcome to F4WOnline.com’s live coverage of UFC 263: Adesanya vs. Vettori 2, emanating from the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
The Octagon returns to Arizona for the first time since in over two years, bringing an absolutely stacked card to Glendale, with two title fights and three five-round bouts, including two of the biggest stars currently in the sport on the card.
UFC Middleweight Champion Israel Adesanya defends the title against Marvin Vettori in the main event. This is a rematch of an April 2018 bout won by Adesanya, which coincidentally took place in the same arena as this show. Adesanya is looking to rebound from his first career loss, as he dropped a decision to Jan Blachowicz in his attempt to become a two-division champion in March. Vettori comes into this fight riding a five-fight win streak.
In the co-main event, it is another rematch as UFC Flyweight Champion Deiveson Figueiredo defends against Brandon Moreno for the second time. The two fought to a draw at UFC 256 in December in one of the best fights of 2020, and they look to settle the score here.
In another big fight on the card, Leon Edwards welcomes Nate Diaz back to the Octagon in the first-ever non-headline five-round bout in UFC history. Edwards is looking to secure a title shot, while Diaz fights for the first time since November 2019 and is looking to get back in the win column.
Also on the main card, Demian Maia takes on Belal Muhammad in a welterweight bout, and Paul Craig battles Jamahal Hill in a light heavyweight bout. The prelims have several great match-ups, capped off by a lightweight bout between Drew Dober and Brad Riddell, and a potential title eliminator bout in the women’s flyweight division as Lauren Murphy takes on Joanne Calderwood.
Follow along with our live coverage of the event beginning at 6 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].
ESPN PRELIMS | 6 PM ET/3 PM PT
> Carlos Felipe (10-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Jake Collier (12-5, 4-4 UFC) Heavyweights
Collier with some early kicks. They trade right hands. Both are swinging hard. Collier with a combo ending with a right hand. Collier mixing his strikes. Felipe with a right hand. They trade in close. Collier with the jab. Collier with a leg kick. Collier throwing kicks high and low. Felipe with a left hook to the body and lands an overhand right. Felipe with a right hand to the body. Collier with a good combo. They trade in close range. They are throwing big punches in close as Felipe rips to the body. Felipe with a leg kick. They both land big punches in the pocket and the crowd is going wild. Entertaining round. 10-9 Collier.
Collier with a high kick then the jab to start the second. They trade in close range. Both landing some good shots. Felipe with the jab. Felipe with a combo. Collier with a leg kick. Collier landing the jab and Felipe with a hard right and then a leg kick. They are both landing and Felipe is telling Collier to hit him harder. Felipe with a right hand. Collier taking deep breaths. Felipe landing a little more towards the end of the round. Collier with a body kick. Felipe with a body kick. 10-9 Felipe, 19-19.
Collier with some leg kicks to start the third. They trade in close range. Collier with an inside leg kick. Felipe with a jab. They are starting to swing for the fences and Felipe lands some big punches. Collier shoots for a takedown but Felipe easily defends. Felipe landing more after a quick break in the action. Collier lands a nice jab. Collier tries a spinning back fist but Felipe blocks it. Felipe with the jab and Collier with a body kick. Collier with a leg kick and Felipe with a counter right hand. They are trading and Collier is landing more while Felipe is taunting. Felipe landing more as the round gets to the end. Collier with a late combo ending with a body kick. Close fight. 10-9 Collier, 29-28 Collier.
Official Result- Carlos Felipe def. Jake Collier by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Fares Ziam (11-3, 1-1 UFC) vs. Luigi Vendramini (8-1, 1-1 UFC) Lightweights
Ziam landing the jab at the start. Vendramini tried a body lock but Ziam was ready for it and shook him off. Ziam landing the jab and Vendramini’s face is already showing damage. Ziam with a leg kick. Vendramini lands a right hand. Ziam lands a nice left hook. Ziam lands a right hand and then a leg kick. Vendramini with a leg kick. Both missing on most of the strikes they’re throwing. 10-9 Ziam.
Ziam is landing the jab early in the second. Vendramini lands a nice combo and then a leg kick and tries a takedown against the fence but Ziam defends and they break. They trade left hands and Ziam back working the jab. Ziam still working the jab and mixing the left hand to the body. They trade in close range. Ziam with a body kick. Vendramini fights hard for a takedown and Ziam with fantastic defense as he pushes him off. Ziam with the jab. Ziam with a leg kick. 10-9 Ziam, 20-18 Ziam.
Vendramini lands some big shots to start the third and Ziamis retreating. Vendramini chasing him down and landing big shots as he’s trying for the finish. Ziam gets taken down by Vendramini and Vendramini lands big punches from the top and is now in the half-guard. Vendramini moves to side control and was looking to set something up but gets to the full mount and is landing. Vendramini looking for an arm-in guillotine but the positioning is wrong and he gives up on it. Vendramini in the half-guard and lands a big hammerfist. Vendramini lands some elbows. They get to the fence and Ziam works his way up. Vendramini with a combo against the fence. They clinch against the fence at the end. 10-9 Vendramini, 29-28 Ziam.
Official Result- Fares Ziam def. Luigi Vendramini by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
> Chase Hooper (10-1-1, 2-1 UFC) vs. Steven Peterson (18-9, 2-3 UFC) Featherweights* (Peterson missed weight by 2.5 pounds)
They trade in close range to start. They clinch and Hooper drags him down and Peterson lands from the top and then they get up. Hooper drags Peterson back to the mat and Peterson on top. They get up and are clinched against the fence. Hooper pulls guard and they scramble up and Hooper has the back standing. Peterson with a knee. Hooper pulls it to the ground and Peterson on top and lands some elbows. They stand. Peterson with a right hand. Peterson with a leg kick. Hooper with a left hand and gets a takedown. Hooper now trying for a heel hook. Peterson defending and lands a hammerfist. Hooper now looking for a calf slicer. Peterson with some hammerfists. Hooper stands and gets on top and now both are looking for the leg. Hooper lands some hammerfists. Hooper going for another leg lock. Hooper lands at the end. 10-9 Peterson.
Hooper with a high kick. Hooper lands some left hands. They trade in close range and Hooper with a head kick. Hooper shoots for a takedown but Peterson defends. They are clinched against the fence. Peterson with a right hand in the clinch. Peterson drops down looking for a guillotine but Hooper escapes. Hooper pulls guard. Hooper keeping Peterson in his guard and Peterson with some nice elbows from the top. Peterson landing big punches at the end of the second. 10-9 Peterson, 20-18 Peterson.
Peterson with a Superman punch and landing more as the third starts. Hooper lands some punches. Hooper lands a left hand and tries a takedown but Peterson defends. They’re clinched against the fence and Peterson with some shoulder strikes. They go to the mat and Peterson is on top and landing. Hooper with some soft punches from the bottom. Peterson looking for an arm-triangle but Hooper rolls out and they scramble to their feet and are clinched. Hooper gets it to the mat and takes the back. Hooper trying to find the neck but Peterson defending. They both land on the mat late. 10-9 Peterson, 30-27 Peterson.
Official Result- Steven Peterson def. Chase Hooper by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
> Matt Frevola (8-2-1, 2-2-1 UFC) vs. Terrance McKinney (10-3, 0-0 UFC) Lightweights
McKinney lands a combo right at the start that drops Frevola and then starts landing hammerfists and it is quickly stopped. One of the quickest stoppages ever. McKinney then celebrated and looked to blow out his knee as he was celebrating. What a crazy sequence of events.
Official Result- Terrance McKinney def. Matt Frevola by knockout (punches) at :07 of Round 1
> Pannie Kianzad (#11, 14-5, 3-2 UFC) vs. Alexis Davis (20-10, 7-5 UFC) Women’s Bantamweights
Kianzad lands a left hand right away. They trade in close range. Kianzad with a left hand. They clinch and Davis with some uppercuts. They continue to trade and Davis landing with slightly more volume. Kianzad with a left hook. Kianzad landing some good shots as Davis presses forward. Davis lands a leg kick and Kianzad counters with a right hand. Kianzad with the jab. They trade right hands. Kianzad lands a nice right hand. Davis with a leg kick. Davis with a nice right hand. Davis is landing more but Kianzad is doing more damage. Davis with a body kick. Kianzad with a left hook and then another. 10-9 Kianzad.
Kianzad with the left hook. Davis with a leg kick. Kianzad with a nice right hand. Kianzad with a combo. They clinch and Davis lands a right hand on the break. Kianzad with the right hand. They trade punches. Davis staying busy landing more but Kianzad doing more damage and lands a nice left hook and a nice right hand. Davis with a calf kick. Davis with a step-in knee but eats a right hand from Kianzad. Davis with another calf kick. Kianzad with a hard right hand. Davis with a combo then a leg kick. Davis with a combo and a body kick. They trade jabs. Kianzad with a right hand as Davis lands a calf kick. Davis with a calf kick and then trips Kianzad to the mat and lands some right hands at the end of the round. 10-9 Davis, 19-19.
They are trading to start the third and Davis continuing with the calf kick. Kianzad still landing punches as she’s working the jab more. They trade in close range. Davis with an uppercut and a knee to the body and she lands the jab as they break. Davis landing with more volume as the third wears on. Kianzad with a combo. Davis with the jab and Kianzad lands a nice counter right hand. Kianzad lands a right hand and Davis with a nice right hand in countering. They trade punches. They trade late. Close fight. 10-9 Davis, 29-28 Davis.
Official Result- Pannie Kianzad def. Alexis Davis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Evloev lands a big right hand. They trade in close range. Evloev lands a right hand. They trade jabs and Evloev with a leg kick. Evloev grabs a single leg and gets a takedown but they quickly scrambled up. Evloev has the back and gets a big takedown and lands some left hands. They get to their feet and Evloev still has the back. They get back to the mat and Evloev looking for a choke. He’s got it in but not under the chin and lets go. Evloev still has back control and lands some punches. Evloev peppering the body and head with the left hand. They get to their feet and Evloev gets another brief takedown. 10-9 Evloev.
Dawodu with a body kick. Evloev gets a takedown and gets Dawodu’s back. They get to their feet and Evloev drags Dawodu back down. They scramble to their feet and Evloev still has a hold of Dawodu and takes him back down again. Evloev trying for the choke again but is always getting it across the face. Evloev landing left hands from the back. Dawodu unable to get out of the bad position. Evloev just peppering with punches. Evloev just dominant as he’s landing big shots from the back. 10-8 Evloev, 20-17 Evloev.
Dawodu trying to land the right hand but missing. Dawodu with a leg kick. They clinch for a second and both land before breaking. Dawodu lands a left hand. Dawodu with a leg kick. Evloev lands an uppercut. Dawodu with the double jab. Evloev goes for a takedown but Dawodu sprawls out of it. Dawodu lands a right hand. They trade the jab. They trade in close range and Dawodu lands to the body and then a left hook to the jaw of Evloev. They trade leg kicks. Dawodu lands a left hand and Evloev is rocked. Dawodu lands another that hurts Evloev more. Dawodu lands a right hand. Evloev gets a takedown and has the back. Evloev lands some left hands as they stand. Evloev gets another takedown and has the back as the fight ends. 10-9 Dawodu, 29-27 Evloev.
Official Result- Movsar Evloev def. Hakeem Dawodu by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Murphy lands an early combo. Calderwood with a side kick and lands a spinning back fist. Calderwood with a body kick. Murphy with a left hand. They clinch and Murphy with short uppercuts. They trade knees in the clinch. Calderwood lands a body kick as they break. Calderwood with some leg kicks. Murphy with a combo. They trade and Calderwood with some leg kicks. Calderwood with a right hand. Calderwood landing more as the round wears on. Murphy with a right hand and lands a knee and Calderwood lands some elbows. Murphy with an uppercut. They trade late. 10-9 Calderwood.
They are trading before they clinch and Murphy gets a takedown and is landing punches from the top. Murphy still landing as she moves to the top and is looking for an arm-triangle. Murphy in the half-guard and is still landing left hands from the top. Murphy looking for a kimura late in the second as she lands elbows to the body. A clear round for Murphy. 10-9 Murphy, 19-19.
They trade to start the third. Calderwood with the jab. They trade in close range and Murphy lands a right hand. Calderwood with a combo. Calderwood lands a right hand. Calderwood with some body kicks. Murphy landing the jab. Murphy still landing it as she rushes in. Murphy tries a takedown Calderwood defends and they both land knees and punches in the clinch. They clinch and trade knees and Murphy lands an uppercut. Murphy lands the jab and then follows with some right hands. They trade and both land. Calderwood with a right hand and then a left hook. They trade and Calderwood with a body kick. Close fight. 10-9 Calderwood, 29-28 Calderwood.
Official Result- Lauren Murphy def. Joanne Calderwood by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
> Eryk Anders (13-5 1 NC, 5-5 1 NC UFC) vs. Darren Stewart (12-6 2 NC, 5-5 2 NC UFC) Light Heavyweights
Stewart with a leg kick and Anders lands a counter left hand. Stewart with a leg kick. They clinch against the fence. They trade knees. They are battling for positioning against the fence. Anders with a knee. Stewart gets a takedown and is landing in the half-guard. He ends the round on top. 10-9 Stewart.
Stewart with a leg kick and Anders with a left hand. They clinch against the fence and Stewart with a knee. Stewart lands a nice knee and a shoulder strike. They are broken up by Jason Herzog. Stewart with a leg kick. Anders shoots for a takedown but Stewart defends and they are clinched again. They break and Anders lands a left on the break. Anders lands a left hand and they were both throwing before clinching. They are battling for underhooks but break. They both land and Anders shoots for a takedown but Stewart defends. They break and trade late. 10-9 Anders, 19-19.
Anders with a body kick. Stewart gets a big takedown and was in side control but Anders is able to reverse to the top. Anders gets to side control. Anders landing left hands from the top. Anders is looking to get the mount as he’s looking for an arm-triangle. He lets go and lands some nice left hands. Anders now looking for a rear-naked choke. He lets go and is working from the top. Anders with some left hands from the top. Anders landing left hands as they get to their feet. Several punches from Anders and now the fans aren’t booing. Strong final round for Anders. 10-9 Anders, 29-28 Anders.
Official Result- Eryk Anders def. Darren Stewart by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)
> Drew Dober (#13, 23-9 1 NC, 9-5 1 NC UFC) vs. Brad Riddell (9-1, 3-0 UFC) Lightweights
They both land left hands at the start. They’re swinging early. Dober with a leg kick. Riddell with a body kick. Dober with a leg kick followed by a left hand. Dober rocks Riddell with a left hand. Riddell tries for a takedown but Dober defends and is landing left hands to defend. Riddell gets Dober down but they get to their feet. Riddell with an elbow as they break. Dober with a high kick. They trade hard shots. They trade again. Riddell with a combo to the body. Dober with a combo and then a leg kick. Riddell has a cut open. They both land in close. Riddell with a right hand. Dober with a body kick and Riddell counters with a massive right hand. They both land hard shots. Dober with a head kick. Riddell with a hard right hand. Riddell lands some more hard punches at the end. Fun round. 10-9 Dober.
They trade to start the second. Dober lands a left hand. Riddell with a combo and they have a wild exchange in close range. Dober with a high body kick. Riddell lands a hard right hand. Dober gets a takedown. They get to their feet. Riddell trying to get Dober down. Dober lands an elbow and they are on their feet. They break to the center as Riddell lands an elbow. Dober lands a combo and Riddell gets a takedown. They scramble to their feet. They both land wild bombs in close range. Dober with a body kick. Riddell with a right hand to the body. Riddell lands a nice left hook. Dober with a spin kick. 10-9 Riddell, 19-19.
Riddell lands a right hand to start the third. Riddell with a leg kick. Riddell lands another right hand. Dober shoots for the takedown. Riddell with the body kick. They trade in close range and Riddell lands a right hand and is circling around. Dober goes for a takedown but Riddell defends and Dober lands an elbow. Riddell lands a leg kick and some punches. Riddell with a right hand to the body. Dober lands a nice left hand. Riddell lands a big right hand and Dober is hurt. Dober backing up and Riddell after him. Dober goes for a takedown and Riddell landing punches to defend. Riddell sweeps to the top and is landing big shots as the fight ends. Great, great fight. 10-9 Riddell, 29-28 Riddell.
Official Result- Brad Riddell def. Drew Dober by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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> Paul Craig (#14, 14-4-1, 6-4-1 UFC) vs. Jamahal Hill (#15, 8-0 1 NC, 2-0 1 NC UFC) Light Heavyweights
Hill with a leg kick. Craig with a body kick. They trade body kicks. Craig gets the body lock and pulls guard. Craig trying to extend the arm and has Hill in a little trouble. Craig goes for the armbar and has it locked in and it looked like he tapped. Craig gets the triangle choke locked in and is landing big punches and Hill’s arm is flopping around as it’s clearly broken. It is finally stopped by the referee. Horrible job by the referee but Craig gets the first-round finish in a big way.
Official Result- Paul Craig def. Jamahal Hill by TKO (strikes) at 1:59 of Round 1
> Demian Maia (#9, 28-10, 22-10 UFC) vs. Belal Muhammad (#12, 18-3 1 NC, 9-3 1 NC UFC) Welterweights
Muhammad lands a right hand. Maia shoots for a takedown but Muhammad too far away. Maia lands a left hand. Muhammad with a right hand. Maia grabs a single-leg and Muhammad lands some punches as he gets to the fence. Maia still working hard for the takedown. Maia gets Muhammad briefly down. They break. Muhammad lands a right hand. Maia lands a left hand. Muhammad lands a right hand and then another. Maia gets a leg and is looking for a takedown. Maia working hard for the takedown but Muhammad defending well. They break at the end. 10-9 Muhammad.
Neither landing inside the first minute of the second round. Maia finally lands a left hand. Maia tries a takedown but Muhammad defends. Muhammad with a leg kick and then a right hand. Maia lands a couple of punches. Maia attempts another takedown but Muhammad defends. Muhammad landing the right hand more and more. Muhammad with a leg kick. Muhammad continues to land as Maia tries for a takedown but Muhammad is defending against the fence. Muhammad lands some elbows and punches at the end of the round. 10-9 Muhammad, 20-18 Muhammad.
Maia ducks under a punch and tries a takedown but Muhammad slips away. Muhammad with a high kick and then lands a jab. Muhammad lands a right hand. Maia lands a left hand. Muhammad lands a left hand. Maia tries again for a takedown but Muhammad defends. Muhammad with a combo. Maia lands a nice left hand and Muhammad lands a solid counter right. Muhammad with a head kick. Maia trying again for the takedown but Muhammad defends again. They trade punches. Maia trying again for the takedown but Muhammad defending. They end the fight there. 10-9 Muhammad, 30-27 Muhammad.
Official Result- Belal Muhammad def. Demian Maia by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
> Leon Edwards (#3, 18-3 1 NC, 10-2 1 NC UFC) vs. Nate Diaz (20-12, 15-10 UFC) Welterweights
Diaz playing possum and lands a flurry. Edwards with a leg kick. Edwards lands in close. Diaz with a leg kick and then another. Edwards lands a left hand. Edwards with a hard leg kick. Diaz with a body punch and then a jab. Diaz lands a combo. They clinch against the fence. Edwards gets a takedown and has the back of Diaz. Diaz landing left hands. Edwards just holding on but has one hook in. They scramble on the mat. Edwards lands some left hands. They get up. Edwards with a leg kick. 10-9 Edwards.
Edwards with a leg kick. They both land punches. Diaz doing more of the possum playing and then throwing as they both land. Edwards with a leg kick. They trade. Diaz with a leg kick and Edwards returns with a hard leg kick. They trade in close before clinching. Edwards gets a takedown. Diaz grabs a leg and Herb Dean warns Edwards about grabbing the fence. Edwards escapes and they get to their feet. Edwards with a hard leg kick. Edwards lands a hard left hand. They trade in close. Edwards with a leg kick. Diaz lands a left hand and they clinch. Edwards with a back elbow. 10-9 Edwards, 20-18 Edwards.
Edwards lands a big elbow after a clinch to start the third. Diaz with a body kick and Edwards lands a left hand. Edwards with a calf kick. They clinch against the fence. Diaz lands a left hand. They clinch against the fence and Diaz lands some short punches. Edwards gets Diaz down. Edwards lands from the top. Diaz is cut open. They get to their feet and Diaz lands. Edwards with a leg kick. They clinch and Edwards has body control. They go to the ground and Diaz goes for the leg and Edwards has the back. They get to their feet. Edwards with a spinning elbow. 10-9 Edwards, 30-27 Edwards.
Edwards with a body kick. Diaz lands a left hand. Diaz lands another. Edwards with a leg kick. Edwards lands a big left hand. Diaz with a kick up the middle. Edwards trips Diaz to the mat but Diaz gets up and tells him good job. Edwards with a left hand. They trade in close. Edwards with a leg kick. Diaz lands a combo and they clinch. They break. Edwards with a left hand. Edwards lands again. 10-9 Edwards, 40-36 Edwards.
Edwards trips Diaz down but Diaz gets up. They clinch. Diaz lands a right hand as they break. Edwards with a left hand. Both are throwing in close but neither landing. Edwards with a right hand. Diaz lands a left hand. Diaz pressing forward and lands another left hand as they clinch. They break. Edwards with a leg kick. They trade in close range. Edwards with a combo ending with a hard left hand. Diaz is bleeding badly. Diaz rocks Edwards with a left hand and Edwards is wobbly. Diaz with a flurry late and is trying to finish but he doesn’t have enough time as Edwards is able to make it to the end. 10-9 Diaz, 49-46 Edwards.
Official Result- Leon Edwards def. Nate Diaz by unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
Moreno with a leg kick. Moreno lands the jab. Moreno with a leg kick. Moreno with a combo. Moreno with a left hook. Figueiredo not doing much early. Moreno with a big combo. Figueiredo with a left hook to the body. Moreno with a leg kick. He lands another. Figueiredo lands a right hand. They trade elbows. Moreno with a combo then lands a jab. Moreno drops Figueiredo with a punch and gets on top. Figueiredo sweeps and they scramble up and break. Moreno with a body kick. 10-9 Moreno.
They trade to start the second. Moreno landing the jab at will and Figueiredo gets a takedown. Figueiredo passes over half-guard and is looking to lock his arm around the neck of Moreno. Figueiredo landing body punches. There isn’t much going on here. Moreno escapes and they get to their feet. Moreno has the back against the fence and is landing knees. Moreno gets a takedown and Figueiredo was clearly grabbing the fence. Moreno tried for a choke but Figueiredo spun out and Moreno got into the guard of Figueiredo. Moreno with short left hands. Moreno still working from the top and lands some elbows to the body. 10-9 Moreno, 20-18 Moreno.
They trade to start the third. They trade left hands. Moreno with a leg kick. Figueiredo lands a left hook. Moreno gets a takedown and has the back and has the hooks in. Moreno trying for a choke. Figueiredo is defending but in trouble. Moreno lets go. Moreno landing left hands. He has the choke locked in. It is in deep and Figueiredo taps! Moreno has submitted Figueiredo to become the new UFC Flyweight Champion. What an unreal performance.
Official Result- Brandon Moreno def. Deiveson Figueiredo by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:26 of Round 3 to win the UFC Flyweight Championship
> Israel Adesanya (C, 20-1, 9-1 UFC) vs. Marvin Vettori (#3, 17-4-1, 7-2-1 UFC) UFC Middleweight Championship
Adesanya with a leg kick. He lands a body kick and then another leg kick. He lands a couple more. Vettori gets a takedown in the guard of Adesanya. They get to their feet. Vettori trying to get it back down and Adesanya lands an elbow and they break. Adesanya with another leg kick. Vettori missing on his punches but is pressuring. Vettori lands one against the fence. Adesanya with a leg kick. Adesanya with a combo ending with a leg kick. Adesanya with a head kick. Adesanya with a leg kick. Adesanya lands an uppercut and just misses a head kick. Vettori lands a leg kick. 10-9 Adesanya.
Adesanya with a leg kick. He lands another. Adesanya with a head kick. Adesanya landing with a combo as Vettori was coming in. Adesanya with his back against the fence and dodging Vettori’s punches as he’s landing lots of leg kicks. Vettori shoots for the takedown but Adesanya defending against the fence and landing hard elbows. They break. Adesanya with a high kick. Adesanya still landing the leg kicks as he’s avoiding the punches of Vettori. Vettori drops down for the takedown but Adesanya is landing big elbows as he defends. They break. Adesanya with a high kick. Adesanya with a late head kick. 10-9 Adesanya, 20-18 Adesanya.
Adesanya with a leg kick. Vettori gets a takedown against the fence. Vettori landing and takes the back and had a choke almost locked in but Adesanya reverses out and is now in the guard of Vettori. They scramble up and Adesanya accidentally pokes Vettori in the eye and notices it and they take a break. Adesanya lands a right hand and then a leg kick. Adesanya just misses a high question mark kick. Vettori with the jab. Adesanya with another leg kick. Vettori lands a right hand. Adesanya still landing hard leg kicks. Adesanya lands a leg kick and Vettori goes to the mat and Adesanya lands a couple of punches then Vettori gets up. Adesanya then lands a kick to the groin and we have a timeout before the end of the round. 10-9 Adesanya, 30-27 Adesanya.
Adesanya with a leg kick. Vettori trying a takedown but Adesanya easily defends and lands a punch on the break. Adesanya with a high kick. Adesanya with a combo and then a leg kick. Vettori goes for a takedown and Adesanya landing elbows and punches. Vettori gets Adesanya down but Adesanya reverses to the top and stands and Vettori is ordered up. Adesanya with a leg kick. Vettori lands a right hand. Adesanya with some body kicks. Vettori lands a leg kick. They trade punches. Adesanya with a leg kick. Vettori trying to land but Adesanya slipping away. Adesanya with a head kick that just misses landing completely flush. Vettori tries for a late takedown but is just holding on. Vettori did nothing with it. 10-9 Adesanya, 40-36 Adesanya.
Adesanya with a leg kick. Vettori going for a takedown against the fence but Adesanya defending. They end up clinched and Adesanya landing ear shots. They break and Adesanya with an uppercut on the break. Adesanya with a head kick. Vettori with a leg kick. Adesanya lands a combo. Adesanya with a high kick but Vettori blocks it. Adesanya with a combo ending with a leg kick. Vettori shoots for the takedown but can’t complete it. They’re clinched against the fence. With not much happening, they are broken up by Marc Goddard. Adesanya with a high kick. Vettori tried for a takedown with seven seconds to go, don’t think that will get the finish. 10-9 Adesanya, 50-45 Adesanya.
Official Result- Israel Adesanya def. Marvin Vettori by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) to retain the UFC Middleweight Championship
The highly-anticipated return of Nate Diaz is being pushed back a month.
Due to an undisclosed minor injury, the Diaz vs. Leon Edwards co-main event for this Saturday’s UFC 262 has been pushed back to June 12th’s UFC 263. The fight was to be a five round affair, but it’s unknown if that will still be the case next month.
UFC 263, set for Glendale, Arizona, is headlined by middleweight Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori II and flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno II.
This was to be Diaz’s first fight since losing to Jorge Masvidal for the ceremonial BMF title at November 2019’s UFC 244. He has two fights remaining on his contract. Edwards returned after nearly 18 months of inactivity and had a short no contest with Belal Muhammad in March after he accidentally eye-poked Muhammad.
This Saturday’s main event is Charles Oliveira vs. Michael Chandler for the vacant lightweight title. It’s assumed Tony Ferguson vs. Beneil Dariush will be the new co-main event.
One of the top draws in MMA is returning at May’s UFC 262 in another first-ever circumstance as Nate Diaz will face Leon Edwards in the organization’s first-ever five round, non-title co-main event.
This will be the 35-year-old’s first fight since losing to Jorge Masvidal for the ceremonial BMF belt at UFC 244 in November 2019. Before that, he had defeated Anthony Pettis at August 2019’s UFC 241 — his first fight in three years.
After nearly 18 months off due to the pandemic and having COVID-19, Edwards returned to action against Belal Muhammad this month as his original opponent (Khamzat Chimaev) fell through for a third time. An Edwards eye poke ended the fight in the second round in a disappointing no contest. Edwards hasn’t tasted defeat in nine straight fights dating back to May 2016.
UFC 262 is headlined by Michael Chandler vs. Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title. It’s scheduled for the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, with no limitations on attendance and tickets going on sale Wednesday afternoon. Next month’s UFC 261 in Jacksonville, Florida, is being held under similar conditions and sold out in minutes last week.
We look at the changes in WWE business and details on what Vince McMahon was talking about regarding changes in the network and PPV distribution in the lead story of the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
We examine the departure of Michelle Wilson and George Barrios, the drop in the stock price, what it will take to get the price back up, McMahon talking business options, what WWE can learn from how UFC handled a similar situation, the business of WrestleMania, the key players, the different options, the UFC PPV deal, and McMahon talks AEW.
Also in this issue:
WWE fourth quarter numbers in every category, profits, losses, arena business, corporate spending and all categories.
McGregor vs. Cerrone business including details of it being the largest streaming PPV in history, how it did on traditional PPV, how UFC ha helped ESPN+ numbers, ESPN+ subscribers as well a the bundle with Hulu and Disney Plus, and how successful it has been financially.
WrestleMania and the net Saudi Arabia show, a new WWE TV deal, Takeover Portland, what medical treatment wrestlers from many different companies are looking at doing, new WWE signings, John Cena in Fast 9, update on talent that has wanted their release, Jake Atlas debut, lots of ratings info, WWE Network price notes, Mauro Ranallo talks getting off twitter, Total Bellas story lines, Bret Hart update, most watched shows on WWE Network and coverage of all of last week’s WWE arena events.
New Beginning shows in Sapporo, with a full rundown of the booking, the business, match-by-match coverage with star ratings and poll results.
A feature on the Jericho Cruise, the top matches, how TV was taped, and what happened.
UFC event from Raleigh with match-by-match coverage and business notes.
A feature on the death of Romeo Cormier and the famous Burke/Martin/Cormier family and the heyday of pro wrestling in Eastern Canada.
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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AEW is holding an online pre-sale tomorrow for their Double or Nothing event in Las Vegas. It starts at 12 p.m. ET here and the presale code is FLEETDON.
Over the Top Wrestling released a video highlighting the David Starr vs. Jeff Cobb match that will take place at ScrapperMania 6 on February 15.
TJPW announced that Yuka Sakazaki will miss their March 1 card at KFC Hall due to scheduling reasons. AEW Revolution takes place a day prior.
Here is a trailer for the next DLC for Fire Pro Wrestling World, which includes Stardom wrestlers.
MMA
Nate Diaz is considering legal action after The Miami Herald reported that he was involved in an altercation with Miami police and was hospitalized. Zach Rosenfield, Diaz’s publicist, immediately denied the report. The publication later issued a correction saying it was not Diaz, but rather Michael Albert Nates, a local MMA fighter.
Police are investigating BJ Penn for a possible DUI violation stemming from an accident in Hilo, Hawaii last week. Penn allegedly was operating a truck that was involved in a single vehicle crash. Penn was taken to the hospital and, according to TMZ, was released shortly after.
UFC is currently finalizing a bout between Niko Price and Muslim Salikhov for April 11 in Portland.
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
ESPN+ PPV MAIN CARD | 10 PM ET/7 PM PT
> 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.
The Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal fight that was to headline UFC 244 in Madison Square Garden on 11/2 is in jeopardy as Diaz announced on 10/24 that he was pulling out of the fight.
Diaz posted a statement saying, “I’m not gonna make it out to NYC for fight week next week because they say I tested with elevated levels that they say might be from some tainted supplements. I call false on that course. I only take Whole Food or natural food supplements. I don’t even eat meat. So until UFC, USADA or whoever if F***ing with me fixes it, I won’t be competing. I’m not gonna play their game and try and hide it or keep quiet, as they suggested. I’m not gonna have my name tainted as a cheater like these other motherf***er who keep quiet until after the fight just so they can get paid. F***in cheaters.
“I don’t give a f*** about some money over my dignity and my legacy. I’m not playing along wit ths bullshit. I’m not staying quiet and figuring it out after the fight. That’s cheating. So fight game, I’ll see you when I see.
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.
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.
